Chapter 5

Rainbow Dash landed in Cloudsdale in the afternoon just outside the Wonderbolt's compound. The gate was ajar and a male pegasus stood guard.

“Hello, here for the tryouts?” asked the pegasus.

“Yep, name's Rainbow Dash.” She presented her invitation.

The pegasus checked a paper on the wall. “You're on the list. Come on in.” She entered the gate and the pegasus directed her to a nearby building.

Inside, Spitfire and a gray pegasus with a scar on the right side of his face and a leather brace on his left wing stood behind a counter. Rainbow Dash was appalled when she recognized the gray pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash! Good to see you again,” said Spitfire. “This is Mr. Immelmane, our choreographer, he'll be helping Soarin and I decide who makes the team.”

“We've met,” said Immelmane in a cold voice.

“H..hello Mr. Immelmane,” stammered Rainbow Dash. “I wasn't expecting to see you here.”

“You two know each other?” asked Spitfire.

Immelmane answered. “I was her instructor when she was just a little filly. One of the biggest troublemakers in the school as I recall.”

Rainbow Dash smiled nervously. “I guess I was.”

“And now here you are, all grown up,” continued Immelmane. “Considering the way you fly, that is quite an accomplishment.”

Spitfire laughed, “I hope you won't hold the past against her.”

“Of course not,” said Immelmane. “The team comes first. If she is the best, then she'll certainly get my vote. I was at the Young Fliers Competition when you did the Sonic Rainboom and was most impressed. Very dangerous, but I'm glad you did it.”

“Me too!” agreed Spitfire.

“Besides,” said Immelmane, “many of the best fliers are a little crazy.” He looked at Spitfire.

“Me? I'm not crazy flier,” protested Spitfire.

“Not now,” said Immelmane, “but I seem to remember you once crashed through the window of my classroom while racing in a restricted area.”

“Don't bring that up, please,” said Spitfire. “It makes me ache just thinking about it.”

“Alright, enough about old times,” said Immelmane. “I'll be fair with you Rainbow Dash, just make sure you keep that reckless streak of yours in check. This isn't the place for it.”

“Sure thing Mr. Immelmane,” said Rainbow Dash earnestly, “I know better than to cross you.”

“Come on,” said Spitfire, “I'll show you to your room.”

* * *
They went up a gentle ramp and down a hallway.

“I hope you don't mind sharing a room,” said Spitfire. “We made room assignments at random and you ended up with a roommate.”

“Nope, I don't mind,” said Rainbow Dash, “as long as she's cool.”

“Here we are,” said Spitfire. She opened the door and they entered. A chestnut pony with a red mane and tail stood there, unpacking her things. She had a flaming wing for a cutie mark.

“Rainbow Dash, meet Firewing,” said Spitfire, “Firewing, Rainbow Dash.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Firewing.

“Hi, nice to meet you, Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Well, I'll leave you two to get acquainted,” said Spitfire. “I hope you will be friends even though you're also competitors. It takes more to make the team than just good flying.”

“I'm sure we will,” said Firewing.

“It'll be nice to room with another Pegasus for a change,” said Rainbow Dash.

Spitfire stopped at the door. “One more thing, Rainbow Dash, what did you do that Immelmane remembered?”

Rainbow Dash was very embarrassed. “It's hard to tell. I was always doing tricks and stuff that I shouldn't. If it was one thing though, I guess it was the cafeteria incident.”

“What happened?” asked Spitfire.

“I flew through it,” said Rainbow Dash with a smile.

Spitfire laughed. “That doesn't sound too bad.”

“No, I mean I flew through it,” explained Dash. “Through one wall and out the other.”

Firewing laughed. “Oh no, I wish I could have seen that.”

“It wouldn't have been so bad except that there was a faculty and parents dinner going on at the time,” continued Rainbow Dash.

“And I thought I was bad! What did Immelmane do?” asked Spitfire.

“He wanted to ground me for a year,” said Rainbow Dash dryly.

“I can't imagine not flying for a year!” said Firewing. She had never been in trouble like that.

“Me neither,” said Rainbow Dash. “I didn't have to find out, fortunately. The principal made me spend the next three months teaching beginners safety courses instead.”

“That's why you looked like you'd seen a ghost when you came in,” said Spitfire with a smile. “Don't worry. Immelmane is fair and he always thinks of the team.”

“Thanks Spitfire,” said Rainbow Dash, somewhat relieved. “It's good to see you again.”

Spitfire left and Rainbow Dash stood lost in thought. It was Firewing that broke the silence. “Sooo here we are. I hear you're fast. Do you do anything else?”

Rainbow Dash's revery was broken. “Oh, sure, I practice all the time. I know all the Wonderbolt's moves. Of course I work on new tricks of my own too. What about you?”

“My dad taught me all I know about stunt flying,” said Firewing. “He was a Wonderbolt when he was young. After I was born, mom made him get a safer job. He's an instructor in Manehatten now. That's where I grew up. I can do all the Wonderbolt's routines too. I'm might not be as fast as you but I'm very precise. Dad made sure of that.”

“I need to work on the precision part, on my technique,” said Rainbow Dash. “I fly on the edge a lot.”

“Take a look at this,” said Firewing. She pointed to a notice posted on the wall.

“What is it?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Firewing read the paper. “The schedule of events. All we have tomorrow is an orientation and a lunch. Then on Monday morning the tryouts start. First thing is follow the leader.”

“Piece of cake,” snorted Rainbow Dash. “I haven't done that in years though. Beginners stuff.”

“Yeah, except Spitfire's the leader,” said Firewing with a smile.

“Oh, might be a little tougher than I thought,” said Rainbow Dash. “Then what?”

Firewing frowned. “The rest of the day is for critique and practice for those remaining.”

“For those remaining?” gasped Rainbow Dash. “They're going to start cutting ponies on the first day!?”

Firewing continued, “Day two, is learning a standard Wonderbolt's routine. Day three is demonstrating that routine. Day four, for those that remain, is independent routine workshop and practice. Day five is independent routine demonstration.”

“Sounds like Monday and Wednesday are the days they weed out the non-contenders and Friday they make their decision,” said Rainbow Dash.

Firewing nodded. “Yeah, it says the decision will be told to the remaining ponies Friday and on Saturday we have a dinner and dance in the winners honor.”

“It will be a busy week,” said Rainbow Dash. “At least I won't have time to miss my friends.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” said Firewing. She sounded glum but almost immediately she brightened. “Hey, we have the week to hang out with the best fliers in Equestria, right?”

“You said it!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. She decided that she liked this new mare. “I hope I make it to the independent routine. I've been working on a special move for the ending.”

“What is it?” asked Firewing.

“If I tell you,” said Rainbow Dash in a low voice, “will you promise not to use it or tell anypony?”

“I promise,” said Firewing eagerly, “on my honor.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Okay, I go into a dive and then start to spin. Then I throw my weight sideways and go into an inverted flat spin for three rotations, flip over and do three more rotations in a flat spin. Then I pull out into a stall and land.”

Firewing stared at her roommate. “You're going to do flat spins? As part of a landing? That's just.... Ooh ha ha ha, you had me going there Dash, it's okay, you don't have to tell me your secret move if you don't want to.”

“No, really, that's the move! It'll be spectacular!” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and smiled.

“You...you're serious aren't you?” said Firewing in disbelief. “That's insane! Look, I want to win this more than anything but I don't want to do it over your dead body! No pony does flat spins on purpose!”

“Shush!” said Dash, “I don't want anypony hearing this.”

“I don't think you have to worry about anypony stealing that move,” replied Firewing.

“I can do it. The flat spin part anyway. The real trick is doing it close enough to the ground so you don't drop out of the stall too high up and mess up the landing.”

“How high up are you when you kick out of the flat spin?” asked Firewing.

“Oh, about twenty hooves,” answered Rainbow Dash confidently, “then my momentum carries me up to about forty hooves, I flare my wings and just float down.”

Firewing sat down abruptly with her mouth open. “Rainbow Dash, you're either the greatest flier ever or you're totally crazy and you're going to be totally crazy and dead!”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “It's cool. I'll be alright. You'll see.”

“There's too much that can go wrong,” insisted Firewing. “If you mess up on the spinning dive, you'll plow into the ground full speed. If you can't pull out of the flat spins, or start them too late, you'll just keep going down and pinwheel into the ground. You might survive that but you 'd be badly injured.”

“I guess I'd better not mess up then,” laughed Rainbow Dash. “I'll show you how it's done. I'm pretty sure I can pull it off.”

“I'll be sure they put that on your tombstone,” replied Firewing sarcastically. “Yeah, 'She was pretty sure', that sounds good.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Relax, I told you I've been working on it. It even looked good a couple of times.”

“You've done it already?” gasped Firewing.

“A few times,” said Rainbow Dash. “but I mostly practice it either at altitude or over a lake. I'm not totally nuts. Just wait until you see me try it before you say I can't. Hey, how about a little help getting my bags off.”

“Alright, I won't tell anypony but I'm still going to try to talk you out of it,” said Firewing. “Here, let me get this strap loose.”

Firewing helped Rainbow Dash get her bags off and onto the floor.

“Whew!” said Rainbow Dash, “thanks, they were getting heavy.”

“They are heavy,” said Firewing. “What did you bring?”

“I didn't pack that much but I got a few going away presents,” replied Dash. “Apple?”

“Sure!” said Firewing, happily, “I love 'em.”

Firewing ate an apple while Rainbow Dash unpacked. She savored the fruit, “mmm this is good.”

Rainbow Dash knew what she meant. “Fresh picked this morning.” She pulled out a picture of her friends. “It came from Applejack's farm. That's her there, in the hat. That's Pinkie Pie, she sent along some cake and Fluttershy is the pegasus. The purple one in the middle is Twilight Sparkle, she's a special pupil of Princess Celestia. The white one next to Twilight is Rarity. She made me this!” Rainbow Dash pulled out her new flight suit.

Firewing was impressed. “Whoa! Nice suit.”

“Yeah, I went straight to her when I got the letter for the tryouts,” said Dash. “She whipped this up in a day. I have a dress she made too, for the dinner.”

“Well, let's see it,” said Firewing, eagerly.

Dash got out the dress. It was dark red with white highlights.

“Your friend is very talented,” said Firewing. “She could sell a dress like that in Manehatten.”

“She's good alright,” agreed Rainbow Dash, as she thought about her unicorn friend. “I wish she could get a little more recognition. Most ponies don't know about her, you know, being from a small town like Ponyville.”

Firewing noticed Fluttershy in the picture. “You only have one other pegasus for a friend? I guess you fly a lot together.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “With Fluttershy? No, not really. Fluttershy is not what you'd call a strong flier. But she is a great friend and she's very kind. I'm in charge of the weather team in Ponyville, those are the pegasi I fly with the most. Most of them are good fliers but none of them can give me a workout so I practice my stunts alone. What about you? You said your dad taught you?”

Firewing swallowed a bite of apple. “When he was home and when we could get away without my mom. She's always so scared I'll get hurt. But dad understands how much I love flying. And Manehatten has a flying club so I learned there; lots of good older fliers. They're obsessed with technique. Not a lot of new tricks, but I perfected all the standard ones. I took sky dancing for seven years too.”

“How did you get your mom to let you come to the tryouts?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Firewing drew herself up. “I'm old enough to decide for myself....besides, I didn't tell her.”

They both laughed and Firewing continued, “I do have the precision and the skills that I think the Wonderbolt's are looking for, but not much else. Only fair speed and no special moves.”

Rainbow Dash found herself admitting her own doubts to this comparative stranger. “I have a lot of speed, maneuverability and endurance. I can do some special tricks no other pony does but my technique does need work and I get out of control sometimes. I think you're the one that has the best shot.”

Firewing lifted her head, “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

They looked at each other quietly for a moment and started to laugh.

“Let's make a deal,” suggested Firewing, “we work together until we're either eliminated or until the last day. Then it's every pony for herself.”

“It's a deal!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “We'll make this a two pony contest. May the best pegasus win!”

Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

The two partners spent the next hour talking about their homes, the tryouts and different tricks. It was clear that Rainbow Dash had a wider repertoire than Firewing but Rainbow Dash was worried. Training mostly solo, she had little experience in formation flying. They decided to go on a walking tour of the compound before supper. There were only a few ponies around, mostly Wonderbolt support ponies who were happy to direct the contestants to the various buildings.

They met two other contestants as they crossed a wide courtyard. One was a pony named Goldmane, a Canterlot pony, whose coat reminded Rainbow Dash of Fluttershy but her mane and tail were bright yellow with a pale blue highlight. Her cutie mark was a single gold bar on a blue diamond. The other pony was from Fillydelphia. She was named Starshine and had a blue coat, somewhat lighter than Rainbow Dash's, and a white mane with only a small red highlight. She had an eight pointed white star for a cutie mark.

“Nice to meet some other contestants,” said Starshine, “I thought we were the only ones here.”

“We were thinking the same thing,” said Firewing.

“Did you find the dining hall?” asked Goldmane.

“Sure,” said Dash, “it's right over there. Doesn't open for about an hour though.”

“So are you two roommates?” asked Firewing.

“No,” said Goldmane, “I have a smaller room to myself.”

“I'm supposed to be rooming with a pony from Cloudsdale,” said Starshine. “Her name is Sunrise Cloud, but she's not here yet.”

“We're rooming together,” said Rainbow Dash. “Say, want to meet back here for supper?”

“Sure,” said Goldmane, “and you can call me Goldy, everypony does.”

“Fine with me,” said Starshine, “as long as it's as soon as the place opens, I'm starved.”

“Would an apple or a piece of cake hold you over?” asked Dash. “I've got some in our room.”

“That would be great,” said Starshine.

Rainbow Dash lead them back towards their room. In the hallway, they met Spitfire and another pony coming the opposite way. Spitfire introduced the pale purple pony at her side. “Windyday, meet Firewing, Rainbow Dash, Goldmane and Starshine. Girls, this is Windyday, an accomplished flier from Canterlot.”

Windyday looked at her competition, showing no emotion. “Pleased to meet you,” she said. “Goldmane, it's good to see you again.”

“Nice to see you again, Windy,” said Goldmane, though she didn't sound as if it was pleasant at all.

Rainbow Dash was impressed by Windyday's regal bearing which reminded Rainbow Dash of the Princesses. Her deep purple mane was cut somewhat short and she had a flowing tail with a silver ring worn high up. Her cutie mark was a cloud and a pine tree bending in the wind. “We're going to meet up for dinner in about an hour, Windyday. You're welcome to join us.”

“Thank you,” replied Windyday, with a hint of a smile, “I'd like that.”

“Come along, Windy,” said Spitfire, “your room is right over here.”

“Nice meeting you, Windy,” said Firewing.

“See you at dinner,” said Starshine.

The ponies entered Firewing and Dash's room and Rainbow Dash got out the leftover cake and a few apples. Firewing and Rainbow Dash didn't eat anything themselves, not wishing to spoil their dinner.

“Goldy,” said Firewing, “I take it you know Windyday?”

“Oh yes,” replied Goldmane, “we know each other. If I knew she was going to be here I might not have come. She's beaten me in a race and in two aerobatics competitions already.”

“She's good, huh?” said Starshine.

“Very good,” said Goldmane. “Her routines are just perfect. I mean the tricks, the timing, the synchronization to the music are all just dead on. She's fast too.”

“How fast?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I haven't seen anypony faster,” replied Goldmane bitterly. “Most of the stallions in Canterlot won't race her. The ones that do, lose.”

“Good,” replied Rainbow Dash with a smile, “maybe I can get a race out of her. I can't remember the last time I had a good race.”

“You want to race her?” said Goldmane laughing. “Think you're fast, eh?”

“No,” said Rainbow Dash, “I think I'm the fastest.”

“Wait a minute,” said Starshine, “Rainbow Dash, you're the pony that did the sonic rainboom at the Young Fliers Competition! I remember hearing about that.”

“That's me,” said Rainbow Dash proudly.

“Let me know if you get that race,” said Goldy, “I'd like to see some pony beat her.”

“I guess you're not friends then?” said Firewing.

“No, not really,” said Goldmane. “She's...hard to get close to. She's never done anything mean to me, and she's not a dirty racer or anything, she's just...I don't know..strange. All she does is fly. You never see her doing anything but training or competing. And she's kind of...spooky. She looked at me before a competition once and it was like she was looking right through me. It was like she knew how to beat me before we even started.”

“That is spooky,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Okay, so she's good. Is anypony in this thing not good? We'll just have to see if she has what it takes when we get in the air.”

“Does anypony know who the other competitors are?” asked Starshine. “I think there may be another one from Phillydelphia. Her name's Twister. I don't know for sure if she's invited, she doesn't have the best reputation.”

“What do you mean?” asked Firewing.

“It mainly has to do with racing,” said Starshine, “some ponies say she flies dirty. There have been a few investigations and complaints but nothing has ever come of them.”

“We shouldn't have to worry about that,” said Goldmane, “this is an aerobatics tryout.”

“That's true,” agreed Starshine, “I was just wondering if she was invited.”

“I'd think there would be some ponies from Cloudsdale,” said Rainbow Dash, “there are a lot of good fliers here.”

“That might be why they're not here yet,” said Firewing, “we didn't really have to report until tomorrow. They're probably spending one last night at home.”

“Four or five of them?” said Goldmane. “That's a lot from one city.”

“It's possible,” said Rainbow Dash, “I can think of a couple off the top of my head. An old friend of mine, her name's Frost, could be one. She's a big strong mare that knows a lot of tricks. She's fast too.”

“You're not going to warn us about her?” said Firewing, half jokingly.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Frost? No, she's cool. Very competitive but she's always been a clean player.”

They talked for a bit more and headed down to the dining hall. Windyday was waiting for them in the courtyard.

“Sorry if we made you wait,” said Firewing.

“You didn't,” replied Windyday, “the dining hall isn't open yet. I was just having a look around the compound. It's very impressive.”

“It sure is,” said Rainbow Dash, “they have everything here. That's the gym, there's a pool and sauna in the back. The medical facility is over there. That's the ballroom where the dinner will be at the end of the tryouts.”

“You've been here before?” asked Windyday.

“No,” said Rainbow Dash, “Firewing and I came down here earlier. There were some ponies here that showed us around.”

“I thought the Wonderbolts might have given you a tour after you won the Young Fliers Competition,” said Windyday.

“You know about that?” said Rainbow Dash.

“I was here for it but I didn't compete,” replied Windyday. “I had already flown in the Fillydelphia Twenty Mile Open and a team aerobatic contest in Canterlot that week and after flying here my coach decided I should sit it out.”

“That's a lot of flying,” said Firewing. “How did you do?”

“First in the team aerobatics, second in the race,” replied Windyday in a matter of fact manner. “I might have been able to win the race but I didn't start my kick soon enough.”

“I don't think I'd be able to kick at the end of twenty miles,” said Starshine.

“It's longer than I normally fly,” said Windyday. “I was trying to build up my endurance.”

“It doesn't sound like you have a problem there,” said Firewing.

“Endurance was a weak point in my flying abilities,” said Windyday, “I trained hard to eliminate it. I think that second place in a twenty mile race is fairly good.” Her voice is emotionless, it didn't seem as if she even cared about her accomplishment.

“I'll say,” said Rainbow Dash, “and then to win in a team event the same week. You should be proud of that.”

“Thank you,” said Windyday. “The aerobatics win meant more to me. It was my last time as flight leader. They voted another pony to lead after the competition.”

“Why was that?” asked Firewing. “How can a flight leader do more than win?”

Windyday gave Firewing a slight smile. “I don't think the other ponies liked my way of doing things. I strive to be perfect and they... didn't share my dedication.”

“That shouldn't be a problem here,” said Rainbow Dash, “if you win you'll be with the best fliers in Equestria. By the way, when this is over, how about racing me?”

Windyday looked surprised but quickly regained her composure. “Alright, I know you can do a sonic rainboom so you're faster than me but I wouldn't mind finding out how much faster. Does five miles at altitude sound good to you?”

“Sure!” replied Rainbow Dash, “I haven't had anypony push me to my limits in years.”

A pony came out of the dining hall. “Ladies, the dining hall is now open.”

* * *
The ponies entered the hall and were treated to a very good meal. They sat at a round table while numerous dishes were placed before them. All of them were hungry so there was little talk except to ask another pony to pass a dish. Eventually, their hunger sated, they started to talk again as they nibbled at a dessert of honey oat cakes.

“I wonder why they didn't invite more ponies from Manehatten,” said Starshine. “That's a big place, there have to be some good fliers there.”

“There are a lot of good fliers there,” said Windyday, “there just aren't very many great fliers. I've flown against them in competition. Very clean and precise, they really look good but their tricks are boring, very run of the mill. I always worry more about ponies from Cloudsdale or Fillydelphia; they're more innovative.”

“I wonder what they saw in me?” asked Firewing.

“No idea,” said Windyday, “I've never seen you fly, but it must have been something.” She looked at Rainbow Dash. “You,” she said, pointing at the blue pegasus, “I do understand. Your tricks didn't amount to much at the Young Fliers Competition but that was some incredible flying you did to save three Wonderbolts and that silly friend of yours. I hope you've been practicing, I'd love to see you put that sort of effort into some stunts.”

Rainbow Dash was not sure how to take this. “Um, thanks. I have been practicing and I have some tricks no pony has ever seen.”

Windyday smiled and nodded. “Good, in that case, I look forward to flying against you.”

“What about us?” asked Starshine, “We're in this too you know.”

“Goldy I've beaten before,” replied Windyday evenly, “and I've seen you fly and I've seen your race times. I can beat you.”

“I guess we should just leave now then,” said Starshine indignantly.

“No, of course not,” said Windyday, “you never get better if you don't compete. It's a great honor just to be asked to come here.”

“But you don't think I'm good enough to win?” persisted Starshine.

“No, I don't,” replied Windyday, “but you'll have the chance to prove me wrong. I hope you both perform well. You asked me how I saw your chances and I told you. There's no reason to be upset.”

“So who do you see as a threat?” asked Goldy trying to deflect the attention away from Starshine.

“I'm not sure yet,” replied Windyday, “there's a Cloudsdale pony I expect to see. Very strong, very good. She has experience in formation flying and has quite few of tricks of her own.”

“Frost,” interjected Rainbow Dash.

“Yes,” said Windyday, “I take it you know her?”

“She's an old friend,” said Rainbow Dash, “I learned a lot about flying from her when I was little.”

“I thought you were from Ponyville,” said Windyday.

“I grew up in Cloudsdale but I live in Ponyville now,” replied Rainbow Dash. “I used to hang out with her and some of the older ponies. I hope she does come, it would be good to see her again.”

“Not worried about her beating you?” asked Goldmane.

“I think I'm better,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm faster and can out maneuver her anyway. We'll see in the tryouts but I'm not worried.”

“If you're not worried about her,” said Windyday, “then I'll be keeping a close eye on you, Rainbow Dash.”

“You should,” said Rainbow Dash, “I think I'm the best, but you're welcome to prove me wrong.”

Windyday smiled and even gave a slight laugh. “That's the spirit! This should be an interesting competition. Well, I should go and finish unpacking. I wish you all good luck and I hope everypony comes out of this in one piece.”

“Same to you Windyday,” replied Rainbow Dash, “see you at breakfast.”

“Goodnight Windyday,” said Firewing, “it's been... enlightening.”

“Goodnight,” said Starshine.

“Goodnight,” said Goldmane, “I suppose I should go get some rest myself. I have some things to do before bed.”

Firewing arose too. “I think I'll go back to my room. I want to do a little studying.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Study? I'm going on a little flight and relax. I'll be along soon.”

* * *
The ponies went their separate ways. Rainbow Dash took off from the courtyard. The compound was on the northern edge of the city and she flew out from the city a short way. The setting sun bathed Cloudsdale in a glorious shades of red and orange. She flew lazily for a little while but started to feel lonely and returned to the compound. From the courtyard she could see a pony eating alone in the dining hall. She was a pale orange with brighter orange hair with a streak of some darker color that she couldn't make out. She considered going to introduce herself but decided against it and returned to her room.

Firewing looked up from her book as Rainbow Dash entered. “Enjoy your flight?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Dash, “the city was beautiful in the sunset.”

“What did you think of our newest competitor?” asked Firewing.

“Windyday?” said Rainbow Dash, “I don't know. She's kind of strange. She thinks she's really a great flier but she doesn't boast about it. She talks about winning like she would talk about what she had for lunch. Like it doesn't matter.”

“But it obviously does matter to her,” said Firewing. “It seems as if she is trying to become the perfect flier just for the sake of doing it.”

“And she wants to beat only the best.” said Rainbow Dash. “To her, ponies like Goldy and Starshine aren't worth the trouble. She doesn't seem to care what anypony thinks of her.”

“I noticed,” said Firewing. “She speaks what she sees as the truth and I don't think she understands she's hurting other ponies' feelings with her words. Either that or she doesn't care.”

“Maybe, it's because she doesn't have feelings,” replied Rainbow Dash, “but did you see how calm she is? She just laughed when I used her own words against her. It's like she's just observing, not letting anything get to her.”

“Yeah,” said Firewing, “or anypony. I don't think I could live like that.”

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to say. In a way she was envious of Windyday's calm demeanor but was terrified of the loneliness she must feel or worse, failed to feel.

“Let's be nice to her,” said Firewing suddenly.

“Huh?” said Rainbow Dash, coming back from her thoughts.

“Be nice to her,” said Firewing as she stood up and gazed out the window. “I shall be nice to her, and so should you.”

“Why?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Because it's the right thing to do,” replied Firewing. “I'll be nice to her whether she likes it or not.”

Dash giggled.

Firewing smiled and turned toward her roommate. “She'll either come around or it will drive her crazy.”

Rainbow Dash collapsed on her bed laughing.

Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

As Rainbow Dash made her way to Cloudsdale, a conspiracy was underway in Ponyville. At Rarity's boutique, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and a very reluctant Fluttershy were hatching a plot to spy on Rainbow Dash. Rarity was surprised that her friends would think of such a thing but was also intrigued.

“Let me get this straight,” she said, “you want Fluttershy and I to go to Cloudsdale and spy on the Wonderbolt tryouts. You need Fluttershy because she can fly and knows the area and you need me because I'm a unicorn and can work the telescope...which you don't have.”

“That's it!” said Pinkie Pie jumping up. “See? I told you that Rarity would help.”

“I didn't say I would help,” reminded Rarity.

Fluttershy sighed. “Thank goodness.”

Applejack didn't want to take no for an answer. “Come on Rarity! We need you.”

“Why not ask Twilight?” asked Rarity. “She has the telescope anyway.”

“Cause we didn't think she'd go for it,” said Pinkie Pie.

“And why do you think that is?” prompted Rarity.

Applejack sighed. “She'd probably say it was wrong or be afraid of getting caught.”

“But you thought that I might do it? Even though it's a mad idea?” Rarity tried to look stern.

Fluttershy was relieved, seeing the plan falling apart. “That's what I said but...”

“Well of course I'll do it! How are we going to get the telescope?” said Rarity excitedly.

“Oh no..” said Fluttershy quietly.

“Hurray!” shouted Pinkie Pie, “I knew we could count on you! This is going to be fun!”

“I don't think so,” said Fluttershy.

Pinkie Pie tried to get Fluttershy into the spirit of the plan. “You should wear disguises. That would be fun!”

“Pinkie Pie this is serious,” said Applejack.

Rarity found herself on Pinkie Pie's side. “No, I think she's right. We don't want to be recognized, especially by Rainbow Dash.”

Applejack saw the point. “That's true, and if you're gonna be hiding in trees and bushes both yer coats are gonna stick out like a sore hoof.”

“I have some hay you could use,” offered Pinkie Pie.

“We eat hay Pinkie Pie,” said Rarity. “I am not dressing up like lunch.”

Pinkie Pie giggled, “so what ya gonna do?”

“I could wear a cape,” said Rarity, “black or dark green and maybe a hat or a hood.”

“It's hard to fly with a cape,” complained Fluttershy.

“I'll make you a flight suit like Rainbow Dash's,” said Rarity, “except it will be black and will cover your head and legs too.”

“Oh! I've never had a flight suit before,” said Fluttershy showing the first bit of enthusiasm for the plan.

“Alright then,” said Applejack. “I can get y'all some apples to take along. Pinky Pie, can you get them some muffins or something?”

“Sure! Muffins it is,” said Pinky Pie.

Fluttershy was still reluctant. “We're going to eat muffins and apples for a week?”

“You can get other food from Cloudsdale, I can spare a few bits. So you have the disguises and food covered,” said Applejack.

“Where will we stay at night?” asked Fluttershy. “I don't want to sleep in the woods.”

“Neither do I,” said Rarity. “We'll get a room in Cloudsdale I suppose.”

“I can but you'll fall through the floor,” pointed out Fluttershy. “I couldn't carry you up there anyway.”

“This is becoming more difficult,” said Rarity. “We could take a tent... but we don't have one. And even if we did, how are we going to get everything out there and set it up in secret?”

“What about using Twilight's balloon?” suggested Pinkie Pie.

“Why yes!” said Rarity, “a giant purple balloon. The pegasi will never notice that.”

“I still don't like it,” said Fluttershy. “I want to know what's happening as much as you do but this just seems...I don't know. It just seems wrong somehow. If we get caught it might even hurt Rainbow Dash's chance of being a Wonderbolt.”

“Oh don't be silly,” said Rarity trying to sound confident. “They wouldn't do that. Anyway, if we keep our distance we won't get caught.”

“Even so, by the time we do find something out the week will almost be over anyway,” replied Fluttershy, still unconvinced.

“True,” said Rarity with a frown. “I guess I'll have to leave by Thursday to make it back before Rainbow Dash. You're lucky; you can fly. You can stay until Friday and really find out if she won.”

“By myself?” said Fluttershy.

“Afraid so,” said Rarity, “take your bunny with you if you want company.”

“You're right Fluttershy. Our plan is just too complicated to pull off,” said Applejack.

“I think we should forget the whole thing,” said Fluttershy.

“No,” said Rarity in a determined tone, “but I think you'll have to go alone. We'll disguise you. Change your cutie mark, maybe dye your hair.”

“Rarity!” cried Fluttershy, “I don't want to do any of that! Why doesn't any pony listen to me? This is just a bad idea.”

“Please Fluttershy,” said Rarity in a gentler voice, “we just have to know what's going on. And it's for Rainbow Dash too.”

“How is this for her?” said Fluttershy. “It's just so we know before she gets back.”

“Exactly,” said Rarity. “We have to prepare ourselves, whether she wins a spot on the team or not. If she makes the team, which I think she will, then we have to get used to the idea of her leaving and get a victory celebration ready. If she fails, then she will need us even more and we'll have to prepare for that too.”

“I never thought of it that way,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe you're right.”

“I think I am,” said Rarity.

“I'm sorry, Fluttershy,” said Applejack, “but I think the best you can do is just go hang around in Cloudsdale and see what information you can pick up.”

“There are ponies in Cloudsdale that know me,” Protested Fluttershy. “I'll be recognized.”

“Maybe not,” said Rarity. “We'll still go with the flight suit idea. It will cover your cutie mark and a lot of your mane. Do you have goggles?”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, “I use them for sunglasses sometimes.”

“Perfect!” said Rarity, “and if we do your hair differently, braids perhaps, you'd look completely different.”

“Besides, you got as much right as any pony to be in Cloudsdale,” said Applejack. “But it might be good to have a story for why you're there.”

“I have a great idea!” said Pinkie Pie. “Say that you're there to sell Rarity's designs for pegasi.”

“But I don't have any designs except for the one I made for Rainbow Dash,” Rarity pointed out. “ Hmm maybe you could say you were there to do some research for me, that I'm thinking of branching out?”

“And that would be true enough if the pegasuses like Rainbow Dash's suit,” added Applejack.

“So I wouldn't actually have to try and watch the tryouts?” asked Fluttershy.

“Only if you think you could get away with it,” said Applejack with a laugh.

“You should be able to get in a position to see them come and go,” said Rarity. “Try to spot her and see how she looks.”

“See, I knew this was going to work,” said Pinkie Pie. “We just had to work together.”

“I give up,” Fluttershy sighed. “I'll try to do it.”

“Let's chip in some bits to get Fluttershy a room and pay for her food and such,” said Applejack.

“Cheer up sugar cube! It'll be just like a vacation.”

Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

Firewing was awake and preparing to go to breakfast. Rainbow Dash was still sleeping despite being in an oddly contorted position on her cloud bed. Firewing decided to wake her new roommate.

“Wakey wakey Rainbow Dash!” called Firewing. “Time to get up!”

Rainbow Dash rolled into a more comfortable position. “Ugh, is it morning already?”

“It is,” Firewing informed the sleepy pegasus. “Come on or you'll miss breakfast.”

Rainbow Dash reluctantly left her cloud bed and yawned. She stretched and shook out her matted mane.

“You're not a morning pony are you?” said Firewing with a laugh.

“No, but I am a hungry one,” replied Rainbow Dash as she headed for the door.

“Aren't you even going to brush your mane?” asked Firewing.

“I usually just start flying and let it blow into place,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Here,” said Firewing, “let me brush you and then you can do mine.”

“Oh alright, if it'll make you happy,” said Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash stood docilely as Firewing brushed her hair into place. “You have such interesting hair. I always felt kind of plain but no one is ever going to mistake you for any other pony.”

“I used to get teased about it when I was little,” replied Dash, “but I learned to deal with it.”

“My turn,” said Firewing, as she finished the rainbow colored hair. Rainbow Dash took the brush and tried to brush Firewing's hair. She was a little clumsy.

“Ow!” exclaimed Firewing.

“Sorry” said Rainbow Dash, “I've never done this before. Not on another pony anyway.”

“Really? My friends and I used to do this all the time,” said Firewing.

“I guess I was too busy for that kind of stuff,” said Rainbow Dash. “I was always in the air.”

“Not really into the filly stuff, huh?” said Firewing. “Me neither but I like to look nice and it might make an impression on our judges.”

“You think so?” asked Dash.

Firewing shrugged. “Can't hurt. Come on, I'm hungry too.”

They left their room and headed to the dining hall. As they crossed the courtyard they heard a laugh from behind.

“I wonder who did her hair? A clown?” said a voice.

Rainbow Dash turned her head slightly but didn't look back. “Better get used to the view, it's all you're going to see once we're in the air.”

“Oh really?” said the voice, “I won the Fastest Filly race in Fillydelphia last year and the Fillydelphia Twenty Mile Open. Are you that fast?”

“Yep,” said Rainbow Dash, not slowing down.

Firewing and Rainbow Dash are surprised to hear Starshine's voice. “I think you'd better stop, Twister. That's Rainbow Dash. She's the fastest pony in Equestria. She can do the Sonic Rainboom.”

“So you're a contestant,” said Twister, “Starshine said she met some of the others last night.”

Firewing stopped and turned. “We both are. I'm Firewing, from Manehatten and this is my roommate Rainbow Dash. We're rooming together. Good morning Starshine.”

“I'm Twister,” said Twister, “from Fillydelphia. I'm one of the lucky ponies that has a room to herself.”

“I don't mind,” replied Firewing, “Dash is good company.”

“Good morning Firewing, Rainbow Dash,” said Starshine.

Rainbow Dash had stopped and was waiting on Firewing. She at last turned enough to see Twister. She was the same pony she saw eating alone the night before. Her pale orange coat was capped by a flowing bright orange mane with a streak of emerald green. Her tail was similarly colored and was clipped somewhat short as was her forelock. A green tornado cutie mark decorated her flank.

“Hi Starshine,” said Rainbow Dash. She noticed that Starshine looked embarrassed.

“Sorry for what I said about your hair,” said Twister, “I didn't know you were a contestant. So you're fast huh? It might not mean much in this competition.” Her pale green eyes seemed to avoid meeting Dash's gaze directly.

“It's okay,” said Rainbow Dash, but she thought to herself, 'and if I wasn't a contestant, it would be alright to insult me?'

“We're on our way to breakfast,” said Firewing, “we told Windyday we'd meet her here.”

“Windyday?” said Twister, “I'd stay away from her if I were you. She's a schemer and she'll tell lies in order to win.”

Firewing looked surprised. “Really? I didn't get that impression from her.”

“I won't say anymore but don't say I didn't warn you,” said Twister.

The ponies entered the dining hall and found Goldmane and Windyday already there. Though at the same table, there were a few chairs between them. Rainbow Dash made it a point to sit next to Windyday. The others found places at the same table. Twister sat on the end with Starshine.

“Good morning, girls,” said Rainbow Dash. “Is the breakfast as good as last night's dinner?”

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” said Windyday, “yes, it's quite good. I especially recommend those mint cakes.”

“Good morning Rainbow,” said Goldmane, “I see you've met our newest competitor.”

“Yes,” said Rainbow Dash, “she came up behind us in the courtyard.” She gave her attention to her food.

“Hello, Twister,” said Windyday, “I wondered if you would be here.”

“Hello, Windyday,” replied Twister in a sweet tone, “nice to see you again.”

Firewing was uncomfortable sitting between the two adversaries and ate hurriedly. Starshine was also uneasy and decided to start a conversation.

“Goldmane, I'm going to go practice for a while after breakfast,” said Starshine, “would you like to join me?”

Goldmane was relieved to have someone break the tension. “Yes, I could use some exercise. What did you have in mind?”

“Just some basic maneuvers,” replied Starshine, “nothing too strenuous.”

“Sounds good,” said Goldmane, “but let's walk around Cloudsdale for a few minutes first. I don't like flying on a full stomach.”

“You'd better train harder if you don't want me to beat you again, Starshine,” said Twister with a laugh. “If you ask me you're starting a little late.”

“I've been training,” said Starshine, “I've been doing aerobatics everyday for the last month.”

“Not working on speed? Have you given up on racing?” asked Twister with a smile.

“Not entirely,” said Starshine, “but I do seem to do better in aerobatic competitions so I decided to concentrate on that for a while.”

Windyday continued to eat slowly and said nothing. Rainbow Dash was finding Twister more annoying with each thing she said. She flicked her rainbow tail and concentrated on her breakfast.

“I guess that makes sense,” said Twister. “How about you Windy? What have you been working on?”

“A little of everything,” replied Windyday, “I like to stay well rounded.”

“So no more long distance races?” said Twister, “and here I was hoping for a rematch.”

“You may get one,” said Windyday, “you're good at long distance and I'd like to try again. I didn't fly very well tactically last time but I think I could at least push you harder if we race again.”

“Maybe we should invite Rainbow Dash next time,” said Twister, “but she seems like more of a sprinter to me.”

“Anytime, anywhere, any distance,” said Rainbow Dash, unable to contain herself any longer, “but after the tryouts.”

“Did I touch a nerve?” said Twister slyly, “no need to get upset. I was just suggesting a friendly race.”

“It sounded like a challenge to me,” said Rainbow Dash, she struggled to keep her voice even. “and I never back away from a challenge.”

“You'll have to wait until after she races me,” said Windyday, “we've already agreed to a race.”

“Really? I guess you're really not afraid of a challenge,” said Twister, “at least when it comes to racing. What about your other flying skills? Think you can beat us all in aerobatics?”

“We'll see,” said Rainbow Dash, “there are a lot of good ponies here and four more still have to arrive. I might lose, but I'll make everypony work to beat me. I have a few tricks in my flight suit.”

“Why not give us a demonstration?” said Twister. “Not scared of that are you?”

“Trying to get me to tip my hand?” replied Rainbow Dash, smiling. “If you make it to the individuals on Friday, you'll get to see them.”

“If I make it?!” said Twister. “Oh, I'll make it alright! I'll fly you into the ground!”

“Isn't that your usual method of winning, Twister?” asked Windyday, her voice calm and emotionless.

“I might have expected a comment like that from you, Windy,” said Twister. “Still jealous about coming in second?”

“Not at all,” said Windyday, “I thought second was quite good for my first long distance race.”

Twister was at a loss for words and turned her attention to Firewing. “What are you looking at?”

“I'm not sure,” replied Firewing, taking another bite of food.

“Um, Goldmane? Are you ready to go yet?” asked Starshine.

“Yes,” said Goldmane, “I'm done. Let's do some flying.”

“See you for lunch everypony,” said Starshine. She and Goldmane got up to leave.

“Practice hard, fillies,” said Twister, “You're going to need it.”

“I'm going into town,” said Windyday. “I haven't been in Cloudsdale for a while. Anypony want to come along?”

“I'm going to go for a flight and get a little work in,” said Rainbow Dash. “I have something I want to show Firewing too.”

“So you'll show her your stunts but not the rest of us?” said Twister.

“I didn't say it was a stunt,” said Rainbow Dash. “Are you ready Firewing?”

“I suppose so, pass me one of those mint cakes first,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash shoved the tray of cakes down to Firewing who took a couple and passed them down to Twister who ignored the offered food. Firewing quickly ate the cakes and rose to leave. Windyday and Rainbow Dash followed.

“See you at lunch, Twister,” said Firewing.

“Yes,” said Twister, “see you at lunch everypony.” There is an odd tone to her voice, a false friendliness.

“Goodbye, for now,” said Windyday. Rainbow Dash said nothing and left the hall followed by Windyday and Firewing.

“You shouldn't have let her get to you, Dash,” said Firewing, “it's what she wanted.”

“Yes,” agreed Windyday, “she tries to get her opponents upset.”

“I don't care,” said Rainbow Dash fiercely, “she is going down.”

“Well, I'm going to visit a shop and then see if I can find an old teacher of mine; I promised my parents I'd look her up,” said Windyday.

“We'll meet you for lunch,” said Firewing. “Windyday, we're going to do some training this afternoon and we decided to train together for the formation flying too. Would you like to join us?”

This came as a surprise to Rainbow Dash and also, it seemed, to Windyday. Windyday blinked.

“I usually train alone for the individual routines and I have a training regimen I do everyday,” replied Windyday. “I'll consider training with you both for the formation flying though. I'll let you know latter.”

“Alright,” said Firewing.

“See you latter, Windy,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Yes,” said Windyday, “and Rainbow Dash; when Twister said she'd fly you into the ground, she meant it... literally.” Without waiting for a reply, Windyday turned and walked towards the gate.

Firewing and Rainbow Dash took to the sky and flew away from Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash leading the way.

“That was an unpleasant way to start the day,” said Firewing.

“Yeah,” agreed Rainbow Dash, “that Twister is something else. She kind of made me lose my appetite, and that's hard to do.”

Firewing laughed. “I know what you mean. Windyday's comments are making me think too. She obviously knows something about Twister that she's not talking about.”

“And remember what Starshine said last night too,” said Rainbow Dash. “We'll have to watch each others backs.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Firewing. “So what did you want to show me?”

“I was thinking about a place to practice,” said Rainbow Dash, “there's a little valley with a small lake over there. If we stay low, no pony will be able to see us work out.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” said Firewing. “What did you want to do for a workout?”

“Well,” said Rainbow Dash after a moments consideration, “You wanted help on your speed and I need help on my technique. Why don't we start there?”

“Alright,” said Firewing, “how about a little race so you can see how fast I am?”

“Okay,” said Rainbow Dash, “see that cloud that's centered between those hills ahead? Fly there as fast as you can. I'll fly along and watch you.”

“Pretty confident you can stay with me,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No problem, I'm Rainbow Dash, remember?”

Firewing shook her head and took off. At first, she was ahead of Dash but she glanced to her left and saw that Rainbow Dash was easily keeping pace with her. She tried to put on more speed but Dash was still beside her, studying her.

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Not too bad Firewing but this is how it's done.” She pulled away rapidly and soon reached the cloud. She waited for Firewing who arrived out of breath and sat on the cloud.

“You're pretty fast,” said Rainbow Dash, “but you can gain some speed if you'd do a few things different.”

“Really?” gasped Firewing. “Like what?”

“First,” said Rainbow Dash, “you're flying with your hooves too low. That creates a lot of drag. Put them out in front to break the air and make a slipstream. You can still bring them down or back toward your body to help you turn but keep them out in front as much as you can.”

“Okay,” said Firewing, “anything else?”

“Keep your head lower when you fly,” said Rainbow Dash. “Your chin should be between your legs. It'll make you more streamlined.”

“I never learned to fly that way.” said Firewing. “We all tried to fly and look good doing it. You're flying for pure efficiency. Even so, I don't think I'll be able to match your speed.”

“Of course not,” said Rainbow Dash, “but you don't need to; just beat the other ponies.”

“Two pony race, right?” said Firewing with a smile.

“You know it,” said Dash.

“Okay, my turn.” Firewing. “Show me some of your moves while I catch my breath. Do a few loops, spins, rolls, you know, basic stuff.”

Rainbow Dash nodded her head and zipped off and to do some tricks while Firewing watched critically.

After a while, Rainbow Dash landed. “So what do you think? Am I awesome or what?”

“I'd say you're... ah.. barely adequate,” said Firewing, wondering how her new friend would take criticism.

Rainbow Dash was shocked. “WHAT?!”

“Sorry,” said Firewing. “You can do all the moves but they just don't look very good. You over shoot almost everything you do. When you do a snap spin you should stop in the same position you started in: exactly level. You go past that point and then level out. Everything should be clean stops. They'll be looking at that. ”

“So what do I do?” asked Rainbow Dash in a worried voice.

“You have to make your stops quicker,” said Firewing, “but you can't just start to end the move sooner. That won't look good either. It looks slow and lazy. You need to work your wings in opposite directions to make a clean, snappy stop. Watch me.” She takes off and demonstrates a few snap spins.

“Wow Firewing, that looked great!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “I had no idea I wasn't doing them right.”

“You can stop your rolls kinda the same way,” continued Firewing. “Just raise your inner wing slightly and drop your outer wing as you end your roll then snap your wings to level out clean. Give it a try.”
Rainbow Dash tried again and this time her moves did look better.

“Much better,” said Firewing. “You're a fast learner.”

“Oh this is so cool!” said Rainbow Dash happily. “First day and I'm learning new stuff!”

“My turn to see if your speed advice works,” said Firewing.

“Fair enough,” said Rainbow Dash. “How about that cloud over there?”

“Okay here we go!” said Firewing. She took off and sped towards the cloud. Rainbow Dash flew with her and watched her carefully.

“Straighten your legs more,” called out Dash as they flew. “That's it. Head down like this. Good.”

“You were definitely faster that time,” said Rainbow Dash when they had reached the cloud. “But there's something else that isn't quite right.”

“Phew! It felt faster,” said Firewing as she tried to catch her breath. “What do you think is wrong?”

“Might be your wing action,” said Rainbow Dash. “For as quick as your wings are beating you should be going faster. I'll take another look when you're rested.”

“How long do you want to work out?” asked Firewing.

“Let's just take turns practicing this morning so we don't get too tired,” said Rainbow Dash. “We can work some more this afternoon.”

“Sounds good,” agreed Firewing. “Maybe this afternoon we can take turns playing follow the leader?”

“Good idea,” said Rainbow Dash. “Hey! Make sure we don't lose track of the time and miss the orientation and lunch.”

“Alright,” said Firewing. “Your turn now. Do those same moves again.”

Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

As Firewing and Rainbow Dash practiced in Cloudsdale, four conspirators were meeting at Rarity's boutique in Ponyville. Fluttershy was wearing her new flight suit which partially covered her face and nearly all of her body. Rarity finished braiding Fluttershy's forelock, mane and tail.

“This just might work, Fluttershy,” commented Applejack. “I'd pass you on the street and not know it was you.”

“Sure it'll work,” said Pinkie Pie. She laughed.

“I hope so,” said Fluttershy. “I...I feel so sleek in this thing. I might just buy this from you Rarity.”

At that moment the door opened and Twilight Sparkle walked in.

“Rarity,” she began, “Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a customer. Fluttershy? Is that you?”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy softly.

“So you decided to get a flight suit too?” asked Twilight Sparkle. “Well, it fits fine but are you sure black is your color?”

“Black is every pony's color,” said Rarity nervously. “You can't go wrong with black. Very slimming don't you think.”

“I suppose,” said Twilight, “but with the face mask and the color she looks like a burglar or a spy.”
Twilight realized what she had said and understood. She closed her eyes and planted her left hoof just below her horn. “Oh you are not sending Fluttershy to Cloudsdale to spy on Rainbow Dash, are you?” The conspirators were silent. “Yes,” she sighed. “you are.”

“Now Twilight,” said Applejack, “don't be mad. We just gotta know what's going on.”

“Well I want to know too, but spying?” replied Twilight.

“This isn't just for us, Twilight,” said Rarity firmly. “It's like I told Fluttershy; we must be prepared for whatever happens at the try outs. If Rainbow Dash wins, we must prepare ourselves to say goodbye. If she loses, then we have to be ready to comfort her.”

“I thought it would be a happy occasion when Rainbow Dash comes back,” said Pinkie Pie sadly. “but I guess it's not. I have to know what to expect.”

Twilight is silent, looking at her friends and thinking it over.

“So, are you in?” said Applejack with a sly smile.

Twilight gave up and smiled too. “Yes, I'm in. So what are you going to do?”

“Lemme tell!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Flutterspy is going to Cloudsdale posing as a fashion agent for Rarity and ask around for information and try to see how Rainbow Dash looks when she comes in from the tryouts.”

“That sounds innocent enough,” said Twilight.

“Maybe even sneak around where the try outs are held and see how she's doing,” continued Pinkie Pie. “That's why she's in black. And if there's a pony that looks like she might beat Dashie she could ponynap her and hide her until the competition is over and..”

“Slow down there Pinkie Pie,” said Applejack. “we ain't ponynappin' any..”

Pinkie Pie was not to be stopped easily. “And we can get some truth serum from Zecora and Fluttershy can slip it into some ponies' food and make 'em talk. And ...”

“Pinkie Pie!” shouted Applejack and Rarity together.

“Sorry,” said Pinkie Pie with a giggle, “I was on a roll there.”

“Really Twilight,” said Rarity, “we don't want Fluttershy doing anything dangerous or wrong. All she has to do is snoop around a little and see what she can dig up.”

“So what can I do to help?” asked Twilight.

Applejack thought for a second and answered. “Well, we done took care of most everything. Fluttershy was just about to leave. If you want to chip in a few bits to pay for Fluttershy's room and board that would help.”

“Alright, here you go,” said Twilight getting some bits from her bag. “Good luck 'spy' and thanks for doing this.”

Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

All the contestants were at the Wonderbolts orientation and luncheon except for Firewing and Rainbow Dash. Also present were the two Wonderbolt leaders, Soarin and Spitfire and Mr. Immelmane. Rainbow Dash and Firewing entered the hall sweaty but talking and laughing.

“I wonder what those two were up to?” said Windyday. “Looks like they were racing.”

“Goldmane and I saw them practicing from a distance,” said Starshine.

“Yeah, that Rainbow Dash is fast,” said Goldmane. “Firewing looked like she was flying as fast as I can fly and Rainbow flew with her for a while and then just pulled away.”

“Trust me, you do not want to race that one,” said Starshine. “I've never seen any pony move like that.”

“Windy said she wasn't that good a flier though,” said Twister.

“I said I wasn't impressed by her tricks at the Young Fliers Competition,” corrected Windyday, “that's not quite the same thing.”

Twister ignored her. “Did they do any stunts? How did they look?”

“We were pretty far away and below some hills part of the time,” said Goldmane, “but I saw them do a few basic things. Nothing fancy.”

“It looked like they were taking turns doing moves and then they'd race for a bit,” said Starshine. “I didn't really watch too much because we were busy practicing too.”

“I might want to keep an eye on those two,” said Twister. “Rainbow Dash had to learn her moves from some pony. She might know more than she is letting on.”

“Could be,” said Windyday, “on the other hoof they might have just been horsing around. I'm not ready to take either of them seriously yet. I'm more worried about her.” She nodded towards a dark blue pony with white on her mane and tail.

“You mean Frost?” asked Starshine. “She's good. She won Best Young Flier a couple years ago. She's fast and has a lot of experience. She lives here in Cloudsdale so she's had good instruction too.”

“Those other three are Cloudsdale ponies too,” said Goldmane. “They're all good. I don't know why I even bothered to come to this.”

“You'll have to do better than you've ever done,” said Windyday. “I've beaten you the last three times we've competed. Now you have to beat eight other ponies that I'm not sure that I can beat, well, some of them anyway.”

“Don't listen to her Goldy,” said Starshine. “it's any ponies' to win. You wouldn't be here if the Wonderbolts didn't think you at least had a chance.”

“Sure Starshine, even you might have a chance...if everypony else crashes.” laughed Twister.

Rainbow Dash and Firewing blunder into this discussion.

“What were you two doing?” asked Twister. “You look a mess!”

“Practicing,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Some things I heard this morning made me think I'd better work on my skills.”

“No need to take things personally,” said Twister, “we're all here to win. If you can't handle the wind, stay out of the storm.”

“I can handle it,” said Rainbow Dash. “I kind of like challenges; they make me better.”

Frost walked up followed by three other ponies.

“Hi Frosty, long time no see,” said Rainbow Dash happily.

“Hey, kid,” said Frost with a smile, “still the fastest around?”

“You know it!” said Rainbow Dash, “Frost, this is my roomie Firewing, and these ponies are Starshine, Goldmane, Twister and Windyday.”

“You know each other?” said Twister.

“Sure,” said Frost. “Rainbow grew up in Cloudsdale. I'm probably one of the few ponies that can say they beat her in a fair race. Of course I'm four years older than her and she hadn't even got her cutie mark yet.”

“I remember that,” said Rainbow Dash. “That was a good race. Firewing, this is one of the ponies I told you about. I learned a lot about flying from her.”

“Great,” said Twister under her breath.

“This looks like it'll be a great competition,” said Frost. “These are my friends; Razor, Sunrise Cloud and Sweet Clover. I guess we represent Cloudsdale.”

Immelmane went to the lectern and addressed the contestants. “Ladies, please find your seats. We'll get started now.”

The ponies went to seats labeled with their names and Immelmane continued. “Though I've met all of you already, I'd like to officially welcome you to the Wonderbolt tryouts. You were chosen because of your flying skills and the proven ability to work in a team environment. All of you are holders of various prestigious awards and have held positions of responsibility either in the flying community or in the work place. I have no doubt that with dedication and hard work all of you would make excellent Wonderbolts. Unfortunately, only one position is available at this time but a good performance could earn you an invitation back the next time a tryout is held. Another unfortunate item is that we are more limited in time than we would like. Due to an injury and unforeseen retirement we have only a week to select our new member so that she can begin training for our next show. I apologize for this but it cannot be helped. The show must go on. I will now turn the meeting over to Spitfire, the mare team leader and Captain.”

Spitfire changed places with Immelmane and looked over the ponies in front of her. “On behalf of the Wonderbolts, I too would like to welcome you to the tryout competition. As you should all know from the schedules posted in your rooms, this is a three phase competition. Tomorrow is the physical phase where you will be tested to gauge your speed and endurance. Next is the precision phase where you will be tested on your ability to fly in formation doing the basic maneuvers of our show. The final phase is on Friday when the remaining ponies will compete in individual aerial displays. This is graded both on precision and originality. New stunts are encouraged since many of what are now standard moves where invented by previous members. In fact, Mr. Immelmane here invented the loop that now bears his name. Ah, Rainbow Dash? No Sonic Rainboom in your routine, please. Since you're the only one that can do it, it's not something we can use in the show.”

Some of the contestants laughed including Rainbow Dash.

Spitfire went on. “Something less tangible that we will be looking at is your personality and attitude. There is more to being a Wonderbolt than just flying. We are also ambassadors and we have fans that we strive to serve. We try to be not only the best fliers in Equestria but also the best ponies. When you don the Wonderbolt uniform you'll be representing not only the team but also Equestria and all pegasi. If you don't think you can live up to those standards, then you should leave now. On a happier note, those of you that do get eliminated are still welcome to attend the training and watch the remaining competitors continue until the end. Also, on Saturday there will be a dinner and dance held in the winners honor. This is a seldom held event and many former Wonderbolts are sure to attend as well as many instructors and top members of flying schools and clubs. Traditionally, for a ladies competition, the competitors are allowed to chose the lucky colt they dance with first. The winner chooses first, runner-up chooses second and so forth.”

A few of the mares brightened at this announcement.

“That's all for now,” said Spitfire. “Enjoy your meal and I wish you all good luck in the competition. We will be around after lunch if any of you want to talk or have any questions. You're free to enjoy the training facilities here, practice or just rest. This is your day. Tomorrow you start a journey.”

All the ponies are quiet at first but as the meal is served they start to talk amongst themselves.

“That was some speech,” said Firewing. “I never thought about the responsibilities of being on the team.”

“Me neither,” said Rainbow Dash. “Eh, if I make it I'll just follow Spitfire's example. She's cool.”

“You still want to practice after lunch?” asked Firewing.

“More than ever,” replied Rainbow Dash. “We don't have to go right away though. May as well let lunch settle anyway.”

“This is going to be the best week ever,” said Starshine. “I don't even care if I win now. Being here is enough, winning would just be icing on the cake.”

“You're right Starshine,” agreed Goldmane. “I'm just going to relax, do my best and see what happens. This is going to be great!”

Twister muttered quietly to no pony in particular; “Nice to see two competitors take themselves out already. This competition is going to be fierce. 'Relax and do my best' Please! That is not going to get you to the finals.”

“No, it won't,” said Windyday aloud. But she thought to herself, “And neither is your personality. That's three down.”

Chapter 11

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Chapter 11

Day one of the try outs dawned bright and clear. After breakfast, the ponies assembled in the courtyard of the Wonderbolt complex. All were wearing some sort of flight suit. Rainbow Dash was wearing her new golden suit, Firewing had on a red and white roll pattern practice outfit. Frost's suit was almost invisible being the same velvety blue as her coat, only the white sequins on the trim betrayed her. Windyday wore a deep purple suit trimmed in silver. Soarin walked up with two other male pegasi.

“Alright ladies,” said Soarin, “it's time to start the trials. Follow me out to the training grounds. Let's go!” He took off and the others followed with the two males bringing up the rear, keeping any onlookers away.

Rainbow Dash's acceleration allowed her to be first in line after Soarin. She was followed by Frost, Windyday, Twister, Firewing and the rest. Soarin's pace was brisk but they could all could easily keep up. Frost flew up along side of Rainbow Dash.

“Still quick off the mark I see,” said Frost with a smile.

“Heh, yeah, just how I am,” replied Dash.

“I just want to let you know,” said Frost in as quiet a tone as their flying would allow, “you should watch out for that Twister. She hates you and she isn't above cheating.”

“I hardly know her,” said Rainbow Dash, “but she seems to hate everypony. Why would she hate me in particular?”

“You can do something she can't and from what I hear, you stood up to her,” said Frost, “not a good combination. She was in a race with Razor's younger sister last year and forced her off course into the woods. No reason for it either. Ask Windyday about it. She was there.”

“Windyday sort of warned me about her,” said Rainbow Dash, “but she didn't say exactly what Twister did. I could tell they aren't friends, that's for sure.”

“I don't think Windyday has ever had a friend,” said Frost. “Excellent flier but she's cold. She's constantly thinking a move ahead of every pony. Strictly honorable though, I have to give her that.”

“Thanks Frost, I'll watch my back,” said Rainbow Dash, “or maybe get Firewing to watch it.”

“I don't know her,” said Frost. “She cool?”

“I think so,” said Dash. “We worked out together yesterday. Traded some secrets too and we're both better off for it. Her father was a Wonderbolt if that helps.”

“Sounds good,” said Frost. “Hey! Look up there. It's Immelmane and Spitfire.”

“He can't fly,” said Rainbow Dash. “He must have had some ponies haul him up there.”

“Maybe,” said Frost, “he can glide you know. He's a master at riding air currents. I've seen him jump off from Cloudsdale and not come back for hours.”

“Nice to know he can still do that even after his getting busted up,” said Rainbow Dash. Not being able to fly, she thought, would be the worst thing that could happen to a pegasus.

“You know the story behind that?” said Frost.

“No,” said Dash, “just rumors. I don't listen to them. Too many different versions.”

“That's my opinion too,” said Frost. “Looks like we're here.”

The ponies landed on a large cloud. There were four more pegasi spread out and flying in the distance.
Spitfire came forward to address the ponies.

“Before we start,” she said, “we need to get an estimate of who's fastest so we're going to have a little race. Line up here. The race is two laps around a level course. The first leg will be to that cloud over there. I'll be on it. After that, fly around Soarin who be on that cloud over there and then back here and around Mr. Immelmane. Then a second lap. You can do a flying finish, no need to land until everypony finishes.”

Spitfire and Soarin took off and headed to their respective points. The ponies took their mark. Dash grinned evilly. Windyday looked at Rainbow Dash and the other contestants. Twister eyed Rainbow Dash with narrowed eyes and a scowl on her face. Windyday smiled to herself and prepared to race, her strategy in place.

Immelmane saw that Soarin and Spitfire were in position. “Contestants ready? Get set, GO!”

The racers took off. Again, Rainbow Dash went out in front and was setting a brutal pace. She slowed only slightly for the first turn but took a surprisingly tight arc. She didn't accelerate immediately which allowed Twister, in second place, to stay close. Rainbow Dash watched Twister's distance carefully and would pull away from her whenever she started to close. Several lengths behind Twister, flew Frost in third place followed closely by Windyday. Firewing paced herself too, flying tightly behind Windyday. Further back from this tight formation flew the Cloudsdale ponies trailed by Starshine and Goldmane.

Rainbow Dash passed Soarin and lengthened her lead on Twister. Stubbornly, Twister tried to catch Rainbow Dash and she was using a lot of energy in the process. Frost started to increase her speed and Windyday matched her. Seeing Frost increase her speed, the Cloudsdale ponies, Razor, Sunrise Cloud and Sweet Clover, started to catch up to the lead group as if on cue. Firewing was at a loss as to what to do. Should she pass or just keep pace? Windyday didn't like the situation either and decided to pass Frost. She did this and Firewing followed her. Frost, Windyday and Firewing were now closing rapidly on Twister. They were upon her as Twister passed Immelmane to complete her first lap but by then Rainbow Dash was halfway to the next turn. Windyday, Frost and Firewing passed Twister near Spitfire's turn. The Cloudsdale trio also gained on Twister as did Goldmane and a rapidly advancing Starshine.

Frost, Windyday and Firewing passed Soarin and sprinted for the finish. By now, Rainbow Dash had finished and was circling watching the race play out. Firewing waited and then swung out in an attempt to pass Windyday. Frost used her power and put on more speed, overtaking Firewing and closing in on Windyday. The Cloudsdale group passed the tired Twister who was trying futilely to keep up. Starshine and Goldmane also caught her. Twister tried to block but both squeezed by. Windyday, Frost and Firewing passed the finish line with only a body length between them. Starshine, much to her surprise, had enough acceleration left to pass the Cloudsdale ponies and finished fifth. Razor led the Cloudsdale group ahead of Sunrise Cloud and Sweet Clover. Goldmane couldn't pass them and finished ninth. Twister could only try valiantly not to fall any further behind.

Rainbow Dash swooped down beside Firewing.

“That was a great race!” said Rainbow Dash happily. “You were fourth Firewing! And those are fast ponies! You did great. It was so close too!”

Firewing couldn't respond as she was out of breath but managed a smile. They flew to the cloud they started from and landed.

“That was a fun way to start the day,” said Frost. “Good race Firewing, Windyday. Where did Twister finish?”

“Dead last,” said Rainbow Dash. “She burned herself out trying to catch me. Ha!”

“Good,” said Frost, “I wonder what's next?”

Spitfire landed next to Immelmane. “Mr. Immelmane, the results please.”

“Rainbow Dash, Windyday, Frost, Firewing, Starshine, Razor, Sunrise Cloud, Sweet Clover, Goldmane and Twister,” he said. “All the times were adequate. Rainbow Dash obviously outclassed the others by a large margin. She doesn't even look tired. The next three were at least as fast as the present Wonderbolts. Even the last place mare was fast enough to do most of our routine moves.”

“Good job ladies,” said Spitfire to the assembled group, “even the last place time was adequate. We'll let you rest for a bit and then we'll play a little follow the leader. I'll take you up in two groups of five in the order that you finished the race. You are to follow me and mimic my moves as closely as possible. If some pony isn't keeping up, you are allowed to pass them. No blocking allowed. You five fastest will be first.”

“Rainbow Dash, Windyday, Frost, Firewing and Starshine be ready when I call for the first group,” said Immelmane.

The contestants gathered a short distance away from the judges and talked amongst themselves.

Twister walked up to Rainbow Dash. “You little maniac,” she hissed. “I tired myself out trying to keep up with you!” She glared at the other ponies. “Why didn't you tell me she was so fast?”

Rainbow Dash took a step forward but Windyday spoke first.

“As I recall,” said Windyday calmly, “you were told more than once. I knew she could do a Sonic Rainboom and I knew I couldn't so I didn't try to beat her. If you had flown a better race maybe you'd be in the first group.”

“I won't forget this,” said Twister glaring at Windyday.

“Walk it off Twister,” said Frost, stepping up beside Windyday. “No pony is going to hand you anything here. You did it to yourself. Windy is right.”

Twister stalked away, unwilling to challenge Frost.

“Thanks for the back up,” said Windyday. “There's something disturbing about her.”

“No problem,” said Frost. “What did she expect? You don't try to beat an opponents strength. You beat them by attacking their weaknesses.” She looked at Rainbow Dash and smiled.

“Well said,” Windyday said. “I'm going to float around for while, keep the cramps away.”

“Good idea,” said Rainbow Dash, “come on Firewing.”

The two friends took off and cruised gently around.

“I think Twister is nuts,” said Firewing when they were away from the others. “I'd be worried about Frost too if I were you.”

“Frost is okay,” said Dash. “She gave me another warning about Twister as we were flying out here. That's one reason I flew like I did. I didn't want her anywhere near me.”

“And...?” prompted Firewing.

“I wanted to win,” said Dash.

“You're not even tired are you?” asked Firewing.

“No, well, I could take a nap I guess,” admitted Rainbow Dash. “I get bored waiting around.”

Firewing laughed. “So you could have beat us all even worse if you had wanted?”

“Of course!” said Rainbow Dash, “I just kept my distance until I figured she was getting tired and then I pulled away. I told you she was going down. Besides, I figured it would help you and the other ponies get past her too.”

“I'm so glad we became friends,” said Firewing. “You are not a pony to mess with. And what you taught me about speed yesterday didn't hurt either. There's no way I could have kept up with Windy and Frost flying the way I used to. Thanks.”

“Two pony race,” replied Rainbow Dash. “We'll have to wait and see if your lessons are going to help me.”

“First group get ready!” boomed Immelmane.

The first group lined up behind Spitfire and she gave them some final instructions.

“Alright ponies,” she said, “I want four pony lengths between all of you. We're going to be moving fast and I don't need any collisions. We'll circle climb to gain altitude and then we'll start. Get ready when I level out.”

“How will we know when you start?” asked Starshine.

Spitfire smiled as she adjusted her goggles, “Oh, you'll know.”

The line of ponies took off and began climbing. Spitfire leveled off and waited until all the ponies were in line behind her. Rainbow Dash watched every movement of her wings. Slowly Spitfire's right wingtip raised and she rolled over into a dive. For ten minutes Spitfire led the group on a series of loops, spins, rolls, dives and climbs. Sometimes fast, then slow.

At last, Spitfire flew back to the cloud to land. Suddenly she pulled up into a stall and landed on the cloud. This was not an expected maneuver. Rainbow Dash managed to pull off the trick but lost her interval and nearly landed on Spitfire's tail. Windyday aborted the move, spun to her left and landed a bit awkwardly. Frost managed to duplicate the move and landed behind Dash. Firewing had allowed her gap to widen and completed the move easily. Starshine botched the landing by stalling too soon and landed heavily, sinking into the cloud.

Soarin watched the confusion with a smile on his face. He'd seen Spitfire do this before. “I know that was a dirty trick at the end,” he said, “but it was just to test how you react to the unexpected. No collisions and three of you actually managed to pull off the move. Not bad at all. Rainbow Dash, I'm glad you can stop as fast as you take off. Spitfire often gets clipped by a hoof at least. Windyday, that was quite a move, it's always better to abort than hit a team mate. Frost, you had the advantage of a little extra space and pulled it off. Firewing, you anticipated the landing and gave yourself extra space. That is not good when flying with a precision team but you're not a team. That kind of trust comes only through practice. It will come in time. Starshine, you panicked a bit but managed to land without hurting anypony. On the whole, good job everypony.”

“Second Group get ready,” said Immelmane. “Spitfire needs to rest a bit and then she'll take you up. Don't anticipate a landing like you just saw. The whole exercise will be different.”

“I wonder if they'd let me tag along at the end of the line,” said Rainbow Dash. “That was fun.”

Immelmane was within earshot. “No, Rainbow Dash, but you'll get to do more flying. The day's not over yet.”

Firewing spoke as Immelmane walked away. “You want to do that again? Aren't you tired yet?”

“A little,” admitted Dash, “but I'll be okay by the time Spitfire is rested.”

“Nice stall landing,” said Frost. “That was a little surprising. I think they were testing more than just our endurance.”

“Thanks,” replied Dash with a laugh, “I almost landed on her tail.”

Even Windyday laughed. “She's pretty brave to do that with a bunch of unfamiliar ponies behind her. It might have been a way to test our focus when we're tired.”

“Maybe,” said Frost. “I wonder how many they're going to cut today? I was thinking maybe two.”

“At least that many,” said Windyday. “I think it's going to be more like three or four. There are ten of us. If they weed out a third on each cut day that would be three and a third ponies each cut day with the best third for the final day. I guess it depends on if they want three or four ponies on the last day.”

Frost nodded. “That makes sense. Do you think all of us in the first group will make the cut and they'll just take one or two from the second group?”

“Hard to say,” said Windyday. “Remember, all the race times were adequate.”

“I need to talk to my group,” said Frost. She left and went to talk to the Cloudsdale ponies who were preparing themselves for the exercise.

“Think we should warn Goldmane?” said Dash.

“Yeah, I'll do it,” said Firewing. She walked over to Goldmane who was standing by herself.

“Waste of time,” said Windyday. “Look at her. She still isn't recovered from the race. She'll be lucky to finish the exercise.”

“You don't like her, do you?” said Rainbow Dash, feeling a sudden dislike for Windyday.

“I have nothing against Goldy; I'm just stating the facts,” replied Windyday in a calm voice. “If you want to warn her about anything, warn her to watch out for Twister. I'm sure she's figured out the situation by now.”

“Oh, no! You're right,” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “and she starts right behind Goldmane. Thanks Windy!”

Windyday looked a little surprised at Dash's gratitude. Why should she care about a pony she just met? “Oh well,” she thought, “another distraction for the competition.”

“Hey Goldmane, how are you doing?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Kind of tired,” said Goldmane. “That was some race. Firewing told me I have to do well in this exercise or I'm probably out.”

“Look. Just keep up and keep it clean,” said Rainbow Dash. “That's all you can do.”

“That's what Firewing said,” said Goldmane.

“Listen,” said Rainbow Dash, “there's something else; Twister is going to be behind you. If she tries anything, just get out of her way.”

“Great,” said Goldmane with a grim smile, “no pressure at all. I should have known I'd be outclassed.”

“You're good, Goldy,” said Firewing, trying to comfort her, “you just need a little more training.”

“Group two, get ready,” said Immelmane.

“Good luck Goldy,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Do your best,” said Firewing. “go get 'em.”

“Line up behind Spitfire in this order,” said Immelmane, “Razor, Sunrise Cloud, Sweet Clover, Goldmane, Twister.”

The ponies lined up. Spitfire gave the same instructions to the second group as she did the first and they took off.

“I saw you talking to Goldmane,” said Frost. “Is she okay?”

“Tired and a little scared, I think,” said Firewing as she watched the ponies circling upward.

“Gave her a heads up too,” said Rainbow Dash, “you know; Twister.”

“Ah,” said Frost, “I hope she steers clear of my ponies.”

“What do you mean 'my ponies' ?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“We're all in the same flying club and I'm the leader,” said Frost. “If Twister tries something, I'd feel obligated to step in.”

“Better let the Wonderbolts and Immelmane handle it,” said Rainbow Dash. “you don't want to get thrown out.”

“Doesn't sound like the Rainbow Dash I remember,” said Frost. “Developed a respect for authority have you?”

“Something like that,” said Dash. “I just don't want to see you get tossed on account of Twister.”

“She's right,” said Windyday. “I can't think of a better way to get eliminated than fighting.”

“Lets hope it doesn't come to that,” said Frost.

Rainbow Dash looked at her old friend with concern. She knew Frost had a temper and was a pony that took her responsibilities personally.

The ponies started the exercise. All went well until Sunrise Cloud missed a move. She nearly hit Razor and dropped out of line.

“Ugh!” exclaimed Frost, “Sunrise, what are you doing?”

Sweet Clover closed the gap but Goldmane wasn't as quick and Twister attempted to pass her. The gap between Sweet Clover and Goldmane was big enough to do the pass but Twister cut in early and hit the tip of Goldmane's nose with her flank and her forequarter with her rear hooves. Goldmane veered out of line and fell back to the rear behind Sunrise Cloud.

“What was that?!” shouted Firewing. “Mr. Immelmane, are you going to let her get away with that move?”

Immelmane didn't stop watching the exercise. “She has gotten away with nothing,” he said coldly.

Firewing started to protest but Rainbow Dash held her back. “Immelmane will take care of this, trust me.”

Frost stamped her hoof in frustration as the exercise continued.

Suddenly, Spitfire went into a steep climb. After a slight bobble, Razor adjusted and regained her interval. Sweet Clover had a hard time keeping up and the gap between her and Razor widened. Twister thought she saw an opening and accelerated to try to pass her. About the same time, Spitfire began to level out.

Twister was now out climbing the rest of the line and was slightly off to the right. Sweet Clover followed the line and had nearly closed to the proper interval but was unaware of Twister's position. Twister now used her higher altitude to complete her pass and dove in front of Sweet Clover who was startled into slowing abruptly nearly causing Sunrise Cloud to ram into her. Goldmane was far enough back to adjust her speed.

As this was happening, Twister's speed had carried her into Razor's tail but not enough to seriously disturb her flight. At that moment, Spitfire went into a spinning dive and Razor followed. Lacking the room to react or maneuver, Twister overshot the dive point and Sweet Clover and Sunrise Cloud dove beneath her and closed up on Razor. Goldmane had all but given up but was determined to finish the exercise and followed Sunrise Cloud though there was a considerable gap between them.

Angry at missing the turn, Twister dove violently and spun in an attempt to get behind Sunrise Cloud. She did this but also passed through the line before she regained control. The ponies were now spinning down in a near vertical dive and some were having a hard time maintaining control. Only Razor still followed Spitfire in any kind of good form. Spitfire stopped spinning and started to pull out of the dive in an inverted position. This caught all but Razor off guard. Sweet Clover tried to do the proper maneuver but badly overshot the line and leveled out well beneath Spitfire and Razor.

“Mr. Immelmane, Soarin,” pleaded Firewing, “you have to stop this. Some pony is going to get hurt!”

Frost looked at Rainbow Dash and took wing towards the ponies in the exercise. Rainbow Dash hesitated and then followed but by this point there was very little any pony could do.

Sunrise Cloud began to pull out inverted and closed in behind Razor but Twister, going faster and on the wrong line, hit her from above. It was a hard hit. It threw Sunrise into a spin and knocked the wind out of her. Her excess speed now scrubbed off, Twister fell in behind Razor. Goldmane, well behind but at least under control, maneuvered in behind her but kept her distance.

Frost and Rainbow Dash dove towards the stricken Sunrise Cloud. They saw her recover from the spin uncomfortably close to the ground and land immediately. Rainbow Dash continued towards Sunrise, unaware that as soon as Frost saw her friend land safely she veered off and went in pursuit of Twister. Firewing and Starshine had flown after Rainbow Dash and Frost but followed Dash towards the injured Sunrise Cloud.

“Alright ponies, end of the exercise. Return to the...” Spitfire gasped as she looked back and saw the chaos behind her. She also saw a very angry Frost closing rapidly on her group. “Every pony land NOW!”

Razor instinctively folded her wings and went into a nose dive, pulling out in time to land safely. Twister did a lazy half turn and headed down also, unaware that she was being pursued.

“Twister!” shouted Spitfire, as she discerned Frost's intended target, “Get your tail on the ground now! Move it!”

Spitfire banked hard to intercept the enraged Frost.

Glancing back, Twister now understood her peril and obeyed Spitfire's order. She landed and got under cover.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had landed by Sunrise Cloud. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“No, I did something to my wing when I pulled out of that spin,” she replied, wincing. “And my side hurts bad.”

“You have a scratch down your tummy and another on your ribs. Doesn't look too bad. Which wing is hurt?” said Rainbow Dash, as she examined her injuries.

“The right one,” said Sunrise. She turned so that Rainbow Dash could see better.

“You want the good news or the bad news first?” asked Rainbow Dash, trying to keep up Sunrise's spirits.

“Ha Ha,” said Sunrise Cloud sarcastically, “just tell me what's wrong.”

“Everything is still there but the second bone looks out of joint,” said Dash. “I know it hurts but you should be okay.”

“It was Twister wasn't it?” said Sunrise Cloud. “Frost warned me about her.” She sobbed in pain.

Rainbow Dash looked around for the medical team. “Yeah, it was. Frost was behind me... oh no! Gotta go!”

Spitfire was doing everything she could short of attacking Frost to keep her away from Twister. Rainbow Dash flew to them.

“Stop it Frost!” shouted Rainbow Dash to her friend. “Sunrise Cloud will be okay. Just a couple of dings. Come on Frosty!”

Frost was having none of it. “Stay out of my way Dash!”

“Calm down Frost,” yelled Spitfire. “Let us handle this! It hasn't gone too far yet.”

“You have to stay in this Frosty,” said Rainbow Dash in a calmer tone. “You represent Cloudsdale, remember?”

Frost glared at Rainbow Dash but broke away and retreated. Rainbow Dash followed her. “That's it, Frost,” she said, trying to calm her friend. “Stay in the game. Come on, Sunrise Cloud is down there.”

Frost was silent and seething with rage but flew with Dash to her friend on the ground. Firewing and Starshine were with her. Windyday could be seen approaching with the medical team. Soarin joined Spitfire and spoke to her.

Goldmane, Razor and Sweet Clover walked over to the group. Twister was not to be seen. Two more watch ponies flew up to Soarin. Together, with Spitfire, they searched for Twister.

Rainbow Dash and Frost landed near the others. The Cloudsdale ponies crowded around their friend.

“Good thing you and Spitfire stopped Frost,” whispered Firewing. “she was looking for blood.”

“Ya think?” replied Dash in as low a voice as she could muster. “I've never seen her like that! I guess that's it for Twister, Sunrise isn't hurt too bad. Could have been a lot worse.”

“That's for sure,” said Firewing. “Sunrise said she hurt her wing during her spin recovery. Still want to add that move to your routine?”

“I've done that a hundred times and never even stressed a wing,” replied Dash. “She must have been in an awkward position, that's all. Besides, it might have been the collision.”

“That maneuver is an awkward position,” said Firewing, thinking to use the situation to bring Rainbow Dash to her senses.

“I don't want to argue right now Firewing,” said Dash. “The first chance we get I'll show you how to do it. It's not that dangerous.”

“Deal,” said Firewing, “I'll drop it... for now.”

The medics were attending to Sunrise. She cried out once when they popped her wing bone back into place. Frost stamped and looked around for Twister but couldn't see her as Razor blocked her from taking off. Spitfire and Soarin landed and talked to the medics and Sunrise. They stepped away and addressed the other ponies.

“We'll want statements from all of you regarding what just happened,” said Spitfire. “Soarin and Mr. Immelmane saw everything so the first pony to be eliminated is Twister. We found her hiding beneath the trees. She is not injured and is presently being escorted back to her room. The security ponies will allow her to pack her things and escort her out of the compound. What happens after that depends on the official inquiry. A litter crew will come pick up Sunrise and will be here shortly. Everypony back up to the cloud.”

The Cloudsdale ponies reluctantly left their comrade with the medical team and followed the others up to the cloud where Immelmane waited. Soarin and Spitfire spoke for a while with Immelmane, out of earshot of the contestants. When they finished their discussion, Spitfire addressed the contestants.

“I suppose it's an understatement to say that the exercise did not go as planned,” said Spitfire. “We did, however, learn enough to decide who will advance. Razor demonstrated excellent proficiency during that fiasco. She stayed under control and executed every maneuver and command. She will be joining all of the ponies from the first group in advancing to the next round. Congratulations. The rest of you did not make the cut this time, but keep working at it. I would not hesitate to invite any of you back. And next time we will make sure no pony like Twister gets in.”

“We've decided to spend the rest of the morning taking statements from all of you,” said Immelmane. “Head back to your rooms and wait to be called. We'll break for lunch and resume training afterward.”

The ponies gathered to console those that failed and congratulate those that didn't. They flew back to Cloudsdale rather quietly.

Nearing the city, Firewing spotted an unusual looking pony near a cafe. “Look at that! What an odd looking pony!”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, Oh! wait, that's a flight suit, black suit with a yellow coat. And a pink mane? Hmm, aw it couldn't be.”

“What?” asked Firewing.

“That's the same coat and hair combination as Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. “But it can't be her, she doesn't have a flight suit and she never wears black. She wears her hair different too.” All the same, Rainbow Dash eyed the strange pony suspiciously for a moment before following Firewing to the Wonderbolts' compound.

Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

Fluttershy had arrived in Cloudsdale while Rainbow Dash and the other contestants were racing. She checked into a hotel and wandered around Cloudsdale for a bit until she found a small cafe near the Wonderbolts area. It had a view of the open lands north of the city. She found a seat and ordered carrot juice and a sandwich. The waiter brought her meal.

“Excuse me,” said Fluttershy to the waiter, “I hear the Wonderbolts are having their tryouts this week. Have you heard anything about it.”

“Nothing yet ma'am,” replied the young stallion. “I saw them fly out earlier. Today is the first day and it usually takes a while.”

Fluttershy decides to try out her new role of spy on the waiter. “I'm in town on business this week and I'd like to find out how things are going. If you can get me any information I'd be grateful. If it's not too much trouble..” She slid about twice the price of her meal to the waiter.

“Yes ma'am!” he replied enthusiastically, “I'll keep my eyes and ears open.”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy with a smile. She sat and waited.

Presently she saw three pegasi approaching. She didn’t recognize any of them. Then she saw a medical crew with a litter leave and head back in the same direction. This frightened her and she felt very alone. Her meal was long finished and paid for so she walked to the edge of the clouds and watched the medical team descend to the trees. Far in the distance she could see the specks that were really pegasi ascending to the clouds. In only a few minutes they started to come towards her. As they got closer she could pick out Rainbow Dash's golden flight suit and soon she recognized her friend.

“Rainbow Dash, they weren't going for you.” she sighed with relief.

Fluttershy was close enough to see Rainbow Dash laugh as she flew by. This made her feel a little better. She decided to take a walk around Cloudsdale and do some work for Rarity. She felt a little guilty about spending her friends money. After visiting shops for a couple of hours, she returned to the cafe. She ordered some lunch and sat waiting to see the contestants. The waiter from her previous visit served her food.

“Here's your food ma'am,” said the waiter. “I found out a few things while you were gone. I know one of the security ponies and he told me that one of the contestants was injured this morning and another was kicked out of the compound. Two others were eliminated which leaves six still left in the running. There are two ponies left from Cloudsdale, that Rainbow one from Ponyville, one from Canterlot, one from Fillydelphia and one from Manehatten. Apparently the Manehatten one is a surprise. Not many ponies knew about her. Still, my money is on Frost; she's head of a club here in Cloudsdale.”

“What about the one from Ponyville? That's Rainbow Dash, you know,” asked Fluttershy.

“I know she's good but I have to stay loyal to Cloudsdale,” said the waiter. “The Canterlot pony has a lot of backers too. There's a rumor that Princess Celestia herself got her invited.”

“Oh my! She must be good then,” said Fluttershy, wondering if it was true.

“There's something else,” whispered the waiter. “I found out that the next elimination is the day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much,” said Fluttershy, “um I don't know your name.”

“Weathervane,” said the waiter, “I can sense weather changes but what's the point when the weather ponies make it the way they want it? You can call me Weather.”

“Well, thank you, Weather,” said Fluttershy. “I'm going back to Ponyville tomorrow but I'll be back late in the day. Keep an eye on them for me, will you?”

“Sure thing Ms.?”

“Fluttershy.” said Fluttershy.

“Ms. Fluttershy,” said Weather, “I can meet you here around sundown if you'd like. I should know something by then.”

“That would be great,” said Fluttershy, “I should be back by then.”

“That tip was nice,” said Weather, “but you don't have to do that. It's good to talk to a fan from out of town for a change. You're a Rainbow Dash fan huh?”

“I guess I am,” said Fluttershy. “Can I tell you something? Promise not to tell?”

“Sure,” said Weather, “what's on your mind?”

“I'm a friend of hers,” said Fluttershy.

“Rainbow Dash?” exclaimed Weather, “that is so cool!”

“I don't want her to know I'm here,” added Fluttershy. “I'm sort of spying on her I guess.”

“Why the secrecy?” asked Weathervane.

“She's close friends with some of us ponies in Ponyville and we want to know what's going on but we don't want her to think about anything but the competition,” explained Fluttershy.

“I see,” said Weather, “don't worry, you may rely on my discretion.”

“Thanks Weather,” said Fluttershy, “I was hoping you'd understand.”

“Hey!” said Weather, “there they go!”

Fluttershy looked and saw the six contenders, Soarin, Spitfire and Immelmane, on a platform suspended between four pegasi, flying back to the testing area. Goldmane and Sweet Clover brought up the rear. From what she could see they all looked serious.

Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

Rainbow Dash waited with Firewing until they were summoned for their interviews. One pony guided Firewing to one room. Another led Rainbow Dash to an office where Immelmane and a stenographer were the only ponies present. Immelmane had her tell her version concerning the events of the morning. She told her story uninterrupted and then Immelmane began questioning her.

“Your version of what happened matches what the other ponies have been saying not to mention what I witnessed myself,” said Immelmane. “I have just a few questions. First, do you have anything to add that might shed some light on Twister's behavior?”

“Well, maybe,” said Rainbow Dash. “At breakfast yesterday she insulted me and said some things about other ponies that weren't very nice. She struck me as kind of, well, just... mean. So when we got in the race I admit I tried to get her to fly too fast and burn out so the other ponies could catch her. Frost and Windy could probably have beaten her anyway but I wanted to help some of the others too. A pony like her shouldn't be a Wonderbolt. I didn't mind seeing her lose.”

“It wasn't out of pride and revenge?” asked Immelmane.

“The race?” said Dash in a surprised tone. “No, I knew I could beat her and she should have known too. The other ponies told her. I meant to win and I meant to send her a message not to mess with me. I really didn't think it would work like it did. Like Frost told her after the race, she did it to herself.”

“She spoke with Frost after the race?” asked Immelmane.

“Yes,” replied Dash. “Frost, Windy, Firewing and I were talking when she came up and accused me of making her lose. Then she accused the other ponies of not warning her, which was nonsense. Windy kind of told her off and Frost backed her up. We warned the ponies in the second group to watch out.”

“You thought she might try something?” said Immelmane.

“She was acting a little crazy,” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Did you say anything to Twister after the race?” asked Immelmane.

“Not a word,” said Dash.

“Why did you interfere with the second group's exercise?” asked Immelmane.

“Frost and I went down there because we were afraid that something was going to happen and it did,” explained Rainbow Dash. “We never got close enough to interfere.”

“You were the first to reach Sunrise Cloud,” said Immelmane, “but then you left her to aid Spitfire in keeping Frost away from Twister. Why did you do that?”

“Sunrise wasn't too badly injured and didn't need me,” said Rainbow Dash. “Frost is a friend of mine, I didn't want to see her get tossed out because of Twister. I thought maybe I could help calm her down.”

“You stick by your friends no matter what?” said Immelmane. “Even though Frost was wrong in trying to attack Twister?”

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile. “Yeah, I take loyalty pretty seriously. That's what this stands for,” she said pointing to the symbol on her chest. “It's the only thing I asked my friend Rarity to put on my flight suit. I hope that if it had been my friend instead of hers, Frost would have stopped me.”

“Are you saying that if it had been your friend, you would have attacked Twister like Frost did?” asked Immelmane.

“I want to say no, but yeah, I probably would have,” admitted Rainbow Dash sadly. “It might have been worse too because I'd have caught her.”

“I see,” said Immelmane with a frown. “Do you think you're responsible in any way for what happened today?”

“Maybe, I don't know,” said Rainbow Dash. She looked away from Immelmane for a moment. “But I don't know what I could have done differently except to throw the race. Twister tried to intimidate me the first time she saw me. You know me, Mr. Immelmane, was that going to work? No matter how I flew that race, there was no way I wanted her anywhere close to me. I didn't trust her and neither did the rest of the ponies.”

“I think I've heard enough from you, Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane. “You're very different from the filly I used to know. You are not to blame for what happened to the second group nor can I see any wrong doing in the way you flew your race. Your first thought was to attend to the injured flier and then you aided the team leader in stopping things from getting worse.”

Immelmane rose and walked around the table. He placed his good wing on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. “You did well today. Go back to your room. The interviews are almost over. We'll go to lunch as a group and then we'll head out to practice for a while.”

Rainbow Dash went to her room and found Firewing already there.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“Good, I think, “said Rainbow Dash. “I wish I hadn't said a few things but Immelmane seemed pleased. Wow! Hee hee, I never thought I'd hear him say he was pleased with me!”

“I told my story to Spitfire,” said Firewing grimly. “She still seems angry. I hope Frost didn't have to talk to her.”

“I know what you mean,” said Dash. “I hope they don't cut her from the try outs.”

“I don't think they will, “said Firewing hopefully, “but it can't help her chances of winning. I hope the training this afternoon isn't too strenuous. I'm tired.”

“Me too,” said Rainbow Dash as she flopped down on her bed.

“You? Ha!” said Firewing with a grin, “I thought you never get tired.”

“I think my head is more tired than my body,” said Dash sleepily. “Wake me for lunch.”

“Dash?” said Firewing. “Do you want to do a little practicing this evening? Dash?”

But Rainbow Dash was already asleep.

Chapter 14

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Chapter 14

The afternoon of the first day of the tryouts had the six contenders working with Immelmane, Spitfire and Soarin. They practiced and received critique on their morning exercise. They played follow the leader with each other while the three judges watched them, offering both criticism and praise. At the end of the afternoon they were released for the day.

“Come on Dash,” said Firewing, “lets head back. I'm beat.”

“No, I want to show you something,” said Rainbow Dash. “I promise it'll be worth it.”

Firewing groaned. “Oh alright. This better be good.”

“Follow me!” said Rainbow Dash as she flew off. Rainbow Dash led Firewing towards their personal practice area by the lake as the others returned to the city.

“I want to cool off in the lake,” said Rainbow Dash, “and I'm going to show you that move too.”

“Oh no, not that again,” said Firewing.

“Sure! I'll take it easy though,” said Rainbow Dash, “and just so you know, I'm hitting the water on purpose this time.”

Dash peeled off and started a shallow dive towards the lake. Firewing followed more slowly. As Rainbow Dash neared the lake, Firewing watched in disbelief as Dash did something she had always been taught to avoid. Rainbow Dash did an inverted flat spin. On her second rotation she hit the water and skipped across like a stone.

“Wheeee hahahaha,” laughed Rainbow Dash.

Firewing couldn't help but laugh herself. She glided down and landed in the water by Rainbow Dash in a normal manner.
“Dash that was the silliest thing I've ever seen a pony do,” said Firewing, still laughing.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I discovered it by accident when I was working on the move. It's a blast. Whew! I needed to cool off.”

“It does feel good,” admitted Firewing. “Hey!”

Rainbow Dash had used her tail to splash water at her. Firewing used her wings to sweep a wave of water back at Dash. After playing a bit they got out of the water and allowed themselves to dry on the edge of the lake.

“Okay, I'll concede that you had some control during those flat spins,” said Firewing. “I don't know how you do it, but you can. Pretty amazing.”

“Told ya,” said Dash with a smirk. “When I'm a little dryer I'll show you the whole thing. I think I'm missing something on the landing. It's kinda boring after the big move.”

“Just show me the landing first,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash took off and gained a little altitude. She swooped down and pulled up into a stall, sweeping her wings forward and fully open, she floated gracefully to the ground.

“It's pretty but you're right, it is a little bland,” said Firewing. “Why not add a bow at the end? As you touch down just keep your wings out and bring them forward as you go forward onto one knee. Like this.” She got up and demonstrated.

“Oh yeah! That's what I was looking for,” said Rainbow Dash. “Thanks Firewing..um you weren't going to use that move were you?”

“No, I'm going to do one I only used once before,” said Firewing. “It looks like I'm going too fast but I go into a loop and use it to scrub off the speed and then at the bottom of the loop I hit the ground and just stop. If I can hit it on the last note of my music it's really dramatic.”

“Sounds pretty cool,” said Rainbow Dash with a nod. She took a deep breath. “I'm going to try my ending move now.”

“Over the water right?” said Firewing.

“Oh alright,” said Dash peevishly. “I'll only simulate the landing though. I'm not getting wet again.”

Firewing dipped her tail in the lake and flicked it at Dash.

“Hey!” said Rainbow Dash with a laugh.

“Get going,” said Firewing, “it's almost time for supper.”

Rainbow Dash took off and rapidly gained altitude. She flew level for a while to get into position and did a half Immelmane loop. At the apex of the loop she nosed over and dropped straight down to regain her speed, diving towards the lake. Careful to control her speed and stay on course, she started to slowly spin. The spins increased in speed as she neared the lake until she suddenly flipped sideways and went into the inverted flat spin. After three revolutions she flipped up right and did three more in that position. Breaking out of the final spin, she propelled herself forward and upward into a stall. She violently brought her wings forward to lose the last of her speed, displayed her wings in a wide arch and dropped gently towards the water. Just before she touched the water she started flying again and landed by Firewing. She was amazed.

“I quit,” said Firewing.

“Huh?” asked a puzzled Rainbow Dash.

“You pull that off after a clean performance,” said Firewing, “and you have this in the bag.”

“Thanks, but the individual routine is only part of this competition,” pointed out Dash. “I've gotten better at my maneuvers but I can't touch your precision...or Windy's.”

Firewing was silent.

“What's wrong?” asked Rainbow Dash, sensing a change in her friends mood.

“Who is better?” asked Firewing. “Between Windy and me, I mean. And be honest.”

“You're both really good but I like watching you fly more than Windy,” said Rainbow Dash. “She is very exact in what she does but you're ...I don't know. You're just as precise but there's more feeling there. You're more graceful.”

“So you think I have a shot?” asked Firewing.

“Sure! Except that I'm going to beat both of you!” said Dash with a laugh.

“Oh yeah,” said Firewing, “I forgot about that.”

They both laugh. “Come on,” said Firewing, “let's go have some supper.”

“Yeah, I'm starting to get hungry,” agreed Rainbow Dash.

As they flew back to Cloudsdale they talked about the remainder of the trials.

“What you need,” said Rainbow Dash, “is a good special trick for your routine. If you just do all those standard moves, no matter how well you do them, you won't be able to win.”

“That's been worrying me,” admitted Firewing.

“I have a few ideas,” said Rainbow Dash. “We can talk about it after supper.”

“Okay, but I'm not doing anything as crazy as you're going to try,” said Firewing.

“Aw you're no fun,” laughed Dash.

“Maybe a little crazy would be okay,” said Firewing with a smile. “Hey! There's that pony in the black flight suit again.”

Fluttershy is airborne this time and is landing near the cafe.

“Must like the food there,” said Rainbow Dash.

Chapter 15

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Chapter15

Fluttershy arrived back in Ponyville Tuesday morning and went straight to Twilight Sparkle's house. She knocked on the door and Spike answered.

“Fluttershy!” exclaimed the little dragon in surprise. “You're back already? Come in! Twilight! Fluttershy is here!”

“Hi Spike, I have some news,” said Fluttershy. “Can you go round up the rest of the girls?”

“Sure thing Fluttershy,” said Spike. “but don't tell your story before we get here.”

“Alright, I promise,” said Fluttershy.

“Hi Fluttershy, found out something already?” asked Twilight as she cantered into the room.

“Oh yes!,” said Fluttershy, “but we should really wait until everypony is here.”

“You're right,” said Twilight. “Can I get you anything?”

“Some water would be nice,” said Fluttershy. “Even though I can fly better with this suit on, that was a lot of flying. I'm going to get Rarity to make me one that's more...me.”

“It makes you look sleek,” said Twilight, “but I guess the black is a little hot in this weather.”

“It's not bad in Cloudsdale,” said Fluttershy, “as long as I stay out of the sun. I found a nice cafe where I can watch the Wonderbolts come and go. It has a lovely view.”

Rarity burst into the room. “What did you find out?” she asked breathlessly.

“I promised Spike I'd wait until we were all here,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh! You didn't get caught did you?” asked Rarity.

Fluttershy giggled, “No. Oh! I can tell you I found two shops that might be interested in your flight suits.”

“Really?” said Rarity happily. “I made a few drawings, just playing around really. You can take them back with you. And make sure you take them to see Rainbow Dash in her suit.”

Pinkie Pie entered, bumping Rarity out of the doorway. “Did you see her? How is she? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”

“We're waiting on Applejack and Spike,” said Twilight. “Be patient!”

“But Applejack lives so far away,” complained the pink pony. “It'll take Spike too long to find her.”

“Give Fluttershy a break!” said Twilight. “She just got here.”

“I'm sorry, Fluttershy,” said Rarity, “you must be tired.”

“Me too, Fluttershy,” said Pinkie Pie, “we'll wait for Applejack and Spike.”

While Twilight got Fluttershy a drink, Pinkie Pie and Rarity waited impatiently for Applejack and Spike to arrive. Soon they heard hoof-beats and Applejack burst in with Spike on her back.

“Whew!” she said, “we got here as fast as I could run. What's the news?”

“Come on Fluttershy,” said Spike, “we're all here now. How's Rainbow Dash doing?”

“Well,” began Fluttershy, “I found a hotel near where the Wonderbolts live and a cafe where I can see them come and go. I saw Rainbow Dash three times yesterday. When they came back at lunch time, when they went back out after lunch and again that evening. I was close enough to see her face. She looked happy.”

“I'll bet she was!” said Applejack. “Just flyin' with the Wonderbolts would do that.”

“She wasn't exactly with them,” explained Fluttershy. “She was flying with another contestant. She was wearing a flight suit and had a bright red mane and tail. I found out latter that her name is Firewing. They seemed to be talking to each other.”

“It's good to see she's making new friends,” said Twilight. “I was worried she might get so caught up in the competition that she might not enjoy the tryouts at all.”

“Yeah, that's good to hear,” said Pinkie Pie, but she didn't sound happy.

“The waiter at the cafe, his name is Weathervane, is helping me gather information,” continued Fluttershy. “He has a friend at the Wonderbolt's compound who told him some things. First, there was some sort of accident yesterday morning. A pony was injured and another was kicked out of the competition.”

“Oh no!” exclaimed Rarity, “I had no idea this was going to be dangerous!”

“Well they are stunt flying! Zoom zoom Boom!” said Pinkie Pie as she demonstrated by falling onto the floor.

“Now come on,” said Applejack, “Rainbow Dash is a great flier, she hardly ever crashes. Not that much anyway. Well, maybe a few times but she don't get hurt...too often.”

“Oh dear,” said Rarity.

“Rainbow Dash wasn't in the accident,” pointed out Twilight, “and she wasn't the one that got hurt. Applejack’s right, despite her being a little reckless sometimes, she can really fly and I'm sure she's being extra careful so she can win the competition. What else did you find out Fluttershy?”

“There are two top contenders besides Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy. “One is named Frost, she's from Cloudsdale and a local favorite. Everypony says she's a powerful flier. A friend of hers, Razor, is still in the running but isn't considered as good. The other top pony is Windyday, she's from Canterlot. From what my friend could find out, her techniques are supposed to be flawless. The other two that are left are Starshine and Firewing, they're considered long shots like Razor.”

“Sounds like Rainbow Dash has her work cut out for her,” said Applejack.

“Now we all knew this was going to be hard for her but she's still in the running,” said Rarity.

“What about the other ponies?” asked Applejack. “I thought there were ten.”

“Oh there were but there are only six left after yesterday,” said Fluttershy. “Two others were eliminated from the competition besides the one that was injured and the one that got kicked out.”

“That's a lot of news but we weren't expecting you so soon,” said Twilight. “Why did you come back?”

“Well, there won't be any more ponies eliminated until tomorrow,” said Fluttershy, “so I thought you might like to hear what I found out. The ponies that make it through the cuts on Wednesday go on to the finals on Friday. I'm flying back this afternoon and meet with Weather this evening.”

“That's an awful lot of flyin',” said Applejack. “Are you sure you're up to it?”

“I'll never be a Wonderbolt,” said Fluttershy, “but Rainbow Dash has been helping me and I've been practicing. I'm much stronger than I used to be. This new suit helps too. You've got to make me one Rarity, I'll come over as soon as I can and order one.”

“I'll be happy to do it dear,” said Rarity. “After you've rested and had some lunch, come by the shop and pick up the designs I've been working on. Maybe you'll see something you'll like.”

“Oh, I'm sure I will,” said Fluttershy.

“Are you coming back on Thursday with more news?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, I thought that would be a good idea,” said Fluttershy. “At least you'll know if she is going on to the final test on Friday.”

Chapter 16

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Chapter 16

The next day the ponies were interviewed individually after breakfast. The three judges asked only one question: 'Why do you want to be a Wonderbolt?'

“I've wanted to be one for as long as I can remember,” answered Rainbow Dash. “They always seemed like super ponies to me when I was little and that's when I decided that I wanted to be the best flier ever. To do that, I knew I had to be a Wonderbolt. I changed a little bit when I grew up. I still want to be the best but I want the Wonderbolts to be the best too. It's more important that you guys keep going, that you're there for other foals to look up to. I'd like to be part of that. I still dream about it but you're not idols anymore, you're real. This is real. Except for my close friends, nothing means more to me than the Wonderbolts. It's kind of funny. I like showing off, I like being the center of attention but if I learned anything over the past few years it's that it's better to be a part of something. I know what it's like.”

* * *
The ponies spent the rest of the day learning a short basic routine and practicing with the Wonderbolts. Late in the afternoon they were released and the three judges talked amongst themselves.

“This is a good group,” said Soarin. “Any of them would make a good teammate.”

“I'd fly with any of them,” agreed Spitfire. “It's going to be tough to cut some tomorrow.”

“Harder than I thought it would be,” said Immelmane. “We'll have to be looking very closely at the little things to decide who goes.”

“Those answers this morning don't make it easier either,” said Spitfire. “Starshine sounded almost desperate to be on the team. Razor, well Razor seemed to lack confidence. I think she looks up to Frost so much she can't imagine getting picked over her.”

“Frost does really want the job,” commented Soarin. “Maybe she's still embarrassed about the incident yesterday, but she spent more time trying to say what a good Wonderbolt should be rather than answering the question.”

“Yes, I got that impression too,” said Immelmane. “Windyday was all about honor and prestige. I'd say she was doing it just for herself but she kept mentioning family and Canterlot, like she was trying to live up to someone's expectations.”

“Yes, and I can't say it's a bad motivation for trying to do your best,” said Spitfire. “She seemed very controlled through the whole thing; through everything I've seen her do since she's been here really. Very calm. She's smart too; a quick decision maker.”

“I like that about her,” said Soarin, “but she doesn't seem to be having much fun. I guess there's no reason she has to but I'd rather be around somepony who is more affable. Firewing for instance. She wants to perform in front of crowds like her father. She'd be a natural at it; just a joy to watch.”

“And then there's Rainbow Dash,” said Spitfire. “I loved her answer. She really is a fan and has followed the Wonderbolts since before any of us were on the team.”

“I agree,” said Immelmane. “I can't tell you how much she's changed. She still has the fire to succeed and she still has a bit of a temper but I truly believe she is passionate about the importance of the team.”

“Yes, but there was something else there,” said Spitfire thoughtfully. “Those close friends come first and what she said about the importance of being part of something. I don't think she meant the Wonderbolts when she said that. It was like she was remembering something.”

“Maybe,” said Immelmane. “Well, maybe the contestants will make it easy for us tomorrow.”

“Ha!” snorted Soarin, “not very likely!”

* * *
Late Tuesday afternoon, Rainbow Dash and Firewing were practicing by the lake again. This time it is the routine they learned during the day.

“I don't think I can get much better than I am right now,” said Firewing during a break, “and we get to practice tomorrow morning before the exercise. I think I'll work on that trick you told me about.”

“I have the moves down,” said Rainbow Dash, “but I feel like a dunce when I watch you. I'm telling you, Firewing, they're nuts if they don't pick you.”

“Until they see my boring individual routine,” replied Firewing. “But thanks Dash, it means a lot.”

“Go ahead and practice your trick,” said Dash, “I'll take a break and watch you.”

Firewing started to practice the spinning barrel roll that Rainbow Dash had described to her. It was a move she had developed from one of the Wonderbolts own moves and was difficult to perform. During a regular barrel roll the top of the flier was always on the inside of the loop but Rainbow Dash had figured out a way to incorporate a spin into it so that one spin was completed at the same time as each roll. After practicing it for sometime, Firewing was able to perform it as well as Rainbow Dash had ever done, not that she would admit to that.

“So how was it?” asked Firewing.

“Looked real good Firewing,” said Dash. “How many are you going to do?”

“I was thinking of one,” said Firewing surprised. “Why?”

“No, you should string them together,” said Rainbow Dash with a shake of her head. “Do at least two or three so the judges get a good look.”

“Not a bad idea,” admitted Firewing. “Are you going to practice your ending again.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, a determined look forming on her face, “I have something I want to try out. I'm taking too much speed into that stall. I'm going to add another rotation to each flat spin. I'll have to go into it a little higher up. I want to look more graceful when I hit the stall. The way I do it now looks really rough. Kinda hard on the wings too.”

“Why not just go slower to begin with?” asked Firewing.

“Because it's more dramatic for the audience if they think you're going to go splat,” replied Dash with a grin.

“You keep it up and you will go splat,” admonished Firewing. “If you're going to do it, go ahead. I want to practice that routine some more and you need to work on that more than I do. We can practice on the way back to Cloudsdale.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and took off. As before, she gained altitude and then dove. Before long Firewing realized to her horror that Rainbow Dash was not aiming at the lake but was coming straight at her. The added altitude and the extra spins worked as Rainbow Dash expected but she pulled out of them perilously close to the ground. This time the stall was much more gentle and indeed Rainbow Dash looked graceful as she floated to the ground and went into her bow.

“You are going to give old Immelmane a heart attack when he sees you do that you know?” said Firewing shaking her head. “That is an awesome move Dash but it's so dangerous. I still wish you'd drop it. Your tail almost touched the ground when you pulled out.”

“Then it was perfect,” said Rainbow Dash fiercely. “Yes! I feel good. Come on, lets practice the routine.”

Firewing nodded and looked away. She knew it was useless. She took wing and Dash followed.

“There are twelve moves to the routine,” said Firewing. “Lets do this; we take turns naming a move and then on the count of three we do the move.”

“Sounds like fun,” said Rainbow Dash. “You go first.”

“Number four,” said Firewing, “one, two, three, GO!”

The pair proceeded towards Cloudsdale performing this weird aerial dance. As they got closer they attracted the attention of some of the residents and by the time they arrived there were a few small groups of ponies cheering them. Rainbow Dash and Firewing both loved this and did a few tricks before heading into the Wonderbolt's compound.

When they landed, they were surprised to find Windyday waiting for them in the courtyard.

“Hi, Windy,” said Firewing, “what's up?”

“I told you I'd let you know if I wanted to practice the routine with you,” said Windyday, in her typical calm voice. “My answer is yes, I'd like to practice with you both tomorrow morning, if the offer still stands.”

“Sure!” said Rainbow Dash, “we'd be glad to have you. With three of us we can fly just like a real wing.”

“You should have come with us after practice,” said Firewing, “we put in some good work.”

“I thought about it,” said Windyday, “but I wanted to do my training regimen before supper.”

“What did you do?” asked Firewing.

“It's Tuesday,” said Windyday, “so today I went to the gym and worked with weights for half an hour. Then I flew down and ran on the ground for ten minutes. After that I flew and stretched my wings to cool down. Afterward, I took a short swim in the pool and got a rub down.”

“We took a dip in the lake,” said Rainbow Dash, “then practiced the routine and a little bit for our individual routines for Friday.”

Windyday gave one of her rare smiles. “Counting on being a finalist? That's good. I think you both have a good chance. So does Frost, if they don't hold yesterday against her.”

“I hope they don't,” said Rainbow Dash. “I might have done the same thing if it was my friend that got injured.”

Windyday looked away. “I understand,” she said. She seemed troubled about something.

Firewing broke the silence. “Come on, let's go eat. I'm starved.”

Chapter 17

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Chapter 17

The contestants spent the next morning practicing the routine. During the mid afternoon four Wonderbolts flew in and started taking the contestants up one at a time. Windyday went first and was nearly flawless, she had a slightly wobble when she caught some turbulence from another pony but quickly corrected the problem. Her moves were precise and perfectly performed. Starshine was next and while she was able to perform the routine, it was very shaky. Firewing was snappy and her timing was dead on. Rainbow Dash was nearly as good as Firewing but her technique was not as clean at times. Razor mistimed her starting move and it took her some time to recover. Frost was last and flew with determination as if trying to make up for her past behavior. Her only error was actually getting slightly ahead of the rest of the team but she corrected this and made a good showing. The ponies waited nervously to hear the judges decision.

Rainbow Dash laid down on the cloud.

“Tired? Dash? I never thought I'd see it,” teased Frost.

“Kind of,” admitted the blue pegasus. “That took a lot of concentration. I'm used to just zooming around on my own.”

“You did well, Rainbow Dash,” commented Windyday. “I seriously misjudged your abilities.”

“Thanks, Windy,” said Dash, “I didn't look as good as you though.”

“I don't think any of us looked as good as Firewing,” said Frost. “This might be my last day.”

“Maybe,” said Windyday. “The only one I'm sure of is Firewing. They could find a reason to cut all of the rest of us.”

“Oh come on!” said Razor, “I know I'm out but all of you were real good.”

“Sometimes real good isn't enough,” said Windyday. “I was in a competition and thought I did a perfect performance and still lost.”

“You were all better than me,” said Starshine. “I was so nervous.”

“I felt pretty good out there,” said Firewing, “but I didn't think I was better than some of you.”

“You looked great Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash. “If they picked you for the job right now, I wouldn't be shocked.”

“Yeah, I have to agree,” said Frost. “You were as close to flawless as I've ever seen. Put you in a Wonderbolt outfit and I couldn't have told the difference. Same goes for you Windy.”

“Thanks, but I did make that one error,” said Windyday. “I should have anticipated that turbulence from the pony cutting across my path. Stupid of me.” She stamped her hoof.

“I couldn't see it,” said Razor.

“Me neither,” said Rainbow Dash. “You're being too tough on yourself Windy.”

“Maybe,” replied Windy, “but I try to be perfect every time. I was perfect when we practiced this morning. If I could do it then, I should have been able to do it during the test. I find it...annoying.”

Firewing laughed and gave Windyday a quick hug. “Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to the finals.”

Windyday was surprised by the show of affection and couldn't help but smile.

As the contestants were discussing their performances, the judges compared notes.

“It's not getting easier is it?” said Immelmane. “I think we can agree on the two to go this time though. I would say Razor and Starshine.”

Spitfire sighed. “Yes.”

“Yes,” said Soarin, “and it's a shame too; a couple of weeks training and they could be just as good.”

“How do you rate the others?” asked Immelmane.

“We have to keep Firewing, Windyday and Rainbow Dash in that order,” said Soarin. “Frost did very well today but wasn't as crisp as Firewing or Windy. Our only choice would be to cut her and keep Razor. I'm not really sure it would be fair to cut her because of that mess on Monday”

“I agree with you on the keepers,” said Spitfire. “I think we should keep Frost even though I don't see her beating any of the other three on Friday. It wouldn't hurt to let her do her routine and it would give Mr. Immelmane another pony to consider. You're right Soarin, the only alternative would be Razor.”

“That's fine with me,” said Immelmane, “so we have a consensus?”

“Those four? Sure,” said Spitfire.

“Sure, okay,” added Soarin reluctantly.

“Let's get this over with,” said Immelmane. He called the ponies over and addressed them. “We've reached a decision and only two of you are being let go today. Starshine and Razor, I'm sorry but you just didn't do as well today as the others. You should be proud that you made it this far. The rest of you will start working on your routines for Friday, starting tomorrow.”

“Razor and Starshine, thank you for coming to the tryouts and we will be sure to keep you in mind for next time,” added Spitfire. “You'd both make great teammates someday.”

“The first hour tomorrow will consist of a workshop on setting up a routine for your individual performance,” said Immelmane. “Then you will choose the music you will use from a list. All the music is exactly three minutes long. That is how long your routine should be. The rest of the day and Friday morning will be spent practicing your routine. You will be able to ask us for advice or critique on anything you plan on doing.”

“That's it for today,” said Soarin. “I imagine you're all anxious to get started working on your routines but try to relax a little. It won't do you any good to work so hard that you're exhausted by Friday afternoon. We'll see you tomorrow.”

“Going to work out?” asked Firewing to Rainbow Dash.

“A little,” said Rainbow Dash. “Let's take a swim first. I need to unwind.”

“Can I come too?” asked Starshine. “I'm out of it now so I can't steal your moves.”

Firewing and Dash look at each other. Rainbow Dash nodded and Firewing said “Okay.”

The three ponies flew towards the lake.

“I know you two have been practicing on your own,” said Starshine. “I just want to see what you've been doing.”

“Are you going to show her?” Firewing asked Rainbow Dash.

“If she promises not to tell,” said Rainbow Dash after a moment.

“I promise! I won't tell anypony,” said Starshine.

Firewing grinned and gave a little chuckle, “You're in for a treat then.”

“First I'll show you how to get in a lake,” said Rainbow Dash as she peeled off and started a dive.

“What?” said Starshine, not sure that she heard correctly.

The other two ponies followed Rainbow Dash but not at her speed. She performed the same 'skipping stone' trick as before. Starshine and Firewing laughed at her antics.

“Can I tell anypony about that? I wish water was part of the routine. That would be awesome,” said Starshine still laughing.

“I'll show you awesome in a little while,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I'm going to warn you Starshine,” said Firewing, “this is not for the faint of heart. I've been trying to talk her out of doing this since she told me about it.”

“Dangerous?” asked Starshine.

“A little,” said Rainbow Dash.

“A lot!” said Firewing emphatically.

Rainbow Dash splashed her and she splashed her back.

“Are you going to tell me or what?” asked Starshine. They both splashed her. “Hey!”

They played in the water for a while and then got out to dry on the bank.

After Rainbow Dash's wings were dry she got up. “Okay Starshine, prepare to be struck by awesome!”
She took off and flew up to start her trick.

“Over the lake!” Firewing called after her.

Rainbow Dash didn't answer and continued to climb.

“What's she going to do?” asked Starshine.

“Something amazing but really crazy,” said Firewing as she watched Rainbow Dash climb.

“Why over the lake?” asked Starshine.

“Because it's slightly less crazy that way,” replied Firewing nervously.

Rainbow Dash got into position, did the half Immelmane and dropped into her dive. It wasn't long before it became apparent that she was not doing the move over the lake but was heading towards the edge of the lake where her friends waited.

“Oh feathers!” breathed Firewing, “she's not doing it over the lake. Starshine, this is going to be scary but don't do anything.”

Starshine watched spellbound as Rainbow Dash started slowly spinning in a steep and fast dive.
Rainbow Dash neared the ground spinning and went into her inverted flat spin. Starshine gasped as Dash flipped into the flat spins and swooped up into the stall. She landed, adding the bow that Firewing suggested.

“What was that?!” exclaimed Starshine.

“Haven't you ever seen a flat spin before?” said Rainbow Dash smugly.

“Sure but only during class when they were teaching us how to get out of one!” Starshine exclaimed. “And never that close to the ground! That was on purpose? You're crazy...awesome...crazy awesome!”

“Pretty cool huh?” said Rainbow Dash. To her, Starshine's shock was the highest praise.

“I saw it and I still don't believe it!” said Starshine shaking her head.

“Told you it was scary,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash laughed, “You want scary, try doing it.”

“No thanks, I prefer my body the way it is,” replied Firewing.

“That is the wildest thing I've ever seen,” said Starshine. “That's in your routine isn't it?”

“Yep,” said Rainbow Dash. “The most awesome ending ever.”

“It could be an awesome ending alright,” said Starshine. “I'm glad I'm out. I could never compete with that. I'd crash if I tried.”

“That's why I wanted her to do it over the lake,” said Firewing. “Better to splash than splat.”

“I've got it down Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash. “That one was almost perfect.”

“That's just it Dash; they all have to be perfect or you're gonna crash hard,” said Firewing, her voice full of concern. “You could do it twenty times perfect and if you mess up the twenty-first there won't be a twenty-second.”

“Well, I'm going to use it in my routine,” said Dash obstinately, “and I'm going to practice it twice tomorrow and once Friday. Lets just take it easy for now. Just do some stunts on the way back to town like before.”

“Now that was fun!” said Firewing. “You can join in too Starshine. We had a little crowd watching us last time.”

“Yeah! That was so cool. I loved it,” said Dash.

“Okay, sounds like fun,” said Starshine. “Hey Rainbow Dash, did you ask if it was alright to use that move in your routine?”

Rainbow Dash laughed, “Are you kidding? There's no way they'd let me do that if they knew.”

“She's crazy, not stupid,” said Firewing. “Come on! Lets do some flying.”

“Same as before?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Take turns calling out numbers and then perform on the count of three?”

“Yeah,” said Firewing, “but lets do something special if there are any ponies watching when we get to Cloudsdale.”

“Like what?” asked Starshine.

“What if we just tried to synchronize a move and do it in a line?” suggested Rainbow Dash.

“Okay, that would look good,” said Firewing. “What do we do?”

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. “How about we fly in and get parallel to the city. We do a right wing barrel roll, then a loop and then on the second loop just climb into a hammerhead stall and twist so we drop backwards into a dive and then do three left wing full snap rolls.”

“Snap rolls after we level out right?” asked Starshine.

“Yeah, forgot that, sorry.”

“Okay,” said Firewing, “but lets break formation when we're done. Center pony flies straight while the outer ponies circle and come back to form a vee.”

“Firewing, you sure know how to add the special touches,” said Dash.

“Thanks, lets fly!” said Firewing.

She took off and the others followed. They practiced the formation move they developed and started back to Cloudsdale playing the game that Rainbow Dash and Firewing had played the previous day.
As they neared Cloudsdale they saw a much larger crowd near the edge of the city. They went into their formation and did their stunt. The crowd cheered, wanting more. Of course, Rainbow Dash couldn't resist and pulled up as if to do a loop. At the top of the loop she leveled out dove slightly, tucked her body and somersaulted several times before recovering and flying back to the compound. Not to be outdone, Firewing did a few snap spins, stopping briefly on each quarter point.

The crowd noise gained the attention of of Soarin, Spitfire and Immelmane who watched the show from a window in Immelmane's office.

“We'd better hire her before she starts her own team,” said Soarin.

“Which one?” asked Spitfire with a smile.

“Rainbow Dash was who I meant,” said Soarin, “but I suppose it could could have been Firewing.”

“That actually looked good,” commented Immelmane, “and they couldn't have practiced it much. Even Starshine was dead on.”

“That was a cute little move by Rainbow Dash at the end,” said Spitfire.

“The somersaults? Yeah, but not the kind of thing for a serious performance,” said Soarin.

“The crowd liked it,” said Spitfire.

“It could have an interesting effect if you're trailing smoke too,” added Immelmane thoughtfully.

“I wonder whose idea it was to do that formation? Rainbow Dash?” said Spitfire.

“Maybe,” said Immelmane. “That Firewing loves the spotlight too. Remember, part of her answer to 'Why do you want to be a Wonderbolt?' was 'A chance to perform in a great group'. As impressed as I've been with Rainbow Dash this week, I must say that I think Firewing is more of a team oriented performer.”

“Yes, but I don't know if we can pass up an athlete like Rainbow Dash,” said Soarin. “And don't forget Windyday, she isn't the most friendly pony I've ever met but she is as close to being a perfect flier as I've ever seen.”

“I haven't written off Frost yet either,” said Spitfire.

“That's what the individual exercise is for. I'm looking forward to it. It should be a real showcase of talent.” Immelmane smiled. He was looking forward to Friday.

Chapter 18

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Chapter 18

Fluttershy watched the show by the three contestants and made her way back through the crowd to the cafe. It was a little crowded but Weathervane made sure she got seated. He took her order and when he brought her food talked quickly about what he had heard.

“I can't talk long,” he said, “we're too busy, but I found out a few things. See those two ponies at the table by the entrance? The one on the left is Razor, one of the Cloudsdale contestants. She got cut today. So did that other pony, Starshine, one of the Fillydelphia contestants. The rest are going on to the individual exercise on Friday.”

“Thanks, Weather,” said Fluttershy, “anything else?”

“Just about that pony that got kicked out,” said Weather. “Her name is Twister and she caused an accident by being reckless. Apparently she was mad at your friend for beating her in a race and at another pony too for some reason. The injured pony, Sunrise Cloud, is going to be okay but when she went down, Frost went after Twister. Spitfire and Rainbow Dash stopped her. I gotta go now.” He rushed off.

Fluttershy slowly ate and drank. She was a little tired and worried. This competition was more dangerous than she had thought. At Razor's table she saw Weather hovering around, he gave them excellent service but was also listening to anything they said. She finished her meal and Weather presented her bill which she payed. She added a good tip but not as much as the first time, not wanting to insult him.

“Thanks Ms. Fluttershy,” said Weather, “I'm off in a few minutes. Let's go for a walk and talk.”

“Sure, I'll meet you by the edge of the cloud,” replied Fluttershy.

Weather nodded and returned to work. Fluttershy left and returned to where she had watched Rainbow Dash and her friends earlier. Soon, Weather arrived.

“Hi, I heard a little more from Razor,” said Weather, “I told her how I was following the tryouts and she really opened up.”

“Oh good,” said Fluttershy, “what did you find out?”

“Well, it turns out that according to her, Twister insulted your friend and she stood up to her.”

“That sounds like Rainbow Dash alright,” said Fluttershy.

“Then, during the race, Twister was so determined to catch Rainbow Dash that she burned out and came in last. That's when she got into it with Windyday and a little bit with Frost. They divided the ponies into two groups and played a game of follow the leader with Spitfire. Twister was trying all kinds of crazy maneuvers and passes that just messed up everypony except Razor who was first in line behind Spitfire. She finally hit Sunrise Cloud hard enough to hurt her and make her land. The ponies from the other group came down to help and Frost tried to get at Twister. Rainbow Dash is a friend of Frost's and she and Spitfire were able to stop her or there would have been two injured ponies if you know what I mean.”

“That Twister sounds awful,” said Fluttershy. “I hope no pony is blaming Rainbow Dash for this.”

“Doesn't look that way,” said Weather. “The contestants don't anyway. There's going to be an official inquiry next week.”

“Oh my,” said Fluttershy, “you don't think any pony else will get in trouble do you?”

“Probably not,” said Weather, “but it is breaking Frost's concentration. She hasn't been flying like herself since it happened.”

“That's too bad,” said Fluttershy. “It isn't fair either.”

“I guess not,” said Weather. “So the way things stand right now it looks like Rainbow Dash is the favorite with Firewing or Windyday next, depending on who you ask. Frost flew well enough to not get cut but she really has to do something special to catch the leaders.”

“Well, that's good news,” said Fluttershy. “At least she has a chance. Don't feel bad for Cloudsdale if Rainbow Dash does win. She grew up here you know.”

“I didn't think of it that way.” said Weather. “I guess that would be good if Frost doesn't make it. Hey, they really put on a show tonight didn't they?”

“It was beautiful, agreed Fluttershy. “I hope I get back in time to see another one tomorrow.”

“I'll bet it will be a good one. Maybe the other contestants will join in too,” said Weather.

“I hope so,” said Fluttershy. “I guess I should be going now. I have to meet with a boutique owner after she closes. I think Rarity is going to be happy when she hears the responses I've been getting on her designs. So, I'll see you tomorrow then?”

“Sure, that would be great. I'll have your table ready.”

Fluttershy left to meet the shop owner. Weather looked after her for a moment wondering what she looked like without that flight suit covering her face.

Chapter 19

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Chapter 19

The next day Fluttershy returned to Ponyville as the Wonderbolts contestants practiced their routines. Since she was expected this time, all of her friends were waiting at Twilight Sparkles house.

“Come in!” said Twilight, “I hope you have good news.”

Fluttershy smiled, “Yes, I do. Rainbow Dash is going on to the finals on Friday. According to Weather, she's now the favorite.”

“I knew she'd do it,” said Applejack. “She's gonna win this thing!”

Pinkie Pie was not smiling. “Yeah.”

“Come on Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, “you still want her to win, don't you?”

“Oh sure!” said Pinkie Pie, trying hard to remain upbeat, “but it's hard to be happy when you know she'll be leaving.”

“Well, at least she's happy and making new friends,” said Fluttershy. “The contestants have been doing little shows when they come back from the training area. You should see them. It's just beautiful to watch.”

“Too bad they won't be around when this is over,” said Rarity.

“Oh, a few will be,” said Fluttershy. “Frost is a friend of Rainbow Dash's from when she was little and she's from Cloudsdale. So are three of the other contestants that have been eliminated.” She sighed. “I think that she'll miss Firewing though. They seem to have been practicing together. They come in together every night. She's another top contender.”

“Well, I reckon things could be worse,” said Applejack. “Rainbow Dash is happy and isn't all alone.”

“You're right!” said Pinkie Pie brightly. “Things aren't that bad! I guess I'd better start on the victory celebration.”

“No, no, no,” said Rarity, “if you make it a victory celebration she's going to ask how we knew.”

“That's right!” said Twilight. “What if we make it a welcome home party but make a banner that says 'Wonderbolt' on it. After she tells us she's made it, we'll unroll it.”

“That's a great idea Twilight!” said Pinkie Pie. “I can do the cake the same way. I'll leave the bottom of the cake blank and then I can put on the Wonderbolt part just before bringing it out.”

“I wonder how long she'll be here before she has to move to Cloudsdale,” mused Rarity. “We should do something for her when she leaves too. Did you hear anything about that, Fluttershy?”

“No, but I'll try to find out,” said Fluttershy. “They're in a hurry to find a replacement, I know that much. She might not be here long at all after she wins.”

“IF she wins,” said Twilight. “Let's not count the other ponies out just yet.”

“That's right,” said Applejack, “and this is Rainbow Dash we're talking about. Remember how nervous she got before the Young Fliers Competition? As good as she is, she can still buck the wrong tree.”

“She didn't look nervous to me,” said Fluttershy. “It was more like she was having the time of her life.”

“I should think so,” said Rarity. “You know how she loves flying. Just being around all those talented pegasi must be thrilling for her. I'm sure she'll miss us but we should be glad she'll be with others that share her passion. And we'll still see her sometimes. I mean its not like she's going away forever.”

“You're right Rarity,” said Twilight. “She'll be happy there. And I think that after...we say goodbye, we'll be okay too. We still have each other.”

Chapter 20

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Chapter 20

Thursday, in Cloudsdale, the contestants worked all day on their routines. It was late afternoon and even Rainbow Dash was getting tired. Most of the ponies had been working on their own but Starshine had been helping Rainbow Dash get the timing right on her routine while Goldmane worked with Firewing. Frost had her group to help her but Windyday spent most of her time flying by herself. She consulted at times with the Wonderbolts but didn't work with any of the other ponies. Firewing and Rainbow Dash were taking a break on a cloud with Goldmane and Starshine when Windyday flew over and landed by them.

“Hi Windy, how's your routine coming?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Good, I think,” replied Windyday. “I had to change a move to get the time down to three minutes but after that it went well. How are you doing?”

“Awesome of course!” laughed Rainbow Dash. “Actually I had trouble with that three minute thing too. I had to increase my speed on takeoff to get to altitude before starting the real moves. That solved the problem.”

“You must have been pretty close to start with then,” said Windyday. “I wanted to do a giant barrel roll to build speed for my first move but it just took too long. I switched to a simple dive to get the speed to start.”

“Why does everypony want to start fast?” asked Firewing. “I just start out slow and as the music builds I gain altitude doing maneuvers along the way. By the time I get up to altitude I'm going pretty fast. That way I don't need to gain as much speed to do the more spectacular stuff and I've got a great ending.”

“Interesting idea,” said Windyday. “I might have to try that sometime. I'm doing a series of loops for my ending. I used it before and the crowd loved it. How about you Rainbow Dash? I'll bet you have a good ending.”

“It will be special all right,” said Rainbow Dash, “but I think I'll let it be a surprise. I can promise you've never seen it before.”

“That's for sure,” said Firewing.

“You've seen it?” asked Windyday.

“Yes, but I'm sworn to secrecy,” said Firewing with a glance at Rainbow Dash.

“Well, I hope you're not thinking I'd steal your move,” said Windyday. She sounded insulted.

“It's not like that Windy,” said Rainbow Dash. “If you promise not to tell ANY pony I can show you. But not tonight. I'm a little tired right now and it isn't something I want to try unless I'm a hundred percent. I'm going to practice it once more tomorrow and that's it.”

“Trust me Windy, no pony in her right mind would want this move,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash was sharp with Firewing. “Oh stop it Firewing. You've seen me do it and I told you I'm going through with it tomorrow.”

“And I told you I was going to try to talk you out of it,” replied Firewing. She made it plain that she was just as stubborn as her roommate.

“It's too late now anyway,” said Dash in a milder tone. “I have to do it. I can't change my routine at this point.”

“Sounds dangerous,” said Windyday. “I can wait until the competition. I wouldn't want you to try anything now and take yourself out of the running.”

“It would make your job easier though wouldn't it?” said Goldmane.

“Yes, but I want to beat the best at the top of their game,” said Windyday. “No mind games and no cheating. There's more honor and glory in that. That means you too, Firewing.”

“Thanks, I think,” said Firewing. “I can't quite figure you out Windy. You're a great flier. You're honest, sometimes to the point of being rude.” She laughed. “You're honorable, beautiful and smart. With all that going for you, you don't seem to be having much fun. Don't you just hang out with anypony? Aren't you lonely?”

“I..I never really thought about it,” said Windyday softly. “I try very hard not to let anything break my concentration and to keep my emotions in check. I set a goal and then just do whatever it takes to accomplish it. Other ponies seldom figure into my calculations.”

“What about friends?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I don't really have any,” said Windyday. “The members of my club I suppose, but I'm not close with any of them. All I do is fly and try to become perfect at it.”

“So you don't do anything just for fun?” asked Firewing, there was pain in her voice.

“No,” said Windyday simply, “it, the flying I mean, was fun at first. But now... no, it hasn't been fun in a long time.”

“What about some fun right now?” said Rainbow Dash with a devilish grin. “Firewing and I started doing a little showing off before we land each night and last night Starshine joined us. Why don't you join us? There will probably be quite a crowd tonight.”

“Alright,” said Windyday, “what did you have in mind?”

“Starshine? Goldy?” said Firewing. “Are you in too?”

“Sure!” said Starshine.

“Me too,” said Goldmane.

“Okay that makes five,” said Rainbow Dash. “What can we do? That inline formation worked well last night, but we should do something different. Can any of you do climbing loops?”

“Not the easiest thing but yeah, I can,” said Firewing.

“Sure,” said Windyday.

“Not very well,” said Starshine.

“Me neither,” admitted Goldmane.

“That's okay,” said Rainbow Dash. “We fly in a line. Starshine and Goldy will drop back a few lengths. Windy, Firewing and I will dive down and start doing three climbing loops. When we are into our second loop, Starshine and Goldy will dive down and start to climb straight up beside us. If we do it right we can end together at the top of our last loop. Then the two end ponies will peel off and dive into a loop towards each other while the three middle ponies do a bigger loop around them. Starshine and Goldy then head off to the complex and the other three fall into line behind them after we complete our loop.”

“I think we can do that. Lets practice a few times,” said Firewing.

“I think I get it,” said Windyday. “How do we break from our loop and get in line?”

“Just do whatever you want,” said Rainbow Dash. “They'll love it.”

“Should our loops overlap or should we be two separate rings? You know what I mean?” asked Goldy.

“It would be better to have them over lap,” said Firewing, “just don't fly directly at each other. We don't want a collision.”

“I think the three in the center should do a reverse half loop and end at the top,” said Windyday. “That will give Goldy and Starshine time to clear.”

“Good idea, Windy,” said Rainbow Dash. “Everypony ready? Windy, go ahead and take center position. We'll guide off of you. I'll be on your right wing and Firewing can take your left. Starshine beside me and Goldy next to Firewing. Okay, lets go!”

The five pegasi flew out and practiced the routine a few times. Frost and her group saw them and flew over.

“Did I miss a meeting?” asked Frost. “I thought this was going to be an individual exercise.”

“We've been doing a little show before we land each night,” explained Dash. “Why don't you and your group join us?”

“Tell you what,” said Frost, “we've done formation flying together. We'll come in behind you and do something when you're done.”

“Sounds good Frosty,” said Dash. “Come on, let's give 'em a show!”

* * *
They flew towards Cloudsdale. There was quite a gathering of pegasi who started to cheer before the contestants even did anything. The first five formed their line and performed the maneuver. It wasn't perfect but the crowd liked it. As it ended, Firewing did a twist and went into a spinning loop to fall in behind Starshine. Windyday banked hard and went into an inverted dive, spun upright, and did a side wing display for the crowd and fell in behind Firewing. Rainbow Dash had the farthest to go and used the distance to perform a few twisting barrel rolls. She repeated the somersault move that the crowd had liked from the previous night and dropped in beside Windy.

“See? Now that's having FUN!” yelled Rainbow Dash to Windyday.

Windyday was smiling and Rainbow Dash gave her a gentle bump on the shoulder. Windy was startled but laughed and bumped her back. Dash did a snap spin over top of her. Windy did the same thing to Dash.

“Same move to the left together. Go!” shouted Windy.

They did a synchronized snap spin left.

“Now back! Go!” Windy called again.

“Half barrel, you go high I'll go low!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “Now!”

They did the move and ended up back next to each other except on the opposite side. Windy was now laughing. They climbed up to watch Frost's group perform.

Sunrise Cloud didn't participate at first but hung back to watch her friends. Frost's group looked more coordinated, having flown together for much longer. They performed a series of maneuvers that ended with Sunrise Cloud and Sweet Clover doing a barrel roll while Frost and Razor flew down the center of the roll doing spins. It was an impressive and well done formation move and the crowd loved seeing their hometown competitors perform. At last they headed into the Wonderbolts complex, the crowd still cheering for more.

They landed in the courtyard and headed towards the dining hall laughing and talking. Again the three judges had watched the impromptu show and now looked down on the courtyard at the competitors below.

“I've never seen a group like this,” said Immelmane. “I want them all to stay!”

“Too bad they can't,” said Spitfire. “Have you reached a decision about that other matter?”

“No, not yet,” said Immelmane. “I think it will have to be discussed after the individuals. But I reserve the right to have the final say.”

“That's only fair,” said Soarin.

“I'm going to join the contestants for dinner,” said Spitfire, “anypony coming?”

“I have some things to do,” said Immelmane.

“I've already eaten,” said Soarin. “Looks like girls night out.”

Chapter 21

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Chapter 21

Though the dining hall was fairly large, the ponies were crowded together at just a few tables. They were eating, talking and laughing as Spitfire entered and sat down at a nearby table to eat. The ponies quieted down a bit.

“Don't let me interrupt,” said Spitfire, “I'm just here for dinner. I did enjoy your little show. We watched it from Immelmane's office. We might have to hire you all before you form your own team and outdo us.”

The ponies laughed.

“Not a bad idea!” said Windy. She was the happiest that Spitfire had ever seen her. Firewing was sitting next to her and shoulder bumped her. She dipped her head quickly and stole a carrot from Firewing's plate. Rainbow Dash laughed and nipped some food from her opposite side. It didn't matter as there was plenty more. Firewing whacked them both on the back with her wings.

As the dinner calmed down and things start to come to an end, Spitfire arose. “Excuse me everypony, would all of the ponies that have been eliminated come by my table as you leave? I just want to talk to each of you briefly.”

One by one the ponies come to see Spitfire. Some of them planned to go into town together and were anxious to leave. First to come up is Sweet Clover.

“This is informal and won't have any bearing on who wins the position but who do you think would make the best Wonderbolt?” Spitfire asked Sweet Clover.

“I'm not a good one to ask,” said Sweet Clover. “Frost is my leader and my friend so I'm biased towards her. Of the others I have to say Rainbow Dash. She's just so athletic it's unreal.”

“That's fine dear,” said Spitfire. “It's just for my own curiosity.”

She asked the next pony, Goldmane. “Firewing. Her moves are just perfect and she's a lot of fun too.”

Razor was next and her answer was exactly what Spitfire expected.

“I still think Frost would be best,” said Razor, still loyal. “Rainbow Dash is a better athlete and Windy and Firewing have just excellent precision but Frost has a lot more experience in formation flying.”

Starshine answered with an insiders knowledge of Rainbow Dash's special ending. “Rainbow Dash, no question that she's the best flier here. She can do anything.”

“I'm glad it isn't my job to choose,” said Sunrise Cloud, “as much as I want to say Frost, I have to say Windy.”

Spitfire looked up just in time to see Frost's hindquarters going through the door. She followed her back to her room and stopped her as she was going in.

“Pardon me, Frost, but I'd like to ask you a question.”

“Sure, Spitfire. What's on your mind?” replied Frost.

“Excluding yourself, rank the remaining contestants,” said Spitfire. “This is more or less unofficial.”

“Having a hard time deciding?” laughed Frost. “I don't blame you. Wow, this is tough. I have to put Firewing first. She isn't as strong a flier as me or Dash but she's as precise as Windy and more graceful. After her it's even closer. Dash is better technically than I thought but Windy is still better there. But Dash is such a great natural flier. I have to give the nod to Windy. I think technique is more important than what Dash brings to the table. But that is real close and I might give a different answer after the individual exercise tomorrow.”

“Thank you Frost.” She turns to leave.

“Spitfire, I'm fourth,” said Frost sadly. “Honest answer. They're all better than me. I didn't do well yesterday and they all looked great.”

“Well, you still have a shot,” said Spitfire with a smile. “Good luck in the individuals.”

“Thanks,” said Frost as she entered her room.

Spitfire went to Windyday's room but she was not there. Going to Rainbow Dash and Firewing's room where she found all three of the remaining contestants.

“Hi, good to see you all enjoying yourselves,” said Spitfire. “I want to ask each of you something in private. It will only take a second.”

“Why not just ask us together?” said Rainbow Dash. “ We're just going to tell each other anyway.” They laughed.

“Humor me,” said Spitfire. “You're first Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash got up. “Oh alright.” They went into the hall and Spitfire asked her the same thing she asked Frost.

Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate. “Firewing is the best, then Windy, then Frost. All three are great fliers but Firewing has it all. We've been working together all week. I helped her on her speed and some special tricks and she helped me on my technique. I think I got the better end of that deal. Windy is as good as Firewing but she just doesn't have the grace that Firewing has. She's kinda mechanical.”

“Thank you Rainbow Dash, please send Firewing out now.”

“Of course it doesn't matter because I'm going to beat them all tomorrow,” added Rainbow Dash.

“Oh really?” said Spitfire. “I think the other contestants might have something to say about that. Send Firewing out please, and don't tell Windy what the question is..”

Rainbow Dash entered the room. “You're up Firewing.”

Firewing went into the hallway and Spitfire repeated her question.

“Rainbow Dash is the best pony here, the best I've ever seen,” said Firewing. “She can do just impossible things. And she's been so helpful this week. There's no way I'd still be in this without her. She might be a little raw but when I think of what she's done this week with Frost and Twister and tonight she even got Windy to come out of her shell. She'd make a great Wonderbolt. Windy is next. She's stronger than me and her moves are just dead on the money. She has a quick mind. And she's kind of, I don't know, serene. I know you can depend on her no matter what. Frost got a raw deal. She just hasn't been herself since the first day. It just isn't fair what happened to the Cloudsdale ponies.”

“No, it wasn't,” said Spitfire. “We were partially to blame for that. We had heard some things about Twister but didn't know if they were true or not. I wish we could have checked on her more closely. So your answer is Rainbow Dash, Windyday and then Frost. Thanks and good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” said Firewing. “And thanks for a wonderful week, no matter how it turns out. I'm sad that it's almost over. I'm afraid to win. I don't want to lose the others as friends, especially Dash. She really doesn't like to lose.” She looked plaintively at Spitfire.

“I don't think you need to worry,” said Spitfire with a smile. “Send Windy out now.”

Firewing went into her room and Windyday came out. Spitfire again repeated her question and was surprised at Windy's reaction.

“I don't know how to answer,” she said as she stared at the floor. “Firewing and Rainbow Dash have treated me..better than any pony ever has. Even from the beginning and I ignored them. They treat me like a friend. I don't think I remember anypony doing that before.”
She shook her head and her voice was broken. “I guess other ponies have tried but I wouldn't let them. Maybe that's why I don't have any friends. And tomorrow I have to do my best to beat them.”

“You mean why you didn't have any friends,” said Spitfire. “You appear to have two now.”

“And I don't want them to hate me if I beat them tomorrow,” stammered Windyday.

“I don't think they will,” said Spitfire. “Sure they want to win, but it isn't their decision, or yours, who the winner is. You four ponies that remain are in a stiff competition. I'd hope that you are all mature enough to accept that only one of you can get the job. I'd love to fly with any of you.”

“I feel confused,” said Windy as she hung her head. “I've never felt this way before a competition. It.. it hurts!”

“Oh Windy, it's called emotion,” said Spitfire. She moved closer and put her hoof on her shoulder. “I don't know what made you the way you are but I'd much rather fly with a pony that cares about her teammates than a pony that doesn't care about anything but doing a perfect routine. There's more to life than that.”

“I know that now,” said Windy. She sniffed. “You know, even if I look at Firewing and Rainbow Dash the way I used to analyze my opponents, it's still hard to pick one over the other.”

“What about Frost?” asked Spitfire.

“She's last,” replied Windy. “That's easy. Frost is really good but she hasn't flown well. If you let her try out again, don't pick anypony else from her club. She spent as much time looking after them as she did on herself. That's a big disadvantage. I really don't think I can pick the other two in order. It depends on what you want. Rainbow Dash is a pure flier. She has the most talent, hooves down, not to mention the speed and maneuverability. Firewing is the best at technique, maybe even better than me and I'm considered the best. Very clean, very smooth and she's a natural performer. How can you compare two completely different talents like that?”

“It's not easy and I won't ask anymore from you,” said Spitfire. “Thanks Windy. Just one thing though; everypony expects your very best tomorrow and that includes your friends.”

Windyday drew herself up and smiled. “You'll have it then.”

Windy went back into the room. Rainbow Dash and Firewing are talking and laughing.

“That was some kind of question, wasn't it?” said Firewing.

“So who did you choose as number one?” asked Windy. “I couldn't choose between you two. You're too different.”

Firewing and Rainbow Dash pointed at each other.

“That figures,” said Windy. “I can't fault you there. I'd put both of you at the top anyway.”

Firewing stood up. “Hey! We're all at the top. Ladies, we are the best there is!”

“Hear, hear,” said Rainbow Dash. “Does anypony want to go into town? I haven't been into town since I got here.”

“For a little while,” said Firewing, “I'm feeling kind of cooped up myself.”

“Sure, I think some of the others already went, maybe we can meet up with them,” said Windy.

chapter 22

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Chapter 22

Fluttershy watched the show from her usual table at the cafe. Weather joined her as he had the night off.

“Wow!” exclaimed Fluttershy, “that was really a show tonight. I wish I could fly like that!”

“Me too,” said Weather, “but you must have picked up a little bit having Rainbow Dash around all the time.”

“Not really,” said Fluttershy, “she tries but I'm just not cut out to be a daredevil like her.”

“Just one more day and we'll know who won,” said Weather. “This is really getting exciting. I wish I was off tomorrow but at least I have the day shift so I can snoop around after work. Maybe I can find out for sure who won.”

“They won't be announcing the winner tomorrow?” asked Fluttershy.

“No,” said Weathervane, “the official announcement won't be until Saturday night at the big party in the winners honor. I wish I could go to that.”

“I'm not much for big parties,” said Fluttershy, “but I would like to get into that one. I guess you haven't heard anything new since yesterday about how the contest is going.”

“No, I think it's all mostly rumors now...or wishful thinking,” said Weathervane.

“I guess I'll just keep busy tomorrow trying to show Rarity's designs,” said Fluttershy. “I'm glad I'll have something to do. This is starting to get to me.”

Weather looked at her, moved by the look in her eyes. “Um, yeah I can see that. Why don't you show me some of those designs?”

“Alright,” said Fluttershy. “Some of them are for guys so I'd like to hear your opinion.” She got out the designs and went through them with Weather.

Sometime later, Fluttershy and Weather were still talking in the cafe and looking at Rarity's designs when Razor, Sunrise Cloud, Sweet Clover, Goldmane and Starshine entered the cafe. There were a few ponies trailing them and when they entered they were instantly surrounded by new found fans. They asked for hoof prints and for pictures.

Eventually the management stepped in and got the contestants some seats. Their table was next to Fluttershy and Weather. Weather was thrilled to be surrounded by so many fillies. Fluttershy was not thrilled and was afraid of being found out. She was trying to think of a way to get past the group when Starshine noticed the design that Weather was holding. It was very similar to the one worn by Rainbow Dash.

“Excuse me,” she asked, “where did you get that flight suit design?”

“Oh, ah, this is a Rarity design,” said Weather, “This is a representative of hers.”

Fluttershy was appalled but tried to maintain her composure.

“I thought so!” said Starshine. “It looks a lot like the one Rainbow Dash wears. Where can I order one?”

“Look girls, it's that cool flight suit that Dash wears,” said Razor. “Does Rarity do other designs?”

“Where's her shop?” said Goldy.

“Let me see!” said Sweet Clover.

“I need a new one, mine got torn,” said Sunrise Cloud.

Before long Fluttershy found herself giving a presentation to the contestants. There is no way to cover the fact that she was from Ponyville.

“If you're from Ponyville,” said Goldy, “you must know Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh! Um, yes, we've met,” said Fluttershy.

“Did you sell Dash her suit?” asked Starshine.

“No, Rarity and Rainbow Dash are good friends,” said Fluttershy as she grew more nervous. “Rarity dropped everything and did her suit right away. She's just starting to go into this line of clothing and I'm here doing some research. You know, to see what pegasi are looking for in flight suits.”

“A handsome colt!” said Razor, getting a laugh from the others.

“Why don't you get this cutie to model for us?” asked Sweet Clover, pointing to Weather.

“Me?!” said Weathervane.

“I'm sorry,” said Fluttershy, “I don't have any actual samples except the one I'm wearing.”

“Anyway, I'm just talking to Fluttershy,” said Weather. “I'm not in this business.”

“I know,” replied Sweet Clover. “You're a waiter here. I've seen you before.”

“I'm Weathervane. And you are...?”

“Sweet Clover. I'm one of the unfortunate ones that got cut.”

“I'm sorry,” said Weather, “but I saw you, all of you, perform tonight. Great show. The ones that are left must be really good.”

“Oh they are,” said Razor. “of course I couldn't even beat Frost. I think the only reason they invited the rest of us Cloudsdale ponies was that they knew we were good formation fliers.”

“Yeah, that Rainbow Dash is something else but I'll have to go with Firewing,” said Goldy.

“Wait until you see the individuals tomorrow. Rainbow Dash has a move she hasn't shown you yet,” said Starshine.

“No, Firewing has the moves,” insisted Goldmane. “She is so smooth.”

“Rainbow Dash is the best flier,” said Razor, “but Windy and Firewing are just technically perfect.”

“So you all have your favorites but don't really know who's going to win?” asked Weather.

“Even if we did we wouldn't tell,” said Razor. “But no, we really don't know anymore than you do.”

“Hey look! There's three of the ponies still in the running,” said Sunrise Cloud.

Fluttershy saw Rainbow Dash and panicked. “I just remembered an appointment. Weather, be a dear and gather up Rarity's designs, I'll pick them up in the morning. Here's some money, take care of the check. Bye, everypony, nice meeting you.” Fluttershy flew off.

“Well that was rude,” said Razor.

Starshine called to the new arrivals. “Rainbow Dash! Firewing! Windy! Over here!”

Weather went around picking up the designs. “I'll make some room for your friends.” Weather pushed his table next to theirs and beat a retreat.

The three contenders had even more trouble getting through the cafe than the others. Rainbow Dash loved it, Firewing was confused but happy and Windy thought it silly. Again the management stepped in and showed the three ponies to the table by their friends.

“Hi girls,” said Windy, “was that weird or what?”

“I know!” said Razor. “They did the same thing to us and we've been eliminated!”

“Imagine what the Wonderbolts have to go through,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, no wonder they have their own compound,” said Firewing.

“Hey Dash, you just missed a pony from your town,” said Starshine.

“Oh really?” Rainbow Dash was instantly suspicious.

“Yeah, she was a representative for the pony that made your suit,” said Starshine.

“Let me guess,” said Rainbow Dash. “Yellow coat, pink mane and tail, goes by the name of Fluttershy?”

“That's right!” said Starshine, “I guess you know her.”

Rainbow Dash was laughing almost too hard to answer. “Oh yeah, I know her! Ha Ha My friends are trying to find out how I'm doing. They must have got poor Fluttershy to spy on me.”

“I'd think you'd be glad they care enough to check up on you,” said Firewing.

“I am,” said Rainbow Dash. “but you don't know them like I do. Poor Fluttershy! I know she didn't volunteer to do this. Was she wearing that black flight suit?”

“Yes, why?” said Razor.

“Bawwhahahahaha oh that is too much,” Dash laughed. “Fluttershy in a ...ha ha..black... flight hahaha suit.”

“I don't get it,” said Windy.

“Fluttershy is the kindest, gentlest, nicest pony you'll ever meet,” said Rainbow Dash when she recovered. “She takes care of all the animals around Ponyville. She's very timid and shy. She isn't a very good flier and has never needed a flight suit. And she would never wear black by choice. I don't know how the others got her to do this but it is just too funny. Flutterspy! Hahahaha”

“I don't know why they would do it,” said Windy. “If they wanted to know what was going on, Fluttershy could have just come here and watched and asked around openly. Every other pony is anyway.”

“They probably didn't want me to worry,” said Rainbow Dash, getting the better of her mirth. “They want me to be able to concentrate on the competition without thinking about them. They should know I think about them every day.” Her tone was now a little sad.

“So how do you concentrate?” asked Windy.

“Hey, when I'm flying,” said Rainbow Dash, “that's all I'm thinking about.”

“Sounds like you have some good friends in Ponyville,” said Windy.

“Yes..yes, I do,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm going to miss them when I move back to Cloudsdale.”

“You still have to beat me to do that,” said Windy with a smile.

“And me!” added Firewing, “We're not just going to just let you fly away with this you know.”

“We'll see,” said Rainbow Dash with a laugh. “I'll leave it up to the judges. I don't know how you feel but this has been a great week. I hope we stay friends and stay in touch after this is over, no matter who wins.”

They all agreed to that.

“Here's a design that Weather missed when he took off. You can take it back to your friend,” said Sweet Clover, hoofing one of Rarity's drawings to Dash.

“Oh this is great,” said Dash, thinking to use it to tease Rarity but then she looked at it and realized how good the design was. “Wow, this is great! Windy, Firewing, look at this.”

“Nice, oh, I like that,” said Windy.

“You're right,” said Firewing, “what an original design. She's as good at this as she is dresses.”

The rest of the ponies sat up. “She makes dresses too?”

“Wait until you see Rainbow Dash at the party on Saturday,” said Firewing.

“If you do end up in Ponyville after the contest I think you'll be see us there clothes shopping, Rainbow Dash,” said Razor.

Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

Though the contestants were having fun, the three contenders made an early night of it. They went back to the compound and did a walk through of their routines. Rainbow Dash still refused to tell Windy her finishing move but she seemed so disappointed that at last Rainbow Dash relented.

“I'll tell you if you swear not to tell anypony about this,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I swear on my honor,” said Windy, very seriously.

“Alright, I've taken you to the part where I go into my dive. As I dive, I start to spin and when I get to the right altitude I go into a quad inverted flat spin, flip to a second quad flat spin, pull out of that and into a flare wing stall and land like this.” She demonstrated the bow.

Windyday looked at Firewing. “Is she serious?”

“Yes, but the scary part is she's actually done it,” said Firewing.

“You've done that move?” said Windy looking back to Rainbow Dash.

“Yep, I've got it down now. It looks so cool,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Cool?” repeated Windy soberly.

“I didn't believe it either,” said Firewing, “and I've been trying to talk her out of it all week.”

Windyday shook her head. “It's a good thing for you that you made me swear not to tell or I'd be on my way to see Spitfire right now.”

Rainbow Dash was unmoved. “Look, I appreciate your concern, both of you, but I am going to do it tomorrow. I've done it five times this week and never came close to crashing. I'm telling you I've got it down.”

“I won't tell, Rainbow Dash,” said Windy, “But I agree with Firewing, it's too dangerous.”

“Yes, it's dangerous,” said Dash. “We do dangerous things every time we do a stunt! I have this worked out. Don't worry.”

“Have it your way,” said Windy. “In a way I want you to do it just to say I've seen it.” She smiled.

“Thanks Windy,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm as prepared as I'm going to be. I'm going to take a little flight around the compound. I have to think about some things. I won't be long.”

Rainbow Dash left the room and took flight. She circled the compound twice and then spotted a cloud not far off. She went there, laid down and watched the rising moon. Spitfire saw her flying and watched her land on the cloud. She looked at her for a while and thought she looked forlorn. She debated on what to do and then flew up and joined her.

“Beautiful evening,”she said, “want some company?”

“Oh, hi Spitfire,” said Dash calmly. “I was just doing some thinking.”

“You're not nervous are you?” asked Spitfire. “You don't need to be. I'm sure you'll do well tomorrow.”

“I know I will,” said Dash in a soft voice. “I'm not nervous or scared. I might not be the best choice for a Wonderbolt but I know I'm the best flier in Equestria. I feel more relaxed than I've ever felt. It's like the pressure is off.”

“What makes you think you're the best?” asked Spitfire. She sensed something different in Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Because it's true,” she said quietly. “I can do things that no other pony can, things they don't dare to think of. I'm the fastest and I can out-turn any pegasus in the sky. Tomorrow you'll see that I'm as graceful as Firewing and as perfect as Windy. I don't have to be a Wonderbolt to know I'm the best.”

“Don't you want to be on the team anymore?” asked Spitfire.

“Of course I do!” said Rainbow Dash, her voice suddenly rising. “It would be a dream come true! I still want it, I just don't need it to prove I'm the best anymore.” She laughed but it sounded strained and forced. “No pony can out-fly me!”

“You're that sure of yourself?” said Spitfire trying to cover her alarm.

Rainbow Dash stood and wheeled toward Spitfire with blinding speed. She looked Spitfire in the eye. “Wanna race?” The darkness and the moonlight combined with her narrowed eyes and fierce smile made her look evil and frightening.

Spitfire found this side of Rainbow Dash more than a little unpleasant. “No, I'm not going to be drawn into this. Not now anyway. What is wrong with you?”

Rainbow Dash's facade abruptly collapsed and she sat down. There were tears in her eyes and her voice was sad. “I'm sorry, Spitfire,” she said. “I just want it to be right for all of us...and I can't do it. I still want to be a Wonderbolt. I don't want to leave my friends. I don't want Firewing or Windy or Frost to be disappointed. I don't want the Wonderbolts to be less than the best. If I win, I lose. If I lose, I lose. I just can't make it all come out right.”

Spitfire chuckled softly. “Oh not you too!” she said.

Rainbow Dash looked at her with a confused look on her face.

“I've been through this with Windy and Firewing already tonight and now you,” said the golden mare. “And the only pony left that has no qualms about taking the job is Frost and she doesn't think she deserves it because she thinks the other three are better than her!”

She laughed again and shook her head. “I swear on Celestia's horn, if it was up to me I'd hire Razor, let you four have a good cry together and get on with your lives. Sun and moon! can't you pegasi just fly and let us make the decision?”

The image of the four contestants hugging each other and crying somehow struck Rainbow Dash as funny. She stifled a laugh and a grin crept onto her face.

Spitfire went on. “You didn't think you were the only one who felt this way, did you? We've all seen how this group has bonded. Firewing feels exactly like you do and so does Windyday, though she surprised me when I asked her to rate the remaining three. She couldn't do it. I never thought I'd see the 'Ice Queen' break down like that.”

“She told us she couldn't do it because our skills were too different,” said Dash.

“That's what she said,” said Spitfire, “but it isn't exactly true. Not if you saw her. You and Firewing had a great effect on her. You and she are a lot alike, I think.”

“How do you mean?” asked Rainbow Dash. “She's always so calm and I'm...not.”

“You both keep the real you bottled up most of the time,” said Spitfire. “You hide behind a wall of bravado and she behind a cold steel will. She tries to be perfect in everything she does in order to gain honor. You try to make everything right just by force of will and your physical abilities. You're both trying to do the impossible. There isn't anything wrong with trying to be perfect or make things right, but you can't let it consume you. If it doesn't destroy you, it will at least make you pretty miserable.”

“That's for sure,” said Rainbow Dash. “So what do I do? I have to compete tomorrow and I want to win. I just feel guilty...selfish and I can't figure a way out.”

“You do what you must,” replied Spitfire with a shrug. “Maybe there isn't a way out. You are quite a pegasus but you can't control everything. Don't feel guilty about pursuing your dreams Rainbow Dash. Would you blame any of your friends for going after theirs?”

“No,” mumbled Rainbow Dash.

“Then why should you feel guilty about going after yours?” asked Spitfire. “You haven't done anything except try your best to win. What's wrong with that? I'll leave you alone now. Think about what I've said and get yourself some sleep. You have to compete tomorrow and I want to see your best! Understand? If you're really the best then prove it to me, to your friends and to yourself.”

“Thanks Spitfire,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'll be okay.”

Spitfire turned to go.

“Spitfire?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Yes?” said Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash turned her head toward Spitfire. “Make sure your shoes are nailed on tight tomorrow, otherwise my routine is going to knock them off.” There was a hint of a smile on her face.

Spitfire laughed and took wing.

Chapter 24

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Chapter 24

The final day of the contest dawned bright and sunny. Rainbow Dash and Firewing awoke in their room. They quietly got ready for the day. At last Firewing broke the silence.

“I guess this is it,” said Firewing, “the end of our partnership.”

“Yep,” said Dash, “or we could put it off until after breakfast.”

“That's okay with me,” said Firewing with a smile.

“That way I can get a brushing one last time,” said Rainbow Dash.

Firewing laughed. “Deal.” She got her hairbrush and started to brush Dash's mane. “But tomorrow the contest will be over and we'll be staying until the next day. You are staying until then, aren't you?”

“Oh sure,” said Dash, “I don't want to miss the party. I'll be in the mood to relax after today.”

“No matter who wins today?” asked Firewing.

“No matter who wins,” said Rainbow Dash with a nod of her head. “I think maybe Goldy had it right after all; just do your best and enjoy yourself. I feel really good. The Wonderbolts are going to get a great flier and that's the most important thing. Let's get some breakfast, I'm starved.”

“Not until I've got my brushing,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Okay, your turn.”

“You've gotten better at this too, not just flying,” said Firewing.

“We made a good team, didn't we?” said Dash.

“We're both still in it aren't we?” replied Firewing.

They both fell silent. Eventually Rainbow Dash stopped brushing her mane.

“All done partner,” said Dash.

“Let's go get that breakfast, partner,” said Firewing.

They hugged and headed to the cafeteria.

* * *

Nearly all the contestants were eating when they arrived. Windy and Frost were eating together and Firewing and Rainbow Dash joined them.

“Good morning everypony,” said Rainbow Dash brightly. “Looks like a great day for a little flying.”

“You seem pretty relaxed,” said Frost. “Good night's sleep?”

“Slept like a rock,” replied Dash as she hoofed some food into her mouth.

“Except rocks don't snore,” teased Firewing.

The others laughed.

“I didn't hear a thing,” said Dash. She concentrated on her breakfast.

“Only five more hours until the big show,” said Windy. “Everypony ready?”

“I think so,” said Firewing. “I need to get airborne, then I can relax.”

“You gonna eat that?” asked Rainbow Dash, eying a piece of melon on Windy's plate.

“All yours,” said Windy.

“Hey Dash, where's your flight suit?” asked Frost.

Rainbow Dash swallowed before she answered. “I'm not putting it on until it's time to do my routine. I might take a dip in the lake later.”

“Not practicing this morning?” asked Windy, surprised.

“Oh sure, but not all morning,” replied Dash. “I figure I'll loosen up, then practice my routine at half speed a few times. After that I'll run through it a few times with the music. I'll take a break and just listen to the music and picture the routine in my head. I'll do that all over again a couple times and practice the ending. Then, if there's time, I'll take a dip in the lake and rest until it's time for the big show.” She gobbled up a plate of wildflowers.

“That's close to what I do,” said Windy. “I think I'll skip the swim until afterward though.”

“I just work on the timing,” said Frost. “I'll fly to the music as many times as I can without tiring myself too much. I've done all these moves in competition before except for a little trick I've been working on for a while now. I think you'll all enjoy it.”

“I hope it's a good one,” said Firewing. Rainbow Dash eyed her over the rim of her tea mug.

Firewing draws her hoof across her mouth.

Frost noticed at once. “Something secret kid?”

“It won't be by this afternoon,” said Dash. “Firewing has seen it. You and Windy can wait until the competition.” She wolfed down more food as the others watched her. She was smiling as if she was savoring every mouthful and couldn't wait to stuff more into her mouth.

“Hungry?” asked Windy as she giggled at the display.

“Not anymore,” replied Dash as she grabbed a few pastries for later. “Well, I'm done. Hey Starshine! Want to help me work on my routine again?”

“Sure Dash,” said Starshine. “I'll be ready in a minute.”

“I'll pack my suit and meet you in the courtyard,” said Rainbow Dash. “See you later girls and be sure to bring you're best stuff, you're gonna need it.” She left the dining hall.

“Did she seem different to you?” asked Windy after Rainbow Dash had left.

“A little. Maybe it's just nerves,” said Firewing.

“I've seen her like that before and I can tell you what it means,” said Frost with a smile. She toyed with some food still remaining on her plate.

“What?” asked Windyday.

“It means that little Dashie is very sure she's going to win,” said Frost. “We are in trouble ladies.”

Chapter 25

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Chapter 28

At the training area, the four pegasi were widely dispersed and working on their routines. By being first, Rainbow Dash had secured her favorite spot by the lake. She followed her practice plan and about mid-morning she practiced her ending. Starshine watched fearfully as Dash did the dreaded move once again. It was even lower this time and she did touch her tail to the ground. Being in something of a bowl, no pony saw how she managed to pull out of her dive.

“Are you alright?” asked Starshine.

“Felt my tail brush the ground but no damage,” said Dash. “Think I'll do that just a little higher next time.”

“Rainbow Dash, I think Firewing is right,” said Starshine timidly. “This is too dangerous. Don't try it again.”

“Too late. It's in the script,” said Dash as she shook out her tail.

“Do loops or something,” suggested Starshine. “Change the script.”

“Not happening Starshine,” said Dash. “I'm done practicing. How long until the exercise?”

“About two hours,” said Starshine.

“Good, time for a swim, a nap and a light lunch,” said Rainbow Dash as she stepped into the water.

She swam lazily for a while, relaxing. Spitfire flew down and landed on the beach.

“Done practicing?” asked Spitfire. “It's almost time for lunch.”

“All ready Spitfire,” said Dash. “I'm just going to eat a few apples before the exercise. I had a good breakfast.”

“You like this place, don't you?” said Spitfire smiling.

“Yeah, I do,” said Rainbow Dash. “It's funny, I never really came here when I lived in Cloudsdale, just a couple of times. But it's a great place to practice and cool off.”

“The exercise will be held on the top of that hill,” said Spitfire. “You can see the banner from here.”

“Oh yeah, I can,” said Dash. “I'll be flying over familiar terrain. That's always good. I'll take a fly over when I dry off.”

“Starshine, if Rainbow Dash doesn't need you right now, why don't you head to lunch?” said Spitfire.

Starshine took that to mean 'go away' and obeyed. “Sure Spitfire,” she said. She started to walk away.

“Don't forget to wake me about a half hour before the exercise!” called Rainbow Dash.

“Don't worry,” said Starshine.

“You're going to sleep before the biggest exercise you've ever been in,” stated Spitfire shaking her head.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Beats waiting around being bored.”

Spitfire spoke in a concerned voice, “You're okay now, right? You were pretty upset last night.”

“Yeah, I'm okay,” said Dash. She sat down in the water. “I think I was just missing home and feeling sorry for myself. You were right about me trying to make everything come out right for every pony. I felt boxed in, like no matter what I did some pony was going to get hurt. I get a little frustrated when I can't just charge in and save the day.”

“Good,” said Spitfire, smiling, “I look forward to seeing you perform. Still think you're the best?”

“The best flier? Sure! I meant that part,” replied Dash with a smile. “I know there might be a reason that you pick one of the others over me, and that's okay, but it won't be because I'm not the best flier.”

Spitfire shook her head. “I'm going to have some lunch. I'll see you later.”

Rainbow Dash pointed up. “That cloud up there looks like a good place for a nap, tell Starshine for me.”

“You are a cool one, I'll give you that,” said Spitfire. “I'll tell her to look for you in the clouds.”

Rainbow Dash splashed around a while longer and then dried herself on the beach. She ate the last of Applejack’s parting gift of apples and flew up to the nearby cloud. It was quiet and comfortable and warm. Soon she was asleep.

Chapter 26

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Chapter 26

It was time for the final competition. The four players were waiting by the starting line. A time keeper, an announcer, the three judges, a medical team, a DJ and the eliminated contestants were all present.

“It is time to begin the final exercise,” announced Immelmane. “I have four cards that will determine the order of your routines. Soarin has shuffled them and Spitfire will now lay one in front of each of you.”

Spitfire went down the line and took a card from the announcer and laid it on the ground in front of each pony. Frost was first followed by Firewing, then Windyday and finally Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash frowned and quietly muttered, “I hate being last.”

Frost took a deep breath. “Looks like I'm up.”

“Give your script to the announcer and your recording to the DJ,” instructed Immelmane. “When the music starts, you start. The time keeper will watch for your return. Ideally, your tail should cross the finish line just as the music ends. There will be a few minutes between each contestant while we tabulate your scores. Good luck to you all.”

Frost stepped forward and handed her script over as directed and gave her recording to the DJ.

“Tear it up Frosty!” yelled Rainbow Dash. “Show us what ya got!”

The other ponies joined in cheering on Frost. They fell silent as the music started and Frost took off like a rocket, flying nearly vertical before going into a shallower climb. She reached her altitude quickly and began her stunts.

The announcer read off the stunts just before she executed the move so everypony knew what to expect. They were synchronized and she performed them well. She went into her special trick; a combination barrel roll and loop. It was difficult but she pulled it off. She then sped toward the ground and started a series of loops. As she did the loops she slowed and landed gracefully trotting across the line as the music ended. The ponies all cheered.

Rainbow Dash welcomed her friend. “That was great Frost, you looked beautiful up there.”

“I wish I could have flown like that earlier in the week,” said Frost ruefully. “Oh well, at least the last day turned out good.”

“That's true and you did look great,” added Windy. “We'll have to step it up to beat that.”

“Good show Frost,” said Firewing. “That trick was amazing.”

Immelmane called the next contestant. “Firewing, you're next.” Firewing stepped forward, hooved over her materials and readied herself.

“Give us a show Firewing!” Windy shouted, first to begin the cheers this time.

“Come on roomie, you can do it!” called out Rainbow Dash as the others joined in.

Firewing's routine was graceful and flawless. Her new trick that Rainbow Dash had shown her went off without a hitch. She strung together five barrel rolls with the snap spins twice on each roll. Exiting the final loop she went into a tight spin and climbed to a stall. Falling backward, she dropped into an inverted dive pulling a perfect Immelmane loop near the ground. As she came around a second time she abruptly twisted and landed directly on the finish line. She too stepped across just as time expired.

Again there were cheers of approval from the assembled ponies.

Frost nudged Rainbow Dash. “Well, I guess that's it for this exercise. No pony is going to beat that.”

“Maybe, that was just beautiful,” said Dash.

“That was perfect Firewing, just perfect!” said Windy.

“Nice trick Firewing, where did you learn that one?” laughed Rainbow Dash.

“Hush you!” said Firewing, “but thanks.”

“You have this sown up unless Windy has something special in her suit,” said Frost.

Immelmane called out: “Windyday!”

“I guess it's time to find out,” said Windy. She put on the serene demeanor she always did before an exercise and strode forward.

Windy was also treated to cheers of encouragement. Her eye's welled with tears. No opponent had ever cheered for her before. In fact, she seldom had received this sort of encouragement from her team mates. She regained her composure and was soon in the air.

She did an incredible job. While her routine contained all the flawless precision for which she was famous, there was also some of the graceful joy that Firewing often showed when she performed. The staccato rhythms of her music meshed with the execution of each maneuver, each new stunt beginning or ending on the beat. She gained altitude and did a wing over roll to start her final and most difficult stunt.

Screaming out of the sky as if she was attempting a Sonic Rainboom, she pulled out just above the ground and rocketed back into the sky, wings beating rapidly as she did another slightly smaller loop. Again and again she did this, always nearly skimming the ground in tighter and tighter loop. Her time was nearly up when she suddenly spun into a back wing display and landed backwards just in front of the finish line. She backed across with her head down in a bow as her music ended. The waiting ponies erupted in cheers.

“I'm in a competition with two crazy ponies,” said Firewing to Rainbow Dash. “That was almost as dangerous as yours. I think I'll team up with Frost; she's the only one that does a sane routine besides me.”

“That was so cool! I love that kind of stuff,” said Rainbow Dash.

“You would,” said Firewing. They joined the other ponies in cheering for Windyday. It was now Rainbow Dash's turn.

Immelmane called her name and she stepped forward with her materials. The music started and she instantly leaped skyward. She climbed rapidly to her peak altitude and began her routine. Most of her moves were similar to those done by the other ponies, with a few of her own making mixed in, but the speed at which she did them was jaw dropping. Her precision was as good as Firewing's or Windy's; she had learned well in less than a week. Soon she was nearing the point that her friends dreaded. The dive into the flat spin ending.

“I wish I could stop her,” said Firewing.

“I know,” said Windy.

“I'd tell Immelmane but she'd hate me if I did,” said Firewing.

“And a promise is a promise,” said Windy. “We can't tell on her.” Frantically Windy tried to think of a way to get Rainbow Dash to stop her routine. Suddenly the solution came to her, there was a way. “We can stop her Firewing! We can concede.”

“What?!” said Firewing.

“If we all concede there will be no reason for her to finish,” said Windy. “Frost! Come here!”

“I'm watching this,” complained Frost, not taking her eyes off of Rainbow Dash. “What is it?”

“We all have to concede and let Rainbow Dash win,” Windy said hurriedly. “It could mean her life.”

Frost was confused, “I've never conceded in any contest!”

“Windy and I will concede too,” said Firewing. “There's no time to explain.”

“Oh feathers,” breathed Windy as she watched Rainbow Dash, “it's too late.”

As her friends debated, Rainbow Dash had completed her hammerhead stall and started the dive for her ending move. There was nothing any pony could do to stop her. Firewing headed towards Immelmane but at that point the announcer read Rainbow Dash's last move.

“Quad inverted flat spin and flip into a quad flat spin, flare-wing stall landing,” said the announcer. He stared at the paper as if re-reading it to himself.

As one the three judges said “What!?” and then stared in horror as Rainbow Dash plummeted towards the ground. The other competitors that hadn't known let out a collective gasp and looked at one another. To all present it looked like Rainbow Dash was going far too fast as she slowly started spinning, preparing to hurl herself sideways into the flat spins.

“Sun and moon,” said Spitfire softly, “she's really going to try it.”

Rainbow Dash neared the ground. To the spectators that had yet to see her trick, it looked far too low for the stunt. She pulled up slightly, flipped over, and threw herself into the inverted set of spins. The blue pony spun through the first set of spins and gracefully flipped into the second set. Kicking out of the last flat spin, she spread her wings wide and rose into the stall, her tail almost touching the ground. Her speed gone she dropped gently to the ground and bowed the way Firewing had shown her.

She had only a few seconds to cross the line. She walked forward. Her body crossed the line. As time expired, she flicked her tail along side of her body to cross the line in time.

There was no cheering this time. Not at first. Every pony was too stunned by what they had seen, even Firewing and Starshine who had already seen it. Rainbow Dash looked around nervously. Windy and Firewing suddenly rushed her, cheering and the other ponies join in.

“That was spectacular!” said Firewing excitedly, “and I don't just mean the ending.”

“Incredible Dash, just awesome!” said Windy.

“That was insane!” said Frost as she joined the group. “You're absolutely nuts, you know that? I thought you were dead.”

Spitfire and Soarin walked up. Immelmane was looking at the announcers sheet as if to confirm what he had just witnessed.

“You three knew what she was going to do?” asked Spitfire coldly.

“I did,” admitted Firewing.

“Yes,” added Windy, “but Frost didn't.”

“If I had known... no wonder you two wanted to concede,” said Frost understanding. “If I had known, I would have too.”

“You were going to concede?” asked Soarin.

“We swore not to tell any pony what Rainbow Dash was going to do but we wanted to stop her,” explained Windy. “It was the only way. I just didn't think of it in time.”

“I see,” said Spitfire, “if you had all conceded we could have stopped her routine because there would have been no need for it.”

Windy and Firewing nodded.

“You wanted to stop me that bad?” said Rainbow Dash with a pained look on her face.

Immelmane walked up. “She did her routine exactly as she had it written down. My dear filly, whatever possessed you to try such a thing?”

“I uh... I just thought it would look pretty cool,” said Rainbow Dash.

They all stared at her and suddenly Frost started to laugh. “Oh Dash! I can't believe you. Cool! You risked your life because you thought it would look cool? Now THAT is the Rainbow Dash that I remember! You really are still nuts!”

“I have to admit, it did,” snickered Firewing.

Windy started to giggle behind a hoof. “Yeah, I guess it did.”

Spitfire was not laughing though Soarin had a hint of a smile. Immelmane tried to be stern but looked shocked.

“Wait here while we confer to determine the winner,” said Spitfire.

The three judges walked a short distance away. The announcer leaned over to Rainbow Dash and said: “That was really cool” and went to join the judges.

“I guess they didn't like it,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm sure one of you will make a great Wonderbolt.”

“Are you kidding?” said Firewing. “Even without that last move you had a great routine. You looked sharp.”

“And fast!” added Windy. “I don't know how you kept going for three minutes at that speed.”

“Yeah, you looked great, kid,” said Frost. “You have as good a shot as any of us.”

“I guess all we have to do now is wait,” said Dash. “I hate waiting.”

Windy giggled and hip bumped Firewing who bumped into Frost.

“Hey!” said Frost surprised. She bumped back. Windy moved to the side and Firewing stumbled before hitting her.

Rainbow Dash started laughing. She was still a little tired from her exercise and collapsed on the ground. The others took the opportunity pounce on her. Dash rolled away so only Windy actually landed on her while Frost and Firewing collided and landed in a heap. The other ponies standing nearby enjoyed this silly display which continued until the judges returned unnoticed.

“If you 'ladies' are through,” said Spitfire with a grin, “perhaps you'd like to hear the results.”

The four contestants regained their hooves and composure.

“We will announce the winner of the open position now,” said Immelmane. “To the three of you who don't win, do not be disheartened. We have something more to tell you in a little while.”

Spitfire started to announce the winner. “This was an incredibly difficult decision, we weighed all the....giggle...sun and clouds you four are a mess! I'm sorry, no more delays. Windyday takes the presently vacant position. Congratulations.”

They all gathered around Windy, who started crying, offering her congratulations and best wishes.

Chapter 27

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Chapter 27

Immelmane stepped in beside Rainbow Dash and quietly said, “Walk with me please, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash's smile vanished at Immelmane's strange tone but she followed him away from the group.

Immelmane waited for Rainbow Dash to come up beside him and walked beside her down the hill toward the lake. Rainbow Dash's head was hanging now. The joy for her friend was left with the group and only her disappointment remained.

“Please, no lecture Mr. Immelmane,” she begged. “Not now.”

“No, no lecture,” said Immelmane. “Now get your head up! You should be proud.”

Rainbow Dash barely heard his words and didn't respond. He took a quick step and slapped her on the neck with his wing, just enough to sting a little.

“Get your head up!” said Immelmane sharply. “The greatest flier in Equestria does not walk with her nose in the dirt!”

Rainbow Dash instantly raised her head but didn't look at Immelmane. “Tell me why I lost.”

“Who said you lost?” replied Immelmane. “You won today's contest. We all agreed on that. We picked Windyday for the present position because she is most prepared to fill in immediately. You are another matter. I have a proposal for you.”

“No offense, Mr. Immelmane,” said Rainbow Dash dryly, “but don't you think you're a little old for me?”

Immelmane laughed. “Yes, sadly, I am. But that is not the type of proposal I meant. You have two options. First, you can still be on the Wonderbolts team. Though there is only one position right now, another is opening up at the end of next month. It's yours if you want it.”

Rainbow Dash was stunned. “Do I want it? Of course I do!”

“Ah! But there is a second option,” said Immelmane. “I know you've seen the Wonderbolts perform more than once, so you know the typical format. There is an opening act, then the Wonderbolts, another solo act during a rest break and then the finale. Tell me, what did you think of the opening and intermission acts?”

“They're okay sometimes, mostly they're kinda boring.”

“Exactly!” said Immelmane. “We want to change that. I was asked to train a solo performer and to work up some routines. I agreed on the condition that I had the right to choose the aerialist. I choose you. We want you to be our opening act and to perform during intermission. You'll be the featured solo performer at all of our shows.”

Rainbow Dash was unimpressed. “I don't know. Nobody really watches those acts.”

“That is because those acts aren't Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane. “I admit the first show or two might be a little rough but when word gets out, you'll be a star. You are by far the best flier we've ever seen, maybe the best we ever will see. I think you can be even better, providing I can keep you alive. We want a pegasus that can make the earth ponies and unicorns wish they had wings and make pegasi wish they could fly like you.”

Rainbow Dash wavered. “Wow, this is a lot to take in. I have to admit, it's tempting.”

“You will be well paid of course, but since you would be a solo performer you would not be staying in the compound except when you come to train. We're short on room as it is. You and the other contestants are using some of the rooms of the staff and Wonderbolts. We gave a lot of ponies some time off so we could use them.”

“Where would I live?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Anywhere you like,” said Immelmane, “though I don't recommend Manehatten or Fillydelphia due to the distance. I would work with you one or two days a week, usually on the weekends. But I expect you to practice hard, everyday, on your own. Before every show we'll train for a few days in advance to tune you up.”

“I could stay in Ponyville?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Immelmane smiled. “Certainly, if you'd like but I'm sure we can find you a place in Cloudsdale if you want to move back home.”

“That's okay, thanks,” said Rainbow Dash. “I think I've made up my mind. Just answer one question for me; have you been talking to Spitfire?”

“Every day,” replied Immelmane. “She's very insightful you know.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Alright, I'll do it. Who's going to get the second position?”

“Firewing,” said Immelmane, “and Frost is going to be a reserve Wonderbolt. We've decided to keep one male and one female in reserve permanently. We've canceled or postponed several shows over the past few years and we want to keep the fans happy. Technically you will be on reserve status also but we hope you won't be needed.”

“So we're all in?” said Rainbow Dash as she grasped the situation. “That's great! That's just...heeeey wait a minute. You guys tricked us! We were thinking that only one of us was going to be a Wonderbolt but you've known since Wednesday that we were all in. We went through all that stress and pressure and you knew we were all in!”

“Yes, but we didn't know who was going to get what job,” said Immelmane, obviously pleased with himself. “That was decided today. Besides, we needed to know how you perform under pressure. This isn't an easy job.”

“I'll tell the girls,” said Dash. “You, Soarin and Spitfire can get a head start.”

Immelmane was confused. “A..head start?”

“For when Frost figures it out,” said Dash.

Immelmane laughed. “I think she'll be fine. This group has been amazing. You've bonded more than is usual with competitors. You cheered each other on. You worked together, even the ones that were eliminated. And putting on shows for the fans! No competitors have ever done that.”

“It was fun,” said Rainbow Dash. “I think we'll have to get something special ready for tonight. We should go back and tell the others. We can't keep them in suspense forever.”

Immelmane shook his head. “I'm sure Spitfire and Soarin have explained everything to them by now. I want you to walk with me a little longer because you are going to get that lecture now.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Uh oh, it's about that last trick I did isn't it?”

“Yes,” said Immelmane. “It was very dangerous. So dangerous that your closest competitors were willing to quit rather than see you risk it.”

“I know,” said Rainbow Dash. “I feel happy and sad at the same time. Happy that they think so much of me and sad that I upset them that much. I never thought they'd do something like that.”

Immelmane sighed. “Consequences, Rainbow Dash, there are always consequences for what we do. Many times they are unpredictable. Do you know how I was injured?”

“Not really,” admitted Dash. “Rumors. I never listened to them. When I was little they were scary. After I got older I knew that's all they were; scary stories made up by older ponies to scare the little ones.”

Immelmane chuckled grimly. “And so I pass into legend. I've heard some of those stories and how I wish they were true. I will tell you the true story now. It happened over there, on the other side of the lake. I was only a little older than you are now. My friend and I were racing. We were very close friends, like brothers, and we were evenly matched. He was faster but I could out turn him. We raced often. We tried to outdo each others stunts.

Immelmane paused and gazed across the lake. “There was a forest there then. It burned a long time ago. It was dry and there was a lightning strike. Poor management by the weather team. The trees are still not nearly the size they were then. One day we were racing, after a long time in the sky we came down and wove through the trees. You know what that's like, don't you?”

“Yes,” said Rainbow Dash. She felt a chill even though they are standing in the warm sun.

“We were just having fun,” continued the old pegasus. “A friendly race between two good friends. At any rate, I managed to get slightly ahead of him. He tried to pass and we became separated by the trees. We couldn't see each other. As we neared the lake he suddenly turned through a gap in the forest at the same time I did. We collided and we both went out of control through the forest. I hit a tree with my left wing and broke it. He hit a branch with his chest and it sent him up and into the lake. I couldn't fly with one wing and crashed into that pile of rocks over there. That was the last thing I remembered until I awoke in the hospital. My friend had not been badly injured and had gone for help.”

Rainbow Dash was silent. She stared at Immelmane with pity in her eyes.

“My friend was there and the doctor,” said Immelmane. “They told me that I'd never be able to fly again. The doctor had wanted to remove my damaged wing but my friend wouldn't let him. I'm eternally grateful for that, for at least I can still glide. My friend was in tears and apologized over and over again. I forgave him. It was easy to do that. It was half my fault anyway. We were doing something foolish and we paid the price. What happened next was not so easy to forgive.”

“What could be worse?” asked Rainbow Dash in a shaky voice.

“When he left my room that day,” said Immelmane, “it was the last time I saw him. He blamed himself for the accident, you see? He couldn't forgive himself. He couldn't bear the pain of seeing what he felt he had done to me. He left Cloudsdale and never returned.”

“What happened to him?” asked Rainbow Dash quietly.

“I don't know,” said Immelmane. “It took a long time for me to recover. I sent messages all over Equestria. The mare he was seeing sent some too. Our friends went out searching but the few that did see him said he would fly away as soon as he recognized them. Only one actually talked to him. He said he was glad that I was getting well, but that it was better that I try to forget about him. He said he was sorry again, sorry for everything. That was the last any pony in Cloudsdale heard from him.”

“I get it, Mr. Immelmane,” said Rainbow Dash, wishing the story to end.

Immelmane snorted. “Do you really? Well, let me finish the story. I went on. I recovered. I became a teacher. I'd like to think I was a good one. I married and we had two foals. Both of them live in Canterlot now and have foals of their own. And here I am, old and respected, the choreographer and trainer of the best aerobatics team in Equestria. Though my wife passed away a few years ago and I miss her terribly, I am happy. I have had a rich, full life. But my friend, he was destroyed and I am the one who is sorry for that. That mare he was seeing wed another pony. We are still friends and I see her now and then. I was injured and lost my ability to fly but the one who was uninjured lost everything he had and could have been. We both lost a life time of companionship. All because of a race between friends. So tell me, who owes who an apology now?”

Rainbow Dash couldn't speak and was trying unsuccessfully not to cry.

“You might be wondering what my story has to do with your trick this morning,” said Immelmane. “You have friends, Rainbow Dash, here and in Ponyville. If you had failed this morning, what would it have done to them? Those ponies up there on the hill would have witnessed a horrible crash. The ones in Ponyville might have only memories of that happy, daring pegasus they loved who flew away and never came back. Do you really want to do that to Firewing or Frost or Windyday or your friends in Ponyville? They might recover and tell tales about you years from now, but I think they'd much rather have you around.”

Rainbow Dash started crying openly and leaned against Immelmane.

“I'm sorry,” said Immelmane, seeing what his tale was doing to the young pegasus. “perhaps I went too far. I know this is a dangerous business and ponies can get hurt. That's why I try to make things as safe as I can.” He put his wing around her as she leaned on him. “Come on, lets go back and talk to the others. Come on. It's alright. You managed to do the impossible...again.”

Rainbow Dash managed to snort out a laugh.

* * *
They headed back up the hill together. The others are waiting. They are all smiling and happy.

“Well?” asked Spitfire.

Immelmane nodded.

“Rainbow Dash has accepted the position of featured solo artist,” said Spitfire. “That means Firewing will be taking the second Wonderbolt position that will be opening next month and Frost will be our reserve performer.”

The ponies cheer and congratulated the winners and each other. Firewing went to Rainbow Dash as Immelmane continued walking over to Soarin.

“I'm glad you took the solo position,” said Firewing. “Thank you so much.”

“Nothing to thank me for Firewing,” sniffed Rainbow Dash. “It's the best for both of us.”

“Are you okay?” asked Firewing. “You look like you've been crying.”

“What did Immelmane say to you?” said Frost angrily. “He has no business chewing you out for that move you did. I should give him a piece of my mind.”

“No! Frosty, it's not like that!” said Dash. “He just told me a story. That's all.”

“Must have been some story,” said Frost. “Wait, he told you the story, didn't he? He told you what happened to him?”

“Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it right now,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm not sure I can. It's ...I..I'll never think of him the same way again.” She hung her head and drew her foreleg across her eyes.

“Wow, can't you tell us anything?” asked Firewing.

“He really cares about us,” said Rainbow Dash, as she regained her composure. “Never forget that.”

“I'll take your word for it,” said Frost. “So what now? Are we putting on a show later?”

“We have to,” said Firewing. “What do you think we should do this time?”

“We do have a choreographer now, fellow Wonderbolts,” said Dash with a smile.

“I'd rather we do it ourselves,” said Frost, “but I'll go along.”

“Hey girls,” called Firewing, “come over here for a minute.”

They discussed their options for a final show. Most of the eliminated contestants wanted Immelmane's help if only to say they had worked with him.

“Well Dash, you seem to have something with him,” said Frost, “you ask him.”

Rainbow Dash did not really want to talk to Immelmane at this point but she agreed. Immelmane was talking to Soarin and Spitfire as she approached.

“Uh, Excuse me, Mr. Immelmane,” she began, “we were wondering if maybe you could give us a few ideas for a show. We'd like to fly together this afternoon one last time. Something like what we did last night.”
“I think I could help you out a little,” replied Immelmane. He turned to Soarin. “We can finish this up later, alright?”

“Sure, go ahead,” said Soarin.

Immelmane came over and looked the nine competitors over. “First of all, I think the four who made the team should each repeat the routine they used today. They were all wonderful and the audience will love it. It takes a long time to put together a good formation routine for this many so we're not going to do it. Have any of you ever done any sky dancing?”

All the ponies but Rainbow Dash and Frost answer yes.

“Good, I'll pair you up,” said Immelmane. “Goldmane and Starshine, Sunrise Cloud, how are you feeling?”

“Pretty good, but nothing too violent please,” said Sunrise Cloud. “my side is more of a problem than my wing.”

Immelmane smiled. “Good, you'll be flying with Sweet Clover. Spitfire! Come here please.”

“Yes?” said Spitfire as she joined the group.

“Feel up for a little sky dancing?” asked Immelmane.

“I suppose,” said Spitfire. “Why?”

“The girls here want to put on a little show like they did last night. Care to join them?” asked Immelmane.

“I'd be honored,” said Spitfire. “What are we doing?”

“Three pairs of synchronized dancers,” said Immelmane. “You'll be paired with Razor. You will all fly in a line towards Cloudsdale; Spitfire and Razor in lead, then Sweet Clover and Sunrise Cloud, then Goldmane and Starshine. You four will follow in the order you performed this morning. Spitfire, do you remember that dance called Two Winds?”

“Sure, very pretty,” said Spitfire.

“Do a walk through with the dance pairs and then demonstrate with Razor,” said Immelmane. “I have to go over some alternate endings with the others.”

“Okay girls, come with me,” said Spitfire. She lead the ponies away.

“You'll need a different way to end your routine since you won't be landing,” said Immelmane. “Do any of you have anything in mind?”

The ponies all thought for a bit.

Rainbow Dash was the first to respond. “I could do an 'orbit' instead of going into a stall.”
“And that would be what exactly?” Immelmane asked.

“Just a series of loops around the same point,” said Rainbow Dash. “Back in flight school they taught us about doing a perfect loop and the instructor told us to try to imagine staying the same distance from a point in the air as you do it. It's like that except that each time you go around you alter your course a little so you don't just keep doing the same loop. I usually do six loops and end up back in the same loop I started.”

“Interesting,” said Immelmane, “where did you learn that?”

“I sort of came up with it on my own,” said Dash. “I never used it much but it looks pretty good if you do it tight.”

“I think I know what you mean,” said Frost, “could you show us?”

“Sure, it's nothing very flashy.” Rainbow Dash took off and gained enough speed to do the loops. Since she had done this many times, she did it easily and landed back by the group.

“Sun and Moon, Rainbow Dash, why didn't you put that in your routine?” asked Windy. “That's a good little move you have there.”

“Thanks Windy,” said Dash. “I didn't think it was anything special. It's good exercise though.”

Immelmane shook his head. “You're just full of surprises. Go ahead and use it, it does look good.”

“I thought I'd do a vertical side spin after my final loop and then flip into a side wing display,” said Frost. “Then I can dive to get some speed and fly up to altitude.”

“I've seen you do that,” said Immelmane. “It looks good and the audience loves it. That would be fine.”

“My landing is backwards,” said Windy, “I could go into a series of flips and then pull out inverted.”

Immelmane nodded. “That would be good. After you fly a little way inverted do one those snap rolls back to level flight. You do those beautifully. That leaves you Firewing, any ideas?”

Firewing seemed a little embarrassed. “This is kind of silly. What if when I go into my final loop I just keep going vertical instead? I'll start spinning as I rise and allow myself to stall and then drop down the same line still spinning. I'll drop pretty far and then just flip into a dive and pull out.”

“That would be fine,” said Immelmane, “the Wonderbolts used to do a similar move. Why do you think it's silly?”

“I tried to put it into a routine once but my coach wouldn't let me,” said Firewing. “He said it was amateurish.”

“I'm glad you made the cut Firewing,” said Frost. “it would have been a terrible waste if you had to stay in Manehatten with a stick in the mud like that.”

“Alright, that's settled,” said Immelmane. “Now after you're done, go to altitude and wait for the others by circling. When Rainbow Dash joins you, give her a moment to rest and then Spitfire will lead you into a dive and a wide banking turn, a roll and back to the compound. Stay spread out and don't worry about keeping an interval so if you want to do a little ad lib move you'll have the room. Go ahead and relax now and rest up. It will take the others an hour or so to practice.”

Chapter 28

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Chapter 28

“I'm going to go cool off in the lake,” said Dash. “Any pony want to join me?”

The ponies all thought this to be a good idea and took off toward the lake in an impromptu race. Soon they were all splashing around and enjoying themselves.

“Hey Firewing,” said Dash, “what's your mom going to say about you becoming a Wonderbolt?”

“She'll throw a fit of course,” laughed Firewing. “She is so worried I might get hurt. I think I'm a careful flier. I mean it's not like I'm doing flat spins with my tail scraping the the ground.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Imagine if you did that in front of her!”

“Oh no,” laughed Firewing. “I think her mane would turn white and fall out. She just doesn't get it. How can you be a pegasus and not love flying? You know, I don't ever remember her doing any tricks. Not one. And yet she marries a Wonderbolt. Weird.”

“Maybe she saw some pony get hurt or something,” suggested Windy.

“Maybe,” said Dash, “but my friend Fluttershy doesn't really like flying like we do. And she could be pretty good if she'd try. She likes it low and slow. I don't get it either.”

“I think it takes some confidence and a lack of fear to really get good,” said Frost. “Is that why you're so good Dash?”

“Maybe the confidence part,” said Dash. “I get scared sometimes, but I do it anyway.”

“I thought you were never scared,” said Firewing.

“Doing a move even though you're scared takes more courage than doing it if you're not scared ,” said Windy. She sounded like her old self for a moment. “That ending I do is dangerous but I love it. I might even try that flat spin move of yours, Rainbow Dash.”

“I wish you wouldn't,” said Dash sincerely. “I've hit the water pretty hard sometimes practicing that move. If you do decide you want to, promise me you'll let me show you how first.”

“Sure Dash. I'll do that,” said Windy.

“I guess you're not the only one that's going to try it,” said Rainbow Dash sadly. “The thing is they aren't going to have your skills Windy, and they're going to get hurt. Bad.”

“Don't let it worry you Dash,” said Frost. “Do you know how many times I've been hurt learning how to do this stuff?”

“A lot,” said Dash. “Same as me.”

“Guilty,” said Windy.

“Many times,” said Firewing.

Frost laughed and the others joined in. “It comes with the sky you decide to fly in Dash. You know it's going to happen, you just have to do your best to see that it doesn't.”

“But what if you where the one that developed the move that got them hurt?” asked Dash.

“Not your fault,” said Frost. “It is the pony's own choice. I tried to do a Sonic Rainboom after I saw you at the Young Fliers competition, you know.”

“Really? How did it go?” asked Dash.

“Not well. Ouch,” said Frost, wincing.

They all laughed.

“I worked a long time on that trick,” said Rainbow Dash, laughing with the rest, “and it's still tough but I can pretty much do it every time now.”

“Are you going to put it in your routine?” asked Windy.

“No,” replied Dash, “it's dangerous and it can be destructive. I don't want to have to pay for a bunch of broken windows.”

“What about those flat spins?” asked Frost.

“I think those will stay,” said Dash. “Immelmane won't let me keep them in the landing, but there's a place for it. I'm going to have to convince him it isn't that dangerous if you know how to do it.”

“Good luck with that,” said Firewing. “You haven't even convinced me.”

Rainbow Dash was irritated. “Alright, let me show you how it's done. I'm tired of this.” She went to the shore. “Now watch. As you get into the flat spin, you fold your inside wing like this. Keep it open just enough to keep you stable and in control. You're actually flying on just your outer wing. You lose speed fast so if you want to do several of them you almost have to dive first. If you watched me carefully before I went into the flat spin you might have seen me try to pull up a little. That's why I don't drop quite as fast once I get into the flat spin. If you don't do that you'll just continue on your dive path and crash.”

“That's sort of how they teach you in flight school,” said Windy, “but doing it your way I can see how you could gain a little control.”

“Right!” said Rainbow Dash. “And that's all you really need. You are going to stay on whatever path you were on when you entered the spin except that you'll lose altitude but you can stay level and control your speed up to a point.”

“What about changing from inverted to upright?” asked Razor.

“That's the easy part,” said Dash. “Just fold both wings and flip yourself over. Just remember to open the opposite wing when you're upright. Getting out of the flat spin is just like they taught you in school. And that's it. I've tried a couple of other ways, and some of them work but it's hard on the wings. The real difference is that my way gives you some control and it's easier to time the exit from the spin. Don't ever try to change direction while you're in your flat spin. It's painful and it doesn't work.”

“How did you figure all this out?” asked Frost. “Especially without crashing or injuring yourself?”

Rainbow Dash splashed her hoof in the lake. “This helps. Or do it high enough up so that if something doesn't feel right you can just fold your wings and recover in a dive.”

“Dash, show them that trick you do on the lake,” said Firewing, “it's so cool.”

“Okay, let me dry off a little more so I can fly.” She shook herself off. “Don't look now but we're being watched. Soarin and Immelmane are watching us. Oh, I've got to do this now.”

She took off and gained altitude, turned and dove back towards the lake. She did her skipping stone trick again. She came to a halt and sank into the water. Looking up the hill, she could see Soarin and Immelmane laughing. The ponies in the lake are laughing too. Windy accidentally dipped her nose in the water and sneezed loudly causing an explosion of water.

On the hill Soarin turned to Immelmane. “This bunch is fun. I haven't thought about it before but we could use a little of that. It could give us some extra punch in our performances.”

“Yes indeed,” said Immelmane. “Did you notice the difference in Windyday's flying today? She wasn't flying like that before. She was enjoying herself, it wasn't just business to her anymore.”

“Yes, I know what you mean,” said Soarin. “You don't even have to be an expert to see the difference. You're going to have your hooves full with Rainbow Dash though. Feeling up to it?”

“We'll see,” said Immelmane as he watched his protege play in the lake. “It will be a delicate balance between keeping her in check and letting her ...be herself.”

Chapter 29

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Chapter 29

Fluttershy sat at her usual table at the cafe eating breakfast. The three judges and several pegasi headed out to the training area. Not long after, Rainbow Dash and Starshine followed. Over the next hour she watched the rest of the contestants fly to the training area. Weathervane was there but kept his distance until he went on break.

“Hi Ms. Fluttershy,” said Weather. “I have your papers.”

“What happened after I left last night?” asked Fluttershy.

“I gathered up your papers and left right after you did,” said Weather. “I didn't want to answer any questions either.”

“I hope Rainbow Dash didn't find out about me,” said Fluttershy.

“I'm sorry I blurted out your name,” said Weather. “I wasn't thinking. Sweet Clover kind of uh..unsettled me.”

“It's alright,” said Fluttershy, “it's not your fault. I knew this wasn't going to work. I just hope my being here doesn't distract Rainbow Dash.”

“Well, I think you did real good,” said Weather. “You made it almost to the last day.”

“Thanks, Weathervane, for everything,” said Fluttershy smiling. “How long do you think we have to wait?”

“They have time to practice this morning,” replied Weather. “The four remaining contestants will start their routines about an hour after lunch. The routines won't take long. The whole thing should be over in less than a hour.”

“I'm going to go by some of the shops again,” said Fluttershy. “It will give me something to do. I'll see you for lunch.”

“I'll try to get you one of my tables,” said Weather.

Fluttershy looked toward the training area. “Good luck Rainbow Dash.”

Fluttershy ate her lunch at the cafe and watched the pegasi flying in the distance, mere dots in the sky. She wished she could have used Twilight's telescope. Time passed and for a short time only one dot was in the sky at a time. She knew that these were the individual contestants performing their routines.

For a while there was nothing to be seen and then there was a flurry of activity. A couple of ponies returned and then Soarin and Immelmane on his platform. All was quiet and a few ponies drifted in and more pegasi could be seen landing on clouds or circling above, looking for a place to watch the expected show. At last a string of dots rose from the ground and started towards Cloudsdale. As they leveled out they looked like a large dot that grew as it approached.

Spitfire was leading the group and as they neared the city three pairs split off from the column while the trailing four pegasi climbed high and began to circle.

Music began to play, soft at first and then building, coming from the Wonderbolt compound. For several minutes the three pairs of pegasi flew gracefully to the tune. These were not the fast, daring stunts of the Wonderbolts but rather a dance in the sky. Loops, spins, twists and rolls took on a new life as elements of harmonious beauty. It was not what the audience was expecting. They were mesmerized by the display and when the music stopped they broke into cheers and applause. The three pairs waved to the crowd as they climbed to join the four circling pegasi above.

When they were formed in a single circle a different music began. It was the music that Frost had used. She dove out of the sky and began her routine. At the end of the three minutes the crowd cheered her solo display. It had been a long time since any of them had seen one that good. As Frost was a local favorite, they clamored for more. Frost wheeled back into the circle and fell in behind Rainbow Dash.

Another tune began and the crowd waited to see what was next. It was Firewing's song and she too dove into her routine. The crowd of pegasi appreciated her skill and were amazed by her performance. She waved to the crowd as she regained her place in the circle.

Windyday was next, flying to her own music. She flew with even more exuberance than she had before and the crowd loved it. She added a little twist at the end that had not been in her routine; a tumble that flipped her around in front of the crowd. She gave a mid air bow and flew up to the circle.

Rainbow Dash's music started and she began her display. The audience was amazed by this performance and believed that they were watching the newest Wonderbolt perform. When Rainbow Dash performed her ending trick there was a collective gasp even though she was high above the ground and in no real danger. As she performed her orbit move she could hear the cheering and knew this was where she belonged. She flew up and regained her place in the formation.

The Wonderbolt’s theme music began and Spitfire began the exit maneuver. Firewing called out: “Hey Frosty! You do a move and we'll follow you.” Frost waggled her wings in acknowledgment.

As the group headed towards the compound, the first six performers did simple tricks as a farewell to the crowd but the last four did the same maneuvers that Frost did, one after the other. They headed into the compound as the music faded.

Fluttershy watched the final show with the rest of the crowd. When it was over she was certain that Rainbow Dash was now a Wonderbolt. While happy for her friend, she thought that Rainbow Dash would now be leaving Ponyville to start her new life. She dreaded having to tell the others and the victory celebration that they were sure to have. Weather came up to her as she walked back to the cafe.

“It looks like your friend won,” said Weather. “That was an awesome display she put on. I've never even seen some of those moves, not even from the Wonderbolts.”

“I know!” said Fluttershy. “All of them were so good but I think you're right; Rainbow Dash won. Is there anyway to be sure? Do you think you can find out?”

“I can try,” replied Weather. “I think she won though. For one thing, she went last. That's the position of honor in something like this. When are you going back to Ponyville?”

“First thing in the morning,” said Fluttershy. “I need to get back and tell the others.”

“Okay,” said Weather, “I'm going to miss you Fluttershy. It's been a fun little adventure for me this week.”

“I'll miss you too,” said Fluttershy. “Thanks for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you.”

“Do you think you'll be coming back to Cloudsdale soon?” asked Weather hopefully.

“I don't know,” said Fluttershy. “I might. Rarity might want me to help her sell her designs. I'd like to; it would give me a chance to visit with Rainbow Dash.”

“Well, stop by and see me if you do,” said Weather.

“Of course I will,” said Fluttershy. “I'm going back to my room for a bit. Can you meet with me for supper, my treat?”

“Sure!” said Weather happily. “But let's go somewhere else, in case your friends come back.”

“Good idea,” said Fluttershy. “Any suggestions?”

“I know a place not far from here,” said Weather. “How about I meet you at your hotel and we'll fly over from there? About 6:30?”

“That would be fine,” said Fluttershy, “I'll see you then.”

Fluttershy left and returned to her hotel. Weather watched her leave. He stamped his hoof and went to see if he could find out more about the contest.

Chapter 30

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Chapter 30

The nine contestants landed in the courtyard of the Wonderbolt's compound. They were talking and joking around until Immelmane got their attention.

“You all looked lovely up there,” he said. “I wish you could all stay and train with us. There are two remaining events left. Tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock there will be a photo session for all the contestants. Some of the pictures are for the paper, we'll release the names of the winners to the press by the way, and the others are for our own use. The four who made the team should wear their flight suits but the rest of you are free to dress as you please.

After lunch, the four new Wonderbolts will be measured for their new suits. Rainbow Dash, you will get one in case we need you to fill in but you'll be expected to purchase a few different outfits for your individual performances. We'll get you sufficient bits to purchase them before you leave.

For the rest of the day you ladies will be able to prepare for the dinner and dance tomorrow night. There will be hairdressers and groomers at your disposal. You will each get two tickets that you can give to whomever you want. You won't need one for yourselves. The party tomorrow will open at six o'clock and food will be served at six-thirty. We'll meet in the courtyard at five-thirty and you will be introduced to the guests. Now then, the dining hall is open so I don't know about you but I'm going to dinner.”

The ponies were all hungry after their long day and followed Immelmane into the dining hall. They ate and talked and decided to go into town again. Back in their room, Rainbow Dash and Firewing removed their flight suits and turned them over to a pony to have them washed.

“Hey Dash,” said Firewing, “if you need an extra ticket, you can have one of mine. I know my dad is coming but I doubt that my mom will.”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” replied Dash. “If we run into Fluttershy tonight I'll give her one, but I don't really know who to give the other one to.”

“I'm sure some of the Cloudsdale ponies have friends they'd like to invite,” said Firewing. “Kind of surprised that you don't.”

“I used to,” said Dash sadly, “but I've been living in Ponyville for a long time now. I guess we kind of lost touch. A lot of them are like me; they live in other towns now. That's why I was so glad to see Frost again. I'm so lucky! I'll get to keep my friends in Ponyville and still see you and Frost and Windy and most of the others too.”

“Yeah, you are lucky.” Firewing sounded sad. “I'll miss my friends in Manehatten but I'll see them when we perform there, so it won't be too bad.”

“Maybe you should hang onto that extra ticket until you're sure your mom isn’t coming,” suggested Dash. “You never know.”

Firewing ignored Rainbow Dash's comment. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “let's see if anypony else is ready.”

The girls left the compound and headed into town. They hadn't walked long before a small entourage, mostly male, began following them. Rainbow Dash thought it might be fun to tease Fluttershy a bit so they went to the cafe in search of Fluttershy and Weather. She found an unexpected ally in Sweet Clover who wanted to see Weather again. When they didn't find either of them, they decided to go with Frost to some of the other night spots in Cloudsdale.

* * *
While the contestants wandered Cloudsdale, Weather and Fluttershy were having dinner at a restaurant on a different cloud. They finished their meal and were getting ready to leave.

“So what now?” asked Weather. “We could go to a few places I know if you'd like. It might help cheer you up.”

“No thanks, Weather,” said Fluttershy. “I'm not in the mood for it. Your news that Rainbow Dash is on the team for sure kind of brought me down. Thanks anyway though.”

“That's okay,” said Weather. “I understand. I was just sort of hoping we might turn this into a ..date, y' know?”

Fluttershy is surprised, and embarrassed. “Oh, I didn't know...um sorry Weather. I like you but I'm going to be leaving tomorrow. You ought to find a girl who's going to be around, don't you think?”

Weather tried to mask his disappointment. “I suppose so. I guess I haven't met the right one yet.”

“Maybe you have,” said Fluttershy. “Sweet Clover seemed to like you. She was flirting with you last night. And I could tell you liked her too.”

“You think she likes me?” asked Weather. “But she's so... I don't know, like a star. And I'm just a waiter.”

“She didn't seem to care,” pointed out Fluttershy. “I'll bet she's out on the town tonight with the others. I'm going back to my room and get some rest. Why don't you see if you can find her? It probably won't be hard, just follow the crowd of fans.” She giggled.

“Maybe I will,” said Weather. “Thanks again Fluttershy. I know this week hasn't been as much fun for you as it has for me but I'm glad you decided to include me in your spy mission.”

They started to walk out of the restaurant.

“If I ever need inside information on Cloudsdale again,” said Fluttershy. “I'll be sure to look you up. Maybe you should take up reporting, or being a private eye.”

Weather laughed. “Maybe so. Good night Fluttershy, and if I don't see you tomorrow, goodbye.”

Outside the restaurant, Fluttershy gave Weather a peck on the cheek. “Goodnight Weather, I'll be sure to stay in touch. Now go find that girl.”

She walked off leaving a surprised but happy Weather standing in the street. He walked in the opposite direction to where he heard music playing.

Chapter 31

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Chapter 31

The contestants followed Frost and the other Cloudsdale ponies from place to place. Sometimes they accepted invitations to dance and there was never a shortage of food and drink but oddly the four winners were not the targets of most of the attention. Most of the colts seemed to be somewhat intimidated by the new stars. At last Frost bumped into a guy that she knew and joined the other dancers. The remaining three new Wonderbolts sat and talked by themselves.

“What's wrong with us?” asked Firewing. “No pony has asked any of us to dance.”

“Maybe they think we're too good for them?” suggested Windy.

“Humph,” said Rainbow Dash. “Well, if that's what they think, then we are.”

“And you have an extra ticket to the dinner tomorrow,” said Firewing. “If you see a pony you like, maybe you should ask him.”

“No, I don't think so,” said Rainbow Dash. “Anyway, there should be plenty of guys at the party tomorrow and I don't think a bunch of hot shot fliers are going to be too scared to ask me to dance.”

“True,” agreed Windy, “I think the pickings will be better tomorrow too. I'd still like to have a little fun tonight though.”

Firewing sighed. “Yeah.”

“Hey! Rainbow Dash,” said Windy suddenly, “there's that guy from last night.”

“Who?” said Rainbow Dash looking around.

“The one Sweet Clover was talking about,” said Windy. “The waiter from the cafe that was talking with your friend from Ponyville.”

“Sweet Clover!” said Rainbow Dash, “there's the guy you're looking for. Get him to come over here.”

“Oh, Weathervane!” exclaimed Sweet Clover. “Sure, just a sec.”

Sweet Clover went over to Weather and started talking to him. She easily convinced him to join them.

“Weather, this is Windyday, Firewing and Rainbow Dash,” said Sweet Clover. “Ladies, this is Weathervane.”

“Pleased to meet you. Just call me Weather.”

“Hi,” said Firewing.

“Hello Weather,” said Windy.

“Hi Weather,” said Rainbow Dash. “I understand you met a friend of mine from Ponyville.”

“err Yes, I did.” stammered Weather, “she was a representative for some fashion designer named Rarity.”

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash stared him in the eye.

“Yes,” admitted Weather. “She was showing me some designs she was taking around to the shops here in Cloudsdale.”

“You have a interest in ladies clothing?” teased Rainbow Dash.

“Oh ..ah no, I was.. a.. I was just trying to be nice,” said Weather.

“Um hmm,” said Dash, “and she had no interest in the Wonderbolt tryouts, did she?”

Windyday and Firewing had a difficult time keeping a straight face as Weather squirmed under Rainbow Dash's questions.

“She might have mentioned it,” said Weather with a nervous smile. “Everypony has been talking about it all week.”

“I'll bet they have,” said Rainbow Dash still staring at the uncomfortable waiter. “You're a terrible liar Weather.” She started laughing and was joined by Windy and Firewing.

“I know Fluttershy has been spying on me all week!” said Dash. “Firewing and I saw her at the cafe where you work. You've been helping her haven't you?”

Weather sighed. “I guess there's no use trying to hide it anymore.”

“Don't worry,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'm not mad. I just want to know where she is and what you told her.”

“I had dinner with her earlier,” replied Weather, relieved that he didn't have to keep up the facade any longer, “and then she said she was going back to her hotel to get some rest. She's planning on leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Without waiting to hear if Rainbow Dash won or not?” asked Windy.

“I know that you three are all Wonderbolts now,” said Weather, “and Frost too. Some ponies have friends that work in the Wonderbolt's compound. We always take an interest whenever the Wonderbolts do anything, so when tryouts happen there's naturally a little spying going on. What I don't understand is why they're adding four females when only one is leaving, two if you count the one that's retiring next month.”

“He knew more than we did!” exclaimed Firewing. “We didn't know about that until after the tryouts were over.”

“Oh, I didn't know until after the show you put on,” said Weather. “I guess that you won the open position, Rainbow Dash.”

“There will be a press release tomorrow,” said Rainbow Dash. “You'll find out then. Did you tell Fluttershy I won?”

“Well, yeah,” said Weather, “I mean it was obvious. You had the most awesome solo routine any pony has ever seen. And we all thought that since you went last, that you were the one selected. Oh I get it, I'm sorry. You wanted to break the news to her yourself didn't you? Look, I know she's happy for you but she just doesn't want you to leave Ponyville. She's kind of upset about it. I'm sorry but I was just trying to help her as best I could.”

Rainbow Dash planted her hoof in her forehead. “Great. I'd better go see if I can talk to her before she flies back to Ponyville with the wrong news. You shouldn't jump to conclusions Weather.”

“Wait a minute,” asked Weather, “are you saying that you didn't win? Oh wow! did I ever blow it.”

“Look, you're right and you're wrong too,” said Rainbow Dash. “Yes, I'm in the Wonderbolts and no, I'm not the winner of the open position. I have a different job. One that doesn't require me to move to Cloudsdale. So now Fluttershy is all upset. I have to go tell her the truth.”

“So who did win?” asked Weather.

“You don't give up do you?” There was an edge to Dash's voice now.

“Come on Dash, lay off Weather,” said Sweet Clover. “He was just trying to help your friend. He's a nice guy, really.”

“Oh, we may as well tell him, Dash,” added Firewing. “What difference does a few hours make?”

“If he'll keep it quiet until tomorrow, okay?” said Rainbow Dash. “I don't know how the Wonderbolts feel about having their doings spread all over Equestria.”

“I can do that,” said Weather. “I kept your friends secret all week...until we got caught last night.”

“Windyday won the open position, Firewing has the one opening next month and Frost is a reserve pony,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm the new featured soloist. I'll open for them and perform during intermission.”

“Wow, that's going to be a big announcement alright!” said Weather. “My source didn't say anything about a soloist or a reserve pony. The rumor now is that they expanded the team. There's a lot of colts getting all worked up because they figure there's going to be a tryout for them soon.”

“Might be true,” said Windy. “They'll be adding a reserve pony for the male section, unless they already have a pony in mind.”

“I'd better get over to Fluttershy's hotel, it's getting late,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I can take you to it,” said Weather.

“Aw..I was hoping we could get in a dance or two,” said Sweet Clover sounding disappointed, “but it's okay.”

“Sweet Clover,” said Dash, “what are you doing with your tickets to the party tomorrow?”

“I'm giving them to my parents, why?” said Sweet Clover.

“I have an extra one,” said Dash. “I'll give it to Weather so you can go with him.”

“Really? Oh! thank you,” said Sweet Clover.

“Thanks!” said Weather, “Come on, lets go.”

“I think I'll leave too,” said Windy, “it's getting boring just sitting around.”

“Me too,” said Firewing, “may as well go get some rest.”

They started to leave when Frost approached with the colt she had been dancing with and another colt in tow. “Where are you off to?” she asked.

“Weather is taking us over to see Fluttershy at her hotel,” explained Dash. “I have something important to tell her.”

“Are you leaving too Firewing?” asked Frost. “Cirrus here wanted to meet you.”

Windy whispered to Firewing, “Go ahead and stay.”

“Well, I guess I could stay for a while,” said Firewing.

The ponies said their good nights and Rainbow Dash, Weather, Windy and Sweet Clover left. Rainbow Dash looked back and saw Firewing talking to Cirrus as they headed to the dance floor. Rainbow Dash smiled and trotted to catch up to the others. It turned out to be a wasted trip.

* * *
“I'm sorry ma'am,” said the desk clerk, “but she left before dark. She was booked for tonight but checked out early.”

“Well that's just great,” muttered Rainbow Dash.

“I'm sorry,” said Weather, “she told me she wasn't leaving until tomorrow. She must have changed her mind.”

“It's not your fault,” said Dash. “I should have tried to get in touch with her earlier.”

“Maybe you could catch her,” suggested Sweet Clover.

“She has at least a two hour head start,” said Dash. “She's slow but not that slow. She's probably almost to Ponyville by now and it's getting dark. I'm not going to worry about it tonight. I'll just have to straighten things out when I get home.”

“I'm going back to my room,” said Windy. “I'm tired. It's been a long day.”

“Me too,” agreed Dash. “We practiced, did two hard routines, went swimming and wandered around Cloudsdale all evening. I'm beat.”

“I'd like to go back to that club for a while,” said Sweet Clover. “I can tell Frost and Firewing where you went.”

“Thanks Sweet Clover,” said Rainbow Dash, “that will save us a trip. Good night, stop by my room tomorrow and I'll give you that ticket.”

“Good night you two,” said Windy. “See you tomorrow.”

The two pairs headed their separate ways.

“They make a nice pair,” said Windy. “She seems to have known him for a while.”

“How about you?” asked Dash. “Anypony back home?”

“Not really,” replied Windy. “I was always either practicing or performing. I've gone to some of the more formal affairs on dates but nothing ever came of them. You?”

“No,” said Dash. “I used to hang out with older ponies when I was younger and then I went to Ponyville. A lot of the pegasi there are on the weather team and I'm in charge of that. Kind of weird for them to date their boss. Besides, I don't have a lot in common with them. I'm a top flier and none of them can do more than simple stuff. About the only time I went on dates was a few times my last year of flight school.”

“Maybe we'll find some guys tomorrow,” said Windy. “I'm willing to work hard at this new job but I'm going to start living a little too. You and Firewing taught me that much.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Me? All I do is fly. Firewing is the one.”

“But you fly for fun, Dash,” said Windy. “I didn't do that before. I had more fun flying the last two days than I've had in my whole life.”

“It has been fun hasn't it?” said Dash. “Except for Monday, it's been a great week. Especially today; I can't tell you how relieved I was when Immelmane offered me the solo position. If I had won one of the regular positions, I'd have taken it but I really didn't want to leave Ponyville. I was kind of messed up last night.”

“I didn't see it in you and I'm pretty good at picking up on that sort of thing,” said Windy.

“I'm pretty good at hiding it,” said Dash. “Spitfire helped me get my head on straight. If you need somepony to talk to, she'd be a good choice.”

“I'll remember that,” said Windy. “Here we are.”

They arrived outside the Wonderbolt compound and the gates were closed. Windy rapped on the gate with her hoof. A groggy looking guard approached and after seeing who it was, he let them in. Windy and Rainbow Dash said goodnight and went their rooms. Firewing was not back. Rainbow Dash collapsed on her bed and was soon asleep.

Chapter 32

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Chapter 32

After leaving Weathervane, Fluttershy returned to her room and packed for her trip home. She felt lonely and decided that she may as well return to Ponyville. If she hurried she could get there before dark. She checked out of the hotel and started back to Ponyville. Fluttershy arrived shortly after dark. She debated on what to do. Seeing the lights on at Twilight's house she landed there. She knocked on the door and Spike answered.

“Fluttershy!” he exclaimed. “I wondered if you would be back tonight. Come in!”

“Hi Fluttershy,” said Twilight Sparkle, “I guess you have news.”

“Yes, it's over,” said Fluttershy. “She's a Wonderbolt now.”

“I knew she could do it,” said Twilight. “I'm sure she'll be happy in Cloudsdale.”

“Yes. Oh you should have seen her Twilight,” said Fluttershy. “They put on one of their shows this afternoon and you've never seen anything like it. There was sky dancing and then the four finalists each did a routine to music. They were all amazing. Rainbow Dash went last and did things I've never seen any pegasus do. Oh Twilight, she belongs there. We'll miss her but it would be selfish for us to keep her here. All of Equestria has to see her perform.”

“I've never heard you talk like this before, Fluttershy,” said Twilight. “It must have been impressive.”

“It was,” said Fluttershy. “It was so beautiful. I'll never be able to fly like that. Most pegasi will never fly like that. I might see more of Rainbow Dash than the rest of you because I'm going to go to every show that I can.”

“She must have beat the others pretty bad then,” said Spike.

Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh no, even the ones that had been eliminated were good. It's just that Dashie was the best. It was like having nine ponies like Rarity all trying to make the best dress. It was a close competition.”

“You make me wish I had seen it Fluttershy,” said Twilight. “I'm not really that interested in flying but the way you talk makes me wish I was there.”

“Any pony would appreciate what I saw,” said Fluttershy. “You don't have to be a pegasus.”

“So I guess we have a party to plan now,” said Twilight. “You stay here and rest. I'll go tell Rarity and Pinkie Pie. You can drop by Applejack's place on your way home.”

“Thanks Twilight,” said Fluttershy. “I do need to rest a little.”

“Can I get you something Fluttershy?” asked Spike.

“Thank you Spike,” said Fluttershy, “I could use some water.”

* * *
Twilight left and headed to Rarity's house. Rarity was still up and she knocked on her door and Rarity answered. “Twilight? What are you doing out so late?”

“Fluttershy is back,” said Twilight. “Rainbow Dash made the Wonderbolts. From what she said it was a close competition but Rainbow Dash beat them all.”

Rarity nodded. “I thought she would.” She sighed. “So what now?”

“We should meet tomorrow to plan the victory celebration,” said Twilight. “Can you come to the library after breakfast?”

“Yes, of course,” said Rarity.

“Good night,” said Twilight, “I'll see you then. Fluttershy can tell you some things that might make you feel a little better about Rainbow Dash leaving. I was surprised at the way she spoke about the competition.”

“I didn't know she liked stunt flying,” said Rarity.

“I know but, well, I'll let her tell it tomorrow,” said Twilight. “I'm going over to Pinkie Pie's and let her know. Good night Rarity, I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight Twilight, thanks for letting me know,” said Rarity.

Twilight walked to Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie was in her room looking out the window and saw her approach. She called down to Twilight. “Hey Twilight! Nice night for a stroll.”

“Hi Pinkie Pie, I was just coming to see you,” said Twilight. “Fluttershy just got back. Rainbow Dash is now a Wonderbolt.”

“Hurray!” cried Pinky Pie but her smile quickly faded as she remembered what that meant. “I just knew it. I.. uh .. I'm happy for her.”

Unknown to Twilight and Pinkie Pie, there are other ponies within earshot. They ran off to spread the news.

“Me too,” said Twilight. “Come by my place tomorrow after breakfast and we'll start planning her victory celebration.”

“Sure Twilight, I already started on some things,” said Pinky Pie. “I had a feeling she was going to win.”

“Don't be sad Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight. “When you hear what Fluttershy has to say tomorrow I'm sure you'll feel better.”

“Okay, if you say so,” said Pinky Pie doubtfully. “I'm going to do my best to make this the best party I've ever done.”

“I know you will Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight. “Good night.”

“See you tomorrow Twilight,” said Pinky Pie.

Twilight walked home deep in thought. She failed to notice the increased number of ponies running around town at a late hour.

* * *
“Well, that's done,” said Twilight when she returned home. “They took it pretty well. I guess we've been prepared for this in a way. Thanks Fluttershy, I know you didn't want to be a spy but it did help prepare us.”

“I didn't want to but I'm glad I did,” replied Fluttershy. “I saw some of the best fliers ever. They were so beautiful. It made me proud to be a pegasus, even if I can't do what they do. I hope I can meet some of them.”

“I'm sure Rainbow Dash would be glad to introduce you,” said Twilight. “Isn't it something? We have a friend who's a celebrity.”

“Yes, but she'll always be our Rainbow Dash to me,” said Fluttershy. “I'm going home now. I still have to stop by Applejack's and tell her.”

“I told Rarity and Pinkie Pie to come by after breakfast and we'll start getting the victory celebration ready,” said Twilight. “If you can, tell the others what you told me about the competition. It might make them feel better.”

“I'll do that,” said Fluttershy with a smile. “Goodnight Twilight, goodnight Spike.”

“Goodnight Fluttershy, see you tomorrow,” said Spike.

* * *
Fluttershy left and flew to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack and Big Macintosh were on the porch.

“Howdy there Fluttershy, I reckon you have some news,” said Applejack.

“That's Fluttershy?” said Big Mac. “What kind of get up is that?”

“It's a flight suit,” said Applejack. “Now hush, she has something to tell us.”

“Rainbow Dash won the competition,” said Fluttershy. “She's a Wonderbolt now.”

“Always knew she'd make somethin' of herself,” said Big Mac.

“Great! I knew she'd win,” said Applejack. “Bet she showed them fancy pegasuses some moves.”

“She did,” said Fluttershy, “but it was a tough competition. You're going to have to start thinking of her as a fancy pegasus now Applejack. I didn't realize it before, but she's special. I'll tell you more tomorrow. I'm going home now, I'm pretty tired.”

“Course you are sugar cube,” said Applejack. “You git on home now an rest up.”

“Come by Twilight's after breakfast,” said Fluttershy. “We're going to start planning her victory party.”

“You can count on me,” said Applejack. “Goodnight Fluttershy.”
They said goodnight and Fluttershy continued home alone. She was glad to sleep in her own bed. Despite her sadness over Rainbow Dash's impending departure, she fell asleep quickly.

Chapter 33

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Chapter 33

The next morning the five ponies and Spike started planning the victory celebration. They had barely started when there was a knock at the door. Spike answered and was surprised to see the Mayor.

“Ms. Mayor,” said Spike, “come in.”

“Thank you Spike,” said the mayor.

“Ms. Mayor, what a surprise!” said Twilight. “To what do we owe the honor?”

“It seems you heard some news about the Wonderbolts tryouts,” said the mayor. “I thought you might want to let the town help in the celebration.”

“How did you know?” asked Twilight.

“No one told me directly but it's all over town. Rainbow Dash won the tryouts.” She seemed a little put out.

“We didn't mean to keep it a secret from you,” said Twilight. “It's just that we sort of spied on Rainbow Dash and didn't want her to find out.”

“I understand but it's too late now, everypony in town knows,” said the mayor. “So, when is Rainbow Dash coming home?”

“There's a big party tonight in Cloudsdale when they make the official announcement” said Twilight. “She should be back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” said the mayor with a frown, “that doesn't leave us much time! I'm sure everypony will want to be there.”

“Maybe we could delay it a day or two?” suggested Twilight. “She'll be tired when she gets here tomorrow. We were just planning to have a little get together among ourselves to welcome her back.”

“That might be a good idea,” agreed the mayor. “It would give me time to make the proper arrangements. Maybe she'd even give us a little demonstration. I wouldn't want her to have to do that after flying all the way from Cloudsdale.”

“Of course not!” said Rarity, “It could be dangerous for her. Give her a day or two to rest. Aside from the flight home, the tryouts lasted all week. That must have been grueling.”

“You're right,” said the mayor. “We'll wait until Tuesday to have the celebration. You can tell her when she gets back. I'm sure she'll be thrilled.”

“Oh, I'm sure she will,” said Twilight, wondering how Rainbow Dash would take it.

“Well, it looks like I have some work to do,” said the mayor. “Let me know when she gets back. I'll want to include you all in the celebration of course, since you are so close. I'll talk to you later. Let me know if you have any ideas.”

“We will, bye for now,” said Twilight as the mayor rushed off.

“Great,” said Applejack, “how are we going to explain this?”

“We won't have to,” said Twilight, “a couple of days delay is enough for the results to become common knowledge.”

“I think it's a great idea!” said Pinky Pie. “Rainbow Dash loves attention and she'll be there in front of the whole town.”

“This should be more than just us,” said Rarity. “The whole town should help her celebrate.”

“Let's still do our own welcome back party anyway,” said Applejack. “Give Rainbow Dash a chance to relax with her friends. Besides, I want to hear what all happened at the tryouts straight from the horse's mouth.”

“I can handle the food,” volunteered Pinky Pie.

“I'll do the decorations,” said Rarity.

“Maybe Applejack can help Pinky Pie and I can help you Rarity,” said Fluttershy. “I mean, if it's alright with you.”

“Good idea Fluttershy,” said Applejack.

“What should Spike and I do?” asked Twilight.

“Maybe you could think of a nice gift?” said Rarity. “Something from all of us.”

“I could do that,” said Twilight. “Any suggestions?”

“Something that shows how proud we are of her,” said Applejack.

“Something so she'll remember us after she moves away,” said Pinky Pie.

“Something beautiful,” said Rarity. “Well, what did you expect me to say?”

“Maybe something to do with flying,” said Fluttershy.

“Okay! That should be enough suggestions,” said Twilight, already thinking. “Spike, you can help me.”

“Sure Twilight, what should I do?” asked Spike.

“Just give me a moment,” said Twilight. “All right girls, you go get started. We can start decorating after dinner tonight.”

Chapter 34

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Chapter 34

The contestants in Cloudsdale spent a busy day having pictures taken, grooming and preparing for the big dinner party that night. Rainbow Dash and Firewing were in their room when there was a knock on the door. Firewing answered and saw Windy and Spitfire in the hall.

“Hi, what's up?” she said.

“I just have a few things to go over with you and I bumped into Windy here in the hall,” said Spitfire. “May we come in?”

“Of course,” said Firewing.

“Hi Spitfire, hi Windy,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I thought I may as well get this out of the way so you all can enjoy your evening,” said Spitfire. “The official inquiry into the Twister incident will be on Wednesday afternoon. You can stay here if you'd like, or you can leave and come back then.”

“I'd like to go home,” said Rainbow Dash. “I have to talk to my friends there. It's kinda important.”

“I'd just as soon stay here,” said Firewing. “I guess I'll be starting my training soon anyway.”

“Not for three weeks,” said Spitfire. “We need to work with Windyday first and then Frost so we have a backup flier. Windy, your training starts on Monday.”

“Yeah, I guess I'll stay here until after the inquiry,” said Firewing, “and then go home for a while.”

“Hey Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash, “why don't you come home with me until the inquiry? You can meet some of my friends, I'm sure they're planning a welcome home party or something for me. You can stay at my place.”

“That would be cool,” said Firewing. “I've never been to Ponyville before.”

“I'm ready to start,” said Windy. “This is going to be so much fun!”

Spitfire laughed. “Let me know how you feel about that after a six hour practice. About the inquiry, all you really have to do is corroborate the statements you gave us and maybe answer a few questions. There shouldn't be anything to worry about.”

“What do you think will happen to her?” asked Firewing.

“Probably just a ban on future competition for a year or two,” said Spitfire. “Sunrise Cloud isn't going to press charges since she wasn't badly hurt. She's writing it off to the stress of the competition.”

“That's very generous of her,” said Firewing. “I'm not so sure I would be.”

“I hope she learns from it but I think it will just make her madder,” said Rainbow Dash. “Where is she now?”

“She went back to Fillydelphia,” said Spitfire. “She knows about the inquiry and is entitled to come and defend herself. I don't think that she will since she has no witnesses in her favor.”

“Good,” said Firewing, “I don't need to see her again.”

“It's too bad about Twister,” said Windy, “but she brought it on herself. Missing out on what we had this week is almost punishment enough.”

“You feel sorry for her?” said Rainbow Dash in surprise.

Yes,” said Windy, “not as much as for Sunrise Cloud or Frost, but yes I do. She missed out on a great week, she embarrassed herself in front of everypony here, was run out of Cloudsdale with her reputation in ruins and now she faces being banned from future competition. That's a pretty high price to pay.”

“Yes,” said Spitfire grimly, “but as you said; she brought it on herself. Anyway, just make sure you're here Wednesday morning.”

“When am I going to start training?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“We were thinking about starting you on your team training after Firewing and Frost are ready to start,” said Spitfire. “Your individual training will be up to Mr. Immelmane but I know it will be soon. He wants to see you before you leave.”

“I'll ask him tonight at the party,” said Dash.

“He doesn't usually stay very long,” said Spitfire, “so be sure to ask him early on if you want to talk to him.”

“I will, thanks,” said Dash.

“So what are you ladies doing until the party starts?” asked Spitfire.

“I was going to try the pool,” said Rainbow Dash, “but since I had my hair done, I don't know. I'll just take a nap I guess.”

“I was going to get a massage,” said Windy. “Why don't you join me?”

“Okay,” said Dash, “I've never had a massage before.”

“Me, neither,” said Firewing.

“Really?” said Spitfire and Windy together.

“Windy,” said Spitfire, smiling, “take these two poor, deprived ponies down to the spa and show them what they've been missing.”

“Come on girls,” said Windy, “you are going to love this.”

Windy lead them down to the spa.

“You two didn't take advantage of the facilities all week, did you?” asked Windy.

“Not really,” said Firewing.

“We were kind of busy,” said Dash with a laugh.

“Don't worry,” said Windy, “I'll show you how to train like a pro. While you two were practicing and playing in the lake, I was hitting the weight room, followed by a nice bath in the hot tub and then a rub down.”

“Any other ponies join you?,” asked Firewing.

“A few the first day,” said Windy. “After the eliminations started only Frost and Razor were regulars. Sunrise was there quite a bit. Doctors orders.”

“How is she?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Tougher than she looks,” said Windy. “She'll be back to a hundred percent by next week. Her coat looks a little funny since they shaved the hair from around her wounds.”

“Now that would make me mad,” said Rainbow Dash. “I might not be all that great on my appearance but that shaving really gets to me.”

“You had it done before?” asked Firewing.

“Twice,” said Rainbow Dash. “Once behind my right ear and another time on both forelegs. Caught a hoof in the neck during a race when two other ponies got tangled up in front of me. Clipped a tree with my legs just fooling around doing loops too near the ground.”

“I had it done too,” said Windy, “but my injury happened on the ground. It was the day I got my cutie mark. I was just walking through the park and a branch fell on me and put a gash right where my cutie mark is now.”

“A branch fell on you?” said Firewing. “That's a weird accident.”

“Well, it was a windy day,” said Windyday with a smile.

Rainbow Dash and Firewing groaned.

“Hey, true story,” said Windy. “When we got to the doctor I had my cutie mark and he clipped the hair off right down to the skin. If you care to know; cutie marks are on your skin too.”

They arrived at the spa and entered. Soon they are laying on cloud beds and with a masseuse attending to each of them.

“mm You're right Windy, this is the way to train,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash was over her initial nervousness and was limp with half closed eyes and a smile on her face. “I wonder if it's too late to change my mind and join the team instead. I could get used to this.”

“Oh no you don't!” said Firewing. “You wanted the spotlight to yourself and now you're stuck with it.”

“I told you you'd love it,” said Windy. “Cheer up Dash, you'll be able to come here a few times a months.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yeah.”

The massage came to an end and three very relaxed ponies went back to their rooms. They rested for a bit and then prepared for the dinner party. With only an hour to go before the party, another knock was heard. Rainbow Dash answered and saw two ponies she had never seen before.

“Hello, may I help you?” she said.

“I'm looking for Ms. Firewing,” answered an unknown male. “Is this the right room?”

Firewing heard his voice and reacted immediately. “Daddy!” She ran to the door and stopped short when she saw that her mother had also made the trip. “Mom, you came!” The tone of her voice was a strange mix of joy and fear.

“Yes, your father convinced me,” said Firewing's mother. “I might not like what you're doing but he's right; it's your life and you should do what makes you happy.”

“Would you like to come in?” suggested Rainbow Dash.

Firewing laughed and nuzzled her parents as they entered. “Mom, Dad, this is Rainbow Dash. We roomed together this week. Without her I wouldn't have made the second selection.”

“Thank you for being such a good friend to our daughter,” said Firewing's father.

“You're welcome but Firewing helped me too,” said Rainbow Dash. “We made a pretty good team.”

“Thank you just the same,” said Firewing's mom. “I was so worried when we heard about the accident on the first day.”

“You heard about that already?” said Firewing.

“Being a former Wonderbolt has it's advantages,” said her dad. “A lot of pegasi made excuses to visit Cloudsdale this week.”

“Looks like you weren't the only one being spied on,” said Firewing to Rainbow Dash.

“What do you mean?” asked her mom.

“It's a long story,” said Firewing. “I'll tell you all about it later.”

Rainbow Dash felt she should leave the family alone to talk. “I need to go see Frost for a minute, I won't be long.” She went into the hallway but Firewing stopped her.

Firewing whispered. “Dash! Do you still have that other ticket?”

“Sure Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash. “I was going to ask Frost if she wanted it for one her friends.”

“I didn't expect my mom to come,” said Firewing, “so I gave Cirrus one of mine. Can I have it?”

“Sure Firewing,” said Dash, “here you go.”

“Thanks Dash, you're a lifesaver,” said Firewing.

“No problem,” said Dash.

“Don't be gone too long,” said Firewing. “I don't think my mom will be too anxious to argue in front of a stranger.”

“Okay, I'll be back soon,” Dash assured her.

With nothing left to do, Rainbow Dash walked out into the courtyard. She saw Frost and Sunrise and went over to them.

“Hi Dash, you can look pretty if you try,” said Frost. “Nice dress.”

“Thanks Frosty, you look like you're expecting to dance with someone special tonight,” said Dash.

“You never know,” said Frost. “Who did you invite?”

“No pony,” said Dash. “I gave one ticket to Sweet Clover so she could invite a guy she likes and the other to Firewing. Her mom just decided to show up.”

“That's generous of you,” said Frost.

“It's okay,” said Dash. “I don't really have any pony to invite anyway.”

“Who are you going to pick to dance with then?” asked Sunrise Cloud.

“I don't know,” said Dash. “I guess I'll just look for some cute pony who looks like he might be interested in me.”

“You should have plenty to choose from then,” said Frost. “There are a lot of sons of former Wonderbolts at the party.”

“I was wondering about that,” said Rainbow Dash. “I mean this is a big party but who are all the other guests? I thought it might be only former Wonderbolts and their families. Who else is coming?”

“You've been away from Cloudsdale for too long,” said Frost. “Sure, there's a lot of alumni and their families but there are flying clubs in Cloudsdale and elsewhere that get some tickets. Some of the politicians and management types get a few and the Wonderbolts themselves have more than two tickets to hand out.”

“There will be some ponies flying in from Canterlot too,” said Sunrise Cloud. “Goldmane told me.”

“That's right,” said Frost, “I'm sure some will have dates or might not be to your liking but you should have no trouble finding a dance partner.”

“Good, even if I don't meet some special pony,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'll at least have a good time.”

“It should be fun,” said Sunrise. “I'm not used to the formal stuff but I'm looking forward to this.”

“I should head back and rescue Firewing from her mom,” said Dash. “See you later.”

“Later Dash,” said Frost.

“Bye for now,” said Sunrise.

Rainbow Dash returned to her room. She listened briefly from the hallway and didn't hear any yelling so she went in.

“Hi, I'm back,” she said brightly.

The family was sitting around the room talking. They seemed to be happy and Dash was relieved.

“Did you find Frost?” asked Firewing.

“Yeah,” said Dash. “She was in the courtyard with Sunrise Cloud.”

“Wasn't she the one that was injured?” asked Firewing's mother.

“Sunrise?” said Firewing. “Yes, she was lucky it wasn't worse.”

“She's fine now,” said Dash, trying to reassure Firewing's parents. “All dressed up and ready to go dancing.”

“That's the sort of thing I was always afraid of; mid-air collisions,” Firewing's mother shuddered.

“You don't have to worry about Firewing, she's with the pros now,” said Rainbow Dash. “No more flying with ponies like Twister.”

“Besides, what happened to Sunrise wasn't so much a collision as it was an attack,” said Firewing bitterly.

“Firewing told us you turned down a spot on the team to become the first featured soloist,” said Firelight. “I find that remarkable.”

“So do I,” said Dash with a laugh. “It was the best choice for every pony. Firewing will make a great team performer and I get the spotlight to myself at every show. I don't have to move either.”

“But soloists don't seem to get much attention,” replied Firelight.

Firewing snorted. “That's because they haven't seen her yet.”

“That good, eh?” said Firelight with a smile. “What's your special move?”

“Which one?” said his daughter laughing. “She does things no other pony would dare to try.”

“Like what?” asked Firelight.

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Should I tell them?”

“She made me swear not to tell any pony before she'd tell me what it was,” said Firewing.

“Okay, we swear not to reveal your trick,” said Firelight.

“It's my landing maneuver,” said Rainbow Dash, obviously enjoying herself. She told Firelight about her flat spin maneuver.

Firelight stared at Rainbow Dash not believing what he just heard. “And you've done this?”

“Yep, used it in my individual routine at the try outs,” Rainbow Dash said proudly.

“And scared us all half to death,” added Firewing.

“How high up were you when you pulled out of the flat spins?” asked Firelight.

“My tail almost touched the ground,” beamed Dash.

“I'm not familiar with that maneuver, is it dangerous?” asked Firewing's mom.

“Yeah. Yeah, you could say that,” said Firelight, who looked at Rainbow Dash with a mixture of respect and disbelief.

“I doubt if I'll be doing it anymore, at least not in it's present form. Mr. Immelmane thinks it's too dangerous.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Sure is spectacular though.”

Firelight chuckled. “I'll just bet he does! Who taught you that move anyway?”

“I made it up myself. I live out in Ponyville and don't really have any trainers or any pony to practice with so I make up a lot of tricks.”

“That's incredible. I really will make it a point to watch you fly,” said Firelight.

“What's incredible is that she figured out a way to keep control during a flat spin,” said Firewing. “I want to learn it just so I'll be able to use it in an emergency.”

“What do you mean?” asked Firewing's mom. “You know how to get out of a flat spin. Even I know how to do that.”

“Of course, but if I could get control of it the way Dash can, it would be a lot safer,” said Firewing. “The way they teach us now, when we recover from the spin we're just hurled back into flight in a pretty random way.”

“I never thought about that,” admitted Dash. “I just thought it looked cool.”

Firewing crossed the room and hugged Dash. “You are one of a kind, ya nut.”

“You may be right, honey,” said Firelight. “I'd like to see you demonstrate those spins if it isn't too much trouble.”

“Sure, I can show you before we leave tomorrow,” said Dash.

“Where are you going?” asked Firewing's mom.

“Back to Ponyville for a few days. I'll be back for the inquiry on Wednesday,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I'm going along for a visit,” said Firewing. “It's too far to fly all the way home and I need a break after the competition. I'll fly home the day after the inquiry since I won't start training for nearly a month.”

“I did a show in Ponyville once,” said Firelight. “Nice little town.”

“I like it,” said Dash. “I'd have moved back to Cloudsdale if I would have had to but I'd rather live there.”

“They also have a shop I want to visit,” said Firewing. “Rainbow Dash has a friend that made her the most beautiful flight suit.”

“The one thing I do love about the aerial shows are the lovely outfits...and the sky dancing,” said Firewing's mom.

“Oh mom, you missed a great little show yesterday. When the competition was over, all of us put on a display just outside Cloudsdale. Frost, Rainbow Dash, Windyday and I did our routines and the other five did sky dancing with Spitfire. It was really wonderful.”

“I would have loved to have seen it. I know how you love to fly dear, and I hope you'll be happy flying with the Wonderbolts. I do wish you'd have gone into dancing instead.” Firewing's mother sounded disappointed.

“Maybe if I get tired of doing stunts I will, but that won't be for a while,” said Firewing.

“Enjoy it honey, these will be the best years of your life,” said her father as he gave her a hug.

“I will dad. Mom, I know how you feel, I'll be careful. I promise,” said Firewing.

“She'll be flying with the best, she'll be alright,” said Dash. “She's not like me. I'll be going out to thrill the crowd every show.”

“So why didn't they pick you first?” asked Firewing's mom. She thought this brash, blue pony with the outrageous mane was a bad influence for her daughter.

“Probably afraid they couldn't keep up,” said Rainbow Dash laughing.

Firelight laughed too. “Oh sure! That must be it.”

“It might be,” said Firewing. “Rainbow Dash is fast. Remember, she's the one that can do the sonic rainboom.”

“I heard that you could do that,” said Firelight, “never met any pony else that could.”

“What about this Windyday?” asked Firewing's mom. “She must be good if she beat our Firewing.”

“Awesome,” said Rainbow Dash and Firewing together.

“You've never seen a more precise flier,” said Firewing, “and she got better all week long.”

“I would have picked Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash, “but they said they picked Windy first because she had more experience with group flying. She is just excellent though, perfect.”

“To be honest, any of us in the last four would have been a good pick,” said Firewing. “Frost was fourth and she's a great flier. Even Razor and Starshine were real good too.”

“Well,” said Firelight, “we should go and get ready for the party too. We'll see you there. It was nice to meet you Rainbow Dash.”

“Nice meeting you too sir,” replied Dash.

“Thank you again for helping Firewing,” said Mrs. Firelight. “She told us how you helped each other. I'm glad she got you as a room mate and not some other pony.”

“Thank you,” said Dash, “I'm glad too.”

Chapter 35

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Chapter 35

Firewing's parents left leaving Rainbow Dash and Firewing to got ready for the party. When the time came, they went to the courtyard with the other ponies. Immelmane was there but the Wonderbolts and most of the guests were already in the hall. When all the contestants were present, Immelmane called them to order.

“Ladies! Your attention please!” said Immelmane. “I'm going to read off your names. When I do, please get in line to enter the hall. Windyday, Rainbow Dash, Firewing, Frost, Razor, Starshine, Sweet Clover, Goldmane and Sunrise Cloud. Now, when your name is called, step forward and an usher will guide you to your seat one at a time. After dinner, there will be an announcement for the dance to start. You each may choose your dance partner in the same order as you are introduced. Most of the eligible colts will line up on the right side of the dance floor. If you have some other pony you wish to dance with in the seating area please feel free to choose them. I'm going inside to check on a few things but I will be right back. Please be ready.”

“This is so exciting,” said Windyday. “I hope I don't trip or anything.”

“You?” said Firewing. “You do the most perfect routine I've ever seen and you're worried about tripping?”

“That was in the air,” replied the purple pony. “I always feel like a klutz when I have to do this sort of thing.”

“Me too,” said Rainbow Dash. “Hey! Lets just fly over to our seats.”

Windyday laughed. “Oh that would be good! My parents are in there. If I did that they'd probably have to dig them out of the ceiling. Might be worth it.”

“You're a bad influence Rainbow Dash,” chided Firewing. “A baaad influence.”

“Who? Me?” asked Rainbow Dash innocently. “I'm just a girl looking for a little fun.”

“Really Dash, corrupting Windyday?” joined in Frost. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“It wasn't all Rainbow Dash,” said Windyday looking at Firewing. “But if this is what it feels like to be corrupted, I could do with some more.”

Frost sighed. “Another fallen angel. Way to go you two.”

The ponies were still laughing when Immelmane returned.

“Windyday, it's time,” he said.

Windyday stepped to the doorway where she is met by an usher in a white coat and black tie. As they entered the hall an announcer introduced them.

“Mares and stallions,” began the announcer, “I am pleased to introduce the winner of the competition and the first open position on the Wonderbolts team, Windyday of Canterlot.”

There was a round of applause and when it subsided the announcer continued. “Windyday is an experienced flier and former flight leader of the Wheelwing aerobatic team. She is a winner of numerous awards including the Canterlot Open competition, Manehatten Relay race and Cloudsdale Junior Aerobatics contest.”

“Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward and was met by another usher who led her forward. The announcer began her introduction. “Rainbow Dash is our second place finisher. She declined the second open position in order to become our first solo aerialist. Raised in Cloudsdale, she is now in charge of the Ponyville weather team. She is a winner of the Best Young Fliers Competition and is the only known pony capable of doing the Sonic Rainboom. She has invented several new tricks of her own and I encourage all of you to welcome her to the Wonderbolt family as she will also be a reserve team member.”

The applause is nearly as great as it was for Windy and Rainbow Dash blushed. She was barely seated when Firewing was introduced.

“Firewing will fill our second open position. She is from Manehatten and is the holder of several aerobatic awards from the city of Manehatten and was once the flight leader for the Eight Stars Aerobatic team. She was also an accomplished sky dancer before concentrating on stunt flying. Though not well known here in Cloudsdale, she surprised the judges with her grace and precision. A big round of applause please for Firewing.”

The applause for Firewing died down and the announcer introduced Frost. “Frost is the first reserve Wonderbolt, another new position that we hope will increase the safety and quality of the Wonderbolt shows. Frost is well known here in Cloudsdale through her work in both team and individual aerobatics competitions. She won the Best Young Flier competition three years ago as well as the Cloudsdale Long Distance race this year. She is Flight Leader for the Golden Sun Flight Team. Cloudsdale's own, Frost.”

The applause for Frost was at least as loud as that for Windyday. She was the local favorite after all.

Frost was seated next to Rainbow Dash and the announcer went on to introduce the rest of the competitors. Frost leaned over to talk to Dash.

“Thanks for stopping me on Monday,” she said. “I wouldn't be sitting here tonight if you hadn't.”

“You'd have done the same for me Frosty,” replied Dash.

“Now I would,” said Frost slyly. “On Monday I'd have helped you catch her.”

Dash laughed and they joined in the applause as Razor was introduced and seated beside Firewing. At last all nine competitors were seated and the announcer continued.

“And now a stallion that needs no introduction, Mr. Immelmane.” There was another round of applause as Immelmane walked to the podium.

“Thank you. I hardly know where to begin when I think of these young ladies you see before you. I'm not just referring to their skills in the air either. They are the most remarkable group of competitors I ever remember seeing, here or anywhere. With the exception of the unfortunate incident on Monday, this has been a most amazing week.

Have any of you ever been in a tight competition and heard a rival cheering for you? Have any of you aided a competitor, showed them new maneuvers, analyzed their technique, showed them a better way to do something? Have any of you ever heard of fliers conceding a contest in order to stop a fellow contender from performing a maneuver that might result in her severe injury or death? These are the things I witnessed this week. I think I can speak for Soarin and Spitfire when I say this; we wanted all nine of these remarkable fliers to stay here in Cloudsdale as Wonderbolts. The spirit that these young ladies showed throughout the competition did us all a great honor. Soarin, Spitfire and I had a wonderful opportunity to watch them grow as fliers and as individuals. It was difficult to decide the winner when they are all winners. Ladies, I salute you.”

The audience applauded. “We did at last come up with a pony to fill each open position. Windyday was our choice for the first position because of her marvelous precision, her daring maneuvers and her experience in formation flying. Rainbow Dash was our choice for the feature soloist position because she's an innovative performer and an amazingly talented pure flier. Wow! You won't believe the things she can do.” There was some general laughter from the audience at Immelmane's comment in the middle of a speech. “Well, does anypony here want to power dive into an inverted flat spin as part of a landing maneuver?” There was some murmuring in the audience and a few laughed. “Unfortunately, you won't get to see her do it because if she tries that move again I'll nail her tail to the floor.” The audience laughed and Immelmane gave an embarrassed Rainbow Dash a wink.

“Firewing, the most graceful of them all, has the precise moves of a veteran performer and took our second position. And for the reserve position, Frost, an experienced formation flier, loyal friend and powerful athlete. Please welcome them all to the Wonderbolt family.”

When the applause died down Immelmane continued. “It was no small feat for these four to win over the rest of these competitors. They are all very good. We could have picked any of them and had them up to Wonderbolt quality in just a few weeks. I hope they will all return when another opening becomes available.”

“I suppose you are all tired of hearing an old pegasus drone on so I'll let you get to the wonderful dinner that the chefs have prepared and afterward you are all invited to stay for the dance. Who knows? Maybe one of these lovely ladies will pick you for their first dance.” The audience applauded as Immelmane made his way to his seat by the Wonderbolt team.

As Immelmane had said, the dinner was excellent and Rainbow Dash thoroughly enjoyed it. She was seated between two good friends and she noticed several pegasus colts eying her. After dinner was over, the announcer asked for everyone's attention and asked the ladies to pick their partners for the first dance. Windy arose and went immediately to the friend she had invited.

Rainbow Dash was next and was still not sure who to pick. She slowly left her seat and looked around the room. Immelmane was standing near the door talking to Soarin and another colt. She made up her mind.

She walked in front of the gathered colts at the edge of the dance floor. Faces brightened as she came near and then turned to frowns as she passed them all. She walked straight to the trio speaking in the corner. She walked up and stood in front of Immelmane.

“What's a girl got to do to get a dance around here?” she said. “Win a contest or something?”

“Ah, Rainbow Dash!” exclaimed Immelmane, “we were just talking about you. Are you here for Soarin or would you like to dance with Light Tail here?”

“Neither,” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Well you should hurry,” said Immelmane, “every pony is waiting.”

“And we shouldn't keep them waiting, should we?” said Dash with a smile.

“No we... oh! You don't mean...” Immelmane stammered.

Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded her head. “Ladies choice. Come on.”

“Get going,” said Soarin. “It's her choice and it's tradition.”

Immelmane walked to the dance floor in a sort of daze. There was a smattering of applause, mostly from Immelmane's friends. Rainbow Dash and Immelmane spoke quietly while Firewing and the others picked their partners.

“I don't think you're trying to butter me up,” whispered Immelmane. “That isn't your style.”

“No, but I do have my reasons,” said Dash quietly. “First, as an apology for scaring you yesterday. And another apology for being afraid of you all these years. I guess you didn't think too much of me either.”

“I must be pretty scarey if I frighten someone that isn't scared to do that flat spins landing,” chuckled Immelmane.

“Are you kidding?” hissed Rainbow Dash. “That trick is terrifying! But if you ever tell any pony I said that, I'll deny it.”

“So, you're not only foolhardy but brave too! Ah! What a combination,” said Immelmane as he shook his head.

Rainbow Dash was serious and drew close to him. “I won't do any tricks without your approval. I promise. I'll still try to develop new ones though.”

“Fair enough,” said Immelmane.

“The last reason I want you to dance with me is that if any pony here deserves to dance with the best flier in Equestria, it's you. Let the others wait.” Rainbow Dash looked him in the eye and smiled.

Immelmane smiled back but said nothing. The music started and they danced. It was a slow dance and when it ended, they bowed to each other. As they rose, Rainbow Dash skipped forward and gave Immelmane a peck on the cheek.

She turned to leave the dance floor but found her way blocked by two stallions who both asked her to dance. She picked the one who was marginally quicker in asking her and danced to another tune. Other dancers joined the original nine pairs. Rainbow Dash saw Spitfire dancing with a stallion she didn't know. Spitfire danced close to Rainbow Dash and leaned over.

“Nice thing you did there with Immelmane,” she said. “He needs a little more fun in his life. If you want to give any of these guys a way to contact you, you can use the Wonderbolt's Cloudsdale address.”

Rainbow Dash thanked her and danced several more times before taking a break but promised the next dance to yet another partner. He walked her to her seat and went to get her a drink.

As she caught her breath, Frost came up to her. “Tired already?” teased her friend.

“I'm not used to using my legs this much,” replied Dash. “Anyway I needed a drink. Having fun?”

“Are you kidding?” laughed Frost. “This is the best party I've ever been to and I've been to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“I was at one of those too,” said Dash laughing, “it stunk! But this is cool.”

The pony that went to get Dash a drink returned.

“Aren't you going to introduce us?” asked Frost.

Rainbow Dash was taken by surprise. “uh Sure... Frost, this is...who are you?”

“I'm Updraft,” said the stallion, “most ponies just call me Ups.”

“Frost, this is Updraft,” said Dash. “Updraft this is my friend Frost. A most awesome flier from Cloudsdale.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Frost, stifling her laughter at Dash's introduction.

“It's nice to meet you, Frost,” said Updraft. “I've seen you fly several times.”

“Really?” said Frost. “You like stunt flying?”

“Oh yes!” said Updraft. “I'm just an amateur but I go to a lot of shows and competitions. Mostly as a spectator.”

“We were all amateurs once, in our case before yesterday,” said Frost. “Just get some training and practice, practice, practice.”

“I'd love to be able to do some of the things I saw you do yesterday,” said Updraft. “Who taught you that flat spin move?”

“I made it up,” said Rainbow Dash smugly.

“That was awesome,” said Updraft. “Did you really do that the way Immelmane said?”

Frost answered for her. “She did. Just like you saw it except it ended with a flare wing stall and a beautiful landing.”

“Wow,” said Updraft, “I can hardly wait to see that.” The young stallion exuded admiration.

“Don't hold your breath,” snorted Dash. “Immelmane will never let me do that again. Not like I did it in the try outs anyway. I really don't want my tail nailed to the floor.”

“Really?” said Updraft in surprise. “If you can do it, then why not show it off?”

“Because it's incredibly dangerous,” replied Dash. “Sure I can do it, after a lot of practice. But you have to have the timing just right or you go splat.” She banged her hoof on the table for emphasis.

“Good, I'm glad you've come to your senses,” said Frost. “I guess Immelmane really made an impression on you.”

“Yeah, you could say that,” said the blue mare sadly. “Anyway, I promised I wouldn't do any tricks until I clear them with him first.”

“Good again,” said Frost. “You might actually survive your first performance.”

“When will that be?” asked Updraft. “I'll be sure to go.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “When they think I'm ready I guess. We still have to work up a few routines, select music, get some new outfits... there's a lot of work ahead of us.”

“I'd still love to learn that move,” said Updraft.

“No! Don't try it!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. Her eyes were wide and she spoke with surprising earnestness.

“You know Firewing and Windyday almost conceded the tryouts to stop her from doing that move?” said Frost in a serious tone. “I would have too, if I had known.”

“Immelmane wasn't kidding?” said Updraft as he looked from one mare to the other. “Wow, you aren't kidding! Okay, I won't try it. Ah, Rainbow Dash, can we dance now?”

“Alright, let's do that,” said Dash with a giggle. “You can't get hurt with dance moves.”

At last the evening came to an end and the tired ponies headed back to their rooms. Firewing and Rainbow Dash got ready for bed and packed for the trip to Ponyville.

“That was the best night of my life. I don't know how many dances I danced.” Firewing twirled around and flopped on the bed.

“Me too,” sighed Rainbow Dash. “I wonder if I'll hear from any of those guys again?”

“Some of them at least,” said Firewing. “Any pony catch your eye?”

“A couple. I hope I remember all their names. One was named Updraft. Cute, but I'm not so sure about him. Then there was that big tan guy with the dark brown mane, Golden Arrow. He seemed nice, kinda quiet.”

“I danced with him too,” said Firewing. “I liked him too but he was sort of shy.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Nervous around celebrities?”

Firewing giggled. “Could be. Did you see that blue one with white mane? He looked like he could really fly.”

“Blue?” Rainbow Dash sat up.

“Yeah, darker than you though. Very handsome,” said Firewing.

“I think I know who you mean,” nodded Dash. “Didn't get to meet him.”

“Did you see Windy dancing?” asked Firewing. “She really loosened up later in the evening.”

“Oh yeah! And did you see her parents?” said Dash. “They danced once with each other and spent the rest of the evening staring at her. They looked like they where going to lose it.”

“Probably couldn't believe their daughter was actually enjoying herself,” said Firewing grimly. “Well, she'll be on her own now and away from them.”

“Yeah, I hope they don't give her a hard time. I have a feeling she can handle it though.”

“I hope so,” said Firewing. “You know, she only danced with that guy she brought to the party once. I think he spent the rest of the evening bugging Razor. Windy didn't seem to mind either.”

“I need to sleep,” said Dash. “I wonder what colt I'll dream about.”

“To bad you can't control who's in your dreams,” said Firewing as she took off her tail bow. “I'll probably dream about that guy with the pie all over his face.”

“Soarin?” asked Dash.

Firewing laughed. “No! The one that ate like he hadn't had a meal in a week.”

“Oh yeah, I know the one! He wouldn't have looked half bad if he wasn't covered in food,” laughed Dash.

“Eew! If you say so. Didn't you even meet one guy you really liked?” asked Firewing.

“Andy Lusian,” said Dash quickly. “I liked him but I don't think he cared for me very much. And that Golden Arrow guy. I hope I hear from him. How about you?”

“Nothing serious,” said Firewing with a shrug. “Cirrus is one I'll keep in mind. I kinda liked Blue Turf, he was that guy I told you about, but I think he was more interested in Frost. In fact there were a lot of guys interested in her.”

“Maybe because a lot of them already know her,” said the blue pegasus as she hung up her dress. “Most of the ponies here tonight are from Cloudsdale, even the ones that live somewhere else now.”

“Could be,” said Firewing. “Oh well, it's not like I'm in any hurry to get mated up. I've got a career to work on right now.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Dash sighed. “We have a flight in the morning. We should get some sleep.”

“And you are supposed to show that move to my dad too,” reminded Firewing.

“And I have to meet with Immelmane,” added Dash. “We might get to Ponyville before dark if we're lucky.”

The pair said goodnight. The last event of the tryouts was over and the contestants were either taking up their new positions or returning to their homes. None were the same as they were a week previously and all remembered that week for the rest of their lives.

Chapter 36

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Chapter 36

At Twilight's house the five friends met up to plan for Rainbow Dashs' homecoming that day. The library was decorated and everything was ready for the welcome home party.

“Well, that about does it,” said Applejack. “All the foods ready except for the cake and Pinkie Pie has that covered.”

“All the decorations are in order,” added Rarity. “Applejack, when Rainbow Dash says she won, all you have to do is pull on this cord and the Wonderbolt banner will drop.”

Applejack examined the rope. “I got it.”

“I do hope we can all show that we're happy for her,” said Fluttershy. “It won't be easy but we just have to.”

“Fluttershy?” said Twilight, “why don't you tell the girls what you told me last night?”

“Alright,” said the yellow pony. “Um... I think that I should tell you what I saw in Cloudsdale first. At the end of the day, when the ponies returned from the training area to the city, they put on a little show before they went home. All of the ponies, even the ones that were eliminated, were very good. They were all very talented fliers. Three of them were especially good and our friend Rainbow Dash was the best of all.

“I never did any stunt flying myself or even sky dancing,” continued Fluttershy. “But seeing them made me wish that I could. I can't tell you how beautiful it was. You're not pegasi so you can't know how hard it is to do some of the tricks they did or how they made it look so beautiful. All I can say is that a pegasus like Rainbow Dash doesn't belong in a little town like this. Every pony in Equestria should see her fly. She's special girls, we just can't keep her here to ourselves. It just wouldn't be right.”

“I never heard you speak this way about flying, Fluttershy. It must have been a sight to see,” said Rarity.

“I've seen the Wonderbolts perform and it was really something,” said Applejack. “I thought it was thrilling and a little scary. I never thought it was beautiful though.”

“What the Wonderbolts usually do is thrilling but pegasi sometimes do other things too,” said Fluttershy. “There's sky dancing, individual displays to music and large groups in formations doing slower precision shows.”

“But Rainbow Dash is all speed and crazy stunts and rain booms and stuff” said Pinky Pie. “Are you sure she'll be happy doing those other things. Won't she get bored?”

“Oh no, those things are hard to do too. Well, not as physically hard but hard to make look as good as the professionals do. I'd love to learn to sky dance. Besides, during long shows the performers need to catch their breath sometime, even the Wonderbolts.”

“I'll have to take your word for it Fluttershy,” said Applejack. “But if I get a chance to see one of their shows, I'll sure go. Heh, since we have a friend in the show I'll bet we can get some good seats too.”

“I still don't want her to go but hearing what you had to say makes me feel better. Thanks Fluttershy,” said Pinky Pie as she gave Fluttershy a hug.

“You said some of the ponies liked my designs,” said Rarity, who still didn't want to think about Rainbow Dash leaving. “Maybe we'll get to meet some of the ones that didn't make the team.”

“I'm sure you will,” said Fluttershy. “Razor, Frost, Sweet Clover and Sunrise Cloud are from Cloudsdale and that isn't too far away, especially for fliers like them. Sunrise Cloud was the pony that got hurt on Monday. She's going to be okay though. Frost is the most impressive of them. She's blue with white on her mane and tail and has a snowflake for a cutie mark.”

“It'll take some getting used to, not having Rainbow Dash around but I reckon we'll survive,” said Applejack. “I just hope the next weather pony does as good a job as she did.”

“I'm sure everything will work out,” said Twilight, as much to convince herself as her friends.
“Spike should be here soon with the gift I got for her. When is the cake going to be ready Pinky Pie?”

“Soon, I'll go get it after lunch,” said the pink pony sadly. “Mrs. Cake is lettering it for me. I was afraid I'd cry on it.”

“Maybe we won't miss her too much after a while,” said Rarity. “It will be quieter for one thing.”

“Yeah,” said Applejack, “we won't have to hear her boasting anymore.”

“Or her being rude,” said Fluttershy.

“Or losing her temper,” said Pinky.

“Or her practical jokes,” said Twilight.

“But she has been a great friend to have,” said Rarity.

“Yep, always there when you need her,” said Applejack.

“It's good to have such a brave pony around,” said Fluttershy.

“And she's really a lot of fun too,” said Pinky Pie.

“I'll miss her laugh,” said Twilight.

“I miss her already!” cried all the ponies together.

Chapter 37

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Chapter 37

Firewing and Rainbow Dash woke later than usual and, after their ritual brushing, headed to the dining hall. Windyday was already there as were Goldmane and Starshine. They were talking quietly as they ate. They looked up as Rainbow Dash and Firewing entered, their hoof steps echoing through the near empty hall as they made their way to the table.

“Seems kind of lonely,” commented Firewing.

“You just missed Spitfire and Soarin,” said Goldmane. “I think all the Cloudsdale ponies went home last night.”

“Well, they went somewhere last night,” giggled Starshine.

“Do tell,” said Firewing with a laugh.

“I know Sweet Clover left with Weathervane,” said Windyday. “Hey Rainbow, I talked to Spitfire and she's going to set up a course for our race. I thought we could fit it in before lunch, around eleven or so?”

“I almost forgot about that,” replied Rainbow Dash. “That sounds good to me. Firewing, get your dad to come out for the race and I'll demonstrate that flat spin for him. May as well get that out of the way too.”

“I'll do that,” said Firewing, “right after breakfast. I'm starved.”

Windyday smiled. “I'm looking forward to this. Our first race was a little short and crowded. Now I'll get to see what you can really do. I'm going to go back to my room and pack my things. I have to move to my permanent room. Guess I'll have to find time to go back to Canterlot and get my stuff sometime. I only packed for a week.”

“I'll give you a hoof if you'd like,” said Goldy.

“Sure, me too,” said Starshine. “I'd like to see Canterlot again.”

“Really? That would be great and I'd be glad to show you around,” said Windy. “I'll talk to Spitfire or Mr. Immelmane and get back to you before you leave.”

“We'll see you at the race,” said Starshine.

Windy smiled and headed for her room. When she was gone, Goldmane started to talk. “You're not going to believe what just happened. We were just sitting here talking and Windy got all serious and apologized to me and Starshine. She said she was sorry for the way she treated us and the things she said.”

“Wow!” said Firewing, “she really has changed.”

“I think she meant it too,” said Starshine. “She said she didn't want to be the way she used to be. She asked us to forgive her.”

“Looks like she got more out of this week than a spot on the Wonderbolts,” said Rainbow Dash. “ I knew she changed but not how much.”

“Did you forgive her?” asked Firewing.

“Well, sure,” said Goldmane. “At first I thought she was saying it because she had won the competition and was just trying to make herself feel better but the more she talked, the more I believed her.”

“Yeah,” said Starshine, “she seemed to be sincere and sad or maybe ashamed.”

After breakfast the ponies went to their rooms to finish packing. Firewing left to find her parents and Rainbow Dash donned her flight suit and went towards Windyday's room as it was nearing the time for their race. As she got closer she heard voices arguing.

“What do you mean you aren't doing your workout today?” said a stallions voice.

“I'm taking the day off, dad,” said Windy. “I promised Rainbow Dash a race and then I'm spending some time with my friends before we have to say goodbye. Besides, it's been a rough week and I need a break. I start training with the team tomorrow in case you forgot.”

“You shouldn't have stayed out so late last night,” said a mare. “That's why you're tired.”

“Oh, drop it mom,” replied Windy in an exasperated voice. “I had a great time last night and I have no regrets.”

“There are more important things to do than have a good time,” said her father. “You made the team and we're very proud of you but you still have to keep working to be the best on the team. If you do, you're sure to become a flight leader or even the captain.”

Windyday snorted. “And then what dad? Maybe I should grow a horn and try for Celestia's job? What is enough?”

“Windyday!” exclaimed her mother, “how dare you talk to your father that way!”

Rainbow Dash peeked around the corner and saw Windyday draw herself up into the regal pose she had when they first met. All warmth left her eyes. Her voice changed back to the calm, icy cold, remote voice she had used before her transformation. Rainbow Dash was surprised to find it more frightening than when she had been speaking in anger. It seemed that her parents noticed the change also as they took a step back.

“Father, mother,” she said, “you will always have my love and respect and I hope you will always be there to give me advice and guidance if I ask for it. I am sorry, but I am a grown mare and I am quite capable of running my own life. I am a member of the Wonderbolts now and I have trainers and coaches to keep me in top form and I will follow their instructions.

Frankly, I have no idea what I will be doing when I'm not working with the team and the trainers but I can hardly wait to find out. I learned a lot this week and not just about flying. I have a full trophy case at home but no pony would ever want to see it. Before I came here I didn't have a friend in the world. No pony cared about me. If I dropped dead right now, the line of ponies waiting to dance on my grave would far outnumber the mourners and it's my fault.”

“Now wait,” interrupted her father, “what about all the ponies in your flight club? They're your friends.”

“They could have been my friends,” answered Windy, “but I was so occupied on my mission to become the perfect flier and advance my career that I was blind to their feelings and any kindness they showed me. The elected me their leader because they knew I was the best and I could give them victories. I repaid them by taking something they loved and I turned it into something awful. I made them so miserable that at last they couldn't take anymore and voted me out, even though I gave them their wins.”

“I told you they did that out of spite and jealousy, Windy,” said her father, “that's all it was. The Wonderbolts are professionals. It will be different here.”

“You're wrong father,” said Windyday, “it was my fault. I was cold, insensitive, and worst of all, I didn't care as long as they got their moves right. It was all calculated down to the finest detail. What do we have to do to win at any cost? Which competitions do we enter to get the most wins? How can I get that pony out of the lineup? I'm the only one that benefited from all that. Some quit and the rest are still flying in Canterlot while I'm here having a Wonderbolt uniform made. If you think that this,” she pointed to herself, “is what the Wonderbolts want in a flight leader or captain, then you are sadly, terribly mistaken.”

Her voice never wavered. There was no rise in volume and barely any intonation. Her parents were silent as Windy paused for a moment. When she spoke again her voice was more relaxed and lighter in tone. “Now then, in a few minutes I'm going to race the fastest pony in Equestria. I doubt if I have a chance of winning but it doesn't matter because I'm doing it just for fun. You are welcome to come and watch but I think there is something else you should do instead.” She pointed out the window. “Do you see that mountain to the left of the tallest peak? You and mother should fly toward that mountain. A couple of miles from Cloudsdale you will find a small lake. Land there and do the appropriate thing. I think it will do you a world of good. Perhaps it will wash some of the nonsense out from between your ears. I know it helped me immensely. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet a friend.”

Windyday turned and walked towards the door. Rainbow Dash was so shocked that she barely had time to take a few steps back to avoid being seen.

“Oh! Hey, Windy,” she said as Windy came out of her room, “all set?”

Windyday smiled. “Yes, let's fly! Follow me, I know where Spitfire is setting up the course.”

The pair trotted past the doorway and Windyday's parents watched them go down the hallway.
“Did...did she just tell us to go jump in a lake?” said her perplexed father.

“Yes dear,” said Windy's mother.

Chapter 38

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Chapter 38

“How much of that did you hear?” asked Windyday as the pair flew away from Cloudsdale.

“Err...a good bit,” admitted Rainbow Dash, blushing. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop.”

“It's okay,” said Windy. “It might be better if you know. At least I didn't get started on all the things I missed because I was practicing, training and competing. I guess if I hadn't done all that work I wouldn't be a Wonderbolt now. I don't have your natural talent.”

“Maybe,” said Rainbow Dash, “but look at Firewing or Frost. You know they trained hard to get here but they aren't like you. um.. I mean they aren't like the way you were.”

Windy laughed. “I know what you mean.”

Rainbow Dash laughed too. “I saw you change while you were talking to your parents. That was kinda scary. I thought they got to you and the old Windy was coming back. Then you changed back again. How do you do that?”

“Practice,” said Windy with a frown. “You just look at everything without emotion and don't let anything touch you. It isn't easy at first but the more you do it, the easier it gets. You feel less and less and become emptier and emptier. I don't advise trying it.”

“Yeah,” said the blue pony, “I think I'll pass. So why did you do it?”

“At first it was just a way to concentrate, it is good for that. Later, it was a way to shut out pain and loneliness.” Windyday paused and looked thoughtfully at Rainbow Dash. “I still intend to use the technique when I fly. It's too useful to just give it up. It might come in handy when I get upset like I just did too,” she laughed. “Better that than fighting.”

“Maybe I should have learned it,” said Dash laughing, “I could have stayed out of a lot of trouble. It got your mom and dad's attention that's for sure.”

“Yes,” said Windy grimly, though she was still smiling. “I hope it got through to them. I'm not going to live like I did. Not anymore.”

“Think they'll jump in the lake?” asked Dash.

“No,” said Windy with a sigh. “They wouldn't think it 'proper'. Forget about them for now, we have a race to fly.”

“That looks like Spitfire over there,” said Rainbow Dash, “and a few others too. Looks like we'll have an audience.”

“There's Goldy and Starshine,” said Windy. “Probably came to see me get beat. Can't say that I blame them.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing, remembering Goldmane's comment from the day they first met. Suddenly they were both startled by a red blur passing in front of them. Both ponies pulled up slightly and then they saw Firewing pull up into view.

Firewing glanced back smiling. “I was afraid I was going to miss the race,” she said, “but if you're going to fly that slow, maybe I should join in.”

“Ha!” cried Dash, “you're in front of us but I bet we can catch you before we get to Spitfire.”

Firewing stuck out her tongue.

“Get her!” cried Windy.

Firewing squealed and took off towards the group of ponies as fast as she could with Windyday and Rainbow Dash in hot pursuit. Firewing didn't have nearly enough head start to beat either of her friends to where Spitfire stood. Rainbow Dash caught her first but Windyday wasn't far behind. The three friends zipped past the ponies at the starting line, circled and landed.

“Good one Firewing,” said Windy. “you scared the feathers off me.”

“Sorry,” said Firewing, “but I just couldn't resist. It isn't often I get a chance to blaze past two speedsters like you.”

“Where were you?” asked Rainbow Dash. “We had no clue you were even around.”

“I was just messing around and ended up really high over Cloudsdale. When I saw you leave I started to follow. I just started diving to catch up and when I saw how fast I was gaining...”

“You just had to mess with us,” finished Rainbow Dash. “Well, you got us good. Heh heh.”

Spitfire walked up to the three newest Wonderbolts. “Not too tired to race I hope,” she said. Unlike during most of the week she was wearing her flight suit and a pair of goggles dangled from her neck.

“Not me,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'm barely warmed up.”

“You look like you're ready for a race yourself, Spitfire,” said Windy.

Spitfire smiled. “Though she may have forgotten it, Rainbow Dash challenged me to a race too.” She stared at Dash with narrowed eyes and a fierce smile. “I never back away from a challenge.”

Rainbow Dash was surprised and more than a little embarrassed. The night she challenged Spitfire was not a moment she wanted to keep in her mental scrapbook. “Um...Okay,” she said, feeling her adrenaline rising, “are you going to race with us or do you want to race me after I take care of Windy?”

Spitfire laughed, “I'll race with you two, if that's alright with Windy. I wouldn't want to give you any excuses.”

“Okay with me,” said Windy, “at least I won't be last that way.”

Several ponies in the crowd started to laugh. Windyday and Rainbow Dash turned to look and saw the the group of onlookers included all of the Wonderbolts. Starshine and Goldy were there as were Razor , Sweet Clover and Weather. There were several other ponies that they didn't know.

Spitfire turned and looked at her teammates and laughed along with them. “Looks like we have a couple of little hotshots here gang,” said Spitfire as she put on her goggles, “lets see if they can beat an old lady. Alright fillies, the course is all set up. We borrowed a few clouds from the weather ponies and set them up there.”

Spitfire pointed to the sky. “The big cloud is the starting point. Frost is there and will act as our starter. Sunrise Cloud is on the first turn, Razor will take the second turn and Sweet Clover will take the third turn, if she can tear herself away from her colt friend.” There was more laughter. “The turns are a quarter of a mile apart making the total course a mile. It's a five mile race so five laps and done. I'm going to warm up. Whenever you're ready, come on up to the cloud.”

* * *
The three racers took off and exercised their wings, preparing to race. Razor and Sweet Clover flew to their clouds. Rainbow Dash flew down to the first turn to talk to Sunrise Cloud.

“How are you feeling Sunrise?” asked the blue pony.

“Pretty good,” replied Sunrise, “still a little achy but I'm almost back to flying normally. I never did thank you for coming to help me after I got hit. Thanks for checking on me.”

“I didn't really do much,” replied Rainbow Dash, “wish I could have got there quicker.”

“Yeah, well, thanks all the same,” said Sunrise. “You'd better get to the starting line. It looks like Spitfire and Windy are ready. How bad are you going to beat them?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I'm just hoping I do beat them. This should be a good race. You're right, I'd better get going.”

* * *
As Rainbow Dash was talking to Sunrise Cloud, Spitfire and Windy spoke as they waited at the starting line. “So what do you think her strategy will be,” asked Spitfire.

“Strategy?” replied Windyday with a laugh. “I don't think she has much of a strategy. She'll take the lead and just fly away from us. Our only hope is that she lacks endurance, but I doubt it.”

“If you're that certain of losing, why the race?” asked Spitfire.

“Curiosity,” replied Windy. “When she challenged me, I was...well, different. I just wanted to do whatever I could to become better at flying. Testing myself against the fastest pony in Equestria seemed like a good experiment.”

Spitfire found this disturbing. “That's it? An experiment?”

“I said I was different,” said Windy, “anyway, I agreed to race and I can't very well back out. What about you? I didn't know Dash challenged you too.”

“Well, she was upset and said it in the heat of the moment but I thought I'd have a little fun with her,” said Spitfire. “Besides, she might enjoy it. She's never raced against one of the team before, not including the contestants of course.”

On the ground Firewing was talking her new teammates. They welcomed her to the team but soon the talk drifted to the race.

Soarin asked the obvious question: “who is going to win?”

“Rainbow Dash will be first,” replied Firewing, “I'm not sure about Windy and Spitfire.”

“You don't think Spitfire can out fly Rainbow Dash?” said Fleetfoot. “Spitfire is a good racer and can easily do five miles. She has more experience too. I'll bet she beats them both. Windyday is fast too and I've seen her race. Both Spitfire and her probably have the advantage of a better strategy.”

“I don't think it will matter,” said Firewing with a shake of her mane. “Rainbow Dash is just plain fast. She'll just fly away from Windy and Spitfire and refuse to let them get close. Soarin saw the race on the first day of the try outs. He knows. I asked Dash afterward if she could have beat us even worse and she said 'of course'. This race is longer but not enough to make any difference.”

“Yes, I saw the race and that little blue mare beat every pony easily,” said Soarin, “but if she could have gone even faster... I don't know. She might have just been boasting, she does that a lot.”

The other ponies laughed. “Typical cheeky jock,” muttered Weather. The others stopped laughing and looked at him. Weather gave a nervous smile.

“Yeah,” replied Soarin, “that she is.” He laughed again and the others joined in.

Firewing saw that the racers appeared to be ready. “We'd better get up there,” she said, “I think they're going to start.” The spectators took wing and flew up to the cloud where Frost waited with the racers.

“Well,” said Frost, “it looks like everypony is here. Are the racers ready?”

Spitfire stretched one last time and adjusted her goggles. “I'm ready.”

Windyday put on her goggles and shook her mane and tail. Every hair fell into place. “Ready.”

“How do you do that?” said Rainbow Dash as she put on her goggles. “I'm ready too.”

Windyday looked puzzled and Firewing snickered.

Frost drew a line in the cloud with her hoof. “Here's the starting line. I'll give the ready, set, go. Soarin and I will judge the start and finish. If you are all ready, put your hooves on the line.”

The racers all stepped forward. Windyday took the inside track next to Frost, Spitfire took the next spot and Rainbow Dash took the outside position. Frost gave them a few seconds to settle into their starting stance. She took a deep breath. “Ready!....Set!...GO!”

The racers took off. Rainbow Dash tried to take her typical early lead but found that Spitfire was right on her tail. Windyday was some distance back. At first Rainbow Dash thought about accelerating away from the Wonderbolt captain but then she remembered the length of the race. She would need some energy for later. She maintained her pace and waited.

Windyday watched her opponents pull away from her. She was an experienced racer and was going to fly her race. She knew how to get her best time and had no intention of allowing her fellow racers to change her plan. If she was going to lose it was going to be by the least amount possible.

Rainbow Dash and Spitfire zipped past Sunrise Cloud and headed towards the next turn. Dash gained a few inches by taking the turn tighter but Spitfire was still right on her tail. A second or two later Windyday passed Sunrise and took the most efficient line towards the next turn. The racers flew past Razor, then Sweet Clover and headed towards the large cloud. As they neared, the ponies started to cheer them on. Most were cheering for Spitfire but a few, lead by Firewing and Weather, cheered for Rainbow Dash. Goldmane and Starshine cheered for Windyday, feeling that some pony should.

The second lap mirrored the first and Windyday continued to lag behind the leaders. When they passed Sweet Clover the second time, Windy was easily five seconds behind and by the end of the lap the gap had widened to ten seconds. Spitfire continued to keep pace with Rainbow Dash. Dash was able to take each turn tighter than the Wonderbolt's leader but the fire-maned pony carried more speed through the turn. Looking over her shoulder, it appeared to Rainbow Dash that Spitfire might try to pass at every turn. At the end of the second lap, the leader decided to apply more pressure.

The rainbow maned pony's wings beat faster and she began to pull away from Spitfire, but it was only for a moment. Spitfire increased her speed to match but still fell a half length behind. Windyday was also speeding up and narrowed the gap by nearly half by the time she reached Razor's turn. The third lap ended with Rainbow Dash still leading by a length and a half and Windyday still closing.

Rainbow Dash was becoming worried. There were only two laps remaining and Spitfire was still in a position to catch her. Looking back she was also aware that Windy was catching them both. She held her speed until after passing the second turn and began to accelerate again. This time she pulled away from the Wonderbolt mare by another length. But that was all as Spitfire again was able to match her speed. As they passed Frost and the cheering ponies she heard several voices calling out; 'One lap to go!' and cheering for all the racers.

Rainbow Dash knew she still had some energy to spend but she was not sure how long it would last. Once she used up that last reserve there would be little left to finish the race. When should she start her final kick? She remembered Windy talking about her race against Twister and how she started too late. 'Better sooner and burn out than have some left at the end and lose the race,' she thought. As soon as she passed Sunrise Cloud, Rainbow Dash started flying as fast as she could. She started drawing away from Spitfire. Windyday was in her finishing kick and wasn't losing any air space either. Windy closed in behind Spitfire as they rounded Razors turn and took aim on Rainbow Dash several lengths ahead.
Windyday started to pass Spitfire as they passed the final turn. She was putting on more speed. She completed the pass and tried to catch the golden suited pony in the lead. But Spitfire was not done, she too began to accelerate and pulled along side Windy.

In the lead, Rainbow Dash no longer looked back. She knew Windy and Spitfire were in their sprint to the finish and focused on making her tired wings flap faster. Her lungs burned and her heart pounded as the finish line drew near. The sound of the cheering ponies grew louder but she couldn't tell what they were saying. She dug deep inside herself and used all her remaining strength to fly faster. She flashed past her friend Frost and banked into a shallow climbing right turn. She glanced back and at first saw neither of her opponents. Then, below her right wing, she saw Spitfire's orange mane. The Wonderbolt leader was following in her wake. She banked harder and saw Windy complete a stall, nose over and dive back toward the finish line. She tried to call out to Spitfire but her voice was only a squeak and she found she was gasping for air. All three racers coasted for a while, slowly recovering from their exertions. They glided down to the cloud where the watchers were waiting. All three were still panting but were at least somewhat recovered.

Firewing immediately hugged Rainbow Dash. “I thought you were going to make me look like a fool but you came through in the end.”

“I won?” gasped out the exhausted blue pony.

“What?” exclaimed Firewing, “Of course you won. I thought they were both going to catch you but you pulled away at the end.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “I...won...good.” It was all she could say.

“I'm not sure who came in second,” said Firewing. “I didn't have a good angle on the finish line and it was real close. Frost! Frost, who got second?”

The other ponies were debating this amongst themselves. Frost, who had been standing directly on the line, was beset by supporters of both Spitfire and Windyday. Soarin eventually took control.

“Alright, alright everypony,” he said “let's hear what Frost has to say. I was standing right across from her and I think I know who came in second. Come on Frost, tell us what you saw.”

Frost seemed reluctant but spoke up so all could hear. “Windyday by a nose.” There were groans and cheers. “It was really close and Spitfire was catching up but Windyday crossed first.”

Soarin sighed. “That's the way I saw it too. Sorry Spitfire, you didn't quite get her.”

Spitfire was still panting but nodded. “I didn't think I made it. Almost but not quite.”

Windyday smiled. “I didn't know if I made second until just now. I thought I had Spitfire when I passed her.” She paused for a deep breath. “I didn't expect her to come back like that. Neither of us could catch her though.” She pointed at Rainbow Dash.

“Wow, that was some race!” said Dash, she was still breathing hard. “No pony has pushed me like that in years. Thanks for the race you two!”

“Thanks for the race?!” said Soarin. “That was about the fastest five miler I've ever seen and you say 'thanks'? You really are something.”

“Hey, I gave up racing because I couldn't get any pony to race me,” replied Dash. “The race on Monday and today were the first good races I've had in years.”

“Well, you haven't lost your edge,” said Fleetfoot, “I thought you'd burn out at that pace but you had plenty of kick left at the end. You won by about twelve lengths. You flew a good race. Well planned.”

“Huh?” said Rainbow Dash, “All I did was get in front and go faster than them.”

Firewing laughed. “Told ya.”

“Told them what?” asked Dash.

“That you didn't have a strategy,” said Firewing.

“Sure I did!” said Dash indignantly. “Get in front and stay there.”

The ponies all laughed.

“Say what you want,” said Spitfire, “it worked. I even tried to get you to lose and it worked.”

“What do you mean?” asked Dash.

“I decided to stay on your tail no matter what,” said Spitfire. “I tried to tire you out so that Windy or I could catch you at the end. I knew Windy would just fly her own race. I figured she might catch Dash and then I'd have a chance to rest and break through at the end.”

“Now that is called a strategy,” said Firewing.

“I wish I had known,” said Windyday, “I might have been able to do something different. You're right Spitfire; I flew my own race. I knew what I had to do to get my best time and I did it.”

“I thought about planning something out with you,” admitted Spitfire, “but it seemed too much like cheating. Maybe I should have; I have to do something to keep up with you young ones.”

“You're not doing too bad if you can keep up with these two,” pointed out Soarin. “You barely lost to a pony eight years younger than you and finished only twelve lengths behind the fastest pony in Equestria. You're not ready for the old pony's home yet.”

Spitfire smiled. “Thanks Soarin, I needed that. Guess I'll stick around for a while.”

“Just putting things in perspective,” said Soarin.

An older stallion stepped forward. “Congratulations Rainbow Dash,” he said, “that was quite a race. I see Firewing was not exaggerating.”

“Hi daddy,” said Firewing, “I didn't know you were here.”

“I landed just after they started,” replied her father. “I saw the whole thing. Very impressive, all three of you.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Windy.

“Yeah, thanks,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Thanks, Firelight,” said Spitfire, “it's good to see you again.”

“I didn't know you knew each other,” said Firewing.

“Of course we know each other,” replied Spitfire. “I remember watching him fly when I was just a little filly. We've met several times since I became a Wonderbolt.”

“You'll find that you'll get to know most of the Wonderbolts, my dear,” said Firelight. “We meet periodically, like last night, and everywhere you go you'll bump into former members at shows and events. We are like a family with members all over Equestria.”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, “and you four are now part of that. It's a pretty exclusive club; there aren't that many of us. You may not think it now but it's most likely the best thing about being a Wonderbolt.”

“I remember what Mr. Immelmane said at the dinner last night,” said Windyday, “about welcoming us to the family. I didn't know he meant it literally. I'm the first one to be in the Wonderbolts from my family.”

“It feels good,” said Frost, “even if I'm only a reserve pony.”

“I'm sure you'll get a chance to perform,” said Soarin. “We could have used a reserve flier three, no four, times last season. You're as much a part of the Wonderbolts as Windy.”

“Well then, Rainbow Dash,” said Firelight, “are going to show me your flat spins or do you need to rest a little more?”

Rainbow Dash groaned and laid down. “Give me a break.”

The assembled pegasi broke down in laughter. At last Rainbow Dash got back up and the crowd settled down. All gathered around, eager to see how the move was done.

“Sorry to put you on the spot,” said Firelight, “but I thought this might be my only chance to learn it for a while.”

“Why do you want to learn it?” asked Spitfire. “Going back into stunts?”

Firelight smiled and shook his head. “No, nothing like that. We were talking before dinner last night and Firewing and Rainbow Dash were telling us about that flat spin move. She's managed to get some kind of control over it. I'm an instructor now, a new technique like that might be useful. If any pony can learn it, her technique might prevent injuries or worse if a pony gets into a flat spin.”

“I want to learn it if only for that reason,” said Firewing.

“I want to learn it for that too,” said Windy, “plus it really looks cool.”

Those who witnessed Rainbow Dash's routine laughed at Windy's joke while the others looked bemused.

“Alright,” said Rainbow Dash as she got to her hooves, “let me show you the wing position before I demonstrate. In a regular flat spin it's like this.” For the next half hour Rainbow Dash helped the other pegasi understand the technique. She went through the crowd instructing and repositioning wings. She then demonstrated the technique in the air. Windy, Firewing, Spitfire and several other pegasi felt confident enough to try it out. Most were successful after a few tries while the less skilled took longer. She then did the same thing in the inverted position. Tired out, the little blue pony landed on the cloud and watched the others, offering criticism and encouragement. Firewing landed beside her.

“We should get going soon,” she said, “we still have to fly to Ponyville.”

“Yeah,” replied Dash, “I know. Well, my move is out now. Pretty soon every pegasus will be doing it and it won't be special anymore. Guess I'll have to come up with something else.”

“We'll have to make sure they name it after you,” said Firewing. “It'll make you famous.”

“Hey yeah! Make sure you tell your dad. What do your think of 'The Rainbow Dash Spin'?”

Firewing laughed. “How about 'The Rainbow Flat Spin'?”

Rainbow Dash giggled. “Not bad. As long as they get my name in there somewhere.”

“I'll be sure to do that,” said Firelight as he landed beside them. “Don't worry, I'll see you get full credit.”

“Thanks, Firelight,” said Rainbow Dash, “I appreciate that. Listen, we should really get going. It's past lunchtime now and it's a couple hour flight to Ponyville.”

“Yes, of course,” said Firelight. “I'll see you Thursday, honey. You can count on a great reception when you get home. It's been a while since a Manehatten pony got into the group.”

“Bye daddy,” said Firewing as she nuzzled her father, “just don't go overboard.”

Firewing and Rainbow Dash said their goodbyes to their fellow pegasi. It took some time as Dash was pestered by questions and unwanted gratitude. When they left the pegasi were still practicing. As they took off, they passed Windyday's parents as they came in to land. Both were soaking wet. Rainbow Dash nearly crashed from laughing and it took her some time to explain to Firewing.

Chapter 39

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Scene 39
Fluttershy sat on a cloud above the town looking towards Cloudsdale. It was mid afternoon and Rainbow Dash was expected soon. She squinted at the horizon and at last was rewarded by the sight of two specks in the distance. Soon she could tell that they were pegasi.

Fluttershy called down. “I can see two pegasi coming from Cloudsdale!”

All of her friends called back: “What?”

“I can see two pegasi!” yelled Fluttershy again but it was still not loud enough.

“We can't hear you!” yelled Twilight.

The pegasi were getting closer and Fluttershy could see a glint of gold.

“I think one of them is her!” shouted the yellow pegasus.

“I think she said one of them is her,” said Applejack.

Rarity had an idea. “Fluttershy, if you can see Rainbow Dash, raise one wing!”

Fluttershy raised her wing.

“Good thinking Rarity,” said Pinky Pie.

* * *
Rainbow Dash and Firewing neared Ponyville.

“There it is!” said Rainbow Dash. “You can just make out the roof tops.”

“Yes, I see it,” said Firewing.

“Follow me,” said Dash, “we'll go by my house and drop off our bags.”

“Alright, do you live in town?” asked Firewing.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No, I live in the clouds. I may hang out with earth ponies but I'm still a pegasus.”

Firewing looked around. “Is that it over there?”

“Yep, you'll like it. It's a lot like Cloudsdale,” said Dash.

They flew to Rainbow Dash's house and shed their bags.

“There! That's better. Now we can give them a little show,” said Dash.

“You just don't get tired,” said Firewing. “What are you going to do?”

“Not much,” replied Rainbow Dash, “because I am tired. I'm just going to do my landing move for them. You can do what you want.”

“I thought you were going to stop doing it,” said Firewing.

“I am going to stop doing it the old way, this is my new safe version,” replied Rainbow.

“Safe version?” Firewing was dubious.

“I do it a lot higher up and then do some loops and flips before I land,” said Dash.

“Okay,” said Firewing relieved. “That sounds...promising.”

“Hey, I promised Immelmane I wouldn't do any dangerous stuff without his approval,” said Dash, “and I meant it.”

“And this isn't dangerous?” asked Firewing.

“As long as I don't go blind or have my wings fall off, I'll be perfectly safe,” said Dash with a shake of her colorful mane.

“Alright, do you want me to go in first or after you?” asked Firewing.

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. “If I go first my friends will swarm all over me when I land. You go in first, I'll go up high until you land.”

“Okay, I'll do a little razzle dazzle to get their attention and then do the landing I did in my routine,” said Firewing.

“Okay, all set?” asked Dash.

Firewing nodded. “Let's do this.”

* * *
They took off from Rainbow Dash's home. Rainbow Dash went slowly up while Firewing went directly towards Ponyville. As the pair prepared to do their little show, Fluttershy landed in front of Twilight's home to report to her friends.

“What are they doing, Fluttershy?” asked Twilight.

“They went to Dash's home and then left again. They're heading this way,” said Flutter.

“Well it's about time,” said Applejack. “I'm ready to bust.”

“Me too!” said Pinky Pie. “And I don't want to bust. Eww!”

Rarity spotted Firewing descending. “Oh look! Here comes a pegasus!”

“It's Firewing,” explained Fluttershy, “she's Rainbow Dash's friend.”

Firewing did a slow roll and dove toward the five friends. She quickly gained speed and swooped low over the town. She did several spins and regained some altitude. Diving again she did the beautiful ending move to her routine and landed in front of the waiting ponies.

“Hi! I'm Firewing. Rainbow Dash will be here shortly.”

“There she is!” cried Pinky Pie. “Way up there! She's coming down...fast!”

Firewing smiled, having at least some idea of what is coming.

“Wow!” said Fluttershy in a concerned voice. “She really is coming down fast. Too fast. Much too fast. Much too, much too fast!”

Rainbow Dash got nearer the ground and did her modified flat spin trick. She started it much higher up than before and when she pulls out she is still a good thirty hooves off the ground. She pulled out inverted, went into an Immelmane loop, dove into a second loop and then into her stall, landing and bow.

“Hi girls! I'm back!” she shouted.

They did swarm over Rainbow Dash, hugging her and welcoming her back. Fluttershy was as welcoming as the others but as she calmed down she realized what Rainbow Dash just performed.

“Just what was that Rainbow Dash?” she asked in an angry tone. “What did you just do? Are you trying to scare us to death? That's not how you should treat your friends missy. Now what do you have to say for yourself?”

She stepped nearer with each sentence. Rainbow Dash backed up a little each time.

“Fluttershy? I um..”

“Don't you Fluttershy me! I know what that move was. Now you promise me you'll never do that again!” The normally soft spoken pegasus was inscensed.

Firewing started to laugh.

Fluttershy wheeled on her. “And just what are you laughing at?”

“Simmer down there Fluttershy,” said Applejack as she stepped between Fluttershy and Firewing. “I think you'd better give Rainbow a chance to explain.”

Firewing spoke first. “It may look crazy, it might even be a little crazy but Rainbow Dash had that under control.”

“That was some awesome flying Dashie!” said Pinky Pie, giving Dash another hug.

Fluttershy found the situation slipping away from her. “But..but you don't understand.”

“It's okay Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash, “I did have it under control. I can show you how I did it.”

“Well, now that you're back,” said Twilight Sparkle, “let's all go inside and make our introductions.”
They all went inside Twilight's library. It was decorated with streamers and food was laid out on the table. Spike was filling a punch bowl.

“Rainbow Dash!” Spike exclaimed, seeing the pegasus, “Welcome back!”

“Hiya Spike. How ya doing?” said Dash. She was surprised to find that she had missed the little dragon almost as much as her pony friends.

Spike laughed. “Hungry! Look at all this.”

“It looks great, we're hungry too, right Firewing?” said Dash.

Firewing nodded. “I sure am. We skipped lunch to get here quicker.”

“Come now,” said Rarity, “we know who Firewing is but she doesn't know us. I am Rarity. Welcome to Ponyville, Firewing.”

“Thank you,” replied Firewing, “but I know who you are too. You're Applejack and Fluttershy and Pinky Pie and Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash had a picture of all of you and she told me a lot about you.”

“Really?” said Twilight.

“Of course! I told you I couldn't forget you,” said Rainbow Dash.

“So how did the tryouts go?” asked Twilight. “Are you a Wonderbolt now?”

“I think you know the answer to that,” said Dash with a sly grin. “Hasn't your spy reported in?”

“Our what?” said Applejack in feigned surprise.

“Why, what do you mean dear? A spy?” stammered Rarity.

Rainbow Dash pulled a paper from her suit. “Rarity? I have something for you.”

“Oh, you didn't have to get me anything,” she replied.

“No, it's something of yours.” Dash gave Rarity the drawing that Weather had missed.

“Oh! I... ah... I guess we're busted.” Rarity gave up.

Twilight sighed. “How long did you know?”

“I saw Fluttershy on Monday but didn't recognize her in that flight suit. Black just isn't your color Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I told them it wouldn't work,” said Fluttershy.

“It did for a while,” admitted Dash. “I didn't know for sure until Thursday, Flutterspy.”

“That's what I called her!” laughed Pinky.

“I hope you ain't mad at us, Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack. “We just had to know how you were doin'.”

“We needed to prepare ourselves if you were leaving,” said Pinky Pie.

“Pinky Pie!” exclaimed Rarity.

“I'm sorry girls but I can't pretend any longer. We're really happy you won the tryouts and get to be a Wonderbolt but we're going to miss you so much Dashie!” The pink pony hugged her friend and sobbed.

“Why?” asked Rainbow Dash innocently. “Where are you going?”

“I told them all the Wonderbolts live in Cloudsdale,” said Fluttershy. “They know, Rainbow Dash.”

“You did win, didn't you?” asked Applejack.

“Well, not exactly,” said Dash. She had no intention of passing up this opportunity to tease her friends.
“Windyday won the first open position. But there was a second position opening up next month.”

“So you won that one?” interrupted Twilight.

“Nope, Firewing here won that. But there was a reserve position open.”

“So you won that?” asked Rarity.

“No,” said Dash, “Frost won that.”

“You lost!?” exclaimed Applejack and Spike together.

“No, I won.” said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack couldn't take anymore. “Rainbow Dash, are you a Wonderbolt or not?”

Firewing tried to intervene. “Come on Dash, quit teasing them.”

“Oh alright,” said Dash. “I am a Wonderbolt. I'm a reserve Wonderbolt.”

“Close enough!” said Applejack as she pulled the rope unfurling the Wonderbolt banner.

“You seem pretty happy for not winning the top position,” said Twilight Sparkle. She sensed the rainbow maned pony was up to something.

“I never said I didn't win the top position. I'm the best flier in Equestria!” said Rainbow Dash proudly.

Pinky Pie sat down. “I'm confused.”

“We all are Pinky Pie,” said Rarity as she patted Pinky's shoulder. “We all are.”

“Tell them Dash, or I will!” said Firewing.

“Tell us what?” asked Twilight.

“As well as being a reserve Wonderbolt, you are looking at the new solo aerialist for all the Wonderbolt shows! I get to perform as opening act and during intermission. I'm going to be a star!” said Rainbow Dash. She did an aerial flip just for emphasis.

Firewing continued to explain as Rainbow Dash enjoyed her moment of triumph. “Windyday did win the overall competition but Rainbow Dash here is the best natural flier any of the judges had ever seen. They offered her the second position on the team or to become the featured solo aerialist. If she hadn't turned it down, I wouldn't be starting as a Wonderbolt next month.”

“Let me get this straight,” said Applejack in amazement. “you turned down a chance to be on the Wonderbolts team? Are you feelin' alright there RD?”

“I feel great,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Mr. Immelmane asked me to take the job himself. He said I was the best he'd ever seen. They want the opening act and intermission to be worth watching and I'm the pony that can do it.”

Fluttershy was shocked. “Mr. Immelmane? From School?”

“Yep, that's him. He'll be my coach and choreographer,” said Dash.

“Oh no! He's a scary guy and I thought he hated you,” said Fluttershy.

“I thought so too but we got to know each other better during the tryouts. I even danced with him at the party last night,” said Rainbow Dash.

“She kissed him on the cheek too,” laughed Firewing.

“I think Applejack's right,” said Fluttershy. “You should lie down for a while Rainbow Dash.”

“He isn't like you think Fluttershy. I'll tell you about it, if I can.” Fluttershy found Rainbow Dash to be surprisingly serious.

“So you're really happy about your decision?” asked Twilight.

“Are you kidding? It's the best thing ever!” replied Rainboom Dash. She was so excited that she unconsciously rose into the air. “The Wonderbolts get the two best performers for their team and they're both my friends, not to mention Frost got the reserve spot and we've been friends since before I met any of you, except for Fluttershy. I get the spotlight to myself twice every show and might even fill in if they need me on the team. And best of all, are you ready? I... don't... have... to...MOVE!”

It took a few seconds for it to sink in and then all the ponies pounced on her.

“Firewing! Help!” cried Rainbow Dash.

Firewing just laughed. “You deserve that Dash, teasing them like that.”

“You're staying! You're staying! You're staying!” cried Pinky Pie as she bounced around the room. “This is going to be the best party ever!”

“Rainbow Dash, I can't...I didn't know what we were gonna do without you,” Applejack said.

“Thanks, I was dreading leaving even though I would have if I'd have had to.” Rainbow Dash was getting choked up too.

“We got you a going away gift,” said Twilight. “You don't need it now but here you go anyway.” She gave the blue pony a small package.

“Thanks girls. I really appreciate it.” She opened the package. Inside was a small framed picture of Rainbow Dash and her five friends but Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Pinky Pie and Applejack all had wings. The caption read 'We're up there with you.'

Rainbow Dash was genuinely touched. “Aww Twilight, girls, thanks so much.” She teared up and passed the picture to Firewing.

“Let us see too!” said Pinky Pie. “We haven't seen it yet.”

“They told me to get something for you to remember us and something about flying and something beautiful. I did the best I could,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“You have some great friends here roomie,” said Firewing. She gave the photo to Rarity who levitated it so that all could see.

“Oh Twilight that is wonderful,” said Rarity. “Who did it?”

“Twilight did it herself,” said Spike.

“I used magic and an old photo,” explained Twilight. “It was sort of Spikes idea. He said, 'It's too bad all of you don't have wings so you could go to Cloudsdale to see Rainbow Dash whenever you wanted.' I thought, well, we can at least be with her in spirit.”

“Twilight and I look like Alicorns,” said Rarity. “We'd better not let Celestia see this.”

“We look pretty good as pegasuses, huh Pinky Pie?” said Applejack.

“It's pegasi,” said the three pegasi together.

Applejack leaned over to Pinky Pie; “I know it's pegasi, but pegasuses is more fun to say.” They both laughed.

“I wish you could have seen it too,” said Dash. “Maybe Firewing and I can put on a little show later.”

“That would be great,” said Twilight, “because the mayor found out you won and the whole town is going to a celebration for you on Tuesday.”

Rainbow Dash giggled. “I should have known they'd do something like this. It's okay, might be fun.”

“I'm looking forward to seeing you fly again,” said Fluttershy. “I really enjoyed those shows you did in the evening when you came back to town.”

“We enjoyed doing them,” said Firewing. “Do you like doing aerobatics?”

All the ponies except Rainbow Dash snicker a bit but don't really want to embarrass Fluttershy in front of Firewing.

“No, I'm not a very strong flier. I could never do the things you and Rainbow Dash do.” said Fluttershy.

“Well I can't, or won't, do some of the things that Rainbow Dash does but that's not the point. Just have fun doing what you can.” Firewing smiled at the yellow pegasus.

Fluttershy smiled back. “I didn't think of it that way.”

“Just try doing some new things. If you don't feel comfortable doing something, then just don't do it. I won't do some of Dash's moves I can tell you that,” said Firewing.

“Like what?” asked Applejack.

“Like that finishing move she used in the tryouts,” said Firewing as she stared at Rainbow Dash who was shaking her head and silently saying 'no'. “You saw how she landed today? It was like that but a lot lower. Her tail almost hit the ground when she pulled out of those spins.”

Fluttershy was stunned. “Rainbow Dash, did you do those spins that low?”

“aah Yeah, I did. I scared the shoes off of every pony.” She couldn't help but giggle.

“That is so dangerous! What were you thinking!” Fluttershy looked at her friend in wonder.

“She said she just thought it 'looked cool'. Don't worry Fluttershy, Immelmane said he'd nail her tail to the floor if she tries that kind of stunt again.” Firewing hoped pressure from her friends would help keep the reckless blue pegasus in check.

“I promised him I wouldn't do anything too dangerous without his permission. I meant it too,” said Rainbow Dash. “I did that trick because I knew I could and I could do it again. But you're right Firewing, you mess up once on that one and it will be the last.”

“Didn't you try to stop her Firewing?” asked Fluttershy.

Firewing nodded her head. “Dash made anyone who knew what she was going to do promise not to tell before she showed them the move. By the time Windyday figured out a way to stop her, it was too late.”

“How could you stop her?” asked Rarity.

“They were going to concede. Can you imagine that?” said Rainbow Dash. “Three finalists in a Wonderbolts tryout quitting so the fourth wouldn't have to do a dangerous maneuver. I had already gone into my dive by the time they figured it out.”

“You were lucky you were able to do that crazy trick,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash snorted. “pfft It wasn't luck. I'm just that awesome!”

“Whatever,” said Firewing, “the important thing is you're still here to say that.”

“You all were really going to quit rather than let Rainbow Dash take a risk?” asked Twilight, deeply touched. “I think we should thank you for looking out for our friend.”

“That's for sure,” added Applejack. “You ever need anything, Firewing, you just let us know and we'll come a runnin'.”

Pinky Pie hugged Firewing. “Thank you so much. We wouldn't know what to do if something happened to our Dashie.”

“We all were looking out for each other,” said Firewing modestly. “By the time the tryouts were over, we were all good friends. Except for Twister of course.”

“Yeah,” said Dash in disgust.

“What happened with her anyway?” asked Fluttershy. “We only heard rumors in town.”

“Well, Twister had a kind of nasty reputation that only some of us knew about,” said Rainbow Dash. “I didn't know about her but we sort of didn't get along from the start.”

“Twister insulted Dash the first morning at breakfast,” said Firewing. “I think she was jealous that Dash was faster than her too.”

“What did she say?” asked Rarity.

“She wondered aloud if a clown did my hair,” said Rainbow. “I think she was trying to get under my skin. I've heard worse than that.”

“How rude!” said Rarity.

“Yeah,” said Firewing, “so then we went out to the training area and they had us race each other.”

“I bet I know who won that!” said Pinky Pie. “No pony is faster than Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “I had some warnings about Twister from Frost and Windyday so I took a quick lead during the race and Twister burned out trying to catch me and finished last. After the race she was mad at me and Windyday. Then Frost told her off. She was really mad then.”

“Then we did follow the leader in two groups of five,” continued Firewing. “Dash and I were in the first group and Twister was in the second group. She started flying recklessly, taking chances, bullying her way through. She had a couple of brushes and almost caused a few mid-airs before the real accident. She tried to dive between Sunrise Cloud and Razor and hit Sunrise pretty hard. She almost crashed. She was lucky she wasn't badly hurt.”

“Frost went after Twister and Spitfire and I had to stop her,” said Dash. “It was a bad way to start the first day.”

“I was so worried that you had been hurt when I saw the litter crew flying out,” said Fluttershy looking at Rainbow Dash.

“I was fine. I might not have been if Frost had tried to go through me to get to Twister,” said Dash with a laugh.

“What happened to Twister?” asked Rarity.

“She wasn't hurt,” said Firewing, she sounded disappointed. “They threw her out of the tryouts and made her leave the Wonderbolts compound. There's an inquiry on Wednesday. Dash and I have to go to that.”

“What will happen then?” asked Applejack.

“Well, she's responsible for a mid-air collision and injuring a fellow competitor,” said Dash. “She was flying recklessly. She's in trouble and there's no pony on her side. She's gonna get plucked.”

“Plucked good,” added Firewing.

“They going to pull out her feathers?!” exclaimed Rarity in horror. “How barbaric!”

Rainbow Dash didn't miss a beat; “Yep, and that's gonna hurt.”

Firewing is snickering and Fluttershy is giggling with her hoof over her mouth.

“That's a little extreme don't you think?” asked Twilight.

Pinky Pie noticed Fluttershy. “Fluttershy! Are you laughing?”

Fluttershy lost control. “Sorr...eeheehee I'm ss..sorry. Heeheehee.”

Firewing was sputtering. “Hahaha.”

“I understand that she should be punished,” said Applejack, “but I don't think it's funny.”

Fluttershy laughed louder.

“Fluttershy! I'm surprised at you,” chided Rarity. “You're usually more understanding than this.”

“Well, it's pegasi business,” said Twilight, “but I had no idea you were so mean to each other.”

Dash couldn't keep a straight face any longer started laughing too.

“I think it's gross,” said Pinky Pie. “A plucked pegasus ewww!”

The three winged ponies collapsed on the floor laughing while the others watched them perplexed.

Applejack was the first to think they were being toyed with. “I think these three know sumthin' we don't.”

Firewing recovered first. “'Yeah, we do. Hee hee. Plucked means getting banned from flying. It could mean banned from competing or doing certain types of flying or flying in certain places.”

“Or flying altogether,” added Dash. “It's just slang.”

“Thank goodness!” said Rarity with a gasp. “You had me worried there for a minute.”

“Me too!” said Twilight. “That sounded horrible.”

“I'm sure it would be,” said Dash as she wiped her eyes. “Ugh! You're right Pinky Pie, that would be gross.”

“Yeah, even Twister doesn't deserve that,” said Firewing.

“You pegasi have a weird sense of humor,” said Applejack. “Up til now, I thought it was just Rainbow Dash.”

“I wonder if I should write the Princess about this?” wondered Twilight aloud. “I know I should tell her all about your adventure or maybe you should.”

“I'll be glad to, tomorrow,” said Rainbow. “Today lets just enjoy each others company. Firewing is here to relax a little too. That was a fun but pretty tiring week.”

“I'll bet it was,” said Twilight. “The foods all ready. Let's eat and have a little fun.”

“Rarity, I need your help for a minute,” said Pinky Pie. The pair went off to a table in the corner. The rest assembled around the large table and began to eat.

“It all looks so good,” said Firewing. “I thought I was going to miss the food in Cloudsdale but I don't think I have to worry about that now.”

“Are you from Cloudsdale, Firewing?” asked Twilight.

“No, I'm from Manehatten. The contestants came from all over Equestria.”

“You all flew so beautifully,” said Fluttershy. “I liked your stunts but I really liked the sky dancing.”

“I could show you how to do that,” offered Firewing. “I started out doing sky dancing; my mom had me take lessons for years.”

“Oh, would you?” said Fluttershy excitedly. “I mean if it's not too much trouble.”

“Sure, we can fly a little tomorrow,” said Firewing. “I can't teach you much in just two days but you can at least get started.”

“Why didn't you keep doing sky dancing?” asked Fluttershy.

“It got a little boring for me,” answered Firewing. “I liked it but I'm more like Rainbow Dash. I love aerobatics.”

“I've never tried it,” said Rainbow Dash between bites of food. “It's nice to watch sometimes but I love going fast.”

“You should do it a little bit,” said Firewing. “It will help your stunts.”

“Never thought about it,” said Dash with a frown. “How?”

“It's more strenuous than it looks for one thing,” said Firewing, “so it's good exercise. It also trains you to be precise so you can fly to a point in space. I think you could be good at it. It's also something you can do when you can't do stunt flying anymore.”

“I don't even want to think about that,” shuddered Dash. “Maybe I'll give it a try. It might come in handy sometime. The opening act is about fifteen minutes long. Even I can't fly flat out for that long. Doing something less strenuous now and then will let me catch my breath before the next trick.”

“Don't worry, I think Immelmane has a plan for that,” said Firewing.

“I wish you'd tell us how you got to be friends with him, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy. “I was always scared of him. I thought he was mean.”

“Don't say that Fluttershy,” said Dash in an injured tone. “He isn't mean. He's just serious and ...grim sometimes. But he's like that because he really cares. He wants his students to remember what he says. When you don't listen to him, he tries to make you listen to him. I guess that's why I always thought he hated me. I was wrong, he just wanted me to be safe. He didn't want me doing things that he thought were beyond my abilities.”

“He didn't want you to get hurt, like he did?” suggested Firewing.

“Yeah, he and a friend of his were doing something I've probably done a hundred times, just racing through a forest. His friend collided with him. It was a fluke, an accident and they both crashed. His friend wasn't hurt but Mr. Immelmane was...well, you've seen him. The worst part...” Rainbow Dash choked up.

“It's okay Dashie, you don't have to tell us,” said Fluttershy.

“No, I think I should,” said Dash. She sniffed. “The worst part was that his friend blamed himself, even though Immelmane didn't, and he left Cloudsdale and never came back. No pony has seen him in years. The accident destroyed him. All they were doing was racing through a forest, they lost sight of each other and collided. Frost and I used to do that a lot.”

“Me too,” added Firewing.

“Now Immelmane is more sad for his friend than for himself.” Dash sighed. “So that's the story. No pony had better ever say anything about him while I'm around.”

“I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy. “I didn't know.”

“It's okay, Fluttershy. You heard the same stupid stories that I did when we were little fillies,” said Rainbow Dash sadly. “Immelmane kind of treats it like a joke. 'And so I pass into legend' he said. He even laughed. Then he hinted about the same thing happening to me; how my friends would tell stories about me long after I went out in a blaze of glory.”

“Oh, Dash I had no idea,” said Firewing. “He shouldn't have said that to you.”

Rainbow Dash hung her head. “Yes, he should have, because he's right. He also said that my friends would rather have me around and not just tell their stories of me.”

“We sure would,” said Applejack.

“I know what I do is dangerous but I'm not scared of what may happen to me. He made me understand that what happens to me effects the ponies I care about. That scares me a lot more.” Rainbow Dash looked up and saw that her friends had stopped eating and were looking at her with pained faces. She forced a smile. “Hey, who thought I'd be a party pooper! Come on! This is supposed to be a celebration.”

“Yeah, here,” Pinky Pie said as she nudged the cake in front of Rainbow Dash, “go ahead and cut the cake.”

“Uh, maybe Twilight or Rarity should do that,” suggested Dash. “Great job on the cake Pinky Pie, almost too pretty to eat.”

Rarity levitated the knife and cut the cake while Twilight placed the pieces on plates and passed them around.

“And no more talkin' shop, you winged critters,” said Applejack. “The rest of us don't know what the hay y'all are talkin' about.”

“Aw I wanted to discuss wind currents,” teased Firewing.

Rainbow dash laughed. “I'll have to agree with Applejack. That would put me to sleep. I don't know if this counts as talking shop, but Rarity, it looks like I'll be needing those flight suits from you after all.”

“You have to buy your own?” said the white pony in surprise. “I thought you said they would provide them.”

“They'll provide my Wonderbolt outfit but I'll need at least four outfits for my performances,” explained Dash. “I love this suit but I think I'll need something flashier for the shows.”

“Wonderful! How soon do you need them?” asked Rarity.

“I figure about a month for the first one,” answered Dash. “I won't need them all at once. I'll get a better idea when I talk to Immelmane on Wednesday. I should probably get something to practice in too. And something for cold weather.”

“Looks like I'm going to be busy,” said Rarity happily. “I've been working on some new designs. I think you'll like them.”

“I'm sure Fluttershy told you about the girls looking at the designs you sent with her,” said Firewing. “I wanted to place an order too.”

“Of course!” exclaimed Rarity. “I'd be happy to do it. Stop by my boutique tomorrow and we'll get to work. You must have done a good job, Fluttershy.”

“It was easy,” answered the yellow pegasus. “Every pony I showed your designs to seemed to like them.”

“Yeah Rarity,” said Dash, “I think you can expect some visits from my friends pretty soon. They liked the dress I got from you too.”

“Wow Rarity,” said Spike, “it looks like you really are going to be busy.”

“And rich too,” added Applejack.

“Imagine seeing your designs in the sky!” said Pinky Pie. “That is going to be cool, huh.”

“Oh my!” said Rarity. “If I get that much business I might have to hire some ponies to help me.”

“And don't forget, the shops in Cloudsdale want to see some samples,” said Fluttershy. “And..um I want to get a flight suit too. Something that's more me.”

“We won't be seein' Rarity for a while I reckon,” laughed Applejack. “Rainbow Dash, looks like you're not the only pony that had her dreams come true on account of the Wonderbolt tryouts.”

“And just wait until the contestants get home,” said Dash. “You'll be getting orders from Canterlot, Fillydelphia and Manehatten too.”

Rarity swallowed hard and smiled nervously. “H..how many seamstresses are there in Ponyville?”

They all laughed.

“Maybe you could sell the designs to the shops and get a commission for everything they sell,” suggested Twilight.

“That might work,” pondered the white unicorn. “I'll have to be sure I only let the best shops in each city do it. I might need your help again, Fluttershy. It will take a pegasus to go to all the towns.”

“Of course Rarity, I'd be glad to do that,” said Fluttershy.

Firewing followed this conversation with interest. “You all seem to work together well. In Manehatten, most of us hang around our own kind and don't really mix much.”

“Maybe you should,” said Rarity. “Of course each of our kind can do certain things better than others but if we didn't have each other Equestria wouldn't be nearly as nice a place to live.”

“Yeah, Applejack grows apples but I make sure the trees get rain and Pinky Pie bakes them into good stuff to eat,” said Rainbow Dash.

“And we unicorns make a lot of things easier with our magic,” added Twilight.

Firewing nodded. “It might be because in Manehatten the Pegasi live high up. I've gone weeks at a time without ever touching the ground. I guess the ground bound ponies mix a little more.”

“I don't think I'd like that,” said Fluttershy. “There's so many wonderful things on the ground. I'd miss them too much to ever live in the sky again.”

“You live on the ground?” asked Firewing in surprise.

“Oh yes,” answered Fluttershy. “I have a nice little cottage near the Everfree Forest. You must visit me sometime.”

“Amazing,” said Firewing. “The only place I've ever seen pegasi living on the ground is Canterlot but that whole place is up in the sky.”

“A lot of pegasi live in houses in Ponyville. I like it up there though,” said Dash as she pointed up.
“Speaking of the Ponyville pegasi, how has the weather team been while I was gone?”

“Good,” replied Twilight. “They might have been a little late on Tuesday clearing off some rain but that's about all.”

“Good, because I won't be doing that anymore,” said Dash. “I'll have to practice more than I used to and I'll be away several days a month, more if there's a show.”

“I guess they'll be paying you pretty good if you can afford to quit the weather team” said Applejack.

“Oh yeah, the pay is good,” said the blue pegasus, “and you can make even more with endorsements.”

“And all the free goodies too,” added Firewing. “Goggles, shampoo, hoof polish, food all kinds of stuff.”

“Is that why you wanted to be a Wonderbolt?” asked Pinky Pie. “So you can be rich?”

“No way!” said Rainbow Dash. “I did it so I can perform in front of huge crowds of fans! I want to show every pony flying like they've never seen.”

“Me too,” agreed Firewing. “I'm driven to perform. I couldn't stop if I wanted to.”

“That's right, Firewing,” said Dash with a nod. “Performing aerobatics is like breathing.”

“They both need air?” asked Pinky Pie, eliciting laughs and groans from her friends.

* * *
The party continued well into the evening. Most of the conversation centered on the events in Cloudsdale as the two groups pieced together what the others had been doing. At last Rainbow Dash and Firewing returned to Dash's house in the sky and the others went to their own homes. They agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning.

Chapter 40

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Chapter 40
The ponies all met at an outdoor cafe the next morning. At first they were left alone but more ponies soon arrived to see the celebrities. After breakfast, the three pegasi and Rarity headed for her boutique. As they walked through the town, a small entourage followed them. The pegasi considered flying but they saw that there were quite a few pegasi above them too. The mayor approached them and blocked their way.

“Welcome home, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “I understand you won the competition. Congratulations!”

“Well, not exactly,” explained Dash. She swished her rainbow tail in annoyance. “I won the position of full time solo aerialist and reserve Wonderbolt. I'm the first pony to hold the job. Firewing here will be a Wonderbolt in about three weeks and another friend of mine started training today for the present position.”

“So you didn't really win?” said the Mayor. She sounded disappointed.

Firewing was upset for her friend. “She's the best aerialist in Equestria. All the judges agreed on that. If that isn't winning, I don't know what is.”

The Mayor brightened. “I see. So you are a Wonderbolt? That's wonderful. We're planning a little celebration for tomorrow. We want to give every pony in town a chance to show their support and celebrate one of our own becoming a star. If it's alright with you, we'd like to start at eleven o'clock. I'll give an introduction and act as mistress of ceremonies. Your friends will be on the podium with you of course and can say a few words if they would like. And Miss Firewing, we would be honored if you would join us too.”

“The honor would be all mine,” said Firewing.

“That sounds good to me,” said Rainbow Dash. “Maybe you'd let us put on a little show for everypony?”

“Oh! Would you?” said the Mayor. “I was hoping you would.”

“I think we can put something together,” said Dash, amused by the Mayor's reaction.

“We could do the routines we did for the competition,” suggested Firewing.

“And I guess we could do a little synchronized stuff but it won't be all that great with just the two of us,” said Rainbow Dash thoughtfully.

“Why don't you do a little sky dancing?” suggested Fluttershy. “I love watching that.”

“Because I've never done it for one thing,” replied Dash. “Firewing could do some I guess but she really needs a partner.”

“Whatever you want to do is fine,” said the Mayor. “I'm sure two fliers like you can come up with something.”

“Where are we going to do this?” asked Firewing.

“We'll start out in front of the town hall,” said Mayor Mare, “but if you could perform just to the north of town there is a large open field. Every pony could watch you there.”

“I know where you mean,” said Dash. “That would be good.”

“Could you send whoever is handling the music out to that field this afternoon so we can practice?” said Firewing.

“Of course,” said the Mayor. “This will be wonderful! I'll let you go so you can work on your speech and practice your show. I have a lot of preparations to make. This is going to be the biggest celebration we've had in a long time!” She ran off.

“Speech?” said Rainbow Dash with a frown. “Let's see, how about 'Thanks every pony! Let's eat!'.”

Firewing laughed. “Not into public speaking? Doesn't sound like you.”

“It's not that,” said Rainbow Dash peevishly. “I just wanted to relax for a while. We got back yesterday, practice today, perform tomorrow and head back to Cloudsdale the day after. I just want a break.”

“I wish I could help,” said Fluttershy.

Firewing thought for a moment. “Maybe you can. You said you wanted to learn some sky dancing.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I couldn't learn much in a day. You said so yourself.”

“You don't have to learn much,” said Firewing. “Just enough to give us a little break and pad out the show.”

Rainbow Dash thought she should try to nip this idea in the bud. “Firewing, Fluttershy really doesn't fly very well. She's a great friend and has a lot of great qualities but I don't know if this is a good idea.”

“She's right,” agreed Fluttershy sadly. “Even after knowing Rainbow Dash all this time, I still don't fly all that well. I've gotten stronger but that's about all.”

Firewing was not to be put off. “Look, just come and practice with me. If you can't do it, nothing is lost.”

Fluttershy brightened a little bit. “Alright, you said you were going to get me started anyway.”

“Well, if that's settled,” said Rarity, “let's get over to my boutique. Come on or I'll never get to work on your suits.”

* * *
The three pegasi followed Rarity to her shop. The white unicorn immediately starting levitating several drawings from a stack of papers on her work table. “Here are some of the designs I've been working on. Most are a little further along than the ones I sent with Fluttershy. These are variations on the one I made for Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy, I was thinking this one might be nice for you. I could make it in variations of yellow with pink trim. A two tone pink would be a good look too. Firewing, I given some thought to colors for you too. The gold silk I used for Rainbow Dash's suit would work for you too. I'd make it a little different of course. Maybe trim it in brown or red and leave off Dash's symbol. What do you think?”

“I think I'd like that,” said Firewing as she gazed at the drawings. “Let's keep it in mind. If I went with a full body suit would it be easier?”

Rarity thought for a moment. “It would give you a greater color selection because we'd only have to match the red. The problem with matching red and brown is it limits the palette. You can go with red, brown, gold or yellow hmm maybe tan or an orange. What are you wearing now?”

“Red and white in a roll pattern. It's just a practice outfit,” said Firewing. “The only other flight suit I have is from my old team.”

“What's a roll pattern?” asked Rarity.

“Big rectangles like a checker board. Only eight for the whole suit,” said Firewing.

Rarity was puzzled. “I see...no, I don't see. Why in Equestria would you wear that?”

Rainbow Dash giggled. “It shows off spins and rolls better while you're flying. It's not for fashion.”

“Right,” added Firewing “but I want this suit to actually look good.”

Rarity smiled. “That I can do. If you want to still show off your moves we could put in a stripe or maybe a pattern of sequins.”

“That sounds cool,” said Firewing.

“This one with the diagonal stripe looks good” said Rainbow Dash. “I could see myself in that. Maybe a two tone blue with lots of sparkles.”

“If you like that, you'll love this.” Rarity showed Rainbow Dash another design. This one is red on the front and gold on the back. The red tapered to a point on the underside of the suit. Firewing and Rainbow Dash both loved the suit. Even Fluttershy pictured herself in a version of it.

“Wow, that is something Rarity,” said Dash. “See Firewing, I told you she was a genius.”

“Oh my, well thank you,” said Rarity. “I'm glad you like it. But there's more.”

“More?” said Firewing, Dash and Fluttershy together.

They spent the rest of the morning looking at designs, fabric and taking measurements. In the end Dash decided on three suits and Firewing took two. Fluttershy was satisfied with one. Rarity joined her three customers for lunch. Afterward the three pegasi went to practice and Rarity returned to her shop to begin work.

Chapter 41

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Chapter 41
“I just want to run through my routine once more,” said Dash. “I have it down already. I guess I should come up with a little more than that since it's so short.”

“Why don't you do that while I work with Fluttershy for a while,” said Firewing. “I can work on my routine later. I think I'll just string one of my old routines in front of the one I did in the try outs.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Okay, see ya later.” She took off, rapidly gaining altitude.

“Alright Fluttershy, why don't we try a little something,” said Firewing. “I'm going to fly and I want you to follow me and do what I do. If it's something you can't do or don't know how to do just tell me. Alright?”

“Okay,” replied Fluttershy, “are we going very high up?”

“High enough to be safe but not so high that the ponies on the ground won't be able to see us well,” said Firewing.

“Higher is safer?” said the yellow pegasus nervously.

“Sure,” said Firewing, “if you're too low and something goes wrong you have no time to correct it. Remember what they told you in flight school? Most accidents happen during take offs and landings. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything real hard. I'm just going to teach you a little dance. It isn't very strenuous.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Alright, I'm ready...I guess.”

“Good. Now there are only five moves in this dance; the loop, the stall, the spin, the turn and the half loop. Can you do those?” Firewing felt like she was talking to a much younger filly.

Fluttershy nodded her head. “I think so.”

“Then follow me. Stay back a few lengths so you don't run into me,” instructed Firewing.

They took off and gained altitude. One by one, Firewing led Fluttershy through the moves. Though Firewing is going at a slow pace, Fluttershy is a move behind by the end of the exercise.

Firewing dropped back and flew beside Fluttershy. “Are you tired?”

“Oh no,” said Fluttershy happily. “That was easy.”

“Could you do it a little faster?” asked the new teacher.

“I guess so,” said Fluttershy. “I'm not really used to going fast.”

“You don't have to go real fast, just a little bit faster,” said Firewing, trying to encourage her. “Lets try it with some music. It will be a lot easier if you can hear the beat. Watch me first.”

She went over to the DJ unicorn and asks her to play the dance music. She took off and when she reached altitude, she waggled her wings and the DJ started the music. The maneuvers where made to fit the length of the song when performed three times in sequence. Firewing had done this dance since she was a filly did it perfectly. She returned and landed beside Fluttershy.

“There! That's all there is to it. Do you think you can do that?” said Firewing.

“I think so,” said Fluttershy. She was becoming more confident.

“I'll fly along with you and call out the tricks and then say 'now' and you do them, okay?” said Firewing.

“I think that would help a lot,” said Fluttershy.

“Let's fly!” said Firewing. They took off again. When they got to altitude Firewing asked if Fluttershy was ready.

Fluttershy nodded and Firewing signaled the DJ to start. “First move is a shallow dive into a loop. Now!”

Rainbow Dash was practicing her routine at a higher altitude and rode the currents to watch her friends below. Fluttershy, acting on Firewing's direction, was actually performing the dance pretty well. She started to follow along with the moves. Firewing had Fluttershy perform the dance four times before she noticed that Fluttershy was tiring and allowed her to land. Rainbow Dash decides to go congratulate her.

“That was pretty good for your first try,” said Firewing.

Fluttershy smiled but was too out of breath to say more than “thank you”.

“When you're rested we'll try it together,” said Firewing. “Just do what you just did and ignore me. I'll be doing a mirror of your moves and it will be my job to make sure we don't collide.”

Fluttershy was startled. “C..collide?”

“Don't worry,” said Firewing, “I've done this before and with ponies that were a lot worse than you.”

Rainbow Dash landed. “You looked pretty good up there Fluttershy.”

“Thank you, this is harder than it looks,” said Fluttershy.

“Really?” Rainbow Dash found in hard not to laugh.

“It's mostly trying to do the maneuvers on the beat,” said Fluttershy. “I was constantly trying to speed up and slow down.”

Firewing smiled. “You practice that same dance everyday for an hour and I guarantee that in a week you'll be doing it so smooth and easy that it won't tire you at all.”

“You really think so?” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash answered her friend. “Sure Fluttershy, practice is usually the answer. That and having a good teacher.”

“That's right,” added Firewing. “We all learned from some pony.”

“If you want to rest a little longer, I'll get the DJ to play my music and run through my routine,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Sure, go ahead,” said Firewing.

Rainbow Dash went to the DJ. “Do you have a longer version of this song?”

“Sure,” said the white pony in the sunglasses, “it's just an extra two verses and there are vocals. But yeah, I have it.”

“I guess it will have to do,” said Dash. “Let me get up there and level out, then start the music.”

“You got it,” replied the pony with a grin. She was enjoying this. It wasn't often anypony got a private show from two Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash took off and quickly reached her desired altitude. The music started. Firewing instantly noticed that Rainbow Dash wasn't doing the same routine from the tryouts. It's slower and the tricks are all different. This continued through the first two verses and into the third when she started the routine she used in the tryouts. She worked her way into the dive and her landing maneuver, her new safe version, and landed by her friends as the music ended.

Fluttershy was stunned. “Wow! Rainbow Dash, no wonder they wanted you to be their solo performer. That was great!”

“Thanks Fluttershy. I wish you could have seen it the old way.”

“This is just as good Dash,” said Firewing. “Don't try that old way again”

“Yes, I don't need to see it,” said Fluttershy. Despite a secret wish to see Dash's old stunt, she knew from Firewing's description how dangerous it was.

“Don't worry, you won't,” said Dash with a little laugh. “Think that will satisfy the crowd tomorrow?”

“Oh yes,” said Fluttershy. “Everypony is going to love that.”

Firewing agreed. “You looked good. I really liked the way you built it up from the slow maneuvers to that full speed routine you used in the try outs. That's the kind of thing you'll have to do at all the Wonderbolt shows.”

“I know. I'm glad I have a choreographer to help me,” said Dash. “I'd never be able to come up with a fresh routine every show. I have lots of tricks but I've only put a routine to music a couple of times.”

“Oh come on!” said Firewing, “you looked as good as anypony at the tryouts. I don't know about Frost but Windy and I have been doing this for years.”

“I watched a lot of competitions and aerial shows. I guess I picked a lot up from just watching other ponies. Starshine helped a little bit too.” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Mostly I just put on something that rocks and start flying.”

“You're just a natural Rainbow Dash,” said the yellow pony. “It's like I am with animals or Twilight is with her magic.”

“You really don't usually fly to music?” asked Firewing. She was still skeptical.

“Well, no,” said Dash. “I like to fly to music but I don't usually have the option. I just guessed at how long the tricks would take during the tryouts. I was lucky to get as close as I did on the first try.”

“Well, if Fluttershy is rested we'll try a little flying to music while you take a break,” said Firewing.

Fluttershy arose. “Sure, I could fly some more now.”

“Okay,” said Firewing, “when we get up there I want you to pick out a point and fly towards it. Fly straight and level and at a constant speed. I'll get into position and signal the DJ to start the music. When it starts just do the moves like before and ignore me. I'll adjust to you.”

“Alright, I'll try,” said Fluttershy. She sounded a little stressed.

“Just try to relax Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. “Remember, this is supposed to be fun.”

Firewing and Fluttershy took off while Rainbow Dash watched them from the ground. The music started and Firewing and Fluttershy began the dance. Firewing turned away from Fluttershy as they circled in opposite directions. They flew towards each other, dropped into a shallow dive and into a loop towards each other. They almost touched as they passed on the upward arc of the loop. As they completed the loop they veered away from one another and performed a spin. They turned towards each other again and did a half loop. The dance continued. Rainbow Dash is surprised at Fluttershy's rapid progress. The dance ended and the pair returned to the ground.

“Wow Fluttershy, you looked like a real pegasus up there. Nice flying!” Rainbow Dash really meant it and briefly wondered if she could have done a better job helping Fluttershy along.

“That was really good for a first time,” added the Manehatten pony. “I wish I had more time to work with you.”

“Thank you both,” said Fluttershy as she blushed. “I didn't know I could do that. Maybe I could come to Cloudsdale when Rainbow Dash visits sometimes. I'd really like to learn more, if it's not too much trouble.”

“Sure, I'd be happy to,” said Firewing. “You might even be able to find a real teacher there and fly with a class.”

“Well maybe,” said Fluttershy. “I'd like to get a little better before I went to a class. I'm afraid I'd be embarrassed if I went to a class now.”

“I'll help you get better,” said Firewing, “and I'm sure Rainbow Dash would be willing to help too.”

“Sure!” said Dash enthusiastically, “I'm going to take your advice and learn a little about this sky dancing myself. We can practice together.”

“Why don't you take her up for a while so I can practice my routine?” said Firewing.

“Okay with me,” said Dash. “Think you can fly a little more Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I'd like to rest a little more first if it's alright with you.”

“Sure, we can watch Firewing for a while,” said Dash.

Firewing went over to the DJ and selected some music. Soon she was airborne and swiftly gained altitude. The music started and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are treated to a private show.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Beautiful, just beautiful.”

“She's almost as good as you,” said Fluttershy.

“She's better in some ways,” replied Dash. “I've never seen a more graceful flier. I thought she was better than Windy and Windy thought so too.”

“Then how did she win?” asked Fluttershy.

“Because Windy is an extremely talented pegasus,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Very precise, very smart and she has more experience. I think the judges picked her because they felt that Firewing would need more training. It's funny, I didn't like Windy at first. Frost knew her and said she was cold and didn't have any friends. I thought she was kind of stuck up, like she was better than everypony else.”

“And now?” asked the pink maned pony.

“She changed last week,” said Rainbow Dash. “Before she was always just calculating her next move, doing whatever it took to win. Always trying to be perfect at everything. The day you saw her first perform was the day she really changed. She can still just go into that … I don't know what to call it, she just gets outwardly calm and really focused on whatever she's doing. But now she enjoys being with other ponies, she does things for fun. And you can tell just by looking at her. Maybe if she hadn't woken up, Firewing would have won the first spot. She's really nice to be around now.”

“I hope I get to meet her when we go back to Cloudsdale,” said Fluttershy.

“When “we” go back to Cloudsdale?” asked Dash.

“Of course! I'll be going with you and Firewing when you leave on Wednesday. I have to visit the shops with Rarity's designs,” said Fluttershy.

“I didn't think about that. Sure, you can meet Windy. I'm sure you'll like her.” Rainbow Dash shifted her attention back to Firewing as her song ended and she landed next to them.

“Like the show?” asked the performer with a toss of her red mane.

“Oh yes! It was lovely,” replied Fluttershy. “I'm sure everypony will enjoy it tomorrow.”

“Awesome as always,” added Dash.

“Thank you both,” said Firewing with a dramatic bow.

“You know, you're the first pegasus Rainbow Dash said could fly better than her,” said Fluttershy.

“Really?” said Firewing. “That's quite a compliment.”

“What I said was that you were better in some ways,” corrected Rainbow Dash. “I never said you could out fly me.”

“What's the difference?” asked Fluttershy.

Firewing couldn't resist teasing Dash. “Yeah, what's the difference?”

Rainbow Dash was taken aback. “I can um.. but you're more..aah... I'm faster and can do more tricks but you're more graceful and .. and you look better while you're flying!” It came out in a rush.

“That was hard for you wasn't it?” Firewing laughed and Fluttershy joined in. “You are faster than me and you do know more tricks. I'll give you that. I think you are the best Dash, it's just that you haven't had the benefit of formal training.”

Rainbow Dash stuck her nose in the air. “phht Formal training. That's just a bunch of ponies telling you what you can't do. Like that move you wanted to do in our show on the last day.”

“But you didn't know how bad some of your moves were until I told you,” reminded Firewing. “You can't see how you look when you perform. You need some pony with a good eye for that.”

“And I'm grateful for that,” said Dash. “That's another reason I'm really glad I've got Immelmane on my side. He'll do more than keep me safe, he'll help me look good too.”

“So you do need help sometimes?” asked Firewing.

“Sure, but I'll bet I wouldn't have as many tricks if I had the same training as you,” argued Dash.

They were interrupted by the DJ. “Are you gals going to fly or talk all day?”

The three pegasi laughed.

“Sorry,” said Dash. “Come on Fluttershy, you should be rested by now.”

“Okay, lets go,” said Fluttershy.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took off and flew up to performing altitude. The music started and the pair began the dance. For two inexperienced dancers they did fairly well. Both tried to adjust their speed to match the other and the music helped them stay coordinated. When it ended they flew down to join Firewing.

“You were right,” said Dash to Firewing, “that's not as easy as it looks.”

“It was probably my fault,” said Fluttershy. “I know I was too slow at first.”

“Now don't get discouraged,” said Firewing as she put a hoof around her shoulder. “You're just starting out. It'll come with practice. You both did okay for being new to dancing.”

“I wonder if I could do a little of that as an intro before I start my routine?” said Rainbow Dash. “Maybe I could get Frost or whoever the new reserve stallion is to dance with me, then when that's over I'll be at altitude and start my routine.”

“That's not a bad idea,” said Firewing. “It would give the reserve ponies some practice too. Get them used to being in front of a crowd.”

“We can talk about it latter,” said Dash. “Let's practice some more. Gotta look good for the home crowd.”

They practiced the rest of the afternoon and took turns working with Fluttershy. By the end of the day they had convinced her to join in the demonstration the following day.

Chapter 42

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Chapter 42
The next morning Firewing and Rainbow Dash met Rarity and Twilight for breakfast. Applejack had to do her chores early so she can come to the celebration and Pinky Pie was working at Sugarcube Corner helping to prepare the food. Somewhat to every pony's surprise, Rarity had Firewing's first flight suit ready.

“Wow, you're fast,” said Firewing. “I'd have to wait at least a week to get a new suit in Manehatten.”

“Well, it wasn't as hard as Rainbow Dash's suit since yours is a lot like hers,” said Rarity. “Once you figure out how to do something, it's a lot easier the second time. I won't have the other one done by the time you leave tomorrow but I wanted you to be able to take something back with you.”

“Thank you so much,” said Firewing. “I'll wear it when I perform today.”

“Too bad Fluttershy's isn't done,” said Rainbow Dash. “I guess that black one won't look too bad though.”

“Fluttershy's going to perform today?” said Rarity in surprise. “You're not serious are you?”

“Yep, she's going to do a little sky dance with Firewing,” said Dash. “If she does as well today as in practice, no pony is going to question her flying again.”

Twilight was dubious. “But she gets so nervous, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I think she can do it,” said Firewing. “It's an easy little dance that only lasts a few minutes. She had it down yesterday.”

“We should go over there after breakfast and check on her,” said Dash. “Maybe even run through the dance a time or two.”

“Yeah, if she is getting cold hooves there's no sense in having her go out and embarrass herself,” said Firewing.

“Don't look now but here she is!” said Rarity.

Fluttershy walked up wearing her flight suit. “Good morning every pony.”

“Looks like you're all ready,” said Dash.

“Oh yes! I'm really looking forward to sky dancing again,” said Fluttershy.

“Great, we were just going to come over and run through it with you a few times,” said Firewing.

“Wow Fluttershy, it doesn't bother you to perform in front of every pony?” asked Twilight.

“No, as long as I get to sky dance I don't care where it is,” replied Fluttershy.

“It's good to see you doing something you like dear,” said Rarity. “You can count on me to cheer you on.”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy. “I hope you like it.”

“I wish I could have had your suit ready today. I'm sorry I only had time to do Firewing's but since she's leaving tomorrow I wanted her to have something to take along,” said Rarity.

“Oh that's alright,” said Fluttershy, “I can wait. This will be fine for today.”

“I promise I'll do yours next,” said Rarity. “Let's go over to my boutique and let Firewing try hers on. There's still time to do any last minute alterations but I think it will be fine.”

“Alright but it's only a few hours until the celebration starts,” said Firewing.

“Let's go now.” said Rainbow Dash suddenly. “Here comes Mayor Mare! If she catches us we won't have a chance to do anything this morning. We'll meet you a your place Rarity. Let's fly!”

“Here's some bits to cover our meal,” said Firewing. “Later Twilight.”

The three pegasi took off and swiftly climbed upwards and away from Ponyville. The Mayor ran after them but soon gave up.

“Wings certainly are convenient at times,” said Rarity. “I guess I should be going. As fast as those three are they're probably there by now.”

Twilight laughed. “I'll see you latter. I have some things to do this morning.”

* * *
The three pegasi flew around the outskirts of Ponyville and landed behind Rarity's boutique. Rainbow Dash peeked around some bushes and saw Rarity in the distance. There was no sign of the mayor. Rainbow Dash smiled as she got an idea.

“Firewing,” said Dash, “Rarity did a great job on your suit. I don't even have to see it to know that. When you see it, ask to try it on. Don't let on how much you like it. Check yourself out in the mirror and then tell her it needs to be about twenty percent cooler.”

Firewing was perplexed. “I don't get it, 'twenty percent cooler' ?”

“It's an inside joke,” explained Dash. “Just say that and Rarity will totally lose it.”

Fluttershy snickered. “If you really want to see her lose it, tell her it looks nice.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, good one Fluttershy.”

“You two are weird, but I'll go along with it,” said Firewing.

“Great!” said Dash. “Fluttershy, take a look around the corner and see if the coast is clear.”

Fluttershy looked. “Rarity is getting closer. I'll go around front when she gets here and tell you if it's okay to come out.”

“Why are we sneaking around to avoid the mayor?” asked Firewing.

“Because if she catches us we'll be tied up listening to her boring preparations until the celebration starts,” explained Dash. “You'll be lucky if you get a chance to get into your flight suit. I just want to show up, do my speech and get in the air. And eat.”

“You wrote a speech?” asked Firewing.

“Nah, I'll just wing it,” said Dash. “Tell them what an honor it is to be selected as the first soloist, thank them for the party and introduce you. I'll tell them about how you helped me out during the try outs too. You deserve that.”

“How we helped each other you mean,” corrected Firewing. “I guess I'll have to say something too.”

“Knowing the mayor, she'll insist,” said Dash.

Fluttershy walked around to the front of the boutique. She and Rarity entered and Rarity went to the back door and let Rainbow Dash and Firewing in.

“Come in!” said Rarity. “You should have seen the mayor chasing after you. Heehee Come Firewing, let me show you your outfit.”

They entered the display area of the shop and there was Firewing's flight suit on a mannequin. Firewing smiled when she saw it and found it difficult to contain herself. She walked around, viewing it from different angles.

“Well, what do you think?” asked Rarity proudly.

Firewing tried to play her part. “Oooh, it's nice! Can I try it on?”

Rarity twitched slightly at 'nice' but maintained her composure. “Certainly! Let me help you.” Rarity said and proceeded to assist Firewing into her suit.

Firewing admired herself in the mirror, finding it harder not to express her delight in her new purchase. “Very nice indeed.” She looked at herself silently for a few seconds.

“Yes?” prompted Rarity.

“Well, could you make it cooler?” asked Firewing.

“What?!” said Rarity loudly.

“ You know, cooler,” said Firewing. “I think it should be about twenty percent cooler.”

“Cooler! COOLER!” screamed the dressmaker.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are trying to stifle their laughter with limited success. Firewing backed away from the agitated unicorn.

“What is with you winged ponies?” asked Rarity hotly, “Don't you like it?”

“Yes I...”

“Don't you LOVE it?” said Rarity taking another step closer.

“I do really..” Firewing said as she backed up to the wall.

“Is it not perfect?!” said Rarity.

Firewing was becoming worried now. “Yes! It is! Really.”

“But it should be cooler?” hissed Rarity.

“No! No it's fine! I love it!” said Firewing desperately.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are laughing now and Rarity finally noticed.

“And what are you two laughing at?” said Rarity, as she turned towards her friends.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are holding one another up as they laugh raucously.

“Um Rarity?” said Firewing with some hesitation, “I really do love the suit. Those two told me to say those things.”

“Oh really?” Rarity stared at her two friends sternly for a moment then began to laugh herself. “Alright, I get it.”

“I don't,” said Firewing. “What was that all about anyway?”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were not much help in telling the tale of the Grand Galloping Gala so Rarity told it from her point of view.

“I understand,” laughed Firewing. “I should know Rainbow Dash's sense of humor by now.”

“I should have caught on sooner myself,” admitted Rarity. “but you do really like the flight suit?”

“I love it and it fits perfectly,” said Firewing as she stretched her wings. “I can't wait to show it off this afternoon.”

With only a half hour to go, at Firewing's insistence and against Rainbow Dash's objections, headed to the town hall to meet with the Mayor. Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Applejack were already there as well as many other Ponyville residents.

Chapter 43

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Chapter 43

“Rainbow Dash!” said the mayor with relief. “There you are and your friends too. I was worried about you showing up! Come here, there is a lot to go over.” She led Rainbow Dash and Firewing away and went over the itinerary for the celebration. Fluttershy waited patiently in front of the hall for them to return. It didn't take Rainbow Dash long to become visibly bored, though Firewing was polite and attentive.

“Now then, what about the show you're going to do?”asked the mayor.

Firewing nudged Rainbow Dash.

“Oh yeah, well, we'll fly out to the field from here,” said Dash. “That will give us a chance to warm up a little. Firewing will open the show and do her routine. When she's done, Fluttershy will join her and they'll do a short sky dance while I fly up to performance altitude. After they land, the DJ will start my music and I'll perform.”

The Mayor frowned. “Excuse me, did you say Fluttershy was going to perform too? I don't know if I like that idea.”

“I'll need a partner to do the sky dance,” said Firewing. “We practiced yesterday and this morning. She did well.”

“Besides,” added Rainbow Dash, “we have to fill out the show a little or it will be kinda short.”

Mayor looked at Fluttershy doubtfully. “If you say so. I know she's a friend of yours, Rainbow Dash, but wouldn't another pegasus be better?”

“She'll be fine,” insisted Dash with more confidence than she actually had. “Besides, it's too late now. She's the only pony that knows the routine.”

“Well if you insist, I suppose she'll have to do,” agreed Mayor Mare.

“Fluttershy is a good enough flier to do a simple little dance,” said Firewing. “Don't worry.”

Mayor Mare decided to take Rainbow Dash's and Firewing's word on Fluttershy's skills. After all, they were both Wonderbolts and should know these things. “Fine. The ponies are gathering and it's almost time to start. Have your friends stand off to that side of the porch. I'll introduce Twilight after I say a few words and she can introduce the rest of your friends if they want to say anything. When they're done, I'll introduce you both and you can address the crowd as you wish.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Dash.

“When you're done, turn the stage back to me and you can head out to the field to get ready for the show,” said the mayor. “I'll tell the crowd to go to the field and also about the after show party. All set? Then lets get started.”

“Hey Fluttershy! Twilight! AJ! Rarity! Pinky Pie! Come up here!” called Dash.

Twilight and the others came forward. “I guess we're about to start.”

“Yep, we're supposed to stand over there,” said Dash.

“I know, the mayor gave us a walk through earlier,” said Twilight. “She was pretty put out that you weren't here.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, well, I didn't think we needed to spend a couple hours on something that should only take a couple minutes. Besides, Firewing had to get her new suit.”

“Those sure are some pretty duds, Firewing,” said Applejack. “Rarity, you really did a great job.”

“Thank you, Applejack,” replied Rarity. “I tried my best.”

“I can hardly wait for her to do my new one,” said Fluttershy.

Mayor Mare began the ceremony. “Everypony, may I have your attention please. As you all know, we are here today to celebrate the appointment of Rainbow Dash to the Wonderbolt's Team. Some of you probably didn't believe her when she said she was the best flier and that someday she'd be on the team but here she is, their newest member!”

The crowd cheered and applauded. “She also brought a friend along home with her, Firewing a fellow competitor and also a new addition to the Wonderbolt Team. Please give her a warm Ponyville welcome, Firewing!”

The crowd applauded again and Firewing stepped forward and waved to them. “Some of Rainbow's close friends would like to say a few words before I introduce our guest of honor. Here is a pony you all know, our talented unicorn librarian, Twilight Sparkle.”

The crowd applauded as Twilight came forward. “Thank you Mayor Mare. Most of you have known Rainbow Dash longer than I have but in the short time I've been here she has become a close friend. She is the most loyal, wonderful friend a pony could hope to have. That's why we were dreading her return from the try outs; we knew she would succeed and move away to Cloudsdale. We wanted her to win but we didn't want to lose her. Happily, when she returned, she told us that she not only joined the Wonderbolts but was also chosen to be their first solo aerialist. What that means everypony, is that she gets to stay here in Ponyville!”

The crowd erupted in cheering. Rainbow Dash was stunned at the reaction and deeply moved. “I want to keep this brief as I know all of you really want to hear from Rainbow Dash herself,” continued Twilight. “Applejack, Rarity, Pinky Pie and I couldn't wait to find out how the try outs were going so we got together and secretly sent Fluttershy to Cloudsdale to see if she could find out anything. She did a good job and made three flights back and forth to Cloudsdale to keep us informed. She also found out some things none of us expected. Fluttershy, could you please say a few words?”

Fluttershy stepped forward. “Hello everypony. I didn't really want to spy on Rainbow Dash but after what I saw and heard in Cloudsdale, I'm glad I did. Most of you have seen the Wonderbolts perform and have seen their amazing stunts so you must know how good a pegasus has to be in order to get into their group.

On the second evening of the competition, Rainbow Dash and Firewing started performing little shows when they came back from the training area. The next night there where a few more and the last two nights all the contestants performed, even the ones that had been eliminated. They were all very, very good. It was just beautiful to watch. Rainbow Dash and Firewing are two of the best of the best and pretty soon we're going to get to see them perform.”

The crowd cheered and Fluttershy ceded the stage to Twilight. “Thank you Fluttershy. Applejack, I believe you wanted to say something.”

Applejack stepped forward. “I reckon so. When I first met Rainbow Dash I thought she was talkin' a lot of hooie most of the time. Always sayin' how she was the best and braggin' about how good she could fly. But the more I got to know her, the more I realized how good she really is. Now I know that it ain't braggin' if you can back it up. Congratulations Rainbow Dash, and you too Firewing, you made believers out us.”

The crowd cheered again and Pinky Pie is introduced. “I just want to say how great it is that Rainbow Dash is staying here in Ponyville. It made it easy for me to plan the best celebration ever! Meet back here after the show and join in! Oh! And it was my idea to send Fluttershy to spy on Rainbow Dash.”

“Rarity, who designed the beautiful flight suits Rainbow Dash and Firewing are wearing, is next,” said Twilight as she continued the introductions. “Rarity?”

“Thank you Twilight,” said Rraity. “Rainbow Dash isn't the easiest customer I've ever had. She's especially hard to fit because she can't stay still long enough to get proper measurements.”

The crowd laughed. “I guess she is just made to move. I'm glad she can, because she used her incredible speed to save my life once, even though I had done some things that ruined a lot of her hard work. She is the most loyal and forgiving of ponies and I'm glad that I'm her friend. I'm looking forward to seeing her first public performance since becoming a Wonderbolt just as much as you all are so I'll let Twilight introduce the pony you really want to hear from. Thank you Rainbow Dash, and welcome home.”

“Thank you Rarity,” said Twilight. “Mayor Mare, I think you have some introductions to make.”

“Thank you Twilight,” said Mayor Mare. “I think it is indeed time that we heard from our guest of honor. Rainbow Dash, on behalf of all the Ponies in Ponyville, let me offer you our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes in your new career. Everypony, I present our guest of honor and new member of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash went to center stage and dragged Firewing along. “Thanks everypony! I really appreciate this. This is just tooo awesome! I want to start out by explaining what I'm actually going to be doing with the Wonderbolts because there seems to be a little bit of confusion. First of all, there were actually four open positions on the Wonderbolts, not one. A great pegasus named Windyday from Canterlot took the first regular spot on the team. Wait until you see her fly. My good friend Firewing here took the second regular spot and will be starting her training in a few weeks. She'll be performing this afternoon and you're really going to enjoy her show. The Wonderbolts created a new position that an old friend of mine from Cloudsdale, Frost, will be filling. She will be the first reserve Wonderbolt and will fill in just in case one of the other Wonderbolts can't perform.

My real position is another new one. They asked me if I wanted to become a regular Wonderbolt or be their first solo aerialist and I chose the solo position. I'll be the opening act and also perform during intermission at all the Wonderbolt shows. They asked me to do it because I had the most awesome individual performance and I'm going to perform it for you this afternoon!”

The crowd cheered and Rainbow Dash continued. “Even though I'm a great flier, I would never have made it to the finals without some help. If it hadn't been for Firewing here, I'd have been sent home in disgrace. She showed me all the things I was doing wrong and how to do it right. Everypony, give a big Ponyville welcome to my good friend Firewing!”

The crowd cheered and a somewhat embarrassed Firewing came forward. “Thank you everypony. I've never been to your wonderful town before and I'm so glad Rainbow Dash invited me. Every pony here has been so nice and has made me feel right at home. Rainbow made it sound like it was me that got her into the finals but it worked both ways. Without her I wouldn't be a Wonderbolt right now either. We teamed up on the first day and helped each other all week. She taught me how to fly faster and showed me the special trick that I used in my individual routine. I just couldn't have made it without her. Thanks Dash.”

The crowd cheered again and Firewing continued her speech. “Something else you should know is that there was an unfortunate incident on Monday. During the first day of the tryouts, one of the competitors flew recklessly and injured another pony. Rainbow Dash flew to assist the injured pony and then stopped one of that pony's friends from attacking the pony that caused the accident. She was a real hero that day.”

“One more thing, a lot of ponies don't seem to respect the new position of solo aerialist. The Wonderbolts created the position so you don't have to watch a bunch of lame opening acts and boring intermissions. They all agreed that Rainbow Dash is the most talented flier they ever saw and was the only pony for the job. If she hadn't accepted the job it would have been offered to me and you would have been disappointed. She could do a great job as part of the Wonderbolts team, but there is no way I could put on the kind of individual shows that she can. You'll see what I mean this afternoon. Something she also forgot to mention is that she is a reserve Wonderbolt and will be flying with the team if needed.”

“How did I forget that?” said Rainbow Dash. “Thanks Firewing. I have nothing else so I'm going to turn the stage back over to the Mayor so we can go get warmed up for the show. Thanks again and we'll see you there!”

The Mayor took the stage and addressed the crowd, telling them of the plans for the rest of the afternoon. Rainbow Dash and Firewing went over to Fluttershy and the three took off and headed to the field.

Chapter 44

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Chapter 44

The DJ was there testing the setting up. After reviewing the music selection one last time the three pegasi took off and did some light maneuvers to warm up.

“The wind is blowing me around a little,” said Fluttershy. “I hope it dies down by the time we go on.”

“Don't worry,” said Firewing. “I'll just leave you a little extra room. It's not too bad, I can adjust to it.”

“Yeah, it is pretty choppy,” agreed Dash. “If I wasn't performing in front of a crowd I'd enjoy flying in this but I don't want to look bad in front of everypony.”

“We'll just have to be careful that's all,” said Firewing. “Especially you on that ending maneuver.”

“Yeah, I'll hit it even a little higher up than I planned,” said Dash. “Looking bad in front of the home crowd is one thing, but crashing would just stink.”

Firewing laughed. “Just be careful, okay?”

“You too, and watch out for Fluttershy,” said Dash. “At least when I'm flying I'll be alone.”

“We'll be fine,” said Firewing as she looked at Fluttershy with smile. “I've flown sky dancing in worse than this and never collided with any pony.”

“Look!” said Dash, “they're gathering already.”

“It looks like almost everypony is here,” asked Fluttershy nervously. “What do we do now?”

“I guess I'm ready,” said Firewing. “We land and wait for for the Mayor to introduce us.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “Firewing lead the way.”

The three flew down and landed in front of the crowd. The Mayor stepped out to talk with them one last time.

“Are you all ready?” asked the mayor.

“Yep, all warmed up and ready to fly,” answered Dash.

“I'll take off from the ground when the music starts and get up to altitude,” said Firewing. “Once there, I'll do my routine and land just as the music ends. We can start whenever you're ready.”

“Alright,” said the mayor, “if you're ready, I'll introduce Firewing and we'll get started.”

“Good luck roomie, give 'em a show,” said Dash.

Firewing smiled. “Thanks, you'll see my best.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walked over to their friends in the front row to watch Firewing perform.

“Thanks again girls for what you said at the celebration,” said Dash. “It really meant a lot.”

“No problem RD,” said Applejack. “We meant it all.”

“Everypony, may I have your attention please!” announced the mayor. “The show is about to start. Our first performer is Firewing who will do a solo routine. Mares and stallions, colts and fillies, I give you; Firewing!”

The crowd cheered and Firewing did a slight bow. The DJ started the music and Firewing took off.
Firewing flew an extended version of the routine she used in the tryouts. She added many moves and tricks that she used in other competitions over her years of flying. All the ponies are mesmerized by Firewing's skills but the pegasi are in awe of her precision and grace.

“And Rainbow Dash is better than her?” commented Rarity. “Unbelievable.”

“She is lovely in flight isn't she?” said Fluttershy. “But yes, Rainbow Dash won the individual contest.”

Pinky Pie was grinning from ear to ear. “Wow, I knew Dashie was good but not that good.”

“She must really be the best if she beat Firewing and that Windyday,” added Applejack. “I just gotta see her fly someday.”

“This is really something,” said Twilight. “I wish I could have gone to Cloudsdale too Fluttershy.”

Firewing continued long past the three minutes allowed in her tryout routine. At last she went into her ending move. She performed the move, landed and bowed. The crowd cheered as she bowed again to the crowd.

To Rainbow Dash's eyes it looked like she landed heavily and the half Immelmane before that wasn't as refined as it usually was. She went to her friend. Rainbow Dash smiled and waved to the crowd exhorting them to cheer louder. While they were distracted she had a quick word with Firewing.

“Are you okay?” asked Rainbow.

“Fine but watch yourself up there,” said Firewing. “The air is more disturbed than before. I struggled to get that half Immelmane and caught a downdraft that just wasn't there a second before.”

“Okay, guess I'll take that ending up another fifty hooves,” said Dash. “Take some time to recover if you need it. I'll talk to the Mayor.”

“Do that,” said Firewing. “That landing was pretty jarring. I'll nod when I'm ready.”

Rainbow Dash trotted over to the Mayor who was about to speak.

“Take your time,” said Dash. “Firewing is okay but she needs a moment to recover.”

Mayor Mare was thrown off her plan. “Alright, um, why don't you explain to the crowd what we just saw. I was just going to introduce you and Fluttershy and don't really have anything prepared.”

Rainbow Dash was a little annoyed but agreed.

“Rainbow Dash is going to tell us about what we just saw,” announced the mayor.

The crowd was confused but applauded anyway.

“Thank you Ms. Mayor,” said Dash. “Hey Weather Team! Why don't you guys fly like that?”

The Weather Team laughed and a couple of partially eaten apples landed near Rainbow Dash. The crowd joined in on the humor between the Weather Team and their old boss.

“Firewing just performed the routine that she did during the tryouts with a lot of added tricks thrown in,” said Dash. “I won't go into the names and all that but I'm sure you all noticed how sharp all her moves were. That is the kind of stuff I learned from her. And that big barrel roll with the spins was what she learned from me. I wish they had given us more time in the tryouts because I could watch her fly all day. In a few moments you'll get to see her do something different while I fly up and get ready for my routine. Before taking up stunt flying, Firewing was an accomplished sky dancer. I guess that only you pegasi know what that is but maybe seeing this little demonstration will help it become more popular.” She glanced over at Firewing who nodded. “I see Firewing is ready so I'll turn this back over to the mayor.”

“Thank you Rainbow Dash,” said the mayor. “The next part of the show will feature Firewing who will be assisted by Ponyville's own special pegasus, Fluttershy.” There was some applause and a lot of murmuring at this announcement as Fluttershy trotted out and stood next to Firewing. “When Firewing and Fluttershy are through, our guest of honor, Rainbow Dash, will perform her routine. Maestro, if you please.”

The music began and the three pegasi took off. Rainbow Dash simply climbed in a wide arc while Fluttershy and Firewing made lazy circles up to a much lower altitude. As Rainbow Dash was almost to her preferred altitude, she heard the music change and looked down to see Firewing and Fluttershy begin to dance. Rainbow Dash leveled out and glided, watching the show and resting. She smiled at the thought of Fluttershy performing in front of a crowd. Fluttershy was so caught up in wanting to sky dance that she wanted to do it regardless of who was watching.

The wind buffeted Rainbow Dash and she suddenly dropped in altitude and then rose again. It was more noticeable as she glided gently rather than cutting through the air at speed. She watched Fluttershy and Firewing and they didn't seem to be having much trouble with their dancing. The dance came to an end and the pair landed to the applause of the crowd. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. 'It's showtime,' she said to herself and dove into her routine.

Rainbow Dash did her best to duplicate the precision and speed that she had shown during the tryouts. This was for all the ponies in her adopted home. She flew as well as she ever had and the applause started before she was halfway through. Twice she felt the turbulence that was plaguing the fliers but she easily compensated and continued towards her final move.

Her timing was right on the mark as she nosed over into her dive. She plummeted towards the ground and started slowly spinning. Again she felt the turbulence but she doggedly continued on. She neared the point where she had to start her flat spins and tried to pull up slightly. Almost nothing happened but she threw herself into the flat spins anyway as her speed was bringing her closer to the ground at an alarming rate. She could tell that the flat spins were not slowing her fast enough and she was rapidly using up the cushion she had added to make the maneuver safe. With no time to think she flipped over and before she tried the second set of flat spins, again tried to pull up. She felt her wings bite into the air and it changed her trajectory slightly. Again she went into her flat spins as the ground continued to race towards her. One, two, three, four and pull up and out of the spins.

As Rainbow Dash swooped up towards her stall she barely felt the sting of her tail hitting the ground. She was rising now and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She stalled and dropped toward the ground. She landed and bowed as the crowd went wild. She held the bow, panting, reluctant to let the crowd see her face. Firewing raced to her side before she could rise.

“You just had to show off in front of your friends didn't you?” She hissed at her friend but then she noticed that Rainbow Dash still had not moved and was shaking. “Are you alright?”

“Wasn't...on...purpose! Almost..I..almost crashed!” Rainbow Dash's voice was a trembling whisper.

Firewing gasped as the crowd continued applauding and cheering. Trying to give her friend some time to pull herself together, she faced them with a smile on her face.

“Wasn't that the greatest stunt EVER?!” shouted Firewing.

The crowd doubled their cheers. Only the pegasi stared on in silent disbelief. They knew that no pony would try that sort of move on purpose.

Firewing nudged Rainbow Dash, trying to rouse her. “That was the stunt she performed during the tryouts! The judges couldn't believe what they saw and unanimously proclaimed her the greatest flier in Equestria!”

Rainbow Dash was slow to recover. Still trembling she raised her head and smiled at the crowd. It was a mask but no pony was close enough to see the fear in her eyes. She turned, faced the crowd and bowed dramatically.

The pegasi could not believe their ears but they had just seen what they all considered to be an insanely dangerous and impossible stunt. They too joined in the cheering and the Weather Team swooped down to surround Rainbow Dash. They picked her up and carried her from the field. Another group grabbed the startled Firewing and treated her similarly.

This was just what Rainbow Dash needed to recover fully. She had pulled off yet another impossible trick! True, it hadn't been planned, but her quick reactions and flying skills had saved her life. Now she was being carried like a hero! “You're charmed Rainbow Dash,” she thought to herself. “If that didn't kill you, then nothing can!”

She laughed aloud and twisted to look for Firewing. Firewing was not enjoying this ride as much as Rainbow Dash and glared back at her. Dash shrugged as if to say 'what can I do?' and laughed again. Firewing shook her head, smiled and started to chuckle to herself. Rainbow Dash was just irrepressible and always would be.

The impromptu celebration of the Weather Team brought the show to an abrupt end. The Mayor was caught off guard and could do little except to shout for everypony to go to the party. Rainbow Dash's friends were mixed in with the crowd and swept along to where the tables of food were set up. They found their way to the head table where the Weather Team had deposited Rainbow Dash and Firewing.

Rainbow Dash was seated to the right of the mayor's empty seat with Firewing next to her. Fluttershy tried to sit near the end of the table but Twilight directed her to sit next to Firewing. Of all the ponies present, she was the only one who did not look happy.

“What's the matter Fluttershy?” asked Firewing. “You did great up there.”

“I thought Rainbow Dash was going to do the safe version of that move,” said Fluttershy angrily. “When this is all over she has some explaining to do.”

“It wasn't planned that way Fluttershy,” explained Firewing. “Rainbow Dash almost crashed. She caught a bad downdraft and couldn't pull up.”

Fluttershy was shocked. “Really? I couldn't tell.”

“When I ran up to her after she landed I was going to let her have it too,” said Firewing, “but then I saw how she was shaking. She was really scared. That's why she stayed in that bow so long.”

“Oh my! I had no idea!” gasped Fluttershy.

“She even increased her safety margin and it's a good thing she did,” added Firewing. “If she hadn't done that, well, I don't want to think about it.”

Fluttershy got up and went around Firewing to nuzzle against Rainbow Dash. “Oh Dashie, we almost lost you didn't we?”

“Yeah, I barely pulled that one off,” said Dash. “Sorry if I scared you. I was pretty scared too.”

Mayor Mare made it through the crowd to the stage. “Fluttershy, please take your seat. That was a nice job you did today.”

“Thank you. Ms. Mayor,” said Fluttershy. She returned to her seat between Firewing and Rarity.

“What was that all about?” asked Rarity.

“Oh Rarity, we almost lost Dashie,” said Fluttershy. “That landing she did wasn't the way she planned it. She almost crashed. She's alright but it scared her pretty bad. The air was rough today and a downdraft caught her by surprise.”

“Thank Celestia she was able to save herself,” said Rarity. “I'll need to hear more about this later. Don't say anything until we're alone; she probably doesn't want this getting out.”

“Yes, good idea,” agreed Fluttershy.

The meal was served to the head table while the rest of the ponies served themselves. The party lasted the rest of the afternoon. Rainbow Dash and Firewing spent much of the time answering questions and giving hoof prints and autographs.

Even Fluttershy received some attention. Most of the earth bound ponies had never seen sky dancing and now thought Fluttershy an accomplished dancer. After all, wasn't she flying with a Wonderbolt? The pegasi knew better but were still surprised that she had done as well as she did and many offered their congratulations.

* * *
There was no need to serve supper as the ponies had been nibbling on various treats all afternoon. As the sun started to set and the shadows got longer, the party started to break up. Firewing joined Rainbow Dash and her friends in Twilight's library.

Rainbow Dash slumped onto Twilight's sofa and sighed. “That was some day. I'm more tired than I was after the try outs.”

“Me too,” said Firewing. “I guess it wasn't such a good idea to come here to relax.”

“I know you wanted to rest and tomorrow you have to fly back to Cloudsdale,” said Fluttershy sadly.

“It's alright and it isn't your fault anyway,” said Firewing. “You can't blame the town ponies for wanting to honor Rainbow Dash. I'll have to go through it again when I get back to Manehatten.”

“I don't envy you that, said Dash.

“Not coming home with me?” teased Firewing.

“No way,” said Dash. “I have to start training, remember. I'll be talking to Immelmane tomorrow after the inquiry and I know he'll be giving me some things to work on.”

“What are you going to tell him about that ending move today?” asked Firewing.

“The truth,” said Rainbow Dash. “I don't want that to ever happen again.”

“You don't want what to ever happen again?” asked Applejack.

“She almost crashed today,” said Rarity. “Fluttershy told me.”

Twilight, Applejack, Pinky Pie and Spike spoke as one. “Crashed!?”

“I'm alright,” insisted Dash. “I managed to adjust and pull off the move... barely. Tail still stings a little though.” She curled her tail up beside her and tried to examine it.

“Let me see,” said Firewing. She and Dash examined the injury. “Not too bad. Doesn't look very swollen, just a little scrape and you lost a few hairs.”

“Yeah, I'll live,” said Dash. “Guess I should get home and clean it up.”

“Nonsense,” said Rarity, “Twilight and I can do it now. We can be more gentle and do a better job with our magic.”

“That's right,” said Twilight. “Spike, the first aid kit please.”

“Sure Twilight,” said Spike.

The two unicorns fussed over Rainbow Dash who looked a little apprehensive.

“Are you going to tell us what happened?” asked Pinky Pie. “I thought you were just doing one of your awesome-super-spectacular-thriller-diller tricks.”

“It was supposed to be the same ending I used when I came home,” said Dash, “but I caught a bad downdraft. It was like all the air was gone. I just kept falling. I was able to pull up a little after the first set of flat spins and that saved me. I got out of the downdraft and finished the move.”

“That was quick thinking,” said Firewing. “It's a good thing you're a great flier. Most ponies would have panicked and crashed.”

“I was lucky,” admitted Dash.

Firewing laughed, “Yeah, that too.”

“You'd better be more careful,” said Applejack. “Crashing would be bad but crashing right after you become a Wonderbolt would be downright embarrassing.”

The ponies laughed.

“I was being careful,” said Rainbow Dash in a serious tone. “I changed the original move to come out higher and when we realized the air was really choppy I moved it up even higher. If I hadn't done that I'd have hit the ground hard.”

“Here's the kit Twilight,” said Spike.

Twilight took the kit with her magic. “Thanks Spike. Ready Doctor Rarity?”

“Ready, Doctor Twilight,” giggled Rarity.

Rainbow Dash, though apprehensive, lay still and allowed her friends to tend her wound.

“Rarity, try to part her hair and I'll put the ointment on,” said Twilight.

“Alright, how's this?” asked Rarity.

“That's good.” Twilight levitated a dab of ointment out of the jar and onto the wound. “There! That should do it. Now to bandage it.”

This was not to Rainbow Dash's liking. “No, don't. I don't want any pony to see a bandage on my tail; they'll know I was injured.”

“It will heal faster if it's covered,” said Rarity. “I might have a solution. Twilight, hold the pad in place and I'll weave some of her hair over it. It's on the underside of your tail Rainbow Dash, no pony will see.”

“Well, okay, you can try,” said Dash.

It took Rarity some time to weave Dash's hair over the patch but at last it was done. Rainbow Dash took a look and smiled. “Thanks Twilight, thanks Rarity, that feels a lot better. Looks good too, I mean you can't tell it's there. Heh.”

“Didn't know you were that vain,” said Firewing, with a smile.

Dash shook her head. “Vanity has nothing to do with it. I just don't want to have everypony asking what happened to my tail.”

“I understand,” said Firewing, “especially when we see the Wonderbolts tomorrow.”

“Right!” said Dash. “I guess we should get some rest soon. We have a lot of flying to do tomorrow.”

“How long will you be gone?” asked Pinky Pie.

“I'm planning on flying back tomorrow night,” said Dash, “as long as the inquiry doesn't last too long.”

“Me too,” said Fluttershy.

“I'll be heading back to Manehatten after the inquiry so I won't be seeing you for a while,” said Firewing. “I'll try to stop by before I start my training.”

“We'll be glad to have you, Firewing,” said Applejack. “There's still a lot of Ponyville you ain't seen.”

“I'll be sure to have your other outfit ready,” said Rarity.

“Stop by my place when you're ready to leave tomorrow,” said Fluttershy. “I'll give you a quick tour and we can leave from there.”

“Sure, we can do that,” said Firewing.

“Don't forget to stop by my shop too, Fluttershy,” said Rarity. “I have some more finished designs for you to take along.”

“Looks like we'll have to get up early,” groaned Rainbow Dash.

Spike and the ponies laughed. The after party continued for a while but soon Applejack and Fluttershy say their farewells to Firewing and the rest soon follow.

Firewing and Rainbow Dash flew up to Dash's house in the sky and packed the few things they were taking with them to Cloudsdale. Firewing was soon sleeping on her bed of clouds but Rainbow Dash found it difficult to fall asleep at first. There had been the week of the try outs, the victory dinner and dance, the flight home, a day of practice yesterday and the performance and party today. It had been a long day and had almost been her last. Tomorrow was the inquiry in Cloudsdale.

Rainbow's last thought before sleep took her was, “No matter what, I'm taking Thursday off.”

Chapter 45

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Chapter 45

The next day dawned bright and clear with only a gentle breeze blowing through Rainbow Dash's window. Firewing was already up as Rainbow Dash reluctantly roused herself and gathered her things for the trip.

“All ready?” asked Firewing.

“Yes and no,” answered Rainbow Dash. “I'm ready to go to Cloudsdale to see Immelmane and start my training. I'm not ready for this inquiry. I might be more annoyed with Twister now than I was right after they kicked her out. She'd better not show up.”

“There's not really any reason for her to come,” said Firewing. “If she does, YOU don't even talk to her. Got it? I'll talk to Windy and we'll make sure we stay between her and you and Frost.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” asked Dash. “I'm not scared of her.”

“I know that,” replied Firewing. “You and Frost both have a temper and if I know you, you'll be looking for a reason to fight and so will Frost. I can handle myself around her without getting into a fight and Windyday is, well you know how she is; she can just hold herself above it all.”

“Oh all right,” said Dash. “Have it your way. I don't have any food here. Let's head down to Sugar Cube Corner and grab a quick breakfast.”

“Yeah, I guess we'd better be going,” said Firewing. Thinking of the inquiry and arguing with Rainbow Dash put the normally happy mare in a bad mood. They silently helped each other don their bags and glided down to Ponyville.

Sugar Cube Corner was just opening and Mr. and Mrs. Cake were happy to serve the new celebrities. They quickly ate their breakfast and drank some tea. Both of the new Wonderbolts felt better after the meal. They took a few muffins along for Fluttershy in case she hadn't eaten yet and headed to her secluded home.

Fluttershy was busy feeding her animals when they arrived. “Good morning Firewing, good morning Rainbow Dash. I'm almost ready,” said Fluttershy. She was as cheery as ever and further improved their moods.

Firewing was fascinated by all the creatures running around the place. While she knew what they were from pictures, she had seldom seen most of them in real life. She thought the nearly flightless chickens particularly amusing.

Angel bunny was there and Firewing lowered her head to get a closer look. Angel bunny didn't like this strange mare poking her nose in his face and whacked her on the nose with a carrot. Brandishing the carrot like a sword he tried to fend her off but Firewing simply bit off most of the carrot and chewed it up. Fluttershy soon finished feeding the animals and the three pegasi entered her house.

“You have a lovely home Fluttershy,” commented Firewing. “Very cozy.”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy. “Rainbow, can you give some help with my bags?”

“Sure,” replied Dash.

Firewing looked around Fluttershy's home as Rainbow Dash assisted Fluttershy. Suddenly she saw two mice near her hooves.

“Ewww! Mice!” cried Firewing. She reared up, intent on bringing her hard hooves down on the rodents.

“Nooo!” moaned Fluttershy as she realized what was happening.

Rainbow Dash zipped across the room to bump Firewing and throw off her aim. She was successful. Firewing's hooves met only floor and the startled mice beat a retreat to a hole in the wall.

“Whew! That was close,” breathed Rainbow Dash.

Firewing was perplexed. In Manehatten nearly every pony would have reacted as she did.

Rainbow Dash whispered, “they're pets.”

Fluttershy was looking into the mouse hole. “It's alright little mice. She didn't know you. Just stay there until we're gone. You'll be okay.”

“Sorry, I didn't know they were pets,” apologized Firewing.

“I know,” said Fluttershy. “Not many ponies like mice. Poor little things.”

“I guess when Rainbow Dash said you take care of all the animals she really meant all of the animals,” said Firewing. She stuck her head down to the hole. “Sorry!”

“Have you eaten yet?” asked Dash. “We brought you a couple of muffins.”

“Oh, Thank you!” said Fluttershy, “I just had a quick bite and was going to get something on the way to Rarity's.”

They gave Fluttershy the muffins and she began to nibble at them. Firewing wandered back outside and Rainbow Dash followed.

“That was awkward,” said Firewing. “I don't know any pony that cares for mice.”

“I told you she was very kindhearted,” said Dash with a chuckle. “Anyway, no harm done.”

“That's quite a forest over there,” said Firewing. “It looks endless from the air.”

“That's the Everfree Forest,” answered Dash. “It is huge. I'm not even sure how big it is.”

“I've never been in a real forest before,” said Firewing. “There are a few small patches near Manehatten but nothing like that. I'd like to go in there the next time I visit.”

“No, you wouldn't,” said Dash. “The Everfree Forest is weird. It doesn't operate like Equestria. There are dangerous things in there. No ponies live there except Zecora. Well, Zecora is a zebra.”

“A zebra? Here?” said Firewing in surprise.

“Yeah,” said Dash, “we all used to be scared of her but she's cool. She knows a lot about potions and stuff.”

“I had no idea there were any this far inland,” said Firewing. “I see zebras sometimes when their trading boats come to Manehatten but I didn't know that any actually lived in Equestria.”

“Only one I know of,” replied Dash. “We're glad to have her around though.”

Fluttershy walked up to the pair. “All set?”

“Yep, let's get going,” said Dash. “Next stop, Rarity's.”

The trio flew back to Ponyville. The streets were now filling with ponies going about their daily business. Those that noticed the fliers above them cheered and waved.

Firewing laughed. “How long do you think this will last?”

“Not long,” said Dash. “They'll get used to me being another resident of Ponyville soon. The cheering is as much for you as me. You're the 'real' Wonderbolt.”

“Does that bother you?” asked Firewing.

“No, I'm happy with my decision,” said Dash. “And I'll be even happier when I get a few shows behind me and word gets around just how incredible I am.”

“And just how modest you are as well,” said Firewing sarcastically.

“I admit, I've never been accused of that,” said Dash. “The only thing I'm good at is flying but I really am the best there is.”

“You're good at other things too Dash,” said Firewing. “You wouldn't have such good friends otherwise.”

Rainbow Dash thought about that for a few seconds. “Yeah, you're probably right. I must be pretty awesome at most things.”

Firewing just shook her head. She saw no point in explaining that wasn't what she meant.

The three pegasi landed at Rarity's shop and picked up her latest and more finished designs. Rarity looked a bit frazzled and tired. She seemed distracted as she gave Fluttershy some last minute instructions.

“Are you okay Rarity?” asked Rainbow Dash. “You don't seem yourself today.”

“What?” said Rarity. “Oh I'm fine. Just a little tired. I was up all night finishing Fluttershy's new flight suit.”

“Oh you didn't have to do that,” said Fluttershy. “I could have waited.”

“Well, I wanted you to look more yourself in Cloudsdale,” said Rarity. “You need something to show the potential customers.”

Rainbow Dash snickered. “Don't you think you should have her wear it?”

“Yes, of course!” said Rarity. “I'm sorry, I must really be out of it to forget that. I was in my creative zone and when I finished the suit I just fell asleep at my work table. I didn't sleep nearly long enough.”

She drew back a curtain to reveal her latest creation. There was a collective gasp from the three pegasi. It was beautiful. Based loosely on the gown she made Fluttershy for the Grand Galloping Gala, the tight fitting pale yellow suit was decorated with emerald sequins in shapes of ivy around the front hooves and chest. Fluttershy's cutey mark sparkled with tiny pink and blue gems. Clear sequins glittered around the throat and down the back while more mimicked the ivy pattern and flowed down the sides.

“Wow,” said Firewing simply.

“Yeah,” agreed Dash. Both of the aerialists were at a loss for words.

“Oh, Rarity it's beautiful,” said Fluttershy in delight. “I love it!”

“Gorgeous Rarity,” said Firewing. “The sky over Ponyville is going to be filled with pegasi when they see this.”

“It doesn't get any cooler than that,” said Dash. “I can hardly wait to see my new ones.”

“Thank you all,” said Rarity with a tired smile. “I am rather proud of it. Try it on Fluttershy and see if it fits.”

Firewing and Rainbow Dash helped Fluttershy remove her packs and Rarity assisted her in donning the suit. She modeled it front of her friends and admired herself in a mirror.

“It's perfect for you, Fluttershy,” said Dash.

“You only forgot one thing,” said Firewing.

Rarity looked shocked. “What?”

“A club to fend off all the stallions that will be chasing her after they see her in this,” said Firewing.

They all laughed as Fluttershy blushed, plainly embarrassed.

“I don't want to break this up but we really have to get going,” said Dash.

“Of course,” said Rarity, “it wouldn't do to make you late for the inquiry.”

“See you later Rarity,” said Dash. “Okay girls, let's fly!”

“I hope it's all right if I pay you when I get back,” said Fluttershy. “I didn't bring along much money.”

“It's fine dear, fly along now,” said Rarity.

“Good bye Rarity, it was nice meeting you,” said Firewing. “I'll be back in about three weeks. I'll write to Rainbow Dash and let her know the exact date.”

“It was so nice to meet you too, Firewing,” replied Rarity. “I'm looking forward to working on your next outfit. It will be spectacular.”

“I'm sure it will be,” said Firewing. “At least I have the red one to show off when I get home.”

There was a knock on the door and Rarity answered. “Applejack! What are you doing here? You're out of breath.”

“Just thought I'd give Firewing a little going away present,” said Applejack, “seeing as how she liked our apples so much.”

“Why thank you Applejack,” said Firewing, “that's very kind of you.”

“Don't mention it Firewing,” said Applejack. “I've been a step behind y'all this morning. I came into town and couldn't find you so I went out to Fluttershy's place but you were already gone. I got back to Ponyville and stopped by Twilight's and she sent me here.”

“I'm sorry Applejack,” said Dash, “but we really have to go now or we're going to be late.”

“Oh, okay then,” said Applejack, “let's get these loaded up quick.”

* * *
Quickly the ponies transferred the contents of Applejack's saddle bags to Firewing's and at last the three pegasi took to the air.

“I thought we'd never get out of there,” said Dash. “We'll have to fly fast now.”

“We can make it, no problem,” said Firewing. “I'm not as fast as you but I know I can fly to Cloudsdale with time to spare.”

“I know you can but Fluttershy can't,” said Dash. “Hey Fluttershy! If it's okay with you we're going on ahead. We're running a little late.”

“Go ahead, don't worry about me. I'll meet you in front of the Wonderbolt compound,after the inquiry,” said Fluttershy.

“Okay, see you later,” called Dash.

Rainbow Dash and Firewing put on speed and soon pulled far away from Fluttershy who didn't even try to keep up.

“So what did you think of Ponyville?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Nice little town,” said Firewing, “more friendly than any of the cities I've been to. I could live there if I had a place like yours. I don't think I'd like living on the ground.”

“Yeah, at least I don't have to worry about mice,” said Dash with a laugh.

Firewing laughed. “That was embarrassing. Fluttershy is a very nice pony but I couldn't live like she does with all those...those things running around.”

Rainbow Dash laughed too. “I guess she does go a little too far sometimes but she means well. She can't stand to see any creature come to harm.”

“Your other friends are nice too,” said Firewing. “I can see why you like to be around them. They each have their own special quality but they're all so different. Rarity is the most talented unicorn I've ever met, Pinky Pie is so funny, Applejack is really down to earth and steady and Twilight seems so smart.”

“You have them down pretty good but Twilight is talented too,” said Dash. “I think she can out magic any pony. Too bad you didn't get to see it. If it hadn't been for her we never would have beaten Nightmare Moon.”

Firewing couldn't believe what she heard. “What did you say!?”

“Oops,” said Dash.

“You went up against Nightmare Moon?” said Firewing as she tried to wrap her head around this news. “I heard about that. We didn't know who defeated her though. I thought it was Princess Celestia and her guards or something.”

“You just keep thinking that and forget I said anything,” said Dash. “We've become such good friends that I kinda forgot who I was talking to. It's not really a secret but it's been kept quiet. What we do is important; important for all Equestria. I'd rather not say much more.”

“Are you secret agents or something?” asked Firewing.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Something like that. We're a team and when we're together we have special powers. Fortunately we don't get called in too often.”

“I'm surprised that the Princess lets you do stunt flying,” said Firewing. “What would happen if, you know, something bad happened?”

“I don't know,” said Dash thoughtfully. “Replace me somehow. You know how the Princess is, she pretty much lets ponies do what they want and doesn't interfere unless she has to.”

“How did you get the job?” asked Firewing. “Was there a try out or something?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No, it doesn't work that way. I really shouldn't say anymore. Just please keep it a secret.”

“You can count on me,” said Firewing.

“I know,” said Dash. They flew on silently for a while. Rainbow Dash was no longer smiling and looked deep in thought.

“I think maybe if something does happen to me, they should pick you as a replacement,” said Rainbow Dash suddenly.

“Me!? Why?” said Firewing in shock.

“Because you've become friends with my friends and I could tell they like you too,” said Dash. “Also, I think you're loyal and both of those things would be real important. Promise me, if something does happen to me, that you'll talk to Twilight. Let her know that I think you would be a good replacement.”

Firewing was getting upset now. “Don't talk like that! I don't want to replace you!”

“But some pony would have to,” said Dash, “and I'd feel better knowing it was you. What if I catch another downdraft? This is too important not to prepare for the worst.”

Firewing was silent. She tried desperately to think of an excuse to say no. Rainbow Dash looked at her friend and saw the conflict in her face.

“I know you don't want to,” said Dash. “I'm sorry I put this on you.”

“I'll promise,” said Firewing at last, “but I don't know anything about magic.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Thanks Firewing. You don't have to know magic. All you have to do is be their friend and always be there for them.”

“That doesn't sound so bad.” Firewing smiled and Rainbow Dash smiled back. “Just so you know, this doesn't mean you can feel free to crash doing some crazy stunt.”

“Deal,” said Rainbow Dash. “Just remember it was you that brought up the replacement question. I hadn't thought about that before.”

“Great,” muttered Firewing. “Try to keep yourself in one piece so we don't have to really find out the answer.”

Chapter 46

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Chapter 46
Cloudsdale was clearly visible on the horizon now. The pair put on more speed hoping to get a chance to talk to their friends before the Inquiry started. Soon they landed in front of the Wonderbolt Compound and entered the now familiar courtyard. Several ponies were present including Mr. Immelmane, Frost and Sunrise Cloud.

“Hey Dash! Firewing! Welcome back,” said Frost happily.

“Hi Frost, hi everypony,” said Dash. “Great to see you all again.”

“Wow! Firewing, nice flight suit,” said Sunrise Cloud. “Did Rainbow's friend make it?”

“Yeah, she did,” said Firewing. “Don't you just love it?”

“And how is my new protege?” asked Mr. Immelmane. “Rested I hope.”

“Not really,” said Dash ruefully, “I think I've spent almost as much time in the air as I did during the try outs.”

“Really?” said Immelmane. “I thought you wanted to take a break.”

“I did but I ended up being the guest of honor at a victory celebration put on by Ponyville,” explained Dash. “Firewing and I did a little show for them too so we had to practice Monday, perform Tuesday and then fly here today.”

Mr. Immelmane chuckled. “Welcome to the world of the celebrity. Well, you can take a break for a day or two over the next week. I won't need to see you again until next Saturday. After the Inquiry, we can get your materials and have lunch.”

“That would be great,” said Dash. “I can't wait to get started.”

“Good,” said Immelmane. “I've been thinking of a way to incorporate that flat spin ending into your routine. If you start higher up, say fifty hooves, you might be able to do it safely.”

“I thought so too,” said Dash, “but not anymore. I tried it at about twice that and almost crashed.”

“What!?” cried Immelmane.

“When we did our routine yesterday the air was real choppy so I put in even more space for safety,” said Dash. “It was a good thing I did. I went into the trick and there was nothing under my wings. I just kept falling. It was a downdraft. A bad one. I've never been so scared. I was able to pull up between the sets of flat spins and do the ending the way I did it in the try outs. I hit my tail on the ground but nothing serious. I was lucky.”

“You were a hundred hooves up and still almost crashed?” said Immelmane. “That should have been plenty of room. That must have been quite a downdraft.”

“I need to learn to read the air better,” said Dash. “I shouldn't have been caught off guard like that.”

“We'll work on that,” said Immelmane. “Don't let it worry you. I'll do my best to keep your routine safe. What was the show like?”

“Firewing and I did our routines and added some moves to stretch them out,” said Dash. “Between our routines she did a little sky dancing with my friend Fluttershy.” She laughed. “After my routine the town pegasi carried me off on their backs, Firewing too. They didn't know I almost wiped out.”

“Fluttershy, Fluttershy, that name is familiar,” mused Immelmane.

“She was a student of yours a long time ago,” said Dash. “Yellow with a pink mane and tail. Three butterfly's for a cutie mark, but I guess you wouldn't know that. Very timid and nervous. Mmm easily startled, awful flier.”

Immelmane suddenly remembered. “Scared of heights!”

“That's her,” said Dash.

“And you got her into sky dancing?” said Immelmane. “How wonderful.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No, not me. She was here spying on me and saw our shows last week. She just loved the beauty of it so much that she wanted to try it herself. It's funny, for as gentle and timid as she is, if something grabs her, she's unstoppable. Do you know of a good teacher for her?”

“Why don't you teach her?” asked Immelmane.

“Me?” said Dash in surprise, “I don't know how to sky dance!”

“You don't?” said Immelmane, whose surprise matched his protege's.

“I followed along a little when Firewing was showing Fluttershy but that was the only time,” said Dash.

“So all you've ever done is stunt flying?” asked Immelmane.

“That and racing,” said Dash. “But Firewing and I were talking and I think I should learn some. We figured that some of the moves would help me with my routine. I know I can't fly flat out for my whole show.”

Immelmane shook his head. “It never occurred to me that you wouldn't know sky dancing. Most ponies start with sky dancing and then move up to stunt flying. Yes, you will need to learn some. We might have to start Firewing sooner so she can work with you. If not we'll have to get you an instructor.”

“I'd feel more comfortable with Firewing,” said Dash, “but whatever you think is best.”

“We'll talk about it later,” said Immelmane. “Windyday is here and we have to go over some things before the Inquiry.”

Rainbow Dash looked around and saw Windy, Spitfire and the rest of the Wonderbolts landing. The mares were wearing a white wrap around their middle with a red number on it. The males are similarly clad but with the colors reversed. Firewing saw them too and ran over to Windy. Dash trotted over to join them.

“Firewing! Rainbow Dash! Welcome back!” Windyday hugged them each in turn.

“Gee Windy, we've only been gone three days,” said Rainbow Dash. She laughed.

“It's good to be back Windy,” said Firewing. “How's your training going?”

“Great!” replied Windy, “It's hard work but I love it. I'm flying in the number two slot behind Spitfire. You'll be starting in the three slot, Firewing.”

“I wonder where they'll put me,” said Dash.

“You'll have to learn all the positions Dash, we all do,” said Windy. “Two is just my regular position. Firewing will be the regular number three.”

Immelmane stomped his hoof on the stone to get their attention. “Ladies, I need to see you all in the dining hall now please. We need to go over a few things before the inquiry starts.”

The ponies followed Immelmane, Spitfire and Soarin into the dining hall and found some seats. There was a stack of files on one of the tables and Immelmane called off each ponies name and had them come up and get a folder. The folder contained the statement they each gave after the incident with Twister.

“I want you all to look over the statement you gave last week,” said Immelmane. “The ponies on the board of inquiry have already read your statements and will be asking you questions about them. I advise you to keep your answers short and to the point. There is no need to provide additional information unless asked. If you find any errors in your statements, let me know so that we can inform the board. I'll give you a few minutes to look over your statements.”

Rainbow Dash and the other witnesses read over the statements. Rainbow Dash noticed that while the statement is accurate, some of the things she told Immelmane are absent. She walked over to Immelmane and asked about it.

“The answer is simple; only the facts are present in the statement,” said Immelmane. “The things I asked that required your opinion are absent. The board has reviewed the facts only. They may ask you questions or your opinions if they require them but their real purpose is to first analyze the facts in order to render a fair judgment. They don't want our opinions of Twister to influence their verdict. After they decide guilt or innocence, they may want to hear what we think.”

“She didn't come to defend herself or apologize? I would have,” said Dash.

“That is because you possess things like courage and honor,” said Immelmane. “She just wants to hide.” Immelmane's contempt was obvious.

“But she has to know that her punishment will be harsher with no apology,” said Dash. “Even if she didn't mean it, I'm surprised she wouldn't come to give one.”

“She might be too scared to come,” said Immelmane with a shrug. “She knows Frost is here. Frost and Sunrise Cloud both have a lot of friends in Cloudsdale.”

“I guess that could be it,” said Dash. “I know I wouldn't want to be on Frost's bad side.”

A pony entered the hall and summoned Immelmane, Spitfire and Soarin to meet with the board. In their absence, the ponies begin to talk among themselves. Little of the conversation concerned the inquiry, centering instead on Firewing's flight suit and Windyday's first day of training. Only a short time had passed until the pony that summoned the first group of witnesses returned.

“Rainbow Dash, Windyday, Firewing, Frost and Starshine, come with me please,” said the pony.

The five ponies followed their guide to the hall where the dance was held. It seemed strange that the serious proceedings were held in the same place where they were honored and had so much fun. The first group was still there as the five ponies were led before a group of seven ponies on the same platform where they had eaten dinner only five days before.

The pony in the center introduced himself. “I am Mr. Lighthoof. I will be conducting this hearing. Rainbow Dash, have you read over your statement?”

“Yes sir.” said Dash.

“And is it accurate?” asked Lighthoof.

“Yes sir,” repeated Dash.

Lighthoof continued the questioning. “From your statement, you said that you followed Frost when she flew off in pursuit of the second group just before the incident. Did you have a good view of the actual collision?”

“Yes sir,” said Dash.

“Your description agrees with the other accounts but I would like to ask about the collision itself,” said Lighthoof. “Describe it to us.”

“I was following Frost but I quickly caught up and was along side of her when it happened,” said Dash. “Spitfire pulled out of her dive in an inverted position and the others were executing the maneuver. Razor was next and she did it. Sweet Clover tried to do it but was really out of shape and couldn't do it so she dropped out of line. Twister wasn't in the line anymore and was moving much too fast to do the move but she tried to pull into the line in front of Sunrise Cloud. Right at that time, Sunrise pulled up in the inverted position and Twister hit her from above and behind. She came in at a slight angle from the side too and hit Sunrise with her hooves. Sunrise dropped and Frost and I went after her. She barely pulled out in time and hurt her wing doing it. She landed immediately and I...”

“Thank you Rainbow Dash,” said Lighthoof. “That is sufficient. Do you think the accident was avoidable?”

“Twister could see what was ahead of her,” said Dash. “She could have aborted or flown parallel to Sunrise Cloud.”

“Could she have flown in behind her?” asked Lighthoof.

“I doubt it,” said Dash with a shake of her head. “Twister was going much faster than the other ponies in the line.”

“Yet she was able to pull in behind Razor after the collision,” said Lighthoof. “Why is that?”

“First of all,” Dash began, “she didn't perform the inverted pull out. She pulled out normally and then flipped over. Second, a lot of the speed from her dive was lost from the collision.”

“Do you think it was on purpose?” asked Lighthoof. “That she used Sunrise Cloud to slow down so she could get back in line?”

Rainbow Dash was stunned. “I...I never thought about it that way. I can't imagine any pony doing something like that. I suppose it's possible, but I don't know what was going through Twister's head at the time.”

“That will be all for now Rainbow Dash,” said Lighthoof. “Windyday, tell us what you saw regarding the collision.”

“What Rainbow Dash said was accurate,” replied Windy. “I was watching from the cloud with Mr. Immelmane, Soarin and the others. From the angle I saw it, Twister was trying to get back in line after an earlier mistake. When she did her dive she cut through the line and was traveling roughly parallel to the line Spitfire was leading. When Spitfire pulled out of the dive inverted, it put her on the inside of the arc the others were flying. When Sweet Clover was unable to pull out properly, it left a gap in the line. Sunrise Cloud tried to close the gap and at the same time Twister tried to use her position to take the space behind Razor. That is when the collision took place. Twister hit Sunrise as she was doing her inverted pull up and sent her into a spin. It was remarkable that she was able to land safely.”

“And do you believe Twister intentionally used Sunrise to scrub off speed and regain the position?” asked Lighthoof.

Windy nodded her head. “I believe so. If she had not hit Sunrise she would have passed through the line of ponies and leveled out below. She was going far to fast too pull up on her own.”

“How were you able to tell this from the distance you were from the accident?” asked Lighthoof.

“Mostly due to their wing positions and the pattern on Sunrise Cloud's suit,” answered Windy. “The diving line of ponies were trying to control their speed and were also spinning. Twister was simply in a semi tucked wing position in a controlled dive. After she started trying to pass, she made up the space between herself and the lead ponies very quickly. Even though I was some distance away, I was able to clearly see Sunrise start her pull out. Just as she did it, Twister flared her wings to slow down and pull up. She hit Sunrise hooves first and I saw no adjustment to avoid the collision.”

“Do you think Twister could have avoided the collision?” asked Windy.

“Yes,” said Windy. “Her flying made no sense at all. Gaining a position or two while missing the tricks was not going to improve her chances nor was bullying her way through fellow competitors. She was taking a lot of unnecessary risks and was causing problems before the collision.”

“I understand you knew Twister before the tryouts,” said Lighthoof. “Did she do anything like this previously?”

“I don't claim to know her well,” said Windy. “I went to Phillydelphia and raced against her once. It was a three lap open, low level, twenty mile course. There were two classes of racers on the course at the same time. Twister and I were racing in the open class and there was a youth class which took off after we started. Twister was able to to get into the lead position while I was pacing myself in the pack. About halfway through the second lap, we started catching the youth class racers. By this time I was racing third and Twister was about twenty lengths ahead of me. As we neared a turn in the course, Twister gained a little altitude. It looked like she was going to fly over the youth racer, her name was Moon Rain, but as they went through the turn Twister suddenly dived and took an inside line through the turn. They brushed wings and Moon Rain was startled into straightening her line. She lost altitude and hit the tops of the trees before she could recover. A referee took statements from the ponies that witnessed the so-called accident but apparently they believed Twister's story of a downdraft that caused her to drop and as the reason that Moon Rain lost altitude.”

“I take it that you don't believe it,” said Lighthoof.

“No other pony felt any turbulence that day,” said Windy. “Intentionally ramming a pony that is not even racing against you makes no sense so I guess it was easier for the judges to believe her.”

“Thank you Windyday, that is all for now,” said Lighthoof. “Firewing, you state that you did not actually witness the collision itself.”

“No sir, I was trying to talk Mr. Immelmane and Soarin into stopping the exercise,” said Firewing.
“Starshine alerted me when the collision occurred and all I saw was Sunrise spiraling down.”

“Why were you trying to stop the exercise?” asked Lighthoof.

“I was afraid that some pony was going to get hurt,” said Firewing. “There had already been a couple of near misses and a minor collision. The line had almost dissolved and the only pony still under control was Razor. The rest were all having trouble.”

“After you saw the collision, you went to assist Sunrise Cloud?” asked Lighthoof.

“Yes,” said Firewing, “Windy had already taken off and was heading for the medical team so Starshine and I dove toward where Sunrise Cloud landed.”

“Thank you Firewing,” said Light hoof. “Frost, you were the first to take off and were heading toward the second group before the collision?”

“Yes,” said Frost.

“Your account of the collision agrees with that of the other witnesses but you don't say if you thought it was intentional. Do you think it was?” asked Lighthoof.

“Yes,” replied Frost. “Whether it was planned or not, Twister dove into Sunrise Cloud and made no attempt to avoid it. Dash had passed me and so maybe didn't see things quite the way I did. I absolutely think she used Sunrise to slow down and change her direction.”

“Is that why you broke off from going to Sunrise Cloud and attempted to attack Twister?” asked Lighthoof.

Frost hesitated before answering. She had feared this. “Yes. After I saw Sunrise land and knew that Rainbow Dash was going to her, I went after Twister.”

“You also knew of Twister's encounter with Moon Rain before the try outs, is that right?” said Lighthoof.

“Yes, Moon Rain is Razor's, her real name is Rain Zephyr by the way, younger sister,” said Frost. “Razor, Sunrise Cloud, Sweet Clover and I are all in the same club. I am their flight leader.”

“Did you give any instructions to your club members regarding Twister before the try outs?” asked Lighthoof.

“Not before the try outs because I had no idea she was going to be there,” said Frost. “I did instruct them after lunch the first day. I told them to keep away from her and to fly together if possible. I also warned them that she was not above cheating, though they all knew that. We had heard from other racers and spectators that she would sometimes use her flank or hooves against an opponents wings and of course there was the incident with Razor's sister.”

“There was no plan to harm her or sabotage her chances of success?” asked Lighthoof.

“No, we were all to keep our distance and if anything did happen they were to let me handle it,” said Frost.

“Why not let the authorities handle it?” asked Lighthoof.

“I am their flight leader and it is my job to take care of them,” said Frost. “Letting the authorities handle something was on my list of options.”

“Apparently assault was also on your list of options,” countered Lighthoof. Frost was silent. “After the qualification race, you went to the defense of Rainbow Dash and Windyday. Why did you feel compelled to do that?”

Frost felt like she was on trial now but tried to keep her voice even. “Twister came up to Rainbow Dash after the race and accused her of causing her to lose and then she blamed the rest of us for not warning her, which was a lie. Windy stood up to her and Twister made a veiled threat. I stepped in at that point and backed up Windy. I guess I did that because Rainbow Dash is an old friend and what Windy said was true. Rainbow Dash didn't make Twister come in last, she flew a poor race.” Frost suddenly laughed.

“Something about this amuses you?” asked Lighthoof.

“Just Twister thinking she could beat Rainbow Dash,” said Frost. “Yeah, that's pretty funny.”

There were some snickers from the rest of the ponies too. Dash smiled nervously.

“You don't think Twister had a chance to beat Rainbow Dash?” asked Lighthoof.

“Not a chance,” said Frost. “All of us knew that but she wouldn't listen. Rainbow Dash took off fast and into the lead and from then on the rest of us were racing for second place.”

“Yes,” said Lighthoof, “I remember there was some speculation about whether Rainbow Dash had baited Twister during the race. Would you care to comment on that Ms. Dash?”

Rainbow Dash nodded her head. “I had been warned before the race, by Frost and Windyday, that Twister might try something and I figured the best way to stop her was to get in front and not let her catch me. Once I got in front and got a good lead, I just flew away from her whenever I saw her gaining. I wanted to beat her and I wanted to beat her bad. I wanted to let her know that she shouldn't mess with me.”

“Was there any reason to think she would 'try something', as you put it?” asked Lighthoof.

“She insulted me the morning before the race and I don't take that sort of thing lying down,” said Dash. “We didn't really argue much but she also said some mean things about some other ponies that rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't trust her and after Frost told me about what happened to Razor's sister I trusted her less.”

“Were you afraid of her?” asked Lighthoof.

“I was afraid of what might happen if she tried anything dirty with me,” said Dash. “I wanted to win, not get tossed out for fighting.”

“You would have fought her?” asked Lighthoof.

“I would have defended myself,” replied Dash.

“Alright,” said Lighthoof. “Starshine, you were also on the cloud used as a base for the exercise. Your, account also agrees with the others so I'll ask you only if you think Twister's collision with Sunrise Cloud was intentional.”

“I don't know,” said Starshine. “I was mesmerized by what I saw but I can't analyze it the way Windy did. I do know that Sunrise had no warning and that Twister did hit her hooves first.”

“Thank you Starshine,” said Lighthoof. “That concludes the interview with this group. Please move to the back and allow the next group some room.”

The next group came in and is asked similar questions as the first. Their answers are considerably more heated than that of the first group. Sweet Clover, Goldmane and Sunrise Cloud are scathing in their testimony. Razor, being right behind Spitfire and concentrating on the exercise, saw little of the mayhem behind her and mentioned only the moment when she felt Twister brush against her tail.

At the conclusion of the interviews the ponies on the board thanked the witnesses and went to a private room. Most of the ponies immediately beset Spitfire, Soarin and Mr. Immelmane with questions but received only 'wait and see' for an answer. The conversation drifted from speculation about Twister's fate to Firewing's trip to Ponyville and Windy's first days of training.

Spitfire admired Firewing's flight suit as much as the others and made Firewing model it. Firewing strutted around like a model on a runway while the others laughed at her antics. It felt good to break the tension of the formal board. The members of the board re-entered the room after about a half hour.

Lighthoof stood and addressed the group. “We have reached our decision. After reading the statements and listening to the testimony of the witnesses we conclude that Twister acted in a reckless, malicious and irresponsible manner. The collision was an act of assault and only Sunrise Cloud's very generous decision not to press charges prevents us from forwarding our findings to the authorities and initiating criminal proceedings. We can and will therefore, issue the following censure.”

“The pegasus known as Twister is banned from all racing and stunt flying competitions where more than one pegasus is in the sky at the same time, for a period of five years. She is also banished from the city of Cloudsdale for three years. She is to avoid all contact with the pegasi who were involved in the try outs, also for a period of five years. Failure to do so may be cause for our appealing to the authorities for her arrest on the charge of menacing.
All sanctioned flying organizations in Equestria are to receive a copy of our report and it is to be read aloud at their next meeting and is to remain posted in their headquarters for the duration of her ban. The bans start at dawn in four days to give us time to communicate our decision throughout Equestria. Does any pony have anything to add?”

Windyday arose. “Sir, is it possible for you to have her submit to mental testing or therapy?”

“Unfortunately, we cannot do that without a criminal conviction,” said Lighthoof. “We are going to suggest it to her. She will receive a copy of our decision, delivered by two leading pegasi of Phillydelphia, a guard and a doctor. She will get a personal explanation of our decision and recommendations then. As you may know, she is eligible for a review of status after half of the ban has passed. Her failure to try to help herself will not get the ban lifted any sooner. If there is nothing else I will close these proceedings.”

No pony said anything. “Very well, I hereby call these proceedings at an end.”

Chapter 47

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Chapter 47
“That wasn't so bad, but I'm glad it's over,” said Firewing.

“Not so bad?” said Windy. “I thought it was pretty severe, not that she didn't deserve it.”

“I meant it wasn't so bad for us,” said Firewing.

“Oh, heh, yeah, that's true,” said Windy.

“Yeah, and they didn't do anything to Frost either,” said Rainbow Dash. “I was a little worried about that.”

“That was my first time in anything like this,” said Firewing. “I would like it to be the last too.”

“Me too,” said Starshine.

“My first time too, well, as a witness anyway,” said Dash.

Frost laughed. “As many of these as you've been through Dash, you could probably have conducted the inquiry.”

“Ha Ha,” said Dash sarcastically, “I was never in any trouble this bad. I used to crash into things; not ponies. Most of the stuff I was in trouble for was minor stuff; a couple of fights, racing where I wasn't supposed to, pranks, doing stunts that weren't allowed, messing around with the weather. Usual foal's stuff.”

“We didn't pay much attention to rules back then, did we?” laughed Frost. “Remember when I raced Sandy from the school to the aerodrome?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, you took the short cut past the rainbow factory and clipped a storage tank. That was a mess!”

“Kinda pretty though,” said Frost. “I was lucky on that one.”

“I wasn't!” said Dash. “The guards grabbed me because they thought I had got the spilled rainbow on my mane and tail.”

Windy and Firewing laughed.

“So what happened to you?” asked Firewing.

“Me?” asked Frost. “Nothing, I got away. I shot down a side street and casually walked into a shop.”

“I was just cruising around and all of a sudden there were guards everywhere,” said Dash. “I hadn't done anything so I didn't try to run. They made me land and started questioning me, fortunately their sergeant came up then. He knew me and let me go. He thought it was funny.”

“How did he know you?” asked Windy.

“How do you think?” said Dash with a sly grin.

“With you as a role model, Frost,” said Immelmane, “it's no wonder she turned into a little hoodlum.”

“Oops,” said Frost, “I'd better remember to reminisce with Dash only in private.”

“It would be best, I think,” replied Immelmane. “Anyway, I would like you, Firewing and Rainbow Dash to join me for lunch. Afterward, we can go up to my office and I'll give you your materials so you can begin practicing on your own.”

The three ponies agreed and followed Immelmane to the dining hall. Windyday accompanied them, wishing to be with her friends as much as possible before they have to leave. Lunch was pleasant with most of the conversation about Firewing's new suit and discussions about flying. Immelmane was happy to hear that Rainbow Dash is getting her suits from the same designer.

“I love this outfit,” said Firewing. “I'm hoping that the other one is done when I get back.”

“I should ask Fluttershy to stop by,” said Dash. “She looks wonderful in her new one.”

“I'd like to see it too,” said Windy, “but I should be getting back to the training area soon. We're having a short day today as it is.”

“We might still be here when you get back,” said Dash. “Fluttershy is going around to the shops today trying to sell Rarity's designs.”

“Yes, you should get going,” said Immelmane. “Tell the team I'll be along soon. You three come with me.”

The three pegasi said their goodbyes to Windy and followed Immelmane to his office. On his table are three stacks of books and papers. Frost's and Firewing's are the same size while Rainbow Dash's stack is nearly double.

“Firewing, Frost your materials are in order,” said Immelmane. “As you study, start at the beginning and continue through in order. Each move builds on the next. The first routine is the basis for all the others. There are key points throughout the routine where variations are inserted to keep the shows different and fresh.

Rainbow Dash, you have the same materials as well as the exercises I want you to work on. I want you to work on your individual act first. There are three different individual routines. Concentrate on the first one for the next week. These are all very basic routines and you are going to think they're boring. I know that. They are only a guide line for what will become your real act. I also want you to take this.”

Immelmane got a book from a shelf. “It is a book on basic sky dancing. I want you to work on some of this too. There are two complete dances in it.”

“I used that book when I was little! It's one of the first things I learned,” said Firewing.

“Sky dancing? Why do you have to learn that?” asked Frost.

Immelmane sighed. “That's right, you never learned any either.”

“No, never had time for it,” said Frost. “I was more interested in racing and stunts.”

Immelmane got another copy of the book and gave it to Frost. “Make time. I might point out that both Windy and Firewing are sky dancers and they beat you in the try outs.”

Rainbow Dash snickered. Immelmane continued, “And by your own admission, Rainbow Dash, you wouldn't have made it through the try outs without the help of Firewing, a sky dancer.”

“You don't have to sell me on it,” said Dash. “Like I said, Firewing and I were talking about it already. I want to learn some sky dancing. I know I can't fly flat out for fifteen or twenty minutes. I need something slower so I can catch my breath.”

“Good, I'm glad to hear it,” said Immelmane. “I also want you to write in a list of tricks you can perform. Write down the part of the routine and then the trick, more routine and then the trick. Do the same thing with some of the moves from the sky dance book. When you come to see me next Saturday, I'll help you refine it and pick out some music. You'll need to work hard. We only have a month and a few days until your first show.”

“That isn't a lot of time to come up with two routines,” said Dash. “I was hoping for a day or two off before starting on the real work but I guess I'll start tomorrow.”

Immelmane smiled and put his hoof on Dash's shoulder. “I'm glad that you're taking this seriously but go ahead and take it easy for a few days. Just go over the materials and do a little light work for a couple of hours. I suggest flying in Friday night so you can get a good night's rest before we start in the morning. Don't worry, I'm sure we can get you ready in time. We should have both routines sorted out by your second week and you can spend the rest of the time practicing. I'd like you here for the whole week before your first show. I'll spend as much time with you as I can spare. I'll have Firewing and Frost to work with by then as well.”

“I hope I have more than a week to get ready for the show,” said Firewing.

“You won't be in the show when Rainbow Dash opens,” said Immelmane. “That show will be Silversheen's final performance; her farewell show.”

“Why is she leaving? Asked Frost.

“She's getting married,” said Immelmane. “She's also been a Wonderbolt for over eight years and she was older than you when she started. That is a good career in this business.”

“Daddy was a Wonderbolt for six years at least,” said Firewing. “Maybe he didn't cut his stay as short as I thought.”

“He was a great flier,” said Immelmane as he remembered. “He had a few good years left when he retired. I suppose it was time for him to move on. It turned out well for him; a lovely wife and a daughter that's as good a flier as he was. Not a bad trade off if you ask me.”

“I'm flattered,” said Firewing, “but I always thought that mom made him quit because of the danger.”

“I'm sure that weighed on his mind,” said Immelmane, “especially after you were born. I'm sorry to say that the danger is real. About half of all Wonderbolts retire due to injury. Fortunately most of the injuries are of the nagging variety but they add up. It's a short but glorious career.”

“Well I hope mine lasts a long time,” said Dash. “I can't imagine not stunt flying.”

“I'll do my best to make sure it does,” said Immelmane. “You can help by telling me about your close call.”

Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash told the story of the nearly disastrous performance of the previous day. Firewing added in what she saw and felt while flying. Immelmane asked a few seemly meaningless questions: 'Did they notice any birds? Were there patterns in the grass? Which way were the trees bending? How warm was it?' It made little sense to the three young fliers. Unfortunately, Firewing and Rainbow Dash could provide little information as they simply had not noticed.

“You two don't read the air very well at all,” said Immelmane. “I'm not surprised. I wasn't very good at it until it was forced on me by my condition. It can take years to really get good at it.”

“I wonder if there's a unicorn that can sense it or has a spell?” said Dash.

“You're thinking about Twilight aren't you?” said Firewing.

“Twilight?” said Frost. “What are you talking about?”

“Twilight Sparkle,” said Dash. “She's a friend of mine. She probably knows more magic than any pony in Equestria, except for the Princesses. I'll ask her when I get home.”

“I've never heard of any pony with that talent,” said Immelmane. “It would take a powerful unicorn to sense the subtle changes in the air.”

“She's powerful alright,” said Dash. “Princess Celestia taught her a lot.”

“Princess Celestia herself taught her?” said Frost. “If she's that talented, what's she doing in Ponyville? No offense.”

“Sorry Frost, I can't tell you that,” said Dash. “It's important that she's there, that's all I can say.”

“Interesting,” said Immelmane. “I won't ask any more now. Investigate if you want to Rainbow Dash. I'll work a little with you as we have time but for now I want you to concentrate on developing your routines. Firewing, can you come back a few days early?”

“Sure, I don't see why not,” replied Firewing. “I was going to go to Ponyville and spend a few days with Rainbow Dash anyway. I have another flight suit to pick up.”

Immelmane thought for a moment. “Good. Rainbow Dash, can you make arrangements for Firewing and Frost to stay in Ponyville for a few days before they are to report here for training?”

“Sure, they can stay at my place,” said Dash. “I have plenty of room.”

“Fine, you two go to Ponyville the Tuesday before you are to report here,” said Immelmane. “The three of you will work on sky dancing and then fly here together with Rainbow Dash the next week. You can work together on the team routines that week and perhaps help analyze Rainbow Dash's act. I'll be working with the team, with Rainbow Dash and also I'll be getting you two started so I'll be very busy that week and I'll need your help. Rainbow Dash, when you are resting, I want you to watch these two work on their skills and help them.”

“I thought I was going to start my training sooner,” said Frost.

“You are,” replied Immelmane, “but you'll mostly be working solo for a while or following along as the team practices. Windy is doing very well and should be ready in about another week. I'll contact you when we want you to start. Very convenient having you here in Cloudsdale already.”

“How long will I have before my first show?” said Firewing.

“There is a three week gap between the next two shows,” said Immelmane. “We have a fly by for an affair at Canterlot but you could do that in your sleep. I'd like Rainbow Dash to be able to do a short routine there also but we'll have to wait and see if we can.”

“I'll be ready,” said Dash.

“That's not the issue,” said Immelmane. “There might not be time to fit you into the program. It's a formal gathering for Princess Luna. Princess Celestia wants to get her sister back into the daily life of the court and this will be a sort of 'coming out' party. Lots of officials and dignitaries will be there.”

“Princess Luna? I'd be nervous at that show!” said Frost.

“I wouldn't want to mess up, that's for sure,” said Firewing.

“Luna's alright,” said Dash. “Don't think of her as Nightmare Moon. She's not like that anymore. She's really pretty nice, just a little confused.”

“You know her too?” said Frost in surprise. “Next thing you're going to tell us you're dating Prince Blue Blood.”

“No way!” said Dash. “Rarity told me about him, he's a jerk.”

Immelmane laughed. “It seems you've been flying in the higher circles of society, Rainbow Dash. That could be advantageous.”

“What do you mean?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Well, what if one of the Princesses were to hear that you would like to perform at the celebration?” asked Immelmane.

“I get it,” said Dash. “I don't know if I'd feel right about asking them to let me perform.”

“Why not?” asked Frost. “Any pony would like to see you fly.”

“Yeah Dash, give them a treat,” said Firewing.

“I hadn't thought about it like that,” said Dash with a smile. “I'll talk to Twilight when I get home and see what she thinks.”

“Let me know how it works out,” said Immelmane. “Your friends are right; the ponies at the celebration would enjoy seeing you fly.”

Rainbow Dash smiled, “Okay, I'll do it. I'm supposed to write a letter to Princess Celestia anyway. I'll just mention that I'm looking forward to performing for her and her sister. If they want to see me, that should do it.”

“Pack up your materials and we'll go out to the training area for a while,” said Immelmane. “It will be good to let you see some of what you're in for. You can leave your bags at the front desk.”

Chapter 48

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Chapter 48
The three ponies packed up their materials and took them to the desk near the entrance. They were preparing to go with Immelmane when Rainbow Dash noticed the gate guard talking to some pony at the gate. Though most of the pony outside the gate was blocked by the guard, some pink hair was visible. Rainbow Dash went to investigate.

“Could you send a message to Rainbow Dash and let her know I'm here?” asked Fluttershy.

“I will as soon as my partner gets back,” said the guard. “It will only be a few minutes.”

“Hi Fluttershy, all done with your sales visits?” said Dash.

“Oh Rainbow Dash!” said Fluttershy. “Yes, I'm all done for today. I was just trying to send a message to let you know I was here.”

“You can sign her in Ms. Dash,” said the guard, “just don't fly off without signing her out.”

“Sure, let her in,” replied Dash. “We'll be going out to the training area for a while but we'll be coming back here before we leave.”

“That will be fine ma'am,” said the guard. He opened the gate and Fluttershy entered. She has a look of wonder on her face. She waited while Rainbow Dash signed her in.

Frost and Firewing are watching from the doorway. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy join them.

“Hi Fluttershy,” said Firewing.

“Hello Firewing,” said Fluttershy, “I never thought I'd be inside this place.”

“Fluttershy, you probably recognize Frost,” said Dash. “Frost, this is Fluttershy. You might not remember her from when we were little. She lives in Ponyville now.”

“Pleased to meet you Fluttershy,” said Frost. “I sort of remember you, but I don't think we've ever spoken.”

“No, I don't think we have,” said Fluttershy. “I'm happy to meet another of Rainbow Dash's friends. I enjoyed the routine you did last week.”

“Thank you,” said Frost. “That's a lovely suit you're wearing. Firewing and Dash have been telling us all about Rarity and her designs.”

“She is so talented,” said Fluttershy. “I just love this.”

“Much better than the black one you had on last time I saw you,” said Frost slyly.

“Oh! Umm...yes,” said Fluttershy.

Frost laughed. “Dash told us all about your spy mission. It's cool.”

“We should get going,” said Dash, “we don't want to keep Immelmane waiting.”

They headed into the compound towards the courtyard. Rainbow Dash had a quick word with Fluttershy.

“Be nice to Mr. Immelmane, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow. “And don't bring up what I told you about him. Don't worry, he doesn't bite.”

“Alright, I think I'm okay,” said Fluttershy. “I never was in trouble like you were. If you can be friends with him, I guess I can too.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “That's right.”

Immelmane was waiting in the courtyard. His platform was there but the pegasi to carry it were not.

“Hey Mr. Immelmane,” called Rainbow Dash, “look what I found at the gate.”

Immelmane turned and smiled as the girls approached.

“You remember Fluttershy,” said Dash.

“Of course!” said Immelmane. “What a lovely pegasus mare you've turned out to be. Welcome to the Wonderbolt compound.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Thank you Mr. Immelmane. I never thought I'd be standing here.”

“You said you wanted to see her flight suit so I signed her in,” said Dash.

Immelmane backed away from Fluttershy a few paces. “Yes, let me get a good look at you. Yes, that is a beautiful suit. It's good enough for a show!”

“Yep, Rarity sure can sew,” said Dash. “I'll bring at least one the next time I'm here.”

“I think I'll stop by that shop when I come to Ponyville,” said Frost. “Her work is just great. I loved that dress you wore to the dinner, Dash.”

“You might not have to wait,” said Fluttershy. “Some of her designs will soon be in the shops here in Cloudsdale.”

“Oh no, Rarity said she wanted to do Frost's herself,” put in Dash.

“Why?” asked Frost. “She doesn't even know me.”

“For one thing she knows you're my friend,” said Dash. “For another, she finds your coloring 'intriguing' whatever she meant by that.”

“Oh my! I'm intriguing?” laughed Frost. “Okay, I'll wait to meet her.”

“I don't know what is keeping my helpers,” said Immelmane. “We need to get going.”

“There's four of us,” said Dash. “We could haul you out there.”

“Sure, we can do it,” said Frost.

Immelmane looked at the mares. “Have..er..have any of you actually carried a litter before?”

The girls look at each other. Firewing, Rainbow Dash and Frost all shook there heads no.

“Not one big enough for a pony,” said Fluttershy.

The others looked at her.

“I use one sometimes when I have to move animals around,” explained Fluttershy. “Little animals.”

“I think I'll wait for my regular crew,” said Immelmane. “Why don't you fly out to the training area, I'll be along shortly.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “ but I don't know why you need this thing. You can glide. Why not just let us tow you up?”

“I do that sometimes,” said Immelmane. “I use the litter most of the time because I'm usually carrying a lot of extra stuff.”

He pointed a hoof toward the litter. In addition to Immelmane's papers there are containers of water, towels and some boxes of unknown items.

“Yeah, I see,” said Dash. “Okay, we'll see you later then.”

Firewing, Frost and Rainbow Dash took off and started towards the training area. Fluttershy did not.

“Fly along my dear, it's alright,” said Immelmane.

“Oh thank you,” said Fluttershy. “I didn't know if non-Wonderbolts were allowed.”

“Not without permission,” said Immelmane, “if any pony asks, just say that I gave you permission.”

“Thank you again,” said Fluttershy. “Um Mr. Immelmane? I'm glad Rainbow Dash made up with you. She really looks up to you now. That's kind of rare with her.”

“I'm glad too,” said Immelmane. “Fly along now. Your friends are fast.”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy took off and tried to gain on the others.

Immelmane chuckled. “She's flying much better now. Much better.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon watching Windyday and the rest of the Wonderbolts practice. The stallions watched the mares perform and then critiqued them. The males then took off and the mares rested and watched them, offering their opinions when they landed. Immelmane did arrive after a short delay and critiqued the team after they performed together.

Rainbow Dash, Frost and Firewing talked among themselves but didn't comment to any of the Wonderbolts about the quality of their work. They were all fascinated by the professionalism of the team. Praise and criticism both were accepted with grace and humility, sometimes with even a shared laugh between comrades. It was all very businesslike with every pony working to make the routine the best possible. Assistants helped the performers with anything they needed, from fresh quills for their notebooks to lineament for strained muscles. During a break Rainbow Dash took a moment to talk to Spitfire.

“Hey Spitfire,” said Dash. “Every pony is looking pretty good up there.”

“Not bad at all,” said Spitfire, “but just wait until the show, it will be great by then. Is this what you expected?”

“Yes and no,” said Dash. “The flying is what I expected it to be but the discussions after the flying isn't. I thought it would be a bunch of coaches yelling and telling you to work harder and how bad you look. You're all so cool about it, even if some pony says you did something wrong.”

Spitfire laughed. “Not every practice is this smooth. We can get on each other sometimes but we're team mates. We can't let anything get between us. And we're adults; this isn't a junior flight camp. Every pony here is a great flier but we also know that we're not perfect. You have to be able to take criticism without getting angry.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Like when Firewing said my moves were barely adequate.”

Spitfire was surprised. “She said that?”

“Yeah, it was the day before we started the try outs,” said Dash. “We went out to practice and I showed her some basic moves. I had no idea I looked that bad.”

“And you didn't get mad?” asked Spitfire.

“I was too stunned to be mad,” said Dash. “Then she showed me what I was doing wrong and I felt like an idiot. I told you I'd have never made it through without her help.”

“What did you do for her?” asked the team captain.

“I helped her get her speed up,” said Dash. “If I hadn't, Starshine and Razor would both have beaten her in that race the first day. I also showed her that spinning roll she used in her routine.”

“Oh my stars,” said Spitfire, “you two teamed up before the tryouts even started?”

“Hey Firewing!” hollered Dash, “Two pony race, right?”

“You got it partner!” replied Firewing.

Spitfire shook her head. “I didn't see it. I knew you two became friends but I didn't expect that.”

“I'm really glad you put me in her room,” said Dash, “it worked out great.”

“You almost went in with Windyday,” said Spitfire. “I wonder how that would have worked out?”

“I don't know,” admitted Dash. “I didn't really like her at first. After the race I sort of changed my mind. Latter, I kind of felt sorry for her. Once she loosened up she was a lot more fun to be around. We're friends now anyway.”

“Why did you feel sorry for her?” asked Spitfire.

“It was like Firewing said,” said Rainbow Dash, “she's a great flier, smart, honest but she didn't do anything for fun and had no friends. What really got me was when she said that flying hadn't been fun in a long time.”

“And look at her now,” said Spitfire as she stared at Windyday.

Windy was talking and laughing with Firewing and Fluttershy.

“Alright team!” called Immelmane, “everypony, back in the air! We'll run through the whole act and call it a day.”

“Back to work,” said Spitfire with a smile. “See you latter Dash.”

Spitfire took off and joined the other Wonderbolts. Windyday fell in to her right while Soarin flew parallel to her and the others took their places to form a double headed vee formation. They quickly gained altitude and waited for the music to start. Rainbow Dash rejoined her friends to watch the show.

“What were you and Spitfire talking about?” asked Firewing.

“Oh this and that,” said Dash. “She wanted to know if a Wonderbolt practice was what I expected. How about it? Was it what you expected.”

“Better really,” said Firewing. “Very professional. They are all so calm about everything. Lots of note taking. I really didn't expect that. Windy fits right in, they were right in picking her first.”

“They really are fun to watch behind the scenes,” said Fluttershy. “They seem like regular ponies and not superstars.”

“I know what you mean,” said Firewing. “I'm not as nervous about starting now.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash sighed.

“What's wrong?” asked Firewing.

“I hope I do as good as Windy,” said Dash. “I know I'll probably only get to fly with them during practice, but I want them to know they can count on me in an emergency.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” said Frost.

Rainbow Dash shoulder bumped her. “You better do well because you're the one they'll call first.”

“Jealous?” teased Frost.

“A little,” said Dash.

They fell silent and watched the show. It is a typical Wonderbolt performance; fast, daring and precise. The only difference was the lack of smoke trails. Firewing, Frost and Rainbow Dash watched with a critical eye.

“The number two male is lagging a little,” said Dash.

“Yeah, the pony behind Windy swung a bit wide on that left arc they took too,” said Firewing.

“That's why they practice fillies,” said Frost. “Whoa! Did you see that number three stallion? Looked like he caught some nasty turbulence.”

“Yeah, he really had a jolt didn't he?” said Firewing. “I think they're looping back to the same place, we might be able to see if it's still there.”

“There it is again but Soarin caught it that time,” said Frost.

“Yep, I saw it that time,” said Dash. “I definitely have to ask Twilight about a spell to sense turbulence.”

“I wonder if Weathervane could do it,” said Fluttershy.

“Who? That waiter?” asked Frost.

“Um.. well, yes,” said Fluttershy. “He can sense changes in weather so maybe he could sense turbulence.”

“Let's try to find him before we leave,” said Dash. “Can't hurt to ask him.”

“I know where to look if he isn't at work,” said Frost. “He's probably with Sweet Clover.” She giggled.

“Ooooh tell us more,” said Firewing.

“Latter, watch the show,” said Frost.

“Yeah, it can wait,” said Dash. “Windy is a little behind in that arc. Have to make a note of that. The pony on the outside has a harder time than the ones inside the arc.”

“More space to cover but that number two position is tough,” said Firewing. “Too fast and you get into the leader, too slow and you make it really hard for the number three.”

“Windy got it back quick!” said Frost. “Sun and Moon she's good.”

The show ended and the Wonderbolts landed. They were all sweating and breathing hard. Immelmane ignored them and appeared to be getting some notes in order. After a while, the Wonderbolts recovered sufficiently to critique their performance. Immelmane gave his analysis and the team added their own comments at various points. When they were done Immelmane spoke of the newest members.

“It seems we made a good selection of our newest members,” said Immelmane. “They were giving a running commentary while you were performing. They were very accurate too, if a little more forgiving than I.”

Firewing, Frost and Rainbow Dash all looked embarrassed.

Immelmane continued, “Something else they noticed was the turbulence some of you hit. We're working on that, one of Rainbow Dash's friends may be able to help us sense it in advance.”

There is some murmuring among the ponies at this news.

“I only said 'may', we don't know yet,” said Immelmane.

“Excuse me Mr. Immelmane,” said Dash, “but Fluttershy met a pony last week that might have the talent to sense it himself. We're going to ask him when we get back to Cloudsdale.”

“I don't know of any unicorns in Cloudsdale that can do that,” said Immelmane.

“Oh, he's not a unicorn, he's a pegasus,” said Fluttershy. “His name is Weathervane. He told me he can sense changes in the weather. I thought that wind is part of weather so he might be able to sense that too, um maybe.”

“That follows logically, but a pegasus with foresight?” said Soarin. “Never heard of that before.”

“I know an earth pony that can sense stuff before it happens,” said Dash. “If an earth pony can, why not one of us?”

“Can't hurt to ask,” said Spitfire, “but I'd want some proof before we start trusting this guy.”

“Of course,” said Immelmane. “This might be interesting. We'll see what we can find out. Rainbow Dash will ask her unicorn friend in Ponyville and we'll try to track down this Weathervane fellow and see what he knows.”

“I can find him for you,” volunteered Frost. “Weathervane is a friend of Sweet Clover's. If he's not working at the cafe, she'll know where to find him.”

Windy, Rainbow and Firewing all snickered at Frost's comment. Immelmane looked at the three friends with a puzzled look on his face but broke into a grin as he understood.

“Very well then, that's all for today,” said Immelmane, “practice tomorrow at nine-thirty sharp. Fluttershy, if you'd like to join us for dinner, you would be most welcome.”

“Really?” said Fluttershy, in delight, “that would be wonderful, if Rainbow is staying that is.”

“Of course I'm staying,” replied Rainbow Dash, “I got used to the food here. Talk about another motivation to make the team!”

This got a laugh from the other ponies. The team flew back to the compound. The Wonderbolts and the support ponies went to get cleaned up while Firewing, Frost, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went to the dining hall. Starshine, Goldmane and the three Cloudsdale ponies were there talking and discussing the their adventures of the previous week. Immelmane joined them shortly after they had taken their seats. The food was soon served and the five ponies began eating. Immelmane tried to refrain from giving more instructions to Rainbow Dash, Frost and Firewing but did emphasize that they work hard to prepare for their real training. He was happy to hear that Fluttershy was interested in starting sky dancing.

“That is good,” said Immelmane, “Rainbow Dash will have a pony to practice with until Firewing arrives.”

“I'll try,” said Fluttershy, “but I'm just starting myself. I don't know how much help I can be.”

“She is just starting too,” said Immelmane, “you'll be starting out even.”

“Actually, she has more hours of practice than Dash does,” said Firewing. “Fluttershy was my sky dancing partner during the little show we did in Ponyville. She flew well.”

“Dash has to catch up?” laughed Frost. “That's a switch.”

“I'll work at it,” said Dash. “It will be good to practice with Fluttershy anyway. We can practice out at her place. It's out of the way and no pony will see us.”

“You're not embarrassed to be seen sky dancing are you?” asked Frost.

“Of course not,” replied Dash, “I just don't want to give away any of my act. I have a feeling there will be a lot of ponies trying to watch me work, at least until they get used to me being a professional.”

“That's not a bad idea,” replied Immelmane, “I wouldn't want a run down of your routine appearing in the papers.”

“Maybe my taking a few days off will cause them to lose interest quicker,” said Dash. “I'm not doing anything but read the materials tomorrow and maybe the next day too.”

Frost laughed. “I'll believe that when I see it. You won't be able to resist trying out a routine as soon as you learn it.”

“Okay, so maybe I'll do some work the day after tomorrow,” admitted Dash. “You know me too well, Frosty.”

“Excuse me,Rainbow Dash?” said Fluttershy. “Don't you think we should be going soon? It will nearly be dark when we get back and I'd like to stop by Rarity's before I go home.”

“You're right, Fluttershy,” said Dash, “I kinda lost track of time. Starshine, Goldmane; I guess this is the last time we'll be seeing each other for a while. I'll miss you two.”

Rainbow Dash got up and the three said goodbye and hugged one another. Firewing, Frost and Windyday joined in saying farewell to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Before they left, Rainbow Dash thanked Starshine once more for her help in developing her individual routine. Invitations to visit were offered between all the ponies. Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash pulled away from Firewing one last time and left the building with Fluttershy behind her.

Once outside Rainbow Dash seemed to be in a hurry to be off. They went to the gate where Rainbow Dash picked up her bags and signed Fluttershy out of the compound. They left the compound and Rainbow Dash immediately took wing, flying a swift, straight course towards Ponyville. She stayed ahead of Fluttershy and said nothing.

Fluttershy could tell that something wasn't quite right and spoke up. “Are you alright, Rainbow Dash?” asked Fluttershy. “You're not mad at me for saying we should leave, are you?”

Rainbow Dash slowed down and flew beside her friend. “No, of course not,” replied Dash. “you were right. It's just that … it's really over now. It just sort of hit me. I've been so busy with everything for the past ten days that I haven't had a chance to think about it.”

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash's face and could see streaks of tears on her face. Dash realized she had been silently weeping and quickly put her goggles down to hide her eyes.

“Don't be sad Dashie,” said Fluttershy, “you'll get to see your friends again. All of them except Goldmane and Starshine live in Cloudsdale and you'll be performing in Canterlot and Philadelphia every year.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Dash, “but I think this was the last time the nine of us will be together for a long time, if ever again. Maybe I'll have to thank Twister for that in five years.”

Fluttershy was confused. “Five years?”

“That's the length of her punishment,” said Dash. “Didn't anypony tell you? No competing or making contact with any of us for five years. She can't come to Cloudsdale for three years either.”

“Wow,” said Fluttershy softly, “that is pretty harsh.”

“I don't care,” said Dash coldly. She seemed about to say more but stopped. 'No,' she thought, 'no, Twister, you are not going to ruin the memories of competition or the friends I made. I'm going to forget you and I hope all the others do too.'

“Come on, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash with a grin, “let's race. My back must be twice as heavy as yours is. You might have a chance.”

To Dash's surprise, Fluttershy accelerated and went ahead by several lengths before Rainbow Dash reacted. Rainbow Dash quickly caught her and both laughed. Side by side, they continued towards their home.

Chapter 49

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Chapter 49

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrived in Ponyville just before dark. They first went to see Rarity so that Fluttershy could give her the orders from Cloudsdale. Rarity was recovered from her nearly sleepless night and was pleased with Fluttershy's progress. Four shops had ordered flight suits for sale and two others wanted to discuss licensing Rarity's designs.Rainbow Dash looked around the shop while they talked.

“Don't worry, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “I'll still do your suit next.”

“Huh?” said Rainbow, coming back from her own thoughts, “Oh, yeah, thanks Rarity. I really appreciate it. I'd like to take one along to show Mr. Immelmane next week. Uh, can I ask you two something?”

“Of course, darling,” said Rarity, “what's on your mind?”

“Sure,” added Fluttershy, “what would you like to know?”

“It's about Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash. “I know you both seem to like her but do you consider her a friend?”

“I do,” said Fluttershy, “she's gone out of her way to help me learn sky dancing, not to mention what she did for you last week. Yes, she's a real friend.”

“I agree,” said Rarity, “besides, we need somepony to look after you when we're not around. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, just curious,” said Rainbow Dash, “I just wanted my new friends to get along with my old friends, that's all.”

They chatted a little longer but Rainbow Dash wanted to call it a night. She said goodnight to Fluttershy and Rarity and headed for home. Her bed felt warm and welcoming after the tiring day of flying and the inquiry. Sleep found her quickly.

* * *

Rainbow Dash was awakened the next day by a knock at her door. Still groggy, she answered it and found the Weather Team on her front porch.

“Good morning,” said Cloudchaser, “sorry to wake you but we were wondering, who is in charge now?”

Rainbow Dash had a hard time understanding this and it wasn't caused by her just being woken up from a sound sleep. “You haven't elected a new leader yet?” she asked.

Several of the team shook their heads. Rainbow Dash was surprised by this and woke up fully.

“Well why not?” asked Dash. “It can't be that hard to pick a new leader. Nominate some pony and take a vote.”

“It isn't that,” said Cloudchaser. “We talked about it and some of us are good at doing different parts of the job but no pony is good at all the parts of the job.”

“Yeah,” said Thunderlane, “and we added another pony to the team to replace the one that will be the new leader but we don't know quite where to put her.”

“I thought I trained you guys better than this,” said Dash. “Thunderlane, you and Cloudchaser are great at cloud busting and weather control. I think one of you should lead, if you want my opinion. All you have to do is get better at the scheduling and paperwork. Now, who's the new pony?” She scanned the team for a new face and found one. “Oh, no,” she said so softly that no pony else heard.

“Derpy here signed up first,” said Cloudchaser, “so we thought we'd give her a chance.”

Rainbow Dash shook off the vision of the smoldering ruins of Ponyville under a blanket of snow that entered her mind. She thought for a moment. “Okay,” she said at last, “why not try this; Thunderlane will lead a week and Cloudchaser will lead the next week and you can vote when it's all done. Since neither of you like the paperwork side of things, we'll let Derpy handle that. Derpy, meet me at Town Hall in an hour and I'll go over what you'll need to do. Does that sound good to everypony?”

There were no objections so Thunderlane led the weather ponies off to work. Rainbow Dash went back inside and flopped down on her bed. She couldn't sleep as she had to meet Derpy in an hour and she wondered what she'd been thinking when she thought of putting her in charge of the paperwork. At least she wouldn't be flying around where she could cause real damage.

Dash didn't stay in bed long and soon arose. Hunger as much as the unexpected trouble from the weather team drove her from her comfortable bed. She shook out her mane in front of her mirror. She missed Firewing giving her a brushing and laughed a little at the thought. She headed down to Sugarcube Corner for some food.

Pinky Pie greeted Rainbow Dash as she walked in the door. Aside from a customer at a table in the corner, they were alone. After ordering a couple of muffins to go, Rainbow Dash asked Pinky Pie what she thought about Firewing.

“Firewing?” said Pinky Pie with a giggle, “I think she's great. She's so nice to be around. I can see why you like her. And she has a great sense of humor. She reminds me of you a lot, except without the boasting.”

“Uh, Yeah,” replied Dash. “So you would say that you consider her a friend?”

“Of course I'd totally say that,” said Pinky Pie. “Why?”

“I just wondered,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'm glad that you feel that way. It's a load off my mind.”

“You can unload your mind on me anytime you want,” said Pinky Pie. “When is she coming back?”

“A week from next Tuesday,” said Dash. “Frost will be coming too. We'll be working together until the weekend.”

“Great!” shouted Pinky Pie, “I'll plan on having a party! What day would be good?”

Rainbow Dash was expecting this. “Why not make it for Wednesday night? We'll be working a lot but Firewing and Frost will probably be tired on Tuesday from the travel. Don't make it too big, okay? Not like for the whole town or anything.”

“Sure, Dashie,” said Pinkie Pie, “maybe just Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike, you, me and your two new friends.”

“That would be great,” replied Dash. “Like I said, we have a lot of work to do that week. I'll see you later Pinky Pie.”

“Bye, Dashie,” said Pinky, “stop by after lunch, Mrs. Cake is making cupcakes and it's a new recipe.”

“I'll do that Pinky,” said Dash, “I have to go now. I have to make a couple more stops before I meet Derpy at Town Hall. Later.”

Rainbow Dash left and went to where Applejack usually set up her stand. It was early and the market was nearly empty. Applejack smiled as she saw her friend approach.

“Mornin' RD,” said Applejack, “I didn't expect to see you this early.”

“Me neither,” said Dash, “the weather team is having a little trouble moving on so I'm helping them get started. How about a bottle of applejuice?”

“Sure thing Rainbow,” said Applejack getting a bottle from a box. “Anything else this mornin'?”

“Not right now but I'll be back later for a few apples,” said Dash. “You can answer a question for me though. What do you think of Firewing? Do you consider her your friend?”

“Well sure, Rainbow,” said Applejack in a confused tone. “What kind of question is that? I guess I don't know her as well as you do but from what I could tell she's a right nice pony. She cares enough about you to sacrifice her own career to keep you safe. That takes a lot of guts and loyalty if you ask me.”

“Thanks AJ,” said Dash with a smile, “I'll see you later. I have to go see Derpy and I want to eat breakfast first.”

“Sure, RD,” said Applejack, “I'll set some of my best apples aside for you.”

Rainbow Dash left the market and found a quiet corner of the park where she had a quiet outdoor breakfast and thought about what her friends had said. It was as she thought, all of her friends liked Firewing. Applejack's comment about loyalty really struck a chord too. Maybe if Firewing had lived in Ponyville, she would have been chosen as the Element of Loyalty instead of her. It seemed to Dash that she had made a good choice. She finished her breakfast and went to meet with Derpy.

It was like the soft hearted Cloudchaser to give the town's most inept flier a chance to make the weather team. The rest of the team would go along with it at least until she messed up. Now, however, it was up to Rainbow Dash to find a place for her. She took a deep breath, went into the Town Hall and made her way to the Weather office.

Derpy was already inside, sitting quietly by the window. She got up as Dash entered, knocking a cushion onto the floor.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash,” said the blond maned pony, “thanks for giving me this chance. I'll really try my best.”

Rainbow Dash found her mood softened by Derpy's enthusiasm. There was something about that smiling face with the eyes that were never on the same page that made even the hot tempered pegasus give her more than her share of breaks.

“That's okay Derpy,” said Dash, “I'm going to show you what you need to do and I need to look up a few things in the regulation book. Just try to pay attention.”

“Sure thing Rainbow Dash,” said Derpy.

Rainbow Dash showed her the schedules and stacks of various forms that she would need when dealing with the headquarters in Cloudsdale. She gave a demonstration of how she made up the scedules, kept track of vacations, who to contact in case of emergencies and the myriad other small details it took to run the weather in Ponyville. At last she dug out the massive book of regulations that every weather team in Equestria was required to keep on hoof.

“This is the our guide for all that we do,” explained Rainbow Dash. “Practically every type of weather and personnel situation is covered in here.”

“I know,” said Derpy, “I've been studying it. I've read the whole thing. Twilight Sparkle has a copy at the library.”

“Really? You read the whole thing?” said Rainbow Dash in surprise. She certainly had never read the entire book, only using it when she needed to look up something specific.

“Yep!” replied Derpy, “I knew I'd get a chance to be on the weather team someday and I wanted to be ready.”

“That's uh great Derpy,” said Dash. “I don't suppose you'd know where I can find out how many ponies we can have on our team, do you?”

Derpy thought for a moment. “Chapter Ten, Section Seven, Subsection B,” said Derpy, “and the calculation table is in the back. I already checked it out. We're allowed to hire three more ponies, if we can prove that we need them. If we fill out the 1235A and 719 short form, we can probably get them.”

“How can that be?” asked Dash, stunned, “Ponyville isn't that large.”

“There's a clause in subsection B that allows us to claim the territory within twenty miles of town as part of the town,” said Derpy.

“But nopony lives that far from town,” said Dash. “That would even include part of the Everfree Forest!”

“It doesn't matter,” said Derpy, “if we claim the territory, we can get more ponies.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “go ahead and fill out the forms. I'll send a letter of resignation to HQ myself. They already know about me leaving my position through the Wonderbolts but I suppose that I should do it anyway. The schedule will be a little flaky until the team decides who they want to lead them but just talk to Thunderlane and Cloudchaser and work with them on that. For now, fill out a 141-6 for yourself so you'll get paid.”

“Who will sign it?” asked Derpy. “Until we get a new leader, you're still in charge. You could fill out a provisional leader form, 1812-L I think, and designate Thunderlane as a temporary leader.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “do that too. I'll be back this afternoon to sign everything. And if you think of anything else, write it down and we'll talk about it then. Good luck, Derpy. I think you may have just found your perfect niche.”

Chapter 50

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Chapter 50

Rainbow Dash left the office and exited the Town Hall. She headed towards the library still in a state of shock at Derpy's unexpected skills. As terrible as she was at practically everything she touched, the forms and protocols that baffled Rainbow Dash made sense to Derpy.

Twilight and Spike were sweeping up in front of the library when Rainbow Dash arrived. 'Score one more point for living in the clouds,' thought Dash with a smirk.

“Good morning Twilight, hi Spike,” called Dash as she landed.

“Good morning Rainbow,” said Twilight, “you're up and about early this morning.”

“Not by choice,” replied Rainbow Dash, “but as long as I'm up, I need a couple of things from you. I need a book and I need to ask you a question.”

“I told you that I won't have the new Daring Do for another month,” replied Twilight.

“No, it's not that,” said Dash, “I need a book on sky dancing for Fluttershy. I have a copy for myself but she needs one to study too.”

“Oh, well, I'm sure I have something in here,” said Twilight. “Spike, come help us look for a book, please.”

“Sure Twilight,” said Spike, glad to stop sweeping for a while. He followed Rainbow Dash and Twilight into the library.

“It's a book on basic sky dancing,” said Dash. “I should have brought my copy but I'll recognize it if I see it.”

“We don't have a lot of books like that,” said Spike, “you pegasi aren't exactly big readers.”

“That's not fair Spike,” said Twilight, “just get what we have.”

“It's a small book,” said Dash, “and it has a blue cover.”

Spike went to look for the book and Twilight asked Dash what she wanted to talk about.

“It's a couple of things really,” said Dash as she looked at the floor. “First let me ask you; what do you think of Firewing and do you consider her a friend?”

“I'd say she is a friend,” said Twilight thoughtfully. “We aren't real close like you probably are but I like her and think she's a fine pegasus. I'd be proud to call her my friend.”

“Good,” said Dash, “I was hoping you would feel that way. The rest of the girls feel the same. The reason I'm asking is that I know being an Element is important and I wanted you to be prepared in case something happens to me. If I crash or something, I think Firewing would be a great replacement for me.”

“Rainbow Dash! Don't talk that way!” cried Twilight. “No pony can replace you.”

“Think about it Twilight,” replied Dash, “I live a pretty dangerous life. It could have ended just the other day. I'd feel better if you'd consider Firewing as a replacement, just in case.”

“I never considered what would happen if one of us...couldn't be an Element anymore,” said Twilight. “I'm not even sure how a replacement would be made. I'm not even sure a replacement could be made.”

“I didn't think about it either,” said Dash. “I accidentally let it slip that I was the Element of Loyalty when I was talking to Firewing. She said that she was surprised that Celestia even let me do stunt flying if I was that important. I hadn't thought about it before but I guess that if I couldn't be replaced, the Princess would have stopped me by now.”

“That makes sense,” admitted Twilight. “I suppose I should send the Princess a letter and find out for sure. We should consider the other Elements too, just in case.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “What could happen to them? Rarity getting a fatal needle stab? Pinky Pie burning a hoof getting cookies out of the oven? Okay, I could see you turning yourself inside out with a messed up spell but I think the rest of them are pretty safe.”

“Accidents can happen to anypony,” said Twilight. “It wouldn't have to be fatal either. What if one of us permanently injured ourselves and couldn't travel anymore?”

“I never thought about that,” said Rainbow Dash, “but you see what I mean now? Anyway, Firewing likes you all and you like her, and she's loyal. Applejack said so too. She didn't want to be my replacement at first but she promised she would try anyway.”

“Sounds like you picked a good friend for a replacement,” said Twilight with a smile. “I wonder who I could pick?”

“I don't know any unicorn with your kind of power, Twilight,” said Dash, “or any ponies for the others either.”

“It's more than just power, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “They also have to have the quality of their element too, not to mention being able to be friends with the other Elements. You can say what you want about Trixie but she does have a pretty high level of power. I can't imagine her being friends with the rest of you though.”

“No kidding,” said Dash. “I guess we could find other ponies that are generous, kind, honest or happy, but not like we are. I couldn't imagine replacing any of you either. I guess I'm the most replaceable one of us all. If not Firewing, you could always pick Windy or Frost. I think you'll like them too and I can't think of more loyal ponies. All you'd be losing would be my awesome flying skills.”

“Not true, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “that is just not true. We couldn't replace you like a wagon wheel or something. I can't imagine not having you around and I don't want to. You are my friend and that's all there is to it.”

“Thanks, Twilight,” replied Rainbow Dash with a smile, “I feel the same way about all of you. So what do we do now? Why don't you take care of writing to Princess Celestia and I'll write my own letter about what I learned about friendship last week. I also want to ask if I can perform at a party in Canterlot next month. Princess Celestia is having it for Princess Luna to try to reintroduce her back into the court.”

“Oh, that would be great,” said Twilight. “I'm sure you'll be a hit. I'll write the letter to the Princess and ask about the replacement issue. I just hope she doesn't ground you.”

“Not happening,” said Dash, “she knows how I fly.”

Spike walked up carrying a small stack of books. “These are all I could find,” said Spike. “I hope one of them is the right one.”

Rainbow Dash looked through the stack and found what she was looking for almost immediately. She continued to browse the titles to see what else was there. There was only six books and it didn't take long.

“This is the one I need, well, the one Fluttershy needs,” said Dash. “I'd like you to keep the rest handy until Firewing comes back. She'll have a better idea of what to try next. Of course, Mr. Immelmane might have something to suggest too. I've got a lot of work to do.”

“You also have a letter to write,” said Twilight. “Why don't you dictate it to Spike while I write to the Princess? We can send them off together.”

“Alright,” said Dash, “come on Spike. Let's get started.”

Dear Princess Celestia,

As you probably heard, I tried out for the Wonderbolts last week. It turned out great and I'm now the featured soloist for the Wonderbolts. I'll still be living in Ponyville most of the time so if you need me as an Element, I'll be ready.

I learned a lot about friendship last week and made friends with all the other contestants except one. I won't go into that right now. You'll probably hear about it if you haven't already. I found out that old friends are still friends even if you haven't seen them in a while. I found out that some ponies are easy to make friends with while others take more of an effort. I also found out that it's worth the effort.

There was another thing I learned about friendship and that is the consequences my behavior has on my friends. I don't mean that I did anything wrong to my friends on purpose or anything like that. I was doing something dangerous and it upset them. It upset them a lot. I didn't understand then but I do now. I feel bad for doing that to them but I feel good that they actually care for me that much. It's a lousy way to find out something I should have seen for myself and I don't want to go through that again.

I guess the most surprising thing I learned was that somepony you thought was your enemy really wasn't. That might be the best feeling of all. I made up with a pony I knew from school that I thought hated me but I found out he only wanted what he thought was best for me. It's sad that I missed having that friendship for all those years but I'm glad we're friends now. I also learned that he lost a friend when he was young and still misses him. I wish I could find his friend and get him to return to Cloudsdale but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.That's what I learned about friendship at the Wonderbolt try outs. If I think of anything else, I'll write more.

I was told while still in Cloudsdale that the Wonderbolt's would be performing for you next month at a party for Princess Luna. I would be honored and very happy if you would allow me to perform at your party. It would be my first public performance as the Wonderbolt's solo aerialist. Please let me know so we can put on a show worthy of the occasion.

You Loyal Subject,

Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt

P.S. It was Twilight Sparkle's idea to put in the part about 'a show worthy of the occasion', like I'd put on a bad show for the rulers of the Sun and Moon. Your student thinks too much.

Chapter 51

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Chapter 51

Rainbow Dash left Twilight's library and flew to Fluttershy's cottage. The yellow pegasus was not in sight so she knocked on the door. There were some noises from inside and soon the door opened. Rainbow Dash could not see anyone open the door until she looked down and saw Angel Bunny holding the door ajar.

Dash didn't particularly like the ill-tempered white rabbit but tried to be friendly anyway. “Hi, Angel,” she said, “is Fluttershy here? I brought her a book.”

This seemed to satisfy the little bunny and he hopped aside and opened the door wider. Rainbow Dash went in and followed Angel to the kitchen where she found Fluttershy mopping the floor. She looked up as they entered.

“Hello, Rainbow,” said Fluttershy, “did you come to give me a lesson already?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No, not yet. I'm just starting this too so we'll be learning together. Mr. Immelmane gave me a book on sky dancing when we were in Cloudsdale and I got another copy from Twilight. Here, take this and study the first dance. We can give it a try tomorrow.”

“Oh that would be great,” said Fluttershy, “I'm really looking forward to this.”

“Me too,” said Dash, “would tomorrow afternoon be good for you?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “As long as I can get back for the evening feeding, that would be fine. I feed the animals before I make myself dinner.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I was thinking maybe starting around one. We'll only be working for about an hour or so. I'm trying to take it easy for a few days. Next week we can work a little harder.”

“Where should I meet you?” asked Fluttershy.

“I thought we could practice here,” said Dash. “Your home is kinda of out of the way. Do you have a record player?”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, “but I don't know if I have the music to go with the dance.”

“Don't worry about it,” said Dash, “we can still practice tomorrow and if you don't have anything that fits, we'll pick something up in town.”

“Alright,” said Fluttershy, “I'll start reading as soon as get done with my cleaning.”

“Good,” said Dash, “I'll see you tomorrow then. I need to do a little shopping and deal with some Weather Team business. I'll get to studying too. You saw how much I have to learn.”

“I'll let you get going then,” said Fluttershy. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye for now,” replied Dash as she headed for the door.

Rainbow Dash returned to Ponyville and bought some food since her pantry was nearly empty. Last of all she stopped by Applejack's stand and bought some apples. Applejack had them ready in a sack and exchanged the fruit for Dash's bits. She looked closely at her friend. Nothing seemed to be wrong but the shrewd farmer had been thinking since Rainbow Dash asked her about Firewing that morning.

Dash noticed the odd look on her face. “What is it Applejack? Is there something on my face?”

“No,” replied Applejack, “nothing like that. I was still wondering about that question you asked me this morning. You don't usually talk like that, Rainbow. Why did you really ask me about Firewing?”

Rainbow Dash hesitated before she answered. “I guess it's no good trying to fool you, is it Applejack? I wanted to know because of what happened at the celebration the other day. I wanted to know because of what I do, my flying, my stunts. If something does happen to me, I thought I should have a pony I could trust to take over, as an Element I mean.”

Applejack was shocked. “I...I guess that's a good idea,” she stammered. “I don't want to think about replacing you though.”

“Thanks,”said Rainbow Dash, with a smile, “I don't want you to replace me.”

Applejack laughed. “I reckon not. Did you talk to Twilight about this?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “she's going to write to Celestia about it.”

“That's good,” said Applejack. “I won't mention this to the others until we hear from the Princess.”

“Thanks, AJ,” said Dash, “I'll see you later.”

“See ya, Rainbow,” said Applejack. As Rainbow Dash flew away, Applejack wondered who could replace the Element of Honesty.

Rainbow Dash returned to her home and read through the sky dancing book as she ate her lunch. It seemed easy to her until she remembered her practice session with Fluttershy. Trying to fly slow and match another pony's movements was not as easy as it appeared. Still, the dance was fairly simple and she was able to memorize the movements quickly. She laid the book aside and began to work on the list of tricks she was able to do. She started with all the standard tricks and then added in those of her own making with a description so that Immelmane would understand what she meant. Some didn't have names that another pegasus would even recognise. This took quite some time and she wished that she had a copy to keep for herself.

It was time, thought Rainbow Dash, for a nap. In fact it was past time. She went out onto her veranda and curled up in the sun for a good snooze and slept until late afternoon. Upon awakening she decided to see how Derpy was getting along and flew down to the Town Hall.

She entered the office to find it empty but much neater than it had been. She went to her old desk and looked at the various forms sitting there all filled out. Ignoring those for the moment she walked around the familiar room as if saying goodbye to her old life. A sound at the door caused her to turn. Derpy had returned from wherever she had been.

“Oh, hi Rainbow Dash,” said Derpy, “I was hoping that you'd be here soon.”

“I'm here now,” said Dash. “How did your first day go?”

“It was great!” said Derpy, “I filled out all the forms like you asked. I just came back from the Mayor's office. She was really happy about expanding the territory of Ponyville. That means we can hire the extra ponies.”

“I'll bet she was,” said Dash with a laugh, “even though it's just empty land. Just show me where to sign and I'll get out of your mane.”

“Sure,” replied Derpy, “it'll just take a second.” She closed one eye and sorted through the papers, indicating where Dash had to sign and initial the forms.

When they were done, Derpy went on to tell Rainbow Dash what else she had done that day. “I finished up the assignment schedule for the rest of the month and filed all those back notices and updates that were in your in box.”

“Yeah,” admitted Dash, “I had been meaning to get to that. Good job.” She wasn't exactly pleased that Derpy had finished up work she had been putting off for months in a mere day but on the other hoof it was done and she had avoided doing it herself. “Was there anything else?”

“Oh, there are still some things to do but I can get to that tomorrow,” said Derpy. “I had wanted to do some flying but maybe this will be better.”

“Yes!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “yes, I think it would be better for you. Look Derpy, some of us are good at doing things like cloudbusting or making rain and others aren't. Look at you, this office looks better than it has in a long time and you did it in a day. I think you should stay here. If you get really good at this paperwork stuff, you might even get a promotion and move up to Cloudsdale.”

Derpy looked troubled. “You're just trying to make me feel better. I know everypony thinks I mess everything up. That's why you want me to stay in the office.”

Dash frowned. “You're right, I did send you here for that reason but I didn't expect you to do such a great job. Doing this office work is just as important as anything else the Weather Team does. Thunderlane and Cloudchaser might be better in the air than you but neither of them can do what you did today. My advice, stay here and do what you do best.”

Derpy smiled. “I'll do it. Thanks Rainbow Dash, I'll try my hardest.”

“Good,” said Dash, “let me know if you need my help for anything. I'll be around.”

Rainbow Dash left the Town Hall and walked into town. Despite the waves and greetings from the townsponies, which she eagerly returned, she felt rather alone. Her new friends were far away and her old friends were probably home eating dinner. She wasn't hungry and felt restless. She took to the sky and headed home.

She relaxed by the window and read through more of the materials that Immelmane had given her. With nothing else to do she started working on her routine. It took a while and after working her way through half the routine she got a little to eat and returned to her work. The sun was setting when she finished.

Unable to resist trying out her work she flew out the window and away from her home. Rainbow Dash started to sky dance to warm up and gain altitude. After running through the moves twice she started into her routine. This was what she really needed. She sped through the routine as the sun set and the moon rose. She was alone in the cloudless sky and felt nothing but the freedom of flight. No thoughts nagged her. Just going on to the next move was her only care.

When the routine was over Dash kept flying. No set order to follow now, she just did whatever she felt like doing next. Moonlight gleamed off her hair and feathers as she performed for no pony. She flew until she could no longer flap her wings. Rainbow Dash glided to a cloud and landed. She lay there panting for some time. Eventually she regained her strength and flew home.

It wasn't very late so she had a second supper and read a little more. She had only been home for an hour when she decided that relaxing wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It was boring. She found herself missing Frost, Firewing and Windyday more than her six close friends in Ponyville. At least they would be up for doing something at this hour. Twilight would be reading, Rarity might be up if she was in a creative mood but Applejack and Pinkie Pie would be in bed. Fluttershy was a mystery. Rainbow Dash hadn't realized she had never thought about what her friend did after she took care of her animals for the night.

On a whim, Rainbow Dash left her home and flew towards Fluttershy's cottage. A single light illuminated an upper window but as Dash drew near it went out. Apparently Fluttershy was also an early riser. Disappointed, Rainbow Dash banked around and returned home.

Ponyville was nearly dark as she flew over the town. A few street lamps were lit and here and there light gleamed from the window of a house. Dash smiled as she glanced at the library and saw a light on in Twilight's room. She thought about flying down and scaring her but decided against it. She sighed and returned home. She cleaned up and got ready for bed. With nothing else to do she went to bed and quickly fell asleep.

She dreamed of flying in a bright, clear, cloudless sky. She was high up, so high that the buildings on the ground were barely discernable. As she flew she realized that she was performing the routine she had practiced earlier. As the routine ended, she looked up and saw the moon. She thought that was odd since the sky was so bright. The brightness grew and she awoke to find the sun shining in her window and onto her face.

Chapter 52

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Chapter 52

Rainbow Dash awoke slowly. It felt good to wake up naturally and not to the sound of an alarm clock or a knock at the door. She washed and brushed herself as best as she could. 'New habits are apparently hard to break too,' she thought. She had an idea and dropped her brush into her satchel. Rainbow flew down to Carousel Boutique and entered to find Rarity working on a flight suit.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” said the unicorn, “I hope you weren't expecting your new suit already.”

“Morning, Rarity,” replied Rainbow, “no, I just need your help for a minute or two. Could you check my bandage and uh, brush me, please?”

Rarity was surprised but pleased. “Of course, darling, I'd be happy to. What brought this on this sudden concern for your appearance?”

“I guess it was Firewing,” said Dash. “We started brushing each other every morning and I kind of got used to it. It was her idea. She thought looking good might influence the judges.”

“Smart pony,” said Rarity. “She was right. Now that you're a Wonderbolt you do have a certain image to maintain.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Dash, with a smile, “here's my brush. I'll try not to make a habit of this but we pegasi can't really brush ourselves very well. Good thing I look so awesome naturally.”

“Ah, yes,” said Rarity. She began brushing Rainbow Dash's mane and smiled. Her friend was definitely back to normal. “Maybe you can join Fluttershy and I at our weekly trip to the spa. We always feel so good afterward. It will help sooth any sore muscles and make you feel so relaxed. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.”

“I might just do that,” said Dash. “The Wonderbolt's have a spa at their compound. Windyday and Spitfire got me to try it out before the party last Saturday. Firewing and I hadn't used it all week but Windyday used it everyday. It was great.”

“Tell me more about the party,” said Rarity, “I'll bet there were some beautiful gowns there.”

“No gowns, just dresses like what I wore,” said Dash. “I'll tell you something else too; no pony was wearing a nicer dress than me.”

“That's nice of you to say so but I could have done better if I'd had a little more time,” said Rarity.

“No,” said Dash, “it isn't just my opinion. A lot of the girls thought it was great. I wouldn't be surprised if you see some of the Cloudsdale ponies flying in any day now.”

“Did Firewing like it?” asked Rarity. “She's from Manehatten and must be used to seeing high fashion.”

“Oh yeah,” said Dash, “she even said that you could sell a dress like that in Manehatten.”

“Oh, that is wonderful,” said Rarity. “this whole Wonderbolt thing might be a big break for me. If you ever need anything from me, Rainbow Dash, just ask.”

“Aw, I know I can always count on you Rarity,” said Dash.

“Your mane is done,” said Rarity. “Now let's take a look at that tail. Come on, we'll put you behind this screen. I don't want anypony to see me giving first aid in my shop.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, I guess that's a good idea.”

They went behind a screen and Dash hopped up on the couch. Rarity took a look at the bandage held in place by the woven hair.

“I'm going to need a comb and maybe a pair of scissors,” said Rarity. “I'll try not to cut anymore hairs than I have to but your tail is a little tangled. I'll be right back.”

Rarity left Rainbow Dash and went up to her room. She wasn't gone long but as she returned two ponies entered the shop. Rarity laid the comb and scissors on the the counter and greeted them.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique. I am Rarity. How may I help you today?”

“Good morning,” said one, “my name is Razor and this is Sunrise Cloud. We're from Cloudsdale. A friend of yours was wearing the most amazing flight suit last week and we thought we'd like to see what else you have.”

“I see,” said Rarity, “I'm just getting started in the flight suit business and I don't really have anything to show you right now except for some drawings. I do have one I'm working on for Rainbow Dash. Have a look at this.”

Rainbow Dash came out from behind the screen and walked up behind the pair as Rarity showed them the suit she was working on.

“This is how it will look when it's complete,” said Rarity as she showed them a drawing. “I'll be using this material for the underside and striping. Of course, there will be a lot of sequins and I'll be using this satin for the accents.”

“I think she'll look great in this,” said Razor, “but we'll be looking for something a little more simple. Our flight team has decided to go with new uniforms next season.”

“I don't know,” said Sunrise, “I might get this one for myself.”

“You can't have it,” said Rainbow Dash.

The two Cloudsdale ponies spun around in surprise. Rainbow Dash laughed at their reaction.

“Where did you come from?” asked Razor.

“I was here getting some help from Rarity,” said Dash. “I was behind that screen over there.”

“It's good to see you again Rainbow,” said Sunrise Cloud. “Want to help us pick out our new suits?”

“I kind of have a full day ahead of me,” said Dash. “How about if we get together and have lunch?”

“Sure, that would be great. What are you doing today?” asked Razor.

“Practice this morning, then some sky dancing with Fluttershy after lunch,” said Dash. “After that, I'll write down some more options for my routine and make a copy of my moves for myself. Then dinner and maybe some more practice later.”

“Can we watch you practice?” asked Razor. “Promise not to tell what you're doing.”

Dash laughed at Razor's teasing. “I don't see why not. It's just a rough guess at what Immelmane really wants me to do. It won't be what my real routine is going to look like. I wouldn't mind a little critique. I don't want to get sloppy.”

“Sure, Dash,” said Sunrise, “we'd be happy to.”

“Why don't you two look through the drawings I've made,” said Rarity, “while I attend to Rainbow Dash. This won't take long.”

“Sure,” said Razor, “we've seen some of them already but I'll bet you've done more.”

“Oh yes,” said Rarity, “and I've cleaned up some of the older ones too. Keep in mind that I can modify them to suit your needs. I'll be right back. Come Rainbow Dash, let's get that tail fixed up.”

Razor and Sunrise Cloud looked at each other. Razor shrugged and returned to looking at the drawings. She would find out about this tail business later.

Rainbow Dash returned to the couch behind the screen and Rarity began undoing the hair that held the bandage in place. It wasn't too difficult and she didn't even need to use the scissors.

“It looks almost healed,” said Rarity, “I don't think it will give you any more trouble.”

“Thanks, Rarity,” said Dash, “it does look a lot better. Let's go see your new customers.”

“Rarity,” began Dash, “Razor here is one of the ponies that almost made it to the finals. She's really a great flier. She's the second in command of The Golden Sun Team. Sunrise got hurt on the first day and never got to show us her stuff but she's also part of Golden Sun so I know she must be good.”

“Actually, I'm in charge of the team now,” said Razor. “Golden Sun is an amateur team and now that Frost is a professional, we had to choose a new leader. I got the job.”

“Congratulations!” said Dash, “I'm sure you'll do great.”

“Thanks, now I have to go through another try out,” said Razor, “except this time I'll be one of the judges.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Have fun with that!”

“So the other thing we did was decide we needed new uniforms,” said Sunrise Cloud. “After seeing yours and those drawings, we just had to check out this place.”

“Listen, I have to go have breakfast and then go see Twilight,” said Dash. “You go ahead and pick out your uniforms and we'll meet up later. If you're done before I come back, just go to the library.”

“Sounds good Dash,” said Razor, “see you later.”

Rainbow Dash left Rarity's shop and went to the market in search of sustenance. She settled for a bag of honey bunches of hay and found a quiet corner of the park to eat it. When she finished she headed to the library to see if Twilight had heard from the Princess.

Rainbow Dash knocked on the door as it was before the library was scheduled to open. Spike answered and greeted her.

“Good morning Rainbow Dash,” said the little dragon, “Twilight is still eating breakfast. Would you like to join her?”

“Thanks Spike, I just ate,” said Dash, “but I wouldn't mind something to drink. Juice, tea, anything will do. That cereal made me thirsty.”

“Sure,” replied Spike, “I have a whole pitcher of juice. Come on.”

“Morning Twilight,” said Dash, “hear back from the Princess yet?”

“Hi, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “yes, I did. You have nothing to worry about as far as her grounding you for safety reasons. She said that the Elements would eventually have to be passed on to others and she would consider your suggestion should the need arise. She also asked that you to be careful because she wants you to be an Element for a long time.”

“Well, that's good,” said Rainbow Dash, “I didn't think she would ground me. What about me performing at Princess Luna's party?”

“I think you'll have to read that one yourself. She sent a reply just for you,” said Twilight.

“Here you are, Rainbow,” said Spike.

Rainbow Dash unrolled the scroll on the table and read it quickly. “Yes! She said she would love to have me perform at Luna's party. Good thing Razor and Sunrise Cloud are here, I can send a message back to Cloudsdale with them.”

“They were two of the contestants that got eliminated, weren't they?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “Razor almost made the finals and Sunrise was the one that was injured. Razor took over The Golden Sun Team since Frost is a Wonderbolt now. They're over at Rarity's getting new flight suits for the team.”

“That's great,” said Twilight, “I'll bet Rarity is excited. How many suits do they need?”

“I'm not sure,” admitted Dash, “but I'd say at least a half dozen, maybe a couple more. Say Twilight, I was wondering, do you know any spells to detect downdrafts and stuff like the one that almost took me out?”

“No,” answered Twilight, “but that doesn't mean there isn't one. It will take me a while to look into it.”

“Thanks Twilight,” said Dash, “I figured if any pony knew how to detect them, it would be you. Getting rid of them would be nice but I guess that's pushing it.”

“I'm sorry Rainbow but I just don't know,” said Twilight Sparkle. “It's an intriguing problem though.” Twilight looked deep in thought as she pondered a solution.

“Are we going to get to meet your friends?” asked Spike.

“Sure!” said Dash, “we're going to meet up for lunch. We can get together then.”

“They're not staying long?” asked Twilight.

“I didn't ask but I don't think so,” said Dash. “I think I'll head back to Rarity's. They're going to watch me practice and give me a little critique. After practice, we'll have lunch and then I'm going to practice sky dancing with Fluttershy.”

Spike laughed. “You? Dancing? I don't believe it.”

Rainbow Dash scowled at the dragon. “And why not? I can do all sorts of stunts, what makes you think I can't do a little sky dancing?”

Spike suddenly remembered who he was talking to. “I didn't mean that you couldn't do it,” he stammered, “I just meant I'm surprised that you would do it.”

“Well, I told you the other day I need to have something slower to do between stunts so I can catch my breath. I guess I'm taking a little advice from Windyday too,” said Dash. “Whenever she feels she's weak at something, she works hard to get better at it.”

“She sounds like a smart pony,” said Twilight.

Dash chuckled. “Yeah, she is. I'm sure you'll like her.”

“And you're weak at sky dancing?” asked Spike. “If it's so easy, how come you aren't good at it?”

“I've never done it before, that's why,” answered Dash peevishly. “Even Twilight couldn't read the first time she picked up a book. Anyway, it isn't that easy.”

“Well, actually my mom cast a spell that allowed me to read at a basic level,” said Twilight, “but point taken.”

“Cheater,” muttered Dash. “By the way, Frost and I were the only two contestants selected that don't sky dance. Frost has to learn too. Firewing and Windy are both good at it, especially Firewing.”

“Why don't you bring them here for lunch?” asked Twilight. “We could get something together by around noon.”

“Sure,” said Spike, “maybe I could go get something from Sugarcube Corner too.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Dash. “I'll go back to Rarity's and see if they're ready. Should I invite her too?”

“Sure,” said Twilight, “we may as well invite Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack too.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “I'll take care of Rarity and Fluttershy, you two can ask A.J. and Pinkie.”

“Will do!” said Spike.

Rainbow Dash left the library and headed back to Rarity's shop. Upon nearing the shop she heard the sound of voices. It seemed there was some sort of argument in progress.

“Whoa! Whoa! What's going on here?” asked Rainbow Dash, as she entered. “I could hear you outside.”

Rarity answered. “Your friends were just 'discussing' which suit would be the best for the team.” Rarity looked rather frazzled.

“What's the problem?” asked Dash.

“First of all,” began Razor, “this design shows off our moves better than this one. That diagonal two tone is pretty but the colors are too close and will blur when we do spins. Then there's the color. The blue would be better than the red but Sunrise won't listen.”

“It will not look better,” protested Sunrise, “blue against a blue sky just doesn't show up as well. Besides, more of the team have coats that will clash with the blue. Red is better and the diagonal would work with a dark red and a light red.”

“Light red is pink,” snorted Razor, “and I'm not wearing pink to perform stunts. The guys won't go for it either.”

“Light red is not pink!” said Sunrise, “it's just lighter than dark!”

And so the argument started all over again. Rainbow Dash walked quietly over to Rarity. She kept one eye on Razor and Sunrise in case the two were prepared to fight it out.

“Has this been going on since I left?” asked Dash.

“No, they were quite peaceful until we started to eliminate designs and it boiled down to these two,” answered Rarity.

“So what's the problem?” asked Dash.

“Razor wants the solid dark blue one with the white 'vee' pattern beneath and Sunrise wants the two tone red diagonal design,” said Rarity. “I tried to make some suggestions but I can't get a word in.”

“What about a third color?” suggested Dash. “What's red and blue make?”

“Purple of course,” said Rarity. “What are you playing at, Rainbow Dash?”

“Girls, can I have your attention please!” shouted Dash.

The two team members stopped shouting at each other and glared at Rainbow Dash.

“Let me suggest a few things,” said Dash quickly. She didn't want to give them a moment to stop her or start on each other again. “First, both of these designs are great and you both have good arguments for why you like them. Second, both colors are good and Razor? Light red isn't pink unless it's too light. What about a third color? How about purple? You mix red and blue and you get purple! It's a great compromise. And one last thing, why not take these designs back to Cloudsdale and let your team vote on it? Okay, that's all I got. You can go back to your fighting now.”

The two Cloudsdale ponies looked at Rainbow Dash and then at each other. They looked at Rarity.

“I can do purple,” she said.

“I'll, um, think about it,” said Sunrise, who looked back at Razor.

“I'm not making a very good leader, am I?” said Razor. She hung her head.

“So what would Frost have done?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Pretty much what I just did,” replied Razor. “She'd have made a choice and dared anypony to say she was wrong.”

“You know, Razor, you don't have to be just like Frost to be a good leader,” said Sunrise Cloud.

“Are you saying Frost wasn't a good leader?” said Razor. Her voice was angry again.

“No,” continued Sunrise, “I'm saying that you aren't Frost. You have to find your own way of doing things.”

“Frost was a great leader, a teacher, a friend and the pony who got me into stunt flying,” said Razor. “How can I do better than her?”

“Razor, I knew Frost when we were both fillies,” said Dash. “She taught me a lot and was always there for me. She's a good and loyal friend, but she isn't perfect. No pony is. Well, I'm pretty close but I'm not in this thing. Frost tried really hard to take care of you girls instead of doing her job as a competitor and almost took herself out of the competition. What could she have done if she'd concentrated on just trying to beat us? You're not doing your job as leader if you're busy trying to be somepony else.”

“What's your point Dash?” asked Razor. “Are you saying I can't live up to her standard? I ask myself that question everyday.”

“Exactly,” said Dash, “so instead of being yourself and leading your way, you're spending all your time imitating her. You'll never make a very good Frost but you could be the best Razor.”

Razor thought for a few seconds. “I think I get what you're saying. Sunrise? How about we take these designs home and let the rest of the team vote on them?”

“Sure, Razor,” said Sunrise, with a smile, “that sounds good to me. Sorry for giving you a hard time.”

“I'll try to be better,” said Razor, “just be patient.” Razor looked at Rarity. “Could you please show us these in purple before we leave?”

“Certainly,” said Rarity, “just give me an hour or so and I'll get these all packed up with some fabric samples.”

“That will be great,” said Razor, “we'll see you then.”

“Actually, Twilight asked us all to lunch at the library at noon,” said Dash. “Why don't you just bring your samples and meet us there?”

“That will be wonderful,” said Rarity, “I'll be there.”

The three pegasi left Carousel Boutique and Rainbow Dash led them on the short flight to Fluttershy's cottage.

“So what are you going to show us?” asked Sunrise as they flew.

“Just what I have written up so far,” said Dash. “Like I said; I'm just guessing at what Immelmane wants me to do. He gave me an outline and I sort of filled in the blanks.”

“That's cool,” said Razor, “we get to see a preview.”

“Yeah, just don't tell anypony exactly what I show you,” said Dash. “I'd better not have to make up a new routine because you two blabbed.”

Razor and Sunrise laughed. “Don't worry,” said Sunrise, “we know better than that.”

“Say, how's Frosty doing with her sky dancing?” asked Dash.

“She hates it,” said Razor as she laughed even harder. “It's too slow for her. How about you?”

“I practiced a little yesterday,” said Dash, “and I'm going to work with Fluttershy this afternoon. It's kind of fun. It is slow though. I guess I might appreciate that when I get tired. I tried to put a little bit of it into my routine but I don't think it worked very well.”

“We'll soon see,” said Sunrise. “Why are we going way out here? There's plenty of open space by that nice cloud home. Is that yours?”

“Yeah, that's where I live,” began Rainbow Dash but she stopped short. “It actually belongs to the leader of the Ponyville Weather Team...which I no longer am! Oh my gosh! I...I have to find a place to live!”

Razor and Sunrise both began laughing. “And you just thought of this?” asked Razor. “Are you serious?”

“I just hadn't thought about it,” said Dash. “I always figured if I made the team, I'd move to Cloudsdale and if I didn't make it I'd still be the leader. I didn't count on making the team and not moving.”

“So what are you going to do?” asked Sunrise.

“I guess I'll go see Derpy and find out what the regulations are,” said Dash, “she practically has them memorized. I wonder how much it would cost to build a new house?”

“I don't see why you don't just move back to Cloudsdale,” said Razor. “It would be a lot more convenient for you.”

“I have some friends and obligations here,” replied Dash. “I would have moved to Cloudsdale but I should stay here.”

“Why not rent an apartment in town?” said Razor. “There has to be someplace you can stay.”

“I'm a pegasus,” said Dash, “I live in the clouds.” The tone of her voice left no room for discussion.

“How many bits do you have?” asked Razor. “Cloud houses aren't real expensive, at least not for something simple.”

“I don't have much yet,” said Dash. “I can afford to rent a place but I don't know if I can afford a house. And I still have to buy the land underneath. There's plenty of land around that I can get for next to nothing. Out by Whitetail Wood might be nice. Maybe I can get an advance or something.”

“Worry about it later,” said Razor, “I want to see some great flying.”

“You got it,” said Dash, “here we are. Let me introduce you to Fluttershy and we'll get started.”

Fluttershy was outside and the three pegasi landed by her. “Hey Flutters, these are my friends from the tryouts last week. This is Razor and Sunrise Cloud. You may recognize them from the shows they put on the last couple of days. Girls, this is my good friend Fluttershy. You may recognize her from her spying on me in Cloudsdale.”

“Hi, Fluttershy,” said Razor, “you look different without that black flight suit.”

“Pleased to meet you, Fluttershy,” said Sunrise. “I'm glad you came to Cloudsdale with those drawings. We're here to buy new uniforms for our aerobatics team.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” replied Fluttershy, “for real, I mean. I'm so glad that you liked Rarity's work. Yes, I remember you both from the shows. You were lovely up there.”

“Thank you,” said Razor, “we enjoyed doing them.”

“I hope to see you perform again,” said Fluttershy. “I'll be coming to Cloudsdale more often now that I'm doing work for Rarity.”

“Rainbow Dash is going to show us some moves right now,” said Sunrise Cloud. “Come watch with us.”

“Sure, I'd like that,” said Fluttershy. “Would you like to stay for lunch?”

“We're having lunch at the library,” said Dash, “you're invited too.”

“Oh, alright,” said Fluttershy, “and then we can go sky dancing?”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I have to make a quick stop at the office and see Derpy. After that, I'm free for the day.”

“What office is Derpy in,” asked Fluttershy.

“The Weather Team office,” said Dash, “she's doing the administrative work now.”

“Is that really a good idea?” asked Fluttershy. “She doesn't seem like, um, the pony for an important position.”

“I know,” said Dash, “but she's great at it! Seems like she finally found something she's good at … as long as she keeps one eye closed.”

“Wow! That's great,” said Fluttershy. “How did you find that out?”

“By accident,” laughed Dash, “she was the first in line for a replacement pony and I didn't want her flying so I put her where I thought she couldn't do much damage. Turned out that she knows the regulations inside out and is a great organizer. Who knew?”

“Come on Dash,” said Razor, “get in the air. We can talk over lunch.”

“You're right,” said Dash. “Keep an eye on my moves and let me know if they're not crisp enough. Here we go!”

Dash dropped her satchel and took to the air. After about fifteen minutes of stunts and slower maneuvers, she landed. Panting heavily, she asked how she looked.

“You looked real good,” said Razor, “most of the time. I could tell you were getting a little tired near the end. Some of your stunts didn't look as snappy as they had earlier. I don't know how you kept going at that speed for so long though. Maybe you ought to add in some more slow stuff.”

“How was my time?” asked Dash. “I felt like I was really moving through most of it.”

“About fifteen minutes,” said Sunrise, “and that's take off to landing. I didn't take into account the time it took you to get to altitude.”

“That's a little fast,” said Dash, “I had a good five more minutes of flight time left. I meant to go closer to twenty.”

“You need music,” said Razor, “that would help you keep on time.”

“I know,” said Dash, “I hope Mr. Immelmane has something picked out. I don't have anything that long and I don't have something that rocks and then has slow parts too.”

“Just for practice, we could shout at certain points,” said Sunrise, “like, every minute or every five minutes?”

“That would help,” said Dash. “Fluttershy, do you have a clock with a second hand?”

“I have a kitchen timer,” said Fluttershy, “it counts down from one hour and has minute marks.”

“That would be perfect,” said Razor. “How long do you want to rest between sets of stunts?”

“I was thinking of about a minute,” said Dash, “any longer and I might start to lose the audience. What do you think; one minute of rest after every five minutes of stunts or shorter but more frequent breaks?”

“I'd say shorter and more frequent,” said Razor, “at least until you get good enough at sky dancing to make it worth watching. Even thirty seconds would seem long if you've been watching high speed stunts and then suddenly everything slows down.”

“I can't imagine what kind of music you're going to use,” said Sunrise. “I don't care what kind of music you like, I've never heard anything that would match your routine.”

“Why don't you get that DJ that played for you at the celebration?” asked Fluttershy. “Maybe she could come up with something.”

“I'll try to find out later,” said Dash, “get your timer and we'll just use that for now.”

Fluttershy left to get the timer and Dash continued. “I can see why they only had us do three minutes in the try outs. It's going to take me a week to get a twenty minute routine together and it still won't be finished. It was pretty easy to extend the three minutes to the seven or eight that I did at the celebration but I just threw in a bunch of old tricks to the same song.”

“How was the celebration?” asked Sunrise. “We had a little one with our team for Frost but that was more like a party than anything else. Of course there were some stunts and races, all informal, and a lot of general clowning around.”

“Firewing and I did extended versions of our routines and Firewing and Fluttershy did a little basic sky dance,” said Dash. “The whole town was there and there were speeches and lots of good food. Ponyville is small, so me making it into the Wonderbolts is really a big deal.”

“Sounds like a fun time,” said Sunrise.

“It was,” said Dash, “but I had a big scare during my routine. I almost had a bad crash.”

“Really?” said Razor, “what happened?”

“Downdraft during my landing maneuver,” said Dash, “I pulled it off like I did at the try outs but it was so close that I scraped my tail. I'd moved it up a hundred hooves too because we knew the air was choppy.”

“Is that why you needed Rarity's help this morning?” asked Razor.

“Yeah,” said Dash, “she wove my tail hair over the bandage to hide it. It wasn't a serious wound but I didn't want an infection.”

Fluttershy returned with the timer. “Here you are, Rainbow,” she said, “I set it for twenty minutes. When you say go all I have to do is hit the button.”

“Great,” said Dash, “but I'm going to rest a little first. I was moving pretty fast last time.”

The ponies sat and talked for a while. Razor and Sunrise were most interested in Rainbow Dash's near crash while Rainbow Dash wanted to hear how Fluttershy was doing on her sky dancing. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, wanted to hear more about the doings in Cloudsdale. She particularly wanted to know how Weathervane and Sweet Clover were doing. This strange three way conversation continued for some time until all of the ponies had their curiosity sated. It was getting closer to lunch time and Rainbow Dash still had to practice.

Rainbow Dash stood up and stretched. “I'm going to limber up a little,” said Dash, “then I'll land and get ready to do my routine. When I take off the second time, you start the timer. Give me a shout every minute so I can keep time.”

After limbering up, Rainbow Dash landed and took off once more. Every few minutes she did take a short sky dancing break and set herself up for the next series of stunts. Though the timing came out a bit closer to the twenty minutes as planned, she was still wearing down by the end of the routine. She landed to hear Razor and Sunrise give their critique.

Razor spoke first. “I think I see the problem,” she said. “The sky dancing moves are almost as fast as your stunts. They're easier so you do get a little rest but you need to slow down and really catch your breath. I'm still impressed that you were able to move that fast and still finish the show.”

“Yeah,” said Sunrise, “especially since it was your second one. I could tell you were getting tired. You're moves just weren't as crisp near the end.”

“I know that last sky dance section you did and it only lasted about about fifteen seconds,” said Razor. “Watch me do it and count the seconds.”

Razor took off and gained altitude. She dove slightly to simulate Rainbow Dash's starting speed and started to sky dance. While not as proficient as Firewing, Razor certainly knew what she was doing. She gracefully went through the movements, only flapping her wings at certain points. Razor completed the short dance and returned to her friends.

“I came up with twenty-eight seconds,” said Dash, “that's almost twice what you said I did.”

“Sky dancing is slow and graceful,” said Sunrise, “well, that one is anyway. There are some that are faster.”

“I'm going to start working on it with Fluttershy this afternoon,” said Dash, “I'll definitely have to slow down then.”

“Frost tried working with me a couple times,” said Razor, with laugh, “it was like she was just trying to get through it as fast as possible so she could quit.”

“Sounds like Frost alright,” said Dash, “she used to just blast through everything. I guess some of it rubbed off on me.”

“Fly with me a little when you're rested,” said Sunrise, “and then we'll go to lunch. We can run through the sky dance at a proper pace. Don't be my partner, just mirror me.”

“Alright,” replied Dash, “I can do that. Give me a minute or two and we'll do it. Fluttershy? Do you have your book handy?”

Fluttershy went to a nearby bench for her book. “I was just going through it earlier. I think I have a record that would work for us. Should I set up my record player out here?”

“No, don't bother,” said Dash, “we'll use it this afternoon though.”

Dash got up and stretched. She walked around a little to keep from getting stiff. “I think I can stay with you now, Sunrise. Let's fly through this and we'll head to lunch.”

“Alright,” said Sunrise, “let me see that book and we'll go over it on the ground first.”

“I'll read off the moves,” said Razor, “you two can do a walk through before you head up.”

As Razor read the dance aloud, Rainbow Dash and Sunrise Cloud walked through the movements of the sky dance. It was short and hardly more complicated than the one Firewing had taught Fluttershy. They walked through the moves twice and were satisfied that they could perform the dance without colliding with one another.

They took off together and began the dance, flying parallel to one another with enough space between to do the moves. Though Rainbow Dash had memorized the dance, she kept a close eye on Sunrise to monitor her timing. The dance concluded and the pair landed.

“You did well, Rainbow Dash,” said Sunrise, “a few slips and you got too fast a couple of times but I've seen worse.”

“Better than Frost,” said Razor, “she just can't fly slow. I wonder if it's because of her size.”

“Maybe,” said Sunrise, “but my instructor was a big stallion and he could dance beautifully. It's more a matter of knowing when to use your wings. The beats in the music will help you there but you need a real instructor.”

“It tired me out more than I thought it would,” said Dash, “but I already flew my routine twice. How long did it take?”

“I timed it,” said Fluttershy, “it was a little over five minutes.”

“I was pretty close then,” said Sunrise, with a smile. “Nice to know I haven't lost my touch.”

“Are you going to do it again, or are we going to lunch?” asked Razor.

“Let's go eat,” said Dash, “I'm hungry. I can practice with Fluttershy this afternoon.”

The others were in agreement. Razor and Sunrise Cloud hadn't eaten since they had left Cloudsdale early that morning and it had been quite some time since Fluttershy had her light breakfast. The four pegasi took off and flew gently towards Ponyville.

They passed over the town at low altitude and attracted some attention. It started with the colts and fillies chasing after them. The adult ponies looked up and waved and a few cheered. Razor and Sunrise were confused.

“What is with these ponies?” said Razor. “Haven't they ever seen a pegasus before?”

“Sure they have,” said Dash, laughing, “look behind us.”

Razor and Sunrise looked back and saw several pegasi, mostly youngsters, following them. Razor looked at Dash with a puzzled look on her face. She had no idea what to say.

“Do they always follow you around like this, Rainbow?” asked Sunrise.

“No,” said Dash, “I think they're following you two. I brought Firewing home and they knew she was a Wonderbolt, they probably think you're Wonderbolts too.” Dash started laughing again.

“Would it be rude if I yelled go away?” asked Sunrise, “this is starting to creep me out.”

Razor giggled and abruptly gained altitude. As she climbed, the others glided down to the library and landed. All of them watched, wondering what the impish mare was going to do. They didn't have to wait long.

Razor began performing stunts over the Ponyville rooftops. She put on a short show but what she did next was a surprise to everypony. She dove down to nearly ground level and flew between the buildings, weaving up and down the streets and startling the ponies on the ground. Though she stayed high enough to avoid collisions, the ponies on the ground scattered or ducked their heads. The pegasi who had been following in the sky flew for shelter in trees and rooftops. Razor eventually was satisfied with herself and landed next to her friends at the library.

Fluttershy was not amused by the 'show' but Rainbow Dash and Sunrise Cloud both offered hoof bumps and laughed along with Razor.

“Did you see that guy jump into the fountain?” said Razor, when she got control of her laughter.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “and the mayor tried to follow you when you circled the Town Hall. We'd better get inside, come on.”

Still laughing, the pegasi hurried into the library. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were already there and were helping set the table for lunch. Rainbow Dash decided introductions were in order.

“Razor, Sunrise Cloud, these are my friends Applejack and Pinkie Pie,” said Dash, “A.J. and Pinkie Pie meet two members of the Golden Sun Flight Team, Razor, who is now the leader, and Sunrise Cloud. They were two of the contestants in the try outs last week.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Sunrise.

“Hi,” said Razor, “it's good to meet some more of Rainbow's friends.”

“Howdy,” said Applejack, “y'all are welcome at my place anytime. Any friend of Rainbow Dash is our friend too.”

“That's right!” said Pinkie Pie. “How long are you staying? Let us know when you're coming next time and we'll have a party.”

“We'll be sure to do that,” chuckled Razor, amused by Pinkie's enthusiasm.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike entered carrying trays of food. “Welcome to the Ponyville library,” said Twilight, as she set her tray on the table. “I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is my assistant Spike.”

Both Razor and Sunrise Cloud took a step back as Spike entered the room. They looked at each other and back at Spike.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Razor in wonder.

“Spike? Yes, Spike is a dragon,” said Twilight. She remembered Fluttershy's reaction at seeing a baby dragon for the first time. Were all pegasi like this?

“I'm a dragon all right,” said Spike proudly.

Razor and Sunrise gasped. “It...he talks!” said Sunrise.

“Of course I can talk,” said Spike, “I can read and write too. What's the big deal?”

“We've never met a ...um..civilized dragon before,” said Razor. “You're her assistant?”

“He sure is,” said Twilight. “I don't know what I'd do without him.”

Spike smiled at Twilight, grateful for the praise. “Lunch is served ladies,” he said.

“Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash, “Razor has taken over the leadership of the Golden Sun Flight Team since Frost is now a Wonderbolt. Sunrise Cloud is a member of that team too and both of them were in the competition last week.”

“Sunrise didn't really get to show how good she is,” said Razor, “she was hurt on the first day when that jerk Twister hit her.”

“I probably wouldn't have made the cut anyway,” said Sunrise, “but it was a bad way to go out.”

“Hey, just keep working,” said Rainbow Dash, “you both were invited this time and you know Immelmane and Spitfire would like to see you try out again.”

“Yeah,” said Sunrise, “as long as there isn't another Rainbow Dash, Firewing or Windyday in there with us.”

“There won't be another Rainbow Dash,” said Pinkie Pie, “she's one of a kind.”

“Thank Celestia for that,” said Razor, with a laugh.

There was a knock at the door and Spike answered it. Rarity had arrived. She had a satchel around her neck which had paper and fabric samples peeking out of the top.

“You're just in time Rarity,” said Spike, “we just sat down to eat.”

“That's good,” said Rarity, “I'm famished. What is going on in town though? It looks like a tornado blew through. Ponies are running around all over the place.”

The pegasi all looked at one another with smirks on their faces. Applejack noticed at once and focused on the one she felt was most likely responsible.

“Alright R.D.,” said Applejack, “what did you do now?”

“Huh?” said Rainbow Dash, “I didn't do anything.” She felt good to be in the clear for a change.

“Really?” said Applejack, clearly skeptical. “I know it wasn't Fluttershy so that leaves you two.” She looked at Razor and Sunrise Cloud.

“Hey!” interjected Rainbow Dash, “why does it have to be a pegasus?”

“Because of the way y'all are lookin' at each other,” said Applejack. “If you ain't responsible, I'll bet you know what all went on. Are you sayin' you don't?”

“I'm not saying anything,” said Dash. She suddenly became very interested in the food and began eating.

Spike looked out the window to see what Rarity had been talking about. “There's a small crowd of ponies out there. I don't see anything too bad though.”

“Are they carrying torches and pitchforks?” asked Twilight.

“Nope,” said Spike, missing the sarcasm completely, “they're just talking and milling around. That one guy looks kinda wet though.”

Razor and Sunrise stifled giggles and even Fluttershy smiled nervously. Rainbow Dash began to cough as she accidentally inhaled some bits of food.

“Okay, what happened,” said Twilight.

“Weelll,” said Razor, “I put on a little show and I might have flown a little too low and scared some of them. I didn't hit anypony or anything, honest.”

“That's all?” said Twilight. She was still a little dubious.

Razor nodded. “I was going pretty fast too, I guess. Say, does this place have a back door?”

“Everypony just relax,” said Rainbow Dash, “sit down and have some lunch. There was no real harm done.”

Rarity, at least, decided that Rainbow Dash was right and joined her at the table. The others soon followed but Spike stayed by the window watching the ponies in the town. They talked as they ate.

“I guess I shouldn't have flown like that,” said Razor, “but I was just having a little fun.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “this isn't Cloudsdale. They kind of expect me to do that kind of stuff but you're a stranger. I think you just surprised them.”

“Give them a little time and I think they'll forget about it,” said Twilight. “If you don't mind, Razor, I was wondering about your name. Razor is kind of unusual. Why did your parents name you that?”

“They didn't,” replied Razor, “it's a nickname. My real name is Rain Zephyr. Kids called me Raz when I was little and some of them extended it to Razor. I liked it so I just started using it myself.”

“Rain Zephyr is a lovely name,” said Rarity, “I goes well with your cutie mark and coat too.”

“Thanks,” said Razor with a smile, “I guess it does.”

“You both have wonderful coats and manes,” said Rarity, “if you ever need any dresses or a personal flight suit you simply must let me make them.”

“I might take you up on that,” said Sunrise, “I really do like that one you're making for Rainbow. I think I'd go for something a little lighter though.”

“A nice pastel orange would look good on you,” said Rarity, “trim it in something brighter and it would be stunning.”

“Hmm, that would be good for a dress too,” said Sunrise thoughtfully.

“Oh, yes!” agreed Rarity, “I could do that. Just let me know, and we can get to work on it.”

“Razor? Sunrise?” interrupted Rainbow Dash, “could you drop by The Wonderbolts Compound and give a message to Mr. Immelmane for me?”

“Sure,” said Razor, “if they'll let us in.”

“I think they will,” said Rainbow Dash, “the guards know you and I don't think they'll stop you from giving a message to Mr. Immelmane, especially from me.”

“So what's the message?” asked Razor.

“Just tell him that I got a reply from Princess Celestia,” said Rainbow Dash, “and she said it's okay for me to perform at Princess Luna's party next month.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Sunrise, “What a great way to open your career.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “it's just going to be a short routine but it will be my first professional performance. I'm really looking forward to it.”

“I hope you do well,” said Razor, “I'd be really nervous about performing in front of her.”

“Who?” asked Twilight. “Princess Luna?”

“Well, yeah,” replied Razor, “I saw her once and she's kinda scary.”

All the ponies except Sunrise Cloud laughed at this. The Cloudsdale ponies looked at them in wonder.

“Luna's okay,” said Dash.

“She can be scary,” said Pinkie Pie, “but she really is a lot of fun.”

“Luna's alright,” added Applejack, “she just needed a little help fitting in. She's been away for a long time and has some catching up to do.”

“If you say so,” said Razor, “but I wouldn't want to get on her bad side.”

“Of course you wouldn't,” said Twilight, “she's a powerful alicorn. Luna is, well, a little old fashioned and not at all like Celestia. That doesn't mean she's evil or anything like that.”

“But wasn't she Nightmare Moon?” asked Sunrise. “I'd be a little suspicious of anypony that wanted eternal night.”

“She isn't Nightmare Moon anymore,” said Dash, “but maybe Twilight can explain it better.”

“Not really,” said Twilight, “because I don't understand it completely myself. I think Nightmare Moon was a part of Luna that got out of control and took over and consumed the good side of her. When that happened, Luna was trapped inside of Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon was so very powerful that even Celestia couldn't defeat her without using the Elements of Harmony. It's also possible that Luna became weak due to her bitterness and being lonely and that allowed some outside force to combine with Luna herself but I really don't know.”

Razor shuddered. “I'm glad I'm a pegasus,” she said, “at least I don't have to worry about some weird magic going wrong.”

“She got changed back by those Elements of Harmony things,” said Sunrise, “which were the same things that defeated her in the first place. I guess Princess Celestia figured out how to use them after a thousand years.”

“Sort of,” said Rarity. She started to laugh and her friends joined in.

“But the Princess was missing,” said Razor, “so how did she use the Elements?”

“We used them,” said Dash, casually.

“Yeah, right,” said Sunrise.

“We did too!” said Pinkie Pie. “I'm the Element of Laughter, Rarity is Generosity, Fluttershy is Kindness, Applejack is Honesty and Dashie is Loyalty. Oh! and Twilight is Magic.”

Wow,” said Razor, “should we like, bow or something?”

“Sure, if you want to,” said Dash.

“Rainbow!” said Twilight, “knock it off. We're just normal ponies, Sunrise. That's all.”

“Normal ponies that can defeat an evil, super powerful, dark magic alicorn,” said Dash, ignoring a glare from Twilight.

“They have a window of us in the palace and everything,” added Pinkie.

“Is this all true?” asked Sunrise Cloud.

“Field it, A.J.,” said Dash, “you're the Element of Honesty.”

“Yes, it's true,” said Applejack. “We're all friends and, when we're together and have the Elements, we can do most anything.”

“How did this all come about?” asked Razor.

“You might want to hear that story later,” said Spike. “The mayor and some other ponies are headed this way.”

“Uh oh,” said Razor, “so is there a back way out of here?”

“You can take off from the balcony,” suggested Dash. “I'll go out front and stall them while you pack up.”

Razor and Sunrise hurriedly packed their saddle bags and headed upstairs. Rainbow Dash went to the door followed by Fluttershy. She felt that somepony should help Rainbow face the Mayor. Twilight went upstairs with Razor and Sunrise and peeked out the window. The Mayor and her party were walking to the front door and, as they disappeared around the trunk of the huge tree, Twilight signaled Razor and Sunrise to leave.

“Thanks for everything, Twilight,” said Sunrise, “it was nice to meet you and your friends.”

“Sorry I caused all this trouble,” said Razor, “say goodbye to the others for us.”

“It's alright,” said Twilight, “just be careful next time. When you leave here fly to your left and try to keep the tree between you and the town. It isn't far to the woods. If you can make it there without being spotted, you should be able to lose yourselves in the trees.”

“Will do,” said Razor. “Sunrise, I'll go first but stay close behind me so if anypony spots us they might not be able to see me clearly.”

“Okay,” said Sunrise. “If the coast is clear, lets go.”

Twilight opened the door and stepped outside. She craned her neck and leaned over the railing as far as she dared and managed to see the tail and one hoof of a pony near the front of the library. She waved the Cloudsdale ponies to take off. Razor and Sunrise leaped into the air and speedily flew away from the town. There were no cries of alarm and the pair soon disappeared into the trees.

As Twilight aided Sunrise and Razor in their escape, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were talking to the Mayor and some upset ponies.

“Rainbow Dash, I know you think everypony enjoys stunt flying but not in the middle of town,” said the Mayor.

“I wasn't doing any stunt flying in town,” replied Rainbow Dash innocently.

“It wasn't her,” said another pony, “the pony I saw was a bluish gray and had a light blue mane and tail.”

“Sounds like one of those Cloudsdale ponies,” said Dash. “They saw me in that awesome flight suit that Rarity made and were here to see her. Of course they had to come see me too; you know, to get some autographs.”

“So who were they?” asked the Mayor.

“I, um, saw them when I was in Cloudsdale,” said Fluttershy, “they were really impressed by Rarity's designs.”

“I see,” replied the Mayor. “That still doesn't give these Wonderbolt friends of yours license to fly dangerously through town.”

“Oh, they aren't Wonderbolts,” said Dash, “they're just some amateurs.”

“That one was pretty good for an amateur,” muttered a nearby pegasus.

“I saw some of that flying,” admitted Dash, “and she was pretty good. Firewing will be coming back next week and an old friend of mine that made the team will be coming with her.”

The Mayor was not allowing Rainbow Dash to change the subject. “So neither of you know them?”

“Just a couple of fans from Cloudsdale,” said Dash. “You'll probably be seeing a lot more too. Either they'll be here tracking me down or to shop at Rarity's.”

“Rarity said something about them being from some team,” said Fluttershy. “It sounded like it was a big order.”

“You know, Ms. Mayor,” said Dash slyly, “it might be a good idea to kind of overlook this little goof up. We wouldn't want to give the out-of-towners the impression that Ponyville isn't friendly to strangers.”

“Oh! you're right, Rainbow,” added Fluttershy, “and there will be even more after I show the designs in Canterlot, Manehatten and Phillydelphia.”

“That would mean a lot of money coming into town, wouldn't it?” said Dash.

“Yes, it would,” mused the Mayor. “Fluttershy, you said you're going to be showing Rarity's designs in other places?”

“Oh yes,” said Fluttershy, “I'll be traveling all over Equestria for the next few months at least. There were pegasi from all over in Cloudsdale for the tryouts last week. I had good reactions from everypony I showed the designs to.”

“There wasn't any damage, was there?” asked Dash.

“No, not really,” said the Mayor. “I'm going to let this go this time. Maybe we could put up some signs or have a pegasus or two patrol so this doesn't happen again. I'm all for bringing more business into town but we have to keep the townsponies safe... and the market open.”

The Mayor gave Rainbow Dash a suspicious look and walked away. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash re-entered the library and were greeted by their friends.

“Nice job you two,” said Applejack, “that was some fast talkin' y'all did.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, “telling the Mayor that there was money involved for the townsponies is a great way to get the Mayor on your side."

“Did Razor and Sunrise get away?” asked Fluttershy.

“Yes,” said Twilight, as she came down the steps, “they flew off while you were talking to the Mayor. You certainly made a variety of friends last week, Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah,” said Pinkie Pie, “Firewing was really nice and Sunrise Cloud seemed nice too but I don't know about Razor.”

“Yes!” exclaimed Rarity, “she was the one that started the argument in my shop. She did settle down and acted better before she left but she isn't the same type of pony as Firewing.”

“She's a little more...rough, isn't she, Dash?” asked Twilight.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I guess that's one way to put it. She's pretty wild, I'll say that much. If you think Razor is rough, wait until you meet Frost.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Wild is a good word for Razor. I think she's alright though. I talked to her a little at the cafe the night before the individual competition and she seems the type of mare that just wants to have fun.”

“She's okay,” said Dash, “I didn't get to know her as well as some of the others but she's alright. Frost wouldn't let any uncool pony on her team.”

“Don't you think she's kind of reckless?” said Twilight. “She could have hurt somepony by racing through town like that.”

“Nah,” said Dash, “she's a good flier. Ponies in Cloudsdale are used to seeing worse than that. It's still illegal though.”

“Don't you care about that?” asked Twilight.

“No,” said Dash, after thinking about it for a second.

“No!?” said Twilight angrily, “you mean you think it's alright to break the rules whenever you want?”

“Of course not,” said Dash, “just sometimes. Razor didn't hurt anypony or damage anything so it's no big deal. I've broken lots of rules and sometimes got in trouble for it but I can't say I wouldn't do it again. On the other hoof, I wouldn't just go around causing damage or hurting ponies on purpose. Some rules are more important than others.”

“You can't just pick and choose like that,” said Twilight. “You should obey all the rules all the time.”

“You just helped a pony who broke the law escape,” Dash pointed out, “that makes you an accessory to a crime.” The blue pegasus smiled.

Applejack laughed. “She's got ya there Twi.”

Twilight opened her mouth but closed it again without saying anything. Her friends laughed and caused Twilight to join in too.

“Alright,” said Twilight, “I get your point. I know you're a good pony Rainbow, at least most of the time. You have to admit that we do need rules though, don't you?”

“I guess we need some rules,” said Rainbow Dash, “even if they are annoying. I'm in some trouble right now because of a rule and I didn't even do anything.”

“What do you mean, Rainbow,” asked Rarity. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“I don't think so,” said Rainbow Dash, “I need to find out some things first. The problem is I might have to move after all. I can still stay here in Ponyville but I might be losing my home.”

“That's awful!” exclaimed Rarity. “Why would you lose your home?”

“It's not really my home,” explained Dash. “I never bought it. It's owned by the town, I think, and is part of the Weather Team Leader's pay. I'm not the leader anymore.” She sounded sad about that.

“So they can just throw you out?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Don't worry Dashie, we'll help you find a new home.” Pinkie Pie didn't say that she was afraid that Rainbow Dash would move back to Cloudsdale.

“Of course we will,” said Rarity, “I have a spare room you can use until you find a new place.”

“So do I,” said Fluttershy, “if you don't mind my critters.”

“I'm sure we could make some space out at the farm,” said Applejack. “At least we could store your stuff in the barn.”

“Thanks girls,” said Dash, “I know I can count on you, and I don't think they're just going to throw me out on the street with no notice. I should have a little time to prepare and I have some money but I'd really like to stay in my home if I can. Maybe I can buy it but if I can't I'd like to build another home.”

“Sure,” said Applejack, “I'll get a few of my relations to come over and raise you up a new house lickity split.”

Rainbow Dash looked at her friend and couldn't help but giggle. “I mean a cloud home AJ. Thanks for the offer but I want to live in the sky.”

“I can't help you there,” admitted Applejack with a laugh. “Do you think you can afford it?”

“I don't know,” said Dash. “Maybe if I keep it simple and cut corners.”

Twilight looked particularly thoughtful. “I'll think about this and do a little research. Let me know when you have to move out, if you have to move out I mean.”

“Sure, Twilight,” said Dash, “I should go see Derpy now, I guess.”

Chapter 53

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Chapter 53

Rainbow Dash left the library and made her way to Derpy's office. She found her sweeping the floor with less than stellar results.

“Hi, Derpy,” said Dash, “I, uh, need your help with something.”

Derpy stopped sweeping. “Hi Rainbow Dash,” she said, “I'm always glad to help!”

“Good,” said Dash, “because I have a little problem. The house I'm living in is for the Weather Team Leader and that's isn't me anymore. Can you find out how long I have before I have to move? I don't know if they'll let me buy it, or even if I can afford to but I'd like to know about that too.”

“Gosh!” exclaimed Derpy, “that's a problem alright. There is a section in the manual about pay and compensation. Let me get this dirt cleaned up and I'll take a look.”

“Uh, why don't you let me do that while you have a look now,” suggested Dash.

Derpy smiled and retrieved the massive book. Laying it on the desk, she immediately began leafing through it while Rainbow Dash finished sweeping the floor. Rainbow Dash finished long before Derpy and waited impatiently as she flipped from one section to the other in the book. At last she looked up.

“Okay,” said Derpy, “it looks like you have two weeks from the time you submit your resignation until you have to move out. After you resign, we have two weeks to choose a new leader or Cloudsdale will choose for us. Did you send in your resignation yet?”

“No,” replied Dash, “but I should do it soon. They know I'm a Wonderbolt now and will be expecting it.”

“Yeah,” agreed Derpy, “I'd say you should send in the form naming a temporary leader with your resignation. It's Friday now and we can probably wait until Monday to send it. That will give you a couple extra days. Now, you could buy your house if Ponyville is willing to sell it but then Ponyville would have to build a new one for the next leader and pay extra for their lodgings until it's built. You might be better off just building a new one.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I'll resign on Monday if you can get the rest of the papers ready. I'll fly them over to Cloudsdale myself. It will give me a chance to find out how much a cloud house will cost.”

“I'll have it ready first thing Monday morning,” said Derpy.

“Thanks, Derpy,” said Dash. “Say, did you ever take the tests for the Weather Department?”

“Sure,” said Derpy, “I did pretty good on the written tests but not the flying part. I barely passed.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “I just wondered. See ya Monday, Derpy. If you need any help, I'll be around town or out at Fluttershy's place.”

Rainbow Dash left the office and debated on whether to go see the Mayor about her problem or Twilight Sparkle to see what she had been researching. She opted for Twilight since seeing the Mayor so soon after Razor's little escapade seemed awkward. She made her way to the library.

She walked into the library and found Twilight at her desk with a few large books. She looked up as she heard Dash enter.

“That was quick, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “What did you find out?”

“It looks like I'll have to be out two weeks from Monday,” said Dash. “I might be able to delay a few days more but not much. I think it will be cheaper to build a new place than to buy mine.”

“That's too bad,” said Twilight. “I just checked about the homestead law and you can get land for just a small filing fee. The trouble is there isn't much land left under Ponyville control that you can get. Most is owned by somepony or other and some of what is left is really tiny.”

“I don't think I'll have any problem getting land,” replied Dash. “Ponyville recently about doubled in size.”

“What?” exclaimed Twilight, “What are you talking about?”

“We were trying to figure out a way to get some more ponies for the Team,” explained Dash. “Derpy knew about a clause in one of the regulations that allows a town to claim an area twenty miles from town center. That allows us three more ponies for our Weather Team.”

“Wow! That's great, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “It says here that you're allowed up to five acres for a home and forty acres if you want to farm it.”

“I think I'll pass on the farming,” said Dash with a laugh. “Five will be fine.”

“There are a few stipulations,” continued Twilight. “You have to build your home in six months. You must lay out the land you claim in one day. Last one, you must provide a basic map of the land you claim to the town council.”

“That doesn't sound too bad,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'll get A.J. and Fluttershy to help me and we'll measure it out tomorrow or maybe the day after.”

“Any idea where you're going to build it?” asked Twilight.

“I thought out by Whitetail Wood would be nice,” said Dash. “There are some good spots in the direction of Cloudsdale too. I'll take Fluttershy and scout them out this afternoon.”

“You should take your time,” said Twilight. “You're going to be living there. It's a big decision.”

“I know,” said Dash, “but I want to act fast before everypony else finds out about it. If I do it tomorrow, before the Mayor announces it, I'll get first pick of the best places.”

“It's a good idea but it hardly sounds fair,” said Twilight.

“Tough,” said Dash, “I'm doing it anyway. This whole moving thing is a big hassle and I want to get it over and done.”

“Alright, alright,” said Twilight, “I guess you have good reason to want to get this done. You are a busy pony after all.”

Rainbow Dash felt a little guilty about getting a head start on other ponies that might want to claim land, not enough to stop her present course of action but enough to annoy her. Besides, she thought, if it wasn't for her becoming a Wonderbolt and putting Derpy in charge of the office there wouldn't even be any land to claim. Her conscience mollified, she smiled and addressed her friend.

“Yeah, I am,” said Dash to Twilight, “I should be going over to Fluttershy's right now to practice. See you later Twilight and thanks for the information.”

“You're welcome, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “take it easy on Fluttershy.”

“No problem,” said Dash, “just some nice slow sky dancing.”

Rainbow Dash left Twilight's home and flew to Fluttershy's cottage. She found the yellow pegasus shuffling through records in her front yard. She landed near her.

“All ready to practice?” asked Dash.

“I guess so,” replied Fluttershy. “I was just looking for some appropriate music. I think one of these will do. What do you think?”

Rainbow Dash looked at the titles. They were nothing she was familiar with as her taste in music was a lot different than slow dance music. She sighed. “Pick what you think is best,” she told Fluttershy.

“Um, okay,” said Fluttershy. She took one of the records and put it on the player. She was about to turn it on when Rainbow Dash stopped her.

“Let's do a walk through before we start flying,” said Dash, “just to make sure we're on the same page.”

They actually did the walk through several times. Rainbow Dash continually got ahead of Fluttershy and she had to work at slowing down. They then tried it with the music and Dash found that Fluttershy wasn't being slow but had matched the music pretty well. Fluttershy reset the player and the pair took to the sky.

They spent the afternoon practicing the sky dance that Mr. Immelmane had chosen and by the end of the session Rainbow Dash was finding it easier to fly slower and match the music. She was also beginning to sympathize with Frost and wanted to really stretch her wings. Fluttershy was enjoying herself immensely and would have continued until her wings gave out but it was getting close to feeding time for her menagerie. They decided to call it a day.

“Say, Fluttershy,” said Dash, “want to take a little flight out to Whitetail Wood when you're done? I could use your opinion on something.”

“Sure Rainbow,” said Fluttershy, “what's at Whitetail Wood?”

“It may be the place to build my new home,” said Dash. “I want to pick out a good spot.”

“Maybe we should bring Rarity,” suggested Fluttershy, “she has an eye for that sort of thing.”

“Rarity can't fly,” replied Rainbow Dash. “I may need your help tomorrow too. I need to lay out the land so I can claim it.”

“How much are you going to claim?” asked Fluttershy.

“Five acres,” said Dash, “it's the maximum so I figure I may as well get as much as I can. If I put my house in the middle I won't have neighbors getting too close either.”

“That makes sense I guess,” said Fluttershy. “Let's feed my animals and we'll go.”

“You feed them and I'll get your record player and stuff put away,” said Dash.

When all was done, the pair flew out to Whitetail Wood. Even at Fluttershy's comparatively low speed, the flight didn't take long and soon the pair were flying back and forth along the border. Eventually Rainbow Dash settled on a section along the south eastern edge of the woods. It wasn't far from Ponyville and had a wonderful view of the woods. To celebrate they started to sky dance again.

They were about half way through their dance when both were startled by a flash of light right in front of them followed closely by a second. Fluttershy squealed and dove to get under the figures that suddenly appeared while Rainbow Dash banked hard and rolled away. When they had recovered back to level flight they looked back to see the two sisters that ruled Equestria hovering nearby. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash turned and flew back to them.

The two Elements of Harmony hovered in front of their sovereigns and did a mid-air bow. Celestia was the first to speak.

“Our apologies, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy,” said Princess Celestia. “The sky is usually clear this far from town.”

“It's alright Princess,” said Dash, “no harm done. What brings you to Ponyville?”

“I received a letter from Twilight Sparkle about the expansion of Ponyville,” replied Princess Celestia. “I wanted to get here before ponies started to claim the land. You weren't planning on moving here were you?”

“Not over the forest, your highness,” said Dash, “but I was looking at claiming five acres along the border. Is that alright?”

“It should be,” replied Celestia. “Why don't you show us?”

Rainbow Dash made a rough out line by flying close to the ground around the land she intended to claim. She flew back up to the two Princesses.

“You certainly picked a good spot for your home,” said Celestia. “The view here is lovely.”

“Yes, it is,” added Princess Luna. “You are right, sister, this is a very good spot for the royal residence we discussed before. It's close to Ponyville and the Elements, it's removed from the bustle of Canterlot and there's plenty of room for it.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” agreed Celestia, “and it wouldn't hurt to have Rainbow Dash nearby to watch after the place in our absence.”

“That would be nice, your Highness,” said Dash, “but I'm going to be traveling a lot. I won't be here to look after the place all that much.”

Celestia laughed. “That's quite alright, Rainbow Dash, there will always be a few servants and guards here to do the actual work. What I meant was, it would be good to have you as a neighbor. We need a place to use as a retreat and to entertain a few special guests from time to time. Canterlot is far too busy for us at times. We were thinking of having a nice, quiet place built where we won't be constantly interrupted.”

“Interrupted by nonsense most of the time,” muttered Luna.

Celestia wanted to reproach her sister but couldn't as she was too occupied in trying to keep from laughing. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had no qualms about giggling at Luna's comment.

“Come, sister,” said Celestia, “let us choose our land. We must go see the Mayor soon and let her know of our claim. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, fly to Ponyville and let her know we are here. Stop by the library and let Twilight Sparkle know too. We'll be along in a little while.”

The two pegasi bowed to the princesses and took off back to Ponyville. Both of them were rather tired out by now and Rainbow Dash found it easy to fly slow for a change. As they approached Ponyville, they agreed to split up. Rainbow Dash would go to the Town Hall while Fluttershy would visit Twilight Sparkle and let her know of the unexpected royal visit.

Dash entered the Town Hall and went directly to the Mayor's office. As she approached, she could hear the voice of a stallion. There was no pony at the secretaries desk outside the office so Dash knocked on the door. The stallion immediately stopped talking and the door opened a crack. It was one of the Mayor's aides.

“The Mayor is in a meeting right now and can't be disturbed,” said the aide, “if you would like to wait, please have a seat.”

“I'm here to deliver a message,” replied Dash impatiently. If there was one thing she hated it was waiting. “The Princesses are in town and will be here soon.”

The door closed and there was silence for a few seconds. The door opened again and the aide motioned Dash inside. Rainbow Dash entered and found the Mayor, her secretary and her aide gathered around a large table with a map of Ponyville and the surrounding area. Filthy Rich was there too and he didn't look pleased with the interruption.

“What's this about the Princesses being in town?” asked the Mayor.

“I was out by Whitetail Wood looking for a place to put my new house when they popped in right in front of me and Fluttershy,” said Dash. “They're going to build a retreat or something out there. They're looking over the land right now and sent me back to tell you they were coming.”

Filthy looked at the map with a confused look on his face. Rainbow followed his gaze and clearly saw large red rectangles drawn over Whitetail Wood. It seemed she was not the only pony to try to grab a choice spot though she wondered why he wanted farm size parcels in the middle of a forest while there was plenty of good land already cleared. She also wondered how Rich had found out about the availability of the land so soon.

“Do you still want to do this?” asked the Mayor.

Filthy Rich hesitated. “No,” he said, “let's wait until we hear what the Princesses want to do. Rainbow Dash? Where exactly are they looking to build?”

“Same as me,” replied Dash, “along the border of the woods.” She walked to the map. “I wanted to claim five acres right about here,” she said pointing at the map. “They seemed to be looking at the area just north of mine.”

“I see,” said Rich slowly, as if he were considering the implications. “This might just work out after all. Let the Princesses pick first and then we'll take what's left. If they're looking at the cleared lands it won't interfere with our plans at all.”

“But what about when we clear the forest?” asked the Mayor. “I don't think they'll like that.”

“Wait a second,” interrupted Dash. “You're going to clear Whitetail Wood? Why?”

“Lumber,” answered Mayor Mare. “With the expansion of the town we'll be needing it.”

“And you're going to cut it and sell it and make a ton of bits, right?” said Dash in disgust.

“That's the plan,” answered Filthy Rich. “You know, Ms. Dash, now that you're getting paid all of those bits by the Wonderbolts, maybe you'd like to invest in our little venture. You could make a lot of money from it.”

Rainbow Dash was shocked. It didn't really surprise her that Filthy Rich was involved in such a scheme but that the Mayor was obviously involved did. She also found it disturbing that she was considering Filthy's offer. It seemed wrong that they would cut down the beautiful forest just to make easy bits.

Filthy Rich noticed her confusion at once. “You have to think of your future, Rainbow,” he said in a friendly manner. “You can't do stunt flying forever. If you join us in our plan you could make enough bits to retire comfortably when your career is over.”

Though this ploy would have probably worked on almost any other pony in Equestria, it was the worst thing Filthy Rich could have said to Rainbow Dash. She was just starting her new career and did not want to hear anything about it ever ending. As far as she was concerned, she would fly until the sun burned out.

“I'm not worried about my future,” replied Dash tersely. “I figure I'll do okay. Besides, I'd rather look out over a forest than a bunch of stumps. How do you think this is going to work anyway? Those look like farm sized parcels of land. You have to farm it or lose it.”

“That's the beauty of the plan,” replied Filthy smugly, “the trees are the crops and they're ready to harvest. We'll have to put up a few barns and houses, using the lumber we harvest of course, but after the ten year minimum residency we can sell them too and make even more bits. In the meantime we'll rent them out to ponies that want to farm or just need a place to live.”

Rainbow Dash felt like pounding her head on the table. The plan was brilliant. Why couldn't she think of things like that? Sure, Filthy's plan was morally questionable but it wasn't illegal and the wood would be needed. Even Twilight Sparkle couldn't have thought up a better scheme. No, she corrected herself, Twilight Sparkle wouldn't think up a scheme like that. It was wrong. Ponies often went to the wood to enjoy the scenery, have picnics and watch the wildlife. It was where the Running of the Leaves was held. All of Ponyville would lose a wonderful place so that a few could reap the benefits.

“So, are you in?” asked Filthy.

“No,” sighed Rainbow Dash. “I'm sure you know what you're doing but did you think about what we lose if Whitetail Wood is gone? You have a daughter. Doesn't it bother you that she'll never get to see Whitetail Wood again? Even if you let the trees grow back, she'll be as old as Granny Smith by the time the forest looks like it does now.”

Filthy Rich didn't know what to say. The Mayor looked away, unable to meet Rainbow Dash's gaze.

“It is a sacrifice,” said Filthy Rich slowly, “but change happens all the time. Of course I care about my daughter but by making money I'm able to provide for her and ensure she never wants for anything. There is nothing wrong with making money.”

“Of course not,” said Dash, “but that doesn't mean you have to make it like this. I won't have any part of it. It's tempting but I just can't. Why not take the wood from the Everfree Forest? It's huge and no pony goes there.”

“We thought about it,” answered Filthy, “but we were afraid that it would be hard to get ponies who were willing to do the work. The land wouldn't be worth much either. No pony wants to live next to that forest.”

“Fluttershy lives next to Everfree,” pointed out Rainbow Dash. “If she can handle it, I'm sure others can too. If you want to do this plan along the borders of Everfree, I'll go in with you but not Whitetail Wood.”

“You're not going to tell the Princesses, are you?” asked Filthy.

“So now you're worried that the Princesses might not like it?” asked Dash. “Don't you think that setting up a lumber camp next to their vacation home is going to tip them off?”

“I'm not doing this either, Rich,” said the Mayor. “I'm not doing anything that might offend the Princesses.”

“What might offend us?” said a voice from the doorway.

All the ponies turned and bowed as Princess Luna entered the office. None of them spoke in answer to her question.

Luna sensed that something was wrong. She repeated her question and was again met by silence. At first she thought that the ponies were scared of her again but ruled that out since even Rainbow Dash had failed to answer.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Luna, her voice grim, “we command thee to answer us.”

Rainbow Dash stood and pointed to the map. “They were afraid that claiming land so close to yours might not be a good idea your highness,” she said. Rainbow Dash didn't like what the Mayor and Rich had been planning but she couldn't bring herself to rat on them.

Princess Luna walked to the map and looked at it. “Who wishes to claim Whitetail Wood?” asked the Princess of the Moon.

“Er, some friends and I,” answered Mr. Rich.

“Art thou aware that Whitetail Wood is a designated Forest Park?” asked Luna.

The Mayor and Filthy Rich looked at one another as did her aide and the secretary. They obviously had no idea what she was talking about.

The Mayor was the first to speak. “Your Highness, please, what is a Forest Park?”

“It was something that my sister came up with whilst I was away,” said Luna. “She told me about it when we first discussed the possibility of a home away from Canterlot. A Forest Park is an area dedicated to nature. No homes or farms; just the forest in it's natural state. It is forbidden for thee to claim this land. She set aside Whitetail Wood when she first granted the town charter.”

“I had no idea, your highness,” said Filthy Rich. “I will, of course, withdraw my claim immediately.”

“There is no need,” said Luna, “thou canst not withdraw a claim thou hast no right to make.”

“You're right, your highness,” said the Mayor. “Now then, Rainbow Dash said you and Princess Celestia wish to build a place of your own near Whitetail Wood. What land would you like to claim?”

“We will await my sister for that,” answered Luna, “she has a better head for maps and that sort of thing. It is in the same area that Rainbow Dash chose. We will claim sixty acres.”

“I thought that forty acres was the maximum amount any pony could claim,” said Filthy Rich.

Luna didn't even look at him. “We are invoking our Royal Prerogative,” she said. She did turn to look at Mr. Rich at that point. “Who art thou?”

“Filthy Rich, your highness, owner of Barnyard Bargains,” said Mr. Rich, “my card.” He drew a business card from his briefcase and offered it to the Princess with his teeth.

This was new to Luna. She stared at the card and cocked her head quizzically.

“Itsh ma bishniz ard, yur hinesh,” said Filthy with his teeth still holding the card.

Luna frowned as she tried to decipher what the stallion was trying to say. The Mayor decided to help.

“Your Highness,” said the Mayor, “he is offering you his business card. It has information about him and what he does for a living that you can read at your leisure.”

“Ah,” said Luna, “like a small letter of introduction. Thank you, Mr. Rich.” She took the card with her magic and scanned it briefly. When she was through with it, there was a puff of smoke and it vanished. “We sent it back to Canterlot,” explained the Princess. “We, excuse me, I have no place to carry it.”

“That's alright, your Highness,” said Mr. Rich. “I understand.”

“I seem to recall some ponies from long ago by the name of Rich,” said Princess Luna. “There were two brothers in particular, Gonna B and Wanna B, who were always trying out various schemes to make themselves wealthy. I wonder if one of them may have been your ancestor.”

“I really don't know, Highness,” said Mr. Rich, “I can only trace my family back about two hundred years. My ancestor, Kinda, was the pony who first started to record our family history. The family was moving from Baltimare to Trottingham when...”

Rainbow Dash was tired, a little hungry and she was getting bored. She had no interest in Filthy Rich's ancestors, or in Filthy himself for that matter. Fortunately, she was spared hearing more about the Rich family tree by the arrival of Princess Celestia with Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy in tow.

All the ponies turned and bowed to the Princess, except for Princess Luna, as she strode into the room.
“Arise my ponies,” said Celestia. “How are things progressing, my sister?”

“Well, I suppose,” replied Luna, “I stopped any claim on the Wood itself. It seems that it's status as a park has been forgotten.”

“Really?” said Celestia. “It has been a while since the proclamation was made. Ah, well, no harm done. Good, I see you have a map laid out. This should speed things up.”

Celestia went to the map and immediately noticed the outlines in red over the woodland.

“I see you were none too soon, my sister,” said Celestia, “though I don't know why anypony would want a farm in the woods. It would be a lot of work to clear the trees before they could farm it.”

“I thought it odd too,” said Luna. “Mr. Rich, would you care to explain?”

Filthy Rich was very nervous under the gaze of the two alicorns but tried to pass off the plan as a minor matter. “My friends and I had an idea to harvest the timber,” said Mr. Rich. “With the expansion of Ponyville, we thought there would be a need for a good supply of wood. Of course now that we know that Whitetail Wood is a Park, we'll have to try somewhere else. Perhaps along the borders of Everfree Forest would be alright?”

Rainbow Dash scowled at Filthy. That had been her idea and he didn't even give her credit for it.

Celestia's eyes narrowed and her voice betrayed her displeasure. “You were going to cut down the forest?” she said. “Are you not aware that many of your neighbors enjoy the park? It is good that I had some foresight when I declared the wood off limits to prevent such a travesty. Rainbow Dash? Were you aware of this?”

Rainbow Dash was surprised by this accusation. “I just found out before Princess Luna arrived, Your Highness,” replied Dash nervously. “Mr. Rich asked me to go in with him but I refused. I suggested getting the wood from Everfree Forest instead.”

“Then why did you want land next to the forest?” asked the Princess.

“I thought it would be a good place for my cloud home, Your Highness,” said Dash, “You saw the place I picked out. It has a beautiful view of the forest. It's not too far from Ponyville but far enough to have some privacy. It's perfect.”

“Good, I am glad you were not involved,” said Celestia. “And you and your friends,” she said with a glance at Filthy and Mayor Mare, “are lucky no harm came to the Woods due to your little plan. That said, you are right in the fact that wood will be needed. The Everfree Forest is the best choice in this area. You may use it, just stay within the confines of the town limits. I also suggest that you be very careful and post plenty of guards.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” said Filthy Rich.

Celestia turned her attention back to the map. Her horn glowed and the land she and Luna had claimed changed color. A smaller zone was outlined within the larger. “Rainbow Dash,” she said, “this land will be yours. It will be included as part of our claim. You won't have to pay the filing fee that way.”

“Thanks Princess Celestia,” replied Rainbow Dash, “I can use every bit I can get.”

“Haven't the Wonderbolts started paying you yet?” asked Celestia in surprise.

“I kinda remember them saying I could pick up my pay weekly but I haven't been back to Cloudsdale since the inquiry,” said Dash. “I'll check about when I go there on Monday. I doubt if it's very much since I haven't even performed yet. I wonder if it says how much I'll be making in that contract I signed?”

“You didn't even read it?” asked Twilight in surprise.

“Eh, not really,” replied Dash, “I figured that I'd be making more than I was as Weather Team leader so I was happy.”

Celestia laughed gently. “I think you may be in for a surprise when you next visit. Let's see, you should have one full weeks pay due now and another next Friday. I don't think you'll have any trouble building a very nice cloud home. I expect it to look nice. You'll be living next to us and some important visitors are going to see it.”

“I'll do my best Princess Celestia,” said Dash. “Should I add some rooms in case you have pegasi guests?”

“No, I don't think that will be necessary,” said Celestia. “We can take care of that.”

“Will you be sending out your own surveyor team to mark off your land or would you like us to do it?” asked the Mayor.

“There is no need,” replied the Princess, “the land is magically marked. When I caused the map to change, the same marks appeared around the borders of the land.”

“That is so cool!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “I gotta go see this!”

“I'd like to see it too,” said Twilight. “May we go Princess Celestia?”

“Of course, my little ponies,” said Celestia, “we are almost through here. We will stop and see you on our way home.”

The three friends left the Mayor's office and headed off towards Whitetail Wood. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy easily outpaced their ground bound friend and spotted the newly marked land which glowed in yellow and blue. Rainbow Dash circled back to Twilight while Fluttershy went down for a closer look.

Eventually all were assembled by the border of what was to be a royal retreat. The glowing symbols floated about chest high off the ground and alternated between Celestia's golden sun and Luna's white moon on a deep blue background.

“Here's the Princesses outline but where's yours, Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight.

Rainbow Dash flew up a few pony lengths. “There it is!” she called down. “It looks like they put the borders around my land. That was nice of them. Come on! It isn't very far.”

Rainbow Dash flew over to her land and Fluttershy followed. Twilight Sparkle examined the glowing symbols but was at a loss as to how to cross it. She reached out and delicately touched the line with one hoof. It passed right through the line which reformed on the backside of her hoof. There was no feeling so she stepped through the line. She found it fascinating and vowed to investigate the spell further. She trotted over to the two pegasi near the line denoting Rainbow Dash's land.

Rainbow Dash was practically squealing in pleasure as she gazed at the outline which alternated between her cutie mark and her Element symbol. “I wonder if this will stay here,” she said, “that would be awesome.”

“I doubt it,” said Twilight, “this kind of magic usually fades after a while.”

“Aww, think you could come over now and then and give it a boost?” asked Dash.

“Sorry,” said Twilight, “I don't know this spell.”

“Oh well,” said Dash, “it was just a thought. So what do you think of my new home?”

“It sure has a lot of space,” said Twilight with a laugh.

“You know what I mean,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Is this a great location or what?”

“It's lovely,” said Twilight, “I can see why you chose it.”

“You should see it from up there,” said Dash. “Come on Fluttershy, let's give Twilight a pegasi's eye view!”

Before Twilight could stop them, the two pegasi seized her and flew upwards. Soon, she found herself high in the air. They were much higher than even the tallest trees in the nearby forest. Twilight found it difficult to enjoy the view. Though she was not normally afraid of heights, she was not used to being supported only by the strength of two pegasi with her hind hooves dangling below her.

“Yes, it's beautiful,” said Twilight nervously, “let's go back down now.”

“In a minute,” said Dash, “I want to show you what I have planned. The living room will face the forest and I'll have a big picture window there. My bedroom will only have windows on the west side so the sun doesn't wake me up too early. On this side, I'll put the kitchen with windows on both sides so I have plenty of light in the morning and afternoon. Now over here will be the dining room...”

As Rainbow Dash was speaking she was also turning and moving around her imaginary home. Fluttershy, having no idea which way she would go next, had a hard time keeping up. Twilight found herself being uncomfortably stretched and twisted between the pair. Her fear of plummeting to the ground was also growing.

“Please put me down!” squealed Twilight, “Rainbow stop! Fluttershy! Not that way! Don't drop me!”

Eventually she got through to Rainbow Dash that she was not enjoying this at all and the two pegasi lowered her to the ground which she kissed repeatedly. “Thank Celestia, I'm still alive,” she gasped.

“I didn't know you were such a scaredy-pony,” giggled Dash. “I totally had you. You wouldn't have fallen.”

“Easy for you to say,” replied Twilight. “Besides, you weren't the one being stretched all over the place.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Dash. “I guess I got a little over excited. I can't wait to get to Cloudsdale and find out what kind of house I can afford.”

“You really don't know how much you're being paid, do you?” asked Twilight.

“Not really,” admitted Dash, “they could be taking bits from me for all I know. Mr. Immelmane said I would be well paid so when they put the contract in front of me, I just signed it.”

“You should be more careful about your affairs, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “Next time you have to sign something important, come see me first.”

She hugged her friend. “Sure, Twilight,” she said, “I'll do that.”

As the three ponies examined the site of Rainbow Dash's future home, the two sisters who ruled Equestria were talking in the Mayor's office. Celestia was still displeased with what Rich and Mayor Mare had planned for Whitetail Wood and wanted to make sure no other schemes were being considered. She spoke for some time to make it quite clear that there would be consequences should anything like the plan to raze Whitetail Wood happen again. She also demanded to see the original land grant and any additional grants and proclamations that had been made since the town was founded. Satisfied that there would be no excuses for errors, she prepared to leave.

“Sister,” said Luna, “I think it might be a good idea to mark the map and the ground in the same way you did our land so there are no mistakes.”

“That's a good idea, Luna,” said Celestia. Her horn glowed again and a circle of light appeared around the outskirts of Ponyville.

“Excuse me, your Highness,” said Filthy Rich, “I know that the rule states twenty miles from town center but that makes the border circular. It will be much more difficult to survey that way. Do you think it would be alright to make the town border square by adding land to make the corners?”

Celestia considered the suggestion. While she did not want to give in to anything that Filthy Rich wanted, she was forced to admit that it made sense. Celestia's horn glowed once more and the circle changed to a square. “Very well,” she said, “we will allow that.”

Luna spoke again. “I think we should receive reports of each land claim and what the land will be used for. Perhaps twice a week?”

Celestia smiled. Her little sister was proving to be a more capable a ruler than she had thought possible.
“Yes, Luna, that is another good idea,” said Celestia. “You may send us the reports through Twilight Sparkle, Mayor Mare. Unless anypony else has anything, I think we will take our leave now.”

Filthy Rich and Mayor Mare shook their heads and the aides remained silent. All bowed to the princesses as they turned and made their way to the door. Just as they were leaving, Celestia turned once more.

“One more thing, I want to remind you that Ponyville is going to benefit greatly from our project,” said the sun princess. “Not just from the building of the retreat itself which will use a lot of local materials and labor but by future visitors and support ponies. I suggest that you two be content with the very fair profit you are sure to make. Remember; I will be reviewing all contracts and bids so you had better play fair.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” said the Mayor, “we will.”

Celestia and Luna left the office and the door magically closed behind them. All the ponies in the room let out a sigh of relief.

“That was a close one,” said the Mayor. “I'm surprised that she didn't question our doing this before the land grant was announced to the rest of the town.”

“I don't think she could,” replied Filthy. “After all, one of her favorites was doing the same thing. Rainbow Dash was staking her claim before the announcement too. I'll have to find a way to thank her for that.”

“Yes,” said the Mayor, “having the Elements in town has certainly changed things. I doubt that the Princesses would be building in our town if they weren't here.”

“True,” agreed Filthy, “and we, the whole town really, will make a lot of bits out of this. The money will be flowing in for years.”

“You really think so?” asked the Mayor.

Filthy grinned. “Cha-ching,” he said.

After the Princesses left the Town Hall, they briefly greeted the crowd that had gathered when the news spread that they were in town. Princess Celestia took the opportunity to announce the expansion of the town so that soon all of Ponyville would know. They then waved goodbye and flew to meet with Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. As they flew they talked.

“Those were very good suggestions you made, little sister,” said Celestia, “I may start giving you more actual work to do. You can't lay around all the time while I do everything.”

“We do not lay around all the time,” replied Luna indignantly, “you are asleep when we are awake and simply do not see what we do. Still, I thank you. We, er, I am glad you do not think me incompetent. As for my suggestions, I made them because I do not trust them either.”

Celestia laughed. “You sensed that, didn't you? What else did you did you learn at our little meeting?”

Luna frowned. “I thought you should have been harsher with them. I thought about throwing them in the dungeon myself but I suppose things have changed. The Mayor is the one that would have suffered the most. She was probably the one that told Filthy Rich about the grant before the announcement was made. In return he would have paid her or let her invest in his scheme. He was acting as any canny businesspony would but she is a public servant and should certainly not have done what she did.”

“True,” said Celestia, “and there was a lack of knowledge about the whole thing that shocked me. I'll tell you this much but it should go no further, I might have been harsher but then I may also have had to punish Rainbow Dash.”

“Why?” asked Luna, “What did she do?”

“She was staking her claim before the other ponies had a chance,” said Celestia. “She wanted nothing more than a place to build her home and wasn't trying to profit from it but it was still wrong. Using her knowledge to beat the others is cheating. She may have simply been choosing a site and didn't plan to claim it until the announcement was made but I will question her about it when we meet.”

“You thought it better to err on the side of caution?” said Luna. “Yes, I think that was the best course of action. I suppose if the Mayor and Mr. Rich are truly corrupt they will be caught and punished eventually. Personally I wouldn't have had any problem with throwing the Mayor and Rich in the dungeon and doing nothing to Rainbow Dash but you do what you think is best.”

“Yes, Luna,” said Celestia, “and we can keep an eye on them now.”

They flew silently for a bit before Luna spoke again. “Tell me sister,” she said, “Filthy Rich's ancestors, do you remember them?”

“I remember a pony by the name of Kinda Rich,” said Celestia, “I banished him from Canterlot.”

“Mr. Rich mentioned a pony by that name as an ancestor of his,” said Luna. “What did he do?”

“He made a lot of bits off other ponies investments but somehow the plans never quite worked out,” said Celestia. “He really did try but he just couldn't seem to get ahead. I banished him not so much as punishment as it was to keep him from being killed by his irate investors.”

Luna found this hilarious and began to laugh.

“It's not really funny,” said Celestia.

“Phhhht, ha, sssoorry,” said Luna as she continued to laugh.

“Alright,” said Celestia with a grin, “maybe it is a little funny.” She started to laugh too.

The Princesses found Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy giving Twilight Sparkle a little sky dancing demonstration. They landed beside Twilight and joined her in watching the pegasi. When the dance ended Rainbow and Fluttershy landed in front of Twilight and the Princesses and bowed as they applauded.

“Very nice you two,” said Celestia. “You see Luna? Rainbow Dash will certainly be an attraction at your party.”

“I know, sister,” replied Luna, “she is special. I think that even you have never seen a pegasus who can fly like her.”

“We shall see,” said Celestia, “but you sound as if you've seen her fly already.”

“I see much as I watch over the night,” said Luna, “and there are very important ponies here in Ponyville. It is only natural that I would see a pegasus who likes to fly at night.”

Rainbow Dash was blushing as she absorbed the praise. “You saw me, Princess Luna?” she asked.

“From a distance of course,” said Luna with a smile, “I can't wait to see you fly with my own eyes.”

Rainbow Dash was puzzled by this but she figured it was just another weird alicorn power so she said nothing.

“Is everything alright at Town Hall now Princess?” asked Twilight.

“Yes,” said Celestia “but I was a bit upset with Filthy Rich and the Mayor. They were using their knowledge of the land expansion to try to make a profit. I might have been harsher with them if it hadn't been for a certain pegasus doing something similar.” She looked at Rainbow Dash.

“Me?” said Dash, “I was just looking for a place to build my home, Princess. I wasn't in on their deal, honest. I just wanted to be ready to stake my claim.”

“Yes, I believe you my little pony,” said Celestia, “but you were still using your knowledge the same way they were; to get a jump on the other ponies.”

“But I have to move fast,” protested Dash, “I only have two weeks to get out of my house. All I was doing was trying to chose a good spot so I would be ready.”

“You weren't planning to stake your claim early?” asked Celestia.

“Well, not today,” said Dash. “I figured I'd chose the spot today or tomorrow and get the stuff I'd need to stake the claim. Then I'd set the corner stakes the next day and then as soon as the announcement was made we could come out here and stake it out real quick. If I could get done early, then I could fly to Cloudsdale and check on getting a house.”

“So you thought it was alright to cheat just a little bit?” said Celestia. “It was nothing on the level of what the Mayor did and I'm not really mad at you but it was still technically wrong. The point is, I couldn't do too much about Rich and the Mayor without punishing you too. I can easily forgive you for your error but it made it awkward for me to deal with the Mayor and Mr. Rich.”

“I'm sorry Princess Celestia,” said Dash, “Twilight said something like that when I told her what I was doing. I guess I should have listened to the smart pony.”

“That would have been better,” said Celestia, “but didn't your heart tell you something even if your head didn't?”

“Maybe a little,” admitted Dash, “but I can ignore that most times if it means winning. Nah, I'd better just ask Twilight or some pony if I need help deciding, Princess. After all, I'm loyalty not honesty.”

Luna put a hoof over her mouth to hide her laughter and Twilight placed a hoof to her forehead and winced. Celestia was somewhat taken aback by the revelation that Rainbow was very likely to ignore the rules if it meant that she got what she wanted. It was fortunate that she was basically a good pony at heart. She might make mistakes but not with bad intent. Celestia looked down at Rainbow Dash who was smiling up at her as if nothing was wrong at all.

“Well, I hope there is always some pony handy to help you,” said Celestia. “I think you do have a good heart, Rainbow Dash, just try to listen to it a little more.”

“I'll try Princess,” said Dash, “but I'll be around a lot of great ponies if I need advice. Besides my friends here in Ponyville, I have Mr. Immelmane and my friends in Cloudsdale.”

“Very well,” said Celestia, “we'll see you in a few weeks, Rainbow Dash. Twilight, you and the others are invited too, of course. Your invitations should arrive in a day or two.”

“Farewell,” said Luna, “I look forward to seeing you perform, Rainbow Dash. Until then.” Luna rose into the air and joined her sister in flight. They flew towards Canterlot and vanished in a flash of light.

“You were lucky again, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight. “At least you didn't make the mistake of joining in with the Mayor and Filthy Rich.”

“I couldn't have done that,” said Dash, “no matter how much money they were going to make. I didn't think it was a big deal about me choosing a place to live a little early though. Good thing the Princess didn't think so either.”

“And it's a good thing she's the forgiving kind,” added Fluttershy.

“Yes, it is,” said Twilight. “What about some supper you two? I haven't eaten yet and it's at least supper time by now.”

“Let's go to the cafe,” said Rainbow Dash. “My treat.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Twilight, “come on, I'll race you!”

“You're on!” said Dash, “I guess I'll have to run to be fair.”

“I'll just fly along and meet you there,” said Fluttershy. “I can stop and get Spike on the way if you want.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “why not?”

“Ready?” asked Twilight.

“Let's do this,” replied Dash as she got ready to run.

“Okay,” said Twilight, “One, Two, Three, GO!”

Dash took only a couple of steps when she noticed another flash of light. She glanced around to find that Twilight was gone. Fluttershy hovered in the air giggling.

“She teleported,” muttered Dash, “and she talked to me about being fair.”

“At least we can just fly there now,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash smiled. Fluttershy was good at seeing the bright side of things. “Yeah, lets go. We'll fly slow and make her wait.”

Chapter 54

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Chapter 54

Rainbow Dash awoke the next day and, after a light breakfast, began packing. It turned out that she had more things than she realized. She took a box of Weather Team stuff and delivered it to the office. Derpy was not there so she flew out to Fluttershy's place. Fluttershy was a little achy from all the flying the day before so Dash decided to give her the day off and went to practice on her own. The next day was much the same except that Dash and Fluttershy did practice more sky dancing.

When Monday finally arrived, Rainbow Dash stopped by the Weather office and finalized all the paperwork with Derpy. She then visited the Mayor to make sure everything was done as far as her land was concerned. There was some confusion as to whether the title should be done through the Ponyville office or through the Princesses. Since neither party knew for sure, Dash then visited Twilight Sparkle to have her send a letter to Canterlot. With business concluded in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash slung her bag over her head and around one shoulder and took off for Cloudsdale.

It was a lovely morning with little wind and Dash made good time. It was nearly ten o'clock when she arrived and decided to go to the Weather Department first. She found that being a Wonderbolt had it's perks. As soon as she was recognized, she was escorted from department to department to deliver Derpy's papers, turn in her resignation and talk to a minor official about something that had been on her mind.

“Tell me, Mr. Cloudy Star,” said Dash, “is it necessary for a Weather Team leader to be an ace flier or can they be more the administrative type?”

“Be a great flier?” said Cloudy. “Oh my, no. Many team leaders are older, less active types who really can't take the daily grind of cloud busting anymore. You were the youngest leader ever and very much the exception. Why do you ask?”

“I have an idea of who should take over for me,” replied Dash. “I have two really good flight leaders, but neither of them is much good with regulations, scheduling and all that. On the other hoof, we have a recent addition to the crew who is just great with the paperwork and detail stuff but you really don't want to be in the air with her, if you know what I mean. I think she could do the job of team leader if the rest of the team will go for it.”

“I don't see a problem with that,” said Cloudy. “Of course, if you would like us to, we could send a new leader to Ponyville. I think we could find a few suitable candidates. You really don't have to worry about it anymore as it isn't your responsibility but I understand that you want to take care of your team.”

“Exactly,” said Dash, “I want to make sure they're happy with the new management. I can't just leave them without knowing they'll be okay. I'll call a meeting and let them know the possibilities.”

“Well, they have a couple of weeks to decide,” said Cloudy, “I'm sure that's enough time for them to figure something out. In the meantime, I'll have everything processed and you can pick up your final pay on Friday.”

“That will be fine, thank you for your help,” said Dash. She rose to leave.

“Ah, Rainbow Dash?” said Cloudy, “just one more thing.”

“Yes?” said Dash.

“Could I get your autograph?” said Cloudy shyly.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Sure, I'd be glad to.”

After signing an autograph, complete with a personal note about weather ponies being the best, Dash left the office and flew to the Wonderbolts Compound. The guard immediately let her enter and she wandered about the place but found that it was nearly vacant. She went to the administrative office to inquire about her pay. The clerk was very helpful and directed her to the purser who issued her a statement along with a hefty sack of bits. She walked back outside and stopped to read the statement. Her jaw dropped and she stumbled sideways as she read the bottom line. She would have to work three months to make that much as a weather pony and this was for just one week.

“Are you alright?” asked a passing support pony.

“Huh? Oh, yeah!” said Dash, “everything is great.”

Still in a daze, Dash wandered over to a cloud bench and sat down. She was rich. Not Canterlot elite rich but this was more bits than she had ever had in her life. She wanted to fly off right then to the house factory and then back to Ponyville to share the news. She decided to wait and see Mr. Immelmane and the Wonderbolts. They should be coming in for lunch soon. Besides, she was a little light headed at the moment. It wouldn't be very good if she passed out while flying and crashed.

It was actually nearly an hour until the Wonderbolts were due to return for lunch and Rainbow Dash became drowsy. A comfortable cloud in the warm sun was all it took to send her to sleep. She woke to the sound of laughter.

“Huh? Oh, hi every pony,” she said, “I must have dozed off.”

Windy and Frost were standing near her while the rest of the Wonderbolts were a short distance away. They were standing with unzipped flight suits and pulled back hoods, cooling themselves after the morning workout. Dash roused herself and stretched. Several ponies were glancing in her direction and there was a good bit of laughter among the performers and support ponies. Mr. Immelmane was not to be seen and Dash assumed he was on his way back on his litter.

“Have a good workout?” asked Dash.

“Oh, yeah,” replied Windy, “it was great. We're really starting to come together now.”

“What brings you to Cloudsdale?” asked Frost. “I didn't think you were coming until this weekend.”

“Weather Team business,” said Dash, “and I had some paperwork to take care of and go check on getting a house built.”

“You're building a house already?” said Frost. “You're not wasting any time spending your pay.”

“I don't have much choice,” said Dash, “I only have two weeks to move out of my old place. I'm living in the home provided by Ponyville for the Weather Team leader and I just turned in my resignation today. I got lucky and got some land near Whitetail Wood. It's really a beautiful spot.”

“You can tell us about it at lunch,” said Windy, “we have to eat and head back for our second practice.”

“Sounds good to me,” replied Rainbow Dash and they started walking the short distance to the dining hall.

As they walked, Rainbow Dash noticed that she was still getting glances and outright stares from other ponies. At first she thought it was because she was just that awesome but then she felt something on her tail. She looked back and swung her tail towards her and found that some pony had braided her tail and tied each separate color with a white ribbon complete with bow.

“What the...” Dash started to say and then the Wonderbolts and other ponies began to laugh.

“I wondered how long it would take you to notice,” laughed Frost. “It was my idea but Windyday did it. I told them you were a sound sleeper.”

Dash laughed too. “This looks...really bad,” she chuckled. “Those aren't ribbons, what is that?”

“Leg wrap,” said Windyday, “it's all we had handy. I thought you'd just love it.” She laughed again.

“Yeah, right,” said Dash, “no way I'd ever wear my tail like that.”

“Aww, I think it's cute,” said Fleetfoot.

“Okay Windy, help me get this stuff off,” said Dash as she tugged at one of the bows with her teeth.

“Oh alright,” said Windy and started to undo another bow with her teeth.

As the pair worked to undo Windy's tail make-over, there were several flashes. Both ponies looked to see a few of the Wonderbolts snapping pictures.

“We look ridiculous, don't we?” said Windy with teeth still clutching a bow on Dash's tail.

“Yep,” said Dash as she blushed. “May as well finish, it can't get worse.”

“Okay,” giggled Windyday.

They quickly finished getting the bows out of the rainbow tail and continued towards the dining hall. Spitfire came over to Dash and Windy as they walked and Frost moved ahead of them.

“You're not mad about that little joke, are you,” asked the captain.

“No,” said Dash, “I love a good prank. Better watch out though, I'm pretty good at them myself.”

“Good,” said Spitfire, “we always break in rookies with a few harmless jokes. Remember, I said harmless.” She laughed.

“Sure,” laughed Dash, “I get it.”

Spitfire moved forward and lifted off slightly. She pulled a paper from her flight suit and landed just behind Frost. Just as she landed, she lightly slapped Frost on the rump. “You looked pretty good out there this morning. I think we'll work you into the formation this afternoon.”

“Thanks, Spitfire,” said Frost, “ that would be great.”

Spitfire moved ahead to catch up to Soarin.

Windy and Dash began to snicker quietly. Spitfire had placed a paper on Frost's tail that read; 'Caution, Slow Pony, Pass on Left'.

They went into the hall and sat down to eat. Soarin joined the three rookie females at their table. All three were surprised but pleased at the attention but Rainbow Dash was also suspicious, wary of another prank.

“So Rainbow Dash, why are you here today, not that I'm not glad to see you,” said Soarin.

Rainbow Dash informed him of the Weather Team business and her housing problem.

“Really?” said Soarin in surprise, “you have the land already?”

“Just got it Saturday,” replied Dash. “I'm a little worried though. I really have to put up a nice place, not what I originally planned.”

“Why is that?” asked Soarin.

“Because of my neighbors,” said Dash, “they were looking for a place to build away from Canterlot and they'll be right next door.”

“So what?” said Soarin, “It's your land so you should build to suit you. Don't let some Canterlot snobs make you build something you're not going to be happy with.”

“Yeah but this time I think I should make an exception,” said Dash, “since they rule Equestria and all.”

Soarin stared at her. “Yeah, right,” he said. “You'll have to do better than that if you're going to prank me.”

“No prank,” said Dash, “they even took care of my filing fee for the land.”

“Okay,” said Soarin, “let's make a bet. If the princesses are going to be your neighbors, I'll wear my mane in a ponytail for a week and if they aren't you have to let Windy do your tail up like it was but with real ribbons and bows and wear it like that for a week.”

“It's a bet!” said Dash quickly. “Hope you like ponytails.”

“Oh, I do,” said Soarin with a smile. “I'll see you ladies later.” He left the new Wonderbolts and returned to talk to some of the other stallions at a different table.

“I know you Dash,” said Frost, “this is a sure thing, isn't it?”

“Heh, yeah it is,” said Dash. “The Princesses grabbed sixty acres right where I was going to build. They let me have five acres for myself.”

“Pretty cool, kid,” said Frost. “I can't wait to see this.”

“Say Dash,” said Windyday, “have you been to the Wonderbolts museum yet?”

“Sure,” said Dash, “lots of times.”

“Well, you're part of it now,” said Windy.

“No. Way.” said Dash as she broke into a grin.

“You sure are,” said Windy, “we all are. Of course there isn't much there about us yet but our pictures are on the big wall and there's a short bio on each of us.”

“I've gotta go see that before I leave,” said Dash. “I dreamed about being in there my whole life and now it's come true.” She was getting a little misty eyed.

Windyday was a little shocked to see Dash getting emotional. She had always thought that Dash was just too tough to show that sort of sentimentality. In truth, she had felt much the same when she saw her picture on the wall but reflexively bottled it up.

Frost poked Dash on the shoulder. “You're not gonna break down and cry are you? I thought you were too rough and tough for that!” teased Frost.

Dash sniffed and giggled a little.

“Don't worry about it,” said Frost, “I had to wipe my eyes too.”

They ate in silence for a while.

“It's good to know I wasn't the only one,” said Windy at last. She stared at her plate.

“Only what?” asked Frost.

“The only one to feel, to um, to feel like you to did about being in the museum,” Windy stammered out.

Dash was not one to normal show affection in public but maybe, she thought, just this once. She gave Windy a quick hug. “Congratulations, Windy, you're normal.”

Frost and Windy smiled and went back to their meal. Rainbow Dash took a sip of juice and looked up to see Mr. Immelmane enter the hall. His dour face brightened a bit as he saw his new protege.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane as he came over to her table, “just can't stay away from us, can you?”

“Just had some business in town so I thought I'd drop by and see how everypony was doing,” replied Dash. “I've been practicing my sky dancing and I've been working on my routine too.”

“Good,” said Immelmane, “and how is that going?”

“Sky dancing is going pretty well, I think,” said Dash. “Trying to fit it into the routine is a little rough though. I can't figure out what kind of music I'll be using that has both fast and slow parts.”

“We'll be able to help with that but if you have any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them,” said Immelmane. “I'd like to see you sky dance. We have a little time after lunch, you can fly with Frost and show me how you're doing.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I have time. I do need to get to look at some cloud homes though. I have to move from my old home.”

“I can recommend a good architect if you'd like,” said Immelmane. “He's an old friend of mine. His office is near the factory too.”

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash, “that would be great. It's got to be a really good one too. The Princesses are building a retreat next to it.”

“Really?” said Immelmane. “You may be able to get a good deal from this. Talk to Spitfire, she's a wiz at getting deals in exchange for advertizing.”

“Thanks, I'll do that,” said Dash, “I'm about done here. Give me a few minutes to let lunch settle and I'll be ready for the sky dancing. How about you Frost?”

“Yeah, I'll do it,” said Frost. She sounded as if she'd been asked to eat a bug.

“Frost doesn't think much of sky dancing,” said Immelmane, “but I think she'll come around.”

“It's not so bad, Frosty,” said Dash, “I was burning through my routine and my moves were really starting to look bad. Getting a little break now and then helps a lot.”

“I know,” said Frost, “but practicing a whole dance is so slow and boring. I just hate it.”

“You may like some of the harder dances when you get to them,” said Immelmane. “You can work up a sweat doing them. We use a few of the moves as transitions in our routine. You've actually done them during practice.”

“Let me guess,” said Windyday, “the half flip, dive left, pull up to stall and roll out?”

“Yes!” said Immelmane, “very good Windy. And that comes from what dance?”

“Fleeing Lovers, of course,” said Windy. “I've done it. It's a classic but I like some of the more modern dances better.”

“Why don't you three take in a little performance this Saturday when you're in town?” said Immelmane. “It will give you a view of some good dancers and you're sure to see some of the moves from our routines. I'll get you the tickets.”

“I'd love to,” said Windy.

“Count me in,” said Dash. “I've never seen one. Get me an extra one and I'll bring Fluttershy. I'll pay for it.”

“Sure, it would be something different,” said Frost. “I haven't been to one since I was a filly.”

Immelmane shook his head. “What were you two doing when you were little? I thought all little fillies wanted to dance at one time or another.”

Frost and Rainbow Dash both laughed.

“I was hanging out with a, uh, different crowd, I guess,” said Frost. “Dashie here didn't get along as well with ponies her own age and started flying with us. We spent all our time racing, doing aerobatics and seeing what we could get away with.”

“We didn't get away with everything though,” lamented Dash. “We got in trouble a lot.”

“If I'd have served all the groundings I got, my wings would have shriveled up,” laughed Frost.

“Yeah,” agreed Dash, “me too.”

“So what did you do?” asked Windy.

“We flew anyway,” said Dash and Frost together. They looked at each other and started laughing again.

“Sweet Celestia,” said Immelmane, “and you two became Wonderbolts? It's a wonder you're not cleaning windows or gutters instead... or that you managed to stay out of jail.”

“I guess we were pretty lucky,” said Frost, “but back then we just thought we were so smart.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “and I was willing to do anything you guys did so you'd think I was all grown up.”

“Like we didn't know that?” said Frost. “If we got bored we'd think of something to challenge you just to watch the mayhem. You don't know how many times I saved your butt by stopping the others when they went too far.”

“That's just mean,” said Windyday. She was even more shocked than Immelmane at how her new friends had acted in their younger days. He, at least, had known them then.

“Just having fun,” said Dash. “It may have helped me a little. At least I learned to do things even if I was scared.”

“Like you needed that,” snorted Frost. “You would do anything. Remember that trip to Canterlot? We got you to fly through the city gate, loop and fly back through.”

“Ha ha, yeah,” said Rainbow, “the gate guards chased me through and I flew past them on the way out. Got away with that one.”

“Yeah, well the gang wanted you to power dive under the draw bridge,” said Frost.

“I don't think I could do that even now,” said Rainbow Dash. She got a serious look on her face as if she was thinking about how she could pull it off.

“Rainbow Dash?” said Immelmane.

“Hm?” mumbled Dash, her thoughts elsewhere.

“No,” said Immelmane, “don't even think about it.”

“Yeah,” said Windyday, “I know the bridge you're talking about and you might not even fit between the bridge and the water unless the water was really low.”

“How deep is the water?” asked Dash.

“About three pony lengths,” said Windy. “Why?”

“If I went under the water,” said Dash, “I could clear the bottom of the bridge. I'd have to be going pretty fast though or I wouldn't have enough speed to get airborne again.”

“The angle would be tricky too,” said Frost, “too shallow and you'd skip off and hit the bridge, too steep and you might hit the bottom.”

Immelmane and Windyday looked at each other in shock as the two daredevils talked about how to do an impossible stunt. This got the attention of Spitfire and Soarin who wandered over.

“What are we missing?” asked Spitfire.

“Oh, just Frost and Rainbow Dash thinking up a new way for Dash to kill herself,” said Windy.

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “Really?” she said, “what now?”

“They're trying to figure out a way to power dive under the draw bridge at Canterlot,” said Windy. “So far it involves going underwater in order to clear the bridge.”

“If I hit the water at about, oh say, thirty degrees or so with my wings tucked and then open them once I'm under water, I might be able to pull up before I hit bottom,” said Dash.

“They're just trying to prank us,” said Soarin, “Rainbow went so far as to make a bet with me about building a house next to Celestia and Luna.”

“No,” said Windyday, “I think they're serious. They're both completely mad, you know.”

“It would take some really precise timing and you wouldn't be able to see very well,” said Frost. “What about going in a little more shallow so you only go under a little bit? Here, let me show you what I mean.” Frost spilled a little juice on the table and drew in it with a straw.

Dash moved closer and looked at the crude drawing. “Might work,” she said, “but it might cause me to skip. I wouldn't want to smash my head on the bridge.”

“And you want to do this from a power dive?” said Spitfire. “You're both nuts. That's like threading a needle going two hundred miles an hour.”

“Not me,” said Frost, “just Dashie. I'm not going to try it.”

“Neither is Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane. “Soarin, get me a hammer and some nails.”

All the ponies laughed at this as they remembered Immelmane's threat about Rainbow Dash's dangerous stunts.

“Seriously though, Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane, “you will not try this.” There was a grimness to his voice.

“Oh, come on Immel,” said Spitfire, “she wouldn't really try...” Spitfire stopped speaking and looked at Rainbow Dash and then at Immelmane. “Okay, so maybe she would.”

“I won't try it,” said Rainbow Dash, “but it's fun to try to figure things like this out. I'm just saying it could be done.”

“You see how these things start?” said Immelmane. “Frost tells a story, Rainbow Dash tries to figure out a way to do it and the next thing you know some pony hits a bridge.”

“Would be cool if some pony could pull it off though,” said Frost.

“Oh, awesome with a capital A,” said Dash.

“We could probably simulate it on a lake or something,” suggested Frost. “Just use buoys and light ropes or break away sticks for the bridge. That wouldn't be extremely dangerous.”

“That's enough you two,” said Spitfire, “we need pegasi that can fly not ones that bust themselves up hitting water at speed.”

“I've never hit the water going as fast as you'd have to go to pull off a trick like this,” said Dash, “but I've hit hard. It stings pretty bad.”

“Well, if Frost and Rainbow Dash can drop this ludicrous proposal,” said Immelmane, “they're going to give us all a little demonstration.”

“Alright,” said Dash. “Are you ready Frost?”

“I guess so,” said Frost without much enthusiasm.

“Good,” said Immelmane. “By the way, Rainbow Dash, I don't care how you wear your mane when you're not performing but don't show up looking like that when you are. In fact, try to look nice when you're in public. We have some standards after all.”

“My mane?” said Dash, “what's wrong with it?”

“Well,” said Immelmane, “it looks silly, sort of ... juvenile.” He looked at the ponytail on the back of her head.

“Windy, what did you do to my mane?” asked Dash with a scowl on her face.

All of the ponies but Immelmane and Dash were laughing now. Spitfire held up a shiny dish lid so Dash could see herself.

“Oh no,” whispered Dash when she saw her mane. “Get it off! Get it off!”

After most of the laughter subsided, Windyday undid the ponytail on Dash's mane.

“We were wondering how long it would take you to catch on,” said Frost. “Windy got you when she did your tail.”

“Ugh,” said Dash as she shook out her mane. “don't worry Mr. Immelmane, you'll never see me wearing my mane like that again.”

“I should have made you bet to wear that for a week instead of the bows in your tail,” said Soarin. “I thought it was kinda cute.”

“I'm not going to wear either,” said Dash with a grin. “It's you that's going to be wearing the ponytail.”

“Sure,” said Soarin, “like you're building a home next to Celestia and Luna.”

“You should really read the papers or something, Soarin,” said Frost. “Don't you know Rainbow Dash is one of the Elements of Harmony? She's been hanging out with the Princesses for a couple of years.”

“I wouldn't exactly say hanging out together,” said Rainbow, “but they know me pretty well and we're friends.”

“I knew that, Soarin,” said Spitfire, “frankly I was worried that Princess Celestia wouldn't let Dash compete because she's so important.”

“I heard she was one of the Elements but I don't know what they are exactly,” said Soarin. “Some kinda weird magic stuff that I don't understand I guess.”

“That's about it,” said Dash. “Talk to Twilight Sparkle if you want an answer... a really long answer.”

“So you really are building next to the them?” said Soarin.

“Yep,” said Dash, “I'm going to look at houses as soon as I'm done here.”

“Nuts,” said Soarin.

“I told Rainbow to talk to you, Spitfire,” said Immelmane. “I thought you could give her a few pointers on how to get a discount.”

“Sure,” said Spitfire, “and her situation is pure gold. She's a new Wonderbolt, the first soloist and is going to be living next to the rulers of Equestria. It doesn't hurt that she's a mare either. All she has to do is pose for a couple of hot pictures and they'll be paying her to build her house.”

“Hot pictures,” said Dash in a shaky voice. She sounded more like Fluttershy than herself. “What do you mean?”

“You know,” said Spitfire, “look sexy. You're young, athletic and have a flashy mane and tail, just use what you have.” She struck a pose. “I made over three thousand bits for this one.”

Immelmane massaged his forehead with one hoof. “That's not what I meant,” he said.

“That might work for you, Spitfire,” said Dash, “but I'm not so sure about me.”

“Don't sell yourself short, Dash,” said Spitfire, “you might not have super model potential like Windy but a lot of guys would just love your look.”

Windyday sat up and blinked. “Super model? I don't think so! I couldn't pose for...pictures like that.”

Most of the ponies snickered at her reaction. Windyday, despite her transformation, still had a strong sense of honor and dignity.

For once Dash was glad to have the attention off of her. “We'll see. I know the Wonderbolts all get a lot of bits for endorsements. I bought some of the products myself. It wasn't why I wanted to be a Wonderbolt but I knew it would be a nice perk.”

“All right,” said Immelmane, “we've been here long enough. If you think you can get out of afternoon practice by standing around talking, you have another think coming. Back to the practice area everypony.”

All the ponies got up and headed for the door. As Frost arose she heard a crackling noise and looked to see what it was. The paper that Spitfire had taped to her tail was sticking up. “Dash, get this paper off my flank will ya,” she said.

Dash did as Frost asked and gave her the paper. She stood back to watch her reaction.

Frost read the paper and growled. “How long was I wearing this?”

“Just before we went in to eat,” laughed Dash.

“Who? Windy?” asked Frost.

“Not me,” said Windyday quickly.

Frost thought back and the answer came to her. “Spitfire!”

She looked over to the captain who gave her a little wave.

“As if I need to look any dumber,” said Frost. “Wait until they watch me goof up this sky dance.”

“Come on Frosty,” said Dash, “you can do it. I'm not that good either.” They took off and started flying to the practice area.

“Razor told me she got into a little trouble when she visited your town,” said Frost, anxious to change the subject.

“Just a little,” said Dash, “it's cool now. Tell her not to do that again though. Fluttershy and I smoothed things over with the Mayor.”

Frost laughed. “She was kinda worried. I told her that it would be no big deal.”

“Yeah, but just remember that Ponyville isn't Cloudsdale,” said Dash. “When you visit next week, no terrorizing the locals, okay?”

“Deal,” said Frost, “I want to see that designer when we get there. I might get a new flight suit for when I enter some pro events. I can live on what the Wonderbolts are paying me but I still like to race and stuff.”

“We can do that?” asked Dash. “I doubt if I'll have time though.”

“Good,” said Frost, “I like to win now and then too you know.”

Dash laughed. “I'll be sure to let you know when I enter something in advance. So did your old team decide on their flight suits yet?”

“I think so,” said Frost, “they invited me to their meeting. I went but it's the last time. It's Razor's job now. I gave them my two bits about the flight suits and agreed to be one of the judges for the try outs. I'm going to miss being their leader but it's time I moved on.”

“I know what you mean,” said Dash. “I'll miss being a Weather Pony but I have to leave the team. There are ponies qualified to move up the ladder and they never will if I stay there. I can't keep going back and checking on them all the time either. It would undermine the new leader and they'll start depending on me all the time.”

“Right!” said Frost, “it's good to know somepony else understands. I just want to hang out with them sometimes. They're still my friends.”

“Sure they are,” said Dash, “just refuse to talk shop. They'll have to stand on their own then. I'm going to make a clean break as soon as the new leader is chosen. Until then I'm sort of an adviser. I hope to make it happen at the end of the week.”

“Sounds like you're staying busy,” said Frost. “Did you get that day off?”

“Most of Thursday,” said Dash, “but you were right, I went flying that afternoon and evening. Know what else? Luna saw me.”

“She was in Ponyville?” said Frost.

“No,” said Dash, “She was in Canterlot. Weird huh?”

“Very,” said Frost. She shook her mane. “How did she see you?”

“I was flying at night and she said that she watches over the night,” said Dash. “She said she saw me flying and can't wait to see me fly with her own eyes.”

“Wow,” said Frost in a hushed voice, “I think I'll stay indoors tonight. That is freaky.”

“I'm not going to let it worry me too much,” said Dash. “I kinda like flying at night sometimes. If she wants a show, she can have one.”

“Speaking of shows, are you ready?” said Frost. “Looks like we're here.”

“Let's do a walk through first,” said Dash, “if they don't mind.”

“Good idea,” said Frost. “I have it memorized but it doesn't hurt.”

The two friends landed next to the rest of the Wonderbolts and waited for Immelmane who arrived shortly thereafter. They did a walk through of the dance and prepared to perform.

The music started and Frost and Rainbow Dash began their dance. It wasn't long before Frost began to get ahead of Dash and the music. She tried to adjust to back to Dash's pace but then began to lose altitude. Dash tried to drop down a little to allow her partner to adjust but it didn't help much. Frost tried to use her strength to regain altitude but then she gained speed and went ahead of the music again. Dash began to see why Frost hated sky dancing. She was terrible at it. Mercifully, the music came to an end and they landed.

“Well,” said Immelmane, “that was... interesting. Rainbow Dash, you did a fair job but you were having trouble adjusting to your partner. What do you think was the problem?”

“I was the problem,” said Frost. “I got ahead and when I slowed down I lost altitude. No pony could adjust to that. I stink at this.”

“I was asking Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane. “Don't be discouraged, you're learning something new. What is your assessment, Rainbow?”

“What Frost said was true,” said Dash, “but I think she's having trouble because she's using her power to stay up but isn't taking into account the increased speed. I had some trouble with that too. It's tricky balancing the power to stay up with staying on the beat of the music and fly slow. I watched Sunrise Cloud last week and that helped me. I adjusted my wing angle and got better pretty quick.”

“Can you do the dance again?” asked Immelmane.

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'm not even tired.”

“Good, Windyday,” said Immelmane, “you dance with Rainbow this time. Frost, watch Windy and Rainbow and take note of their wing angles and when they use their wings.”

Spitfire was bored with watching and ordered the rest of the Wonderbolts to take off and get warmed up. 'Besides,' she thought, 'no sense in making Frost feel any worse by watching her mess up. Watching her sky dance is like watching an earth pony brush flies off her tail with a hammer.'

The music started again and Rainbow Dash danced with Windy. It was so much easier and she could tell she was matching Windy and the beat of the music. It wasn't perfect but it was much better than with Frost. When it was over they landed.

“You see,” said Immelmane with a smile, “that is how it's done. You're struggling too much, Frost. Just let your flight flow with the music. Rainbow was right about your wing angles. I think that you are so used to propelling yourself forward that you're actually flying in the wrong direction. Forward instead of up, forward instead of hover, forward instead of back. You have a lot of pure power so you try to use it to get into the position you want. That just won't work because you instinctively use it to get lift by increasing your forward speed. Do you understand?”

“I think so,” said Frost, “but I think this is going to take a lot of work. I feel so clumsy when I do this. It's frustrating.”

“You'll get it,” said Immelmane, “try doing some exercises for a while and experiment with your wing angles. I'll have a pony play the music over and over so you can practice staying on the beat. Just work with it and I'll have Windy or Spitfire fly with you later.”

“Okay,” said Frost, “I'll give it a shot. Thanks for trying, Dash.”

“No problem,” said Dash, “just keep working at it. When you get it once it gets easier. Mr. Immelmane? Can I get the name of that architect from you? I really should be going.”

“Certainly,” replied Immelmane, “his name is Cloud Shaper. He has an office on Stratus Street just around the corner from the cloud factory. Good luck with your house and tell him I said hello.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, “I'll fly in Friday evening so I'll be ready to work on Saturday. Guess I'd better get a room reserved at a hotel while I'm here.”

“You can stay with me if you'd like,” said Windyday, “I have room.”

“Sure Windy,” said Dash, “that would be great. I'll see you then.”

Dash took off and returned to Cloudsdale. She decided to visit the Wonderbolts Museum first, anxious to see herself on the Big Wall.

It was in the downtown area and she had been there so many times that she could find it blindfolded. She paid the admittance fee and entered. She went immediately to the Big Wall.

The Big Wall was so called because it took up the entire eastern wall of the building. It was a record of all the ponies who had been or were members of the Wonderbolts. They were arranged in order from the founding members to the most recent inductees. Each pegasus had a picture, the years they were with the team and a short biography. Many had additional information telling of individual accomplishments and honors.

It was easy for Rainbow Dash to find herself on the wall merely by going to the end of the pictures. Beyond her picture and those of the most recent inductees was blank wall reserved for future Wonderbolts. There she was, her picture and write up hung between Windyday and Firewing. Below Firewing was a picture of Frost. Her hoof went to her mouth as she took it all in. She abruptly sat down. Rainbow Dash felt humbled, which was not normally at the top of her favorite feelings list, but this time she didn't mind.

She looked down the wall to the beginning. “Don't worry guys,” she whispered, “I'll make you all proud.”

She looked at her picture and those of her friends and started walking along the wall. It was like going back in time. There was Soarin and just past him was Spitfire. There was Lightning Sky and Night Moon, two of her favorites from when she was a little filly. There was Firewing's father looking very handsome. She found it interesting that his biography continued to the present date. It even mentioned that he was the father of a new Wonderbolt, Firewing. Somepony had been busy. She continued walking.

As Rainbow Dash continued her journey into history, it started to become a little sad. The farther she walked, the more pictures she saw that were trimmed in black indicating that the pony was deceased. A picture caught her eye. It was Mr. Immelmane. He was not scarred and lacked the brace on his wing. Rainbow Dash thought he looked handsome in a rough sort of way. His biography was extensive. Many of the pictures around him were trimmed in black but not all. Just above Immelmane's picture was another picture. It was not trimmed in black and his time as a Wonderbolt was the same as Immelmane's. His biography was nearly as short as Rainbow Dash's. On the last line of his biography were the words, 'Whereabouts unknown'.

Rainbow Dash's heart raced as she realized that this must be Immelmane's missing friend. His name was Blue Comet. She went immediately to the gift shop. She knew from previous visits that photos were available for all of the ponies on the Big Wall. Rainbow Dash went to the counter and addressed the clerk.

“Excuse me,” said Dash, “I'd like to get a few Wall photos please.”

“Certainly, “said the clerk, “which...Oh my gosh! It's you! You're Rainbow Dash!”

“Sure am,” replied Dash, very pleased.

“I saw you perform when you were in the tryouts,” gushed the clerk, “you're great. I'm sorry, I'm probably holding you up. Which pictures did you want?”

Dash giggled. “No problem, I'd like eight of myself, one of Immelmane and a few of Blue Comet.”

“I hope I have eight of you left,” said the clerk. “We got the first lot in on Friday and they've been flying off the shelves. Immelmane shouldn't be a problem. I don't know about the last one. I can't remember ever selling one of those.”

“He was in the Wonderbolt's at the same time as Immelmane,” said Dash, “most ponies have forgotten about him.”

The clerk began searching through the folders that held the photos. She laid Dash's photos on the counter first. “You're lucky,” said the clerk, “there are only two left now. Here's the one of Immelmane. Wow, there is a folder for Blue Comet. Only one left.”

“I'll take it,” said Dash, “what do I owe you?”

“Thirty bits,” said the clerk, “and would you mind signing one for me?”

“Love to,” said Dash, “who should I make it out to?”

“I go by Cee Cee,” said the clerk. “There's only one of you left now. All the new Wonderbolts are selling well but yours is down to only one. There's about a dozen left of Frost and Firewing and maybe a few more of Windyday.” She looked in Windyday's folder. “Nope, I'm wrong. She's sold out.”

“Wow! I guess Spitfire was right when she said Windy had super model potential,” Dash laughed.

Dash paid the clerk and signed a picture for her. She was about to leave when she heard some voices behind her.

“Look mom, it's one of the Wonderbolts,” said a foal. “That's Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow turned and saw a mare and a young colt looking at her. The colts eyes were as big as saucers. “Hi,”said Rainbow Dash.

“Say hello, Quick Wings,” said the mare.

“H..hello,” said the colt.

“Pleased to meet you, Quick Wings,” said Rainbow Dash. “First time to the museum?”

“Yes,” said Quick Wings. “We're visiting from Trottingham. My dad had to go to a Weather Department meeting so mom and me came too.”

“So what do you think of Cloudsdale?” asked Dash. She sat down to get to the colts level.

“It's really cool,” said Quick Wings. “We were here when you performed last week. How did you learn to fly like that?”

“Lots of practice,” replied Dash proudly, “some natural skill and stuff I learned from other ponies.”

“I wish I could learn to fly like you,” said the little colt. “Dad tries to show me how but he's just a weather pony, not a great flier like you.”

“Hey! Don't talk about weather ponies like that,” said Dash, half teasing. “You know what I did before I became a Wonderbolt?”

“No,” said Quick Wings.

“I was a weather pony,” said Dash. “I ran the Ponyville Weather Team. Being a Weather pony is a great job, an important job. I'm going to miss it.”

“Really?” said Quick Wings, “You were a weather pony, like my dad? Except he's a flight leader, not the team leader.”

“But I'll bet his flight is as big or bigger than my whole team,” said Dash. “Ponyville is small and Trottingham is a lot bigger. Your dad was important enough to get invited to come to Cloudsdale wasn't he?”

“Yeah, I guess he was,” said the colt brightly. “Why are you going to miss being a weather pony though? Isn't being a Wonderbolt better?”

“Being a Wonderbolt is the best thing ever,” said Dash, “but that doesn't mean I didn't like my old job. The other weather ponies are my friends and now I won't get to fly with them everyday. Besides, cloud busting is fun.”

“That's not what my husband says,” laughed Quick Wings mother. “Could you autograph a picture for us? I know Quick Wings would love it.”

“Sure!” said Dash, “Better hurry, there's only one left.”

Dash waited while her new fans bought the last picture. She signed it; 'To Quick Wings, my first fan from Trottingham' and handed it to him.

“Gee, thanks Ms. Dash,” said Quick Wings, “uh, Ms. Dash? What position do you fly on the team?”

“Well, when it comes to the team, I'm a reserve pony,” said Dash. “My real job is featured soloist. I do the opening act and the intermission by myself. I'm the first pony to have the job.”

“How did you get that job? It sounds awesome,” said Quick Wings.

'Finally,' thought Dash, 'a pony who gets it, and he's just a little foal.' Aloud she said, “I won the individual competition in the try outs. I can do some tricks no other pony does and I'm really fast so Mr. Immelmane picked me. I could have taken a spot on the team but I think I'll like doing this better.”

“I hope I can be a Wonderbolt someday,” said Quick Wings.

“Work hard, listen to your instructors and try different things,” said Rainbow Dash, “and you might make it. Try to get into every camp you can and join a good amateur club when you're old enough. And learn to sky dance. Almost all the Wonderbolts can sky dance.”

“Okay, thanks Ms. Dash,” said Quick Wings, “I guess it will still be tough though, won't it?”

“I won't lie to you, kid,” said Dash, “there were only ten ponies in the try outs and they were all really good. It is tough to get into the Wonderbolts but it's worth all the work. Have you seen the Big Wall yet?”

“No, what's that,” asked the colt.

“It's like a history of the Wonderbolts from the first members all the way up to me,” said Dash. “It looks like a lot of ponies but it's all the ponies that made the team ever and that's over a hundred years now. If you think of it like that, it isn't very many ponies. It's more than being a great flier too; you have to be a great pony. Fly great, play fair and always give a hundred percent. You do that and they'll at least give you a look.”

“I will,” said the colt. “Thanks Ms. Dash!” The colt rushed ahead of the two mares to look at a display.

“We should let you go, now,” said Quick Wings' mom. “Thank you so much for your time.”

“Glad to meet you both,” said Dash. “I'm kinda new at this celebrity thing, I hope I did okay.”

“Better than okay,” said Quick Wings' mother, “Quick Wings needs to focus a little more. He's smart but he just wants to goof off a lot. Maybe what you said will get him to work harder.”

“That would be good,” said Dash, “just don't make him work too hard. I know a pony who became so obsessed by working that flying just wasn't fun for her anymore. Don't let him lose that.”

The mare smiled. “I won't. Thank you again.”

Rainbow Dash watched her chase after her son who was already running to another exhibit. 'I can't believe I was talking like that but I guess I couldn't tell the kid to do what I did,' she thought. She giggled as she headed for the door. 'If I did, he might be dead before he gets his cutie mark.'

Chapter 55

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Chapter 55
The trip to the architects office was quick and uneventful, thanks in no small part to Rainbow Dash speeding through the sky as rapidly as she thought she could manage without being arrested. Cloud Shaper's office was in a nondescript office building on the second floor. She entered the office and was confronted by a secretary.

“Hello, and welcome to Modern Cloud Homes,” she said. “How can we help you?”

“Hi,” replied Dash, “I need to build a home and real soon. I have the land. It's near the town of Ponyville.”

“Certainly,” said the secretary, “what sort of home are you looking for?”

“I'm not really sure,” said Dash, “I guess it should be about three or four bedrooms, couple of bathrooms...um, I'd like a big window in the living room. It has to look really cool.”

“Any thoughts on the style?” asked the secretary.

“I don't know much about that,” said Rainbow Dash. “Maybe you could show me some pictures or something?”

“Of course,” said the secretary, “I was just trying to find a starting point. Tell me, what do you like or dislike about your present home?”

“I like everything about my present home except that it doesn't have enough room for visitors sometimes,” said Dash. “I'm only moving because I'm changing jobs. I just resigned as the Ponyville Weather Team leader and my house was part of my pay.”

“I see,” said the secretary as she jotted some notes on a pad. “What were you thinking of spending?”

“I have no idea,” said Dash, “because I don't really know what cloud houses cost.”

“You said you changed jobs,” said the secretary, “I take it that your new job pays better.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. 'Yeah, you could say that.” This mare clearly had no idea who she was.

“And what is your new job?”she asked.

“I'm the featured soloist for the Wonderbolts,” replied Dash, with as straight a face as she could.

The secretary sat up at this news. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” said Dash. She was getting a little tired of answering questions. “Is Cloud Shaper here? Mr. Immelmane said I should talk to him.”

“You know Immelmane?” said the secretary.

This was too much for Dash. “You really need to get out more, honey,” she said. “I'm Rainbow Dash, I just made the Wonderbolts as a reserve pony and Immelmane picked me to be the featured soloist for all the Wonderbolt shows. The house I need has to be really great looking because it's being built on land that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are building a second home on for when they want to get away from Canterlot for a while. Is that enough to get started?”

“Yes,” said the secretary, “I'll get Mr. Shaper right away. He's working on a project right now so it may take him a couple of minutes. There is a book of pictures over there you can look at in the meantime.”

The secretary hurried through a doorway and Dash curled up on a sofa to look at the book. The pictures of Shaper's projects were varied and all were beautiful. Rainbow Dash was a little overwhelmed when she started thinking about what her new home would look like. It was hard to reconcile her original idea of a simple cloud house with a mansion. She wished she had asked the Princesses what they were planning to build.

The secretary soon returned. “Mr. Shaper will be with you shortly. He needs to finish something but it won't take long.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, her eyes not leaving the book. “These pictures are amazing. I hope I can afford something this great.”

“You might be surprised,” said the secretary, “After all, clouds are just water. Getting it to Ponyville might be a little more expensive than normal but I think you should be able to get something quite nice. Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” replied Dash.

“How did you get to know the Princesses so well?”

“Long story,” said Rainbow Dash. “Celestia sent her student to Ponyville the year Nightmare Moon returned. I made friends with her and there were some other ponies in town that did too. We helped her and became the Elements of Harmony. We communicate with Celestia and sometimes Luna pretty often.”

“Wow,” said the secretary, “I heard about that but the papers didn't cover it very well. Ah, here's Mr. Shaper.”

Rainbow Dash arose and introduced herself.

“Yes, yes, I know,” said Mr. Shaper, “congratulations on making the team. Now, I understand that you don't know much about this home business.”

“Not really,” said Dash, “and I'm sort of in bind for time too. I was hoping that you had a catalog or something that I could pick from.”

“I do have basic floor plans that I can let you take with you but they can be modified for a small fee,” said Cloud Shaper. “Also, we can do the exterior in different motifs. I encourage you to take your time with this, even if you have to rent a place, this is a home you'll be living in for a long time and you should make it just the way you like it.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I guess you're right. Two weeks is real short notice. I just hadn't counted on things working out this way. And then the Princesses decided to build a place next door and that really threw me into a spin.”

“Are they going to be wanting quarters for pegasi at their new place?” asked Cloud Shaper.

“I don't know,” admitted Dash. “I asked if I should make my house bigger for visiting pegasi and they said they'd take care of it. I'm more worried about the style. If I chose one style and they chose another it could look kinda dumb.”

“True,” said Cloud Shaper, “well, lets start with the floor plans.”

For the next hour Cloud Shaper went over various floor plans with Rainbow Dash. Eventually he got a good idea of her likes and dislikes and the type of environment where it would be built. At last Rainbow Dash asked the question that was bothering her the most; how much would it cost.

“Well, that depends on several factors,” said Cloud Shaper, “but a ballpark figure for the design you liked most would be around eight to ten thousand bits.”

Rainbow Dash was braced for the shock but it still made her swallow hard. “I don't have that much,” she said. “I understand that sometimes ponies might exchange advertizing for goods and services. Any chance of doing something like that with me.”

Cloud Shaper sighed. “You've been listening to Spitfire, haven't you?” he said. “I think we could make some arrangement that could save you quite a bit. How much money can you put down?”

“Only a couple thousand by the end of next week,” said Dash.

“That would be enough to get started,” said Cloud Shaper. “I can't make up the difference in advertizing though. You'll have to get a loan or make payments.”

“I was afraid of that,” said Dash. “All I wanted was something simple but now I have to go through a loan and all this other stuff.”

“True,” said Cloud Shaper, “but in the end you'll have a beautiful new home. Listen, I can give you even more off if you'll do something else for me.”

“Like what,” said Dash. She was automatically suspicious when on unfamiliar ground.

“Let my daughter be the lead architect,” said Cloud Shaper. “She'll be taking over when I retire and I want her to get her name on a few good projects first. Don't worry, she's very good. I trained her myself after she graduated from school. I'll still be involved in the project but she'll be the lead architect.”

“Sure I could do that,” said Dash, “so what are we talking here?”

“I was thinking, maybe, five hundred bits?” said Could Shaper.

“I was thinking a thousand,” said Dash.

Cloud Shaper laughed. “That's a bit high, don't you think? How about seven fifty?”

“Make it eight and we have a deal,” said Dash. She liked eight. It reminded her of doing loops.

“Since you're a friend of Immel's, alright,” said Cloud Shaper.

“So now I just have to figure out how to come up with another seven thousand bits or so in a couple of weeks,” said Dash. “Will the factory give me anything off?”

“Not much really,” said Cloud Shaper, “they're the only factory close enough to where you want to build so they don't have to make deals. They may pay for a calendar picture though. But I take payments and so does the factory. If you can really put down two thousand in two weeks, we should have no problems getting started.”

Dash grimaced at the thought of herself on a calendar. She was confident in her appearance but this was new and she felt strange about it. “How long will I have to pay it off?”

“The factory will go up to two years,” said Cloud Shaper, “but if you can pay it off earlier you can save a lot of money in interest. I'll give you six months but you won't be paying me nearly as much as the factory. We might be able to get you a bit more off if the Princesses do decide they want to build pegasus quarters and you can get them to use us.”

There was a knock at the door and the secretary entered. “Rainbow Dash, there's a pony here to see you. He's from the Wonderbolts.”

Rainbow Dash arose and went into the front office. One of the guards was there and on the floor, were two large sacks.

“Ms. Dash, Mr. Immelmane noticed that you hadn't picked up your mail,” said the guard. “He sent me here with it because it was cluttering up the mail room.”

“This is all mine?” said Rainbow Dash, in awe.

The guard laughed. “Better get used to it, Ms. Dash,” he said, “this is a pretty standard amount for a week.”

“What am I supposed to do with this?” said Dash.

“Answer it, I guess,” said the guard with a shrug. With that, he turned and left.

“How am I going to get this all back to Ponyville?” said Dash as she hefted the sacks.

The secretary and the architect both laughed. “I'll tell you what,” said Cloud Shaper, “I'll work up some preliminary figures and you can take the floor plans and some pictures along with you. Come back later this week and we'll talk some more.”

“Is Friday okay?” asked Dash, “I have to train this weekend.”

“That will be fine,” said Cloud Shaper.

“Will I meet your daughter then?” asked Dash. “If she's going to be the lead architect, we should get to know one another.”

“You've already met her,” said Cloud Shaper. “This is my daughter, Cloud Charm.”

The pony Dash had thought was the secretary stepped forward. “Pleased to meet you Ms. Dash,” she said.

“Er, likewise,” replied Dash, “and please, both of you, just call me Rainbow or Dash. No need to be formal.”

“Certainly, Rainbow,” said Cloud Charm, “and you may call me Charm.”

“I thought you were the secretary,” said Dash, “sorry.”

“Dad uses me for that,” said Charm, “but I put up with it because he lets me design too.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I'll try not to be too much trouble, Charm. If Immelmane sent me here, I'm sure you're both good. I should get going. The flight back home is going to take longer than I thought.” She looked at the sacks of mail.

“Good luck,” said Charm, “that's a lot to carry so far.”

“I can do it,” said Dash. “Wonderbolt, remember?” She smiled but secretly wondered if she could make it.

Rainbow Dash shouldered her own bag and with the help of Charm and Cloud Shaper hung the heavy bags on her back. Both of the architects looked doubtful about whether she could get airborne let alone fly to Ponyville. Rainbow Dash struggled to get aloft but managed it and with a wave of one hoof, flapped off in the direction of Ponyville.

Chapter 56

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Chapter 56

It was dark when Rainbow Dash struggled into Ponyville. She was exhausted and landed by the library rather than try to fly up to her cloud home. She dumped the bags on the ground and dragged them with her teeth to Twilight's door. Dash banged on the door with her rear hoof and waited. Soon she heard steps from within.

Spike opened the door and was met by Rainbow Dash's rump and flashy tail. “Rainbow Dash? Wha..” stammered the dragon.

Rainbow Dash started backing up and Spike was forced back into the library. The pegasus was nothing if not determined and dragged the two heavy sacks through the door before finally collapsing in a heap beside them. Roused by the noise, Twilight Sparkle left her bed where she had been reading and came down stairs.

“Rainbow! Are you alright?” she exclaimed when she saw Rainbow Dash lying on her floor.

“Yeah,” said Spike, “What is all this?”

“Fan … mail,” gasped Dash. She remained panting on the floor.

“Wow,” said Spike, “and you've only been a Wonderbolt for a week!”

“The guard said it was typical,” said Dash, “I'm going to have to pick up my mail more often.”

“Are you just getting back?” asked Twilight.

Dash sat up. “Yeah, I had to stop a couple of times to rest. I have a few other things too. I got my pay, which is great by the way, and a bunch of stuff from an architect. I'm going to get with Rarity tomorrow and see if she can help me out. I also went by the Wonderbolt Museum. I'm in it now, not much there yet but I'm in it. Is that awesome or what. Whew! I'm beat.”

Both Spike and Twilight agreed that it was indeed awesome and offered their congratulations. Twilight offered Rainbow Dash some food and drink which was gratefully accepted. As Rainbow Dash ate, the three of them decided to investigate the mail sacks.

“There's packages in here,” said Spike, “not just letters.”

“Spike, would you separate the packages into a pile while I check out some of these letters?” asked Dash.

“You're not going to do this all right now, are you?” asked Twilight.

“No,” said Dash, “I'm just curious, that's all. I was hoping you'd let me leave this here tonight. I'll pick it up first thing tomorrow.”

“Sure,” said Twilight, “you must be tired. That's a lot to carry all the way from Cloudsdale. Did you find out how much your house is going to cost?”

“Yeah,” said Dash as she shuffled through some of the mail, “looks like about eight to ten thousand bits.”

Twilight Sparkle was shocked. “How can you afford that? Do you have any bits saved up?”

“I had saved a little over five hundred bits,” said Rainbow Dash, “and I got my first weeks pay today. I'll get another weeks pay before I have to put anything down. I should be able to put at least two thousand down. Oh, and the architect agreed to deduct another eight hundred in exchange for advertizing.”

“That's almost a third of the total,” said Twilight, “they must be paying you well.”

Rainbow Dash dug into her bag and came up with a sack of bits. She plunked it down on the table. “I could probably come up with a little more but I don't want to run myself short,” said Dash. “I think I'll just move my stuff into Applejack's barn and camp out until the house is ready.”

“Camp out?” said Spike.

“Sleep on a cloud, as long as the weather stays warm,” replied Dash.

“Rainbow,” chided Twilight, “you don't have to do that. You can stay here, if you want.”

“I know,” said Rainbow Dash, “and I'd be glad to take you up on that if it rains but I'd be more comfortable on a cloud. I'll be staying at my old home until the last day anyway.”

“Okay,” said Twilight, “whatever you think is best. You know, some of these letters look like they're from companies.”

“Probably just a bunch of stupid advertizements,” said Rainbow Dash. “Oh look, it's a letter from Golden Arrow. I danced with him at the party last week.”

“Ooooh, you've got a special somepony,” teased Spike.

“It's a little early for that,” replied Rainbow Dash. “He's a nice guy though. Handsome too.” She opened the letter and began reading silently as Twilight and Spike waited expectantly. The letter was short but Rainbow Dash pretended to keep reading to make them wait longer.

“Well?” said Spike, “what did he say?”

“Just that he enjoyed our dance and is looking forward to seeing me again,” said Dash. “He lives in Trottingham and we perform there later this year. I'll write him back. I wonder if I should send him a ticket?”

“Just one?” asked Spike.

“Of course just one,” said Dash sharply. “Do you think I want him to bring a date?”

Twilight laughed. “You didn't tell us you met somepony special at the dance.”

“I danced with a herd of ponies at the dance,” said Rainbow Dash, “and some of them were special. There were a lot of handsome young pegasi stallions there. Let's set this letter aside.” She placed the letter on the table and reached for another.

Dash opened it and smiled. “Fan mail from a foal and a request for an autographed picture.”

“Open one of the boxes next,” said Spike.

“Okay,” said Dash. She picked up a random box and opened it. Inside was a note and a smaller box. She read the note and started to laugh. “I don't believe this!” She started laughing harder and couldn't speak. She pushed the note to Twilight.

Twilight read the note aloud. “Dear Rainbow Dash, you are the most beautiful and amazing mare I've ever seen. I love you more than life itself. Please marry me. Open the box and you'll see that I'm serious. I await your answer with bated breath. Your ardent admirer, Sky Poet.”

Spike opened the smaller box. In it was a diamond hoof ring. “Whoa,” he said “will you look at that!”

Rainbow Dash pulled herself off the floor to look at her gift. She was still giggling. “I guess he is serious. It's beautiful. Do you think it's real?”

“Who is this Sky Poet?” asked Twilight.

“I have no idea,” said Rainbow Dash, “never heard of him. Whoever he is, he must be a grade 'A' goofball.” She started to laugh again.

“I don't think it's funny, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “At least try to be nice when you return his ring.”

“Yeah, I will,” said Rainbow, “but I'd better not hear from him again. I don't have time to deal with a kook who thinks I'd marry a pony I've never even met.”

“Here's another box,” said Spike. He didn't want to listen to Twilight try to lecture Rainbow Dash. He wanted to see what else the pegasus had received.

Dash opened the box. This gift was more mundane. It was a bottle of shampoo and a letter inviting Rainbow Dash to try it and, if she liked it, to discuss an advertizing campaign. The company promised
'substantial remuneration' for her endorsement. Rainbow Dash opened the bottle and sniffed it.

“Mmmm, smells nice,” said Dash, “lavender scented.” She passed the bottle to Twilight.

Twilight smelled the shampoo. “That is nice.”

“If it works as good as it smells, we might have a keeper,” said Dash. “One more letter and we'll leave the rest for the morning.”

Rainbow Dash reached into the pile with her eyes closed and pulled out a letter. “And the winner is...Airy Mane of Baltimare.” She opened the letter. “Another fan letter from a foal. It's a real nice one too. Look, here's a news clipping from when I won Best Young Flier. She wants me to sign it and send it back. She says she's admired me ever since she saw my Sonic Rainboom and knew it was just a matter of time until I made the Wonderbolts. I'll send her something extra nice. At least some of this mail is going to be fun.”

Spike was looking through the boxes when one caught his eye. “Hey! Rainbow Dash, this one is from Ponyville.”

“That's weird, why would they mail it instead of just giving it to me?” said Dash. “I'll open it but it is absolutely the last one. I'm really tired.”

Dash opened the box and fell back in surprise as the top popped open with a bang and a shower of confetti and streamers shot out of the top. A large, pink balloon wedged is way through the small opening and floated upwards carrying a sign that said 'Congratulations on making the team'. The confetti and streamers floated down covering the two ponies and one dragon.

“Gee,” said Rainbow Dash dryly, “I wonder who that's from.”

“How did she get all that stuff in a little box,” said Spike.

Twilight cautiously peeked inside the box. At the bottom of the box was written, 'To the best flier ever, love Pinkie Pie'. “Go ahead and look Rainbow, it's safe.”

Rainbow Dash read the note and smiled. “I guess we can forgive her for that prank.”

“You don't have to clean it up,” grumbled Spike. “I'll go get the broom.”

“Leave it for the morning Spike,” said Twilight, “you need your rest too.”

“Me too,” said Rainbow Dash with a yawn, “Goodnight Twilight, Spike. I'll see you in the morning. And Spike? Don't eat that guys ring, okay?”

Spike laughed. “Okay.”

Twilight and Spike said goodnight to Rainbow Dash and the tired pegasus flew away into the night. Somehow her cloud home seemed to be higher than when she had left it. She went in and immediately went to bed. Sleep took her quickly.

Chapter 57

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Chapter 57

Rainbow Dash awoke and groaned as she rolled over. Her wings and back ached from her trip the day before. She slowly flexed her wings and stretched. Eventually, hunger drove her to her hooves and she made her way down to the Ponyville market.

“Well look at you,” said Applejack as Rainbow Dash approached her stand. “You look like somethin' the cat dragged in.”

“I feel like it too,” replied Dash. “Gimme a few apples, I'm hungry. Those Golden Delicious look good.”

“They are,” said Applejack. “Here you go Rainbow, that'll be two bits.”

Rainbow Dash paid her the bits and sniffed at the apples. “These smell like they're just ripe. You do know your apples A.J. Say, do you think you can lend me a hoof in the next couple of days. I need to stake out my land before Celestia's spell fades.”

“Sure,” said Applejack, “but what do you mean?”

“The Princess cast a spell that outlines the land I picked for my new house but Twilight said it won't last,” explained Rainbow Dash. “I need to put down some real markers before it does. The Princesses are building a retreat next door to me and their land is outlined too.”

“Where is this land?” asked Applejack.

“Out by Whitetail Woods,” said Dash, “I have five whole acres to myself. Hey! If you want to extend your farm, you better get ready to stake your claim. Ponyville is getting bigger. If you go to the outskirts you can see how much bigger, Celestia marked the new border too. I'm kinda surprised that the mayor hasn't announced it yet.”

“Really?” said Applejack, “I saw the Mayor's aide nailing up a notice at Town Hall this morning but I haven't looked at it yet. Thanks for the heads up, Rainbow.”

“No problem,” said Dash, “let me know if you need any help. I have to get over to Twilight's and go through my mail. It's probably going to take all day.”

“What's your mail doing at Twilight's place,” asked Applejack.

“I was too tired to lug it up to my place when I got back last night,” said Dash. “you are not going to believe all the stuff I got. Some idiot even proposed and sent a diamond ring.”

“You didn't say yes, did you,” said Applejack in amazement.

“Of course not!” said Dash. “I don't even know him. I have fan mail, requests for autographs, invitations to do ads, the works. Two full sacks of it. Heavy sacks.”

Applejack laughed. “Well, you wanted to be a celebrity. There's Applebloom, I'll send her back to the farm to tell Big McIntosh about this land deal.”

“See ya later A.J.” said Dash as she headed to the library.

Rainbow Dash entered the library and found that Twilight and Spike had been busy. All the packages were in one organized pile by size. Personal letters were in another pile and letters from companies were in another. The letters that were opened the night before were sitting on the desk.

“I thought this might go easier if you were organized,” said Twilight. “Ready to get started?”

“Gee, thanks Twilight,” said Dash, “are you and Spike going to help me go through all these?”

“Sure,” said Twilight, “if you want us to.”

“Yes! Please!,” said Dash in relief, “how do think we should do this?”

“You open them and read them and decide what to do with them,” said Twilight, “and we'll put them in stacks. Companies that want you to endorse their products in one stack, requests for autographs and pictures in another, trash in another and so on.”

“Well, lets get started then,” said Dash. She tossed an apple into her mouth and sat down in front of the stack of boxes.

The two ponies and dragon worked all morning sorting through the mail. It went faster than Rainbow Dash had thought and the 'to do' piles were now quite a bit smaller than the finished piles. Dash was getting bored and suggested a break.

“Spike? Do we have any of that lemonade left?” asked Twilight.

“Sure,” answered the dragon. “I could go for some myself.”

Dash rose and stretched. She flapped her wings a few times sending some of the opened letters flying.

“Careful, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “you'll get them mixed up.”

“Oops, sorry,” said Dash, “at least it was the trash pile. I need to stretch a little bit. I'll be right back.”

Rainbow Dash left the library, flew up and circled the library. It felt good to feel the wind in her mane after the stuffy library. She circled a few more times but stopped short when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She looked down to see Rarity walking towards the library.

“Rainbow, what are you doing?” asked Rarity. “Are you trying to make a tornado around Twilight's tree?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No, just taking a break. Twi's been helping me go through my mail.”

“You have enough mail to need help?” said Rarity. Her voice had the slightest tinge of jealousy.

“Come on in and find out,” replied Dash.

Rainbow landed by the door and she and Rarity entered the library. Rarity looked at the stacks of mail with her mouth open.

“Hello, Rarity,” said Spike, “care for some lemonade?”

“Why thank you, Spike,” said Rarity, “I am thirsty.” She took the glass with her magic and delicately took a sip. “My goodness, this is a lot of mail. What is it?”

“You name it,” said Rainbow Dash. “There's a lot of regular fan mail like fans asking for pictures, autographs and hoof prints. Then there are the companies wanting me to do ads. There's a lot of trash too.”

“Trash?” said Rarity.

“You don't want to know,” said Dash. She fell silent as she gazed at the pile of trash mail.

Rarity looked at Twilight.

“There was a little hate mail, most sounded like jealous ponies to me,” said Twilight. “Then there were the requests for dirty pictures and offers from magazines like Playcolt. And then there were the dirty letters which suggested all sorts of … things.”

“How many marriage proposals are we up to now?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Twenty-two,” said Twilight.

“Oh Rainbow! I had no idea things would be like this!” said Rarity.

“Me neither,” said Dash, “I'm going to talk to Spitfire as soon as I can. She'll tell me how to handle this stuff.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” asked Rarity.

“You can help me weed out the rest of these letters,” said Dash.

“Alright,” said Rarity, “I suppose I could do that.”

Together, Rainbow Dash and Rarity began opening the remainder of the letters. Happily, most of the letters were just from fans. These Rarity passed over to Dash who decided on what to send the fans. It went much faster with two. Rarity stopped as she was reading a letter, a look of puzzlement on her face.

“I don't understand this at all,” said Rarity. “Well, I understand what this letter is but I don't understand why this pony would want you to dance on his face while singing lullabies and wearing a pegasi guard uniform.”

“Wow,” said Dash, “that's a new one.”

“There are more like this?” asked Rarity.

“Worse than that,” said Dash, “and some offered some serious cash.”

“This one will pay two hundred bits,” said Rarity.

“Two hundred for face dancing?” said Dash, “not bad.”

“You wouldn't!” said Twilight.

“No, I guess not,” said Dash. “I can live the rest of my life without meeting that guy.”

“I should say so,” said Rarity as she tossed the letter into the trash pile. “These aren't all like that, are they?”

“No,” said Dash, “some are bad offers, some are hate mail, some are just the regular junk mail like every pony gets. Oh, read that one in the blue envelope, it's a hoot.”

Rarity magically opened the letter and read it aloud. “Dear Rainbow Dash, I saw you perform and you are so awesome that I can never be as good as you. You've ruined my life. I hate you so much that I wish you would just die. Die Rainbow Dash! Die! Die! Die! Sincerely, a second rate pegasus. PS Die!”

Dash was laughing and even Twilight snickered a little. Spike looked a little confused.

“Well, she certainly gets her point across,” said Rarity. “Very polite too. I hope there weren't too many like this.”

“No,” said Dash, “the worst hate mail came from gamblers who had bet that one of the other contestants would get the job. Some were mad at me for not beating Windyday. Some of Frost's supporters were really nasty. She's the home town hero, after all.”

“You're not worried about some pony trying to get back you, are you,” asked Spike.

“Nah,” said Dash, “I can handle it. If there's too many to fight, I'll just fly away. I know they can't catch me.”

“Let's get back to work,” said Twilight, “I'd like to get this mess cleaned up today.”

With that, they started in on the mail once more. They worked for another hour and were nearing the end of their task. Rainbow Dash still had to send her replies but at least the mail was sorted. At this point Fluttershy arrived. She was looking for Rainbow Dash in the hope of getting another session of sky dancing. Dash was ready for any excuse to get out of the library and fly but as they were so close to the end of the mail that she decided to finish. Fluttershy found herself drafted into the role of sorter. With Rarity and Fluttershy doing the sorting. Rainbow Dash started answering the letters that did not require pictures or hoofprints. Spike started gathering up the trash mail and putting it into one of the empty mail bags. Twilight continued taking the letters from Fluttershy and Rarity but also kept a close eye on Spike so he wouldn't be tempted to read any of them.

“Aw,” said Fluttershy, “this one is so cute. Look girls, you have to see this one.” She held up a picture of a little colt in a flight suit and goggles many sizes too large.

All of them, even Rainbow Dash, agreed that this was the cutest fan mail yet. Rainbow read the letter aloud. “Dear Ms. Dash, I want to be a Wonderbolt someday just like you and my great grandfather. How do you get to be a Wonderbolt anyway? Please autograph this picture for me. Your fan, Buzzwings.”

“I'll have to take my time with this one,” said Dash, “and send him something extra. That really is an old Wonderbolt outfit in that picture. I wonder who his great grandfather was.”

“You're lucky, Fluttershy, you got a good one,” said Rarity. “Here's two more for the trash.”

“What are the trash ones?” asked Fluttershy.

“You'll know if you see one,” replied Dash.

Rarity opened another letter. “This one has a check in it,” she said. “Ugh, it's from one of those magazines.”

“How much is the check?” asked Dash.

“Four thousand,” said Rarity.

“Cheapskates,” muttered Dash. “Playcolt was nine.”

Fluttershy blushed so much that her face turned orange. “They offered me ten thousand,” she said quietly.

They all stared at her with open mouths. Twilight was the first to recover. “They offered you ten thousand bits?”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, “right after I was a model but I turned them down. You're not going to pose, are you Dashie?”

“No, of course not!” said Dash with some heat. Even though neither of them was going to pose for the steamy magazine, being offered less made Dash feel like she was losing a contest. “I'd never be able to go out in public again. Write void on the check and I'll send them a reply saying no and not to ask again.”

“That's what I did too,” said Fluttershy. “They will though, ask again I mean.”

“Great,” said Rainbow Dash, “what a pain in the flank. If the good things about this job didn't outweigh the bad, I'd quit right now.”

“It's not that bad, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “Sure you got a lot of nasty mail and bad offers but you got a lot of good stuff too. Real letters from real fans that admire you, good offers from good companies and a lot of neat gifts and stuff.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “that's true. I always thought having fans would be really cool, and it is. I'll have to back to Cloudsdale again and see about getting pictures printed so I have something to send. I'd better find some time to practice or I'm going to look like an idiot this weekend.”

“We can skip the sky dancing sessions if you need time to practice,” offered Fluttershy.

“Oh no you don't,” said Dash with a smile, “the sky dancing is part of my practice and we're going flying later. You may not know it but you've really helped me, Fluttershy. Frost isn't anywhere near as good as me at sky dancing.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thanks, I'm glad I could help.”

Rarity was still working on the mail. “Two more for the trash and five more requests for autographed pictures. Here is one that you might want to take a look at, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the photo held magically in front of her. She laughed. It was a signed picture of Firelight, Firewing's father, as a young member of the Wonderbolts. There was a note clipped to it that said simply; 'trade you'.

“Yeah, I'll definitely send something to this guy,” said Dash.

“I don't blame you,” said Rarity, “he's very handsome. Why would a Wonderbolt want to exchange pictures with you? Surely he could get one from the Wonderbolts, couldn't he?”

“Easy there, Rarity,” said Dash, “that's Firewing's dad. He sure was handsome. He still is but he's a little too old for me...and married.”

Rarity laughed. “Oh well, that's too bad. Born twenty years too late. I suppose you did get some pictures from handsome eligible colts?”

“A few,” admitted Dash, “and a couple of letters from some guys I met at the party. There were a few sort of in between kind of letters. You know, nice letters, not dirty ones but I have no idea who they are. I'm not sure what to do about them.”

“Here's another one,” said Rarity. “Oh, it's another proposal.”

“Twenty-three!” cried Dash. She started laughing again.

“Twenty-three proposals?” said Fluttershy. “Oh, my!”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “if I really wanted to get mated up, I sure have a choice. Well, my choice of losers anyway.”

“Come on girls,” insisted Twilight, “we're almost done. Let's finish this.”

“Oh, alright,” said Dash. “How many are left?”

“Twelve letters,” said Rarity. “Is that box yours?”

“I hid that one so you'd have something special for last,” said Spike.

“Okay,” said Dash, “let's do the letters first. Four for me and four for you and Fluttershy. Divide them up, Rarity.”

The last letters were quickly opened and sorted. All were simple requests for autographs and pictures. One from a young filly, Dash felt, required her personal attention. She had been cut from her school flight team and asked how she should handle it. Rarity passed Dash the final box.

Rainbow Dash opened the box and found a large bottle of clear, slightly amber liquid packed in cotton. There was an apple on the label. There was also a letter with it. Dash read the letter aloud.

'Dear Ms. Dash, Please accept this sample of our fine new liqueur.' Rainbow Dash had difficulty pronouncing this word and it came out li-kue-ee-ur. 'It is made from the finest ingredients, all natural and is distilled under the strictest controls. If you like it, we would be happy to discuss the possibility of you being a spokespony for our company. We eagerly await your response. Very Truly Yours, W.C. Barleyfield.

“Sounds like a real offer,” said Dash. “Let's all try it. You've all helped me so much, it's the least I can do.”

All the ponies were curious enough to give the beverage a try. Spike brought in some glasses and Rarity uncorked the bottle. The white unicorn then carefully used her magic to pour a glassful for each of them. They gathered around the table.

Twilight sniffed the glass and wrinkled her nose. “I don't think I'll like this,” she said.

“Come on,” said Dash, “where's your sense of adventure?”

“Oh, alright,” said Twilight. “One little drink can't hurt.”

By unspoken agreement the ponies and Spike each drank the liquid. The reactions varied.

Rarity swallowed and stiffled a cough. “Interesting,” she wheezed.

Fluttershy waved her hooves in front of her mouth and panted.

Rainbow Dash, trying to be cool, swallowed hard and said nothing. She used all of her will power not to cough but a few tears formed in her eyes. The heat in her throat faded and moved to her stomach. It was a nice warm feeling. She started to think this stuff might have some merit.

Twilight Sparkle had taken her sample more slowly. The flavor was good but the effect when swallowed was not something she was eager to repeat. However, as the pain in her throat faded, she too decided that she liked the warm feeling in her belly.

Spike tossed his glass back and sat it down. “Pretty good,” he said, “can I have some more?” Suddenly he belched and a flame came out twice the size of his best effort ever.

“Pour me another too,” said Dash. “but not as much.”

Rarity obliged and refilled Spike's and Rainbow Dash's glasses. Fluttershy shook her head no and Twilight put a hoof on the top of her glass.

“I think I know what this is,” said Twilight, “let me see that bottle.”

Rarity levitated the bottle over to Twilight who sat it on the table and read the labels carefully. “You might want to be careful with this stuff, Rainbow. It's very potent.”

“Like a magic potion?” asked Dash. She sipped her drink slowly.

“No, potent not potion,” said Twilight. “This stuff is more than half alcohol.”

“Oh, okay,” said Dash.

“Rainbow, that little glass you drank was like drinking three mugs of hard cider,” said Twilight.

“Wow,” said Dash, “I guess that explains why I feel like this, hee hee.”

“I don't feel any different,” said Spike. He belched again sending out a large flame. “Excuse me.”

“That's because you're a dragon,” said Twilight, “you just burn it off. Ponies absorb it and it affects us in different ways. Look at Rainbow.”

Spike looked at Rainbow Dash. She was listening to Twilight with half lidded eyes and a goofy grin on her face. Her second glass was empty.

Fluttershy got to her hooves a little unsteadily but smiling. “Let's go sky dancing now, Dashie. I really feel like flying.”

“Me too!” announced Rainbow Dash. She arose and trotted a not so straight path to the door.

“I think I'll be leaving as well,” said Rarity. She got up and after a slight wobble, paced carefully towards the door.

“I don't think you should be flying,” said Twilight as she got to her hooves. She sat back down.

“We'll be fine,” said Rainbow Dash. “Let's all meet for dinner at the cafe. My treat.”

“Alright,” said Twilight, “but please be careful.”

“We'll be okay,” said Fluttershy, “we can't hit anything in the air. We're pegasus, I mean pegasum. No, pegasi. We're some pegasi. Right Dashie?”

Rainbow Dash giggled. “Right! We're definitely some pegasi. Let's go.”

Spike looked at his glass and sniffed it. He couldn't understand why they were all acting so funny.

“Spike,” said Twilight, “go get Pinkie Pie or Applejack and have one of them keep an eye on Dashie and Flutters. I'm going to go lie down for a while.”

“You got it!” said Spike and ran out the door.

Twilight forced herself to walk to the sofa which seemed to be further away and taller than she remembered. She curled up on it and let her head rest on the arm. “Should have read the label first,” she said to the empty room.

Chapter 58

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Chapter 58

Spike ran off to Sugar Cube Corner and found Pinkie Pie. Fortunately, the Cakes were not busy and since Pinkie was getting off soon anyway, they let her leave early.

“Where did they go?” asked Pinkie Pie. Her normally happy voice sounded concerned. Spike arriving as he had and the stress in his voice had convinced her that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were in danger.

“I think they went to Fluttershy's place,” said Spike, “it's where they've been practicing.”

“Thanks Spike,” said Pinkie, “I'll look after them. Tell Twilight that Pinkie is on the job!”

Spike watched as the pink pony sped off toward Fluttershy's cottage. He turned to go back to the library but stopped when he saw Rarity leaving the Ponyville market. She was a little unsteady on her hooves and was levitating a huge bunch of flowers. Spike ran over to her.

“Rarity?” said Spike, “Are you alright?”

“Oh hello, Spikey,” said Rarity, “I'm fine, thank you. How are you?”

“I'm fine too,” said Spike, “can I help you with your flowers?”

“Why thank you Spike,” said Rarity, “how gallant of you.”

Spike walked Rarity to her home. She continued to levitate them despite Spike's offer to help. Upon entering her home, Rarity set Spike to work putting the flowers into vases and setting them around the boutique. Spike returned from the kitchen with a full pan of water to find Rarity asleep on her couch. Spike sighed and finished placing the the flowers in vases. He didn't know where Rarity wanted them so he set them up all around her couch. He gazed at her for a little while, her beautiful form framed by flowers, and engraved the image in his mind. He might have stayed longer but suddenly she snorted and began to snore. Spike preferred the quieter version as a memory so he returned to the library to check up on Twilight.

Pinkie Pie raced through town and down the road to Fluttershy's cottage. She couldn't see Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy in the sky but she could hear music. It grew louder as she neared the cottage and suddenly she saw Rainbow Dash fly up into the air. Fluttershy soon followed and the two pegasi began to dance.

Pinkie slowed down and came to a stop. She didn't know much about sky dancing but she could tell that this didn't look like what Firewing and Fluttershy had done at the celebration. Pinkie decided to get a closer look and continued down the road. She got to Fluttershy's front yard and sat down to watch the show.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy seemed to be attempting the same moves but that was all they had in common. Each pegasus seemed to be dancing to her own beat and their timing was way off. Eventually it was off to the point that they collided. It wasn't a hard collision but it caused Fluttershy to grab hold of Rainbow Dash in an effort to steady herself. Unfortunately, this pinned one of Dash's wings to her body and the pair rapidly began to drop. Rainbow Dash started yelling for Fluttershy to let go but Fluttershy only flapped her wings harder in an effort to stay aloft. This almost worked but Rainbow Dash was also trying to fly and was flapping her one free wing. Pinkie Pie ran towards her friends though what she planned to do when she got there was anypony's guess.

The two pony and three wing combination dropped out of the sky and hit the ground with a muffled thud. As Pinkie Pie arrived at the scene of the crash, Rainbow Dash stood up, tottered sideways and fell over. The only part of Fluttershy visible to Pinkie Pie was some pink mane hair and part of one wing jutting above the tall grass. Pinkie ran up and stood above her two friends. She looked in horror at Fluttershy's shaking body. Rainbow Dash crawled over to her friend and collapsed again with her head on Fluttershy's chest. Fluttershy gasped and so did Rainbow Dash.

“Fluttershy! Dashie!” cried Pinkie, “are you alright?”

Then she heard them both laughing and gasping for air. Eventually Rainbow Dash got enough control of herself to reply.

“Hiya, Pinks!” said Dash. She laid her head back down on Fluttershy.

“Heeelllooo Pinkie,” said Fluttershy. This was enough to send the two winged ponies into another fit of laughter.

Pinkie was relieved that her friends were alright, at least physically but was also a bit put out with them for scaring her. “What is wrong with you two?” asked Pinkie. “Twilight sent me to look after you.”

“Sounds like Twilight alright,” said Dash. They began to laugh again but they were tired now and it subsided sooner.

Fluttershy rolled over and got unsteadily to her hooves. Rainbow Dash's head hit the ground. She grunted but seemed content to be where she was.

“Dashie got a bottle in the mail and we all tried some,” said Fluttershy. She put a foreleg around Pinkie's neck to steady herself. “It's not very good tasting but it makes you feel great. Hee hee.”

“What was in the bottle?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“Li-ku-ee-ur,” said Rainbow Dash who still lay on the ground.

“What?” said Pinkie Pie.

“It's like concentrated hard cider,” said Dash, “it's new. They want me to be their spokespony.”

“How much did you drink?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“I had one glass,” said Fluttershy. “Your hair is poofy.”

“I had a little more than Fluttershy,” said Dash. “It really has a kick to it.”

“You're drunk!” cried Pinkie. “I thought you knew better than that.”

“We didn't know how strong it was,” said Fluttershy. She backed up and sat down.

Rainbow Dash stood and leaned up against Fluttershy. “Yeah, we only drank a little. We used these little glasses that Twilight had, they weren't as big as cider mugs.”

“Did Twilight drink it too?” asked Pinkie.

“Yep,” said Dash, “and so did Rarity and Spike. There's probably not much left in the bottle.” She sounded sad.

“Spike seemed just fine,” said Pinkie. “How's Rarity?”

“Spike just burns it off,” said Dash as she attempted to rise. “He can really breathe fire now.”

“Yeah,” added Fluttershy, “whoosh!”

The pegasi started to laugh again and both laid down. Dash rested her head across Fluttershy's shoulder.

“Rarity had about the same amount as Fluttershy and Twilight,” said Dash, “so she's probably about like us.” She chuckled again and closed her eyes.

“Was Applejack there?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“No,” mumbled Dash. “She's either in the market selling apples or out at her farm staking out some new land.”

“Whew!,” said Pinkie, “At least two of us are alright. Promise me you're not going to do anymore flying for a while.”

There was no answer. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both asleep. Pinkie figured that they would be safe for a while and headed to Applejack's farm. No ponies were at the farm itself so Pinkie went into the barn and up to the second floor to have a better look around. She was rewarded with a glimpse of Big McIntosh far in the distance. With nothing more to go on, Pinkie headed in his direction.

The Apple family were busy driving stakes into the ground in an effort to expand the farm. Applejack was lining up a stake under Granny Smith's guidance. A couple of Applejack's relatives were also assisting.

“Applejack!” cried Pinkie Pie, “you have to come with me.”

“Not now Pinkie Pie,” said Applejack, “we only have a day to do this.”

“But our friends are, uh, having some trouble,” said Pinkie Pie.

Applejack stopped working. “What kind of trouble?” asked Applejack.

“Rainbow Dash got a bottle of something in the mail and they drank it,” said Pinkie Pie.

“What!” exclaimed Applejack, “they've been poisoned?”

“Not exactly,” said Pinkie Pie, “they're.. ahh.”

“Well, what in tarnation is it then?” asked Applejack.

Pinkie's head drooped. “They're...drunk.”

“Drunk?” repeated Applejack. “How did that happen?”

“Long story,” said Pinkie, “Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are passed out near Fluttershy's cottage. I don't know where Twilight and Rarity are but I think Spike is with Twilight at the library. I have to keep an eye on Dashie and Fluttershy in case they try to fly again.”

“They was flyin'?” said Applejack. “What were they thinkin' ?”

“They were trying to sky dance,” said Pinkie, “it wasn't pretty.”

“Okay,” said Applejack, “you go back and watch Fluttershy and RD. I'll check the library first and if Twilight's alright and Spike is with her I'll see if I can find Rarity.”

“Okey-dokey-lokey,” said Pinkie Pie. “Thanks A.J.” Pinkie Pie headed back to Fluttershy's cottage while Applejack ran towards Ponyville.

Pinkie Pie found Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash where she had left them, still asleep in the grass. Rainbow Dash had shifted a bit and was curled at Fluttershy's side with one wing wrapped protectively over her.

“Awww,” said Pinkie Pie. She sat down and watched over her friends until they awoke over two hours later.

Fluttershy woke up first. She raised her head and looked around with bleary eyes. “Hello, Pinkie Pie,” she said. “What happened?”

“Don't you remember?” asked Pinkie Pie. “You had something to drink at Twilight's place.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Fluttershy, “and then Dashie and I went sky dancing. Oh, I still feel a little dizzy.”

“You'll be okay,” said Pinkie Pie. “Spike sent me to look after you.”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, “I remember now. I guess Dashie is okay too?”

“She's still asleep,” said Pinkie, “but she should be fine.”

Fluttershy gently extricated herself from under Dash's wing and stood up. She was a bit wobbly but was soon able to move around. Rainbow Dash didn't awake but her wing furled on it's own.

“I need a drink of water,” said Fluttershy, “Dashie will probably want some when she wakes up too. I'll go get it.”

Fluttershy felt much better when she returned and sat and watched Rainbow Dash with Pinkie. It wasn't long before Rainbow awoke. She immediately stood, shook herself and staggered sideways.

“Wow,” said Dash, “that stuff is lethal. How long was I out?”

“A little over two hours I guess,” answered Pinkie. “Are you okay?”

“I guess so,” said Dash, “my head hurts a little and I'm thirsty. Yeah, I think I'll live.”

“Good,” said Pinkie Pie, “let's go check on Twilight and Rarity.”

“I guess we should,” said Dash, “they had some too.”

“Are you going to be their spokespony?” teased Pinkie Pie.

“No!” said Dash, “well, maybe. That juice is pretty good. You just have to be careful with it.”

“I'm not drinking that stuff ever again,” said Fluttershy. “Here, have some water.”

“I think it would be alright if you just sipped a small amount like I did with the second glass,” said Dash. “What we had the first time was way too much. Yeah, I need some water, thanks.”

“Can I try it?” asked Pinkie Pie.

Dash stopped drinking and smiled grimly. “If you're brave enough but I'm not giving you as much as what we drank.”

Dash finished drinking the water that Fluttershy had brought and the three ponies started walking towards Ponyville. They arrived in town and made their way to the library. Everything looked normal so they were hopeful that their two friends hadn't gotten into any trouble.

They entered to find Twilight talking with Applejack. She had just awoken and was giving her version of the events of earlier that day. Applejack looked very unhappy and glared at Rainbow Dash as she entered the room.

“So then Fluttershy wanted to go sky dancing and of course Rainbow Dash jumped at the chance,” said Twilight. “Those two took off one way and I didn't know where Rarity had gotten to so I sent Spike to get Pinkie or you to look after them.”

“I got the rest, Twilight,” said Applejack. “Well, Rainbow, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“Huh?” said Dash, “what did I do?”

“Ya gave your friends poison!” said Applejack.

“No I didn't!” replied Dash, “I didn't know it was so powerful is all. I drank it too, you know. Where is it? You can check it out yourself.”

“It should be on the table,” said Twilight.

“I see it,” said Dash, “and there's my bag too. I have something in there for all of you.”

While unwilling to take full responsibility for getting her friends drunk, she did want to make amends. She went first to the bottle. At least half of it was gone. She looked at the label again. The label stated the name of the company and what it was made from but there was no mention of it's potency. On a second label on the back of the bottle, in fine print, were the words '60% alcohol'.

“Take a look A.J.” said Dash, “we didn't know what it was.”

Applejack read the label and admitted that it was just a mistake. “You should have been more careful before you try strange things,” she said. “Sorry I snapped at ya though.”

“That's okay,” said Dash, “want to try a taste?”

Applejack looked at the bottle and then at Dash. “I gotta admit I'm curious,” she said, “but just a little taste. I don't want to end up like y'all were.”

“Me too!” said Pinkie Pie, “just a little.”

Dash smiled and carefully poured enough to cover the bottom of the glasses. Applejack sniffed it. It smelled vaguely of apples. She took a deep breath and gulped the contents down.

Applejack coughed at even the tiny amount of fluid and Rainbow Dash laughed. Applejack smacked her lips and shook her head. “It tastes kinda good,” she said. “Sure does burn goin' down though.”

“I know,” said Dash, “but I think you're only supposed to drink a little at a time, and slower. Your turn Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie sniffed her glass, shrugged and drank it down. She took a deep breath and a shiver ran through her. She exhaled and squeaked “Wow.”

“Like it?” asked Dash.

“My lips are numb,” said Pinkie. “It's kinda good and kinda bad, not really my type of drink. I wonder if it would be a good flavoring for cakes or candy?”

Applejack licked her lips again. “So are you going to be their spokespony?”

“I might,” said Dash, “I have to go see Spitfire and talk it over with her. She's sort of the expert on making deals.”

“How many offers did you get?” asked Applejack.

“Good offers?” said Dash, “What was it Twilight? Forty something I think.”

“Forty-six,” said Twilight, “but some of those we called 'questionable' remember?”

“Sounds right,” said Dash, “and there were a lot of offers that I just won't do. Then there were the weirdo offers, but I'm not counting them.”

“I won't ask what those were,” said Applejack.

“Is anypony checking on Rarity?” asked Fluttershy.

“Not a pony,” said Twilight, “Spike found her wandering around the market with huge bouquets of flowers and walked her home. She passed out like I did. When Applejack showed up I sent him back to check on her.”

“I'll bet that was hard,” said Pinkie Pie. She laughed and the others joined her.

“Let me get started on this,” said Dash. She sat down at the table and got her pictures out of her bag. Taking one, she wrote something on it, signed it and gave it to Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie looked at the picture and read the note out loud. “To Pinkie Pie, Who can always bring me up when I feel down, make me laugh and is Equestria's greatest prankster. Always your friend, Rainbow Dash.”

“Thanks Dashie,” said Pinkie Pie. For once she could say no more so she hugged Rainbow Dash instead.

Dash wrote on a second picture and gave it to Applejack. “To Applejack, Grower of the best apples and maker of the best cider. The pony who can even keep me honest with myself and a great friend, Rainbow Dash.”

Fluttershy was next. “To Fluttershy, The kindest pony and a pegasus who has more courage than she knows, who shows kindness even to those that don't deserve it and puts every pony before herself. You're a better pony than I'll ever be, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy blushed and looked at the floor.

“I was going to do yours last Twilight, but since Rarity and Spike aren't here, I'll do yours next,” said Dash. She wrote on another picture and passed it to Twilight who read it aloud.

“To Twilight Sparkle, The smartest and most magical pony I know. It's an honor to follow a friend like you. Thanks for keeping us all together, you egghead! Rainbow Dash”

Twilight started to grimace at Rainbow's nickname for her but when Dash started to laugh it changed into a grin and she laughed too. “Thanks,” said Twilight, “I think.”

Dash got control of her laughter and finished the autographs for Rarity and Spike. “I know this isn't much but it's a start,” said Dash. “I just wanted you all to know that I appreciate you, even if I don't always show it.”

“We know how you are, Rainbow,” said Applejack. “I'm just glad you're not forgetting us and moving away.”

“I couldn't forget you all even if I moved to the moon,” replied Dash. “Who knows? Without you supporting me and me not wanting to disappoint you, I might not have made the team. I probably would have, but maybe not.”

Pinkie Pie giggled and poked Dash on the shoulder. “You'd better remember us,” she said, “just because you're a fancy-schmancy celebrity now doesn't mean we don't need each other. Speaking of needing each other, I think I'll go check on Rarity too. She should be awake by now.”

“That might be a good idea,” said Twilight, “I'm sure she's alright but we should still check on her.”

Pinkie Pie trotted off to find Rarity while the rest of the ponies told Applejack about Rainbow Dash's mail and showed her some of it. Applejack was impressed by some, moved by others and appalled by the worst of the mail. She also did a few quick calculations on the amount of money Rainbow could make from the endorsements.

“You know, Rainbow, if you even do half of these deals you should be able to put up quite a house,” said Applejack. “Too bad I won't be able to visit.”

“I'll use that spell that I used when we went to the Best Young Fliers Competition,” said Twilight, “We won't be able to go up there all the time but at least we'll be able to get a tour.”

“It should be a great house too,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm going to do at least a few of these offers and use the bits for it. With the discount and what I already have, I'm already able to build something pretty impressive. I might get some bits from the factory too if I do the calendar picture. I don't know about that one though.”

“Calendar picture?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

“Yeah,” said Dash, in an unhappy tone, “I don't know if I'll do it though. Seems creepy to me. If it's clean I might do it but I just don't know.”

“I never thought you to be the bashful type,” teased Applejack.

“Well, would you do it?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I was on a calendar once,” replied Applejack. “I was just a little filly and it was a rodeo calendar. I really thought it was somethin'.”

“That would be okay,” said Rainbow, “but would do it now? There's a little difference between a little kids calendar and a full grown mare doing sexy poses.”

“You're right there,” said Applejack. “I reckon I would have a problem doin' that.”

“Er, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “just how sexy is sexy? What exactly do they want you to do?”

“I'm not sure,” admitted Dash, “but I did see a one of the factory calendars a few years ago. It wasn't too bad ... I guess. One of the poses was something like this.” Rainbow Dash turned her rear towards Twilight and looked back over her shoulder with a pouting expression on her face.

Applejack snickered and that was enough for Rainbow Dash to start laughing too. Fluttershy and Twilight joined in.

“Okay, Twilight,” said Dash, “now give us your best sexy pose.”

“Me?” exclaimed Twilight, “I wouldn't know what to do.”

“Well, try something,” said Dash, “and then Applejack can try. We all know that Fluttershy can model so she can go last.”

“Alright,” said Twilight, “how about this?” She walked over to the sofa and laid down on her back with her face towards her friends and put her nearest hind leg in the air and propped her head up on a fore hoof.

They started laughing again and the 'show' continued. As the four friends played model in the library, Pinkie Pie arrived at Rarity's home. The door was unlocked so she went in.

Spike was dreamily gazing at Rarity as she slept on her couch. She was peacefully asleep and snoring gently. Flowers surrounded her.

“Hi Spike,” said Pinky, “hasn't Rarity woke up yet.”

“Not since I've been back,” said Spike. “She's so beautiful right now, isn't she?”

Yeah,” said Pinkie sympathetically, “she looks so peaceful too.”

“Yeah,” said Spike, “I could look at her like this forever.”

As the two were talking, Rarity began to awaken. She could hear Pinkie Pie and Spike talking about her. Groggy and still feeling the effects of the powerful drink, she slowly opened her eyes. She was surrounded by flowers and Pinkie Pie and Spike were staring down at her. “Sweet Celestia!” she thought, “I'm dead!” She screamed.

Pinkie Pie and Spike jumped back. Rarity sat up and glanced around wildly. She felt her body with her hooves. Realizing that she was still alive, the unicorn relaxed somewhat. “I'm alright,” she said, “I'm alright. Oh, that was scary.” She held her head in her hooves.

“Did you just have a nightmare, I mean a daymare?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“Something like that,” said Rarity. “I thought I was at my own funeral. Did I buy all these flowers? I didn't think I bought so many.”

“You sure did,” laughed Spike, “I helped you put them in water when you got them home. I didn't know where you wanted them so I just put them all around the shop.”

“Is everypony else alright?” asked Rarity. “I think I remember Rainbow and Fluttershy going flying.”

“They're fine,” said Pinkie Pie, “Spike sent me to look out for them. They were really goofy and they crashed a little but they're okay now.”

“Crashed?” said Rarity, “Oh, my!”

“It's okay,” said Pinkie, “I thought they were hurt but when I ran up to them they were laughing about it. It was pretty funny now that I think about it.” She giggled. “Then they took a nap. They're over at Twilight's now. We should go join them, Rainbow Dash is going to treat us to dinner later.”

“I guess I can do that,” said Rarity, “let me straighten myself up a bit first. I must be a mess. I do hope I didn't make a fool of myself at the market.”

“I thought you handled yourself pretty well,” said Spike, “except for all these flowers. You didn't fall down or anything.”

“Thank you, Spikey,” said Rarity, “I'm glad you were there to look after me.”

Rarity went to her room and groomed herself while Spike and Pinkie pie waited. When she reappeared, Rarity looked her normal pristine self and seemed to be fine. Together they made their way back to the library. They were not prepared for what they found when they got there.

Rarity, Spike and Pinkie Pie walked into the library and stopped short with open mouths. Fluttershy balanced precariously on the ladder used to reach the upper shelves. She stood on one rear leg with the other hooked over a higher rung while she hung on with one foreleg. Her other foreleg stretched out above her head and her wings spread wide for balance.

Twilight leaned against a pillar while Applejack and Rainbow Dash held each other up. All three were laughing.

“You're turn again Rainbow,” said Applejack.

“Okay, okay, I've got one,” said Dash. She went over to a chair and put both forelegs on it. She stretched out and put her head on her forelegs which put her butt higher than her head. To complete the pose, she stuck her near hind leg out behind her. She tried to smile but it quickly devolved into laughter. The others joined in.

Rarity recovered first. “What in the name of the sun and moon are you three doing?”

“Just foolin' around, Rarity,” said Applejack. “Rainbow was talkin' about doin' a calendar picture and we've been takin' turns posing. Why don't you give it a try?”

“Certainly not,” said Rarity, “it's completely unladylike.”

“Oh, lighten up,” said Rainbow Dash, “it's not like anypony is taking pictures or something. How about you Pinkie Pie?”

“How about not,” said Twilight. The ponies looked at her and she pointed to Spike.

Rainbow put both hooves over her face. “I kinda forgot he came in too. Guess the shows over. See what I mean about how weird it would be to do a calendar picture? Imagine doing that and having thousands of ponies looking at your picture.”

“It's part of the reason I hated the modeling business,” said Fluttershy, “and I was just doing fashion shots.”

“Rarity, Spike, come here I have something for you,” said Dash. She went to the table and got a picture for each of them.

Rarity read hers. 'To Rarity, You always give us everything you got just from the goodness in your heart. May everything you make always be 20% cooler. Rainbow Dash.'

Rarity smiled but her voice was a little shaky. “I didn't think a picture of you could mean so much. Thank you, Rainbow.”

Spike read his next. 'To Spike, I wish I had an assistant like you. I don't know what Twilight's paying you but it isn't enough. Rainbow Dash.'

Spike smiled happily but then a confused look crossed his face. “Pay?” he said, “I don't get paid! Hey!”

“We'll talk about this later, Spike,” said Twilight. “I think Rainbow Dash was just going to treat us to dinner.”

“In a minute,” replied Rainbow Dash. “I have something I want to show you.” She dug into her bag and brought out two more pictures. She laid the pictures of Immelmane and Blue Comet on the table.

“Gather around everypony, Spike,” said Rainbow Dash. “This picture is of Mr. Immelmane, my teacher, and this one is of his friend, Blue Comet. You've all heard me tell their story. These pictures are really old so I don't know what Blue Comet looks like now. I want you to help me find him.”

“Well, sure we'll help you Rainbow,” said Applejack. “Maybe we could put ads in papers or something.”

“No!” exclaimed Dash, “if we do that he'll just disappear again. We have to be very sneaky and keep it quiet. He can't know we're looking for him. He's been missing for like fifty years or something so he's really good at laying low. Applejack, you have relatives all over the place. Write them and tell them what to do. I'll try to get some copies of this picture made so they know who to look for. All we really have to go on is coat color and his cutie mark.

“Fluttershy,” continued Rainbow Dash, “you'll be traveling all over Equestria for Rarity. Keep your eyes open. We don't know where he might be. Twilight, you and Rarity visit Canterlot fairly often so you cover that city and the train stations in between. Pinkie Pie, Ponyville is as likely a place as any for him to show up and you always seem to notice strangers in town so you can keep an eye out here. Who knows? He's an old flier so he may want to get a peek at the newest Wonderbolt and come looking for me here.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” said Twilight, “but Rainbow Dash, how do you know if he's even alive?”

“I guess I don't know,” admitted Dash, “but I have to try. If I can reunite these two maybe they can make up. Maybe I can stop them from hurting so much anymore. Besides, Blue Comet's bio at the museum said 'whereabouts unknown' so if he died in Equestria it would probably have been reported to Cloudsdale.”

“That makes sense,” said Twilight, “if he is still in Equestria, we should be able to find him.”

All the ponies agreed to help Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy asked what they were to do if they did find him.

“Leave that to me,” said Dash, “keep an eye on him, find an address if you can but whatever you do, don't let him know you're looking for Blue Comet.”

“What are you going to do?” asked Rarity.

“I'll get the girls together and he'll either come peacefully or we'll ponynap him,” said Dash. “I don't know about Windyday or Firewing but I know Frost will go for it. Razor owes me one too.”

“I hate to point out this little flaw in your plan, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “but ponynapping is illegal. It's a serious offense. Prison serious.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “I guess I'll have to think up something a little more clever. Better not let Immelmane find out about it either. Let's concentrate on finding him first and worry about getting the two of them together later.”

“Yes,” said Rarity, “that might be better. What to do after you find him might depend on where you find him.”

“Don't worry, Rainbow,” said Applejack, “if he's still around, we'll track him down. Now what about some supper? You owe me one for running me around all afternoon.”

“Alright,” said Dash, “and thanks for agreeing to help. It would mean a lot to me if I can get those two together. Come on, let's go eat.”

Chapter 59

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Chapter 59

Rainbow Dash awoke earlier than usual the next morning, due at least in part to going to bed earlier than she normally did. It was cool, the pleasant sort of cool that felt refreshing but also made her appreciate her blanket. She snuggled deeper into her bed and alternately dozed and thought of the day before. There had been the dinner after the busy day of sorting mail and nearly disastrous encounter with W.C. Barleyfield's product. The posing in the the library still made her snicker to herself. The plot to track down Immelmane's friend occupied her mind for a while and made her wonder how she was going to pull it off.

After dinner, she had returned to the library with Twilight Sparkle and Spike. There she had dictated a few letters and answered some mail that didn't require any photos or hoof prints. Spike had promised to post them the next day. One of the more important letters sent was to Princess Celestia requesting information about the type and style of building they were planning. She also recommended Immelmane's architect and mentioned the possibility of a discount for herself should Celestia and Luna use Modern Cloud Homes if they chose to build quarters for pegasi. She wanted to be totally above board about any possible benefit to herself after the incident with Mayor Mare and Filthy Rich.

Rainbow Dash sent her last picture to Firelight along with a short note saying it was one of the better offers she had received in her first batch of mail. She also answered all of her proposals with terse 'noes' and repackaged Sky Poet's ring. Offers from Playcolt and other magazines of the sort received similar, if somewhat harsher, treatment.

Eventually Rainbow Dash decided to get up and face the day. She went to the cafe for breakfast, which she ate alone, and then went to the library to see if the Princess had responded to her letter. Rainbow Dash found Twilight studying in the library. She looked up as Dash entered.

“Good morning, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “I was just doing a little research on that downdraft problem. I'm afraid there is no known spell for it but I have an idea I'd like to test out. When you get a little free time and the conditions are similar to the day of the celebration, I'd like to test it out.”

“That's great, Twilight,” replied Dash, “I'll keep an eye open or maybe the weather ponies can give us a heads up if they run into any. Have you heard back from the Princess yet?”

“Yes, actually,” said Twilight, “Spike got it just before he went to the post office with your mail. Speaking of mail, when are you getting this stuff out of here?”

“I'll take care of it this afternoon,” said Dash, “when I get back from Cloudsdale. I need to find out about getting pictures and stuff to send to my fans. I also want to see Spitfire again. I need to figure out how I should handle these weirdo's and the bad offers. I figured if the Princess had sent a response to my letter, I could stop by the architect's office while I'm there. I'll be as quick as I can. I want to get rid of this mail and go sky dancing with Fluttershy again.”

“Sure,” said Twilight,as she levitated the Princess's letter to Dash, “I don't know how you do it, Rainbow Dash. You always seem to be flying somewhere. I thought you might have been worn out by the tryouts but I guess that was really a break for you.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I guess it was in a way. The flying was more strenuous but it didn't last as long and I had time to rest while other ponies worked out.”

Dash read the letter and looked at the enclosed drawing of the proposed retreat. It was massive. Rather than being a towering castle, the building was only three stories tall but it sprawled in wide arc reaching nearly a hundred pony lengths between the points of the arc. Centered in front of the home was a fountain set amid a garden. A road ran between the garden and the front entrance. In style, it was much like the homes in Ponyville, only the size would have made it seem out of place in the village.

“Have you seen this?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight shook her head and came over to look at the artist's rendering. “Wow,” she said, “it's huge but I like it. I was afraid it would look like a fortress or something.”

“I hope Charm can make my home go with this thing,” said Dash. “I'm glad it's not my job.”

“Who's Charm?” asked Twilight.

“Cloud Charm,” said Dash, “she's the main architect's daughter. She'll be designing my home. She seems nice. Smart, kinda out of touch, studious, you'd like her.”

“Yeah,” said Twilight, sarcastically, “I can hardly wait to meet her. Did the Princess say anything about building pegasus quarters?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “that looks like a lost cause. They're just building special rooms inside the main building and putting in cloud furnishings. Oh well, I guess I can always do the calendar picture to make up the difference.” She laughed.

“That was fun yesterday but I can understand why you wouldn't want to do it,” said Twilight. “I'm sure you have plenty of good offers to help pay for your house.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “and I'd better get going. I'll stop by as soon as I get back. See ya!”

Rainbow Dash left the library and immediately headed to Cloudsdale. Her flight was fairly uneventful except for a small shower that blocked her path just before she arrived at the city. She climbed over it and used her increased altitude to descend rapidly to Cloudsdale. She could see the Wonderbolts practicing in the distance and desired to go and watch but she forced herself finish her business first and went to see Charm.

Rainbow entered the architects office and found the front office empty. Fortunately a bell on the door had rung when she entered and Charm had soon appeared.

“Good morning, Rainbow,” said Charm, “we weren't expecting you until Friday. Is anything wrong?”

“Hi, Charm,” replied Dash, “no, nothing is wrong. I sent a message to Princess Celestia and she sent back a drawing of her proposed building. The pegasus quarters are going to be inside the main structure so they aren't building any sky homes. Sorry.”

Charm sighed. “Oh well, I would have loved to have done something for the Princesses but I guess it can't be helped. I don't know why any pony with wings would want to live anywhere but in the sky. I just don't get that at all.”

“Me neither,” agreed Dash, “Canterlot Palace is pretty plush though and being on a mountain is almost like being in the sky.”

“Let me see what you have,” said Charm.

Rainbow Dash gave Charm the drawing which she placed on her desk. She studied it critically for a while. “This is quite a place,” she said at last. “It's not at all what I was expecting. It is beautiful, almost like a chalet but huge. I think I can work with this. Do you have any suggestions or is there anything you particularly like about it?”

Rainbow Dash looked at the drawing for a few seconds. “I like the spires. The ones on the Princess's building are very small though. Would it be possible to make them large enough for the bedrooms? Maybe you could put one on either side of the main part of the building.”

“Not bad,” said Charm, “I was thinking of adding them merely as decorations but yes, I could make them larger. They wouldn't look out of place either if you like what I did to the central section. Let me show you.”

Charm led Rainbow Dash into the back room to her drafting table. On it where a few sketches of what Rainbow's house might look like. She explained what they were.

“The center section includes the foyer which leads directly into the living area which is open to the ceiling. This has both stairs to the upper floors and open doorways near the ceiling if you just want to fly up. The kitchen and dining room would be to the left and there's a smaller, cozier room to the right. Straight back is a bathroom and a room you can use as an office. I was going to make the bedrooms in a more normal pattern with two on either side of the center section but it's no trouble to stack them. I'll bet you want the top one for the master bedroom?” Charm smiled.

Rainbow Dash smiled back. “I think I'd like that.”

“Now the upstairs bathrooms will be a little difficult to position but I have an idea of how to pull it off,” continued Charm. “I know you want a big picture window overlooking the forest and I can do that but I'm not sure about the exact design of the window yet. Now that I have a better idea of what you want, I'll need to fly down to Ponyville and check out your land to see how we should position your house. It won't be just for the best views from the house but also what it will look like as you approach it from the ground or the air. I suppose we'll have to consider what the Princesses will see from their home too.”

“It sounds like I'm in good hooves,” said Rainbow Dash. “I never even thought about most of what you
just said. I'll have a little free time tomorrow but I'll be spending the weekend here training. I'm free on Monday too. After that I'll be spending the rest of the week training with Frost and Firewing and then back here for more training on the weekend.”

“You certainly are staying busy,” said Charm. “We'll be expecting you Friday. Dad will have some numbers for you to look at. I should have a few sketches ready by then also.”

“That will be fine,” said Dash, “I really like what you've done so far. I have to check on offers I got in the mail. You know, endorsement deals. If they pan out, I should be able to afford this.”

“Like the factory calendar deal?” asked Charm.

“I don't know about that one,” laughed Dash. “I still feel weird about that kind of stuff no matter what Spitfire says. I'm more interested in the more normal ones.”

Charm laughed. “I guess you get a lot of offers no self respecting mare mare would accept. It's what comes with being a celebrity I suppose.”

“You have no idea,” said Dash with a laugh. “Thanks, Charm, I'll see you Friday.”

“Until then, Rainbow,” said Charm. She walked Rainbow Dash to the door and Rainbow Dash made her way to the Wonderbolt's compound.

At the compound, Rainbow Dash was disappointed but not surprised to find that if she wanted photos to send to her fans she would have to pay for them herself. She ordered two hundred prints, smaller than the ones from the museum. She then went to pick up her mail which was thankfully much less than the last time having been only two days worth. Her business taken care of, Rainbow Dash flew out to the training area. As she neared the training area, two security ponies flew to intercept her but they veered away once they recognized her and she was allowed to land.

The Wonderbolts were working on a single synchronized move, repeating it over and over again. Rainbow Dash soon grew bored and began looking over her mail. Immelmane noticed her and walked over to see what she was doing.

“Not watching your friends?” said Immelmane. “You'll be doing these moves in a few weeks, you know.”

“Hi, Mr. Immelmane,” said Rainbow Dash, “I was for a while but then I got curious about my mail. I really need to talk to Spitfire about how to handle...this.” She flicked some of the mail with a hoof.

Immelmane chuckled. “You had quite a batch last time. What did you do with it?”

“I took it back to Ponyville and sorted it,” replied Dash. “I'll have to pick it up a couple times a week I guess. I don't want to do that again.”

“You flew back to Ponyville with all that mail by yourself?” said Immelmane. “We thought you'd bring some of it back here or hire a pony to help you. Looks like Soarin lost another bet.”

“Yeah, I got it back by myself,” said Dash. “Soarin bet I wouldn't fly it back alone? Hee hee Who did he bet against?”

“Frost and Spitfire,” said Immelmane. “He's out twenty bits; each.”

Dash laughed. “He really better get to know me before he goes broke. It was after dark before I made it home. My friends helped me sort it out. I came back to see about getting some pictures made and see Spitfire about how to deal with the offers and the weirdos.”

“Weirdos?” asked Immelmane.

“You wouldn't believe some of it,” said Dash. “I got twenty three proposals, one complete with a diamond hoof ring. I don't know how many offers to pose for pictures in magazines that I wouldn't touch and all kinds of strange things that I don't want to talk about. I really wasn't expecting this.”

“I know,” said Immelmane, “Windyday and Frost have been complaining too. I think we may delay our afternoon practice for an hour so Spitfire can meet with you three. You can pass the information on to Firewing when she gets back. She'll be staying here after her time with you and Spitfire can help her with anything you might miss.”

“That would be great,” said Dash, “I really appreciate this, Mr. Immelmane. By the way, that architect friend of yours was really helpful. His daughter is going to be the lead architect on my home.”

“Cloud Charm? It's hard to imagine her all grown up but I suppose it's time for her to take her place in the family business.” Immelmane sighed. “What sort of home are you building or is that still in the planning stage?”

“It's pretty big,” said Dash, “bigger than I had planned. The style is still a little iffy but since the Princess sent me a drawing of what she's planning to build at least Charm has something to work with.”

“You're alright financially?” asked Immelmane.

“I should be,” said Dash. “I had a little saved and with my pay and what I can get from endorsements, I should be fine. I'll probably still have to make payments though.”

“Well, be careful with your money,” said Immelmane. “If all goes well, you should have a long and profitable career but even the longest career isn't very long in this business. Take a look at the Big Wall and see how long most Wonderbolts last. You need to have a little put aside either to live off of or to start a business when your career is over. You might even have a foal or two to take care of by then. We have to get the next generation of Wonderbolts from somewhere.”

Rainbow Dash 's eyes popped at this last suggestion until she realized Immelmane was half joking with her. Still, it wasn't improbable that he was right. “I might get to that someday,” said Dash with a smile. “I did get a few nice letters from some of the guys I danced with at the Wonderbolt's Dinner. No hurry as far as I'm concerned. There's a lot I want to do first.”

“I suppose so,” said Immelmane, “and how is your flying coming along?”

“I've been so busy that I've hardly had time to practice,” said Dash. “I find at least a little time to practice a few moves everyday and I've been sky dancing on a regular basis with Fluttershy. I should get a good session in tomorrow and I want to do some flying when I get back this afternoon.”

“Good to see that you're trying to stay in practice but don't overdo it,” said Immelmane. “We'll have enough time to get you ready for your first performance. I want you to get here early on Friday and spend the day relaxing. It sounds to me like you can use it.”

“That's kind of what Twilight said. She said she doesn't know how I keep going the way I do,” said Dash. “I'll be here early. I do have to see Charm and her dad to check on the preliminary drawings and what kind of bits this is going to cost. Other than that, I can relax for the rest of the day.”

“Good,” said Immelmane, “it's almost as important to take it easy now and then as it is to practice. Almost.”

Rainbow Dash and Immelmane shared a laugh. The Wonderbolts spiraled down and landed near them to take a break. Support ponies came over with water and snacks. Others helped to towel off sweat as they unzipped their flight suits and removed hoods.

“I'll be glad when the weather cools down a little,” remarked Soarin. “Maybe we should start practicing at night more often.”

“You'd like that, wouldn't you Soarin,” said Fleetfoot with a laugh. “That way you don't have to get up early the next day.”

The other Wonderbolts laughed. Windyday and Frost came over to Rainbow Dash and Immelmane.

“Back again, Dashie,” said Frost, “I think you should have just moved home and been done with it.”

“Wait until you see my new house,” replied Dash. “It's starting to look really cool.”

“I see you're going through your mail,” said Windyday. “I almost dread what I'm going to find when I open it.”

“I know what you mean,” said Dash. “Aside from the bad offers, the weird stuff really creeps me out.”

“What's your weirdest one so far?” asked Frost. “Mine was some nut that wanted me to take him flying, drop him and then catch him before he hit the ground.”

“Earth pony?” asked Dash.

“Yeah,” said Frost, “nice to know he has that much faith in me but that is stupid. Offered me a hundred bits though.”

Windyday shook her head. “I don't know if this one tops that but mine was...” She started to laugh. “Mine wanted me to pretend I was drowning in a swimming pool full of mint jelly so he could rescue me. I won't say what he wanted to do after that.”

“I think I have you both beat,” said Dash. “How about me in a pegasus guards uniform, singing lullabies while dancing on a guys face?”

Frost and Windyday collapsed in laughter. They noticed another, deeper laugh and looked up. Immelmane was still there.

“I think I definitely want Spitfire to talk with you,” said Immelmane after he got control of his laughter. “She can have as much time as she likes.”

“What do you mean?” asked Windyday.

“Rainbow Dash wanted to get some advice on how to handle her new celebrity status,” said Immelmane. “I thought she may as well talk to all of you at once. I was going to allow her an hour but she can have the rest of the day if she needs it. Excuse me, I'm going to go see her now.”

Rainbow Dash, Windyday and Frost sat and talked after Immelmane left. All had received offers from adult magazines and other private offers of a questionable nature. Windyday topped the list both in hate mail and in the number of marriage proposals. They all had some good offers but didn't know what to do about them. None of the mares had any business experience.

“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash, “have either of you got a bottle from W.C. Barleyfield?”

“I haven't,” said Frost, “who's he?”

“Me neither,” said Windy, “at least not yet.”

“If you do get some, be real careful when you try it,” said Dash. “I had one little glass and I could barely fly.” She went on to describe the incident with the potent liquid.

“That stuff sounds like fun,” said Frost. “Are you going to be their spokespony?”

“I might,” said Dash. “It's one of the things I want to talk to Spitfire about.”

“If I get that stuff I'll pour it over the edge of Cloudsdale,” said Windy. “It sounds dangerous.”

“No!” said Dash and Frost together. They looked at each other and giggled.

“I don't get you two,” said Windy. “Why would you want to drink something like that?”

“It's okay to get a little tipsy now and then,” said Frost. “I don't drink very often myself. Mostly cider though, not the stuff Dash had. I want to try it.”

“It's okay, Windy,” said Dash, “you just have to be careful with it. You can't just sit down and drink the whole bottle. I think it would be nice on a cold winter evening. It makes you feel warm inside.”

“What did your other friends think of it?” asked Windy, unconvinced.

“Applejack kind of liked it, Fluttershy was a no but she sure enjoyed herself after she drank it, Twilight is probably a hooves down, Rarity is a maybe and Pinkie Pie is a no,” said Dash. “I'm hanging on to what's left though, I can tell you that.”

“Hello girls,” said Spitfire, “I hate to break this up but Immelmane wants me to talk to you. Rainbow, gather up your mail and we'll go back to my quarters and have a little talk. Windy, Frost, we're taking the rest of the morning off so I can do this. Let's go.”

Rainbow Dash hastily gathered up her mail and they flew back to Cloudsdale together. Spitfire was silent throughout the flight and they wondered about this. Rainbow Dash couldn't take the silence and started talking to Frost.

“How's the sky dancing going, Frosty,” asked Dash.

“Better,” said Frost, “definitely better. I don't think Baryshneighkov is going to lose any sleep over me but I'm getting better. What you said about my wing angles was right. Windy here worked with me on the ground a lot yesterday and I think I'm starting to get it. I wish I had learned some of this earlier, maybe then I could have beaten you in the try outs.”

“Hah!” said Dash, “very funny. It would take more than a little sky dancing to beat my moves or Miss Perfect over here.”

“It couldn't hurt,” said Frost. “I'll bet I can catch up to your level of sky dancing after we practice next week.”

“Yeah?”said Dash, “how much?”

“Loser has to treat the winner and Firewing to dinner,” said Frost. “Firewing can be the judge.”

“You're on,” said Dash, “and you'll be able to afford it since you'll have the bits you won off of Soarin.”

“I forgot about that,” said Frost. “I told him you wouldn't think of asking for help to carry all that mail home.”

Spitfire perked up her ears at this news. “Poor Soarin,” she said with a laugh, “it's a good thing he flies better than he gambles. Thank you, Rainbow Dash, looks like I'm getting a few extra bits myself. I'll admit I was a little worried about you trying it.”

“I was a little worried myself about halfway home,” said Dash. “That stuff was getting heavy.”

“You'll never lose a bet on Dash if you count on her stubbornness,” said Frost. “I thought it was a joke by Immelmane when he sent that security pony after you with those bags of mail but I knew you'd try to do it.”

“I'm surprised you were able to do it,” said Windyday. “I think I know who I'm going to ask to help me move.”

Frost and Spitfire laughed while Dash shook her head.

“Have you girls gotten as much mail as I got?” asked Dash.

“About the same,I'd say,” said Frost. “Poor Firewing is really going to be in for a shock when she finally gets here. They've been putting it in her room. Imagine three weeks of mail like what we got piling up. She'll be lucky if she can open the door.”

“Wow,” said Dash, “I can't imagine having to go through all that. Twilight, Spike and I spent all morning going through mine and then Rarity and Fluttershy helped us in the afternoon. It took us almost all day. I still haven't answered much of it.”

“Lucky we don't have to answer a lot of it at all,” said Windyday. “I sent a lot to the incinerator.”

“Me too,” said Frost, “but I do have a lot left to do myself. It's slowed down a little, thank Celestia.”

“That's what we're going to talk about,” said Spitfire. “You girls need to find a way to treat the real fans right, take only the better offers and turn down the bad ones. You also need to have some free time. You can't work all day and then spend all your free time answering mail.”

The pegasi landed in the Wonderbolt Compound and Spitfire led them to her quarters. It was much larger than the rooms the other team members had. Part of it was a living room and there was another small room that served as an office. Spitfire led them in.

“Find a seat fillies,” said Spitfire, “Auntie Spitfire is going to tell you all about being a Wonderbolt.”

Once the three new Wonderbolts found their seats, the Captain continued. “I'm going to tell you a little bit about how I do things first. After that you can ask me questions about anything I don't cover or you're still unclear on. Let's start with all the offers you've been getting. I'm talking about the legitimate offers not the dirty picture ones or the ponies selling junk. Remember at your orientation before the try outs when I told you that we try to be not just the best fliers but the best ponies? That means I don't take just any offer that comes along. I have to have respect for the Wonderbolts legacy and respect for myself. Sure, I could have taken a lot of bits and posed for dirty pictures but I guarantee I wouldn't be Team Captain now and I probably wouldn't even be a Wonderbolt. I could have also taken every offer that came along and made money that way but the really good offers would have dried up when ponies realized I would slap my name on anything. There was this one soap that I was asked to endorse. I tried it and spent the next week scratching. Honestly, it felt as though my skin was crawling. It turned out that it contained a chemical that caused about a quarter of the ponies that tried it to experience what I did. I had been offered seven thousand bits for that one but I turned it down and I was right to do so.

“I told you the other day that I made some money for doing sexy poses. There's nothing wrong with sexy. Why in Equestria do you think they want you girls to pose in the first place? Do you know what I was advertizing when they took that picture? Beets! They took that picture of me standing in front of a giant picture of a beet with a few baskets of the things sitting in front of me. Three thousand the first year and they paid me another four the following year. I've done all sorts of things like that and sometimes, I'll admit, I felt really silly but I can still look at myself in the mirror and my bank account is just fine. I don't come cheap either. I won't waste my time on anything less than a thousand bits. Once word gets out that you won't take just any job, you'll have a lot less junk to go through.

“Now lets get to the wacko letters. I still get them, even after all these years. I don't respond to them at all. Occasionally I find one that might actually be dangerous and I'll report them to the authorities but most of them are just not worth the trouble. You'll always get the occasional hate letter too. Early in my career I got one saying how I was the worst flier ever and that the writer could out fly me on her worst day, blah, blah, blah. It made me mad so I tracked this hot shot down. It turned out that this great flier wasn't even a pegasus. He was a unicorn and the whole thing was made up. He was so terrified when he opened the door and saw me that he turned and ran to his room. He tripped on the steps and fell and broke his foreleg. His father was shocked when he came to see what the trouble was and I showed him the letter. He was furious with his son. It was satisfying to get back at him but I soon realized that it had been a lot of trouble for nothing. I wanted to have a flying contest with a loud mouth pegasus and instead all I did was injure and humiliate some dumb foal. It was the first and only time I bothered about hate mail.

Rainbow Dash started to laugh and the others snickered. “I wonder what would happen if I showed up at that weirdo's house in a pegasus guards uniform and asked for my five hundred bits. That might be a hoot!”

“What do you mean?” asked Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash told her about the 'request' she received for dancing on the guy's head. This was new even for Spitfire and she shook her head and laughed.

“That's what I mean,” said Spitfire, “I can almost guarantee that one is nonsense. Maybe not but it probably is. I guess you two have had similar offers?”

Frost and Windyday nodded.

Spitfire sighed. “I wish I could say they'll stop but they won't. I still get them. Sometimes they are good for a laugh but I just send them to the trash.”

“That's what I do,” said Windy.

“Me too,” said Frost.

“Ditto,” said Dash, “same with the obviously bad offers.”

“Good,” said Spitfire, “and how do you tell the bad from the good?”

“Well, some of them are for stuff I've seen or used before,” said Dash. “I got a couple that I knew were real junk. Others I just didn't feel right about or they didn't look very professional.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “did either of you get one from Essay Goggles? I had a pair once. They look beautiful and they're well made too but they're not any good for flying. Essay represents the initials 'S' and 'A' and stand for Saddle Arabia. They're for protection against the sun and sand. They're great for that but if you fly as fast as we do they won't even last one good race. They fall apart.”

“Right,” said Spitfire, “and if it's something you're unfamiliar with you need to check it out. Either do it yourself or find a pony that knows something about it. After my experience with the soap, I found some good groomers that know about these companies and their products. No more experiments for me. Now most ponies know that I don't endorse garbage and if Spitfire says it's good then it is. That's another reason I can get more bits for my endorsements. Start off slow and only do sure things. You won't bring in as much initially but in the long run you'll make more.”

“Another thing you're going to want to do is check the contract before you sign it. Contracts are full of legalese gobblety gook and I can barely decipher it myself. You'll need to get a lawyer or some pony that can figure it out. You'll have to pay them but it's worth it. Demand final say on any pictures and don't just agree to any text they give you. I did a couple of contracts and they used some bad pictures of me. Not dirty but just plain bad shots. I never had any trouble with the text for the ads but some of the others have.”

“I think I'm getting an idea of what to do or not do,” said Windy, “but what about borderline stuff? I got one from a company that wants me to model nightgowns. I'm thinking of rejecting it but on the other hoof I was thinking it may not be that bad.”

“It depends on what they want,” said Spitfire. “If the money is right you can always investigate it further. Those sorts of things usually get a maybe from me. I'll respond and let them know my conditions. If they think they can agree to them, we can negotiate further.”

“I have one that's new to me,” said Rainbow Dash. “Ever hear of W.C. Barleyfield? They make this drink that's just super potent. I mean it will knock you off your hooves. It's not bad but you have to be careful with it. I was thinking of doing it but I'm not sure if it's good for the Wonderbolt image.. or mine for that matter.”

“You've had that stuff?” said Spitfire. “I didn't take you for a drinker. I tried it too. Quite a shocker, isn't it?”

Dash laughed. “Yeah, that's one way to put it. I drank it without reading the label completely and really got lit up. Fluttershy did too and then we tried to sky dance. We're lucky we didn't get hurt.”

“How much did you have?” asked Spitfire.

“A small glassful and then about a quarter of a glass after that,” said Dash. “The glass was about the size of that one.” She pointed to a glass on Spitfire's table.

“That's a lot,” said Spitfire. “I was feeling the effects after just a quarter of what you had. How long did it take you to drink it?”

“I just chugged the first glass down,” said Dash, “and sipped the second one. It was way too much.”

“I'll say,” said Spitfire, “it's a wonder you could still walk.”

“I couldn't walk very well,” said Dash, “that's why we flew.”

“Oh, good choice,” said Spitfire, with a grin.

“So what about something like that?” asked Dash. “Would that be okay to do?”

“Maybe,” said Spitfire, “but I'd want it only in magazines and papers that the kids aren't likely to read. I've done a couple of ads for that kind of product. How much did they offer?”

“They didn't say,” said Dash. “They want to discuss terms.”

“That's a good sign,” said Spitfire. “They're serious but not tipping their hand. They want to see how enthusiastic you are about it. Play it cool and agree to talk to them. Make them come to you. If they are willing to send a representative, then they really are serious.”

“How about doing a picture for a calendar?” asked Dash. “It's for the construction company that makes the clouds for cloud homes. Cloud Shaper said they would give me a discount for my home if I did it.”

“No, don't touch it,” said Spitfire. “They'll give you a discount but it's nowhere near what they should pay. Fleetfoot checked them out. They offered a ten percent discount to her on a ten thousand bit home. That's a thousand bits. Not bad right? Wrong. First of all, it doesn't cost them ten thousand to make the materials and build the house. It's more like two thousand for creation of the special clouds and another three thousand for building. That's a five thousand bit profit and that doesn't include the finishing. On top of that, they charge for those calendars and make one or two bits on each one. They sell a few thousand of them every year. Sure you saved a little but they actually made even more bits off of you. Not cool.”

“What a bunch of lowlifes,” muttered Frost, “I'm glad I found out about that one.”

“I think I'll make some outrageous offer just to tick them off,” said Dash. “Two thousand up front and free materials and delivery. See how they like that.”

“They'll laugh at you,” said Spitfire. “They're the only game in town and they know it. The only other factory is in Las Pegasus and the delivery charges would kill that deal.”

“Maybe not,” said Rainbow Dash thoughtfully. “It would be a feather in some companies cap to build the house next to the Princess's retreat. I just might have to fly out to Las Pegasus and investigate.”

“Let me know how that works out,” said Spitfire. “They make some really top notch materials there.”

“Most of my offers are from clothes companies,” said Windyday. “some look pretty good but they want to pay in free clothes.”

“No,” said Spitfire, “demand bits. They'll pay. They're just trying to play you as somepony that doesn't know what they're doing.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “Rarity would do that for you and all she would want is credit for the design.”

“Now that isn't a bad deal,” said Spitfire. “You're not doing anything except having a line put in the program and you're getting some beautiful clothes from it. If she wants a little more then you should charge her.”

“I'm doing hers for free, well, sort of free,” said Dash, “but she's a friend and I owe her for some of the things she's done. I'll understand if you girls don't want to though.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” said Spitfire. “I've done some free stuff for friends and charities.”

“I'll at least talk to her about it,” said Windy, “those flight suits she's done are great and so was that dress you wore to the dinner.”

“I will too,” said Frost, “I don't have many offers except for some athletic things and food.”

“You'll get some, Frost,” said Spitfire. “Wait until you get out there and perform.”

“I have some from perfume and toiletry companies too,” said Windy. “I guess they should be alright.”

“For the most part,” said Spitfire, “but remember what I said about checking out the product and getting final release rights. Some of those ads can get pretty racy.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “you told us how to handle the bad stuff, what about the the good stuff. You know, from the real fans.”

“That's a little easier,” said Spitfire. “Generally I just send them a photo with a hoof print. Sometimes I'll jot a little note on it. At shows we often have an autograph session where the Wonderbolts sell the photos and then we sign them. You'll get paid a little for that but most of the money goes to the organization. There are only nine Wonderbolts now but there are four times that many support ponies. We need that extra cash.”

“What about the ones that ask for advice or something?” said Dash. “I have a couple of those.”

“Those are a little more tricky,” said Spitfire. “There are the ones from foals who want to know how to become a Wonderbolt. I tell them the truth but I've gotten letters from angry parents who don't want their kids to be Wonderbolts because of the danger. I've also gotten some with questions about all kinds of stuff that have nothing to do with the team. Some ponies seem to think that if you're a Wonderbolt, you must be an expert on everything. One asked me how to make hay fries. How should I know? I don't cook! I guess the best policy is to be as honest as you can if it's something you feel comfortable answering. If it isn't, tell them to ask somepony else.”

“Yeah, I had a problem with that truth thing,” said Dash. “A little guy at the museum asked me how to become a Wonderbolt, how I did it. I couldn't tell him the truth. If another pony grows up like me or Frosty, they could be in for a lot of trouble.”

“And pain,” laughed Frost.

“So what did you tell him?” asked Spitfire.

“I told him to listen to his instructors, work hard and stuff like that,” said Dash. “I guess I did okay because his mom liked my answer.”

“That's good,” said Spitfire. “Tell me about the encounter.”

Rainbow Dash related her meeting Buzzwings and his mother. Spitfire was pleased with how she handled it.

“That could not have gone better,” she said. “We do have to respect the fans, especially the little ones. You not only made his day but also impressed his mother. That will translate into ticket sales and gives the kid a hero to look up to. He'll probably look at his dad a little differently now too. Those few moments of your time might have made a lifetime of positive effect for everypony. If you want to handle some of your mail that way, that's great. It can be hard to do though because of the amount of letters we get.”

“I hope I can do that well,” said Windyday. “I don't really know how to deal with the public like that. I tend to just switch off. You know, go back to the way I was. I don't think I'll endear myself to the public that way.”

“No, you won't,” said Spitfire, “but I think there's more to you than you know. We have a couple days off next week, why don't you spend them with your friends in Ponyville? Call it practice on getting to meet new ponies.”

“Really?” said Windy, her mood brightening perceptively.

“Sure, Windy,” said Dash, “It might be a little cramped but I can fit you in. I know the ponies in Ponyville are just going to mob you all.”

“Oh joy,” said Windy.

The others laughed at her lack of enthusiasm. Frost, however, believed that she had a point.

“I'm not going to be spending next week doing free shows and signing autographs, am I?” asked Frost.

“Maybe a few,” said Dash, “but I have an out of the way place to practice and we'll be staying at my place. At least only pegasi can get to us there.”

“Besides,” said Spitfire, “I'm sure your friends can use your help with their practice.”

“And so much for days off,” said Windy.

“We won't work you too hard, Windy,” said Rainbow Dash, “and I'm sure Rarity will steal you away for a while. You should have a good time.”

“I'm looking forward to meeting some of your other friends,” said Windyday. “Yes, this should be fun. I'd probably just spend the days off flying anyway.”

“While we're on that subject,” said Spitfire, “I know you love flying or you wouldn't be here, but there are other things in life and I hope you make time for them.”

“I didn't mean I'd spend them work flying,” said Windy, “I meant I'd maybe go exploring or fly home or something. Maybe try to come up with a new move. Just fool around.”

“That's fine,” said Spitfire, “but do you know what I do on off days? I meet up with a special pony and we go for a picnic or take in a show, go dancing and just enjoy...each others company. If we can't do that and I'm alone I just relax all day long and do nothing. Trust me, there will come a time when you need to forget the job for a while.”

“I've been doing a lot of flying,” said Dash, “but most of it hasn't been by choice. I think I could fly to Ponyville and back blindfolded. I've been flying all over Ponyville too. Sky dancing has been a break for me.”

“It will be better once you get settled down into a routine,” said Spitfire. “In about six months or so things will be slow and you can catch your breath. Your house will be built, your training will become routine and everything will be a lot more simple. Do any of you have any more questions? I'm about done with what I had to say.”

All the girls had more questions and Spitfire answered them as best as she could. It was nearly lunch time when they finally finished and made their way to the dining hall. They walked through the courtyard and met with other ponies on their way to eat. After a pleasant lunch they said their goodbyes and Rainbow Dash returned to Ponyville.

Chapter 60

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Chapter 60

Rainbow Dash arrived at the Ponyville library in the mid afternoon. She hurriedly gathered her already sorted mail and went to her home. After dropping everything off there, she went in search of Fluttershy. She was at her home practicing on her own. Dash watched her for a while but then Fluttershy noticed her and stopped.

“You're really getting good at this, Fluttershy,” said Dash, as she flew up to her friend. “I can hardly wait for Firewing to see you next week.”

“Thanks, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, “I hope you'll have time to practice with me next week a little bit. But if you can't, I'll understand. Your other friends are much better fliers than me.”

“Actually I'd like you to join us as much as you can,” said Dash. “Windyday will be coming in on Wednesday and Thursday but Tuesday it will just be Firewing and Frost. We'll need you to fly with us on Tuesday so we can have two pairs. The other days we'll be working on some other things but we'll also be practicing sky dancing and we may need you to work with one of us while the rest are doing formation flying and stuff.”

“Really?” said Fluttershy, “I'm going to be flying with the Wonderbolts?”

“Fluttershy, you've been flying with a Wonderbolt,” said Dash. “And a Wonderbolt taught you to sky dance.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Yeah, I guess that's true. Sure, I'll be glad to help out. I guess you're still just Dashie to me and Firewing just seems like another friend.”

“I hope you feel that way about Frost and Windyday too,” said Dash. “They're not like Firewing though. Frost is sort of like me but different. I don't know how to describe her exactly. Windyday isn't like Frost or Firewing. She's kind of a mix of ponies that you know. She's smart like Twilight, pretty like Rarity, honest like Applejack, almost as good a flier as me and has a way of carrying herself that reminds me of the Princesses. She can be kind of quiet and sad sometimes too; sort of like Luna. She can be kind of scary too. Before she changed she was just impossible to touch, cold. She could look at you and it was like she could just look right through you. She can still do that but she only does it when she really wants to concentrate or if some pony is giving her a hard time. I think it will be good for her to meet you. She can use some kindness.”

“You didn't mention Pinkie Pie,” said Fluttershy. “I guess she doesn't laugh much either.”

Dash thought for a second. “She does, but her sense of humor is different from Pinkie Pie. She does laugh more now and is fun to be around.”

“She sounds interesting,” said Fluttershy. It was plain that she was intimidated just by Rainbow Dash's description of Windyday.

Rainbow Dash picked up on Fluttershy's unease. “Relax,” said Dash, “she's cool. She has a strong sense of honor. That's only changed a little bit. Even before she changed she warned me about Twister. She really regrets being the way she was before she changed. Maybe that's why she reminds me of Luna.”

“I'll try my best to be nice to your friends,” said Fluttershy. “I just hope they aren't too disappointed in the way I fly.”

“Well lets practice some more,” said Dash. “That's one way to make sure they aren't.”

Fluttershy smiled, went to the record player and restarted the music. Rainbow Dash took off and the pair spent the rest of the afternoon sky dancing. At last it was time for Fluttershy to feed her menagerie. As before, Rainbow Dash put away Fluttershy's record player and records. While Dash liked animals to an extent, she didn't really know much about them and preferred to let Fluttershy do the feeding. Dash felt this was a very wise decision after watching Fluttershy feed worms to baby birds.

After the animals were taken care of, Dash suggested going into town for some dinner but Fluttershy insisted on cooking instead. It was her way, she said, of repaying Dash for taking the time to practice with her. Though Dash thought that she was the one who should be grateful, if it made Fluttershy feel better then it was alright with her. They spent a quiet dinner together and talked about the various doings in Ponyville and Cloudsdale. It took Rainbow Dash's mind off her troubles and she felt for a while as if she were back in the (comparatively) carefree days before she became a Wonderbolt. She was even grateful enough to help Fluttershy to clean up and wash the dishes.

Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash said goodnight to Fluttershy and made her way home as there were still some things to do before bed. When she arrived at her home, Rainbow Dash penned some letters to what she felt were the best offers she had received. She then reviewed her routine and made a few notes. Feeling restless, she went to practice her routine in the moonlight.

After going through the routine three times, with short rest breaks in between, Dash felt better about her routine than she had before. The time had been extended to nearly the proper length thanks to the slower sky dancing moves and Dash had not tired as quickly. After another break she went back to flying. This time it was what she liked best; just doing one move after another as she desired. At last exhausted, Dash returned to her home. She was terribly thirsty and downed mug after mug of water. She cleaned up and after making a few more notes, went to bed.

Author's Notes:

Sixty freaking Chapters. That is way longer than I thought this would be. A ton of stuff got added in over the writing of which would be a short story when I started. Originally it was to end after Dash made the team as the featured soloist and a short epilogue. Other things grew as I wrote it and I couldn't drop them easily. RD's relationship with Immelmane, her friendship growing with Firewing were both expanded. Windyday's character changed the most. At first she was a ruthless rival, somewhat allied with Twister (I dropped this line because the two characters were too different.) and she became much more relevant to the story than I had intended. She is probably my favorite character even though she may not be the most likeable. It's a terrible temptation to write this on a day to day story line. There is too much mundane stuff going on right now and I want to get the action going again.

Chapter 61

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Chapter 61

When Rainbow Dash awoke the next morning, she thought at first that it was much earlier than it actually was. She was forced from her bed by an insistent bladder and on her way to the bathroom saw that it was raining. The sky overhead was dark with clouds. She realized that she had not been involved with the weather team in days and had no idea what the weather was supposed to be like today. She continued to the her mission to the bathroom and then returned to bed.

Unable to return to sleep, Rainbow Dash eventually got up and after a light breakfast she went to the post office to mail the letters in response to some of the good offers. The trip was uneventful but wet. After the post office she went to the Town Hall to check in with Derpy. As she entered she was stopped by the Mayor who told her that Princess Celestia had sent her a deed to her property and it was now on file in the office. The Mayor herself was in a hurry to see Twilight Sparkle and send a report to the Princess regarding the land grants.

Rainbow Dash went to the weather office and found Derpy filling out forms. She looked up as Dash entered.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash,” said Derpy, “how's it going?”

“That's sort of what I wanted to ask you,” said Dash. “How are Cloudchaser and Thunderlane doing as leaders?”

“Thunderlane did good and Cloudchaser is running the team now,” said Derpy. “Both of them have stayed away from the office pretty much the whole time though. It gets a little lonely in here by myself.”

“Pretty rough day for Cloudchaser to start,” said Dash, “how long is this supposed to last?”

“It's unscheduled,” said Derpy, “it blew in from the Everfree Forest early this morning. I think it should only be a couple more hours until it blows through. Flitter came by about an hour ago and told me the trailing edge is still over Everfree but with the speed it's moving it should be clear by this afternoon. I'm issuing a cancellation for tomorrow's rain since this is covering the whole town.”

“Good idea,” said Dash, “I guess you have the rain gauges in place.”

“Cloudchaser took care of that herself,” said Derpy. “She was up early and set them up before meeting with the team this morning.”

“That was good work,” said Dash. “I guess the team can get along without me now.” She sounded a little sad.

“They all miss you, Rainbow Dash,” said Derpy, “but they understand that you have to move on.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I do. I never thought I'd miss being a weather pony, but I will. I'll miss the team too but I'm glad to see that things are running okay. That's really important to me. Listen, Derpy, I was thinking about who should be the team leader. I was in Cloudsdale and talked to one of the ponies that works in the bureau. He said that you don't have to be a great flier to be a team leader. Maybe you should think about taking the job.”

“Me?” said Derpy, “no way! I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job but I'm too new at this. Can't I just stay on as... whatever it is I'm doing? I don't know the title or even if there is one.”

“I guess you could,” said Dash, with a smile, “I know that some of the bigger teams have office managers and assistant leaders. Maybe one of those jobs would fit. You know the regulations better than me.”

“I'll look into it,” said Derpy. “We have a week yet before we have to take a vote. Thunderlane will be back in charge on Sunday and then Cloudchaser will finish up the week from Wednesday to Friday. We'll vote after work on Friday. The team wants you to vote too.”

“No,” said Rainbow Dash, “this will be the teams decision. Besides, I'll be in Cloudsdale this Friday and the next. I'll be back to move out of my … I mean the leader's house on time.”

“Sorry you have to move Rainbow Dash,” said Derpy, “I know you loved your home.”

“It's okay,” said Dash, “I just wish I could have stayed there until my new one is built. This is really going to be a hassle.”

“You'll feel better when you get moved in,” said Derpy. “You've been really busy lately too. I'll bet your new home will be the perfect place to relax.”

“I think so,” said Dash, “I'm taking it easy tomorrow. I have to fly to Cloudsdale but then I have the whole day off.”

“That would be great,” said Derpy, “I haven't been to Cloudsdale in a long time.”

“I'm looking forward to it,” said Dash. “I'm going over to Rarity's now. See ya latter.”

“Bye, Rainbow Dash,” said Derpy, “and thanks again for thinking I could be the next leader. It means a lot.”

Dash smiled and left the office. It was becoming more clear that her weather team was going to be fine. It would be different but between the two flight leaders and Derpy running the office they would be alright. She made her way to Carousel Boutique. It would be nice to have a flight suit to show off when she got there.

She entered the shop and found Rarity working on a flight suit. She realized at once that it wasn't for her. For one thing it was purple and trimmed in gold. There was an outline around the wing holes and cuffs and the neck hole had enough gold braid to outfit a battalion of palace guards. This one also had a hood with a imitation mane also in gold thread.

“Looking good Rarity,” said Dash, “who's that one for?”

“No pony in particular,” replied Rarity, “It's one I'm sending to a shop in Cloudsdale. Suggesting purple to Razor and Sunrise the other day had me thinking purple and I just had to do one. Fluttershy is taking four suits to Cloudsdale tomorrow. Don't worry, Rainbow Dash, I have yours ready too. Why don't you try it on and I can make any last minute alterations before you leave tomorrow.”

“Great idea,” replied Dash, “I was hoping it would be ready.”

“You should know me better than that,” replied Rarity. “I've been working on yours since you ordered them. Sometimes I like to break away for a bit and work on something else or I get an idea that I just must try but I always came back to them. Anyway, I'm sure you're just going to love this outfit.”

Rarity led Dash to a mannequin covered by a cloth. With a magical flourish she unveiled her creation.

Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply as she saw her new outfit. It was a brilliant shining white with a very realistic representation of her cutie mark. Above each cutie mark was the word 'Rainbow' and below the cutie mark was 'Dash' which formed a near circle around the cutie mark. The lettering was in script and made of red sequins. Unlike her gold suit, this one had full length legs and a neck piece that stopped just behind her ears with a slit to expose the mane. Each leg had a rainbow arc highlighted by sequins that started at the back of the hoof, rose to it's highest point on the front of the leg and drop to the opposite side at the back of the hoof. At first, Rainbow Dash thought that the suit was a little plain but then Rarity drew back a curtain and the sun hit the suit. It was as if it were covered in diamond dust. Rarity used her magic to rotate the mannequin and the effect was dazzling.

Rainbow Dash had a grin so wide that she couldn't speak for a few seconds. “Rarity, I don't know how you did it but that is one awesome suit. It will be perfect for Luna's party.”

“Thank you,” replied Rarity, “I hoped you would love it. It was difficult to get all of those tiny crystals into the fabric but I did it. When you mentioned performing at Luna's party the other day, I thought that perhaps a light color would be the thing to do. It will be good if the sun is still up or if you're in the spotlight at night.”

“You're right,it will,” said Rainbow. “Not to seem ungrateful, Rarity but what about the one you were working on the other day? I liked that one too.”

“Oh, I finished that,” said Rarity. “I'll go and get it. I ran out of mannequins and had to take it down to make room.”

Rarity walked behind a counter and retrieved a box. Rainbow Dash opened the box and Rarity displayed it magically, hanging it in the air and rotating it for Dash to view. It was dark blue, nearly black, with a light blue chest that wrapped around and turned into wavy streams that ended in points near the wings. There were darker highlights which gave the light blue waves the effect of blue flames. Sequins dotted the entire suit with the thickest patterns around the curves of the muscles. Silver thread was sewn into a pattern around each hoof to give the effect of shoes.

“Gorgeous,” said Dash. “I mean, that is just, wow. I don't know what to say. I might have to step up my game. When ponies see these suits they're really going to be expecting something special.”

“I'm so glad you like them,” said Rarity. “I do so enjoy doing these suits. It's such a refreshing change of pace.”

“I'll take them both along tomorrow when I go to Cloudsdale,” said Rainbow Dash. “So what do I owe you for these?”

“Well,” said Rarity in a somewhat embarrassed tone, “I was sort of hoping to maybe make a little trade? I'll let you have them cheap if you'll agree to do a little advertizing for me.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I'll do that for you Rarity but the Wonderbolts gave me money to buy these suits so it's on them. You'll get full price and I'll do a little advertizing too.”

“That hardly seems fair,” said Rarity. “I can't ask you to spend your time without any compensation.”

“Come on, Rarity,” said Dash, “how many times have you done stuff for me and the others without getting anything for yourself? It's time you got some payback.”

“Well, if you insist,” said Rarity, “the white one was a bit more difficult. Let me do some figuring.”

Using a quill and paper, Rarity made some calculations and referred to her list of materials. At last she looked up. “Does two-hundred and thirty-five bits sound fair?”

Rainbow Dash had no idea if it was fair or not but she assumed that Rarity was still being a bit more than fair. “Sure, Rarity,” she said, “I'll bring it by before I leave tomorrow, if that's okay.”

“That will be fine,” said Rarity with a smile. “By the way, do you think some of your friends might be interested in exchanging free clothes for advertizing?”

“I think so,” said Dash, “but we'd have to discuss it. At least you're being up front about it. The company that makes the cloud home raw materials would probably give me a discount to pose for their calendar. The thing is they sell the calendars and end up making even more bits than they would if I paid full price.”

“That's despicable,” said Rarity, “how did you find out?”

“Spitfire told us,” said Dash. “She gave Frost and Windyday and I a little talk yesterday about making deals and stuff.”

“You and the other new Wonderbolts should do your own calendar,” said Rarity, “that would show them.”

“That's a great idea!” exclaimed Dash. “Listen, tell me what you think of this; you supply us with clothes and flight suits, maybe just loan them if you want, we'll do a calendar or some posters or something and we split the profits five ways.”

Rarity was stunned. It was unlike Rainbow Dash to come up with an idea that might actually work, at least one that didn't involve flying. “Do you think we could? I mean, would your friends go for it?”

“I think so,” said Dash. “I'll talk to Frost and Windyday tomorrow and Firewing will be here Tuesday. We'll know then.”

“We could sell them through the shops that carry my clothing,” said Rarity. “We can give a poster to the shops that sell my designs and then make them available for public sale.”

“Yeah, said Dash, “and the calendars too.”

“That would really work,” said Rarity. She squealed with laughter. “Oh! This is going to be fun. I'll get advertizing, the stores will get more business and we'll all make bits.” Rarity was so excited that she jumped the counter and hugged a startled Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash returned the hug and laughed. “Okay! Okay! You gave me the idea, you know.”

“I was just making a comment about that company,” said Rarity, “you did the rest.”

“Hey, I guess I did,” said Dash. She chuckled to herself. 'Just another way to be awesome,' she thought.

The door opened and Fluttershy entered the shop. “Oh, hello Rainbow Dash, “said Fluttershy, “Are you coming to the spa with us?” She looked at Rarity.

“Yes,” said Rarity, firmly, “she is. Let me close up and we'll be going.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I guess I am,” she said. “I may as well. We're not going to be doing any flying for a while.”

Together, the three friends scurried through the rain to the spa. Rarity took control as they entered.

“The usual for all of today, Aloe,” said Rarity, “I've brought you a new customer. Rainbow, you go ahead while Fluttershy and I hang up our coats. Give me your bag.”

Aloe led Rainbow Dash first to a mud bath. She looked at the goo skeptically but got in. As she sat in the warm mud she could see Rarity talking to Lotus Blossom. Fluttershy joined her in the mud and Rarity was not far behind. They relaxed in the warm goo and chatted for a while but Rainbow Dash soon fell silent as she became groggy. She started to slip deeper into the muck and Fluttershy found it necessary to brace her up with a hoof to prevent her from slipping under.

Eventually they moved from the mud, which they showered off, and went on to the steam room. Rainbow revived temporarily but the heat of the steam room quickly sent her nearly comatose again. Only Fluttershy and Rarity occasionally asking her questions prevented her from falling asleep. The next item on 'the usual' was the massage. Each pony was led to a table where a masseuse went to work giving each of them a good rub down. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy especially appreciated this due to all the flying they had done recently. By this point Rainbow Dash was extremely relaxed and open to suggestion. When asked to roll onto her back she obediently did so.

Rainbow Dash had her eyes closed but felt a few towels cover her. She wasn't sure what this meant but everything else thus far had been wonderful so she just decided to go with it. This proved to be her undoing. The towels suddenly became taut, pinning her to the table.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “but this is for your own good. Those hooves are absolutely horrid.”

“Huh? What?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Go ahead, Lotus Blossom,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash felt something touch her right rear hoof and heard a raspy sound. She suddenly became fully awake as she realized what was happening. They were giving her a hoofacure! She started to struggle and get up, instinctively trying to fly but she was held fast to the table by the towels, her powerful wings immobilized. She was able to move her legs a little but Rarity and and Fluttershy quickly threw themselves atop her and held her limbs down.

“Sorry Dashie,” said Fluttershy, “it will be over soon. Just try to relax.”

“Let me go right now!” cried Rainbow Dash. “I don't want a hoofacure! Let me go!”

“Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “stop struggling! This is for your own good. You simply must take care of your hooves. You have to get over this silly fear of a simple hoofacure.”

At this point Rainbow Dash became even more violent, or would have had she been able to get free. She snapped at the nearest pony to her head, narrowly missing a lock of Rarity's hair. Aloe used her forelegs to hold Dash's head down. Lotus Blossom went back to work. Unable to do anything else Rainbow Dash let loose with a stream of dire threats and profanity intermingled with pleas and squeals of discomfort whenever Lotus Blossom touched a particularly sensitive area of her hoof. Eventually she tired a bit and started paying attention to what was going on around her.

She had to admit, while not pleasant, whatever Lotus was doing to her hooves didn't hurt. A few twinges perhaps, especially when she used the hoof pick but she had certainly felt worse pain. Lotus stopped working on her second hoof and went to a nearby table. She returned with a jar of something and a brush. They were going to paint her hooves.

“Rarity, I swear, that paint had better be clear,” warned Dash.

“It is not paint, Rainbow Dash,” said Lotus, “it is hoof dressing. It is used to seal up all of those nasty cracks in your hooves. You will need to leave it on for a few days. I'm afraid it is not clear, it is black. I will use polish over it to match the natural color as best as I can after it dries.”

Lotus Blossom applied the treatment to first one hoof and then the other. “There,” she said, “your rear hooves are done, except for the polish.”

“Good,” grumbled Dash, “then let me up.”

“Not yet,” said Rarity, “we still have to do your front hooves.”

Rainbow Dash gasped and started to struggle again but it was brief. She gave it up and watched as Lotus Blossom began working on her front hooves. She didn't like this any better than she did having her rear hooves filed and picked but at least she could see what was happening. She gritted her teeth and tried to stay still.

Lotus knew her job and worked quickly. She couldn't remember a more difficult client. Even young fillies seldom behaved this badly. At last she was done. Now came the most dangerous part of the procedure; letting Rainbow Dash loose. Rarity and Fluttershy got off of Rainbow Dash and stood over her.

“Now Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “I know you must be upset with us but we did this for your own good. I've been planning this for weeks. You should pay more attention to your hooves, they were in a horrid state. Before we let you go, you must promise us not to run away before Lotus can polish your hooves and you must promise not to become violent with any of us. If it helps, you may consider this trip to the spa on me. Agreed?”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Agreed,” she said, “I won't run away and I won't murder you all. I promise.”

“Alright,” said Rarity, “untie the towels.”

The ponies undid the towels restraining Rainbow Dash and stepped back. Rainbow Dash rolled over and lifted off using her wings and gingerly landed on the floor. She took a few tentative steps, as if she were unsure of her footing. It didn't hurt and in fact felt very comfortable. She tried trotting. She hated to admit it but her hooves did feel better.

“Sorry Dashie,” said Fluttershy, “but Rarity was right. Your hooves really were getting bad. I hope you're not too mad with us.”

“I guess I'm not,” said Dash, “I didn't like it but my hooves do feel better. I still can't imagine why you two enjoy hoofacures though.”

“Next time try it without being tied up and leave out the cursing and screaming,” suggested Rarity. “It is much nicer if you just relax and and let Lotus Blossom do her job.”

Dash ignored Rarity and picked up one hoof and looked at it closely. The hoof treatment was nearly black which bothered her at first but then she viewed it in a mirror. Black, she thought, looked kinda cool. “What other colors do you have?” asked Dash.

In the end Rainbow Dash simply had Lotus Blossom match her natural color but after looking at the different colors decided that a change now and then might be fun. Maybe something to match her outfit when she performed would be nice.

Chapter 62

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Chapter 62

The weather did clear in the afternoon and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were able to practice their sky dancing. Dash also ran through her new routine a few times while Fluttershy watched. Rainbow Dash agreed to meet Fluttershy at Rarity's shop in the morning. Fluttershy had a few new flight suits to take to a shop in Cloudsdale and Rainbow Dash was glad to have a little company for the trip.

Friday morning was clear but breezy as Rainbow Dash flew down to Rarity's shop. Fluttershy was not there yet so she settled her bill with Rarity and packed her new suits for the trip to Cloudsdale. She had decided to wear the golden flight suit that Rarity had made her for the try outs. Rarity was a little disappointed that Dash wasn't wearing one of the new ones until Dash explained that the first time she would wear them in public would be at a show. Their talk drifted to the calendar and poster idea.

“Do you know any photographers in town?” asked Dash.

“Yes, one or two,” replied Rarity. “I don't know if they'll be good enough to pull this off though. It does take some talent to get a really good picture. Maybe Photo Finish?”

“No,” said Rainbow Dash, “I don't think we want her. From what you and Fluttershy told me about her, she doesn't seem the type to just come in and shoot the picture and leave. Besides, she'd probably charge a hoof and a leg to do the job.”

“What about using the photographer that took your Wonderbolt photos?” asked Rarity. “They seem to know what they're doing.”

“He might do it,” said Dash. “I was happy with my picture and I thought the others looked good too. We have a little time. Check out the local photographers while I'm gone. I'll ask Windy and Frost and she if they're up for it. If you think a local can do the job, we'll go with them, if not I'll ask the guy that does the Wonderbolt's pictures. We have to wait until Firewing gets here anyway.”

“Alright,” said Rarity, “I'll do that. Maybe we'll get lucky. I have a few ideas about the shots and poses, I'll draw them up too.”

“I only had one idea,” said Dash. “What if we got some clouds and put them in front of your shop to make it look like it was in the air?”

“I like it,” said Rarity, with a smile, “I was hoping to use my shop in a few shots.”

“I wonder what's keeping Fluttershy?” said Dash. “We should get flying.”

“She's probably saying goodbye to all of her animals, or giving last minute instructions to Applejack and Apple Bloom,” said Rarity.

“Ugh,” grunted Dash, “that could take all day. I want to get to Cloudsdale and relax for a while. Mr. Immelmane is giving me the day off and I want to take advantage of it.”

“I thought you were going to see your architect,” said Rarity.

“Just briefly,” said Dash, “all I have to do is get the numbers and look at some drawings. I'd like to get a copy of the drawings sent to Canterlot. I'd feel better if the Princesses liked the design as much as I do.”

“I'd like to see it too,” said Rarity, “maybe I could help with the interior decor.”

“Maybe,” said Dash, “but we'll have to get Twilight to cast that walking on clouds spell. There are a few places in cloud homes that will support solid objects but I wouldn't feel right taking a non-pegasus pony up there. One wrong step and you'd fall a long way.”

Rarity grimaced, remembering her near fatal fall in Cloudsdale. “I agree. I'll stay on the ground from now on, thank you very much. I can still help though. Maybe I can work off of the drawings or you could take some pictures.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “we could do that. I'm not sure how much you'll be able to do. Cloud homes are pretty much just ...well, clouds. Maybe some curtains would be nice.”

“What about furniture?” asked Rarity.

“Clouds,” said Dash.

“What color are the walls going to be?” asked Rarity.

“Cloud color,” said Dash, “same as the floors and ceiling.”

“What about shelves? Appliances? Closets?” asked Rarity.

“Okay, now those have to be installed and are normal, well, sort of normal,” said Dash. “The shelves and closets have to be sealed to keep the contents from getting damp. Maybe I can pick up some brochures in Cloudsdale.”

At that moment Fluttershy entered the shop. She was wearing the flight suit that Rarity had made for her and was also out of breath.

“Sorry I'm late,” she gasped, “there was so much to do this morning. I didn't think I'd ever get here.”

“Getting here is one thing,” said Rainbow Dash, “we still have to get to Cloudsdale.”

“Come Fluttershy,” said Rarity, “let's get you packed up.”

Rainbow Dash watched impatiently as Rarity started to pack Fluttershy's bags. Her impatience turned to worry as the bags started to bulge. She decided to step in.

“Wait a second, Rarity,” said Dash, “just how much are you trying to put in those bags?”

“Well, there are four suits, some new drawings, the contracts, some bits to cover Fluttershy's expenses, I guess that's about all,” said the unicorn.

Rainbow Dash took off her own bags. “Put a couple of those suits in my bags,” she said. “Fluttershy will be exhausted by the time she makes Cloudsdale with all that weight.”

“Thanks, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, “I could use a little help.”

“Sorry,” said Rarity, “I wasn't thinking. At least most of the other cities have train stations. You won't have to worry about weight then.”

“It's all that paper that adds the weight,” said Dash. “You can put some of those drawings in my bag too.”

Rarity nodded and finished repacking the bags. At last they were ready to go, or so they thought.

“Wait!” said Rarity suddenly, “I almost forgot the suit I designed for the Golden Sun team.”

“Put it in my bag,” sighed Dash. “I'll give it to Frost and let her deliver it.”

“There!” said Rarity, “have a nice flight.”

“See you Monday,” said Rainbow Dash, “and thanks again for having my suits ready.”

“Goodbye, Rarity,” said Fluttershy, “and don't worry. I'll be sure to get everything taken care of and I'll see you tomorrow.”

“No, you won't,” said Rainbow Dash, “you're staying until Sunday. I can't tell you why, it's a surprise.”

“Well, until Sunday then,” said Rarity. “Get going you two. Rainbow Dash wants to enjoy her day off.”

Rarity walked them to the door but held Rainbow Dash back at the last second. “What's the surprise?” she asked in a whisper.

Rainbow Dash put her mouth next to Rarity's ear. “Immelmane got us tickets to a sky dancing show,” she whispered.

Rarity giggled and gave Dash a quick hug. “Enjoy,” she said. “I can't wait to hear all about it.”

Rainbow Dash joined Fluttershy and the pair took off. They waved once more to Rarity and sped off in the direction of Cloudsdale.

“Thanks for helping to carry some of this weight,” said Fluttershy. “These are heavy enough.”

“I can take a little more if you need me to,” offered Dash.

“No,” said Fluttershy, “I'll be fine. You know, I think I'm getting stronger.”

“You've been spending a lot more time in the air,” said Dash. “Even a couple of weeks of that will make your wing muscles stronger. Wait until you've been doing this for a year.”

“Is that how it was with you?” asked Fluttershy.

“Sort of,” said Dash, “but I started to fly when I was really little. I was buzzing all over the place for as long as I can remember. I was always faster than foals my age but once I started school I really started getting stronger. After I got my cutie mark I started hanging out with older fillies and colts. I started to learn how to really fly then. It's more than just speed. I learned to maneuver too.”

“Is that where you learned all those wild stunts?” asked Fluttershy.

“Some of them,” said Dash, “but we were always trying new stuff and I've kept doing that. I do some things no other pegasus does. Coming up with new things is my job now. I hope I can keep doing it for a long time too.”

“I do too,” said Fluttershy, “so be careful.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I'll try, but I'm not promising anything. I have to clear new stunts with Immelmane anyway.”

The pair flew on and chatted from time to time but mainly they focused their energy on flying. Soon Cloudsdale grew near. They went to see Dash's architect first.

Cloud Charm and her father welcomed the two Ponyville pegasi and introductions were made. The architects then quickly ushered them into the back room. There was a pegasus there that Rainbow Dash had not met.

“You've arrived at a very good time,” said Cloud Shaper. “This is Mr. Stacker of Cloudsdale Construction. I told him that you would be here today. I also have the numbers that I promised. These are just basic figures of course. There will be some finishing charges but that isn't part of Mr. Stacker's business and will be included in my charges.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the paper. Stacker wanted eighty-eight hundred for the materials, including the set up, and another thousand for delivery. ninety-eight hundred total plus another twenty-seven hundred for Cloud Shaper's services, after discount. Twelve thousand five-hundred bits total and it was sure to be more when all was said and done. Rainbow Dash remained stoic as she read the paper but inwardly she was reeling. She couldn't imagine paying that many bits for anything.

“I must say that I'm pleased to meet you, Ms. Dash,” said Mr. Stacker. “I was told that you were quite an attractive mare but they didn't do you justice. I'm looking forward to seeing you perform.”

“Thank you,” replied Rainbow Dash. She was pleased by the praise but wasn't letting her guard down for an instant. She waited for the other hoof to drop.

“Mr. Shaper said you may be willing to pose for our calendar in exchange for a discount,” said Stacker. “I could make it worth your while.”

“Really?” said Rainbow Dash. “I've been considering a few offers from other companies but none in the construction trade. I would want final say on what pictures would be used and I don't do anything dirty.”

“Oh, my no,” said Stacker, “we wouldn't want you to. These calendars hang in offices and are for advertizing purposes. We could probably make a deal regarding what pictures would be used.”

“I see,” said Rainbow Dash, “I might be able to do that. I'll consider doing it for, oh, let's say thirty percent off and free delivery and set up.”

Stacker was caught off guard by this. It was an outrageous figure by any standard. True, the company would still make a profit but if this little mare thought she could get away with that she had another think coming. He laughed. “Come now, Ms. Dash,” he said, “don't you think that's a little high?”

“Maybe,” said Rainbow Dash, “but I'm willing to listen to a counter offer. Not right now though, I have a lot to do today and must be going. Your figures for my new home seem to be in order and I think we may be able to do business. Mr. Shaper will get in touch with you when I'm ready to start.”

“I thought you were in a hurry,” said Cloud Shaper. “Is there something wrong with the design?”

“I haven't seen the finished design yet,” reminded Dash, “and I want a copy of that sent to Canterlot for Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's approval before we go forward.”

“I see,” said Cloud Shaper, “I'll take care of that as soon as you say so. Charm, please show Rainbow the drawing you made.”

Cloud Charm took Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to another part of the room and showed them her revised design. It was lovely and Rainbow Dash felt it would look beautiful floating at the edge of Whitetail Wood. There was also a revised floor plan, similar to the first but modified for the spires. Dash immediately approved the design and told Charm how much she loved it.

“I am glad,” said Charm, “but tell me; you're not going to have trouble paying for this are you? Your terms were a bit... unreasonable.”

“No,” said Dash, “I'll be fine. I just wanted to tweak Stacker's muzzle. I found out all about those calendars and how much the company makes from them. He'll counter with a low offer but I'm not falling for it. I'll get the materials from Las Pegasus first.”

Charm started to snicker. “Oh, that is great. I won't say a word, not even to dad.”

“Do you think you can get me a copy of your drawing too?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I'd like to show my friends what I'm doing.”

“Sure,” said Charm, “you can go ahead and take this one and the quotes dad gave you. I have copies of them. I still need to finish making copies of the floor plans. I'll have them ready in a couple of hours.”

“Thanks Charm,” said Dash, “I don't know quite what I'll be doing this weekend. Could you drop them off at the Wonderbolts Compound?”

“I can do that,” said Charm, “anything else?”

“I don't suppose the Las Pegasus company has an office in Cloudsdale, do they?” asked Dash.

“Yes,” said Charm, “they make a few specialty items that the Cloudsdale factory doesn't. Let me give you the address.” Charm quickly wrote down the address on a piece of scrap paper. “I've been looking forward to using some of their products. Good luck with getting a deal from them. The name of the company is Las Pegasus Quality Clouds Inc. The office is pretty plain but don't let that fool you. The factory in Las Pegasus is first rate.”

“Thanks, Charm,” said Dash, “I'll try to stop by as soon as I find out anything.”

Charm smiled. “You certainly are one of our more interesting clients, I'm going to enjoy this.”

“Bye for now, Charm,” said Dash. “Fluttershy and I have a few stops to make before I report in.” Dash turned and called to Cloud Shaper and Mr. Stacker who were engaged in a whispered conversation on the other side of the room. “I'll try to stop by before I go back to Ponyville, Mr. Shaper. Nice to meet you Mr. Stacker, I hope we can do business.”

Mr. Stacker gave Rainbow Dash a strained smile. “Nice to meet you too, Ms. Dash. I'll pass along your proposal but I know they won't be willing to pay you that much. Stop by if you're willing to consider a counter offer.”

“Certainly,” replied Rainbow Dash, “I'm sort of new to this whole thing. Perhaps I asked for a little too much.”

“Do stop by before you leave,” said Cloud Shaper, “I want you to write a note to the Princesses so they know this is regarding your house and not just a random letter from an architectural firm.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'll be around Monday, I think. If not I'll write the letter and drop it off in your mail slot.”

“That will be fine,” said Cloud Shaper. “I hope to see you then.”

“It was nice meeting you all,” said Fluttershy softly.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash left the office and flew down the street. Once they got around the corner Rainbow Dash stopped. She leaned against a building and began to laugh. Fluttershy was a little confused as to why but Dash's laughter was infectious and she giggled too.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked Dash.

“That Stacker guy was about to blow up,” stammered Dash, as she continued to laugh. “I could barely keep from cracking up in there. That discount I asked for was almost four thousand bits! They usually only pay a thousand.”

“Why were you asking so much?” asked Fluttershy.

Dash peaked around the corner. Stacker was leaving the office, a scowl on his face. Dash quickly ducked back before she was seen. She couldn't answer Fluttershy as she stifled her laughter. She silently staggered down the street to a point where she felt Stacker would not hear her and released her laughter. In a few moments she regained control and put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder to steady herself. She told Fluttershy what Spitfire had told her.

Even normally calm and demure Fluttershy was outraged. “That's awful Rainbow,” she said, “I have a notion to go and put that guy in his place.”

Rainbow Dash knew that she meant it. “I can take care of it. That's why I want to see what kind of deal Las Pegasus will give me. Come on, let's go deliver these suits.”

Fluttershy led the way to the shop that was going to carry Rarity's designs in Cloudsdale. It was in the center of the cloud city, tucked in between a restaurant and a jewelry store. Fluttershy walked in while Rainbow Dash paused briefly to look at the front of the store. Clothing for both mares and stallions were displayed in the large front window. A sign stretched across the entire front of the store proclaiming 'Stardust Clothiers, Ms. Royal Airs proprietor'. Rainbow Dash followed Fluttershy into the shop.

Fluttershy was already talking to Royal Airs when Rainbow Dash entered. Dash could tell that this was definitely a high end shop. She joined them at the counter.

“Welcome to my shop, Ms. Dash,” said Royal Airs, “I see you're wearing that wonderful suit that Rarity made you. I watched you when you performed on the last day of the try outs, I can't believe that you didn't win the top position.”

“Thank you,” replied Dash, “I did win the individual competition but Windyday is a more experienced formation flier. They made a good choice. I'm happy with being the first soloist.”

“You have a place in history,” said Royal Airs, “I envy you that. Fluttershy says that you helped her bring the suits here from Ponyville. I can hardly wait to see them.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took the hint and began to unpack their bags. Rainbow Dash had all of Rarity's things on one side of her saddlebags. After unpacking the two suits for the shop and the drawings that Rarity had included, Rainbow Dash decided to redistribute the weight to make the bags more even. Royal Airs immediately noticed the additional suits.

“I hope that those aren't for another shop,” she said.

“No,” said Dash, “two are mine and one is a prototype for the Golden Sun team.”

“That's right,” added Fluttershy, “Rarity decided on your shop alone for Cloudsdale. She wanted me to talk to you more about licensing so you can make her designs here.”

“I would certainly be interested in doing that,” said Royal Airs, “but I have limited means to do so. I contract out most of my work to unicorns in Canterlot. It's difficult to find pegasi here in Cloudsdale that can sew. I employ two very good ones but they are painfully slow compared to what unicorns can do.”

“I understand,” said Fluttershy, “I'll be going to all the major cities in Equestria to market Rarity's designs, maybe I can make a three way deal with the unicorns you use to supply both Cloudsdale and Canterlot.”

“That's possible,” said Royal, her eyes drifting to Rainbow Dash's saddle bags. “Oh, I can't stand it anymore, please show me the suits she made for you personally. I simply must have a peek.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both giggled. “Sure,” said Rainbow Dash, “I can do that.” She unpacked her bags and, with Fluttershy's help held up the suits one at a time for Royal Airs to view.

Royal Airs viewed the suits critically. She liked the dark blue one better, thinking the white one too plain. Rainbow Dash had made the same mistake and gleefully offered to show the suit in the sunlight. Royal Airs was as stunned as Dash had been and examined the material closely.

“This is just stunning,” she said, “I have to fly to meet with this designer as soon as possible. What she did with this is a work of genius.”

“I'm sure she would love to meet with you,” said Fluttershy, “I'll tell her as soon as I get back to Ponyville.”

“Something else you will want to talk to her about is advertizing,” said Rainbow Dash. “The four of us new Wonderbolts are thinking about doing some posters and calendars for Rarity. Only the shops carrying her clothing will be allowed to sell them. It could bring a lot of business into your shop.”

Royal Airs eyes betrayed her enthusiasm but she spoke calmly. “Yes, I would certainly be interested in that. Would you four be available to do an autograph session?”

“Maybe,” said Dash, “I'll have to check with the Wonderbolt's leaders first. This is still in the planning stages but it's good to know that you'd be interested.”

“I'd be a fool not to be,” replied Royal Airs. “When do you think they'll be available?”

“I'll be talking to Frost and Windy today and clearing up some details with the Wonderbolts this weekend,” said Dash. “I'll get together with Firewing on Tuesday and get her take on it. Rarity is checking out photographers and getting some ideas for shots. If all goes well, maybe a couple of weeks.”

“I suppose I should go see Rarity this week,” said Royal Airs. “Are you going to be in Ponyville too?”

“I'll be there nearly all week,” said Dash, “but I'll be coming back here next Friday.”

“I'll see if I can get away for a day and fly in,” said Royal. “Is her shop hard to find?”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both laughed. “Ponyville is small,” said Fluttershy, “you can ask anypony and they can direct you right to it.”

“I have to get going,” said Rainbow Dash, “I hope to see you next week. Fluttershy, I'll try to meet up with you latter. You can either drop by the compound or we can meet at your hotel.”

“Yes, just come get me at the hotel whenever you're ready,” said Fluttershy. “I'm going to rest for a while after I check in.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'll stop by after supper. See you then!”

Rainbow Dash left the shop and hurried to the address that Charm had given her. I turned out to be another office building on a different cloud. After wandering the halls for a few minutes, Rainbow Dash found a door bearing the sign 'Las Pegasus Q.C.I.'. She entered the office and found a pony asleep at his desk.

Dash walked up to the desk and bent down to look at the sleeping pony. The desk was devoid of anything except a quill, an inkwell and a single piece of paper. On the paper was a fairly good drawing of a mare's face. She looked around the office. There were a few brochures, some pictures of buildings and the Las Pegasus factory. It was a spartan, depressing sort of place.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. There was no reaction from the pony. She bent down again to the ponies eye level and kicked the desk with her foreleg. The pony jumped.

The bewildered pony found himself looking at the face of a blue mare just a few hoof widths away from his face. His eyes popped open and he sat up quickly. He was startled and though his mouth moved he was at a loss as to what to say.

Rainbow Dash decided to initiate the conversation. “Hello,” she said.

“Hello,” replied the pony. “Er, welcome to Las Pegasus Quality Cloud Incorporated.”

“Sorry to wake you,” said Dash, barely suppressing a giggle. “I'm building a house and I was hoping you could help me.”

“You're a..a customer?” said the pony. “Yes! Of course! Please have a seat. I'm Long Flight, manager of the Cloudsdale office. Um, have.. have we met? You look familiar.”

“No,” said Dash, “we haven't met. I'm Rainbow Dash, you may have seen me in the papers.”

“Yes, that's it!” exclaimed Long Flight. “You're one of the new Wonderbolts. It's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for the state in which you found me. I don't get a lot of customers; the Cloudsdale factory usually undersells us. Transport costs you know. We do make a few unique items that Cloudsdale doesn't and I suppose that's the only reason I'm here. I'm sorry if I'm rambling, what can I do for you?”

“I'm building a home,” said Dash, “and I want you to give me an estimate. I also would like to discuss perhaps getting a discount in exchange for advertizing.”

“An estimate for a whole house,” repeated Long Flight, “certainly, I can do that. Is the Cloudsdale plant unable to fulfill your request? As I said, we have to charge more due to transport costs.”

“I'm not building in Cloudsdale,” said Dash, “I'm building in Ponyville.”

“Alright,” said Long Flight, “perhaps I can help you. Do you have a floor plan I could see?”

“I'll have one later today,” said Rainbow Dash, “but I do have a drawing and an estimate from the Cloudsdale plant.” She pulled the papers from her bags and laid them on the table.

“This is very nice,” said Long Flight, “I would love to be in on this project. You're building in Ponyville, you say? I didn't know there were any cloud homes in that town.”

“Just the one for the weather team leader,” said Dash, “that isn't me anymore so I have to build a new one.”

“Yes,” he said as he looked at the estimate. “I'm just guessing mind you, but I think we can at least match the price. The problem is still transport costs. Cloudsdale is charging about five-hundred bits less. If you're looking for a discount then I suppose that Cloudsdale has offered you one?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “but I don't like their terms. Listen, I'm a new Wonderbolt, I'm the first soloist in the history of the Wonderbolts, I'm one of the Elements of Harmony and my house is being built next door to a royal retreat that the Princesses are building just outside of Ponyville. All that has got to be worth something in advertizing.”

Long Flight looked stunned. His mind raced as he thought of the possibilities. “Yes, it is,” he said at last. “What sort of discount do you think it's worth?”

“As much as I can get,” said Dash with a grin. “I'm not telling you the Cloudsdale factories terms but if you can beat their price, including delivery and set up, by at least a thousand bits, I think we can do a deal. The more you give me, the more ads I'll agree to do. You said you have some unique products. Like what? If it's something I like I might take it instead of cash.”

“I'll have to contact my superiors,” said Long Flight, “but I think we can make a very good offer that you will like. As to our unique products, how would you like a fireplace?”

“A fireplace?” said Dash in astonishment, “In a cloud home? How did you manage that? Doesn't it cause the clouds to evaporate?”

“We found a way around it,” said Long Flight, with a smile. “Our closets and storage bins are a step above anything else you'll find too. The density of our walls is much higher too. LPQCI is a forward thinking company that offers a superior product. We just suffer from comparative isolation.”

“I'm very interested,” said Dash, “do you have something I could pass on to my architect?”

“Of course,” said Long Flight. He went to a cabinet and came back with several brochures. “These are all standard items but we can customize them to some extent.”

“Thank you very much,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'll look these over and get back to you. I'll be in town next Friday. Can I expect a proposal by then?”

“I can't promise but I'll try very hard. I'll fly to Las Pegasus personally,” said Long Flight. “Can you give me some idea what sort of advertizing you'd be willing to do?”

“How about this,” said Rainbow Dash, “you beat their offer by a thousand bits and I'll do a magazine ad and or newspaper ad. You can run it as many times as you like. I'll also keep a small sign in front of the house for one year. I get final say on what picture is used and I won't lie for you. If you want more, I'm willing to talk.”

“That should be enough to start with,” said Long Flight. “May I copy down these numbers?”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'll see if I can get the architect to drop off a set of plans and a picture too.”

That would be excellent,” said Long Flight, “who is the architect, may I ask?”

“Cloud Charm,” said Rainbow Dash, “she's the daughter of Cloud Shaper.”

“Oh, yes,” said Long Flight, “I've worked with them. Very good firm.”

“Charm is stopping by the compound later,” said Dash, “I'll talk to her then.”

“Tell her that I'll be in the office tomorrow until two,” said Long Flight. “I'd really like to talk to her about your home.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'll tell her. If that's all, I'll be going now.”

“Just one more thing,” said Long Flight, “how may I contact you?”

“You can either mail me at the Wonderbolt Compound or in Ponyville,” said Dash. She thought for a second. “In Ponyville use this address, Rainbow Dash in care of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville Library. I'll be at the Compound most weekends, it's when I do my training.”

“Fine,” said Long Flight, “I'll contact you as soon as possible.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, “I'll be looking forward to hearing from you.”

“Thank you, Ms. Dash,” said Long Flight, “I sincerely hope we can build your new home.”

Dash smiled and left the office. She was only a few steps from the door when she heard Long Flight singing.

“I get to build a house, I get to build a house. A great big house next to the Princesses, I get to build a HOUUSSE!”

Rainbow Dash giggled and headed to the Compound.

Chapter 63

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Chapter 63

Rainbow Dash made her way to the Wonderbolts Compound and spoke to the guard at the gate. She informed him that she would be staying in Windyday's room and that she wanted to be called should Fluttershy or Cloud Charm stop by. Arriving at Windyday's room, she knocked on the door and was not surprised when there was no answer. Windy was probably practicing. She went down to the spa and sat in the steam room for a while and then went for a massage. She ended with a quick shower and went back to Windy's room.

The room still lacked an occupant so she went out to the courtyard and found the Wonderbolts returning from morning practice. Windyday had already landed and trotted over to Rainbow when she saw her. They hugged.

“Hi, roomie,” said Windyday, “welcome back.”

“Hi Windy,” said Dash, “yep, back again. I get to do some real training this time.”

“Coming out to the training grounds this afternoon?” asked Windy.

“No,” said Rainbow, “I'm taking it easy for the rest of the day. I have a few things to look through for my house and then just some plain old rest.”

“Been working hard?” said Spitfire as she walked up with Fleetfoot close behind.

“Every chance I get,” replied Dash, “and I've been busy with a lot of other stuff too. Twilight said she thought maybe the try outs were a break for me, comparatively speaking. Maybe she was right.”

The other ponies laughed. “We must be slipping,” said Spitfire. “I guess your first week as a celebrity is pretty hectic though, not to mention building a new house. How is that going, by the way.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I approved the final plan this morning. I have a drawing I can show you later. When I went to the architects this morning, this guy named Stacker was there from the Cloudsdale Construction Company. He asked me about posing for their calendar.” Rainbow Dash paused to laugh.

“What did he offer?” asked Spitfire.

“I made the offer,” said Dash, “I told him I'd do it for thirty percent off plus free delivery and setup. That's like six thousand bits!”

“You honestly think you're worth that much,” asked Fleetfoot, in a somewhat miffed tone.

“No, of course not,” said Dash, “I just said it to see how he'd react. He laughed at me and told me to stop by if I wanted to hear their counter offer. I might see him after I hear what Las Pegasus is willing to do. They seem a little more likely to make a deal. It will be fun to turn him down.”

Spitfire laughed grimly, “I've created a monster. Doing any other ads?”

“I sent out a few letters to some of the companies that I think might be good,” said Dash. “It's too soon to know anything yet.”

“I'm glad to hear you are messing with Stacker,” said Fleetfoot, “I paid regular price for my home rather than pose for them. They put my name in an ad of celebrity clients anyway. What makes you think Las Pegasus will do more?”

“They need the advertizing more,” said Dash. “That and they think that they're better than Cloudsdale and are tired of being priced out because of transportation costs. Since I'm putting up my house next to the Princess' place, I'm hoping they'll think it's a great place to showcase what they can do.”

“Come on,” interrupted Windyday, “I'm starved. We can talk over lunch.”

“I'm right behind you,” said Dash, “it's been a while since breakfast.”

They hurried towards the dining hall to catch up to the others. After another delicious lunch, they sat and talked for a bit before the team had to head back to practice. Rainbow Dash got out the drawing that Cloud Charm had done and spread it out on an empty table. The other ponies were impressed by the design.

“You don't mess around when you decide to do something, do you,” said Spitfire. “That is some house. It's huge, and such a unique design too.”

“If you think this is huge,” said Dash, “wait until you see what the Princesses are building. It'll be able to house hundreds of ponies easily. My house is sort of designed to match it. I hadn't planned on doing anything this elaborate but Princess Celestia said she expected me to build something really nice.”

“Just how chummy are you with the Princesses anyway,”asked Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash paused. “I guess we're pretty friendly, I mean once you get past the fact that this is Celestia and Luna we're talking about, they're kind of like regular ponies. I know they wouldn’t even know me if it weren't for the Elements of Harmony thing but I'm glad I know them as well as I do.”

“I heard about the Elements,” said Fleetfoot, “and remember something about them from a book I read a long time ago. Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity and Honesty are the five and then there was a mystery one. Which one are you?”

“Loyalty,” said Dash.

“That's a good one for a pegasus,” said Fleetfoot, “I thought you might be laughter though. You seem to enjoy joking around. I'd like to meet the others and see if I can guess which ones they are.”

“You're doing the flyby at Princess Luna's party,” said Dash, “we'll all be at that. You'll figure it out.”

“How about a hint,” said Fleetfoot.

“Hmmm,” said Dash, “okay, you've already met Kindness.”

Fleetfoot thought for a second. “Fluttershy; she's the only one of your Ponyville friends that I've met. That's interesting. Are the others pegasi too?”

“No,” said Dash, “just us two. The others are unicorns and earth ponies. Two of each.”

“This should be a really cool fly by,” said Fleetfoot. “I usually get bored at these Canterlot soirees.

“I'm looking forward to Dash's show,” said Windy, “I'll bet it will be something special.”

“I hope so,” said Dash, “I guess I'll know more about how it will look after tomorrow. I hope Mr. Immelmane can help me sort it out.”

“He will,” said Spitfire, “and I hope you appreciate me taking part of my day off to chip in and help too.”

“Really?” said Rainbow Dash, “Oh thank you! That's great, I really mean it.”

Spitfire was amused by Rainbow Dash's gratitude. “We'll see how you feel about that after my critique. I'll also be doing a little sky dancing with you to see how you've progressed.”

“I'm doing alright,” said Dash, “I can't compete with Firewing but I'm learning. Fluttershy has really been a help. I want her to fly with Frost when she comes to Ponyville. If she can match Fluttershy's speed, it will really help her.”

“Oh really?” said a familiar voice.

“Oh, hi Frost,” said Rainbow Dash, “we were just talking about sky dancing. Where were you anyway?”

“At another table stuffing my face,” said Frost. “Windy and I have some training for you planned out too, you know.”

“Really?” said Dash, “like what?”

Spitfire answered. “They're going to start you on one of our basic routines. You don't have to be perfect at it, but it will help get you ready for when you do start training with us. You'll spend more time practicing sky dancing and your routine.”

“Cool,” said Dash, “I am so up for that.”

“We have to getting back soon,” said Spitfire, “we still have a full afternoon of work to do.”

“Windy, could you let me in your room? I'd like to unpack and kick back for a while,” said Dash.

“Sure, Dash,” said Windy, “I hope you brought a cool new costume along.”

“Two,” said Dash, “and wait until you see them. I have some things I want to talk to you about then, you too Frosty. Oh, yeah, I have the prototype of the uniform for the Golden Sun team too, I thought you might want to deliver it yourself.”

“Sure Dash,” said Frost, “I'll see you then.”

“Let's go,” said Windy, “I don't want to be late.”

Together they hurried back to Windy's room. Windy unlocked it and let Rainbow Dash in. The room was extremely neat and orderly, as Dash expected. An extra pillow and blanket lay on a sofa made of clouds.

“Make yourself at home,” said Windy. “The solid areas are pretty standard, probably the same as the room you shared with Firewing. I'll see you after work. It's good to have you back in town.” Windy smiled.

“Thanks for letting me stay here,” said Dash, “now get going, I'll see you later.”

Rainbow Dash spent some time going through the brochures from LPQCI, circling the ones that she liked. It didn't take very long so she unpacked her bags and did another quick read of her routine. That, she felt, was enough work for today. She looked around the room and decided that the sunny cloud by the window looked comfortable. She took off her flight suit and curled up for a nap.

Chapter 64

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Chapter 64

Rainbow Dash was awakened by a knock at the door. Still groggy from her nap, she answered it. It was one of the guards from the gate who informed her that a Ms. Cloud Charm was waiting at the gate. Rainbow Dash gathered up the brochures and followed the guard down to the gate where Charm waited.

“Hi, Charm,” said Dash, “I have a little news for you.”

“Good afternoon, Rainbow,” said Charm, “I have a some for you too. You go first.”

“I think the Las Pegasus factory is going to be a go,” said Dash. “I have a few brochures for you to look at too. I circled the stuff I liked but feel free to make suggestions. The manager, Long Flight, wants to see you about my house. He said he'd be in his office tomorrow until two but you might be able to catch him now. Oh, yeah, how much trouble would it be to add a fireplace?”

“A fireplace?” said Charm, “are you serious?”

“Yep, Long Flight said they can do it,” said Dash. “If it's possible, I want one.”

“Hey, me too,” replied Charm. “I wonder how they did it.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I dunno. I didn't ask. Okay, your turn.”

“Stacker was furious,” said Charm, “he said you'd have to beg for a discount and he was going to increase the price but dad held him to the figures he gave you. You were right about the amount of the discount, it was pretty low. I'm no expert on advertizing but they would have to be making a lot more than the measly thousand bits Stacker was talking about. They sell four or five thousand of those pin up calendars a year.”

“That settles it,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'm going with Las Pegasus even if I pay full price and haul those clouds to Ponyville by myself. Don't tell Long Flight I said that though.”

Charm laughed. “Don't worry, I won't. I'm going over to see Long Flight now. I can't wait to see how they solved the evaporation problem with the fireplace. Just one thing, dad wants to know when you are planning to start paying us. That offer you made to Stacker made him think you might be having trouble paying.”

“Will a thousand next Friday satisfy him?” asked Dash.

“Sure,” said Charm, “even half that would be fine.”

“Tell him a thousand,” said Dash, “I'll drop it off when I fly in to practice.”

“Great!” said Charm, “I'll see you then. Here's another drawing and I made two sets of floor plans. I'll give one to Long Flight and you can have the other.”

“Give him the drawing too,” said Dash, “I'll keep the one you gave me this morning.”

“Alright,” said Charm, “I'll see you next Friday.”

Charm hurried off and Rainbow Dash started to return to Windy's room but remembered that she had a weeks pay to pick up as well as her mail. She was pleased to find that her mail had decreased slightly and that her pay had not. She took the mail back to Windy's room and started to read it.

The mail was mostly legitimate fan mail with only a couple of creepy letters. There were four more possible endorsement offers which she answered at once. Only two packages where in her mail bag. One contained a bottle of perfume which she sniffed but did not use. The other contained a bottle of sparkling hoof polish. She thought the latter was ironic considering her recent experience at the spa.

The fan mail reminded her that she had to pick up her photos. She put some bits into her smaller bag and went to the administration office to pick them up. The pictures were ready and she took them back to Windy's room. She stacked each one as she signed the pictures with the request they went with and then realized that she had no envelopes to mail them to the fans. She sighed and prepared to go back into town to get envelopes but at that moment Windy entered the room.

“Resting huh?” said Windy with a smile.

“I took a nap earlier,” said Dash, “but then I got called to the gate. I figured I may as well get some of this stuff done but then I realized that I didn't have any envelopes. At least I have the photos signed and matched with the requests. All I have to do is stuff them in envelopes and put stamps on them. This little batch was easy but I have a pile of them at home to do.”

“I know what you mean,” said Windy. “I guess I was lucky because I could do a few at a time. It felt like it took forever the time I skipped a day.”

“I got a few new offers too,” said Dash, “I wrote some letters back to them. Hey, smell this and tell me what you think.”

Rainbow Dash slid the perfume bottle across the desk. Windy sniffed it.

“Not bad,” said Windy, “but nothing special either. I ...I ahh ahchoo!” Windy went into a fit of sneezing that lasted nearly a minute.

Rainbow Dash recapped the perfume. “I guess I'll pass on this one,” she said.

Windy sniffed. “Try it on another pony. Maybe it's just me.”

Rainbow Dash went to the door and checked the hallway. Spitfire was coming towards her.

“Hey, Spitfire,” said Dash, “could you come here a second?”

“I was coming to see you,” replied Spitfire. “I wanted to see those new suits you brought. Immelmane does too.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'll get them. I got something in the mail I'd like you to check out.”

Spitfire entered the room. “Alright, what is it?”

“Smell this perfume,” said Dash.

Spitfire sniffed the bottle as Windy retreated to the far side of the room. “Not bad. Not great either. What is it? Another endorsement offer?”

“Yeah,” said Dash. “It sent Windy into a sneezing fit. It doesn't bother me either.”

“Get your suits and bring it along,” said Spitfire, with a grin. “We can test it on some other ponies.”

They walked down to the hall where the banquet had been held. The interior had changed once more. There were a few rows of seats and tables in front of the stage. All the other furnishings had been moved to the edges of the hall. The stage was nearly bare except for a large chalkboard and a single seat. A few of the Wonderbolts were watching as Immelmane diagrammed a maneuver on the board.

“Now,” explained Immelmane, “it's important to carry a lot of speed through the loop preceding this. If you don't, it will be very difficult to do the twisting bank when you climb out.”

“That's what I was saying,” said Soarin, “the dive into the loop is pretty shallow. We have to put on a lot of power there to gain speed. Spitfire's section was moving a little faster than mine when we practiced this and that's why it didn't look right when we completed the maneuver. It's going to be real hard to coordinate our speed since I can't see her after we pull up into the loop.”

“That's why you get paid the big bits,” said Spitfire as she walked up.

Both Soarin and Immelmane glared at her.

“Well, what's your solution?” asked Soarin.

“I don't have one,” said Spitfire. “We'll just have to practice it until we get it right.”

Soarin rolled his eyes. “Back to the mental count then, I suppose.”

“It's the only way,” said Immelmane, “at least without changing the maneuver. We could change the direction of the twist so you could see but that would make it even harder for you to maintain your speed through the loop.”

“We can do it, Soarin,” said Spitfire, “it's just a tough one. Remember when when we tried that alternate mesh barrel roll? We had a collision almost every time we tried it but we got it down.”

“Yeah,” said Soarin, “we'll get it. I was just hoping that we could figure out a better way to coordinate ourselves.”

“Excuse me,” said Windyday, “maybe this isn't a perfect solution but what if you practiced flying together? Soarin, you fly the number two slot with the mare section and Spitfire could fly number two with the stallions. It would give you an idea of what the other section is doing.”

“That's not a bad idea, Windy,” said Immelmane. “We'll give it a try on Monday. While you're flying together you two can count out loud until you get in sync.”

“Okay by me,” said Soarin, “it sounds like it might work.”

“Good thing you picked the smart pony,” commented Dash.

Spitfire laughed and was joined by a few of the others. Windyday blushed.

“It was on our minds,” said Immelmane, “but it was the last day that really decided things. You wouldn't have come up with an idea like that?”

“I doubt it,” said Dash. “I know how to fly and come up with tricks. I'd just do it like Spitfire: practice until I got it right. I'm just smart enough to listen to the ponies that think about stuff before they do them. Sometimes anyway.”

“That's good,” said Spitfire, “I've met a lot who aren't.”

“I see you've brought some new flight suits,” said Fleetfoot, “how about modeling them for us.”

“Yes,” said Immelmane, “let's end this meeting on a high note.”

“Alright,” said Rainbow Dash, “let me get changed.”

Rainbow Dash flew up to the stage and then off into the wings. She quickly changed into the dark blue suit first. She strutted back on stage and some pony turned on a spotlight. The mares applauded and the stallions whistled, yelled and generally acted like stallions. Rainbow Dash was embarrassed at first but decided to really show off and started striking poses. She even went so far as to fly up a bit and do a few midair poses.

“Okay, okay,” said Spitfire, “let's see the other one.”

“Sure,” replied Dash, “I want to wear this next one at Luna's party.”

Rainbow Dash quickly changed and returned to the stage. She purposely dodged the light and flew to the center of the stage before the pony working the spotlight could catch up with her. When the light finally hit her, the other ponies gasped. The effect of the spotlight on the suit was dazzling. The suit glittered and the effect was even more dramatic by the comparative darkness of the room.

Rainbow Dash again went into some various poses and movements. The effect on the small audience was like before if not even more enthusiastic. Immelmane stopped her to examine the material.

“Look at this,” said Immelmane, “the gems are actually in the material. Amazing.”

Spitfire flew up beside them. “That is really something. This must have cost a fortune.”

“I paid two-hundred and thirty-five bits for the pair of them,” said Dash.

“This Rarity pony must be very generous,” said Spitfire.

“Element of Generosity!” exclaimed Fleetfoot, “I'm getting good at this!”

“You're right, Fleetfoot,” said Dash, “She's the Element. Three down and three to go.”

“This is an excellent choice for Luna's party,” said Immelmane. “I hope you've got a good routine we can work on tomorrow.”

“I think so,” said Rainbow Dash. “Hey, why don't you take a look at what I have written down? Maybe you could see some of the problems before I even do it.”

“I'd like to,” said Immelmane. “I'll stop by after supper and pick it up.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'm meeting Fluttershy later at her hotel. I thought we might go out on the town a little tonight.”

“Certainly,” said Immelmane, “just don't stay out too late. Breakfast is at eight and practice starts at nine. I'll have a practice suit ready for you when we get out to the field. Frost! You'll be practicing a little tomorrow too. Just a little sky dancing so you know what to practice next week and then you can have the rest of the weekend off.”

“What about me?” asked Windy.

“Oh, you're coming along fine,” said Immelmane. “you're welcome to come out, of course, or just take the day off. You do have a keen eye and are excellent at analysis so we'd love to have you.”

“Mr. Immelmane? Did you get that extra ticket for the show tomorrow night?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Yes,” said Immelmane, “thank you for reminding me. I'll bring them along to practice.”

“Great,” said Dash, “I haven't told her about it yet, I wanted it to be a surprise. What do I owe you?”

“My treat,” said Immelmane, “I'm happy to do it.”

“Thanks, Mr. Immelmane, Fluttershy is going to love it,” said Dash.

“I'm looking forward to seeing you fly, Dashie,” said Frost. “A longer routine means you might be slow enough to see what you're doing.”

Dash laughed. “Maybe but don't count on it. I take a few rests with the sky dancing moves but I'm still pretty fast for the rest.”

“Are you putting in any of that flat spin move?” asked Spitfire.

“Yeah,” replied Dash, “in two spots. It's the same move I used in the landing except at altitude. There are a few other things you haven't seen too.”

“This should be fun,” said Spitfire. “Maybe it won't be a bad way to spend the weekend. Hey, before everypony runs off, Rainbow Dash has a little test she'd like everypony to take.”

“What is it?” asked Soarin.

“I got some perfume in the mail,” said Dash, “and it makes Windy sneeze but Spitfire and I are okay. I want to see if it affects anypony else. Line up and take a sniff.”

“That just sounds wrong,” said Frost, with a laugh.

The other ponies laughed too but they lined up to test the perfume. Frost tried first. At first there was no reaction but as she walked away she started to sneeze. Immelmane sniffed the bottle but had no reaction. Soarin tried it and immediately started to sneeze violently.

“Hey girls!” said Fleetfoot, “looks like we found an effective Soarin repellant.”

This got a laugh from everypony but Soarin who was still sneezing. Fleetfoot tried it but had no reaction. They convinced two of the support ponies present to try. One had a reaction and one did not.”

“I guess that settles it,” said Rainbow Dash, “this one is a no go for endorsement.”

“I think I'll go get cleaned up for supper,” said Windyday.

“Me too,” said Frost, “I could eat a bale of hay.”

The gathering broke up and the ponies headed for their rooms. Frost, Windy and Rainbow Dash were walking down the hallway to their rooms.

“Hey Frost,” said Dash, “come in for a second and I'll give you that flight suit for the Golden Sun team.”

“Sure,” said Frost, “I'll bet it's another winner.”

They entered Windy's room and Dash got the suit for Frost. They all agreed that it was a great outfit for a team. Frost was going to leave when Rainbow Dash stopped her.

“I want you girls to do something for me,” said Dash. “I'll understand if you don't want to but I feel it's kind of important.”

“Sure, Dashie,” said Frost, “just name it.”

“Sounds serious,” said Windyday, “you can count on me to help.”

“I'm going to tell you about what happened to Mr. Immelmane,” said Dash. “This is what he told me after I did that trick at the try outs.” With that Rainbow Dash told Immelmane's story leaving nothing out. She then told Windy and Frost of her discovery at the museum and her plan to find Blue Comet. By the end of the story all three had tears on their faces.

Rainbow Dash sniffed. “That's it,” she said. “That's why I want to find this guy. This has been going on for too long. They have to find each other again and make up.”

“Wow, Dash,” said Frost, as she fought to steady her voice, “I wasn't expecting this. If you want to do it, I'll help but are you sure it's a good idea?”

“I think so,” said Dash, “better that than letting them go on with all that guilt and regret on their minds.”

“Y..Yes,” said Windy. She lay on her bed with both hooves over her eyes. “You're right, Rainbow, they need to resolve this. I don't know how either of them has borne this burden for so long.” She began to sob.

Rainbow Dash and Frost both walked over to Windy. Rainbow sat on the floor, extended a wing over Windy and nuzzled the back of her head. Frost knelt by the side of the bed and placed her hoof atop Windy's forelegs and laid her head next to hers. They stayed like that for some time.

“Now I understand why you were crying after the competition, Dashie,” mumbled Frost, at last. “So what's the plan?”

“For now we just try to find him,” said Dash. “Be real discreet about it so we don't scare him off. Once we find him, we'll have to think of a way to get them together.”

“Why not just snatch him?” said Frost. “There are enough of us to grab one old stallion.”

Dash snickered. “I thought of that but Twilight pointed out that it's illegal. Seriously illegal. I don't really want to see the inside of Canterlot Prison.”

“Good point,” said Frost. “It isn't like we could wear disguises or something. Everypony would know it was us.”

“I was thinking that if we could find out where he lives, we could surround the place and just have Immelmane knock on his door,” said Dash. “Once he figured out that he couldn't escape, he'd have to open the door. You two have friends and contacts all over Equestria, just have them keep an eye out for him.”

The three pegasi fell silent once more. Windy had stopped crying. They remained positioned as they were, comfortable but uncommonly tired after their emotional ride. The mood was finally broken when Frost's stomach gurgled. Rainbow Dash giggled and was soon joined by Windy and Frost.

“Hey, I'm hungry,” said Frost. “Come on, let's head to supper. I'll take this suit back to my room. I'll be right back.”

Frost rose and left. Windy and Rainbow stayed where they were for a time but at last Rainbow stood up and stretched.

“Are you okay,” she asked Windy.

Windy slid off the bed onto her hooves and stood up. “Yeah, I am, thanks. I'm not used to things like that. Sorry I broke down.”

“Nothing to apologize for, Windy,” said Dash. “I did the same thing. I was crying like a foal and leaning on Immelmane after he was done.”

“I have to clean up a little and get out of this practice suit,” said Windy. “Be right back.” She hurried off to the bathroom.

Rainbow Dash dried her own eyes on her foreleg and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled at the reflection. She was a mess. Hair mussed, eyes red and tear stains on her cheeks, she had definitely looked better. She got out her brush and tried as best as she could to groom herself. Her tail was fairly easy but her mane was impossible.

“I'm ready,” said Windy, as she walked into the room and saw Dash struggling. “Here, let me help you.”

“Thanks, Windy,” said Dash, “but let me wash my face first.” She went to the bathroom and ran some water. She quickly washed and dried her face and returned to have her mane combed.

“Okay,” said Rainbow Dash, “I feel better now. Go ahead.”

Windy smiled and began to comb out Dash's tangles. “You really needed this, it looks like you haven't had a good brushing in a while.”

“It's been a couple of days,” admitted Dash. “Rarity gave my mane a brushing but that was the last time.”

“I see you finally got a hoofacure,” said Windy, “did Rarity do that too?”

“No,” said Dash, “she just arranged it.”

“Well, you certainly needed it,” said Windy. “I know you're like most pegasi; we don't think about our hooves because we're always flying. I have a schedule I keep or I'd forget about it myself.”

“I used to do it myself but you can guess how that worked out,” said Dash. “The truth is I just don't like having them done. It feels better afterward though so I guess I'll keep doing it.”

Windyday giggled. “There, all done. Let's go eat.”

They went into the hall and found Frost walking towards them. Together they headed to the dining hall.

“After supper I'm going to meet my friend Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. “We're going out on the town for a while tonight. You're both welcome to join us.”

“I'd love to,” said Windy. “I don't go out very often.”

“Sure,” said Frost, “I'll tag along. I'm hoping to bump into some of the team but I don't have any plans.”

“Great,” said Rainbow Dash, “you'll really like Fluttershy. I know you've seen her but you'll get to know her better this week.”

“I understand she's not much of a flier,” said Frost, “I wouldn't have thought you'd spend much time with her.”

“She'll never be a Wonderbolt but she's gotten better,” said Dash. “She has a lot more in her than she thinks she does. She faced down an angry dragon once after the rest of us struck out.”

“I've got to hear that story,” said Frost, “unless you're just yanking my chain.”

“No, it's true,” said Dash, “I'll tell you about it over supper.”

They proceeded to the dining hall. Over dinner they listened to the tale of the sleeping dragon. They also talked of flying and Dash's new routine. After a little dessert they headed back to Windy's room. They hadn't been there long when there was a knock at the door. Windyday answered and found Mr. Immelmane waiting in the hall.

“Hi, Mr. Immelmane,” said Rainbow Dash, “here's my notebook. Let me show you the routines I'm working on.”

“You have more than one?” said Immelmane. “I admire your dedication but let's focus on getting one good one down first.”

“Well, they really are the same routine,” said Dash. “There are only a few moves that are different. I also moved them around a little. Most of it is the same though. There's an extended version too for a full opening or intermission performance. I really need some help on the music. I want something that really rocks but has some slow points so I can rest.”

“I think that you're worrying needlessly,” replied Immelmane. “You've seen the Wonderbolts perform. Have you ever heard the music slow down except when the routine changes?”

“Well, now that you mention it, no,” said Dash, a little perplexed.

“Right,” said Immelmane, “the music tempo rarely changes. It would be jarring to both the audience and the performers. We won't be working with any music until next time anyway. I'll find something appropriate if you can't select something.”

“I have to talk to a pony back in Ponyville,” said Dash, “I think she may be able to help me.”

“Good,” said Immelmane, “I'll get out of your mane's now and let you enjoy your evening. Tomorrow you start to work.”

“I'll be ready,” replied Rainbow Dash.

Immelmane smiled and turned to leave. He stopped at the door and turned his head. “Tell Fluttershy that she can come by for the afternoon practice if she would like. I wouldn't mind seeing her sky dance. If she's good enough, maybe she could join you in your practice sessions this week.”

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash, “I was sort of counting on her to help after Firewing shows up. I thought maybe she could dance with one of us while the other three do formation flying.”

“Alright,” said Mr. Immelmane, “I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun.”

Chapter 65

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Chapter 65

Immelmane left and the three ladies went to meet Fluttershy at her hotel. They were a little shocked to discover that she wasn't there. They walked back outside.

Just as they did, Fluttershy called to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow! Over here!”

Rainbow Dash turned to see Fluttershy trotting towards them. “Hi Fluttershy, where were you?”

“I went to the cafe for dinner,” replied Fluttershy. “I spent a lot more time at the shop after you left and then I had a little rest and dozed off and I went to dinner a little late. Sorry.”

“That's okay,” said Rainbow Dash, “we just got here. So, what do we do first?”

“I know Cloudsdale best,” said Frost, “make a suggestion and I'll try to find the right spot.”

“I'd just like to relax a little,” said Windyday, “today was a bit rough.”

“Somewhere that has some music would be cool,” said Dash. “I could go for a cider too.”

“I'll, um, go along with whatever you want to do,” said Fluttershy.

Frost thought for a moment. “I think I know a place. It's early so we should be able to get a table where we can relax. There's music and a dance floor if you'd like to dance. They serve drinks and food if we get hungry later.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Dash.

“Alright,” said Windy, “I'll go along. Some pony has to keep an eye on you two.”

Frost laughed. “Come on then, Let's have some fun!” She took wing followed closely by Rainbow Dash. Windyday hung back and flew with Fluttershy.

Frost took them above the city and flew directly across to a different cloud. Frost and Rainbow Dash laughed and pulled a few simple tricks as they went. Windy smiled and looked at Fluttershy who smiled back.

“Go ahead,” said Fluttershy.

“What?” asked Windy.

“Do some tricks, if you want to,” said Fluttershy, “don't mind me.”

“That's okay,” said Windyday, “I was flying all day. I just want to go relax somewhere. Besides, they're right on the border of breaking the law.”

“I'd rather just relax too,” said Fluttershy, “at least we'll be able to talk while those two have their fun.”

Windy laughed. “Who said talking and relaxing aren't fun? Yeah, we'll let those two get crazy. You'll help me keep an eye on them, right?”

“Sure,” said Fluttershy, “for all the good it will do. Rainbow Dash is pretty good at doing whatever she wants. I think Frost might be the same way.”

“Yeah,” agreed Windy, “she is. They're a lot alike but Rainbow Dash is more fun. At least I think so.”

“What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy.

“Rainbow is more goodhearted,” said Windy. “Frost is pretty cool too but she really has a temper.”

“Frost has a worse temper than Rainbow Dash?” said Fluttershy. “Wow, I didn't know that was even possible.”

Windy laughed again. “Yeah, I know that Dash can lose her temper too but like I said, she's more goodhearted. Frost gets angry quicker, and holds onto it longer. She's more likely to go over the top.”

“I heard about what happened at the try outs,” said Fluttershy. “She sounds like she's very protective too.”

“Yeah, maybe that's it,” said Windy, “I've gotten to know her better over the last week. She's a pony that's good to have around, if she's on your side. I know I can trust her.”

“I'm looking forward to getting to know you two better this week,” said Fluttershy. “I hope you have a great time in Ponyville.”

“I'm sure we will,” said Windy. “Oops! Looks like we're heading down.”

Windyday banked hard and dove to follow Frost and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy struggled to do the maneuver but managed to follow Windyday down to a cloud. They landed in front of a club on a narrow side street. Yellow and red lights proclaimed the clubs name, 'Strato's' in large letters above the door. A large leaf green stallion stood at the door. He wore a baseball cap with words 'Strato's Staff' on the front and a thick gold chain around his neck.

“Hi Frosty,” said the doorpony, as the group walked up. “Decided to come down to a hang out with us poor ponies, have you?”

“Hi, Cruiser,” said Frost, “good to see you again. Anything special happening tonight?”

“Karaoke a little later tonight,” said Cruiser. “They're going to run it from nine to ten and again from eleven to midnight.”

“Could be fun,” said Frost, “Any of the old gang here?”

“Not yet but it's early, go on in,” said Cruiser, “forget the cover for tonight, just don't tell Wings.”

“Thanks Cruiser,” said Frost, she gave him a peck on the cheek. “These are my friends, Rainbow Dash, Windyday and Fluttershy. Girls, meet Cruiser, best bouncer in Cloudsdale. You run into any trouble, just call for him.”

“I know you two from the shows you did last week,” said Cruiser pointing to Rainbow Dash and Windyday. He looked at Fluttershy. “What's your story cutie? How'd you end up with this this bunch?”

Fluttershy blushed. “I'm a..an old friend of Rainbow Dash.”

“Another hot shot flier, eh?” said Cruiser, “Looks like I'll have my hooves full tonight.” He laughed.

“Not really,” said Fluttershy, “I can't fly like these three can.”

“She's a pretty fair sky dancer though,” put in Rainbow Dash.

“Maybe I can get a dance when I get a break,” said Cruiser.

“Sure!” said Fluttershy, much to every pony's amazement, including herself.

“Go on in,” said Cruiser, “I'll stop by later. Nice meeting you.”

Frost led the way and the three mares entered the club. It wasn't crowded yet and Frost found an empty booth near the back of the club. It was larger and more comfortable than the tables and had wide comfortable cloud sofas.

Windyday gracefully slid into one of the seats and reclined with a sigh. Fluttershy sat down beside her while Frost and Rainbow Dash took the other two seats.

“This is more like it,” said Windy. “Good choice, Frost.”

A waitress came to the table. “Hi,” she said, “I'm Candy Cloud. I'll be your waitress this evening. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Four ciders,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Me too!” said Frost. The two friends laughed.

“This is going to be a long night isn't it?” said Windy.

“Just kidding,” said Frost, “You get the first round, Dash, the next one's on me.”

“Four ciders,” repeated Candy, “I'll be right back.”

“I hadn't really planned on drinking,” said Windy.

“Who needs to plan everything?” said Dash, “just go with it. Besides, you don't have to do any flying tomorrow.”

“Just remember that you do,” replied Windy, “I wouldn't want to show up for my first day of training with a hangover.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Dash, “I'll watch it.”

“You haven't really had a drink before, have you Windy,” asked Frost.

“Just a taste one time,” said Windy. “It was barley wine. It didn't taste like barley.”

Rainbow Dash and Frost laughed.

“No, I'll bet it didn't,” said Frost. “I don't care for that either. Cider is good though.”

“I'll reserve judgment,” said Windy. “I do like this place. It seems like a good place to relax.”

“Just wait,” said Frost, “give it an hour or two and this place will be jumping.”

“Maybe I'll be in the mood then,” said Windy. “I just want to sit and talk for a while right now.”

Candy Cloud arrived with their cider and Dash paid her. When each of them had a mug, Dash proposed a toast.

“Here's to flying with good friends,” she said. Mugs clinked and they all took a swig.

“This is pretty good,” said Windyday, “fizzy. Not really a lot different from regular cider.”

“The effects are,” said Fluttershy. “Just don't drink more than me and you'll be fine.”

“Fluttershy!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “how are we supposed to get Windy drunk enough to sing karaoke if you warn her.”

All of them laughed at that.

Rainbow Dash and Frost finished their first drink and proceeded to down a second while Windy and Fluttershy paced themselves. An unknown stallion asked Frost to dance and she accepted. Shortly after that a second stallion asked Rainbow Dash and she joined Frost on the dance floor. Fluttershy and Windyday were left to themselves for a while.

“Well, fellow wallflower,” said Windy, “Rainbow told me that you take care of animals. That's a little unusual for a pegasus.”

“It's my special gift,” said Fluttershy. “I enjoy it too. If you ever want a pet, come see me.”

“I'm afraid not,” said Windyday, “I don't have the room or the time to properly care for one. It would be alright at times but when the touring season gets underway I'd be gone for too long. It wouldn't be fair.”

“You're right,” said Fluttershy, “I have a lot of animals to find homes for and some of them come from ponies that can't take care of them anymore.”

“It sounds like a lot of work,” said Windyday. “You must not have time to do much else.”

“I feed them and make sure their homes are okay,” said Fluttershy. “They take care of themselves most of the time. I sometimes have to dress a wound or set a bone but I have a lot of free time. I can always get some help from my friends to take care of them when I'm not there, like now. I actually have a lot of free time.”

“What do you do then?” asked Windy.

“Oh, I shop, visit friends, meet Rarity at the spa, Pinkie Pie usually invites me to a party once a week or so,” said Fluttershy. “Of course, lately I've been doing work for Rarity and learning to sky dance. What do you do in your free time?”

Windy thought for a moment. “I really don't know,” she said. “I'm kind of experimenting right now, I suppose. I used to do nothing but train, practice and do my school work. I have more free time now than in my whole life. Sometimes I don't know what to do.”

“Don't you go out with friends or anything?” asked Fluttershy.

“I never had any friends,” said Windyday. “Now that I do, I don't want to be a nuisance. They need some time for themselves after all. I've been exploring Cloudsdale and taking care of my mail. I went to the museum to see our displays and went swimming in Dash's lake. It wasn't as much fun by myself.”

Fluttershy looked at her sadly. “You sound like Twilight,” she said. “All she used to do was read. She didn't have any friends besides Spike before she came to Ponyville. I don't think she realized how lonely she was.”

“It's like that,” said Windy. She paused to take a long drink from her mug. “You get caught up in something and shut everything, everypony, out. You get so used to it that you don't even realize anything's wrong.”

“What are you going to do tomorrow?” asked Fluttershy.

“I'm going to watch Dash and Frost practice with Spitfire,” said Windy. “That should be fun. Then tomorrow night...” Windyday caught herself before she gave away the surprise.

“Yes?” said Fluttershy, “What's tomorrow night?”

“You'll see,” said Windy, with a grin.

“Oh!” said Fluttershy, “you know about Dashie's surprise too. I almost forgot about that.”

“I'd better let her tell you what it is,” said Windyday. “Immelmane said it would be alright if you wanted to come out and watch them practice in the afternoon. You might get to sky dance a little too.”

“He did?” said Fluttershy. “That's great! I don't really have anything to do tomorrow. All I'd do is sit around wondering about tomorrow night.”

“I'll see if I can do something about that,” said Windyday. “I don't know why Dash hasn't told you yet. I think it's silly. It's still a surprise no matter when she tells you.”

They talked for while and Windyday finished her first mug of cider and ordered another. Talking about her past made her feel empty. She found herself telling Fluttershy far more than she had even told Rainbow Dash or Firewing about her life before the Wonderbolts. Fluttershy listened sympathetically and tried to comfort Windyday.

“Windy,” said Fluttershy, “try to remember that the way you were wasn't entirely your fault. Now that you know better, you're really making an effort to be a good friend and to make up for the past. You said that Goldmane forgave you and so did some of the other ponies. Forgive yourself, dwelling on something you can't change won't do you, or any pony, any good.”

Windyday smiled. “You're right. It's not easy but you're right. Thanks.”

Rainbow Dash suddenly slid back into the booth. She was a little out of breath. Before she even spoke she grabbed her mug and took a long drink. “Whew! That's better. I thought I'd never get off the dance floor.”

“Where's Frost?” asked Windy.

“Still dancing,” said Rainbow. “She met one of the guys that used to be in Golden Sun. He's only in town for a few days. She'll probably bring him over. What have you two been doing?”

“Just talking,” said Windyday, “and drinking. Maybe this isn't so bad after all.”

“Well just watch yourself,” said Dash, “it can sneak up on you if you don't.”

“I'm trying to not drink more than Fluttershy,” said Windy, “but I seem to have gotten ahead of her a little bit.”

They were suddenly interrupted by a stallion who had obviously been drinking harder than was good for him. He was still wearing a white smock with a Weather Factory patch on the sleeve and had apparently been there since getting off work.

“Lucky me,” he said, “I just found the table with the hottest ladies in town. I'm Mixer, and who are you three? I don't remember seeing you around here before.”

“I'm Rainbow Dash,” said Dash, “and these are my friends Windy and Flutters.” She had a grin on her face but those that knew her well could tell it was not a friendly smile. She was up to something.

“Pleased to meet you,” said Mixer. He stuck out his right wing for balance as he leaned precariously to the left.

Fluttershy gave him a nervous 'hello' and Windy just nodded at him as she bit her lip to keep from laughing. Rainbow Dash continued to smile at Mixer.

“So, Mixer,” said Dash, “What do you do at the Weather Factory?”

“I manage the rainbow mixing tanks,” he said proudly, “say, you kind of remind me of work.”

“Well I hope you like your job,” said Dash.

Mixer brightened. “I sure do! Can I buy you ladies a drink?”

Before her friends could speak, Rainbow Dash answered for them. “That would be real nice, Mixer. They're drinking cider but I'm in the mood for something else. Ever hear of W.C. Barleyfields?”

“No,” said Mixer, “what's that?”

“It's a real good drink,” said Dash, “it's a little strong but I'm sure a big strong stallion like you can handle it. I usually get a double myself but you might want to get more.”

“Sure,” said Mixer, “I'll give it a try. Waitress!”

The waitress came and took their order. Mixer got Rainbow Dash her double and ordered two more for himself.

Fluttershy was becoming even more nervous and Windy was curious to see how this would play out. Rainbow Dash kept Mixer talking, feigning interest in his work and complimenting him at every opportunity. The waitress soon came back with their drinks.

Rainbow Dash took a sip from her drink. “I'm sorry Windy,” said Dash, “take a little sip of mine. I wanted you to try this.”

Windy took the offered drink and took a sip. Her eyes opened wide and she set it down. She picked it back up and took a bigger sip. “Wow,” she said, “I like it.”

Rainbow Dash took back her glass. Windy had consumed nearly half of the double shot. “So Mixer, what do you think of this stuff?” asked Dash.

Mixer was leaning on the table and his wing was extended even further to maintain his balance. One of his glasses was empty and the second one was in his mouth. He tilted his head back and drained the contents. He set the glass back down and swallowed.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stared at the stallion in wonder. Windyday was smiling.

“You like it too,” said Windy, “it is good, isn't it?”

“Sher iss,” said Mixer. He stood there smiling and looking at Windyday. His right wing extended more as he tilted more to the left.

“Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy.

“F..fine, I'm fine,” said Mixer. “Good schtuff.”

He was still smiling when his body weight finally overwhelmed his wing and he fell over onto the floor.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked around the edge of the table to see the fallen stallion. He lay on his side, eyes closed, with a smile on his face. Rainbow Dash started to giggle and threw herself back on her seat laughing so hard it was painful.

Fluttershy looked over the edge of the table. Windyday sat giggling to herself.

“What happened?” asked Windy, “How's Mixer?”

“Still breathing,” said Fluttershy. She glared at Rainbow Dash. “Dashie, that was mean.”

Rainbow Dash was not at all moved by Fluttershy's comment and was laughing too hard to respond.

Windyday started to reach for Dash's unfinished drink. Simultaneously, Rainbow Dash grabbed her glass and Fluttershy reached out a hoof to stop her. Windy looked at Fluttershy.

“That stuff is strong, Windy,” said Fluttershy. “That poor guy drank the equivalent of at least four mugs of cider in just a few seconds. He passed out.”

Windyday blinked. “Oh my! Rainbow Dash, did you do that on purpose?”

Rainbow Dash was still snickering but nodded. She took another sip of her nearly lethal beverage.

“Yeah,” answered Dash, “I maybe shouldn't have but at least we got rid of him and got some free drinks. Can you believe it? He didn't even know who we were. I just didn't want him hanging around.”

“You could have done something else,” said Fluttershy.

“I guess so,” admitted Dash, “but nothing near as much fun.” She started to laugh again.

“I'll have to watch out for you,” said Windy, “you have a peculiar way of having fun.”

Frost walked up at that moment with the stallion that Dash had mentioned.

“Looks like I missed the fun,” said Frost. “Why did you deck him, Rainbow?”

“I didn't deck him,” said Dash. “He's just passed out drunk. I may have had something to do with that.”

“What did you give him?” asked Frost.

“I got him to buy me a double shot of W.C. Barleyfields,” said Dash, “and he thought he'd be macho and get two for himself. He was already pretty drunk so when he drank both of those...”

“I get it,” said Frost. She snickered and looked at Dash. “That sounds like something I'd do.”

“Want a taste?” asked Dash.

“Sure,” said Frost. She took a sip of Dash's drink. She shook her head. “Not bad,” she said but her voice was raspy.

The body on the floor was attracting attention. Cruiser came over to see what the fuss was about.

“Alright,” he said, “what's going on?” He saw Mixer laying on the floor. He bent down and checked him out. “Dude, you usually don't get this bad for another couple of hours.”

“He's done this before?” asked Dash.

“Are you kidding?” said Cruiser. “He's like this every Friday night. Usually lasts longer though. I'll get him a cab.” Cruiser waved to another staff member and together they removed the now mumbling Mixer from the club.

Rainbow Dash slid over and made room for Frost and her friend. She finished her drink of Barleyfields and ordered another cider.

“Had enough of the other stuff already?” asked Frost.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “I only got a double because I planned on sharing it. I know how this stuff is. Windy sure liked it.”

“Yeah,” said Windyday, “I liked it but I don't want to end up like Mixer. In fact, I think one more cider and I'll be done.”

“Aw, come on, Windy,” said Frost, “we weren't planning to leave this early.”

“Oh, I'll stay,” said Windy, “just no more drinking. I'm starting to feel...funny.”

Frost and Rainbow Dash laughed.

“That's the point, Windy,” said Frost, “just relax and enjoy it.”

“But if you don't want to drink anymore, then don't,” added Fluttershy.

“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash suddenly, “they're starting up the karaoke. Anypony want to try it?”

“Pass,” said Windy, “I don't know many songs and I've never been told I could sing well.”

“I'm out too,” said the stallion by Frost's side, “I have been told I can't sing well. In fact I'm just plain bad.”

“I might,” said Frost, “but I'm not doing it alone. But I'm being rude. Girls, I'd like you to meet Silver Tail, he used to fly with Golden Sun before he got a job with the Baltimare weather team.”

“A fellow weather pony,” said Dash, “I'm Rainbow Dash, pleased to meet you.”

“Oh, I know who you are,” said Silver Tail. “I remember you from when we were little. I'm a couple of years older than Frost, so you may not remember me. Your mane and tail are really different and I remember that. Also, I was here for your last show. Really spectacular all of you. But Rainbow Dash, you really put on a show.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, very pleased, “then I guess you know Windyday here too. This pony here is Fluttershy, she's a friend of mine from Ponyville.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” said Silver Tail.

“Hello,” said Fluttershy.

“Hi,” said Windyday.

“Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash, “we sound pretty good together. How about joining me in a duet?”

“With all these ponies watching me?” replied Fluttershy, “No, I couldn't.”

“They won't be watching you,” said Rainbow Dash, “they'll be watching me.”

Windyday and Frost laughed. Silver Tail didn't know if Dash was just joking or if she was really that full of herself.

“Looks like it's just you and me, Dash,” said Frost.

“Okay, Frosty,” said Dash, “what do you want to sing?”

The two began to talk together about possible songs. Silver Tail ordered another round of cider and began to talk to Windy and Fluttershy. He asked Fluttershy a few polite questions about her life in Ponyville but it was clear that he was much more interested in Windyday.

“So Windyday,” said Silver Tail, “how did you manage to beat Rainbow here? Everypony thought she won the tryouts.”

Windy thought the question rude but tried to be nice anyway. “I have more experience as a formation flier and I flew well on the final day. I think they thought I'd be easier to bring onto the team. Even so, Rainbow is the best flier I've ever seen and Immelmane wanted her for the solo position.”

“I saw your routine,” said Silver Tail, “and it was great. I guess the only place Rainbow was better were some of those crazy tricks. You really did fly beautifully.”

“You didn't see how crazy she can get,” said Windy, with a smile. “I'm glad Immelmane is keeping an eye on her now, especially when she gets together with Frost.”

“What was she going to do now?” asked Silver Tail.

“They were trying to figure out a way to power dive under the drawbridge at Canterlot,” said Windy. She took a drink of cider and watched Silver over the rim of her mug.

Silver Tail grinned. “I don't believe it. That's impossible.”

“That's never stopped Rainbow before,” said Fluttershy. “I hope she's not still working on that stunt.”

“No,” said Windy, “Immelmane made her drop it and she'll listen to him, thank Celestia.”

“Good,” said Fluttershy, “it might be her last stunt if she tried that.”

“Definitely,” said Silver, “there's barely enough room for a crow to do that.”

“She was going to try going underwater to get the clearance,” said Windy. “They were working out the angles when Immelmane put a stop to it.”

“You wouldn't try something like that?” asked Silver in a teasing tone.

“Hardly,” snorted Windy, “I like my body in one piece, thank you.”

“Me too,” said Silver Tail. He was looking her in the eye and smiling.

Windy stared at him. She wasn't used to this sort of attention. Was he trying to make a pass at her? She fought her natural reaction to retreat into her old self. She smiled and inclined her head. “Thank you, again” she said.

Silver smiled back. He was about to say more but Frost interrupted him.

“Let us out, Silver,” said Frost, “Rainbow and I are going to try the karaoke.”

Frost and Rainbow Dash left for the stage where a line had already formed. Silver Tail slid into the booth and moved next to Windyday. Windyday was uncomfortable and Fluttershy picked up on this immediately.

“So how are you doing with your team training?” asked Silver.

“I'm doing well,” replied Windy. “It reminds me of flying with my amateur team before I became the leader. Of course the difficulty is higher but I can handle it. In a way it's easier because I don't have to be constantly checking to make sure all the other ponies are doing their jobs as well as doing my own.”

“So you're looking forward to your first show?” said Silver.

“Oh, yes,” said Windy, “getting that first show behind me will feel great.”

“Nervous?” said Silver.

For a second the old Windy surfaced. “I do not get nervous. There is only the routine and doing it to perfection.”

The coldness of the voice was a little shocking to Silver Tail. “Sorry if I said something wrong,” he said. “I didn't mean to make you angry.”

“I'm not angry,” replied Windy in a more relaxed tone. “I just want to feel like a part of the team. I won't really feel that until I do that first show. Everything up until then will just be practice. Sorry if I sounded angry but I'm a little... different than other ponies. I take my flying very seriously and I really don't get nervous.”

Windyday laughed and took another drink of cider. Silver Tail watched her. This mare was different alright.

“Sounds like you're very, um, focused,” he said.

“That would be a good word for it,” said Windyday. She didn't smile and took another drink.

“Why don't you tell us what you do, Silver Tail?” said Fluttershy.

“I suppose what I do might be kind of boring to ponies like you,” said Silver. “I'm just a weather pony, not a leader or anything yet. I'm hoping to get promoted in a couple of months though. I mostly work off shore. We have to keep sea lanes open and sometimes guide ships in. It's tricky work when you're out there without any reference points. It takes a long time to get the hang of it.”

“That does sound hard,” said Fluttershy, “I've never been to the sea myself.”

“I love flying over the ocean,” said Silver. “Even at night the ocean just gleams with light. I think I'll end up staying there permanently, even though I love Cloudsdale.”

“I know what you mean,” said Fluttershy, “I grew up here but I live in Ponyville now and I doubt if I'll ever move away.”

“Is that where you met Rainbow Dash?” asked Silver.

“No,” said Fluttershy, “I knew her here in Cloudsdale when we were little fillies.”

“I don't remember you from back then but Cloudsdale is a big place,” said Silver. “I never really talked to Rainbow Dash either for that matter. You know how it is when you're little; a few years seem to matter more than when you're older.”

“That's okay if you don't remember me,” said Fluttershy, “I wasn't very well known back then, at least not for anything good. I was very shy and weak.”

“You don't seem that way anymore,” said Silver. “Here you are, out on the town with three Wonderbolts. Do you fly with them often?”

Fluttershy giggled. “No, except for Rainbow Dash. I can't really keep up with them. Firewing taught me some sky dancing and I've been practicing that. They expect me to work with them this week. Frost, Windyday and Firewing are all coming to Ponyville. I'm going to help them with their sky dancing practice.”

“Since when do the Wonderbolts sky dance,” asked Silver.

“You'd be surprised,” said Windyday. “If you knew anything about sky dancing you might be able to pick out some moves in our routines.”

“I did it a little,” said Silver Tail, “just for fun. I'm no expert though.”

“I'm not either,” said Fluttershy, “but they need a partner to practice with and since I fly slowly I guess I can help Rainbow Dash and Frost slow down a little.”

“Good luck,” said Silver Tail, “I've never seen Frost do anything slow and Rainbow Dash seems to be the same way.”

“They are,” said Windy, “but Dash has the natural talent to do about anything. Frost has to work harder to do the same thing. She'll get it down. She's a better flier than I thought she was during the try outs.”

“But not as good as you?” said Silver.

Windyday smiled. “Not as good as Rainbow Dash,” she said.

Silver smiled back. “That isn't exactly an answer.”

“Every pony thinks they're the best,” replied Windyday, “and I could make a pretty good case for myself but what for? Frost is my friend and a team mate and that is what matters most to me. If you must know, I was picked first, Dash chose the solo spot, though she could have taken the number two team spot that was given to Firewing and Frost got the alternate position. That is how Immelmane, Spitfire and Soarin saw us. If Dash or Firewing had been chosen over me I would have been disappointed but not surprised. As for Frost, I still don't think I've seen Frost at her best. Is that enough of an answer for you?”

“You really are different,” said Silver Tail. “It's enough of an answer but not what I was expecting. Most athletes I know would have boasted about how much better they were than the competition.”

“That has never been a fault of mine,” said Windyday. “I speak truthfully and, in the past, without regard for the feelings of others but I don't boast.” She took another drink of cider and frowned. “I think I want another cider.”

“Allow me,” said Silver Tail. He signaled the waitress and bought them each a cider. Fluttershy didn't want anymore but thought it would be rude to refuse.

Silver Tail was somewhat at a loss about what to say to Windyday. He was used to mares finding him charming or rejecting him outright but this one was something new. None of her responses to his jokes or comments were what he expected. He was spared having to say more by the karaoke starting.

They looked towards the stage as a aqua colored mare with a green and yellow mane began to sing. She wasn't too bad and the audience applauded as the song ended. A pegasus stallion followed and sang to a tune that had been popular thirty years previously. This did not go over as well. There were more single singers, another duet and even a quartet before Rainbow Dash and Frost took the stage.

The two Wonderbolts were instantly recognized and cheered before they started. The song was an older, raw, rock song that was well know in Cloudsdale. It had been popular mainly because of a catchy beat and lyrics which had to do with reckless flying. Rainbow and Frost sang well together and didn't make any glaring mistakes. When the song ended, the audience rewarded them with cheering and applause.

Dash and Frost returned to the table. Silver Tail slid over a little and Dash sat next to him. There was enough room for Frost to squeeze in beside Dash. Rainbow and Frost were thirsty after their song so Frost ordered another round. Silver Tail was the only one who wanted another but Fluttershy and Windy weren't paying attention. Once the mugs were in front of them, they drank anyway.

“You two sounded good up there,” said Silver.

“I thought so,” said Rainbow Dash, “thanks.”

“You always think we sound good,” said Frost as she laughed, “but that one was pretty good. We have the crowd warmed up for you Windy, your turn.”

“I don't think so,” replied Windy. “I've never done any singing before, let alone in public.”

“You've never sang?” said Silver Tail, “not even in the shower?”

“Well, no,” said Windyday. “I remember singing as a filly in school but that's all. Even when I was leading the Wheelwing team I let the others pick out the music. About all the music I know is what I've flown to.”

“But you danced at the dinner,” said Rainbow Dash, “and you looked like you knew what you were doing.”

“I took lessons,” said Windy, “I forgot about that. It was expected that I would dance at dinners and celebrations so my parents had me take lessons. They didn't want me to look like a fool.”

Rainbow Dash and Frost looked at each other. They couldn't imagine ever allowing another pony, not even their parents, to control them to the extent that Windy had done. Rainbow Dash felt an intense dislike for Windy's parents.

Fluttershy listened as Windy spoke and pondered what to do. The cider had not been without it's effect on her so her level of courage was higher than normal. “At least take a look at the song list,” she said to Windy. “If you see something you know, I'll sing with you.”

Windyday looked at Fluttershy, clearly amazed. “Er, alright,” she said. She felt as though she was losing control of the situation and didn't like it. As she looked through the list she was surprised to find that she did know a few of the songs. Some of the songs made her smile as they brought back other memories from her past.

“Well?” said Rainbow Dash, “did you find anything?”

Windy still smiled but didn't take her eyes from the list. She waved a hoof in Dash's direction as if to shush her. She almost hit Silver as she wasn't watching what she was doing.

Frost snickered and nudged Dash. When she had Dash's attention she tapped her cider mug. Dash stifled a laugh and continued to watch Windyday.

The behavior of Rainbow Dash and Frost did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy. Though slow to be roused she was not a pony to take things lying down when it came to hurting a ponies feelings. She moved closer to Windyday so that she could also see the list. She saw a song that wasn't too difficult and one that she knew she could sing.

“What about this one, Windy?” asked Fluttershy. “Do you know it?”

“I remember hearing it a few times,” said Windy, “but I don't know all the words. I know this one.”

Fluttershy looked at the song Windy indicated. She knew it by heart. “Yes,” she said, “I can sing that one.”

“I'll give it a try,” said Windyday. “What's the worst that can happen?”

“That's the spirit,” said Silver Tail. “There's an old saying; 'The surest way to appear a fool is to try hard not to look like one'.”

“I haven't heard that saying,” said Windy, “but it makes sense, I think.” She pondered the saying with a look on her face as if she were calculating dew point temperatures in her head.

“Come on,” said Fluttershy, “before I have time to think about this.” She got up and Windyday followed her.

As Windy took a few steps away from the table, she suddenly stopped to steady herself. She shook her head and tried to compose herself.

“You okay there, Windy?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I think so,” said Windy. “I really feel weird.” She giggled.

Fluttershy had stopped too but didn't seem to be having any trouble walking. She looked back at Windy and saw her standing with an odd smile on her face. 'Uh oh,' she thought, 'I've seen that look before. We'd better hurry before she gets worse.'

Windy took a few steps forward and appeared to be walking fine so they headed to the stage. Rainbow Dash and Frost watched in amusement wondering how this was going to go.

There were three individual ponies in the cue before Fluttershy and Windyday. None of the three were particularly good and the audience was becoming restless. Finally Fluttershy and Windy got on stage to sing their song. Neither of them could see the audience clearly, due to the lights, which was all the better as far as Fluttershy was concerned. The music started and the pair began to sing. Fluttershy found herself leading at first as Windy had to get used to singing into the microphone and trying to follow the tune. She quickly got the idea of simply following what Fluttershy was doing and she was able to imitate her to some extent.

Fluttershy and Windyday sang their song and received some encouraging applause at the end. It had been far from perfect, due mostly to Windyday having no idea how to sing, but it was better than the previous three singers. With Fluttershy carrying the tune and Windy adding some harmony they had done well. Windyday and Fluttershy returned to their table where Frost, Rainbow Dash and Silver Tail cheered them.

“Not bad at all girls,” said Silver Tail.

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I knew Flutters could sing but you could be pretty good if you practice a little, Windy.”

“Thanks,” said Windy, “it went better than I expected. At least we didn't get booed off the stage.”

“Ready to try it solo?” asked Frost.

“No!” said Windy emphatically. “If it wasn't for Fluttershy, I would have been lost up there.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Thanks,” she whispered.

They talked and listened to the other karaoke singers until the management shut it down and started to play some dance songs. Silver Tail took the opportunity to ask Windyday to dance. She accepted and they made their way to the dance floor. Fluttershy was just settling into her seat when Cruiser appeared.

“I finally got a break,” said Cruiser, “would you like to dance now?”

“Sure,” said Fluttershy, “why not?”

Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrows as they left. “I hope that Cruiser guy is okay,” she said.

“He is,” said Frost. “He might look a little rough but he's a real gentlepony.”

“I can't believe it's this late already,” said Dash. “One more and we'll have to be going. I don't want to leave but if we don't we're going to be wrecks in the morning.”

“I hate to say this but you're right,” said Frost. “Let's go as soon as Windy and Fluttershy get back.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and took a drink of cider. 'Maybe it's a good thing,' she thought, 'I don't want to get used to drinking so much. Might end up like Mixer.'

Frost and Rainbow Dash chatted about the next day and what Immelmane and Spitfire had in store for them. Eventually Fluttershy, Windy and Silver Tail returned to the table. They were thirsty from dancing so they decided on one last round before leaving. They talked as they drank.

“Will you be around tomorrow night?” Silver Tail asked Windy Day.

“Sorry,” said Windy, “we have plans.”

Frost overheard this. “We might stop off for a nightcap after the...”

“Frost!” interrupted Rainbow Dash, “don't spoil the surprise!”

“Oops,” said Frost, “sorry. I forgot about that.”

“Oh, why not tell her Dash?” said Windy. “She'll never get to sleep tonight if you don't.”

Rainbow Dash thought for a bit. “Alright,” she said, “Fluttershy, tomorrow night we have tickets to a sky dancing show. You're going to see some real pros sky dance. How's that sound?”

Fluttershy grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, Dashie, that sounds wonderful thank you so much! I can hardly wait!”

“Don't thank me,” replied Dash, “thank Immelmane. It was his idea. I offered to pay for yours but he said it was his treat.”

“As I was going to say,” rejoined Frost, “we might stop off for a nightcap after the show.”

“Maybe,” said Dash, “I don't know how late the show lasts.”

“Or what Immelmane has planned for the next day,” added Frost. “We'd better be going after this drink.”

“Really?” said Windy, “Is it that late already?”

“I don't know about you but I want to get to bed by eleven,” said Dash. “I should be able to sleep this off by morning that way.”

Frost laughed. “Yeah, me too. Windy, if you want to stay out later with Fluttershy then go ahead. You two don't have to get up early.”

“I don't think I want to stay out much later either,” said Fluttershy.

“You mean you're not staying until closing time when Cruiser gets off?” teased Frost.

Fluttershy blushed and smiled but said nothing.

“I guess you're right,” said Windy with a sigh. “It has been fun though. We'll have to do this again.”

“Sure!” said Dash, “Not just here in Cloudsdale either, I'll bet we can get a little time to ourselves after shows and party all over Equestria.”

“I can hardly wait for your Baltimare show this year,” said Silver. “I can show you some great places there.”

“I'm sure you can,” said Windy. “I'm done with my mug. Let's go before I forget myself and order another.”

Rainbow Dash down the last of her cider. “Me too. Let's get flying.”

Frost finished her drink. “It was good to see you again Silver. If you're here after the show tomorrow, I'll try to stop by.”

“I will,” said Silver Tail, “I'm not heading back until Monday. I'll fly to Canterlot and take the train to Baltimare.”

Every pony ready?” asked Rainbow Dash.

The girls said goodnight to Silver Tail and headed towards the door. The club was far more crowded than it had been when they entered. It took them some time to squeeze through the crowd. Frost led the way followed by Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Windy Day. There was a line waiting to get in and they had to walk past it to find a clear space to take off. As they walked along, a young stallion recognized Rainbow Dash.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” he called, “are you leaving already?”

Rainbow Dash turned to see who it was. To her surprise it was Dumb Bell, a pony who had once been one of her chief tormentors as a filly. They had made up after the Best Young Fliers Competition but they weren't exactly friends.

“Hi, D.B.” said Dash, “yeah, we've been here for a while and I have to start training tomorrow.”

“That's too bad,” said D.B. “I mean, it's too bad that I didn't get here earlier, not that you have to start training.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I got it. You still at the Weather Factory?”

“Yeah,” said D.B. “and I'm doing okay I guess. Congratulations on making the Wonderbolts. You always said you would do it.”

“And you guys always said that I wouldn't,” countered Rainbow Dash.

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that,” said D.B. “I wish there was a way to take it all back. We were dopes.”

“Forget about it,” said Dash, “foals do dumb things. Buy me a cider the next time I'm in town and we'll call it even.”

“It's a deal,” said D.B. with a smile, “I'll... uh oh, I think your friend needs your help.”

As Rainbow Dash had been talking to Dumb Bell, Windy Day had been patiently waiting to move along. A stallion waiting in line with a few friends had slapped her with his tail. He used it like a whip and hit her just above her cutie mark. Windy instantly wheeled on the stallion who merely smiled at her.

Windy Day smiled back and walked slowly towards him until her muzzle was inches from his. “If you ever touch me again without my permission I will take you apart piece by piece. Understand?”

Her voice had the same cold, unfeeling tone that she used to use when she veiled her emotions but this was different. This voice was truly menacing. Fluttershy had seen the entire event and, after hearing Windy speak, tried to put herself between Windy and the stallion.

At this point Rainbow Dash entered the scene closely followed by Frost. “What's going on here?” asked Dash.

“This one slapped me with his tail,” answered Windy Day. “I was telling him how unwise that was.” She didn't budge or take her eyes off the stallion.

Fluttershy was pushing against Windyday to little effect. Frost walked around to the other side of Windy and glared at the stallion. The stallion looked at his friends who suddenly didn't seem to know him. He looked back at the four mares arrayed in front of him. He didn't know the yellow one with the pink mane but he did recognize Frost and knew about her. The rainbow haired one could only be one pony and her reputation was still alive in Cloudsdale even though she had left years before. He also knew that they were recent additions to the Wonderbolts which lead him to guess who the mare he had insulted was. He swallowed.

“I'm, uh, sorry,” he stammered, “I didn't mean anything by it.”

“Right,” said Frost, “well, it's up to Windyday here. How about it Windy? You want to let him live?”

Windy turned to look at Frost and then down at Fluttershy who was still pushing against her chest. She drew herself up as best she could in her angry and inebriated state and with one last glare at the stallion, turned and walked away.

“Your name must be 'Lucky',” said Rainbow Dash to the stallion, “just remember; you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.” She turned and followed Windy.

“Good thing for you that you picked on the nice one,” added Frost before following Dash.

The stallion breathed a sigh of relief but found Fluttershy staring at him. “That was very bad of you,” she said, “and it's no way to impress a mare. I'd better not catch you doing anything like that again, you got that?”

The stallion nodded rapidly as tears formed in his eyes. Fluttershy turned up her nose and followed her friends.

“Nice one Rainbow,” said D.B. as she was passing, “at least I didn't miss everything.” He offered her a hoof bump which Dash returned.

“See ya, D.B.” said Dash, “we might be around tomorrow night but I can't promise.”

“Goodnight, Rainbow Dash,” said Dumb Bell, “see you around.”

The four mares got to an open space and took wing. All were a little bit wobbly in flight until they got used to it. Fluttershy, by being more sober, found herself flying better than the new Wonderbolts. Fluttershy looked back and found that Windy was right behind her. She still looked angry. Fluttershy dropped back and flew beside her.

“Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy.

“I suppose so,” said Windyday. “Perhaps I overreacted a bit. I don't like loosing control like that. Nothing like that has happened to me since I was small.”

“I don't think you overreacted,” said Fluttershy. “What would Rainbow Dash or Frost have done?”

Windyday thought for a moment. “I think I know,” said Windyday. She smiled and that turned into a laugh. “I'm still disappointed in myself for my behavior. Maybe it was the cider.”

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy, “but you had every right to be mad. I was angry too and it wasn't me that got hit.”

“I'm glad you feel that way,” said Windy. “I guess maybe it's okay to feel anger if it's justified. At least I didn't get in a fight.”

“You should also feel good that you have friends who will watch out for you,” said Fluttershy.

Windy smiled. “Yes, that does feel good.” She tried to do a spin. She did the spin but it looked more like the effort of a fledgling pegasus than her usual perfect maneuver. She didn't care and began to laugh.

“Easy there Windy,” called Rainbow Dash, “no aerobatics over Cloudsdale.”

Frost laughed at this. “Oh right, you'd never do anything like that!”

Rainbow Dash joined her friend in laughing. “Seriously, let's just get Fluttershy to her hotel and then I want to get some sleep. We got lucky again Frosty; a night on the town with no fights and no police.”

“Let's not say that until we get home,” said Frost.

They arrived at Fluttershy's hotel and spiraled down to the cloud. After saying goodnight the three Wonderbolts headed back to the compound. By this time they were getting sleepy. Frost went to her room and Rainbow Dash and Windy went to her's. Windy took the bed and Rainbow Dash took the couch, not that there was much difference between them. Despite them both snoring loud enough to drown out a manticore's roar, they both slept until morning.

Chapter 66

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Chapter 66

Rainbow Dash awoke to the sound of humming. She wasn't fond of mornings so she ignored the sound and kept her eyes closed. As her brain slowly engaged, she put together where she was and what she had to do. She raised her head and looked around the room. Windyday was in the bathroom and it was her doing the humming. Presently, Windy returned to the room.

“Good morning,” said Windy. “I'm up a little early. You have more than half an hour until breakfast.”

“Ugh, a morning pony,” said Rainbow Dash. She rolled over and closed her eyes. Seeing Windy, clean, perfectly groomed and humming around the room was too much for her first thing in the morning.

Dash was awake now and after a few minutes she stretched and began her own morning ritual. After returning from the bathroom, Rainbow Dash felt more herself and was ready to face the day or at least breakfast.

“You're obviously feeling good this morning,” said Dash to Windy.

“I feel great,” said Windy. “How about you?”

“No worse than usual,” replied Dash. “Let's head to breakfast, I'm hungry.”

“In a minute,” said Windy, “first you need a brushing.”

Dash smiled. “Alright, I probably do. I don't know how you manage to look like you just came out of a beauty parlor all the time. And you do it by yourself too.”

“A lot of practice,” said Windy as she started to brush Dash's mane. “Your mane looks good naturally but it's better when you get the tangles out.”

“I feel better after a brushing,” said Dash. “I don't mean that my mane feels better, I feel better inside.”

“You aren't like me,” said Windy, “you have friends in Ponyville. Couldn't you get one of them to do it?”

“When I moved there I didn't know any pony except for Fluttershy and she's all the way across town,” said Dash. “It took me a while to make some friends and I live alone anyway. I guess I could bug one of them every day but I usually just don't bother.”

“Lay your tail on the bed and I'll show you a grooming trick,” said Windy.

Rainbow Dash did as Windy asked and Windy went to work. “If you spread it out like this it's a little easier to work out the tangles. Of course, if you're doing it alone you'll have to curl up but it still works.”

“Neat,” said Dash, “thanks, Windy.”

Windyday smiled and finished combing out Dash's tail. “There! Now you look presentable. Let's get some breakfast.”

“I'm right with you,” said Dash. “Let's see if Frosty's up.”

They walked into the hallway and started towards Frost's room. They were almost there when the door opened and Frost appeared. She looked much like Rainbow Dash had looked after she first awoke.

“Hi,” mumbled Frost.

“You okay?” asked Dash.

“Yeah,” said Frost, “I just woke up a few minutes ago and realized I was running late.”

“Windy woke me up,” said Dash. “I would have slept an hour or two more myself.”

“It's a good thing that at least one of us gets up with Celestia,” said Windy. “You two seem to be more in tune with Luna.”

Rainbow Dash laughed and Frost managed a grin. The three of them headed down to the dining hall. The courtyard was nearly empty. Two Wonderbolts, Blaze and Fire Streak, were entering the dining hall and one of the support ponies was heading that way.

Food was laid out on a single long table. Apparently there were not a lot of ponies to serve on weekends. The three friends found seats and began eating. They were finishing up their meal when Spitfire entered and joined them.

“You all look ready for a good days training,” Spitfire said. “Glad to see you didn't overdo it last night....and that you managed to stay out of trouble.”

“More or less,” said Dash with a grin. Windy and Frost snickered.

“Should I even ask what you three did last night?” said Spitfire.

“We went out to a club,” said Frost, “Stratos, do you know it?”

“Sure,” said Spitfire, “I've been there a few times. Not a bad place. I've seen it get a little rough sometimes though.”

“It's a club for pegasi,” replied Frost, “of course it can get a little rough. We had a good time. A few drinks, sang a little karaoke, danced and we didn't get in any fights.”

“Almost,” said Rainbow Dash, “but not quite.”

Windyday swallowed a bite of food. “It isn't really worth talking about,” she said.

“What did you do Rainbow Dash?” asked Spitfire. “Or was it you, Frost?”

“Why does everypony think I'm the one that always starts something?” said Dash.

“Past performance,” said Frost slyly.

“You're one to talk,” replied Dash. “All I did was get a guy drunk.”

“So what did you do, Frost?” said Spitfire.

“Nothing,” said Frost.

Spitfire looked at Windyday. “Oh no, not you. I can't believe that you would start trouble.”

“I didn't start any trouble,” replied Windy, “but I did finish it. It didn't come down to fighting though.”

“Ah!” said Spitfire, “that's much different. What happened?”

Windy briefly told Spitfire about the incident outside the club. Spitfire became angry as the story was told. Blaze and Fire Streak stopped eating and listened in. Neither of them looked very pleased either.

“If that had been me, I'd have beaten him until he begged,” said Spitfire. “You acted with a lot of restraint, Windy. All of you did, really. At least I didn't have to go bail you out this morning.”

“We should get going if we're going to get to the practice area by nine,” said Dash.

“You're not going there at nine,” said Spitfire as she helped herself to some fruit. “Immelmane wants to go over your routine first. We'll go over to the big hall as soon as I get a little breakfast.”

The three young Wonderbolts proceeded to give Spitfire a run down on their entire evening. The ponies were all in a good mood after that and Rainbow Dash decided to broach another subject.

“Windy, Frost,” began Dash, “my friend Rarity gave me a little idea the other day. Tell me what you think of it. She wants me to do some advertizing for her and we came up with the idea of selling calendars and posters at the shops that carry her designs. I told her I'd ask you two and Firewing if you wanted to do it. We'd split the profits evenly between us. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Frost, “especially if she'll give me a deal on some clothes.”

“Sure,” said Windyday, “if I'm going to do an endorsement I may as well do it for some pony I trust.”

“Are you going to ask the rest of the Wonderbolts or just us three?” asked Frost.

“I don't know what Rarity would say about it,” said Dash. “Originally we just talked about us three and Firewing. I guess she'd be okay with the rest of the team being in on it. I don't see why she wouldn't. It's fine with me.”

Spitfire, Blaze and Fire Streak listened to this conversation and looked at one another. Spitfire decided to step in.

“That's very generous of you, Rainbow Dash,” said Spitfire. “You do realize that your share will be much less if the whole team is involved, don't you?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “but I'll still be making some bits and it might help Rarity too. After all, you and the rest team are well known and we're not.”

“Excuse me,” said Fire Streak, “are you going to want us guys to do this too or is it just for mares?”

“Rarity mostly does designs for mares,” replied Rainbow Dash, “but she's done some things for guys too. The flight suits she's doing for the Golden Sun team are for mares and stallions.”

“You want to pose for a calendar?” asked Spitfire. “Isn't your thing vitamin supplements and stuff like that?”

“Sure,” said Fire Streak, “but I'm willing to give it a shot. There's plenty of mares out there that want to see a handsome stallion.”

“That's true,” said Spitfire, “do you know any?”

The mares all laughed while Fire Streak planted a hoof on his forehead. “Guess I walked right into that one,” he said.

“Okay, how about this?” said Rainbow Dash. “I'll put a sign up sheet somewhere and any Wonderbolt that wants in can sign up. The shoot will be in Ponyville because Rarity wants to get her shop in some of the pictures.”

“Okay, do that,” said Spitfire, “but put in something about it being tentative until your friend Rarity agrees.”

“Sure, Spitfire,” said Dash, “that sounds like a good idea.”

“I'm going over to the hall now,” said Dash, “I can't wait to get started.”

“I remember being that gung ho,” said Blaze. “I might pop out this afternoon to watch you fly. I was out of town when you did your try out routine. I want to see if you're as good as what I've been hearing.”

“Sure I am,” said Dash, “come on out and see for yourself.”

“You're pretty cocky for a newbie,” said Blaze. “Are you always like this?”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, Windyday and Frost together.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and got up. “I'll see you at the practice area, unless you want to see me get lectured by Mr. Immelmane.”

“I'm coming with you,” said Spitfire. “I told you that I'd be critiquing your routine. I should have some idea of what to look for.”

“I'll see you at practice,” said Frost. “I need to get into my flight suit anyway.” Frost was not interested in sitting and listening to a lecture, not even if it was by a great instructor and for her friend.

“I think I'll go with you, Dash,” said Windy Day. “I want to see what you've come up with now.”

Spitfire, Windy and Rainbow Dash left and headed for the hall. Upon entering, they found Immelmane diagramming Dash's routine on a chalk board. He glanced at them as they entered and continued to work. He took some time to consult some notes on a table and at last addressed the three mares seated in the front row.

“Good morning,” Immelmane said, “You all look very chipper this morning. I'll admit I was worried that you might have stayed out too late last night. Is Frost up yet?”

“Yes,” replied Spitfire, “she's was going to change into her flight suit when we left the dining hall.”

Immelmane sighed. “Very well, she doesn't have to be here but I thought she might want to listen in,” he said. “She isn't much for class work, is she?”

“Not since I've known her,” said Dash with a laugh, “she's more of a hooves on type of pony.”

“She wasn't one of my students,” said Immelmane, “but I do remember her being in trouble for cutting classes. It got so bad they started having teachers escort her from room to room. Well, let's get started shall we?”

Immelmane went to the chalkboard. “Rainbow Dash, your routine will start after the team does their fly by. It's fairly quick and there are only a few maneuvers. After the initial fly by they will gain altitude and set off some fireworks before returning to near ground level where they will pass in review in front of the Princesses. After the review the team will circle the field and do a trick landing in front of the royal box. They will then bow and take their seats.”

Immelmane pointed to a crude map he had drawn on the chalkboard. “This is a rough idea of what the field looks like. During the fly by you will be on the far side of the field. When you see the team land, you take off. I want you to take your time gaining altitude. It will take some time for the applause to die down and the team to get to their seats so there's no reason to hurry. Slowly circle and work your way towards the Princesses. Try to time it so that you reach optimum altitude a half circle before you would be in front of them. At this point the announcer will introduce you and there will be some drum rolls or something until you near the crowd. Then your real music will start and you'll go into your routine.”

Immelmane looked at Rainbow Dash. “You're not taking notes.”

“You have my notebook,” said Dash.

“Ah, yes, so I do,” said Immelmane. “I'm afraid I shall need it for a bit longer. Here, take some paper and pencil. Just write down the bits that aren't in your notes.”

Rainbow Dash did as Immelmane asked and returned to her seat. Immelmane flipped the chalkboard. The opposite side was covered with squiggly lines and numbers that represented Dash's routine.

“I liked the way you started your show,” said Immelmane, “of course I didn't include the part where you gained altitude. Now, you'll need to gather speed before you go into your first move so I want you to dive first...”

For the next twenty minutes Immelmane reviewed and explained to Rainbow Dash what he wanted from her routine. It contained many minor changes and the insertion of some sky dancing moves that Dash hadn't even done yet. Rainbow Dash had to stop him a few times so she could keep up with her notes. Even with the changes, most of what Immelmane covered was what Rainbow Dash had developed herself. Immelmane's real skill was in giving her places to rest and in putting her into the best position for the audience to view her stunts.

“I took out a few of your harder moves,” continued Immelmane, “there's no way you could keep up your speed for ten minutes and still have it look good.”

Rainbow Dash looked Immelmane in the eye and raised one eyebrow. “Really?”

“Are you saying you can?” asked Immelmane.

“I did that long routine in fifteen minutes at full speed,” said Dash. “I tried it again going slower and stretched it out to about eighteen. Razor and Sunrise watched me and told me I was doing okay except near the end. I'm pretty sure I can do ten minutes.”

“Can I see the routine?” asked Spitfire.

Immelmane got Dash's notebook and passed it to the team leader. Windy Day moved behind Spitfire so she could read over her shoulder. Spitfire looked through the notebook. She was baffled by some of the tricks because Dash had named them herself. Some actually had other names while others were her own creations. As Spitfire and Windy were reading, Immelmane argued with Rainbow Dash.

“I know you think that you can do anything,” said Immelmane, “but you want to look good doing it too.”

“Of course I do,” replied Dash, “and I'm not saying you're wrong in adjusting my routine. Just give me a little credit for knowing what I can do. I want to perform at my very best.”

“Alright,” said Immelmane, “we'll head out to the practice area soon and see how you do. If you can do more than I expect, then I'll learn to expect more from you.” Immelmane smiled.

“Fair enough,” said Dash, “besides, I don't want to give away all my tricks in my first show.”

Immelmane laughed. “I suppose not,” he said, “but considering what I've read from your notebook, I don't think there's any danger of that.”

“What's that one, Spitfire?” asked Windyday.

“I have no idea,” replied Spitfire.

“There's a list of tricks in the front with a description,” said Dash.

Spitfire flipped through the notebook and found the trick. “Triple flip roll... Three end over end flips while performing a roll,” said Spitfire. “Pretty self explanatory but I have no idea how to do it.”

“It's pretty hard,” said Dash, “and even harder to make it look good. It's why I didn't include it in my try out routine. I've been working on it. It's getting good enough to use, and I have some time to practice.”

“Let's get going,” said Immelmane. “We'll head to the practice area and have you dance with Frost first. Then I want to give you another sky dance to work on. After that we'll break for lunch.”

Immelmane led them outside where they found his litter with it's compliment of support ponies waiting. Spitfire, Rainbow Dash and Windy took wing and flew to the training area where they found Frost dozing on a cloud she had hauled down near the ground. Any thoughts of playing a prank on her vanished as she awoke when they landed. She yawned and stretched.

“About time you got here,” Frost said. “I was getting bored.”

“You were getting some sleep,” corrected Spitfire. “You could have been practicing your sky dancing, you know.”

“I've been practicing every day,” replied Frost. “I'm getting better too.”

“Go ahead and get warmed up,” said Spitfire. “Immel will be here soon and you and Dash will start with the sky dance you've been doing.”

Frost and Rainbow Dash hopped into the air and began to slowly circle climb. Every now and then they would do a simple spin or roll to get warmed up. They flew close to one another so that they could talk.

“So you've really been practicing?” said Dash.

“Sure,” said Frost, “I couldn't avoid it. I've been practicing dancing more than the stunts. You were right about one thing; once you do it right the first time it gets easier.”

“Good,” said Dash, “I was lucky to have Fluttershy around. Wait until you fly with her. She is sooo slow but she does it right.”

“Yeah, great,” said Frost, “I'll let you in on a little secret Dashie, I might have to learn this stuff but I'm never going to enjoy it. I'm going to take advantage of this week in Ponyville and really stretch my wings.”

Dash laughed. “We'll have plenty of time for that. I've been really busy with everything but I've been flying every night, well almost every night. I work on my routine and then just cut loose until I can't fly anymore.”

“By yourself?” said Frost. “Doesn't sound like much fun.”

“I'm used to flying alone,” said Dash. “No pony can keep up with me anyway.”

“Oh poor Dashie,” mocked Frost, “it's so lonely at the top.”

Dash laughed again and did a roll over Frost. “I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this week, Frosty. You had your team with you all the time and after you made the Wonderbolts you had great ponies to fly with. I've hardly had any pegasus friends around since I quit the weather team. Having you and Windy and Firewing around is going to be great. Fluttershy is a great friend and all but she isn't like us.”

Immelmane arrived and Frost and Rainbow Dash landed. It took a few minutes to set up the music equipment so Frost and Dash did a walk through on the sky dance. Immelmane watched them and when they were through Immelmane called Rainbow Dash over and gave her a practice suit to wear. Dash hurriedly donned it and she and Frost stood awaiting instructions.

“I want you to do three verses of dancing to this song,” said Immelmane. “There will be four verses total and you'll use the first one to gain altitude and get lined up. All ready?”

Dash and Frost nodded and prepared to take off. The music started and the two pegasi took to the air. They circled away from each other and slowly gained altitude. Frost pointed to Dash and nodded. Dash nodded back and tapped her chest indicating that she knew Frost planned to guide off of her. As the first verse came to a close, Frost and Dash flew slowly towards one another and began the dance.

Dash and Frost put on a credible performance. There were a few bobbles but they were fairly synchronized and they stayed in time with the music. The returned to stand in front of Immelmane and Spitfire.

Spitfire was the first to speak. “That wasn't completely horrible. Much better than last week anyway. Frost, there might be hope for you yet.”

“It was much better,” agreed Immelmane. “I'm less concerned about you doing a great performance than I am with getting you to learn to fly with the music and slow down. I was looking at how you did in performing the individual moves too. You both did pretty well but they could certainly look better. Let's try it again.”

Frost and Rainbow Dash took to air once more and did the dance again. And again. And again. And again. After the sixth time both Frost and Rainbow Dash were ready for a break but it was not to be. Immelmane and Spitfire both critiqued their dancing after each try. It seemed to the two performers that they barely seemed to solve one problem before they faced a new one. After ten attempts the morning was wearing away and they seemed no nearer to getting the dance right. At last Immelmane allowed them a break.

Frost and Rainbow Dash gratefully drank the water offered to them by the support ponies. They were tired and discouraged. Windyday came over and sat next to them.

“I think I'm beginning to understand why you hate this so much, Frosty,” said Rainbow Dash quietly.

Frost snorted out a grim laugh. “I thought we were doing pretty good up there,” she said. “I guess I was wrong.”

“You're not wrong,” said Windyday, “you both were pretty good. The things that Spitfire and Immelmane were criticizing were minor nuances, not glaring errors. You are real close to looking like sky dancers. I mean that as in high level amateurs.”

“Are you saying we're getting close to your level or Firewing's?” asked Dash.

“Well, no,” said Windy, “but I've been doing this for years and Firewing is professional level, in my opinion. You're not going to get that in a week or two no matter how good of a flier you are.”

“Then why are they pushing so hard?” asked Frost.

“By doing it repeatedly a couple of things happen,” said Windy. “First, it trains your body to react without as much thought on your part. Also, as you get tired you start to loosen up a little bit. I could see it in your last couple of dances. You were starting to flow.”

“I'm not tired,” said Dash, “I'm just getting frustrated. It's good to know we're getting better though.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “I appreciate that, Windy.”

“Glad to help,” said Windy. She smiled. “Maybe I can help a little more.” Windy got up and walked over to Spitfire.

“Excuse me, Spitfire,” said Windy, “do you think you could do that dance with me? Maybe watching it would help them out.”

Spitfire frowned. “I don't know if it's a good idea. They're coming along well enough, I think. I'm not going to tell them that though.”

“Why not?” asked Windyday.

“Because I want them to work harder,” said Spitfire. “I also don't want to give them a much longer break. Immelmane, could you come here a minute.”

Immelmane joined the two mares. “Yes? What is it?”

“Windy just asked if she could dance with me so that Frost and Dash could watch,” said Spitfire. “What do you think?”

Immelmane thought for a moment. “Go ahead if you want to but make it quick. I want them to do a few more and we still have to get them started on the next dance.”

Spitfire stretched. “Alright Windy,” she said, “get in the air I'll be right with you.”

Windy took off and Spitfire flew over to the pony operating the music and gave him some instructions.
Spitfire then took off. Rainbow Dash and Frost stood and began watching them.

The music started when Spitfire waved to the ground crew and the pair started to dance. They danced the full four verses while Frost and Dash watched. The team Captain and Windy then landed in front of the two watchers.

“What is your opinion of our little dance?” asked Spitfire. “I critiqued you so it's only fair that you do the same on us.”

“It looked great,” said Dash, “I never saw you fly like that, Spitfire. You're as good as Firewing! And Windy, I know you're probably tired of hearing this but I expected you to look perfect and you were.”

Frost just shook her head. “I don't know how you could look that great with no practice. You've never danced with each other, have you? I didn't see anything that I could say was wrong.”

Spitfire and Windy both laughed.

“Thank you,” said Spitfire, “but it wasn't perfect. At least I wasn't. If we were competing we would have had a few points knocked off. We did alright.”

“I don't get tired of hearing that, Dash,” said Windy, “but Spitfire is right, I wasn't perfect. We were off slightly a couple of times. I felt I got the moves down satisfactorily.”

Immelmane had joined the mares. “If you two can show me a performance like that, we'll break early for lunch,” he said. “Back in the air you two.”

It took Frost and Dash two dances to start to look as good as they had previously. The third one, however, was far better than any they had done thus far. When they landed even Immelmane and Spitfire applauded.

“Very nice,” said Immelmane, “You see? You can do this. Spitfire is going to show you the next dance and then we'll break for lunch. Here, take these copies so you can follow along. I'll name the movements as she performs so keep your eyes on her as much as you can.”

“Can I get something to take notes?” asked Dash.

“There's no need,” said Immelmane. “Windy and Firewing both know all the moves, probably the whole dance in order for that matter. This is just a demonstration. You can work on it a bit this week but concentrate on learning the Wonderbolt routine and on your own act. This is just something to work on for the future.”

Spitfire took off and climbed to a low altitude. The music started and she began her dance. As well as being somewhat longer than the dance Frost and Dash had been doing, there were several new moves and it was more complicated. Frost started to smile. This looked a lot more challenging to her and a that meant fun.

The music came to an end and Spitfire landed. Immelmane thanked her and turned to face the others.

“Windyday, are you familiar with this dance?” asked Immelmane.

“Yes,” said Windy, “it's the first movement of Unicorn Dream. I've flown it.”

“The whole thing?” asked Spitfire.

“Yes,” said Windy, wondering what the fuss was about. “I was in a class when I was about twelve or so. We put on a show at the end. I played Distant Thunder.”

Immelmane looked at Spitfire. “I'm going to give up being surprised by these ponies,” he said.

“What are you talking about?” asked Frost.

“Yeah,” said Dash, “that was a really cool dance. It looks like a lot more fun than the other one but I've never heard of Unicorn Dream.”

“Unicorn Dream is a ballet,” answered Spitfire, “a rather long ballet. The part Windy played was one of the principal characters. I can't imagine a group of twelve year old's doing it.”

“The rest of the cast was older,” said Windy. “I was the youngest. Most of the cast were in their late teens. I was tall for my age so I could pull it off. Distant Thunder was one of the younger characters after all.”

Immelmane shook his head. “Well, we can talk about this later. Break for lunch and be back here at one. Frost you're off for the rest of the day. If you want to come back this afternoon, you're welcome of course.”

“That sounds good to me,” said Frost. “I need some time this afternoon though. I have to deliver a flight suit to Razor. They'll be practicing from one until three. I have to find out what time they're doing the try outs for the team tomorrow too. I'm judging. I guess it will be my last act with them.”

“Certainly, Frost,” said Immelmane, “go ahead and enjoy your time off. If you do get back in time you may want to see Rainbow's routine. It should be interesting.”

“Sure,” said Frost, “I probably will. I doubt this will take all afternoon.”

“Come on,” said Dash, “all that flying made me hungry.”

They took off for the dining hall which slowly turned into a race between Dash, Frost and Spitfire. Windyday flew at a brisk pace but didn't try to beat the others. This time Spitfire did manage to win due to the fact that Frost and Rainbow Dash were both about done in from their practice. They landed, out of breath, in front of the dining hall.

“Looks like I finally found a way to beat you,” said Spitfire to Rainbow Dash. “All I have to do is stay fresh and make you work for a few hours.”

“So that's why you and Immelmane were so hard on us this morning,” said Frost.

“No,” said Spitfire, “we were hard on you because you needed the work. You two have the talent, we just had to bring it out.”

“I just hope I have enough left to do my routine this afternoon,” said Dash. “I have to fuel up.”

Rainbow Dash did manage to beat the rest of the ponies into the dining hall. Frost and Rainbow Dash ate ravenously while Spitfire and Windy were more restrained. When she was through, Frost arose.

“I have to go get cleaned up,” she said. “I'll see you later. Have a good practice, Dash.”

“See ya Frosty,” replied Dash. She wasn't really in the mood for her friend's attempt at humor. She had the feeling that the afternoon was going to be brutal.

After lunch Rainbow Dash immediately returned to the practice field. Immelmane was still there, eating a sandwich. She waved to him and flew up onto a cloud in order to get some rest. She still had a hour so she put it to good use by taking a nap.

Windyday roused Rainbow Dash gently. “It's almost time to start,”she said. “No hurry, you still have a few minutes. Feeling better?”

Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched. “I guess so,” she said. “I think I'll fly around a little and get loosened up.”

Rainbow Dash took off and Windyday joined her. Dash flew gently at first but as her muscles got warmed up she started to speed up and did a few simple tricks. Windyday followed in her wake in a game of follow the leader. They flew down and landed in front of Immelmane. Spitfire had yet to return.

“It looks like you're all ready,” said Immelmane. “As soon as Spitfire gets here we'll start. First of all, I want you to do your routine the way you've been practicing it. Do whatever version you'd like. I don't know how you can do that many tricks in that short a time but I'd like to see it. I know I'll still need to trim it down and add some spots where you can rest but perhaps not as much as I thought.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “you shouldn't have to do much. I can get them all in and they'll look good too.”

“I'll reserve judgment,” said Immelmane. “I think I see Spitfire coming.”

Windy looked towards Cloudsdale. “Yes,” said Windy, “that's her. Dash? Can you really keep up that speed for that long? I've read through your routine and I can't see how anypony could do it in under fifteen minutes.”

“Like I said, Windy,” replied Dash, “I was doing the long routine in about eighteen. That's the one that really needs the work. This ten minute one shouldn't be a problem.”

“And you can keep everything as crisp as you did at the tryouts?” asked Windy.

Dash smiled. “I hope so,” she said. “I'm a little tired right now though. I'll give it my best shot.”

Immelmane listened to this exchange but said nothing. He didn't believe for one second that Rainbow Dash could do her routine that fast and still have it look good. He knew that she was fast and that she was capable of doing the maneuvers as well as the best aerialists but to combine the two was just impossible. He smiled. 'Of course Rainbow Dash has already done the impossible twice,' he thought to himself.

Spitfire landed. “Sorry I'm late,” she said, “I had a little unexpected business. That shipment of food that was to be here yesterday just arrived. I flew down and did a count of it and found Soarin. He'll make sure it gets checked in properly.”

“Very well,” said Immelmane. “Rainbow Dash, we await your pleasure. Climb to altitude and we'll start timing you as soon as you do your first trick. We will represent your audience, in this case the royal box at the field in Canterlot.”

Dash nodded. She went to her small bag that she had brought with her that morning and put on her goggles. Once adjusted, she took off. She circled until she got into position and then accelerated rapidly. She made a guess at what would be a good distance to start and went into her routine.

The routine was slightly slower than the much shorter one that she had done in the tryouts but it was still very fast. The routine was mostly a back and forth demonstration in front of the audience but there were a few points where she flew at an angle or towards the the watchers on the ground. Immelmane made a few notes. After five minutes, Spitfire spoke up.

“She's about half way through and very close on the time,” said Spitfire. “Her moves look very good too.”

“Yes,” agreed Immelmane, “but we'll have to see if she can keep it up. There are some things I want to change but this is the core of a very good show.”

“I saw a few minor things that I'd change so the audience can see some moves better but that's all,” said Spitfire. She glanced at the written routine and then at her stop watch. “Still on time, maybe even a little ahead.”

Windyday watched Rainbow Dash with a smile on her face. She was amazed by the show and even her critical eye could see little wrong with it. She half listened to Spitfire and Immelmane but her main focus was on Rainbow Dash. Even so, she was picking up on the choreography that they were talking about. Such information from two ponies like Immelmane and Spitfire was a treat for her.

The routine was nearing the end and Rainbow Dash was showing no sign of slowing down. There was also no drop in the quality of her maneuvers. They were still crisp and precise. At last Rainbow Dash came in for her landing. She did a roll and went into a tall oval loop. As she came back to the bottom of the loop she pulled up, twisted and dropped towards the ground. At the last moment she performed a very tight loop and flared her wings. She dropped gently to the ground and bowed.

“Nine minutes and thirty-eight seconds,” said Spitfire. She shook her head.

Dash trotted over to the little group. She couldn't speak because she was out of breath but she had a smile on her face.

“Very good show,” said Immelmane, “There are a few things we need to change but not much. I am going to slow you down in a few places so a few tricks will be lost. Frost was right when she said you need to slow down so she could see what you're doing. We have to give the audience a chance to catch their breath even if you don't have to.” He gave a chuckle.

“I don't know how you did it but as far as I'm concerned all you need to do is work on some things to allow the audience to see you better,” said Spitfire. “I think I'd change the landing so that you end facing the audience instead of a side view, for instance.”

“Yes,” said Immelmane, “I didn't like it either. I think you're right about having her end facing the audience. She does that landing very well and it's a beautiful move but it just doesn't cap off the show.”

“It would work if she could end it facing the audience even though it doesn't look as good head on,” said Spitfire.

As Immelmane and Spitfire were discussing her show, Rainbow Dash was recovering from her exertions and was also becoming a bit irritated. They seemed to be talking about her as if she wasn't even there. She listened to them discuss the possible adjustments which became more and more complicated as the two leaders moved three and four moves back into her routine in order to get a head on landing. Rainbow Dash ignored them and began to think of a way to do it herself. It didn't take her long to come up with a solution.

“I think I know how to fix it,” said Dash.

Immelmane and Spitfire were concentrating on each other so much that they didn't even hear her. Dash became more agitated. She repeated herself and still failed to get a response. Windyday came over to her.

“What did you come up with?” asked Windy.

“I'm just going to change the ending,” replied Dash. “They're making this way too hard. There's an old move called cutting the cube that I can use to change direction.”

“Huh?” said Windyday. She had no idea what 'cutting the cube' meant.

“You know,” said Dash, “cut across the cube from lower right point to top left. I can show them if I can get them to pay attention to me.”

“I kind of get it,” said Windy, “but I've never heard that term.”

“Excuse me,” said Rainbow Dash in a louder voice.

There was still no reaction as Spitfire and Immelmane were diagramming a move with their hooves in the grass.

Rainbow Dash abruptly lost her patience. Putting hooves to her mouth, she gave a piercing whistle. Spitfire and Immelmane jumped and looked towards her.

“Ah, you wanted to say something, Rainbow Dash?” said Immelmane.

“I said I think I can fix it,” said Dash. “I can fix the ending and I won't have to modify anything else.”

Spitfire and Immelmane looked at one another. They knew that Dash thought in very different terms than most pegasi and were willing to give her idea a try.

“What are you going to do?” asked Spitfire.

“There's a move I learned while I still lived in Cloudsdale,” said Dash. “All I have to do is cut the cube and go into a climbing barrel roll, go inverted, bank around and dive into the smaller loop. I'll land right in front of the audience head on.”

“Care to explain what 'cutting the cube' means?” said Spitfire.

“You don't know either?” said Dash in surprise. “There must be some fancy name for it that I don't know. Anyway, picture your flight space as a cube. Cutting the cube means going from one corner to another across the center of the cube. Lower right front to top left rear for instance.”

“And how is this going to help you change direction?” asked Immelmane.

“I'll show you,” said Dash. She adjusted her goggles and took off.

Dash climbed and positioned herself where the final trick before her landing would leave her. She rose slightly and dove. She neared the point where she would have gone into a loop but instead she banked hard and pulled up into a climbing roll taking a line that climbed diagonally upward and back. She rolled three times and on the apex of the third roll she broke from the roll upside down went into another banking turn. As she turned, she allowed herself to start dropping into a dive. She did a small tight loop just above the ground and landed the same way she had originally. She bowed to finish the show.

“How's that?” asked Dash as she trotted up to Immelmane and Spitfire.

“That,” began Immelmane, “that will do nicely. Another signature move for Rainbow Dash.”

“Er, not really,” said Dash, “I learned that one from Frosty. A few of the ponies from her crowd used to do it. It's fun. The feeling you get in those banks is great. You should try...” Rainbow Dash stopped herself. “Sorry, I wasn't thinking. I'm so used to talking to you about flying that I just forget sometimes.”

Immelmane looked at his protege who was hanging her head. “Good,” he said, “I'm glad that you do.”

Rainbow raised her head and saw that Immelmane was smiling at her. She smiled back.

“I think I'll try that move while you rest,” said Windyday. Without waiting for a reply, she took off and began practicing the maneuver.

“I wonder if we could do that in a formation,” said Spitfire. “I think it could look good.”

“I agree,” said Immelmane. “We'll have to try it out sometime.”

“If Windy gets it down, and she probably will, maybe she could fly with Frost and me this afternoon,” suggested Dash. “We could fly as a group. I'll bet we could do that move as a formation.”

“What about me?” asked Spitfire. “Don't you think I'm good enough?”

“Oh, sure Spitfire,” said Dash, “I just thought you would want to watch.”

“I still like to fly,” replied Spitfire. “I think I'll practice that move while you and Immelmane go over your routine.” With that, Spitfire joined Windyday in the air.

“I think we'll do as Spitfire suggested,” said Immelmane. “Let's sit down over here and discuss your routine.”

Immelmane gave Rainbow Dash her notebook back and they started discussing her show. Immelmane was pleased with the routine as a whole but wanted changes. At first, Rainbow Dash wasn't very happy about this and looked disappointed and irritated but as she listened to Immelmane she realized what he was trying to do. He wanted her routine to be more than just blazing speed and wild tricks. He wanted her to do a real performance, something ponies would pay to see again and again. He removed or shortened five of her stunts and replaced them with slower sky dancing moves.

“Now we come to an issue that I haven't talked to you about yet,” said Immelmane. “It is also something that I can't help you with very much. It has to do with style. Other ponies can tell you various movements that can help you but I'm afraid it's something that you either have or you don't.”

“And I don't have it?” said Rainbow Dash.

“I don't know yet,” replied Immelmane. “Obviously I think you might or I wouldn't have picked you for the solo position. Let me explain. You've seen Windyday and Firewing both perform. Which one has the best style? Which one is the more enjoyable to watch?”

“Nothing against Windyday,” said Dash, “because she's an awesome flier but Firewing looks better and it isn't something that I can really put my hoof on.”

Immelmane chuckled. “Not easy, is it?” he said. “Firewing has style. Windyday has improved dramatically since the she first came here. Before she was doing the movements but they were just another part of her routine to her. It wasn't something she felt inside and that came through when she performed. If she hadn't changed in the days before her solo performance she may not have been our first choice.”

“So who would have been your first choice?” asked Dash.

“I don't know for sure,” said Immelmane. “There would have been quite an argument about that I can assure you. Let's get back to the topic. Windyday is perfect for formation flying but you are up there alone. The audience's eyes will be focused on you. You have to learn to flow with the music. You have to learn the little things that turn a good routine into something memorable, something spectacular. A raised hoof, a swish of your tail, the position of your head, the expression on your face can all help this happen.”

“I didn't even think about that,” admitted Dash. “I thought I just flew the way I flew and that was it. Same with Windy and Firewing. This might be tough.”

“Maybe,” said Immelmane, “but I wouldn't have picked you if I didn't think you could do it. You'll have to find your style. I suspect your style is on the wild side, dynamic, aggressive and out of the ordinary. I want you to practice with it in mind and we'll work on it next week. Today and tomorrow we'll just work on the nuts and bolts of your routine.”

“Alright,” said Rainbow Dash, “at least that's something I know I can do.”

“Good,” said Immelmane, “now let's get started and go over your routine with the changes.”

Immelmane was about to say more when he was distracted by Windyday flying away from the practice area. Rainbow Dash followed his gaze and saw Windy flying towards two ponies approaching in the distance. It was Soarin flying as an escort for Fluttershy. Windy banked around and joined them.

Soarin, Windy and Fluttershy landed in front of Immelmane and Rainbow Dash and Spitfire flew down to join them.

“Good afternoon all,” said Soarin, “I found this pony at the gate when I got back from getting our supplies delivered. I couldn't let such a lovely mare fly out here on her own so I thought I'd keep her company.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as Fluttershy smiled and blushed furiously. Windy laughed and Spitfire took a few steps forward.

“How chivalrous,” said Spitfire sarcastically. “Decided to come see Rainbow's routine instead of stuffing your face and napping?”

“I don't see much practicing,” replied Soarin. “All I saw was you and Windy goofing off while Dash sits on her butt talking to Immel.”

“We weren't goofing off,” said Spitfire. “We were practicing a new move that Dash just showed us.”

“Oh?” said Soarin, “I'm always interested in learning a new move.”

“Even when it doesn't involve a way to pick up a mare?” asked Spitfire.

This got a laugh from all the ponies. Soarin did his best to maintain his dignity.

“I don't need that sort of thing,” said Soarin. “My natural charm and good looks are enough.”

“Oh yes,” replied Spitfire, putting a hoof to her forehead, “we're all just swooning in your presence.”

Immelmane saved Soarin from anymore of Spitfire's banter by ordering everypony back to work. “Spitfire, Windy, have Fluttershy show you how well she dances and, if she's progressed far enough, teach her the new dance I want Frost and Rainbow Dash to learn.”

With the rest of the ponies out of the way, Immelmane and Rainbow Dash returned to their work. After making some adjustments and doing a rewrite of the entire routine Immelmane had Dash do a walk through.

As Dash and Immelmane worked out the kinks in her act, Fluttershy demonstrated her dance to Spitfire. Windyday and Soarin joined her in watching Fluttershy's show.

“She's doing quite well,” said Windy. “It's hard to believe she's only been at this for a couple of weeks.”

“I suppose so,” said Soarin, “strange that she didn't start earlier. I know this dance from when I was little.”

“Why don't you join her for her next try?” suggested Spitfire. “I'd like to see her dance with a partner too.”

“Alright, I will,” said Soarin.

The music ended and Fluttershy landed. Windyday was the first to congratulate her.

“You looked very good up there, Fluttershy,” said Windy. “you've really made progress.”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, “do you think you could dance like that with a partner?”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, “I've danced with Rainbow Dash and Firewing.”

“Good, Soarin will be your partner,” said Spitfire. “Windyday and I are going to teach you a new dance first and then you can have a dance with him.”

“Oh, that would be great,” said Fluttershy nervously.

Spitfire eyed her curiously for a moment, unable to tell if the nervous tone was due to having to dance with Soarin or about learning a more difficult dance. One thing was for sure, this pony was as unlike Rainbow Dash as possible. Spitfire nodded to Windyday and they took off.

Soarin and Fluttershy watched the two mares demonstrate their dance while Rainbow Dash and Immelmane worked on her routine. After she had seen the dance a few times, Fluttershy joined Windyday in the sky and Spitfire watched from the ground. Soarin walked over to talk to Spitfire.

“She is a pretty good dancer,” said Soarin. “And she'll be helping our new Wonderbolts this week?”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, “she's already helping our new soloist learn sky dancing. Immel's hoping she can work with Frost this week too.”

“That's good,” said Soarin. “Ah, who's paying her?”

“I..I don't know,” said Spitfire. “Maybe she's just doing it because Rainbow is her friend or in exchange for lessons. I know it wasn't discussed with anypony or I would have been invited.”

“Well, if she can get Frost to sky dance, she ought to get something,” said Soarin. “I'll ask Immel later. He seems busy with Rainbow Dash right now.”

Spitfire looked over to see Rainbow Dash doing a walk through while Immelmane read off the moves and offered advice. “Yeah, it can wait,” she said. “I can't wait to see Rainbow fly her routine again. The first time was great but I think the revised routine is going to be excellent. You're in for a treat, Soarin.”

“I'll admit escorting Fluttershy wasn't my only reason for flying out here,” said Soarin. “I was curious to see how Dash was doing. I'm just glad that she seems to be working hard and fitting in with the team.”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, “but we still have to see how things are going to be once she really starts to get famous. I like her but you've seen how she is now. She thinks she's the best pegasus in the sky.. and she'll tell you that to your face. Imagine what she'll be like once she hears the crowd go nuts over her a few times.”

Soarin laughed. “Well somepony has to be the best,” he said, “I suppose it may as well be her.”

Spitfire didn't reply but scowled at Soarin. 'It used to be me,' she thought ruefully.

“What do you think of Fluttershy?” asked Soarin. “She hardly spoke on the way out here and when she did I could barely hear her. Is she always that shy?”

“According to Rainbow Dash, yes,” said Spitfire, “but she can come out of her shell. Why? Don't tell me you're interested in her.”

“Maybe,” said Soarin, “why shouldn't I be? She is lovely and sort of mysterious. She isn't like most mares I've met.”

“No,” said Spitfire, “she isn't. Just watch yourself. If you do ask her out you had better behave yourself. If you hurt her, I would not want to be you.”

“Hey!” said Soarin indignantly, “when have I ever hurt a mare? Is that what you think of me?”

“I didn't mean it like that,” said Spitfire. “I know you well enough to know you wouldn't purposely do anything mean. It's just that you have a reputation of going out with a lot of mares and not sticking around very long with any of them.”

“I just haven't found the right one yet,” said Soarin. “You know how it is, we go into a town, we're there for a few days, a pretty mare bats her eyes at me and the next thing I know I have a new mare friend. Then I'm off to a new town and it happens again.”

“Exactly,” said Spitfire, “that's what I mean. You can't do that with her. That is one of Rainbow's best friends.”

“Yeah,” said Soarin, “I know. That little mare would probably be all over me if I hurt Fluttershy's feelings.”

“She is also another one of those Elements of Harmony,” said Spitfire. “What do you think Celestia or Luna would think about it?”

“I hadn't thought about that,” said Soarin. “Yeah, that could be bad, really bad. Still, if she's going to be hanging around, it wouldn't hurt to ask her out to dinner or something. At least I can get to know her better, even if nothing comes of it.”

Spitfire shook her head. “Like I said, just behave yourself. Don't let this go to your head, Soarin, but mares can tell if a handsome stallion is interested in them and we like it. It wouldn't take much for you to make her think there's more to your little harmless date than you intend. Get it?”

“Yeah, I get it,” said Soarin. “It could get kinda complicated, couldn't it? Hey, did you just say I was handsome?”

“I also said don't let it go to your head,” replied Spitfire.

“You're not trying to keep me all to yourself, are you?” teased Soarin. He bumped his hip into hers.

Spitfire was about to give Soarin a sharp retort but found herself laughing instead. As irritating and silly as Soarin could be at times, he did have a way of relieving tension. It was a trait that endeared him to the rest of the team and was no doubt partially the reason he was the male leader.

Windyday and Fluttershy landed in front of the two leaders, interrupting their conversation.

“How did we do?” asked Windyday.

“Very good, for the first time,” answered Spitfire.

“Can we dance now?” asked Soarin. “I'd like to get warmed up a little first.”

“Let Fluttershy take a little break,” said Immelmane as he walked up. “Rainbow Dash is going to do her revised routine now. Go ahead, Rainbow, go get warmed up and give us a wave when you're ready.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and took off. She climbed swiftly and glided for a while and then practiced a few sky dancing moves. She felt ready. She took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. After readjusting her goggles she waved to the spectators and began her routine.

Rainbow Dash concentrated on doing the routine. She wasn't going for style points this time. She just wanted to get it down mistake free, on time and with precise maneuvers.

Spitfire stood next to Immelmane watching as Rainbow Dash zoomed through her act.

“She's looking good,” said Spitfire. “She may be a little slower than the first time but that's to be expected with the adjustments.”

“Good precision too, very sharp,” said Immelmane. “I'd like to see her try some of the stylistic elements I discussed with her.”

“I think she looks great,” said Soarin, “she is really moving up there.”

“I'll explain it to you later,” said Immelmane. “I'm not displeased. She just needs to make the little things happen that really catch the audience's eyes. This is just her first time doing the revised routine. There will be time for that latter.”

Soarin shrugged and continued to watch Rainbow Dash. He was impressed by the speed and precision just as he had been by her performance on the last day of the tryouts.

Windyday felt much like Soarin, she knew how difficult it was to do the maneuvers Dash was performing and there was little to criticize from the purely technical aspect. It looked beautiful to her but as the routine progressed she started to understand what Immelmane was talking about. She had experienced it herself. There was no flare to the performance. It was cold and sterile. Her instructors had taught her how to do some of the things that Immelmane had talked about. She had been younger then and for a while she still delighted in doing them. Latter, she just did them without thinking and it no longer meant anything to her. She frowned at this and made up her mind to talk to Dash about it.

“She's almost dead on,” said Spitfire to Immelmane. She watched Rainbow Dash with a wistful expression on her face.

“Is something wrong?” asked Immelmane. There was an odd tone in her voice.

“No,” said Spitfire, “she's doing great.”

Immelmane glanced at Spitfire and noticed her expression. He immediately returned to watching his protege. There was something wrong with Spitfire but it could wait until Dash was done.

“Two minutes to go,” said Spitfire. “This is going to definitely be longer than her first time.”

“Good,” said Immelmane. “She can go a little over as far as I'm concerned. Ten minutes is just a target time. Half a minute either way is fine with me. Look there! Did you see that? Did you see what she did with her hooves on that vertical spin? That's what I want to see. Beautiful!” Immelmane laughed.

“Yeah,” said Spitfire, “she's starting to loosen up. I'm jealous of you Immel. I'd love to have her fly with the team.”

“Too bad,” replied the old pegasus, “a deal is a deal.”

“At least I still have the other three,” said Spitfire. “They're going to be the best wing ever, even without Rainbow Dash.”

“Glad you feel that way,” said Immelmane. He smiled. He thought Spitfire was right.

Rainbow Dash performed her finish which caught Soarin completely off guard.

“What the hay was that?” he exclaimed. “Another new maneuver?” He shook his head.

“Not too new, apparently,” said Windyday, “Frost taught it to Dash when she was little. It's what you saw Spitfire and I practicing as you were flying out.”

“How did you do?” asked Soarin.

“It's actually not that hard,” replied Windyday. “I got it after a couple of tries. Staying on line during a climbing barrel roll on a diagonal is a little tough.”

“What was her time?” asked Immelmane.

“Ten minutes and twenty-eight seconds,” said Spitfire.

Immelmane wrote the time on his clipboard and made some notes as Rainbow Dash recovered. Windyday and Fluttershy talked to Rainbow Dash who had difficulty responding. Soarin offered Dash a brief word of encouragement before asking Fluttershy if she'd like to dance.

“Yes, Soarin,” said Fluttershy, “I'd like that.”

Spitfire noticed Soarin and Fluttershy starting the dance and walked over to Rainbow Dash.

“Dash,” said Spitfire, “I want to talk to you for a second.”

Rainbow Dash joined Spitfire a few steps away from the others.

“Rainbow Dash,” began Spitfire in a low voice, “I want you to talk to Fluttershy as a friend about Soarin. He is a generally nice guy but just let her know that he dates a lot of mares and she shouldn't expect too much.”

“Soarin is interested in Fluttershy?” said Rainbow Dash, still panting from her routine. “Wow, that's two guys in two days! Wouldn't have expected Soarin to fall for her though.”

“Excuse me,” said Spitfire, “she's seeing somepony else?”

“Not really,” said Dash, “but she danced with Cruiser at the club last night. You know him?”

“Cruiser,” repeated Spitfire, “the bouncer? Yeah, I know him. That shy little pony has a bouncer and a Wonderbolt chasing after her.” Spitfire started to giggle and Dash joined her.

“I guess maybe she doesn't need a warning from me,” said Spitfire.

“I'll pass it along anyway,” said Dash, “thanks Spitfire.”

It was at this point that Frost arrived. She circled a few times watching Fluttershy and Soarin from the air before landing.

“Is that the new dance?” asked Frost. “Looks more interesting than the first one.”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, “You'll be working on it this week. If you don't mind me asking, did you come up with that 'cutting the cube' maneuver.”

“Wow,” said Frost, “I haven't heard that term in years. It's not really anypony's move. It sort of just happened. I had a hoof in it. It was part tag, part follow the leader and part showing off. Why?”

“Rainbow Dash is using it as part of her landing,” said Spitfire. “We're even thinking about using it as a formation move.”

“Never tried that,” said Frost, “but I've never had enough good fliers to try it. Hey Dash! Want to give it a try?”

“I knew you'd be up for it,” replied Dash, “just let me rest for a minute. I just got done running through my routine.”

“Wish I could have seen it,” said Frost.

“You'll get a chance latter,” said Dash, “I want to run through it a time or two more.”

“Once more for today,” said Immelmane, “You'll have all day tomorrow to work on it. It's all you'll be working on. Spitfire will be with us in the morning but other than that it will be just the two of us and I don't want any interruptions. You and Windy will have plenty of flying time with Rainbow this week. Rainbow Dash, come with me.”

Immelmane seemed to be all business now and Rainbow Dash was worried that she had somehow displeased him. Her fears proved groundless as Immelmane began to speak.

“That was a very good show you put on,” said Immelmane. “Most ponies would be satisfied to watch a show like that. You even started to show some signs of style. Tell me, did you consciously position your hooves that way when you did that vertical spin?”

“No,” said Dash, “I'm not even sure I remember what I did exactly. It felt right though, I remember that much.”

“Then it was a natural move and not planned,” said Immelmane. “I suppose that could be viewed as both good and bad. Good that you have a bit of natural flare and bad that you weren't thinking about trying it on purpose.”

“To be honest I was just trying to get all the moves right,” said Rainbow Dash. “I figured I could work on style after I was confident that I wasn't going to mess up.”

“True,” agreed Immelmane, “this is new to you with the changes we made. I think that after tomorrow you'll have everything memorized and you can start to think about the style we talked about. We'll work on that tomorrow also. Rest a bit and talk to Windy and Frost about demonstrating that maneuver. I think Fluttershy and Soarin are almost done with their dance.”

Rainbow Dash went to talk with her friends. Frost and Windy were already discussing the move.

“I think this could be a bit dangerous,” said Windy. “We'll have to be very precise in our intervals and when we change positions during the banks. We've almost had a collision or two during practice doing a similar turn. If the first pony turns too tight or the trailing pony drifts out it could be bad.”

“That's why we never did it in competition,” said Frost. “As good as Golden Sun was, it was too iffy to be sure of getting a good score and like you said, it's kind of dangerous. I could do it and so could Razor. Sunrise could do it on a good day. Our males were the real problem, they were big boys and just couldn't make the turns.”

Dash heard all this as she walked up. “But we're three Wonderbolts ,” she said. “We can do it.”

“I think we can too,” agreed Windy, “but we must be careful and work this out first.”

“Look,” said Frost, “this isn't a competition or anything. Why don't we just have the trailing pony call break? Since Windy hasn't done this as much, I'll take the one slot, Windy can be two and Dash will be three. Dash will call break twice. Once for me and once for Windy. That will set us up for our climbing roll. As we each come out of our last roll, it's a simple hard bank right into a dive and Dash will end up in the one slot and I'll be in the three. Windy will still be two.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Windy, “I'm used to the two slot anyway. Are we landing in parallel or echelon formation?”

“Parallel would look better,” said Frost. “What do you think Dash?”

“On the landing? Yeah, it would so we should start in an echelon,” said Dash, “that way we should end up parallel after the turns. We shouldn't be afraid to talk to each other while we're flying either. Better to play it safe the first few times.”

“Right,” said Frost, “let's go up and do a practice run. Fly spread out and when I say go, do the move. We'll try to come out together and agree on a speed.”

“Let's fly,” said Dash. She was grinning now, anticipating the thrill of the challenge.

Windy nodded and prepared to take off. To her this was a little disconcerting. She wasn't used to doing something this difficult without a lot more preparation and practice.

The trio took off and practiced the move a few times. They circled and talked to one another until their plan came together. As Soarin, Spitfire, Fluttershy and Immelmane watched, the three new Wonderbolts formed up into an echelon formation and dove into the maneuver.

Frost led. As she neared the ground Rainbow Dash called out “Break!” and almost immediately she called “Break!” again. As Dash called out, first Frost and then Windyday banked hard and went into the climbing roll. Coming out of the third roll, it was Frost who called out “Break!” as she went into another banking turn. Windyday called out the same as she too performed the bank. Rainbow Dash, now trailing but on the inside of the turn, called out as she went into her own bank. They came out nearly parallel to one another and dove into the tight loop and landed. They bowed and the watchers cheered and applauded.

Fluttershy and Soarin ran over to the performers but Spitfire stood for a while with Immelmane. They talked as the other five ponies celebrated with hugs and hoofbumps.

“Very good,” said Immelmane, “and after such a short time to practice. It wasn't perfect but it wouldn't take much for it be show worthy. Good thing they are on the team or the Wonderbolts might be demoted to number two team in Equestria.”

Spitfire gave a short laugh and sighed. “Yes, they are all excellent fliers,” she said.

Immelmane picked up on the odd tone of her voice. “You're doing it again,” he said.

“What?” said Spitfire.

“You just watched a great new maneuver performed by three lovely young fliers and yet you act as if you just lost your best friend,” said Immelmane. “You will tell me what is wrong.”

“I don't know what you mean,” said Spitfire. “I didn't say anything except agree with you.”

“Please, my dear,” said Immelmane, “I know you better than that. You don't have to say something is wrong for me to detect it.”

Spitfire gave it up. “It's just that...it all goes by so fast, doesn't it?” she said. “I see myself in them but I'm not like that anymore. I've lost speed, I can't turn the way I used to. They make me feel old, Immel. Next season will be my tenth. How many more do I have? Four? Maybe Five? It's not enough.”

“Yes,” said Immelmane, “it does go by fast. Only you can say how many years you want to keep doing this but I think you'll know when it's time. Spitfire, you're still one of the best fliers in Equestria and you're the team Captain on top of that. You're still needed here. Those three over there need you. I know how it feels, believe me. Perhaps you'll be able to take over for me when your performing days are done. You may feel old but I am old. I'm not ready to say farewell yet either but that day is coming.”

Spitfire looked at the old pegasus. “You have a way of putting things in perspective, Immel,” she said. “It still hurts a little but you're right. Besides, I can still fly with these youngsters.” She smiled.

Rainbow Dash noticed Immelmane and Spitfire talking and trotted over to them. “Well?” she said, “What did you think?”

“Very pretty move,” said Spitfire, herself once more, “amazingly well done.”

“I think that will be part of our show before the season is over,” said Immelmane. “Is that good enough?”

“Really?” exclaimed Dash. “That's just awesome! Hey Frosty!” She half ran and half flew back to her friend.

Spitfire and Immelmane shared a laugh. “Come,” said Immelmane, “let's join them.”

“They're going to put that in the show, Frosty!” said Dash excitedly, “Can you believe it?”

“You're kidding,” said Frost, “that is awesome!”

“That's what I said,” laughed Rainbow.

Even Windyday was laughing and excited. “Correct me if I'm wrong,” she said, “but weren't we the first to do that in formation?”

“We sure were,” said Frost, “unless Dash knows something I don't.”

“Not me,” said Dash, “I've hardly ever flown in a group.”

“We both enjoyed that very much,” said Immelmane. “That is an excellent move. How does it feel to contribute to a team show?”

“Great!” said Dash. “Even if I can't fly with the team much, at least I can do something.”

“Me too,” said Frost, “I never thought clowning around as a filly would end up as part of a Wonderbolt show.”

“All the credit to these two,” said Windyday, “I was just along for the ride.”

“You flew very well for only a few practice runs,” said Spitfire. “I can see all sorts of possibilities for that move. I kind of wish I had flown it instead of just watching.”

“Let's do it again then,” said Dash. “Pick a couple of us and we'll fly with you.”

“Not just now, Rainbow,” said Immelmane. “I want to see your routine one more time before we wrap up today.”

“You got it!” said Dash. She put her goggles back in place and prepared to take off.

“Wait!” exclaimed Immelmane. “Rest a bit first. Go over your written routine and think about where you can add some style elements. Windyday, lend her a hoof, will you.”

“Of course,” said Windy, “I wish Firewing were here. She could show us all a few tricks. Come on Rainbow.”

“Frost,” said Soarin, “while we're waiting on Rainbow Dash, would you like to show me that move?”

“Sure,” said Frost, “we can do it just like we did before. It's a dive into a hard left bank, a rising barrel roll, a hard right bank and a dive into the loop to land.”

“Alright,” said Soarin, “I've got it. Coming Spitfire?”

“Sure, why not,” she replied.

While Immelmane and Windyday worked with Rainbow Dash and the other three Wonderbolts practiced 'cutting the cube', Fluttershy was left to herself. She wandered about the field smelling the flowers and watching the birds. At last she laid in the grass and gazed at the nearby city of Cloudsdale. The afternoon sun cast shadows and the cloud city glowed golden as Celestia's sun sank in the west. It was an altogether beautiful afternoon. For maybe the first time in her life, Fluttershy felt a swell of pride in being a pegasus. She gave a contented sigh and turned to watch Soarin, Spitfire and Frost practice.

Soarin was able to do the maneuver but it was more difficult for him to turn as tight as his female counterparts due to his greater weight. He was a powerful and talented flier and was able to stay in formation. He was smiling broadly as he practiced.

Immelmane joined Fluttershy as Rainbow Dash again prepared for flight. “Are you tired, my dear?” he asked.

“Oh, no,” said Fluttershy, “I'm just enjoying this beautiful day. Isn't the city lovely at this time of day?”

“Yes,it is,” said Immelmane, as he gazed at Cloudsdale. “It's odd how one forgets such things when you see them every day.”

“I had,” said Fluttershy, “but now I feel like I'm seeing it with new eyes. I never felt like I was a real pegasus when I lived here before. Now I do.”

“What do you mean?” asked Immelmane. “Of course you're a real pegasus. Why would you think otherwise?”

“I was a very weak flier when I was little,” said Fluttershy, “and the other pegasi laughed at me. I..I was sort of excluded from everything. Now I feel like I'm a part of things. I can't do what the Wonderbolts do but I can dance and I'm friends with some of the greatest fliers ever. Rainbow Dash's friends accept me just as I am. They make me feel like I'm just as good as they are, even if I know I'm not.”

Immelmane smiled. “I think you're as good as any other pony,” he said, “even better than some I could mention. I'm glad you feel more a part of things, here in Cloudsdale or elsewhere.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you,” she said.

“Excuse me for a moment,” said Immelmane, “it seems we're to be treated to another demonstration. I need to get things moving or they'll be flying until the sun goes down.”

Immelmane walked away and called to Spitfire. “If you're going to do this, get moving. I want to see Rainbow do her routine again and go over it with her.”

Spitfire waved back and formed up with Frost and Soarin. Soarin led off with Spitfire in the second slot while Frost flew in the third. They repeated the same maneuver as before with Frost calling out to start them off.

All went well until midway through the climbing roll. Soarin found himself widening the diameter of his roll and drifting into Spitfire's path. As he started into his bank he was actually going to cut across Spitfire's line. Frost saw what was happening and called out “Abort!” as loud as she could.

As all Wonderbolts knew, a call to abort meant to break formation in a planned response that was always the same. Soarin pulled up instead of continuing his turn. Spitfire dove sharply which was difficult as she was still in a roll. Frost straightened her path and flew forward. With everypony safe, they landed.

“What happened up there?” asked Spitfire.

“Soarin drifted out during his roll and was cutting across your path,” replied Frost. “It might have been okay but I thought it was cutting it too close.”

“It was a good call, Frost,” said Windy, “Spitfire could probably have turned tighter but if she didn't they could have collided.”

“I could see what was happening,” said Spitfire. “What were you doing Soarin? You did that move fine during practice.”

“Sorry, Spitfire, Frost,” said Soarin, “I got a little wide during my rolls and tried to save it but I couldn't quite make it. I went into that bank in pretty bad shape.”

“I was watching,” said Immelmane, “your rolls were very wide. It happened during the first one. Once that happened, the added speed and centrifugal force made it nearly impossible to recover. It's a good thing Frost was watching so closely. I don't care how good our new recruits are, I don't want to lose both our leaders in a practice session.”

“Want to try it again?” asked Soarin, anxious to redeem himself.

“Not now,” said Immelmane, “I want to view Rainbow's routine again.”

“I'm ready,” said Dash, “should I just go up and do it like before or should I do it like I would at the show? Take off from the ground I mean.”

“Why don't you take off from the ground this time,” said Immelmane. “Go out about seventy-five lengths and start when you're ready.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and took off.

“I want you all to watch this,” said Immelmane. “I think she's really going to do a show this time.”

“I thought the last time was good,” said Spitfire. “What makes you think this one will be better?”

Immelmane smiled. “Call it a hunch, but I don't think Rainbow Dash is ever satisfied with 'good'. She wants to show off this time. Spitfire, keep an eye on her time, please.”

Soon Dash was in position. She waved and took off again, climbing in circles around the field. She kept her speed constant until she was halfway through her last circle when she accelerated. Her performance was as flawless as her first but this one had more of the added flare that Immelmane was hoping for. Having little idea of what she wanted to do as far as style went, Dash relied heavily on the advice that Windyday had given her. She tried to work most of them in during the slower dancing moves but occasionally she added them to her stunts.

As she performed her landing Soarin muttered, “I wish I could turn like that.”

Spitfire overheard him. “You'd better lay off the pie then or you're going to have use an area the size of Cloudsdale to turn at that speed.”

Windyday and Frost stifled their laughter as Soarin gave Spitfire a look of displeasure.

As Rainbow Dash landed, Immelmane hurried over to meet her.

“That's it!” he said, “that's what I was talking about! You're getting it. A couple of weeks of practice and your first show will make headlines all across Equestria!” He hugged Rainbow Dash and she returned it as best she could in her breathless state.

Spitfire and Soarin looked at one another. This was very uncharacteristic for the usually dour old pegasus. Soarin shrugged and grinned.

Immelmane broke away from Dash and went to his litter. “That will be all for today,” said Immelmane. “Frost, Rainbow, Windyday, Fluttershy, here are your tickets for tonight's show. The show starts at seven thirty. I'll meet you there. Go get cleaned up now. Dress is optional but you may want to wear a flight suit.”

The four mares thanked Immelmane and took off for Cloudsdale. Of course it soon became a race with Windyday and Frost leading the way. Dash was still tired from her exertions but followed gamely and even Fluttershy tried her best to keep pace.

The support ponies packed up the gear while Immelmane waited. Spitfire and Soarin took off and flew back to Cloudsdale at a more sedate pace.

“Sorry again for messing up,” said Soarin.

“Forget it,” said Spitfire. “It's happened to all of us. Frost is more of a team player than I realized. It takes some guts to call an abort on the team captain and a wing leader.”

“Yeah,” said Soarin, “I don't regret picking her over Razor anymore. She might even make a good leader someday.”

“They all would,” said Spitfire. “ Three different kinds of leaders though. Windyday would be the ultimate critic and analyst. Frost is the protective type with the don't cross me attitude and Rainbow Dash would try to put on the wildest shows any pony ever saw. It will be interesting.”

“I suppose so,” said Soarin. “I'll never have to worry about being the team captain now, thank Celestia.”

“You don't want the job?” said Spitfire in surprise. “I thought you'd be the one to take over when I retire.”

“You're forgetting that I'm at least as old as you,” replied Soarin. “You have nine years with the team and I have seven but you made the team at a younger age. When you retire, I won't be far behind; if I even make it that long. Besides, I'm happy where I am. I have enough responsibility.”

“I had forgotten that,” admitted Spitfire. “I was talking to Immel a little bit this afternoon about the same thing. These young ones make me feel old. He helped me put it in perspective. Anyway, we still have a few good years left. Let's enjoy them.”

“You're right,” said Soarin, “let the future take a flying f... ah, take care of itself.”

Spitfire laughed. Soarin could raise her spirits at times. She suddenly had a great deal of affection for her teammate, they had been through a lot together.

“Spitfire,” said Soarin, “want to take in that show tonight?”

“I hadn't thought you'd like something like that,” said Spitfire. “Alright, I'm not doing anything. We can probably still get tickets.”

“Great, I'll stop by the dining hall around six thirty?” suggested Soarin.

“Sounds good to me,” said Spitfire. “I need to go get cleaned up. I did a lot more flying than I had planned.”

“See you then,” said Soarin. “I'll go see about getting those tickets.”

Chapter 67

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Chapter 67

Windyday and Frost landed in the courtyard of the Wonderbolts Compound. Both were in high spirits and a little out of breath from their race. There was no sign of Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy.

“I finally got you Windy,” said Frost, “not by much but I finally won a race.”

“I guess so,” admitted Windy, “I'll have to start training harder. We both got by Dashie too.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “where is she anyway?”

Windyday hopped back into the air and flew high enough to peer over the wall. She drifted back down.

“She's talking to Fluttershy,” said Windy, “probably making arrangements for latter.”

“So, what are you wearing tonight?” asked Frost. “I have that suit I used in the try outs. I thought I'd wear that.”

“I have a black one that I haven't worn in a while,” said Windy. “It's a little more formal than what I usually wear.”

At that moment they were interrupted by one of the guards. “Windyday?” he said, “A package just arrived for you, special delivery.”

“Thank you,” said Windyday, as she took the small package from him.

Windy and Frost walked over to a bench and Windy sat the package down and read the address. “It's from my parents,” she said. “I wonder what it is?”

“Well open it,” said Frost, looking over her shoulder.

Rainbow Dash swooped down and landed by them. “Hey girls,” she said, “I gave up on trying to catch you and just flew with Fluttershy. I told her we'd stop by at seven. That should give us plenty of time. What do you have there? More fan mail?”

“No,” said Windy, “something from my parents.” She began to open the package.

Windy opened the box and pulled out a bit of packing material. Atop another layer of packing lay a silver tail cuff. This one was slightly larger than the one she usually wore and was engraved with intertwining roses inlaid with gold. There was also a note which Windy read to herself: 'Dear Windy, this is just a little gift for being such a great daughter. We didn't tell you that as often as we should have or how proud we are of you but it seems you have grown into a fine mare anyway. You were right when you said that you were grown up. Forgive us for not seeing that and for not knowing it was time to let you go. We received an invitation to Princess Luna's party and look forward to seeing you in your first performance as a Wonderbolt. We can't wait to talk with you then.
Love, Mom and Dad'

Windy teared up and hung her head. Rainbow Dash and Frost looked at one another wondering what was wrong.

“It's beautiful, Windy,” said Rainbow Dash. “Why don't you try it on?”

Windy tried to manage a smile and bent around to remove her old tail cuff. She replaced it with the new one. Turning to face her friends she bravely kept a smile on her face but it only lasted a few seconds.

“Windy,” said Frost, “what's wrong? That's a beautiful gift.”

“It's not the gift,” said Windy. “Who wouldn't want a gift like this? It's the note they sent with it. They never call me just Windy. They never said they thought I was a great daughter. It was always 'Windyday' and always getting me to focus on the next task. I don't...” She fell silent.

Dash picked up the note and read it. “Sounds like that dip in the lake worked,” she said.

Windy sniffed and laughed. “Yeah, maybe it did.”

Frost looked at the two of them with a confused look on her face. “What in Equestria are you talking about?”

“Long story,” said Windy. “It's okay. I'm fine. Come on, let's hit the showers and go eat.”

Frost shrugged and followed Windy towards the training room. They all felt better after a shower and a rubdown though Rainbow Dash seemed to be getting sleepy by the time they left. They returned to their rooms and got into the flight suits they wanted to wear to the show. It was still some time before dinner so Rainbow Dash used the opportunity to take a nap. Windyday decided to stay awake and went in search of Frost who, she discovered, was also fast asleep. Alone again, Windy wandered into the courtyard, hoping to find some of her teammates. With the exception of two support ponies moving some boxes of unknown contents into a storage building, the courtyard was also empty.

With at least an hour to kill before dinner, Windy decided to take a walk through town. There was a shopping district not far from the compound so Windy started there. She browsed the various goods on display in the windows. At a candy store, she saw some of her favorites and was going to buy some but realized that she had left her bag in her room. She sighed as she looked at the treats on the other side of the glass. Looking up she caught sight of her reflection in the window. She also saw several ponies looking at her behind her back.

Windy was not oblivious to the effect that she had on stallions, though she didn't think she was 'super model' material as Spitfire had said. Still, the stallions on the other side of the street seemed to like what they were looking at. She slowly turned to face her admirers. All looked away except one who stood open mouthed, staring at her. She favored him with a slight smile and continued her window shopping. A flash got her attention and she turned towards it. There was another flash which caused spots before her eyes and she raised one hoof as a shield. More photographers appeared as well as some ponies bearing press credentials around their necks. She backed away, looking for way back to the compound.

“Hey! Windyday!” came a call from her other side. Anticipating another photographer, she turned towards the sound. A short distance away was a familiar looking pony. Weathervane!

“Follow me!” said Weathervane. Windyday galloped and flew after him down a side street, easily outdistancing the photographers. Weathervane stopped by a shop and held the door for Windy. She dashed in and Weathervane followed.

“Thanks Weather,” she said. “What was all that? I'm not usually hounded by photographers.”

“I'm not sure,” replied Weather, “but there were certainly quite a lot of them. Maybe it's your outfit. If you don't mind me saying so, it's, um, very flattering.”

Windyday looked around and saw that she was standing in a noodle shop. An elderly pony stood behind a counter.

“Hello, Mr. Weather,” said the pony, “what would you like today? And who is your new friend? Miss Clover will not be happy if she sees you two together.”

“It's not like that, Mrs. Noma,” said Weather, “I'm just helping Windyday here avoid some photographers.”

“Oh, I know you,” said Mrs. Noma, “you one of the new Wonderbolts. Why you wearing that? Did somepony die?”

“What?” exclaimed Windy, “no, of course not. I'm going to a sky dancing show and thought this would look a little more formal.”

“Oh,” said Mrs. Noma, “that make sense. So, you want some noodles?”

“I was hoping you'd let us use the back door,” said Weathervane. “If we can sneak out, maybe Windy can get back to the Wonderbolts compound unnoticed.”

“So, no noodles?” asked Mrs. Noma.

She sounded very disappointed and Windyday was starting to get hungry. “Actually, I'd like to try some,” she said. “Let me have a large vegetable medley to go, please. Oh wait, I'm sorry, I left my bag at home. I hadn't really planned on buying anything. Weather, if you can cover this, I'll pay you back when we get to the compound.”

“Sure,” said Weathervane, “You should try the apple and carrot sometime, it's my favorite.”

“I'll do that,” said Windy. “If the noodles taste as good as this place smells it should be great.”

“I make the best noodles,” said Mrs. Noma. “I'll be right back.” She disappeared into the kitchen.

“Stand over here away from the windows,” suggested Weather. “I'll take a look around.” Weather stood near the window and looked up and down the street. Some of the more persistent photographers were looking around the other shops. Two more flew past down the street.

“The coast is not clear,” said Weather. “Mrs. Noma? Can we come into the kitchen?”

“Alright,” said Mrs. Noma, “food almost ready.”

Weathervane and Windyday hurried into the kitchen. Several pots of noodles and other food sat simmering on a stove. The blend of smells were incredible.

“Here your food,” said Mrs. Noma. “that will be seven bits please.”

Windy stared at the basket which had a large and a small container in it. It was a lot of food for the price. Weather paid Mrs. Noma and went to the back door. He stuck his head out and looked around. The alley behind the shop was empty except for a few birds.

“Okay,” said Weather, “we can go. Follow me. Thanks Mrs. Noma!”

The old pony laughed. “It's okay. Most fun I've had in a while. You always make things exciting Mr. Weather. Enjoy your noodles young lady. And wear brighter colors, you don't look happy in black.”

Windy giggled and picked up the basket. She followed Weather out the door and into a dimly lit alley. Left would take them back to the street where Windy had been beset by the photographers while right went to another busy street further down. Straight ahead was a narrow gap between buildings that would barely qualify as a sidewalk. It was so narrow that they couldn't fly through it. It was this path that Weather chose.

Windy followed her guide between the buildings and dashed across another side street on the other side. They had to go down the street a couple of buildings before slipping out of sight once more into another gap that took them to another alley. This alley was curved and the pair raced down it until they came to another major street. Looking out, Windy at last recognized where they were. They were only about twenty lengths from the gate of the compound. Weather looked out too.

“There's a couple of those guys down there but the way to the compound looks open,” said Weather. “Do you want to make a dash for it?”

Windyday nodded.

“You go first then,” said Weather, “I'll try to slow them down.”

Windy grinned. “Ready?” It was difficult to say with the basket handle in her mouth.

Weather nodded. Windy took one last look and took off running. They were almost half way to the compound before they were spotted. The photographers instantly took wing and swooped in to intercept them. Windy and Weather had no choice but to take flight themselves. Another pegasus with a camera was on the other side of the street ahead of them and tried to cut them off. It was a foolish move. Windyday easily accelerated past him and he had to pull up hard to avoid hitting a building. Weather tried futilely to keep up. Windy landed in front of the gate and waited for Weather. She ushered him quickly through the gate and went behind the wall. The guards jumped to their hooves and one hovered above the gate while the other blocked the entrance. Soarin was just about to enter his quarters when he saw the commotion at the gate. He quickly flew over.

“Having trouble Windy?” he asked.

“I guess I'm safe now,” said Windyday. “I got mobbed by photographers. I don't know why.”

“It happens sometimes,” said Soarin. “Probably some reporter got a bad lead and the photographers are trying to get pictures of you for the story. I'll go see if I can get some more information.”

Soarin went to the gate. Weather got his breathing under control. Windyday looked at him and they shared a laugh.

“Thanks, Weather,” said Windy, “as soon as Soarin gets back we'll go get the bits I owe you.”

“There's no hurry,” said Weathervane, “it's only seven bits. I have to get going. I'm meeting Sweet Clover for dinner.”

“Alright,” said Windyday, “thanks again.”

“Anytime,” said Weather, “enjoy your noodles.”

Windyday laughed. She dipped her head down and sniffed the basket. They did smell good. She was interrupted by the return of Soarin.

“It seems there was a reporter at a club last night called Stratos,” said Soarin. “He said that three Wonderbolts and a former model were seen drinking and singing there. One pony was hauled away in a cab and another had the wits scared out of him by said Wonderbolts. Do you know anything about that?”

Windyday swallowed hard. “Yes,” she said. She drew herself up and tried to be stoic but avoided Soarin's eyes.

“Care to elaborate?” asked Soarin, trying hard to keep a straight face.

Windyday wanted to say 'no' but told Soarin of the previous night. Looking back, it seemed pretty innocent. She grew angry again when she told Soarin of the incident with the stallion as they were leaving the club. She spoke in the same icy tone Soarin had already learned to associate with her being upset.

“I see,” said Soarin. “It could have been much worse. Don't worry about it. If that little punk tries anything, he won't dare show his face in Cloudsdale again.”

“What do you mean?” asked Windyday.

“If the full story comes out, which it would,” said Soarin, “somepony would go after him. Probably several someponies. You've seen the amount of fan mail we get. Can you imagine what those fans would do to that guy if he besmirched the reputation of the Wonderbolts or insulted one of us? Everypony would know who he was. No pony would ever give him a job. He wouldn't be able to get a date. His life would be messed up for years.”

“I hadn't thought about that,” said Windy. “He might have been better off if I had just smacked him and walked away.”

Soarin laughed. “That would depend on how hard you smacked him,” he said. “Does Spitfire and Immelmane know about this?”

“Spitfire does, I'm not sure about Mr. Immelmane,” said Windy. “Spitfire said she'd have beat him till he begged.”

“I'll bet she would have too,” said Soarin. “Be careful when you go out and don't get too messed up drinking. As far as I can tell you didn't really do anything wrong, well, maybe the threats but like I said don't worry about it. I've gotten into a few scrapes myself and so has Spitfire.”

“Good,” said Windy, “even Fluttershy said I had a right to be mad about it. As long as he keeps his distance, he doesn't have anything to fear from me.”

“If you run into any trouble like that again,” said Soarin, “my door is always open. You can pass that along to Frost and Rainbow Dash too. Say, what do you have in the basket?”

“Noodles,” said Windyday. “Weather led me into a noodle shop to escape the photographers. I felt grateful so I bought some. They smell really good. I can't wait to try them.”

“Well, enjoy,” said Soarin, “I have to get going. See you later.”

“Thanks, Soarin,” said Windyday, “that's a load off of my mind.”

Soarin turned and smiled as he walked away. Windy picked up her basket and went back to her room. She went in and found Dash still asleep. Windyday had few household items of her own but she had a some dishes and utensils. She got out a bowl and ladled half of the noodles from the large container into it. It was still warm and the smell was distinct since it wasn't mixed with the aroma of many different dishes.

Windy took a bite and slurped a few stray noodles into her mouth. It was delicious. It didn't take her long to finish the bowl. Windy took out the small container and sniffed it. It smelled of carrots and apples. Apparently Mrs. Noma had given her a little extra bonus. Windy eagerly opened the container and emptied the contents into her bowl. These noodles were sweeter and were even better than the first. They were almost like a dessert. These also disappeared all too quickly. Windyday sat with a now full belly and was eying the rest of her prize greedily when Rainbow Dash awoke.

“Hey, Windy,” said Rainbow, “is it time for dinner yet?”

Windy looked at the clock. “Almost,” she said, “about ten more minutes. I don't think I'll be going to the dining hall tonight, I'm almost full.”

“I smell something good,” said Dash, now fully awake, “what is it?”

“The best noodles I've ever tasted,” said Windy. She could contain herself no longer and ladled more noodles into her bowl.

Rainbow Dash giggled. “Noodles?” she said, “where did you get those? That's like the cheapest meal in Equestria. Good though, if they're made right.”

“These are,” said Windy, “some old pony named Mrs. Noma makes them. Her shop isn't far from here.” She paused to eat some of the noodles.

“Not familiar with that one,” said Dash, “can I try some?”

Windy slurped some more noodles. “There's some left. I guess you can have some.” She sounded reluctant.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Must be good. I'll try a mouthful.”

Windy pointed to the basket and continued eating. One hoof curled protectively around her bowl.

Rainbow Dash found this amusing but her curiosity about the food was foremost in her mind. She scooped up some noodles with the ladle and took a huge bite. Windy was right, they were good. Rainbow Dash glanced at Windy and dipped the ladle back into the noodles. She quickly took another scoop and shoved it into her mouth. Windy gasped.

Rainbow Dash began to laugh hard. Between peals of laughter she tried to apologize. “I'm ...ssorry Windy, I just had to do that. Ha ha ha, the look on your face was just too much. Ha ha ha ha.”

Windy still had a mouthful of noodles but started to laugh anyway. Eventually she was able to get enough control to swallow. “I guess I got a little greedy,” said Windy. “Go ahead and finish them if you want I ate the rest and that small container already. That one was apple and carrot flavored. Mmm.”

“That's enough for two or three ponies,” said Dash. “They are really good though. You'll have to show me where this shop is.”

“It's not far from here,” said Windyday, “it's on a side street. I got mobbed by photographers and Weather sort of rescued me. We ended up in the noodle shop. He seemed to know the owner.”

“Wow,” said Dash, “I hope that doesn't happen tonight. What happened?”

“Soarin went and talked to them after we got inside the compound,” said Windy. “There was a reporter at Stratos last night. It seems he witnessed some of our evening and the little mishap outside.”

“Uh oh,” commented Dash worriedly. “What did Soarin have to say about it?”

“He said not to worry,” said Windyday. She shrugged. “I guess it's not a big deal.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “Spitfire didn't seem upset with us either. I guess we'd better watch what we do when we're out on the town from now on.”

“Good idea,” said Windy. “I think I might have done the worst thing by threatening that guy.”

“Maybe,” said Dash, “but Frost and I said some things to him too. So did Flutters. If he was going to make trouble I guess he would have last night.”

“I hope that's all there is to it,” said Windy. “We'll have to talk to Frost about it.”

“We'd better,” said Dash, “she just might take things into her own hooves if we don't. She has a lot of friends in Cloudsdale and some of them are pretty tough customers, if you know what I mean.”

“I don't know,” replied Windy, “and I'd rather not know. The less I know the better in this case.”

Dash shrugged. “You may be right. I should go see her and head to dinner.”

“I'll go along,” said Windy, “I could go for a cup of tea.”

Chapter 68

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Chapter 68

Rainbow Dash and Windy left and went to Frost's room. They knocked and Frost answered. She was dressed in her dark blue flight suit and had added a golden ribbon to her tail in a tight diamond pattern for a few hoof lengths below the base.

“Hi Windy, Dash,” said Frost, “come on in. I was just going through some mail. Let me open this package and we'll go eat.” Frost walked over to her bed and started to unwrap a parcel. “I'm surprised that you didn't wear one of your new suits, Dash.”

“I really wanted to,” said Dash, “but they're for the shows. I decided to just wear my gold one. It looks good and I still love it.”

“This package is from Ponyville,” said Frost, “no name on the return address.”

Rainbow Dash pondered who might have sent it. The size and shape of the package reminded her of the one Pinkie Pie had sent her. She nudged Windy and had her back up a few steps.

“I don't know,” said Dash, “it might be from one of my friends. I doubt that any business there is big enough to offer you an advertizing job.”

Frost opened the box and it exploded in a shower of confetti and streamers. Frost stumbled backwards as several balloons squeezed out of the box.

“Gaah!” shouted Frost. “Dash did you do this?”

Rainbow Dash was on the floor laughing. Frost grabbed a piece of cloud from her bed with her teeth and whacked her over the head with it.

“No! Stop,” choked Dash, “I didn't do it. Look inside the box.”

Frost cautiously nudged the box with an extended hoof. Nothing happened so she peered inside. There was a note from Pinkie Pie congratulating her on making the team. Frost chuckled.

“Okay Dash,” said Frost, “that was pretty amazing.”

“She got me with one too,” said Dash, “did you get one Windy?”

“No,” said Windy, “but I haven't opened any of my packages for a few days.”

“Well make sure some of the team is around when you do,” said Frost. “It's about time us rookies got a little payback for the tricks they've been pulling on us.”

Dash and Windy laughed and agreed with Frost. Together they left Frost's room and headed to the dining hall. A few of the team were already there and eating. They were surprised to see Spitfire dressed in a deep crimson flight suit with gold trim. She was alone so they decided to join her.

“Hi Spitfire,” said Dash. “Looks like you're dressed up for your special somepony.”

Spitfire giggled at the thought. “No, just Soarin. He asked me to go to the show tonight and it sounded like fun. I need to unwind a little. The three of you look lovely. That's a different look for you, Windy. Black looks good on you.”

“Thanks,” said Windyday, “I had a pony ask me 'who died?' this afternoon.”

They all laughed at this. They sat and ate, except for Windy who was content with her tea. Spitfire questioned her about not eating and Windy explained her afternoons adventure. She included her escape back to the compound and her discussion with Soarin. Spitfire winced at the news about the reporter at the club. Frost, on the other hoof, became obviously upset.

“That guy really was lucky,” said Frost. “If that had been me, he might have found himself trussed up and chucked over the edge of the city.”

“Frost!” exclaimed Spitfire, “you wouldn't!”

“I wouldn't, no,” said Frost, “it's like Soarin told Windy, imagine what some of these crazy fans might do. With me it's worse because some of the ponies I know are...likely to take a direct approach to administering justice. Just in case, I should probably put the word out to just let it go.”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, tersely, “do that. It's one thing to defend yourself, it's quite another to allow something like that to happen.”

“Oh, I agree,” said Frost, “but I know it's happened in the past. A friend of mine was robbed and roughed up by a couple of earth ponies in Manehatten once. Several Cloudsdale pegasi flew all the way there and taught them a lesson. No pony was ever arrested.”

“Any pony I know?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I don't know,” replied Frost. She smiled. “Somehow I can't seem to remember their names or even what they looked like.”

“I suppose that might be the reason that Twister left Cloudsdale so fast and didn't come back to defend herself,” said Spitfire.

“Maybe,” said Frost, “I don't know how much she knew about things here in Cloudsdale. I don't remember her ever competing here. There was some talk after what happened to Moon Rain but I think Razor shut it down.”

“Frost,” said Spitfire, “just what is Golden Sun? Is it a club for aerialists or a group of organized criminals?”

“Oh, don't be so dramatic,” said Frost. “It's just that the ponies that I grew up with were not exactly the high class ponies you're probably used to. We couldn't afford lawyers. Cops didn't trust us. We had to look out for each other and take care of ourselves. It isn't just Golden Sun either, it's most of the ponies I used to hang out with. I think most of us turned out pretty good. Look at Dash.”

“Yeah, Spitfire,” said Dash, “and you guys picked three other members of Golden Sun to try out for the Wonderbolts. You must have seen something in them.”

“Yes we did,” said Spitfire, “but we didn't know about the teams shady side. Are you saying that Razor, Sunrise Cloud and Sweet Clover are involved in the kind of thing you're talking about?”

“Well, Sunrise is just a really nice pony,” said Frost, “no pony would even think of asking her to do anything bad. Sweet Clover is kind of aggressive at times but is more like Sunrise. Razor is liable to do about anything if she gets a little urging from others. She's kind of a joker and has a weird sense of humor. She's a fierce fighter if she has to be but doesn't like to fight.”

Spitfire shook her head. “Well, do what you can to stop anything from happening to that jerk you ran into last night. You might want to steer clear of Stratos for a while too. I know it stinks but it's the way things are. You all have to help maintain the reputation of the team.”

The three new Wonderbolts all agreed to watch their step. Spitfire looked at them all in turn. Windy had the same serene look that she always did. That much had not changed about her and she still had a high sense of honor. Spitfire knew she could trust her. Rainbow Dash and Frost looked deadly serious. They would do as she asked just because she asked them to. She was their leader and they trusted her and that was enough for them. They had her back and Spitfire knew it.

“Good,” said Spitfire, “enough of this talk. It's Saturday night and we should all try to enjoy it. I want to show you a way out of the compound so you can avoid those reporters if they're still at the gate.”

Spitfire ignored the pleas for more details on the secret way out and the talk soon turned to flying. They ate their dinner while Windy had a second cup of tea and talked about the coming performance in Canterlot. Windyday was clearly looking forward to it.

“It's too bad we can't get tickets for some of your friends,” said Spitfire. “That's the trouble with some of these royal gatherings, they aren't open to the public.”

“It doesn't bother me,” said Frost, “I don't know anypony in Canterlot. It would be nice for Windy though.”

“Celestia sent invitations to my parents,” said Windy. “That was nice of her. I doubt if any of the ponies I know there would be interested in coming to see me anyway.”

“What?” said Frost, “Why not?”

“You know how I was back then,” said Windy, “I wasn't really well liked.”

“Oh...yeah,” said Frost, “I kinda forgot. Sorry.”

“It's okay,” said Windyday, “I've come to terms with it. I hope I have a little time to try to make up with some of the ponies on my old team. I owe them the most.”

“You should have,” said Spitfire, “we'll be spending the night and then head back to Cloudsdale the following afternoon. You won't have much time the day of the party. We'll arrive in the morning, familiarize ourselves with the terrain and do a run through. Of course there will be a lunch break and a long rest break before the show so you'll have a little time then. You might be able to squeeze in an hour right after we arrive but I can't promise anything. You'll have the following morning though and if you want to spend the night with your parents it's okay.”

“How about you Dash?” asked Frost. “Are any of your friends going to be there?”

“Just the other Elements, as far as I know,” said Dash. “I'm glad they'll be there but it was the Princesses that invited them.”

“How do you know that?” asked Frost.

“Celestia told me last week when she gave me the land for my house,” replied Dash. She took a bite of food and a drink of water.

“Did she say anything else?” asked Spitfire. She found it amusing that Dash could talk so casually about the rulers of Equestria.

Dash thought for a moment. “Not about the show but I did find out that Luna can see what goes on in Equestria at night. I told Frost about it. She saw me practicing.”

“Where was this?” asked Spitfire.

“I was practicing in Ponyville,” said Dash, “but she was in Canterlot. Freaky huh?”

“Yeah,” said Spitfire, “very. She told you this?”

“Uh huh,” said Dash, “she said she was looking forward to seeing me fly with her own eyes. I don't quite get that one.”

“Interesting,” said Windyday, “it must be one of her powers. I don't know how much of Nightmare Moon was Luna and how much was...something else but if Celestia had to use the Elements of Harmony to stop her, Luna must be very powerful.”

“I guess so,” said Dash. “It's okay, she's cool now. I think you'll like her.” She turned her attention to her dessert.

Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash and smiled. While such casual talk about the Princesses might be considered boasting or name dropping from other ponies, there was no hint of that in Dash's voice. They were just ponies to her. Unusual ponies perhaps, but ponies just the same.

She started thinking about the ponies they had picked for the team. Windyday, cold as a glacier even under pressure but with emotional issues that Spitfire wasn't sure she wanted to explore. Frost, fierce and aggressive who was apt to take on anything if she felt she was in the right, regardless of the consequences. Despite Frost's explanation, Spitfire still suspected that she and her 'gang' were borderline criminals. Rainbow Dash, brash, daring and with an ego the size of the sky. Friends with ponies in the highest places and wielder of a powerful talisman, though it seemed to mean little to her. All she seemed to care about was her friends and being the best flier ever.

'Thank goodness Firewing will be back soon,' thought Spitfire, 'at least we picked one normal pony.' She chuckled to herself. Spitfire was roused from her revery by the arrival of Soarin. Soarin sat down and helped himself to a plate of food before speaking.

“I managed to get the tickets,” he said at last, “but it wasn't easy. The only thing they had was in the first balcony and they wouldn't sell them except in a block of four. I managed to sell the other two to a couple of ponies that wanted to go too. Good seats though, two rows up in the first balcony and almost in the center.”

“Great,” said Spitfire, “what do I owe you?”

“I got it,” said Soarin. “It wouldn't be much of a date if I made you pay, would it?”

“It's not a date,” said Spitfire.

Soarin shielded his mouth from Spitfire with one hoof and silently said “It's a date” to the girls.

Windyday and Frost snickered while Rainbow Dash cracked up. Spitfire blushed and repeated herself.

“It's not a date!” she said. “Really.” She looked at the girls and then back to Soarin.

“It looks like a date,” commented Soarin as he eyed Spitfire's outfit.

Spitfire glared at Soarin. The girls were still laughing and drew her attention.

“Do you three have any idea how difficult a team captain can make your lives?” she asked.

Rainbow, Windy and Frost tried to stifle their laughter. It was no good. The attempt at not laughing just made them laugh harder. Spitfire buried her face in her hooves.

Soarin enjoyed his joke and ate quickly. He still had to get cleaned up and into a flight suit.

Spitfire raised her head. “Alright,” she said, “you can think what you want. If you three are done eating, I'll show you the secret way out of the compound.”

“Good idea,” said Soarin, “there are still a few photographers and reporters near the gate.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “I hope it doesn't get like this in Ponyville.”

“How many bedrooms will your new house have?” asked Windyday.

“Three plus my own,” said Dash. “Why?”

“I think I'll be visiting you often,” replied Windy. “I might need to get away from these reporters from time to time.”

“You'll get used to it,” said Spitfire. “It's not like this all the time anyway but it can be inconvenient. Come on, I know it's not time to leave for the show yet but I have a few things to do before we go.”

The three mares followed Spitfire outside and across the courtyard to the building that housed the offices. They walked through the foyer and to the left of a ramp leading upstairs. Rounding a corner behind the ramp, Spitfire swung open a Wonderbolts logo which revealed a passage just wide enough for a single pony to enter.

“This is it,” said Spitfire. “This passage leads you to a building well outside the compound. It leads to only one place. There are no turns or side passages. All you have to do is follow it to the end. When the passage dead ends, you will see another Wonderbolts symbol. Push on it and the door will open onto a rooftop. That's all there is to it. It's dark inside even during the day so take one of the lanterns under the desk out front.”

“Is it this narrow all the way through?” asked Frost.

“No,” said Spitfire, “it's wider once you get in about five lengths.”

“Pretty cool,” said Dash, “should we return the same way?”

“If you want to,” said Spitfire, “but I like to just walk back in through the gate. Really freaks out the reporters that way.”

“Thanks, Spitfire,” said Dash, “for everything I mean. We didn't mean to give you a hard time about Soarin. He was just joking, right?”

“Why?” asked Spitfire, “are you interested in him?”

The stunned look on Rainbow's face made them all laugh.

“What?” said Rainbow Dash, “no, of course not! I mean, nothing against Soarin, but I just never thought of him that way. He probably doesn't think of me like that either.”

“He's a stallion,” said Frost, “they think of all of us that way.”

Spitfire laughed. “I was just teasing,” she said. “Frost is sort of right in Soarin's case though, he does like his mares.”

“I guess that's why you told me to warn Fluttershy not to expect too much from him,” said Dash. “You're sure you're not trying to keep him for yourself?”

Spitfire shook her head. “No, there was a time, maybe, when I was interested in him but that's long past. We're teammates and friends, but that's all. I've got to go. See you all tomorrow if not before.”

Spitfire left the three mares at the secret passage. They talked for a moment about how to go about their escape. It was decided that Rainbow Dash would leave at once and go meet with Fluttershy. Windy and Frost would leave in half an hour and they would all meet Immelmane at the theater.

Rainbow Dash got a lantern and entered the passage. It was as Spitfire had said. Some light did get in due to the construction being made of clouds but it was very dim. The passage sloped down for a short distance and then went straight and level for as far as Rainbow Dash could see. Time seemed to slow down and Dash felt that she would never get to the end. She was about ready to attempt flying, though the passage was barely wide enough to allow it, when it began to slope upwards. Rainbow Dash broke into a trot, anxious to get back outside. She soon arrived at the door.

Rainbow Dash cautiously listened for a moment and slowly pushed the door open. She put down the lantern and stepped out onto the roof of a building. She looked around to get her bearings. The door had exited quite some distance from the compound and Fluttershy's hotel now lay between her and it. Dash smiled. This was convenient. All she had to do was get down and make her way to the hotel.

Rainbow Dash spent a little time looking over the edge of the building until she found a side with a little used side street. She hopped over the edge and dropped, opening her wings only when she neared the ground. She trotted to the end of the street and poked her head around the corner. There were a few ponies about but most where off eating supper. Dash casually walked out and headed towards Fluttershy's hotel.

Dash entered the hotel and was shown to Fluttershy's room. Fluttershy was putting on her flight suit when Dash entered.

“Hello Rainbow,” said Fluttershy, “You're here early aren't you?”

“A little,yeah,” said Dash, “minor change of plans. We're going to meet the others by ourselves. There are some reporters hounding Windyday and maybe the rest of us too, so we had to sneak out. There was no way to tell you so I left early. We have a few minutes before we have to leave so you can take your time.”

“Alright,” said Fluttershy. “This isn't about last night, is it?”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “there was a reporter at the club last night. He saw that little fracas when we left and now I guess he thinks there's a story.”

“That's too bad,” said Fluttershy, “I'm sure it will blow over soon.”

“I think it will,” said Dash. “Soarin and Spitfire don't seem too worried about it. Go ahead and finish getting dressed and we'll go.”

Fluttershy finished getting into her flight suit and Dash helped her comb out her mane. Dash checked herself out in the mirror, gave a shrug and decided it would do. Since they would be flying she thought her mane would get a little mussed anyway.

The theater was on a different section of cloud and the pair flew over most of the city before spiraling down to land in front of the building. Immelmane was already there but Frost and Windyday were not.

“Hi, Mr. Immelmane,” said Rainbow Dash, “I guess Windy and Frost aren't here yet.”

“No,” replied Immelmane, “but it's still a bit early.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, “it was a real temptation to wear one of the new suits. Maybe I'll wear them to events like this after the seasons over.”

“That gold one still looks good on you,” said Immelmane. “Fluttershy, that one suits you quite well too. I can't believe the change in you from when you were small. Wait until you see the dancers tonight, you're really going to enjoy this.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Thank you so much, Mr. Immelmane, I appreciate this a lot. I've never been to anything like this before. I guess I left Cloudsdale too soon.”

“You're always welcome to return, you know,” said Immelmane. “Cloudsdale can always use another talented mare.”

“No,” said Fluttershy, “I couldn't do that. I have my animals to care for.”

“Animals?” said Immelmane, “that's unusual for a pegasus.”

“I suppose,” said Fluttershy, “but it's my special gift. I've been doing it for years, even before Rainbow Dash came to Ponyville.”

“You'd have to see her cottage to believe it,” said Dash. “Are we going to perform there this year?”

“Perhaps,” said Immelmane, “Ponyville is rather small but we do visit a few small towns. If there's a gap between the big shows or time at the end of the season we can usually fit a couple in.”

“It would be great if we could perform there,” said Dash. “I'd like to show you around.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the hasty arrival of Frost and Windyday. They came in fast and pulled up hard in order to land. Behind, at some distance, a group of reporters and photographers pursued them.

“Come on,” said Frost, “let's get inside. They spotted us when we were about halfway here.”

Rainbow Dash became angry and refused to budge. “No,” she said, “if they want a picture, let them take it. We didn't do anything wrong. Let them ask their stupid questions and take their pictures. We have nothing to hide.”

Windyday disagreed. “Come on Dash. We just have to take it easy until they find a new story.”

“But they'll still be here after the show,” argued Dash. “Let's just get this over with now.”

Immelmane was baffled by their talk and demanded to know what was going on. Windyday gave him a quick version of what happened outside of the club. As she finished, their pursuers arrived.

Immelmane took charge. “I'll help handle this,” he said, “Don't answer anything more than you must. Smile for the cameras. Make it look like everything is perfectly normal and don't get upset no matter what.”

There was no time for the little group to respond to Immelmane. Rainbow Dash got behind Immelmane and motioned Frost, Fluttershy and Windyday to join her.

“You heard him girls,” whispered Dash. “Smile for the cameras and look your best. Pose or something.”

There was an impromptu assembly on the steps of the theater. Frost and Rainbow Dash in the front row and Windyday and Fluttershy a step higher behind them. The reporters and photographers landed in front of them and began snapping pictures and shouting questions.

All the girls smiled and Rainbow Dash began to pose. Taking the cue, the others soon did the same. The press ate it up. Even the most hard hitting reporters quickly found themselves on the side of the new Wonderbolts. Immelmane tried to get the reporters to calm down.

“Please,” said Immelmane, “our newest members will answer a few questions if you can conduct yourselves in an orderly manner. We don't have a lot of time before the show starts and we need to get to our seats.”

The press ponies calmed down a little and Immelmane stepped aside. Several ponies began calling out names and raising their hooves to get attention. Immelmane pointed to one.

“Frost,” said the lucky questioner, “can you tell us what you were doing at Stratos nightclub last night?”

“Drinking, dancing and singing,” answered Frost with a laugh, “what else do you do at a nightclub?”

Immelmane pointed to another. “Windyday, can you tell us about the incident outside the club as you were leaving?”

This was what the reporters were really after and they quieted down awaiting her answer.

“Rainbow Dash was talking to a friend of hers and we were waiting for her to move on,” said Windyday. “There was a stallion waiting to enter the club and he snapped me on the flank with his tail. Here's a clue guys, mares don't like that sort of thing. I confronted him and told him he'd be better off not doing that again.”

“So you threatened him?” said the reporter, following up on his question.

“I felt that I was within my rights to defend my honor,” said Windyday. “He's lucky I didn't just belt him.”

Immelmane selected another reporter.

“Rainbow Dash,” she said, “what was your view of the incident?”

“I didn't actually see what happened because I was talking to somepony else at the time,” said Dash. “When I saw Windy was having trouble, I went to see what was going on.”

“I saw what happened,” interjected Fluttershy, “and Windyday had every right to be mad.”

“You're Fluttershy, aren't you,” said the reporter, “the model? What's your connection to the Wonderbolts?”

“I'm an old friend of Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy is being modest,” said Immelmane, “she's also been working with Rainbow Dash and Frost as a sky dancing partner. She's been quite helpful. Next question.”

“We understand that it was the stallion that started the trouble,” said the next reporter, “but do any of you think it was alright for you to threaten him in the way witnesses say you did? Rainbow Dash, you first.”

“I don't know what the witnesses said,” replied Rainbow Dash, “I know that I didn't threaten him at all. I told him that if he messed with one of us that he messed with all of us. That's all I said.”

“And you don't think that's a threat?” said the reporter slyly.

“Not as long as he doesn't mess with us,” said Dash. This got a laugh from some of the reporters.

“How about you Frost?” said the reporter.

“I was just sort of joking with him,” said Frost. “I figured Windy could take care of herself. Rainbow and I stood beside our team mate in case some of the guy's friends wanted to help him. Three or four stallions against one mare didn't seem fair to me.”

“Windyday,” said the same reporter, “as the mare that was assaulted, do you have anything to add? Did you threaten him? Witnesses say you told him you would take him apart if he did anything like that again.”

Windyday retreated into her cool shell. “That is fairly accurate,” she said evenly. “I might have over reacted a bit but I felt it was a matter of honor and I take that sort of thing very seriously. It was an insult to me, my family and to the team. What I said to him wasn't as much a threat as it was fair warning. It was more than he deserved, in my opinion.”

Immelmane felt that this had gone on long enough. “I think we've exhausted this line of questions,” said Immelmane. “Do any of you have anything else to ask?”

“I have a question for you, Mr. Immelmane,” said a reporter near to him. “Why did the Wonderbolts feel the need to add a soloist to the group and why Rainbow Dash?”

“There were several reasons,” said Immelmane. “First it was the lack of consistently good acts to compliment our shows. Second, the length of time the acts took varied widely which made it difficult to plan our shows and also caused the team to have either too much of a break between sets or not enough. These were the most important considerations.”

“As for why Rainbow Dash was selected,” said Immelmane, he paused to smile at his protege, “I think you'll just have to see for yourself. We've started work on some routines that will absolutely stun the flying community. Those of you who are fortunate enough to be invited to Canterlot for Princess Luna's party in a couple of weeks will get a taste of what I mean. That's all the time we have for now. We only have a few minutes to get to our seats.”

The reporter wasn't so easily dissuaded. “Rainbow Dash? Aren't you nervous about performing in front of Princess Luna? You did fight her once, isn't that true?”

“I was part of the group that freed her from Nightmare Moon,” replied Dash. “She is very grateful for that and so is Princess Celestia. I've also talked to her several times and she's as nice a pony as you'll ever meet. I'd like to remind you that she's one of the rulers of Equestria, mine and yours, so you ought to show her a little more respect.” Rainbow Dash spoke with some heat in her voice and Immelmane stepped in before she said something she might latter regret.

“Really,” said Immelmane, “that will be all the questions for tonight. We came here to watch a show, not do a press conference. I'll get out of the way and you can take a few pictures and then we must go.”

The girls posed for a few more pictures and then followed Immelmane into the theater. An usher took their tickets and escorted them to a box along the side of the theater. It was high up so that the performers would be almost level with them at times. They had the box to themselves and they relaxed on some very comfortable seats. Fluttershy and Windyday had entered first followed by Frost and then Mr. Immelmane and Rainbow Dash. When they were seated Immelmane spoke again.

“You all did fairly well out there with the press,” he said, “passing it off as nothing serious was a good ploy. I think you satisfied them. On the other hoof, I think you were stacking cow patties rather high and I'm going to want to hear all about last night.”

The girls giggled. Frost looked out over the crowd. She hadn't been inside the theater in nearly fifteen years. It seemed smaller than she remembered.

“Look, there's Spitfire and Soarin,” said Frost.

“Soarin and Spitfire came together?” said Immelmane. He chuckled. “It's about time. I don't think they've ever gone out together except for when they had to attend certain functions.”

“I don't think they're really serious,” said Dash. “Soarin said it was a date and Spitfire said it wasn't. For it not being a date she sure made herself look nice though.”

“That's Spitfire,” said Immelmane, “she always tries to look good in public.”

“I think Soarin is looking good too,” said Frost. She stared at the wing leader in a way she had not done before.

She was right, Soarin did look dapper. His mane and tail were perfectly combed and he was wearing a dark blue flight suit not unlike Frost's but with only a small braid of silver around each cuff and his wing leader's medallion pinned over the left side of his chest. To top it off he wore a white silk scarf loosely around his neck.

Frost's reaction even made Immelmane raise an eyebrow. Rainbow Dash took a good look at Soarin and another at Frost. Her interest in the stallion was unmistakable. Dash covered her mouth with a hoof and leaned back to place Immelmane between her and Frost. While Rainbow Dash thought Soarin handsome, she assumed that he was a bit beyond her. He was older for one thing, not to mention famous. He could have his pick of mares, and in fact often did if the rumors of his escapades were even half true. Now her friend, who she thought she knew so well, looked like she was on the verge of throwing herself at Soarin. Rainbow Dash could barely keep from laughing.

“Yes, well, before the show starts,” began Immelmane, “I want you, Rainbow Dash, and you, Frost, to focus on the performers. Watch for some of the things we talked about. You'll see a few moves that the Wonderbolts have incorporated into our shows and keep a eye out to see how the dancers can gain altitude and stay in flight even going at a crawl. I want you to enjoy the show so just relax and watch but I'm sure you'll spot some things if you keep them in mind.”

“Sure, Mr. Immelmane,” said Dash, “I'm always on the look out for something new anyway.”

“I can do that,” said Frost. “I'm getting curious about this show. There's a lot of pegasi here. I recognize a few from the dinner too. That Lighthoof guy from the inquest is down there with a mare and another couple.”

“Ah, yes,” said Immelmane, “I believe his daughter is one of the minor characters. She's getting to be quite good. She's younger than you are, Rainbow. She's been with this group for three or four years now.”

“That long and she's still a minor character?” said Dash. “I thought you said she was good.”

“She's had larger roles,” replied Immelmane, “but in this particular ballet there wasn't a good fit for her. Also, a career in this field is different than in ours. It lasts much longer so you're competing against ponies with many years of experience. It develops more slowly as well.”

There was some sound from down below as the orchestra began to warm up. A few pegasi fluttered around the stage and background, checking lights and props.

“Windy,” asked Fluttershy, “have you seen this ballet before?”

“Yes,” replied Windy, “but it's been some time. It's my first time at a real pegasi theater though. All the other ones were in Canterlot except for one that I went to in Manehatten. Earth ponies and unicorns like watching us fly too.” She smiled.

“I didn't think about that,” said Fluttershy. “Firewing and I did get a lot of applause when we danced but I just thought it was because Firewing was a Wonderbolt.”

“It's kind of funny that earth ponies and unicorns appreciate what we can do even though they can't fly,” said Windyday. “Some of the real fans can tell a good show from a bad one too. There's a unicorn in Canterlot named Sharp Eyes that is a great critic. His reviews are published in several papers throughout Equestria. He reviews some pegasi events and it's amazing the things he picks up on.”

“I think the show is about to start,” said Fluttershy. The orchestra had quieted and the musicians were looking at the conductor.

“Soon,” said Windy, “but the orchestra will play a tune or two first. Sort of a signal.”

A pony with a cart arrived by their box and asked if they wanted anything to eat or drink. Rainbow Dash found that she was terribly thirsty and asked for a large bottle of water. Fluttershy and Windy ordered juice while Frost got a soda. Immelmane got a water also.

The group fell silent and waited for the show to begin. Soon the music started and two groups of pegasi entered from opposite sides of the stage and started to ascend, dancing as they went. Two ponies broke away from the others and began to dance with each other as the rest of the cast hovered around the edges of the stage. A choir and a few soloists told the story as the dance progressed. The program also had a synopsis of each act.

Windyday and Immelmane knew the story by heart and didn't bother with their programs. Fluttershy just watched entranced with a smile on her face. Rainbow Dash followed along but was more interested in watching the fliers. Frost looked on as though she was watching a hoofball game and never opened her program.

The show progressed and all the ponies, to Immelmane's surprise, were still watching the show with interest. Windy was calm and relaxed, lazing in her seat with a contented smile on her face. Beside her, Fluttershy looked as if she had stumbled upon a vast treasure. Immelmane had strategically placed himself between Frost and Rainbow Dash, thinking that he might have to rouse them if their attention wavered. He was pleased to find that this was not necessary. Frost seemed to be genuinely enjoying the show while Rainbow Dash looked uncharacteristically serious.

There was an intermission and the lights went up. All of the ponies got up and stretched. Immelmane asked them what they thought of the show so far. Frost answered first.

“I thought this was going to be boring,” she said, “but it's really great. It's way better than trying to fly it myself. I'm seeing some of the moves I've been learning and there are some I've seen in other Wonderbolts shows too.”

“It's just fantastic,” said Fluttershy, “it makes me want to work even harder at it. I've got to get Rarity to come to one of these shows, she'd just love the costumes.”

“This is a very good cast,” said Windyday, “as good as any I've seen in Manehatten or Canterlot. I really should have spent more time in Cloudsdale. I usually only came in for a competition and was gone the next day.”

Rainbow Dash was still silent and seemed to be thinking. Immelmane wondered what was on her mind.

“Well, Rainbow Dash,” said Immelmane, “our friends have given their thoughts. What do you think of the show so far?”

“Oh, right, sorry,” said Dash, “I was just thinking about some of those moves from the show. I feel like starting over completely on my routine just so I can add some of them. I wish I'd brought my notebook.”

Immelmane chuckled. “No just sit and watch tonight,” he said. “Remember, the routine you're working on is just your short one and you may not even use it again. I think we can find room in your longer routines for some of them though. Don't worry about taking notes on the moves, they're all in various books anyway. Have you noticed anything about some of style elements we talked about?”

“Oh yeah,” said Dash, “I see what you mean now. I can hardly wait for Firewing to get back. She'll be able to show me how to use them right.”

“It's something I'll be helping you with tomorrow,” said Immelmane. “Of course, I expect you to work on it with Firewing.”

“That's great,” said Dash. “With you two helping me, this is going to be the best routine ever.”

“I hope so,” said Immelmane with a smile. “I'll be right back.”

Immelmane left and the girls sat and talked about the show for a while. Rainbow Dash and Frost excused themselves to visit the restroom which left Windy and Fluttershy alone.

“I knew you were going to love this show,” said Windy. “You remind me of myself at my first ballet.”

“I wish I had gone sooner,” said Fluttershy, “maybe I'd have gotten really good at it by now.”

“You have plenty of time to improve,” said Windy. “You keep flying with us and you'll be above stage in no time.”

Fluttershy laughed. “That's alright. I don't really want to perform, I just want to dance.”

“I understand,” said Windyday, “it is more fun to just fly sometimes. I used to sneak away when I could and just do whatever I wanted. It was more fun than practicing. I could relax and not worry about anything. I wish I had kept on doing that.”

“Why didn't you?” asked Fluttershy.

“Because flying became work and it wasn't fun anymore,” said Windy sadly. “It took Firewing and Rainbow Dash to bring that back to me. They helped me remember what flying was all about. We pegasi sometimes take our great gift for granted. Shows like this and what the Wonderbolts do celebrate of that gift.”

Fluttershy didn't know what to say. After a pause, Windyday continued.

“I'll tell you a secret, Fluttershy,” she said. “I would never have even tried out for the Wonderbolts on my own. I only did it because it was expected of me. I was so used to doing what I was told that there really wasn't much of 'me' left. When I was told to come here, it was like being told to eat my breakfast. You don't think about it, you just do it.”

“That sounds awful,” said Fluttershy. She put a wing around Windy. “Don't worry, I won't tell anypony. At least you are enjoying flying again.”

Windy smiled. “Yes, I am. Just sitting here relaxing with my new friends and watching a beautiful show without having to think of anything else...it's so liberating. Our friends are coming back.”

Fluttershy withdrew her wing and turned to see Immelmane take his seat. He asked them a few polite questions about the show and pointed out some of his favorite parts. If he wondered what Fluttershy and Windy had been talking about or why Fluttershy had a comforting wing around Windy, he gave no indication. Soon Rainbow Dash and Frost also returned and the lights went down. The second part of the show started.

The second part of the show was every bit as good as the first. The ending was tragic, as was often the case in this type of show. The villain died but managed to severely wound the hero who then died after saying a tearful farewell to his lover. Distraught, the heroine flew up and plunged downward to her death. Fluttershy wept openly while Windy, having seen it all before, remained stoic. Immelmane discreetly wiped a hoof across his eyes. Frost and Rainbow Dash were so impressed by the heroine's flying ability during her fake death plummet that they leaped to their hooves and cheered. They were not alone. Many in the audience were doing the same thing.

The cast returned to the stage to take a bow. They circled the theater accepting flowers from some of the audience and bowing and waving to others. Eventually the leading lady flew close to the box Immelmane and his three mares occupied. She recognized him and flew in close.

“Uncle Immel!” she said, “thank you so much for coming!”

“I wouldn't have missed it for all of Equestria, my dear,” replied Immelmane. “It was a splendid performance.”

“Thank you,” replied the dancer, “you must come by and see me soon. I'm sure the family would love to see you.”

“I will as soon as time allows,” said Immelmane. “It was good to see you again, Azure.”

Azure waved and flew on. The rest of the cast seemed to linger in front of Immelmane a little longer than most of the others. The cast returned to the stage and for one last bow to another round of applause and returned to their dressing rooms. The audience began to file out which was much easier than in earth pony or unicorn theaters as the pegasi simply went to the nearest window and jumped out. The ponies with Immelmane decided to remain with the old pegasus despite his urgings for them to go do what they wished. They made their way to the entrance where they found Spitfire and Soarin waiting.

“Hello all,” said Soarin, “did you enjoy the show?”

That simple question triggered a positive response from all the ponies at once and Soarin had a hard time keeping up with who was saying what. Eventually the mares calmed down enough for Soarin to reply.

“I guess you liked it,” he said with a laugh. “Do you have any plans for the rest of the evening?”

“Not really,” said Dash, “I'm kind of tired and I have another day of training tomorrow.”

“I thought I'd just go home and relax for a while with a good book,” said Windyday.

“Back to my hotel I suppose,” said Fluttershy, “I have to fly to Ponyville tomorrow. Are you coming home tomorrow, Rainbow Dash?”

“I thought I'd stay until Monday,” said Dash. “I should drop by Las Pegasus Quality Clouds and see if there's any news about my house. I can pick up Monday's mail too and bring that along home. Cloud Charm might have some news for me too.”

“I know you said to stay away from Stratos for a few days but I'd better head over there and talk to some ponies about last night,” said Frost.

“We'll go with you ,” said Spitfire. “I could go for a nightcap and it's better having three of us than one alone.”

Soarin looked surprised but said nothing.

“I'm going home too,” said Immelmane. “I'll get a cab and I'll see you all tomorrow.”

“Since Rainbow and I are going home,” said Windy, “why don't we share the cab?”

“I'm going to my home,” said Immelmane, “not the compound. It will be closer for you though. Fluttershy can ride along too.”

It didn't take long to get a cab and soon they were being transported through Cloudsdale.

“You didn't tell us that you were related to the lead dancer,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I'm not,” said Immelmane, “I'm just an old friend of her grandmother's. She's called me uncle since she was a little filly.”

“Azure Noon is an incredible dancer,” said Windy. “That final dive was the best I've ever seen.”

“Yes,” agreed Immelmane, “it scares me half to death when she does that. It looks so realistic.”

“Oh, it was real alright,” said Dash. “It's just great flying. If I tried that move you'd probably ground me.” She laughed.

“Maybe,” said Immelmane, “but you don't know how to do that move. It isn't as dangerous as it looks. You have to know how to slow down at the end.”

“And you'd better not mess up,” said Dash, “or you'd really get hurt. I could do it but I'd practice it at altitude before I tried it for real.”

Immelmane was silent for a moment. He realized that Rainbow Dash was right. Azure had been doing a relatively dangerous move. It was a good thing it was over clouds but this same ballet was performed in other theaters where the stage materials were less forgiving. “That would be a good idea,” said Immelmane, absently. He was thinking less of his protege and more about Azure.

“It is a dangerous move,” said Windy, “and there are some others I've seen that are just as bad. The big thing about sky dancing is it's so much slower that even when there are accidents, the injuries are generally much less severe. I hurt my rear leg doing sky dancing and that was worse than anything I've done doing aerobatics.”

“What happened?” asked Fluttershy.

“It was during a landing,” said Windy. “I had to come out of a spin near the stage, a wooden stage, and land trotting. I failed to stop the spin completely and when I planted my first hoof, my right rear, it slipped and I pulled a muscle and wrenched my knee. I was lucky the knee wasn't damaged. I did a lot more flying than walking for a few weeks until it healed. It took a couple of months to recover completely.”

“I had no idea it was so dangerous,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash knew that tone in Fluttershy's voice and decided that she'd better nip this in the bud. “Now don't get scared, Fluttershy,” she said, “there's sky dancing and then there's sky dancing. What you've been doing isn't dangerous at all. Remember what Firewing told you; if you feel uncomfortable doing something then just don't do it.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, I'm just starting out. It will be a long time before I try something like what we saw tonight.”

“Not really,” said Immelmane. “you couldn't dance like Azure did tonight but you could certainly do what the minor characters were doing. It would just take practice to polish up your skills. You've already done some of the moves and looked pretty good doing it.”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy, “but I don't really want to perform anyway. I just do it for fun.”

“Oh, I get it,” teased Windyday, “you want to sky dance so you can go to a pegasus dance and show off for the stallions.”

“What?” said Fluttershy, “I never even thought of that.”

“Yeah Windy,” said Dash, “she's still got her eye on Cruiser.”

“What?” said Fluttershy again. “I just met him.”

“That's true,” said Windy, “and Soarin was checking her out this afternoon. I could tell.”

“What?” said Fluttershy yet again and louder, “he couldn't be...”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “I wouldn't be surprised if he asked her out.”

“But...but,” sputtered Fluttershy, “he was out with Spitfire.”

“From what I hear that wouldn't stop Soarin,” said Windyday.

“Alright you two,” said Immelmane, “stop teasing Fluttershy.”

“Who's teasing,” said Dash, “it's all true, sort of.”

“Sort of,” repeated Immelmane, “meaning it isn't the full truth. I'm sure that Fluttershy would have no problem attracting a stallion, should she want one, without any help from you. I haven't heard that either of you have a coltfriend.”

“Not one I'm real sure about yet,” admitted Dash, “but I have my share of admirers. We are performing in Trottingham this year, aren't we?”

“Yes,” said Immelmane, “I take it that is where one of your admirers lives?”

“Maybe,” said Dash, coyly.

“Dash,” said Windyday, laughing, “you are about as subtle as a horse shoe through a window. ”

“Okay,” said Dash, “so I don't do subtle. If I meet up with this guy, I'll let him know how I feel ... after I decide he's worth it. What about you Windy? Silver Tail was flirting with you last night and you didn't do anything at all. Do you like him or not?”

“There's a reason for that,” said Windyday, “he made me uncomfortable. I can't really explain why. I danced with a lot of ponies at the celebration dinner and none of them made me feel that way.”

“So you do like him,” said Dash.

“It isn't a question of liking him,” said Windyday. “He didn't really do anything wrong, he was fun to dance with but I just...I don't know. He looked at me funny.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy laughed and even Immelmane couldn't keep from smiling. Fluttershy, who had watched the encounter, explained it to Windy.

“Windy,” she said quietly, “I think you confused him. You didn't act like he thought you would. He was flirting with you and your reactions were not what he expected. Think about it. He was teasing you, sitting as close as he could and taking interest in anything you said. It was you he asked to dance, not Rainbow or me or Frost, you.”

“Yeah Windy,” said Dash, “even I could tell he liked you.”

“It.. ah.. must have been the cider,” said Windyday. “I didn't pick up on that.”

“We're at my house,” said Immelmane, “”Thank you ladies, this has been an interesting excursion into the female psyche. Rainbow Dash, I will see you in the morning. Nine o'clock at the field. Good night to you all.”

The girls said their good nights in a somewhat embarrassed state and continued on their way. It was only nine o'clock so Rainbow Dash asked the driver to go to the nearest high class club. Windyday wasn't happy about this.

“I thought we were going home, Dash,” said Windy. “You said you were tired.”

“I am,” said Dash, “but I'm still a little pumped up from the show. If I go to bed right now I'll just lay there awake for an hour and I hate that. Can we just sit and relax for a little bit?”

“Oh, alright,” said Windy, “just a little while.”

“I think I'll just fly back from where we stop,” said Fluttershy. “I want to pack up tonight.”

“Aw, come along, Fluttershy,” said Dash. “Let's just relax for a while.”

“Oh, alright,” said Fluttershy, reluctantly, “I can do that.”

Rainbow Dash felt the cab rising and looked out the window. They were going up to a higher cloud and towards the center of the city. Below them, Rainbow could see both the compound and Fluttershy's hotel. It would be an easy glide home. Soon the cab pulled up in front of the bar.

The entrance to the club was on the other side of an outdoor cafe section. A well dressed maitre'd stopped them briefly from entering but as soon as he recognized them, he immediately showed them to a table in the outdoor section. They sat down and looked out over the city. Lights glowed through the clouds and reflected off falling water. Here and there pegasi could be seen flying above the lower city, moonlight flickering off their wings as they flew.

“This is quite a change from Stratos, isn't it?” commented Windyday.

“It's beautiful,” said Fluttershy, “isn't the sky clear tonight?”

“I might be coming here often,” said Dash. “The view from up here is great.”

“I may have to mention this to Luna when we meet,” said Windyday, “this is a beautiful night.”

“She'd like that,” said Fluttershy. “She feels that no ponies really love her night.”

“None of us do,” said Dash, “not the way she does. I like being out in the night and I've been practicing a lot after dark. It's peaceful and quiet and I can use that sometimes. You might have noticed that I'm not the calmest pony around.”

Windy and Fluttershy laughed at this. “I think everypony that's met you has noticed that, Dash,” said Windy. “I know what you mean though. I love flying at night.”

“Pardon me, ladies,” said a waiter, “may I get you something?”

“Herbal tea please,” said Windyday.

“That sounds good,” said Fluttershy, “I'll have one too.”

“Surprise me,” said Dash, “just don't make it anything very strong.”

“Certainly, madame,” said the waiter, “I'm sure our bartender can make something for you.”

“Surprise you?” said Windy, “Don't you know what you want?”

Dash spoke softly, “I've never been in a place like this. I don't know all the fancy stuff and I've got a feeling that ordering a cider wouldn't be, well, right.”

“Don't worry,” said Fluttershy. “I don't think there's anypony here that would notice.”

Fluttershy was right. Aside from themselves, the outdoor cafe was rather empty. Only two couples occupied tables and they were some distance away and seemed to be more interested in privacy than in what other ponies were doing.

“I suppose you're right,” said Dash. “I'm so used to everypony staring at me that I'm starting to think I have to watch everything I do or I'll be a laughing stock in the papers tomorrow.”

“Now you're starting to sound like me,” said Windyday. “Trust me Rainbow, it's not a good way to live. Be yourself and stop worrying about what others think.”

“I can't do that anymore,” said Dash, “I have obligations now. I can't do anything to make the team look bad. You saw what happened after last night. If that had been me that guy hit, there would have been a fight. I can't behave like that.”

“That's a little different than deciding what you want to drink might not appear to be sophisticated enough,” said Windy. She smiled at Dash.

Dash gave a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess it is. I still have to learn to watch myself though. Mind keeping an eye on me to make sure that I do?”

Windyday nodded and smiled. “I will if you will,” she said. “Fluttershy pointed out to me that it's always good to know a friend has your back.”

“That's true,” said Rainbow Dash, as she looked at Fluttershy.

“Your drinks, ladies,” said the waiter, as he served them. “May I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you,” said Windyday, “we're just on our way home from the sky dancing show and decided to get a quick nightcap.”

“Ah,” said the waiter, “I understand that show has had wonderful reviews. It's good to see that those silly newspaper ponies got you all wrong. I knew when I saw you perform your stunts that you were ladies in the truest sense of the word. And you, Ms. Fluttershy, I remember you from your days as a model. Such a lovely pony could never be the ruffian the papers depicted.”

The three friends exchanged glances, not having read the papers, and just smiled and thanked the waiter. Rainbow Dash sniffed her drink.

“Pardon me,” said Dash, “but what is this?”

“Ah, it is mulled cider with cinnamon, sugar and a generous portion of W.C. Barleyfield's,” said the waiter, “we call it Hot Apple Flash.”

“Thank you,” said Rainbow Dash, “it smells delicious.”

“Enjoy,” said the waiter, “I'll be nearby if you need anything else.” The waiter retreated to near the door of the cafe.

“I was worrying about seeming unsophisticated by ordering cider,” said Dash, “and here I am drinking the same thing I had last night.”

Windyday laughed. “I think you'll discover the only thing different is the sugar, spices and the price,” she said.

“Yeah,” said Dash, with a laugh, “it's all kind of a joke, isn't it? We go to Stratos and have fun, sing, dance and drink and we're thugs. We go to a ballet and a place like this and we're suddenly better than everypony else. I don't know about you girls but I don't feel a bit different.”

Fluttershy giggled. “You're still the same Dashie.”

“I think it's just a matter of who is thinking about you,” said Windy. “Your friends know you better and really know what you're like. All the other ponies only know you from your performances and what they see in the papers. You can't get to know a pony very well from a few words of hearsay from some reporter.”

Dash nodded and took a sip from her drink. It was sweet and warm. The strong liqueur had been well diluted by the cider and some of the alcohol had been evaporated by the heat. She sat back and closed her eyes, savoring the flavor.

“Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy.

“That is so good,” said Dash. “Mmmm. I hope I get that deal for Barleyfields, I'll bring him here and let him taste this.”

“Really good?” said Windyday. “May I have a taste?”

“No,” said Dash. “Mine.”

“I let you have some of my noodles,” said Windy.

Dash grimaced. “Alright, but just a sip. I'm warning you though, one sip and you're going to order one for yourself.”

Windyday took the glass Dash offered her and took a sip. Her eyes widened and then closed just as Rainbow Dash had done. “I'm in heaven,” she said. She put the glass back down and Dash quickly retrieved it.

“Told ya it was good,” said Dash. “Want to try it Fluttershy?”

“Not tonight,” said Fluttershy, “I'm tired right now and just want to go home. This tea is making me sleepy already.”

“Sure Fluttershy,” said Dash, “we'll leave as soon as we finish these drinks.”

They had been sitting and talking quietly for a few minutes when a stallion came over to their table. Windyday looked up as he approached, dreading another reporter.

“Excuse me ladies,” he said, “my name is Nimbus Strongwind. I saw you at the ballet tonight. You're Windyday and Rainbow Dash, the new Wonderbolts, aren't you?”

“We are,” said Windyday, “and this is our friend Fluttershy.”

“How do you do,” said Nimbus, “You may not recognize me but I played Captain Hailstone in the ballet tonight.”

“No way!” cried Rainbow Dash. “You looked so much older in the dance! Your coat was even a different color.”

“Make up,” replied Nimbus, with a smile, “a powder lightened my coat and changed the tint slightly. I had to cut my mane short in order to wear the wig.”

“It certainly worked,” said Windy, “I didn't notice any resemblance.”

“Would, um, would you like to sit down?” asked Fluttershy.

“Thank you,” said Nimbus, “but I really just came over to ask a question.”

“Don't tell me you want an autograph,” said Dash with a giggle.

“No, well, I wouldn't turn one down,” said Nimbus, “but I was wondering if you or Windyday would care to dance with me. I've never danced with a Wonderbolt.”

“I think I'll pass,” said Rainbow Dash, “but Windy might be able to keep up with you.”

Windyday sat up in surprise. “Dance? Here?” she said.

“No,” said Nimbus, “out there.” He pointed to the open sky in front of the cafe.

“Oh, a sky dance,” said Windyday, “well, alright. I suppose we have time for that.”

“You have someplace that you have to be?” asked Nimbus. “It's Saturday night.”

“I don't,” said Windyday, “but it's been a long day. Rainbow Dash has a full day of training tomorrow and she's staying with me.”

“I see,” said Nimbus, “shall I get them to raise the music a bit?”

Windyday smiled. “Sure, I'd love to dance with you.”

Nimbus smiled back. “I'll just be moment.” He turned and walked over to the waiter.

“I hope you don't mind the delay,” said Windy.

“No problem,” said Dash. “It's worth it to see you have a little fun.”

“It's worth it to see you dance with Nimbus,” said Fluttershy.

Windyday blushed. “I'll try not to disappoint you.”

Nimbus returned and motioned for her to join him in flight. They took off and the music rose. It wasn't terribly loud since it was getting late and they were outside but the it was loud enough for the dancers to hear. Windy and Nimbus positioned themselves and started to dance to the music. This was not a set piece dance like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been practicing, it was simply two pegasi reacting to the movements of each other to the rhythm of the music.

“Beautiful, aren't they,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I'm going to have to learn how to do that.”

At that moment two other stallions came over to the table. “Good evening,” said one, “I'm Two Stars and this is my friend Forest Fog. Would you care to join us in a dance?”

“I've never danced like that before,” said Fluttershy, “I'm not sure I could.”

“No time like the present to start,” said Two Stars, with a smile. “How about you, Ms. Dash? May I have this dance?”

Rainbow Dash wanted to say no but she was more afraid of being seen as weak than of looking like a poor dancer. She swallowed the last of her drink. “Sure, why not,” she said. “I'll tell you up front though, I've never done this before.”

Fluttershy didn't want to be left alone or hurt the other stallion's feelings so she too joined in the dancing. One dance soon turned into three and the stallions talked the girls into another drink. They sat and chatted for a while but eventually Rainbow Dash called the waiter over and paid her bill. They bade the stallions good night and hinted at possibly meeting them again the following week.

They decided to escort Fluttershy back to her hotel before returning to the compound. The chatted as they flew.

“How about that,” said Rainbow Dash, “we really met some high class stallions tonight.”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, “I didn't know I'd get to dance with a handsome sky dancer tonight. Are we really going to meet up with them next week?”

“You can if you want to,” said Dash, “I don't make plans that far in advance. It depends on how tired I am and if anything else is going on.”

“How about you Windy?” said Fluttershy. “I'd like to see Forest again but I don't want to go alone.”

Windy didn't answer. She flew on seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Rainbow Dash guessed why.

“So Windy,” said Rainbow, “what do you think of Nimbus?”

“Hmm? What?” said Windyday. “What did you say?”

“Nimbus,” repeated Dash, “I asked what you thought of him.”

“Oh, um, he's an excellent dancer, very polite,” said Windyday. “He's handsome and quite the gentlepony.” She seemed to drift away again as she finished speaking.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exchanged glances. “So you like him?” asked Dash.

“Yeah,” said Windy absently, “I think I do.”

“I thought so,” said Dash. “If you ask me, I'd say that you're in love.”

“No!” said Windy defensively, “Don't be silly. I just met him.”

“What about love at first sight?” asked Dash.

“I don't believe in it,” said Windyday. “I'll go so far as to say that I like him. Is that good enough for you?”

“For now,” said Dash, “but I'll have to wait until next week and see if you try to meet up with him again.”

They flew Fluttershy to her hotel and then went back to the compound. Windy and Rainbow Dash went to bed wondering if Frost, Spitfire and Soarin had returned. In Windy's room, Rainbow Dash tried to talk to her host but Windy seemed to be distracted and didn't seem to want to talk. Dash soon became bored and fell asleep. Windy lay awake for a while but it had been a long day and soon she too slept.

Author's Notes:

Well I guess the Soarin-Spitfire ship has been torpedoed by the Rainbow Falls episode. Frost seems interested in him too. Keep in mind that Soarin and Spitfire are several years older than RD and the other new Wonderbolts. I took this chapter to take a look at what pegasi might do for a night out other than go to a club. I suppose Immelmane might be subtly trying to get them interested in something other than the club scene. Sneaky old guy. Another thing I was looking at was Rainbow and Frost as school age filly's (or young mares). As tough a character as RD is, Frost is at least as tough as her and maybe more dangerous. RD at least has always had the loyalty streak in her and is more concerned with right and wrong. Frost cares deeply for her friends but has little regard for anypony else. You cross her at your own peril. There will be more of this later.

Chapter 69

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Chapter 69

As Rainbow Dash, Windyday and Fluttershy left Immelmane off at his apartment, Soarin, Spitfire and Frost arrived at Stratos. Cruiser was still working the door and the line to get in was even longer than it had been on Friday. Frost went to talk to him first.

“Hey Cruiser,” she said, “I need to talk to you for a second.”

“Hi, Frost,” said Cruiser, “I didn't expect to see you back here so soon after last night. Wow, I didn't expect to see you two either. Hi Spitfire, Soarin, it's been a while since you've been here.”

“Hi Cruiser,” said Spitfire, with a smile, “it's good to see you again.”

“You're not here about last night, are you?” asked Cruiser. “That was just one guy being a jerk. If he had known who Windy was I know he wouldn't have done what he did.”

“It's sort of about that,” said Frost. “I just want to make sure that nopony goes after the guy. I don't know who he was but I would rather see the whole matter dropped. If something would happen to him, it wouldn't please anypony. Get the idea?”

“I think so,” said Cruiser, “So what should I do?”

“Just help spread the word,” said Frost. “You know most of my friends. Just tell them I said to let it go.”

“Sure Frosty,” said Cruiser, “I can do that. Reflex and the Big Dude are inside right now. I'll be sure to tell them when they come out. You might want to check the line out. Maybe some of the others are there.”

“Sure,” said Frost, “thanks Cruiser, you're the best.”

“I appreciate it too, Cruiser,” said Spitfire. “Our new Wonderbolts don't need anymore trouble. It's hard enough to get used this life without legal hassles and reporters looking for stories that aren't there.”

“I understand,” said Cruiser. “If it means anything, they were all well behaved last night. A lot of mares would have belted that little snot instead of just talking to him.”

“It does mean something,” said Spitfire. “I think we picked some good ponies and I want to keep them around.”

“Sure Spitfire,” said the bouncer, “I'll do whatever I can.”

“I know,” said Spitfire, “you have a good night. Take care of yourself Cruiser.”

The three Wonderbolts walked down the line. Frost looked in vain for a pony that she knew. Where ever her old friends were, it wasn't at Stratos. At the end of the line she stood and thought for a moment.

“Do you think telling Cruiser will do the trick?” asked Soarin.

“I hope so,” said Frost. “The thing is, I'd like the word to spread a little faster. I was hoping to get the message out to more than two ponies. Not all of the old gang hangs around together anymore. I've been more involved with Golden Sun and haven't seen some of them in a while. Others have gotten jobs and some are married but I'm not worried about them. Lets try one more place before we call it a night.”

“Okay,” said Spitfire. “Where is it?”

“Down below,” said Frost. She waited to see how Spitfire and Soarin took this. Down below was a vague term that referred to the lowest levels of Cloudsdale. It mostly contained small factories wedged in between the colossal supports that held up the city but there were also a few bars, restaurants and apartments that served the workers in the area as well as the poorest of the poor.

Spitfire and Soarin looked at each other and then back to Frost. “Please tell me you're not serious,” said Spitfire.

“It isn't a bar or anything,” explained Frost, “it's more of an abandoned building where ponies hang out. It's safe as long as you don't ask a lot of questions. I'm pretty sure that some of my old acquaintances will be there. You don't have to go. I'll be okay on my own.”

“No,” said Soarin, “I think we should go along.”

Spitfire swallowed hard and nodded her head.

Frost smiled a wicked grin. “Alright,” she said, “let me show you how the other half lives.”

Lifting off, Frost led the way down several side streets that continually sloped downward. The path went from street to lane to little more than a path as it descended and they were forced to land. The lights of the city shed little light this far down but Frost walked on, confident of her way. Occasionally dark doorways and passages opened on either side. Something caught Soarin's attention and he glanced quickly to his right. There was only a dark blur and the gleam of eyes that vanished into the darkness. Soarin became even more alert and began to think that coming here had been a bad idea.

Ahead of Frost was a more lighted area. It was only two lamps on either side of the street but after the long walk in darkness it seemed as warm and welcoming to Soarin and Spitfire as Celestia's Sun at midday. Frost walked up to a doorway near one of the lights and opened it without knocking. She walked in followed closely by Spitfire. Soarin took a quick look around the empty street and followed Spitfire inside.

The doorway opened into a long narrow room. Here and there lanterns illuminated the room in a soft flickering light. Ponies lazed around the room in small groups and behind curtains others slept on the cloud floor. There may have been some other activity going on behind the curtains considering the moans and the occasional movements that could be seen but no pony seemed to mind. Looking up, Soarin saw that the ceiling was quite high and there were more ponies occupying higher clouds. The room widened to a large square at the back and contained several platforms of various sizes left over from the building's original purpose as a factory.

Spitfire was no less wary than Soarin. She also felt that she was overdressed for her surroundings and felt silly. She kept her face blank and followed Frost as she walked towards the rear of the room.
As they neared the back wall, a group of ponies could be seen in the gloom. They were talking quietly and laughing as they passed a bottle of something around. Frost walked up to them.

“Hello, Meteor,” said Frost as she neared.

A young stallion squinted through the gloom at Frost but seemed reluctant to rise. This was partially due to the mare sleeping with her head on his shoulder but he was also obviously feeling the effects of whatever was in the bottle. His companions turned towards Frost who was silhouetted against the lighter background.

“Frosty?” said Meteor, “is that you?”

“Sure is Meteor,” replied Frost with a smile. “How have you been?”

“The same,” said Meteor. “By Luna's starry mane, it's good to see you again. Who's that with you?”

“Soarin and Spitfire,” replied Frost, “I think you know them.”

Meteor laughed and the mare leaning on him awoke. “Who would have thought we'd see a Wonderbolt here, let alone three of 'em,” said Meteor. He struggled to get to his hooves and walked towards Frost. When he got close enough he suddenly lunged forward and embraced Frost in a crushing hug. The others in his little group got up and came forward slowly.

“Come on in and have a seat,” said Meteor, “we were just having a little party. Brights … acquired a bottle of something she says is brandy. I think it's more like some sort of cleaning fluid but it's not too bad once you get used to it.”

The three Wonderbolts entered the more private area and sat down. One of the ponies produced a lantern from somewhere and the alcove was lit with a yellowish light. To Spitfire's eyes it did little to improve the décor or the appearance of the ponies. Meteor was a rugged looking stallion with a short mane and several scars. Despite his weathered appearance, he was obviously younger than Frost and maybe even younger than Rainbow Dash. The young mare that had been leaning on him looked back at her with half closed eyes and a blank expression. The other ponies seemed to be Meteor's age, give or take a few years. Most were dirty with unkempt manes and tangled tails. Here and there some of them sported jewelry that ranged from cheap gaudy chains to expensive pieces that wouldn't have looked out of place at a Manehatten party. They were a rough looking crowd that reminded Spitfire of old tales of pirates.

Soarin was just as shocked as Spitfire but kept a smile on his face and tried to appear relaxed. He looked around at the walls of the place, noticing the scrawls of artwork and graffiti that covered most of the walls. There was even a few depicting the Wonderbolts. He was about to call Spitfire's attention to them when he noticed that one of the more obscene ones was of his companion. He hurriedly ushered Spitfire forward and took a seat in the group of ponies.

The group reformed around a low, makeshift table and the bottle once again began to circulate. Frost took a drink and passed it to Spitfire. Spitfire didn't really want to try the unknown liquid but thought it imprudent to refuse. She took a sip and then a larger one. It was strong. It was some sort of brandy but the maker apparently was more interested in potency than in flavor. She managed to swallow the stuff without choking and passed the bottle to Soarin.

Soarin was not as careful as Spitfire and took a strong pull on the bottle. He managed to swallow the fiery potable but shivered and shook his head afterward, much to the amusement of the younger ponies.

“What do ya think of that?” asked Meteor.

“You're right,” said Soarin, “I think it's cleaning fluid too.”

Meteor laughed. “You just have to get used to it,” said Meteor. “I guess it's a little rougher than what you're used to.”

“I don't actually drink very often,” replied Soarin. “Kind of a jock thing, you know?”

“Right,” said Meteor as he nodded his head, “you have to stay sharp. I didn't touch it either while I still went to school, I was into sports then. I got bored with the classes though, mostly useless stuff.”

“Why do you say that?” asked Soarin. “It could help you get a job.”

“Nah,” said Meteor, “I'm a pegasus. All I have to do is know how to fly. There's always work for a good flier. I'm flying for the weather department as an independent contractor. I'm doing alright.”

“Meteor,” said Frost, “I hate to interrupt but I, we, need a favor. I guess you heard about the trouble outside of Stratos last night.”

“Sure I did,” said Meteor, “that dude was lucky some of us weren't there. Hey, you're not looking for some pony to get that guy are you? 'Cause I don't do that kind of work no more.”

“No,” said Frost, “just the opposite. I want you and your friends to pass the word around that Windyday and the Wonderbolts just want the matter dropped. No acts of revenge. The guy was humiliated in public and Windy thinks that's enough.”

“Sure Frosty,” said Meteor, “I'd be glad to. I guess that's why you two came to visit us too, huh.”

“Mostly,” said Spitfire, “but I've heard a lot from Frost and Rainbow Dash about their former lives in Cloudsdale and I thought I'd like to meet some of their friends.”

Meteor chuckled as did some of the others. “I guess you're pretty disappointed,” he said.

“Not really,” said Spitfire. “at least you're not boring. Some ponies that are considered high class can get under my skin fast.”

“I guess,” said Meteor. He was silent for a moment. In the background, some pony began to gently play a guitar. “Yeah, at least we're real. Wow, old Dashie made the team. Frost doesn't surprise me too much but Dashie. That's hard to wrap my head around.”

“I'll say,” said another voice, “she was one crazy little mare before she got into weather school.”

“You said it Lightning,” said Meteor. I was really surprised when she took off for Ponydale or wherever she went. Good to see that some of us made it to the top though.”

“It's Ponyville,” said Spitfire. “You do know that Rainbow won the best individual competition, don't you? Immelmane himself picked her to be the one he'd train.”

“I knew she was picked to be the soloist,” said Meteor, “but not that she won the individual competition. I didn't know old Immelmane picked her either.” Meteor laughed. “I thought they hated each other.”

“They managed to put the past behind them,” said Soarin. “They're good friends now even though it's also a coach and student relationship.”

“That's so cool,” said a mare from back in the shadows, “I always liked Dash. Nothing could keep her down for long. She was such a super fast flier too.”

“She still is,” said Spitfire.

“Misty?” said Frost. “Is that you? I didn't see you back there.”

“Yeah,” said Misty, “it's me. Still hanging around with these guys.”

“I thought you were going to go to weather school,” said Frost. “What happened?”

“I ran out of bits,” said Misty. “Then my mom got sick and I had to stay and take care of her and the kids. I just haven't tried to get back.”

“Your dad still working in Trottingham?” asked Frost.

“Yeah,” said Misty, “he has to move around a lot though. I think he's in Baltimare this week. He sends us money regularly so at least we have a home and enough food.”

Frost tried to smile but failed. “Hope you get back in someday Misty,” said Frost. “You'd make a good weather pony.”

“If Dashie could be a weather pony, then so could you,” said Lightning. “She was always a great flier but was never very good in school.”

“She'd have been okay if she could have stayed awake,” said another pony. This got a laugh from the others and even Spitfire smiled.

“She still likes to nap,” said Spitfire. “Starshine had to wake her before her solo performance on the last day of the tryouts.”

The group all laughed at this and Meteor took another drink from the bottle. “That's Dashie alright,” he said. “Glad she's still cool after all this time. Celestia knows I'd like to see her again. Try to get her down here, will you Frost?”

“Sure Meteor,” said Frost, “I'll do that. We should get going. Any idea where some of the others might be? I stopped by Stratos and talked to Cruiser already.”

“I guess you've already talked to Golden Sun,” said Meteor. “Most of the old gang has moved on. There aren't too many ponies left that would do anything like you're worried about. I'll let every pony here know what you said and by tomorrow the word should be all over Cloudsdale. A lot of the older ponies do go to Stratos so Cruiser will take care of them. No, no place really comes to mind.”

“Okay,” said Frost, “thanks for your help, all of you. It was good to see you again.”

“Leaving so soon?” asked Lightning, “you just got here.”

“Sorry,” said Frost, “but Spitfire has a morning training session with Dashie and I have to judge a competition to choose the new flier for Golden Sun.”

“New flier for Golden Sun?” said Meteor. “Who quit?”

“I did silly,” said Frost with a laugh. “Since I'm a pro now I can't stay on an amateur team.”

The other ponies laughed. “Yeah,” said Meteor, “I guess not. Who's running the team now?”

“Razor,” said Frost, “they elected her almost immediately. I think she'll be a good leader.”

“Maybe,” said Lightning, “once she gets used to calling the shots. She's smart and she's a great flier but she'll have to quit clowning around.”

“She'll be okay,” said Meteor, “like you said, she's smart. She'll figure it out. Come on Lightning, let's walk our guests out. I'm surprised you made it down here without any trouble.”

The Wonderbolts said their farewells to the rest of the ponies and followed Meteor and Lightning out of the old factory. They wound their way back up from the depths of Cloudsdale. There was some awkward small talk but they walked silently for the most part. They were from two different worlds and Frost found herself between them and uncomfortable in both. At last they arrived in the safer sections of the city and Meteor and Lightning said goodnight to Frost and the two Wonderbolt leaders. Frost hugged them both and gave Meteor a kiss on the cheek.

“Goodnight Meteor,” said Frost, “take care of yourself. You too Lightning, I don't want to see your name on any posters.”

Lightning and Meteor laughed. “Take care, Frosty,” said Meteor, “you're welcome anytime. So are you, Spitfire and you, Soarin but I guess you have more important ponies to see than the likes of us.”

“We may meet again,” said Spitfire, “and don't sell yourselves short. You're still young and have your whole lives ahead of you. Who knows what the future might bring? Anyway, a friend of a Wonderbolt is a friend to all Wonderbolts. That makes you as important as anypony else. Good night, it was nice meeting you.”

Soarin nodded at the two smiling ponies and followed Frost and Spitfire to a place where they could take off. Soon they were winging their way back to the compound. Frost was silent. Spitfire brushed against Soarin lightly and looked him in the eye. She jerked her head up as a signal. Soarin nodded and gained altitude and dropped back a little bit. Spitfire flew up along side of Frost.

“Are you okay?” asked Spitfire.

“I guess so,” said Frost. “It's been a while since I've been down there. It's the way I remember it but it's not the same. It seemed like a haven when I was young. Now it's just...sad.”

“Maybe it's because most of the ponies you knew are gone now,” said Spitfire.

“Maybe,” said Frost, “but there were some there that I knew. They're just older and living like we did when we were younger. Sure, a lot of us moved on, grew up but some are still hanging on to the past and there's more young ponies moving in. That place isn't just a hang out you know, it's a home for some of them.”

“They live in that place?” said Spitfire. “Why? Don't they have family? Some pony to take them in?”

“Some don't have homes, some don't like the one they have, some are just rebels like me,” said Frost. “I guess you could say I grew up there. I'd stay for a week or two, go home for a while and then I'd have trouble at home or school and I'd be back again. After I was old enough to be on my own I lived there for almost a year before I got my own place.”

“Oh Frost,” said Spitfire, “I had no idea.”

“Don't pity me,” said Frost. “I can live with my decisions. I knew what I wanted to do and I did it. I got fed up with the kiddy school stuff real fast and just went out on my own. So what if I missed the senior prom? I was down there with good friends having a great time. I had a job, I got to fly all day and party until I collapsed every night.”

“What about your education?” asked Spitfire. “Don't you feel that you missed out there?”

“Education for what?” sneered Frost. “Like Meteor said; we're pegasi, all we have to do is know how to fly. I didn't want to work weather duty like Dash but I was a great courier. I didn't want some boring office job or to be stuck in the weather factory all day. I trained and built up my strength and got good at aerobatics and racing. If I had gone the regular route, would I be a Wonderbolt now? I didn't have a rich family like Windy or a Wonderbolt father like Firewing, I had to make my own way.”

“I don't know,” said Spitfire, “but there are some things you, every pony, needs to learn.”

“Yeah,” admitted Frost, “and I learned what I needed to from school. I'm not illiterate and I can do most of the math I need to do without help. I'm just not interested in all the other junk they teach you; history and all those 'ology' things. Who cares? Dashie was the same way. She slept through most of her classes. She was into the weather classes though. She really did like being a weather pony.”

“Did Dash hang out down there too?” asked Spitfire.

“Oh, yeah,” said Frost, “not as much as me. She never stayed there except for a night now and then. The longest she stayed was a week. That was after she dropped out of flight school and was afraid to go home. She knew her family would be disappointed even though she was a certified weather pony. She got lucky and landed the Ponyville job. She sneaked home when no one was there, grabbed her stuff, left a note and was gone.” Frost laughed. “I sure missed her after she left, even if she was a irritating little feather head.”

Spitfire laughed too. “She was the same back then?”

“Pretty much,” said Frost. “but not the great flier like she is now. She always had your back and was ready to fight anypony. She'd do anything to help out too. She tried to take the rap for one of the younger ponies once. That could have gotten her in real trouble. Luckily there were some witnesses. She even got a little credit from the cops on that one.”

“What happened?” asked Spitfire.

“Kid broke into a house and stole some bits,” said Frost. “She got away but a couple of neighbors saw her. Dash didn't know that but found out that the cops were looking for her. She got her to give her the bits and turned herself in.”

“Wow,” said Spitfire, “I don't know what to say to that.”

“She got caught in the lie though,” said Frost. “The witnesses said it wasn't her and also she had picked that day to actually go to class. She couldn't have done it. Rainbow was never that great with her alibis.” The memory made Frost laugh.

“That took guts just the same,” said Spitfire. “I guess you're alright. You seemed a little down before.”

“I'm okay,” said Frost. “I guess I felt ashamed that I was embarrassed bringing you to see my friends. It wasn't until I saw you together that I really noticed.” She gave a short laugh. “And look at me; dressed up and on my way home from a ballet. It felt like I was throwing my success in their faces.”

“You didn't do it on purpose,” said Spitfire, “and it might even give them some hope.”

“Maybe,” said Frost, “at least I went there asking them for help. That should make them feel better about themselves. What you said didn't hurt either. Thanks.”

“Anytime,” said Spitfire, “but not too soon. I don't feel like having another adventure into the depths of Cloudsdale just now.” She lightly slapped Frost on the shoulder with a wingtip.

“Where are you two going?” asked Soarin suddenly. “We just flew past the compound.”

Frost and Spitfire looked at each other and laughed. They banked around and followed Soarin down to the compound.

Chapter 70

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Chapter 70

Rainbow Dash was awoken by Windyday the next morning. To her surprise, Windy then immediately left after informing her that she had one hour to get to the field. That was enough to get her moving and soon she was on her way to the dining hall. The hall was even more vacant than it had been the previous day but Spitfire was there so Dash sat across from her.

“Good morning,” said the team captain, “I was about to send some pony to your room to make sure you were up.”

“No problem,” said Dash, “Windy was up early and woke me before she left.” She began filling her plate.

“You came home later than we did,” said Spitfire, “I thought you said you were going home to rest.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “but it didn't quite work out that way. We saw Mr. Immelmane home and then went to some fancy club for a while. We bumped into three stallions from the cast from the show and had a few dances with them. First time I ever sky danced with a stallion like that. I felt a little out of place but I guess I did okay. Windyday might have found a coltfriend though; Nimbus Strongwind.”

Spitfire sat back and blinked. “Wow,” she said, “I'm impressed. Did you dance with him too?”

“No,” replied Dash between bites, “I danced with Two Stars and Fluttershy danced with Forest Fog. It was fun. How was your non-date with Soarin?”

“It was...interesting,” said Spitfire. “I met some of your old friends last night. Frost took us to a place down below.”

Dash stopped eating in mid-bite and looked at Spitfire. She swallowed what was in her mouth and gave a sheepish smile. “Really? Um, who did you meet?”

“Let's see,” mused Spitfire, “there was Meteor, Lightning and Misty. I remember them for sure but there were quite a few ponies there. Frost wanted to make sure the word got spread around. They said they'd help.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “if they said they would, you can count on them. I can't remember the last time I saw any of them. Maybe I should try to meet up with them sometime.”

“I think they would like that,” said Spitfire. “Go with Frost though if you do go. Most of the ponies you used to know have moved on too. Frost was a little disappointed.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I guess they have. I know that a couple of them are married now and some have moved away; Manehatten, Baltimare and I don't know where else.”

“I think I'm starting to understand you and Frost a little better now,” said Spitfire. “Those ponies I met last night might be a little rough but they aren't really bad. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd grown up the way you two did.”

Dash shrugged. “I think you'd have survived. You don't get to be a Wonderbolt without being pretty tough. I guess there's a little luck involved though. I know a guy who was a really good aerialist but he got cut up in a fight. He can still fly but it ended any career he might have had. He does maintenance at the weather factory now.” She took a long drink of juice.

“Was that what it was all about? Survival?” asked Spitfire. “I thought it was more like a bunch of unruly kids trying to have fun.”

“It was that too, I guess,” said Dash, with a smile. “It varied from pony to pony. I didn't have to be there; I just wanted to hang with that crowd. Others didn't have much choice.”

“What made you want to hang out with them?” asked Spitfire. “Surely there were ponies in your school that you could have had as friends.”

“A few,” admitted Dash, “especially when I was little but the ones my age couldn't keep up with me and the older ones didn't want me around because I was younger than them. With Frost and her friends, that didn't matter. They cared more about what you could do and if you could be counted on in a tough situation. I liked being with them a lot more than the kids at school. It was more exciting too.”

Spitfire looked at Rainbow for a second. Dash was grinning as she toyed with some food on her plate. She wondered what memories she was recalling. She thought about asking but reconsidered, unsure if she really wanted to know. She was about to find out anyway.

“I sure learned some things they don't teach in school too,” said Dash. “I found out how to forge permission slips so I could enter races. I didn't get caught until my dad found my trophy’s in my closet.” Dash paused to laugh. “He didn't know quite what to do. On one hoof he was mad that I disobeyed him and on the other he was proud of all my wins. I got grounded for a while but it wasn't a big deal and after that he signed all the permissions himself. I guess he figured I may as well stick to what I was good at.”

“Where is he now?” asked Spitfire. “I know your mother died when you were young but your dad is still alive.”

“Las Pegasus,” said Dash. “He remarried while I was in weather school and his new wifey and I don't see eye to eye. I'm willing to see him again but I won't be caught dead in the same room with her. Which reminds me, if I crash, keep her out of my funeral.”

“I'll do my best,” said Spitfire, grimly. “Finish up. We'd better get going.”

The pair flew out to the practice field to meet Immelmane. They found him by his litter reading through some notes. He rose stiffly as they landed.

“Good morning,” said Immelmane, “let's get started. Rainbow, get into your flight suit and get warmed up while I go over a few things with Spitfire.”

Rainbow Dash did as she was told and watched Spitfire and Immelmane talk and look through some papers. She took off and began her warm ups. Soon Immelmane called her down.

“Alright Rainbow,” said Immelmane, “your short routine is set. There will be no more changes except for one very slight change I made this morning. I want you to turn only forty-five degrees into that first flat spin maneuver instead of ninety. It will give the audience a different view of it and it will allow for a wider, smoother turn after you do the move. Your speed will carry you through to the next move and give you a little break.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Sounds good to me,” she said.

“Go ahead and practice it a couple of times,” said Immelmane. “Spitfire will be flying above you to get a different angle on the move. After that, you'll run through your full routine once and we'll do a critique.”

Rainbow Dash browsed through her copy of the routine briefly, trying to picture it in her head. Dash took a couple of deep breaths and closed her eyes. She walked over to Immelmane and gave him her copy of the routine. “Okay,” she said, “I'm ready.” With a slight smile she turned and took off.

Spitfire took off and swiftly climbed above the level Dash would be flying. Spitfire hadn't done this in a while and she realized that she was enjoying herself. It was a welcome change of pace from the formation routines she was used to. She adjusted her goggles and concentrated on what Dash was doing. Dash was flying slowly to practice the turns and the spin, far slower than she had done in any practice or demonstration. Her speed increased as she practiced the change. At last satisfied, she looked up to Spitfire as if to ask 'Was that okay?'. Spitfire nodded and Dash flew out to her starting point. Spitfire flew back down to Immelmane.

“I think your protege is starting to use her brain,” said Spitfire. “She tried the maneuver slow and to do it perfect before she moved on to full speed.”

“I noticed,” said Immelmane. “I wonder if she's been talking to Windyday. It seems like something she would do.”

“I was thinking that too,” agreed Spitfire. “She's quick to pick up on anything she thinks useful. You know, I believe all she thinks about is flying. Any little thing she sees another pegasus do is snatched up like a bird grabs a bread crumb.”

Immelmane chuckled. “That is a good analogy. And now we are giving her focus. She will become the best ever.”

“Is that what you set out to do when you agreed to train a soloist?” asked Spitfire.

“No,” said Immelmane, “of course not. I hoped for a talented pegasus that I could teach but I did not expect her. She has speed, maneuverability, daring and the will to succeed but she doesn't know how to perform. Now, I think, she is starting to work on that. I do not think anypony will see a pegasus like her for a long time. Perhaps your great grandfoals might see another when they are old, if they are lucky.”

“That's a bit much, don't you think?” said Spitfire. “She's good but not that good.”

“When I was young, my grandfather told me about a pony called Ball Lightning,” said Immelmane. “He said that Ball was the greatest flier he'd ever seen. He wasn't a Wonderbolt but he did make his living as a racer and aerialist. There's no documentation that I could find but it was rumored that he once did a sonic rainboom. There hasn't been another pony come close to that since then and Ball has been dead for well over a hundred years. That means Rainbow Dash isn't a once in a generation flier or even once in two or three generations. She is a once in six or seven generations pegasus. We have the chance to make her great.”

“You have the chance you mean,” said Spitfire. “She's your student.”

“But I could use some help,” said Immelmane. “It's why I asked you to come out here in the first place. I know you're not the type to ride on another pony's coattails but if she turns into the kind of pony I think she will, I'll be very proud to say that I was a part of her success. You could be a part of that too.”

“It isn't that,” said Spitfire, “and I would be proud of it. We can talk later. She's ready to start.”

Immelmane gave a wave and Rainbow Dash rose into the air to simulate the start of the routine. She reached the point where the actual display would start and accelerated to performance speed. The routine was every bit as good as it had been the day before but there was something different about it.

“She's slowed down,” said the team captain. “Do you think she might be tired out from yesterday?”

“I'm not sure,” replied Immelmane. “She's definitely trying out some new style elements.”

“Yes,” said Spitfire, “I noticed. Look! That one was in the show last night.”

“Alright,” said Immelmane, “now she's just getting cute. Having style is one thing but that doesn't mean going overboard.”

They watched Dash for a couple more minutes and Spitfire checked the time. “She's forty seconds slower than her slowest run yesterday.”

“At this point or overall?” asked Immelmane.

“At this point,” said Spitfire.

Immelmane shook his head. “Bring her down.”

Spitfire flew up to near where Dash was flying and waved her down. Dash was puzzled but obeyed. When she landed in front of Immelmane, he addressed her.

“Are you feeling alright?” he asked first.

“Sure,” said Dash, “I feel fine.”

“Then what were you doing up there?” asked Immelmane. His voice was harsh now. “If we had let you continue, you would have been at least a minute and a half over your target time. Also, when I told you to add style to your routine I didn't mean for you to add every move you've ever seen in a haphazard manner.”

“I didn't know I was so slow,” said Dash, “I'm sorry. I don't really know about the style stuff either. I'm just guessing.”

“Then guess like you did yesterday,” said Immelmane. “That looked much better than that mishmash you were doing just now. It was part of the reason you were so slow too. Now get out there and try it again. Be sure to get your breath back before you start.”

“Yes sir!” said Dash. She took off, eager to get away. Rainbow Dash did not take criticism well and this time was no exception. She was, however, at a loss as to how to deal with it. This was Immelmane and Spitfire, not just some pony that didn't like her act. Part of her wanted to throw a raging fit and part of her wanted to cry. A few tears formed but she tried to calm herself and concentrate on what she about to do. She landed at her starting point and spent a few minutes getting her breath under control. She tried to remember every detail from her previous performance. At last she wiped her eyes, adjusted her goggles and took off to try again.

Her second effort was much better. After her bow at the end she trotted over to Immelmane and Spitfire.

“Better?” she asked.

“Much better, yes,” said Immelmane. “That looked good enough to perform in public. Now, lets try to improve on it. Spitfire, do you have anything you'd like to add?”

Spitfire thought for a moment. “Yes,” she said, “here, take your copy and a quill. Now write down all the style elements that you used during the routine in the places that you did them. That will give you a written record of what you have so far. When you're done we can review it and add in or change things to punch it up.”

“Sure,”said Dash. “Thanks Spitfire. This won't take long.”

Dash plopped down on the grass where she was and began writing. Spitfire and Immelmane looked at her and then at each other. She looked like a foal with a new coloring book. Spitfire bit her lip to keep from laughing. The baffled look on Immelmane's face didn't help Spitfire maintain her composure.

It didn't take Rainbow Dash long to do her work since there weren't very many stylistic moves to write down. When she was finished, she offered it to Spitfire. After reading through it with Immelmane, Spitfire and Immelmane sat down with Rainbow Dash and went over it with her again. Both of her teachers offered suggestions and Spitfire demonstrated some from time to time. When they were finished, Rainbow Dash did the routine again. There were two more attempts followed by critiques. They decided to call it a morning and went back for lunch.

Before breaking for lunch, Immelmane gave Rainbow Dash one last instruction. “I'll meet you in the hall after lunch,” he said. “We'll do a little class work before we head back out. I'll show you how to break down your act into parts so you can practice each element individually.”

“Sure,” said Dash. “One o'clock?”

“Yes,” replied the old pegasus, “I should be there before you but if I'm not, just wait.”

“Okay, Mr. Immelmane,” said Dash. “I'll see you then.”

Dash headed for the dining hall while Immelmane watched her go. Her head was up but her ears were down and she lacked her usual swagger. He wondered what was wrong but decided it could wait until after lunch.

Dash entered the dining hall and sat by herself. There wasn't any option as there were no other ponies there except for the cooks. She ate a salad which perked her up considerably. She drank a lot of water and picked idly at some fruit as she read through her routine. When she thought back to her aborted routine that morning she grew angry with herself. 'Stupid! Stupid!' she thought, “I must have looked ridiculous up there. No wonder Mr. Immelmane was angry. That WILL NOT happen again!' Her appetite gone, Rainbow Dash stalked out of the dining hall.

Dash was unsure of where to go. She didn't know where Windy had gone and feared that a return to their room would lead to a nap meaning she might be late for practice. She couldn't waste energy on flying with an all afternoon practice coming up. Frost was probably at the Golden Sun tryouts. This was going to be a long hour.

“You look lost,” said a voice.

Rainbow Dash turned to see one of the masseurs, Southern Breeze, leaning in a doorway.

“Hi Breeze,” said Dash, “I just have an hour to kill before my afternoon practice and I don't know what to do.”

“Tell me about it,” said Southern Breeze, “I hate this shift. No ponies around and I'm bored out of my mind. How about a rub down? You look kinda tense.”

“It shows, huh?” said Dash. “Sure, I may as well. Just make sure I'm not late for practice. I have some class work in the Hall first.”

“No problem,” said Breeze, “I'll get you loosened up in no time.”

Soon Dash lay on the table and Breeze started to work. He was good at his job and Dash felt a lot of her tension melt away and she began to relax. He aligned and rubbed her back and neck, worked her leg muscles and began working on her wings. Rainbow loved this and when he was through her wings draped limply over the edge of the table.

“Almost done,” said Breeze, “do you want me to work on your tail?”

This was new to Dash. “My tail?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Breeze, “some ponies like it and some don't. Basically I pull on your tail a vertebrae at a time and move it in a circle in both directions. I use towels to avoid pulling any hairs.”

“What's it supposed to do?” asked Dash.

“Well, there are muscles in there and since your tail is the end of your spine those bones can get out place too. Some ponies think it helps and others don't,” explained Breeze. “I think that some don't like it because it's a little...um, intimate.”

“Oh, right,” said Dash. “Well, you seem to be able to behave yourself so I guess I'll give it a try.”

“Okay,” said Breeze, “same advice as before; just relax and let me do the work.”

Breeze laid a towel across her just above her tail. He lifted her tail, slid another towel under it and made a loop. He wrapped one end around his left hoof and took the other in his teeth. He leaned on Dash's lower back near her tail and pulled. Dash heard several pops and her eyes opened wide. Breeze moved her tail in a circle, first one way and then the other. Breeze slid the towel down one vertebrae and repeated the process. She didn't know if this was actually helping her to relax but it certainly felt good. As Breeze worked his way down towards the thinner part of her tail he abandoned the towel and gently moved and massaged her tail using just his hooves. The last one tickled and Rainbow Dash giggled.

“Sorry,” said Breeze. “So what did you think of that?”

“It felt good, especially the first few,” said Dash. She got up and used her wings to lift off the table and land on the floor. She stretched. “Yeah, I think it did do something for my lower back too. Good job. How much time do I have before practice?”

“Twenty minutes,” said Breeze. “I might have gone a little fast but you said you didn't want to be late.”

“Thanks, Breeze,” said Dash, “I'll see you next weekend, if you're working.”

“Saturday,” replied Breeze, “but not Sunday. See you then.”

Dash draped her flight suit over her back and headed for the hall. As she drew near she saw Immelmane land at the base of the steps. She gasped in surprise. Where had he come from? She trotted over to meet him.

“Nice landing,” said Dash as she met her instructor.

“Ah!,” said Immelmane, “thank you. I just floated down from the balcony outside my office. The courtyard is usually a little crowded to risk it but I do it sometimes. You certainly seem more yourself now.”

Dash smiled ruefully. “Yeah, I guess I was a little off this morning. Sorry about screwing up. It won't happen again. I got a rubdown after lunch and I feel better now.”

“No need to apologize,” said Immelmane, “it's happened to all of us at one time or another. Just remember: don't get upset, get better.”

Dash smiled. “I'll try to remember that. Do you want to get started now or do you have something else to do before we start?”

“Let's get started,” said Immelmane. “This afternoon is going to be a little different. I'm going to teach you how to use your time more effectively by practicing each move individually. Come inside, this won't take very long.”

Once inside, Immelmane invited Dash up to the stage to get a closer view of the blackboard. He quickly broke down her routine into parts and explained how he wanted her to practice them. When he was through, he decided it was time to head to the practice field. Dash put on her flight suit and met Immelmane in the courtyard just as his litter carriers were taking off. She flew ahead and began to warm up.

By the time Immelmane landed at the practice area, Rainbow Dash was ready to go. She landed and asked what she should do first. Immelmane told her to practice her first move ten times. After that, and after a short break, they moved on to the second move. So the afternoon progressed until all the moves were done. They took a longer break and discussed various aspects of the routine drifting from topic to topic in no particular order. After that Rainbow ran through the entire routine four times with Immelmane giving a critique after each one.

“That was a good days work, Rainbow,” said Immelmane. “I think you are well on your way to making a great first debut.”

“Do you want me to do it again?” asked Dash. “I'm not tired, really.”

“No,” said Immelmane, “that is enough for today. I want you to put in some solid work with your friends this week but I have one thing that I demand that you do.”

“Name it,” said Dash.

“You will rest,” said Immelmane. “No running back and forth to Cloudsdale, no flying from dawn till dusk, not even spending an entire day or two answering fan mail; you will rest. I'm not grounding you, I know how fruitless that would be but you need some time off. When you leave here tomorrow, I don't want you doing any strenuous flying until Wednesday. It's alright to do your routine a few times a day but that's all. Your friend Firewing will be arriving Tuesday as will Frost. Windyday will be flying in Wednesday morning but I want her to take it easy too. She'll have her instructions from me before she leaves. You will have Wednesday through Friday to yourselves to do your work. I don't want to see any of you before noon on Saturday. You'll have a light workout in the afternoon and a full day on Sunday.”

“That is the best order you've ever given me,” said Dash, with a laugh. “You can count on me to follow it to the letter. I do have a little business here tomorrow but I plan on being in Ponyville before lunch.” After that, I want to check to see if any letters have arrived about my endorsement offers and then I'll rest. No more fan mail, no worrying about my house, no crazy flying, you have my word.”

“That will do,” said Immelmane. “Is there anything else that you want to ask me before you leave? I doubt if I will be able to see you tomorrow.”

Dash thought for a moment. “Just two things,” she said, “first, I'll be bringing along someone next week to handle my music. At least I hope to. I'll deal with the costs. Second, I'm going to have to start work on my long routine soon. Do you have any ideas on that?”

Immelmane smiled. “Go ahead with your first request. It might be interesting to see what you pick out for yourself. For the second, what makes you think I haven't been working on it already?”

Dash started to laugh herself. “Guess I should have seen that coming. Okay, are you going to dinner soon? I'm hungry.”

Immelmane laughed. “So am I. Alright, let's go to the dining hall. I'll meet you there in an hour. Go get cleaned up.”

Dash smiled and took off. She flew quickly back to Windy's room and found her roommate sitting by the window reading a book.

“Well hello,” said Windy, “did you have a good practice?”

“Hi Windy,” said Rainbow, “this morning was kind of crappy but the afternoon was awesome. I'm going to get cleaned up and meet Mr. Immelmane for supper. Where were you all day?”

“I went for a little excursion into the hills. I needed some peace and quiet,” said Windy. “Where are you and Mr. Immelmane going for supper.”

“Just the dining hall,” said Dash. “You coming?”

“Sure,” said Windy, “unless you don't want me interrupting your date.”

“Unfortunately it's not a date,” replied Dash.

Windy was shocked. “Really? You'd date him even though he's so much older than you?”

“Well, no,” said Dash, “but I would date him if our ages were closer.”

“I think you'd be good for each other,” said Windy. “He's smart, serious but he has more of a sense of humor than most ponies think. Most importantly, he'd be able to keep you in one piece.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing as she pulled off her flight suit. Windy hoped that her kidding hadn't made Rainbow angry.

“You know what I think it is?” said Dash at last. “He respects me and I respect him. It isn't a stallion looking for a ride and it isn't me looking for a hot young hunk for a little fun. He was pretty hot when he was young though, check out his picture the next time you're in the museum.”

Windyday raised an eyebrow. “He must be rubbing off on you,” she said. “That is about the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say.”

“Maybe you're right then,” said Dash, “we're good for each other. I'll be right back.” She headed into the bathroom for a shower.

Windy got up and began touching up her appearance. After a quick brushing, she curled up on the bed and began to preen her feathers. As was usual, she had difficulty getting at the ones closest to her body.
She looked up to find Rainbow watching her as she dried herself off.

“Need some help?” asked Rainbow.

Windyday sighed. “Yes, please. I'm about done preening but it's hard to get at these smaller feathers.”

“I know the ones,” replied Rainbow. She tossed the wet towel on the floor and joined Windy on the bed. She went to work quickly and Windy sighed with pleasure.

“Thanks,” said Windy, “they were starting to bug me. Would you like me to do yours?”

“Sure,” said Dash, “that's another drawback of not being on the weather team anymore. No pony to help me preen.”

“What about Fluttershy?” asked Windy, as she started to preen Dash's nearest wing.

“Sometimes,” said Dash, “but I was with the team more than her. I preened her a lot more than she did me. The spa ponies claim that they can do it but I'd rather have a pegasus working on my wings. Also, I'd have to pay them.”

Windy laughed. She went back to preening Dash's wing. Dash extended the wing so she had better access. Being this close to Rainbow's powerful wings gave Windy a new appreciation of Rainbow's physique.

“Sweet Celestia Dashie,” said Windyday, “your wing muscles are massive. No wonder you're so fast. Your feathers are really strong too.”

“The better to fly circles around you, my dear,” laughed Rainbow Dash.

Windy responded by ducking her head under Dash's wing and blowing a raspberry against her ribs. Dash rolled away laughing.

“Come on,” said Dash, “we both have another wing to preen.”

They went back to preening and were soon done. Feeling better, Windy helped Rainbow Dash with her brushing and they went to the dining hall.

Immelmane was talking to Soarin as they entered so they went to a table and began to fill their plates. Immelmane soon joined them. He was smiling and humming to himself.

“Good evening ladies,” said Immelmane, “You're both looking lovely tonight.”

This was somewhat out of character for Mr. Immelmane and caused Dash and Windy to exchange glances. He seemed to be in an inordinately good mood.

“Thank you,” replied Windyday, “Dash must have done well today to put you in such a good mood.”

“Yes,” said Immelmane, as he filled his plate, “she is doing quite well. Not perfect, mind you, but quite well.” He winked at Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, well, that's good,” said Windy. She took a bite of food and looked at Dash who was staring at Immelmane with a confused look on her face. It was clear to Rainbow Dash that Immelmane's current mood had nothing to do with her performance that day.

If she was nothing else, Rainbow Dash was direct. “What's going on?” she said. “You know something that we don't and that's what making you so happy right now.”

“I know a great many things that you don't, Ms. Dash,” replied Immelmane. “As to the particular bit of information that I find amusing, you will just have to wait and see. It would be indiscreet of me to reveal anything at this time.”

“Uh huh,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'll figure it out. I might not be as smart as Twilight Sparkle but I can figure things out pretty well. Your secret won't be a secret for long.”

Immelmane chuckled. “Oh, I have no doubt about that but it will have nothing to do with your intelligence.”

“That's very cryptic,” said Windy. “Does it have anything to do with Soarin? You two seemed to be having an important conversation when we walked in.”

Immelmane said nothing as he was eating a plate of fruit salad with gusto. He reached for some greens but Rainbow Dash moved the bowl away from his hoof. He reached again and Dash moved the bowl. This game might have gone on longer but Windyday interrupted.

“Dashie,” said Windy, “doorway.”

Dash turned to look at the door and Immelmane grabbed the bowl. Dash didn't notice as she was more interested in the two ponies walking in the door. Soarin and Spitfire were entering the hall together and they seemed to be on very friendly terms with one another. Dash understood at once.

“Wow,” she said. Nothing more came to Rainbow's mind.

Immelmane looked at Rainbow Dash and smiled. “I hope that didn't tax your brain too much,” he said.
“Do not, either of you, say or do anything that might jeopardize this relationship. Do you understand?”

“You got it,” said Dash, who was still staring at the Wonderbolt leaders.

Windyday simply nodded and went back to her meal. She kicked Dash to get her attention and keep her from staring.

“So tell me, Mr. Immelmane,” said Windyday, “is there anything special that I should help Rainbow with in Ponyville?”

“You might help her with her style,” replied Immelmane, “and you're a good critic so look for the little things she might be doing wrong. Then there's her music. Apparently there is a pony in Ponyville that is talented enough to provide proper music for her performance at Princess Luna's party.”

“I do need help there,” said Dash, “I have no idea what a Princess might like.”

“Why don't you ask her?” said Windyday. “This is a contracted performance after all and the ponies requesting the performance should certainly have some input into what they're paying for.”

“That would be a dangerous precedent,” said Immelmane, “I'd rather have you develop the music to suit yourself but also take into account that there will be a wide variety of ponies listening. ”

“Um, okay,” said Dash, “I can do that. Maybe I'll just do the routine and let the DJ come up with something. She did a great job when Firewing and I performed.”

“Very well,” said Immelmane, “I'll look forward to next weekend.”

Author's Notes:

Well, here's a little more background for Rainbow Dash. I don't think I'll be bringing any of her relatives into the story at this point. Maybe later. I just don't know what to do with them and they don't really advance the story. It's crawling along as it is but I hope pick up the pace a bit soon. I also wanted to show things not going smoothly all the time between Rainbow and Immelmane. Sometimes he has to be her coach and not her friend.
Am I going to ship Soarin and Spitfire? Maybe, but I'm thinking of leaving most of that to the reader and leave it open to interpretation.
The rub down scene was an exploration into how a nude society works. I mean, when every pony has seen it all before it's not a big deal but there are still probably lines that just are not crossed. Off to edit the next chapter!

Chapter 71

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Chapter 71

Rainbow Dash and Windyday spent a quiet evening in Windy's room. It had been a busy weekend and both ponies were a little tired. The only highlight was a short flight to the lake before bed. The pair did a sky dance just for fun. It wasn't anything fit for a performance and both of them were performing such silly moves that they would have been embarrassed to be seen doing it in public. Still, it was good for a laugh and it helped them relax. Frost came in late in the evening and stopped by Windy's room to say that a young mare by the name of Harvest Moon had been chosen to take her place on the Golden Sun team. She seemed tired or depressed and didn't stay long. Rainbow Dash finished packing her bags and she and Windy went to bed.

The next morning Windyday woke Rainbow Dash has she had the previous mornings of her stay. Together they headed down to breakfast. Unlike the weekend, the courtyard was buzzing with activity. Support ponies moved supplies and loaded Immelmane's litter. Some Wonderbolts and other ponies were going to breakfast and others stood in small groups here and there. Immelmane was speaking with Spitfire as he showed her something on a clipboard.

Windy and Dash were about half-way to the dining hall when Frost landed beside them. She looked much better than she had the previous night and greeted them happily.

“Good morning, Frosty,” said Dash, “you look like you're ready to do some flying today.”

“I am,” said Frost, “today's the last official practice for the week for me. If it's okay with you I might just fly out to Ponyville tonight.”

“Sure,” said Dash, “make sure you eat before you leave. It's a couple hour flight to Ponyville and there won't be much open by the time you get there. I'll have some snacks but that's about all.”

“Okay,” said Frost, “I know you can't cook. I'll try to bring a few things along that we can all share.”

“I'll do that when I come out Tuesday too,” said Windy. “Say, is Firewing coming here first or is she going straight to Ponyville?”

“I don't know,” said Dash. “I think she's coming by train so it would make more sense for her to go to Ponyville but if she's bringing a bunch of stuff with her she might want to come here first and drop it off before flying to Ponyville.

“I wish I knew,” said Windy, “I'd fly out with her if she'd wait until after practice tomorrow. It wouldn't be much of a difference as far as time goes.”

“You'll be okay,” said Frost. “You know the way and it isn't that far.”

“I suppose,” said Windy, “but I wouldn't mind a little company.”

“It's too late to do anything about it now anyway,” said Dash. “Manehatten is a long way off and she might already be on her train. If she isn't here by the time you're ready to leave, just come by yourself. It probably means she's in Ponyville already.”

Windyday was satisfied with this though not happy about it. She fell silent and the three friends entered the dining hall. They talked as they ate their breakfast, looking forward to what they considered a vacation. They were nearly finished with their meal when Spitfire walked up to them. She seemed to be in a good mood.

“Good morning,” said Spitfire, “all ready for a good day of training?”

“You bet,” said Frost, “do you think I'll get another chance to fly with the team today?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” said Spitfire. “You'll get a try at all three slots this afternoon. This morning you'll be practicing solo and then you'll work on the new sky dance. If you have the routine down for all three positions, you'll get to fly them all.”

“Even lead slot?” asked Frost in disbelief.

“Yes,” said Spitfire, “even my position, so do a good job if you want to fly with the team.”

“You can count on it,” said Frost. “Sit down and have some breakfast.”

“I was up early and had a snack in my room,” said Spitfire. “I had some things to do before we start for today. Rainbow, I know you didn't put up the sign up sheet for that calendar idea. Don't bother. We've decided to let just you four split the proceeds with your friend Rarity but there are a few conditions. First, you have to donate twenty percent of the profits to the Wonderbolt's Education Fund. Second, the cover of the calendar will feature a spread of all the Wonderbolts and the support ponies in a group shot. We're going to provide a poster of the same shot to include with the one you're selling. That will be free of charge. You'll also do an autograph session along with every other pony on the poster. We're only going to do a hundred of them and they'll be sold sealed just like any of the others. Sort of an incentive to buy the posters. Every pony has an equal chance of getting one of the signed versions. How does that sound?”

“It sounds great,” replied Dash, “but what's the Wonderbolt's Education Fund? I've been a fan all my life and I've never heard of it.”

“It's something new,” said Spitfire with a smile, “I've recently met some young ponies that deserve a little help with their education and decided to help.” She looked at Frost.

“Oh sweet Celestia,” said Frost quietly as she realized who Spitfire was talking about. She suddenly leaped out of her chair and hugged Spitfire. “Thank you!” she cried, “I was trying to figure out a way to help them and you did it! You did it!”

Spitfire stumbled backwards under Frost's weight but eventually lost her balance and both of them ended up on the floor much to the amusement of the other ponies in the hall.

“Alright! Alright!” said Spitfire, “You're grateful, I get it!”

Frost got to her hooves first and extended a hoof to Spitfire to help her up. Spitfire took it and struggled back up. Rainbow Dash and Windyday got up to assist them and picked up some of Spitfire's papers that had scattered on the floor. Soarin trotted over to see what was going on.

“Are you okay?” he asked Spitfire. “What was that all about anyway?”

“I'm fine,” said Spitfire, “Frost just got a little overexcited about the Education Fund.”

Soarin looked at Frost and smiled. “We're going to check out your friend Misty for starters,” he said. “If it looks like she has a chance at the weather school, the fund will hoof the bill.”

Frost squealed and hugged Soarin. He was able to stay upright until Rainbow Dash joined her friend in hugging the startled stallion. Soon Soarin was on the floor with Dash and Frost on top of him. He didn't seem as upset about this as Spitfire had been. Dash was the first to get up.

“Sorry, Soarin,” said Rainbow, “I was just so happy to hear about you guys helping Misty. She's a good pony. You won't regret helping her.” Dash gave Spitfire a much more restrained hug. “Thanks, Spitfire.”

“It isn't 'you guys',” said Spitfire, “it's 'us'. You're part of this now. Go on home and get to work on the calendar idea. The rest of you, it's time to hit the sky. Out to the practice field. You have twenty minutes to get in your suits and get warmed up.”

“Come on Dash,” said Windy, “I'll let you in the room before I head out, just lock up when you leave.”

Dash arose and followed Windyday. “See you tonight Frosty,” she said. “You won't have any trouble finding my house, it's the only one in the sky.”

“See ya Dash,” said Frost, “this should be a great week.”

“It sure should,” said Dash. “See ya next weekend everypony!”

The Wonderbolts in the hall all called out goodbye or waved to Rainbow as she followed Windy to the exit. The pair quickly went to Windy's room where Rainbow hurried to pack a few odds and ends and Windy donned her practice suit. Rainbow Dash was done first and gave Windy a quick hug.

“Thanks for letting me stay here this weekend,” said Dash. “I'll see you tomorrow or Wednesday.”

“Anytime, Rainbow,” said Windyday, “I had a good time this weekend, even with the little problem with the press and at Stratos. I really needed to be around some friends.”

“I had fun too, Windy,” said Rainbow Dash, “but wait until you get to Ponyville. This week is gonna rock.”

*** *** *** ***
Rainbow Dash left and headed down to the offices where she picked up her mail. She left the compound and headed to Las Pegasus Quality Clouds. A familiar looking pony sat behind the desk. He looked up as she entered.

“Good morning Rainbow,” he said, “Long Flight said you might stop by.”

“Skyline?” said Rainbow Dash, “is that you? It's been a long time.”

“It sure has,” agreed Skyline, “it must be eight years at least.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “so you work here now. Small world. So I guess Long Flight isn't here.”

“No, he flew to Las Pegasus to try to do a deal on your house,” said Skyline. “Thanks for the overtime, by the way.”

“Sorry,” laughed Dash, “I didn't think he would have any information yet but I thought I'd check anyway. I won't be around until next weekend.”

“He seemed really confident about it when he left,” said Skyline. “I'm glad you'll be building with our materials. You won't regret it.”

“I'm usually all for Cloudsdale,” said Dash, “but after what I found out about how the Cloudsdale factory works, I think I'd rather go with Las Pegasus. I'm not doing their sexy calendar for the little bit of discount they're offering.”

Skyline laughed. “I couldn't buy one anyway. My wife would kill me.”

“Who did you marry?” asked Dash.

“No pony you know,” said Skyline. “Her name's Sleet Storm. I met her in Las Pegasus. We were working at the same casino and just hit it off. We have a two year old foal and another one on the way. Good thing I got this job or I'd never be able to afford to bring them up right.”

“I guess you really meant it when you thanked me for the overtime,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'd like to stay and chat some more but I have to go see my architect and then fly back to Ponyville.”

“We'll get a chance to get caught up,” said Skyline. “I handle a lot of stuff for Long Flight so we're sure to see each other again.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “see ya Sky.”

“Take care Dash,” said Skyline. “I'm glad we'll be working on your house.”

*** **** *** ****
Dash left the office and headed to see Charm. She was able to see the young architect and look at some revised plans. Charm had incorporated a fireplace into the den of Dash's home.

“I love this,” said Dash. “This is going to be one cool cloud home. You did something to the entrance and the spires too. I'm not so sure about that.”

“It was partly dad's idea and part mine,” said Charm. “We both thought that copying the pillar design for the entrance from the Princess' building looked good. Dad still wanted the smaller spires but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to put them in. I'm not happy with this version either.”

“I don't like the flat area on top of the two large spires,” said Dash. “That could be a problem during a heavy snow or even a bad rainstorm.”

“Well, I thought about turning them into covered balconies around the windows,” said Charm. “I'd have to either lower the roof of the center section or raise the height of the two large spires to pull it off though.”

“I'd raise the height rather than lower the roof,” said Dash. “I'm willing to give you a chance at it but if I don't like it, we're going back to the original plan. I do like the entrance so you can mark that approved.”

“Alright,” said Charm, “but it kind of messes up the bath room entrances. I'll have to either put stairs going down to it or make the ceiling extra high and leave the floor the way it is. I'll draw up a couple of versions and you can pick the one you like. I want to fly out to Ponyville this week and get a look at your land and you can take a look then.”

“Fine with me,” said Dash, “I'll pay you that thousand when you come out too. I'll be staying in my cloud home for a while yet so you can find me there. If I'm out practicing, try the Library or Sugar Cube Corner. Somepony there should know where I'm at.”

“I'll probably be there Wednesday,” said Charm. “Will that be alright?”

“Sure, fine,” said Dash. “If that's all, I'll get going.”

“Sure,” said Charm, “are you in a hurry or something?”

“A little,” said Dash, “I have some friends visiting this week and I need to get ready. I want to get some stuff in the mail too. It's going to be a little busy and Immelmane told me to rest as much as I can.”

“I'll let you get going then,” said Charm. “Don't worry. We'll get your house sorted out this week for sure. I've been through a lot worse issues than this.”

“Thanks, Charm,” said Dash, “I'm glad I'm in good hooves.”

Chapter 72

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Chapter 72

Rainbow left Charm to her work and soon after was flying towards Ponyville. Though she had agreed to take it easy she found herself flying faster and faster. 'I can rest later,' she thought, 'I want to get home now!' An idea crossed her mind and she acted on it without a second thought. She accelerated to her highest speed and did a sonic rainboom. The ground raced by beneath her and she covered a lot of distance before she slowed down. Dash made it to Ponyville well before lunch and went to the Library.

Dash knocked on the library door and Spike soon answered. He greeted Rainbow Dash and invited her inside. Twilight was in the basement and, after giving Dash some mail that had arrived in her absence, went to get her.

None of this mail was fan mail, that was obvious. All were big thick envelopes and one was a package. Before she opened them Dash checked the return addresses. They were all replies from several companies that wanted her to endorse their products. She could barely contain herself as she tore open the first one. It was from a grooming products company and it offered her a thousand bits. The next was from a farm consortium who wanted her to promote a variety of foods; two thousand bits. She was on the third one when Twilight Sparkle entered the room.

“Hello, Rainbow,” she said, “you must have gotten an early start.”

“Not really,” replied Rainbow Dash, “I'll tell you about it later. Look at these offers! I'm on the third one and I'm up to... forty-five hundred bits!”

Twilight was stunned. “That's a lot of bits!” said Twilight. “What are you going to do with it all?”

“I'll be using most of it to pay for my house,” said Dash with a laugh. “After that, I don't know. Spitfire said I should save it for when I retire but that's a long way off, I hope.”

“I suppose that is a good idea,” said Twilight. “You should take care of your house first. There will be time to decide what to do when that is done. So, how was your weekend?”

“Absolutely awesome,” said Dash. “We all had a great time. I guess Fluttershy told you about some of it but she didn't see me yesterday. I spent all day practicing and Mr. Immelmane said he's really happy with my act. Princess Luna is going to love it.”

“That's great, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “I can hardly wait to see it myself. Fluttershy said you had a little trouble this weekend. Is everything alright now?”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “the press was more trouble than the guy who started the whole thing. They tried to make it out like we were the ones in the wrong. I think it's pretty well over now. I haven't read any of the papers but none of our leaders seemed too concerned about it.”

“That's good,” said Twilight, “I guess you're going to have to watch your behavior from now on.” She seemed pleased with this. Twilight had always felt that Dash was a little too out of control.

“Yeah,” said Dash, “but I think I'll still be able to have a good time. It's more about where I go to have it. The high class places aren't as likely to have the kind of ponies that cause trouble. Remember Twilight; Windy and the rest of us didn't start the fight.”

“That's true,” said Twilight, “so why did you go to the place you did?”

“It was a pretty nice club really,” said Dash. “Frost suggested it and we had a great time. The trouble started outside after we left. I think the guy just made a mistake by picking on Windyday. He probably didn't know who she was. He left Frost and I alone and didn't even bother Fluttershy. The next night we went to the sky dancing show and then to another club afterward. That club was a real high class place. I had a really good drink made with that Barleyfield stuff. It was delicious. I want to learn how to make it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. She didn't think much of the volatile liquid. “You may want to look at that package then,” she said.

Dash went to the box and ripped it open. Well packed inside was another bottle of W.C. Barleyfield's. There was also a thick envelope that Rainbow Dash opened at once. It was a proposal promising between two and three thousand bits depending on the length of contract that Dash was willing to sign. They also informed Rainbow Dash that a representative would be in Ponyville Friday and if she wasn't there would meet her in Cloudsdale the following day. Dash lifted into the air and somersaulted onto Twilight's sofa.

“Alright!” cried Dash, “that's the biggest one yet. Let's see what the other ones have to say.”

Rainbow Dash went through the rest of the mail quickly, hardly glancing at the offer except for the amount of bits involved. It turned out that Dash had a better head for math than Twilight expected. She added the offers up as fast and as accurately as Twilight herself.

“This is great,” said Dash, “with what I got paid by the Wonderbolts and these offers I'll be able to pay for my house in cash. I don't need to get a loan!”

“That's great Rainbow,” said Twilight. “You really should get a lawyer to go over those contracts with you before you start counting your bits though. You wouldn't want to get hooked into something you don't want to do.”

“I've been thinking about that,” said Rainbow. “I know this pony that's just super smart and she'd go over these contracts with a fine toothed comb.”

“Really?” asked Twilight, “Anypony I know?”

“Yeah,” said Dash with a smile, “she's this unicorn that lives here in Ponyville. She's had the very best education and is great with detail.”

Twilight looked thoughtful. There weren't too many ponies in town that fit that description. She looked at Rainbow Dash and found the blue pegasus staring at her with a smile on her face. She realized who Rainbow Dash meant.

“Oh! No, Rainbow,” protested Twilight, “I'm not really qualified to do that sort of thing. I've never read a contract in my life. You need a professional.”

“Come on Twilight,” said Dash, “you're the only pony I know I can trust with something like this. I'll pay you. If any pony can figure out all this legal talk, it's you.”

Twilight was still reluctant but Rainbow Dash was persistent. It took her nearly twenty minutes to wear down the purple unicorn but at last Twilight agreed to try. She made it clear to Rainbow Dash that if she felt she was getting in over her head that the deal would be off. Dash agreed but was confident that Twilight wouldn't be able to resist trying to figure out every last word in the contracts. With that problem out of the way, Rainbow Dash shifted the conversation to the arrival of her friends.

“Frost will be flying in tonight,” said Dash, “and Windyday and Firewing should be here tomorrow. I'm not sure what time.”

“After hearing what Fluttershy had to say about Windyday and Frost, I'm a little nervous about meeting them,” said Twilight.

“Why?” asked Dash, “they're both cool. Windyday is a little different from other ponies but she's getting better. I'm kind of hoping that a few days here with us will help her. Frost is, well, Frost is kind of a tough character but if she trusts you, there's no better pony to have on your side. I don't advise getting her angry but she's calmed down some since she's gotten older.”

“Fluttershy seemed to like Windyday,” said Twilight. “I think she feels sorry for her but I don't understand exactly why.”

Rainbow Dash thought for a few seconds before she spoke. “I don't want you to take this the wrong way but she's sort of like you. You've changed since you've come here, right?”

“Yes,” said Twilight, “but I'm still me. I mean I still have a lot of the same likes and dislikes. I guess the biggest difference is that now I have you and the rest of my friends.”

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash, “and Windy is the same way but she still doesn't have friends the way you have. I guess she grew up a lot different from you too. I know I'd sure rather live with Celestia than Windy's parents. From what you've told us, Celestia was a mentor and teacher and almost like a second mother to you. Windy's parents just ran her life practically all the time. Sure, now she's free and has the Wonderbolts and some of us are pretty close to her but it isn't like you are with us. Sometimes she doesn't seem to know what to do with herself. She's real smart too, different from the way you're smart but brilliant.”

“Fluttershy said she was different too,” said Twilight, “but didn't seem to know what else to say about her. She did say she scared her when she confronted that guy that snapped her with his tail.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “she can be a little scary when she wants to be. She just turns cold and looks at you with this weird look. Her voice changes and you just know she has you figured out. She used to be like that almost all the time. Since she changed, she's more emotional and has a hard time dealing with it at times. I told Fluttershy that she reminded me of Luna. If you see her trying to talk about what she regrets or if she hears a sad story, you'll know what I mean.”

“I'll try to be nice to her,” said Twilight. “She sounds like she's having a hard time fitting in. I'll be nice to Frost too, of course but I don't think she needs my help all that much.”

“Maybe,” said Dash, “don't be fooled by her though; Frost cares a lot more about other ponies than she lets on. Listen, I have to get going. I have to get my place straightened up a little and go get some groceries. Thanks again for looking over my contracts.”

“I said I'll try to look over your contracts,” said Twilight. “If I don't think I can do it, I'll see about finding you a lawyer. You're welcome anyway.”

Dash smiled. “I know you can do it. I could probably do it but I'd fall asleep. They look pretty boring.”

“They're just very precise,” said Twilight. “Everything legal has to be worded a certain way. It's kind of like a different language.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “pass. I'll see you latter. If anything important comes up, I'll be at home soon.” She reached for the bottle of Barleyfields and put it in her pack. “I'll take this along now. I wouldn't want you to get lit up while you're reading my contracts.”

“Sure, Rainbow,” said Twilight, with a giggle, “I'll see you latter.”

Rainbow Dash left the library and headed to the market. She stocked up on fresh produce and then went to Sugar Cube Corner where she bought some baked goods. She was a little disappointed to find that Pinkie Pie was not there. Heavily laden, she went up to her cloud home and dropped off her supplies. She returned to the market to get some apples from Applejack.

“Hiya, AJ,” said Dash, as she neared the stall.

“Hi yourself, RD,” said Applejack, “have a good weekend?”

“It was great,” said Dash. “I'll tell you all about it latter, if Fluttershy hasn't already. I'm having guests this week so I need to get a big basket of apples for everypony.”

“I can help you out there,” said Applejack. “What will it be? I have some Red Delicious, Winesap, Golden Delicious, and Braeburn.”

Rainbow Dash puzzled over this for a while. She didn't really know what her friends preferred. Applejack noticed and made a suggestion.

“How about a peck of each?” said Applejack. “I'll still give you the bushel price.”

“Good idea,” said Dash, “that should be enough to last us the rest of the week. Load up the first two. I'll take them home and come right back for the rest. Here's the bits.”

Applejack watched as Rainbow Dash dug through her bag and pulled out a bag of bits. She noticed that her friends bag was still bulging.

“Dang, RD, what all do you have in there?” said Applejack.

“Huh? Oh, just bits,” said Dash. “Here you go.” She slid the payment across the counter.

“That whole satchel is full of bits?” asked Applejack in a hushed whisper. “Don't you think that you really ought to put them in the bank?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I guess I should. It's kind of a hassle carrying them all over the place.”

“Not to mention safer,” said Applejack. “Just how many bits are you toting around anyway?”

“I don't know,” admitted Dash, “about fourteen hundred, give or take.”

“You're walkin' around with fourteen hundred bits!” hissed Applejack. “Are you nuts? After you get your apples home, you go down to the bank and make a deposit. What if you dropped your bag or somepony decided to rob you? In fact go down there right now. I'll get your apples packed up for you.”

Dash wanted to argue but realized that Applejack was right. It was risky carrying that much money around. “Alright, alright,” said Dash, “I'll go make a deposit. At least my satchel will be lighter. I'll be right back.”

Dash cruised through town to the bank. She landed in front of the door and was about to enter when Filthy Rich came out of the bank. Dash frowned but greeted the stallion anyway.

“I was thinking of you just now,” said Filthy Rich. “I know you didn't approve of our original plan to harvest lumber but now that we're working on the Everfree Forest, perhaps you'd like to reconsider investing with us.”

Rainbow Dash thought it had been a good idea, as long as Whitetail Wood wasn't involved. “I'm listening,” she said.

“Well,” began Filthy, “the profits won't be as large as we anticipated but the plan is sound and any investor is sure to at least double their money and I'm hoping to make even more. After the harvesting is done and we start to sell off the land for farming we may triple our investment. I see you were going to the bank anyway. Why don't we go in and talk this over?”

Rainbow Dash agreed and followed Filthy inside. Dash was surprised to find that Filthy had a small office in the bank itself. Rainbow Dash seated herself as Filthy closed the door.

“Now then,” said Filthy, “let's get down to business. First of all, I've already decided to give you five shares just for your help the other day. Shares are going for ten bits a share. Are you familiar about how this all works?”

“Not really,” said Dash. “I never had enough money to invest in anything before.”

“I see,” said Filthy. “To put it in a nutshell, a share in a venture such as this is to raise the money we need to buy equipment, pay workers, put up buildings and that sort of thing. After the business is running and profits start coming in, holders of a share are paid dividends or the shares might be multiplied as a form of payment. Also, as a share holder you will have a vote as to how the company invests the money. The more money the company makes, the more you make and the shares increase in value. If the company loses money then you can lose money too as the value of your shares will drop. You can also sell the shares for whatever anypony is willing to pay or back to the company at market value.”

“That sounds fair,” said Dash. “How many shares are you selling?”

“One thousand shares,” replied Filthy. “That will give us ten thousand bits of operating capital. That should be enough to see us through the first year with some to spare. I'm investing in two hundred and fifty shares myself. There are a few interested parties here in Ponyville who are buying smaller amounts and I've heard some good responses from some ponies in Manehatten and Canterlot too. Now is really the time to invest before they come in and buy up what's left.”

“I wish I could invest a lot,” said Dash, “but I'm a little low on cash because I'm building my house and I'll need most of my money for that. I told the architect that I'd pay him a thousand this Friday. Let me see how much I have right now. I'll be right back.”

Rainbow Dash went to the teller and asked to see her account balance. As she waited, the President of the Bank, a Mr. Moneymaker, noticed her and hurried over. He practically fell over himself himself fawning over her and insisted on waiting on her personally. He knew well that Wonderbolts made quite a lot of bits and was afraid that Rainbow Dash might decide to transfer her funds to Cloudsdale. When they were through conducting business, Rainbow Dash had a safety deposit box, a cashiers check for Filthy Rich and a low interest credit line for ten thousand bits. She went back to Filthy's office and gathered up her bits. She now had enough to pay Cloud Shaper and match Filthy's investment for two hundred and fifty shares. The endorsements would be more than enough to take care of her investment and with her pay her home would be paid for in no time.

“I'm in,” said Dash. “I'll take a two-hundred and fifty shares.”

Filthy Rich was stunned. He had expected a modest investment of twenty or thirty shares not an investment that was the size of his own and a quarter the worth of the company. It was enough of an investment to give Rainbow Dash a seat on the board of directors.

“T...two-hundred and fifty shares,” repeated Filthy.

“Yeah,” said Dash, misinterpreting Filthy's reaction, “that's all I feel comfortable with right now. I might buy more in a few weeks after my endorsement deals start coming in.”

“I see,” said Filthy, as he composed himself, “You still need to get a few more bits to get that many shares, if you're sure about this.”

“Here's a check,” said Dash. “I'll just take my cash and deposit most of that.”

“I'll get your shares and draw up the paperwork,” said Filthy. “It won't take long.”

Rainbow Dash left to make her deposit. Filthy got the shares from the safe under his desk and wrote up a receipt and a letter of transfer. He then got out a copy of the company charter and a list of the rules and regulations. Without thinking he also got out the five shares he had been planning to give her.

Filthy was beginning to get worried. More than half the shares were already sold. Some important ponies were going to be very disappointed in not being able to invest in the company to the degree that they wished. Rainbow Dash was also something of a wild card. Having her on the board of directors wasn't something he had anticipated. On one hoof, she was ignorant about business practices and might be easy to manipulate but on the other she wouldn't knowingly do anything that she felt to be wrong. She was also close to Twilight Sparkle and the Princesses. Filthy got out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Dash soon returned and sat down opposite from Filthy. Filthy gave her the shares and explained to her that the amount of her investment gave her a certain amount of control over the company. Rainbow Dash was as shocked by this as Filthy had been about her large investment but she did her best imitation of Windyday and merely nodded.

Their business concluded, Rainbow left the bank humming the tune that she and Frost had sung at Stratos. Rainbow Dash returned to Applejack's stall in the market with a much lighter satchel. Dash was a little dazed by her sudden venture into the business world and immediately explained the situation to her friend.

Applejack shook her head. “Rainbow, I can't believe you got involved with Filthy Rich and spent that much money on pieces of paper.”

“Hey, your family is involved with Rich too,” said Dash. “You sell a lot of stuff through his store including your Zap Apple Jam. Anyway, he invested twenty-five hundred of his own money. I figure if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.”

“Well I sure do wish you luck,” said Applejack, unconvinced, “my family does business with him but I can't say I like him.”

“Same here,” said Dash, “but I think this plan will work. As long as the company doesn't go under, I can always sell my shares back.”

“I reckon that sounds pretty safe,” said Applejack. “So when are your friends gettin' here anyway?”

“Frost should be here this evening,” said Dash. “Windy and Firewing are coming in tomorrow. I'm not sure what time. I'm not even sure how Firewing is getting here. If she comes by train she could be here pretty early but if she goes to Cloudsdale first she'll probably fly out with Windy and get here in the afternoon or evening.”

“It sounds like it might cut down on your practice time,” said Applejack.

“That's okay,” said Dash, “Immelmane wants me to rest up for practice this weekend. I'm supposed to take it easy. No strenuous flying but there's plenty of other stuff to work on. I'd better go see Fluttershy and let her know what we're doing.”

“She's really helping you out, isn't she?” said Applejack. “I thought at first that you were just including her to be nice.”

“Maybe at first, a little bit,” said Dash, “but she's been a big help with the sky dancing part of things. You should have seen her in Cloudsdale. She danced with the bouncer at the club we went to and latter she sky danced with Soarin and one of the stallions from the ballet we went to. Hard to believe isn't it?”

Applejack laughed. “I'll say! Maybe that flight suit that Rarity made is magic.”

Dash laughed too but stopped short when a pony behind her interrupted.

“Excuse me,” said a mare, “I'd like to buy some apples.”

“Oops, sorry,” said Dash, “talk to you latter AJ. I'll let you get back to work now.”

Rainbow Dash took the first load of apples up to her home and returned for the rest. Applejack was busy so Rainbow just took them and flew back home again. It was at this point that she noticed some mail in her mailbox. She sighed and took it inside. Fortunately, it was all normal mail like she was used to seeing. Apparently all her fan mail was going to the Wonderbolts compound.

Rainbow Dash tried to straighten up her home a bit but it was difficult. She was half packed to leave and there were other boxes full of weather team stuff cluttering up the place. Eventually she simply packed everything into one corner of the living room and swept the floor. Dash bored a hole through the cloud floor and swept the dirt into it. She watched briefly as it floated down and repaired the damage. It would have to do.

Rainbow Dash had planned on visiting Fluttershy but decided that it could wait until later. She went to her room and curled up on her bed. She was asleep in a few minutes. She smiled at the last thought before sleep took her. 'Just following your orders Mr. Immelmane.'

Rainbow Dash awoke hungry after a short nap and lazed in her bed for a while before getting up and making herself presentable. Windyday's grooming trick for her tail worked well and she was pleased with the result.

Rainbow Dash decided to visit Rarity. While she was there mainly to discuss the calendar idea, Dash also decided to get another flight suit for occasions such as going to clubs and parties. She waited for Rarity to finish with a customer and browsed around the store.

“Welcome home, Rainbow,” said Rarity. “I hope you're here to tell me that your calendar plan has been approved.”

“Yes,” said Dash, “but it's going to be a little different than what we first talked about.” Dash then went into the details that Spitfire had given her. Rarity listened and the smile on her face grew.

“That sounds wonderful, Rainbow,” said the white unicorn. “I'd love to be a part of such a noble project. I have some news too. I may have found a photographer right here in Ponyville.”

“That's great,” said Dash. “We might want to take a few shots near Canterlot or Baltimare to get some different backgrounds too.”

“That's a splendid idea,” agreed Rarity. “I'm going to have to get Fluttershy started on some different cities so I can pick out new shops. Royal Airs is going to come by this week and Fluttershy said she had a place in Canterlot she uses. That would be a good start. After that I think Baltimare, Manehatten and Trottingham in that order. I'll have to get her out to Las Pegasus too. That should be a big account.”

“I might be able to help out there,” said Dash. “I'm getting the building materials for my house from Las Pegasus. Besides the salespony, I have a friend that works for the same company and works in Cloudsdale now. I'll bet that one of them would know about the better shops there.”

“Oh! That is an excellent idea,” said Rarity. “I think this is really going to work out. Your friend Spitfire really seems to know something about marketing.”

“Well, she's been at it for almost ten years,” said Dash. “There's something else I wanted to ask you. Do you think you could make me a flight suit for um, I don't know what to call it, something I could wear to the theater, ballet, high class places and stuff like that?”

“Certainly,” said Rarity, “but why not wear one of the new ones that you already have?”

“They're show suits,” said Dash, “and I could get away with wearing them to some things but they're almost too fancy for others.”

“I see,” said Rarity. She paused to think about the possibilities. “You need something that is more for a night on the town than a show. Something more practical that also looks good...hmm this will require some thought.”

“I wore the golden one to the sky dancing show on Saturday,” said Rainbow Dash. “It seemed to fit in pretty well with what the other ponies were wearing.”

“It looks like I'll be doing another new line,” said Rarity.

“Sorry,” began Rainbow Dash, “I don't want to put even more work on you.”

Rarity laughed. “Nonsense, dear, I want more business. I'll admit I didn't expect it to come so soon but I'm not displeased at all. I'm going to have to hire a seamstress or two to do some of the work. I'll be spending more time designing than sewing and I'm not sorry about that.”

“I guess that would be the more fun part,” said Dash. “I just hope that whoever you hire is as good as you.”

“Thank you, Rainbow,” said Rarity, “that's sweet of you to say so. I suppose I'll be starting on some things for your friends this week. When are they due to arrive?”

“Frost will be here tonight,” said Rainbow Dash. “Firewing will be here tomorrow, I think, I'm not sure about the time. Windyday should be here tomorrow night.”

“Can you bring Frost by tomorrow?” asked Rarity. “I can at least show her a few things and take her measurements.”

“Sure, I think she'll go for that,” said Dash. “She's looking to do some real flying this week though so it might be hard to keep her out of the air.” Dash laughed at the thought of Frost having to hold still for Rarity to do her work. She had had a similar problem when being fitted for her Wonderbolt outfit.

“So what are you doing for the rest of today?” asked Rarity. “We could get started on your new suit or work on the calendar for a bit. I'm free for the next couple of hours.”

“I need to get a little lunch,” said Rainbow, “and then I'm going out to Fluttershy's to let her know what we'll be doing the rest of the week. I guess she'll be hanging out with us for a while.”

“Mind if I join you for lunch?” asked Rarity. “I haven't had any yet myself.”

“Sure,” said Rainbow, “let's go down to the cafe.”

Rarity closed up her shop and together the pair walked through Ponyville to the cafe. They had barely sat down before Spike ran up. He was nearly out of breath.

When he recovered enough to speak, Spike explained his haste. “Rainbow,” he said , “Twilight sent me to find you. There's a pony by the name of Long Flight looking for you. He's at the library now.”

“Wow,” said Rainbow Dash, “he's quick. He's the guy from Las Pegasus Quality Clouds. They'll be building my house. I'd like to go see him, but I'm hungry. Spike, tell him that he can either come here for lunch or I'll meet him at the library after Rarity and I are done eating. Here's a couple of bits. You deserve something for running all over town.”

“Thanks, Rainbow,” said Spike, “but you don't have to do that. I'm happy to help.”

“I know that,” said Dash, “but you do a lot for all of us and don't seem to get much out of it. That's not fair. If you save up a few bits you can get some things for yourself instead of having to beg Twilight to get them for you.”

“Well, okay,” said Spike, “if you put it like that. Thanks!”

“That was nice of you, Rainbow,” said Rarity. “You're right too, Spike is old enough to start earning some bits for himself. It will be good for him.”

The waiter took their order and Rainbow Dash and Rarity talked casually about the calendar as they ate. Long Flight was apparently content to wait for Dash to finish her lunch. After lunch, Dash asked Rarity to come with her to the library but she refused. Rarity had a shop to run and she had work to do.

Dash entered the library to find Long Flight deep in a technical conversation with Twilight Sparkle. She found his description of the fireplace and the problems that had to be overcome completely fascinating. Long Flight was only too happy to discuss it with somepony that could understand what he was talking about.

Long Flight rose as he saw Rainbow Dash in the doorway. “Ah! Ms. Dash,” he said, “It's good to see you again. I have some news that I think you are going to like.”

“That's great,” replied Rainbow Dash, “I'd like to get started soon. So what can you tell me?”

“Well, I'll start with the bottom line and then tell you what we want in return,” said Long Flight. “We'll bring the components of your house to Ponyville and erect it, including the finishing, for eighty-five hundred bits. I think that you'll agree that is an excellent price.”

“It sure is,” said Dash, “that's cheaper than what the Cloudsdale factory was asking even after the discount. I guess you'll be wanting a lot in return.”

“More than what you initially put on the table,” admitted Long Flight. “We want you to do four ads a year for four years. We also want you to appear in a sales brochure each year for the same time period. You don't have to put up a sign on your land. We'll just display our brochures at the local real estate offices. How does that sound?”

“I like it,” said Dash, “but what sort of pictures are you wanting for your ads and stuff?”

“Just Rainbow Dash enjoying her new home sort of things,” said Long Flight. “Lounging by her fireplace, cooking, asleep in bed, watching a sunset and that kind of thing. I'd like to see what the land is like around your home site, if it's not too much trouble.”

“That sounds good,” said Rainbow, “and we can go out there right now if you want. Did you bring the contract with you?”

“No,” said Long Flight, “it's being sent to the office in Cloudsdale. Our lawyers are still working on it but it should be ready by the end of the week.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “come on. I'll show you where I'm building.”

They left Twilight and flew out to Whitetail Woods. The magical markers were still in place though they had faded slightly as Twilight had predicted. The Princesses had sent some ponies to erect permanent markers around both her land and their own. Long Flight flew around the perimeter and asked Rainbow Dash a few questions about how she wanted the house to face and where exactly it would sit in the sky. He made a few sketches and notes and admired the views. He also made a couple of suggestions and Rainbow Dash decided it was time for him to have a meeting with Charm and herself to finalize the deal and get her house built.

“I agree that it is time we three got together and hashed out the details of your house,” said Long Flight. “I understand that you want to get this done quickly too. Once we get your signature on the contract and a down payment, we'll start construction. I don't think it will take more than a couple of weeks to get it ready for you to move in. Of course there could be delays due to weather.”

“That should work out pretty well,” said Dash. “I have my present home this week and I'll be spending next week and the weekends in Cloudsdale. Then there's the party for Princess Luna in Canterlot so I won't be back here until after that. I shouldn't be completely homeless for more than a few days at most.”

“When would you like to set up a meeting?” asked Long Flight.

“That's a tough one,” said Dash. “I'm going to be pretty busy until after the party and then I have to come up with two routines in just a couple of weeks.” She thought for a few moments and flew in a circle as an earth pony might pace the floor. “Charm is going to be coming out here this week. Do you think you could meet up with her when you go back to Cloudsdale and then come with her when she flies out?”

“That sounds fine,” said Long Flight. “I'd better be going. I need to get back to the office but I'll stop by and see Charm first.”

“That would be great,” said Rainbow Dash. “Did Twilight mention that she is the pony looking over my contracts for me?”

“No, she didn't,” replied Long Flight.

“She's handling all my endorsement deals and stuff,” said Dash. “I'd like her to look things over before I sign anything.”

“Of course,” said Long Flight, “I'll bring it over as soon as it arrives. Is there anything else you'd like to know before I go?”

“Just one thing,” said Dash, “how much of a down payment will I need and how long do I have to pay off the house?”

“It depends on the exact figures,” said Long Flight, “but I'd say about two thousand unless there are a lot of changes. You'll have until your contract for endorsements runs out to pay off the rest... at no interest, I might add.”

“That will be fine,” said Dash. “I'll have it paid off long before then.”

“I'll be on my way then,” said Long Flight. “This is a lovely location and I can't wait to see what these ads will look like. Goodbye for now.”

Rainbow Dash said goodbye to Long Flight and returned to the library. She found Twilight deep in thought as she read through a endorsement contract. Reference books littered the floor and table. Rainbow watched her for a few moments before interrupting her.

“Found a problem?” asked Dash.

“What?” responded Twilight. “Oh, no. These contracts are actually very interesting. Everything is laid out in quite specific terms that cover every possibility in detail. This one is ready for you to sign as far as I'm concerned. They've given you everything you've asked for and I can't find anything that might be a problem. If they're all this easy, I can do this.”

“That's great!” exclaimed Dash. “How much is this one for?”

“Eighteen hundred,” replied Twilight, “why? Are you getting short on cash?”

“Not really,” said Dash. “I have a line of credit from the Ponyville Bank for ten thousand and I get paid again this week so I'll be alright. I have to pay a thousand to Charm this week and another two thousand to Las Pegasus before they start on the construction of my house. Things are a little tight but I'll be okay by the time the house is built. I might even have enough to pay it off completely.”

“How much did you invest with Filthy?” asked Twilight.

“I have two hundred and fifty shares out of a thousand total being sold,” said Dash. “He also gave me five shares.”

“That's more than a quarter of the company!” exclaimed Twilight. “Who else bought shares?”

“I don't know,” said Dash, “except for Filthy. He bought two hundred and fifty himself. Between the two of us that makes more than half the shares. Then there's some other ponies in Ponyville that bought smaller amounts. He said something about some investors from out of town wanting to invest too. That's why I bought so many shares. I figured it would be better to keep control here in Ponyville.”

“Yes, it would,” agreed Twilight, “but did you think about what you're going to do as far as running the company? That's part of your responsibility now.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “and I'm not really sure what I'll do except keep an eye on things to make sure they play fair. If anything comes up that I don't like, I'll vote it down.”

“That's a good start,” said Twilight. “What kind of money do you expect to make off of this?”

“Filthy said I should at least double my bits, maybe even triple,” said Dash. “After a while we can sell off the cleared land for farms and make even more.”

“Rainbow Dash, you could become very rich by the time your career as an aerialist is over,” said Twilight. “I hope you do as well as you hope.”

“I'm just trying to be a little careful with my bits,” said Dash. “I'm not going to change how I live very much. I'll have enough for later even if all I do is put it in the bank. I'm trying not to think about what I'll do when I retire. I have thought about it and I don't like it.”

“Most ponies look forward to relaxing when their working days are over,” said Twilight. “Maybe you're just not ready yet.”

“Definitely not,” said Dash, “I want to do this forever. When I can't, well, I may as well give everything away and take the final dive.”

“I hope that doesn't mean what I think it does,” said Twilight. She looked at her friend with a worried look on her face.

“It does,” said Dash. “I guess it's a pegasi term. When a pegasus is losing his or her ability to fly, a few of us just take one final flight. They go up as high as they can, tuck in their wings and just drop. I'd like to do something special on the way down though, just to show everypony that I'm still awesome.” She smiled at Twilight.

Twilight shuddered. “Rainbow, that's awful. Don't you even think about doing something like that. There's so much more you can do besides flying. By the time you're old you'll have a lot of wisdom to pass on. You may become a coach or teacher like Mr. Immelmane.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Me? Wise?” she said. “I think you're reaching there Twilight. I might have a family by then. I'd like to be able to spend time with them and visit with old friends. It wouldn't be all bad. The final dive thing is more for when you're going to go soon anyway whether you want to or not. You don't understand what flight means to a pegasus, Twilight. How would you feel if your magic started to go away a little at a time until you couldn't even levitate a quill?”

“I get what you're saying,” said Twilight. “I don't like thinking about this either.”

“Eh, it happens to everypony,” said Dash. “For now I'm just going to do what I do best and make a lot of memories for a lot of ponies. No point in worrying about a time we might not even live to see. We all could have been killed a couple of times doing Celestia's dirty work. I'd just as soon not get called on again to save Equestria but if we have to do it then we have to do it.”

“You aren't resentful about that, are you?” asked Twilight.

“Are you kidding?” said Dash. “I'm one of only six ponies to be an Element of Harmony! The only previous bearers are now the rulers of Equestria. That's pretty special and as a bonus I have five great friends that are worth more to me than anything. I'd say that's worth a little danger.”

Twilight giggled. “Yeah, I guess it is. To change the subject to something happier, are you ready for your Wonderbolt friends?”

“Pretty much,” said Dash. “I want to go see Fluttershy yet and try to find that DJ pony. Pinkie Pie probably knows where to find her. My house is as good as it's going to get and I've bought some food. They're not coming all at once, which is good. I can get Frost to help me move a few more boxes of weather team stuff down to the office. That will give us a little more room. I'll get going but I'll check in latter and sign any contracts that you approve. The sooner I return them, the sooner I get my bits.”

Chapter 73

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Chapter 73

Fluttershy was up in a tree with some birds when Rainbow Dash arrived. After the weekend, Rainbow Dash thought she looked odd without her flight suit. Fluttershy saw her friend and waved so Rainbow Dash waited for her to come down.

“Hello Rainbow,” said Fluttershy, “Did you have a good practice yesterday?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “it's really starting to come together, thanks to Mr. Immelmane and Spitfire. I just thought I'd stop by and let you know what we'll be doing this week.”

“Oh good,” said Fluttershy, “I can hardly wait to see Firewing again and I'm looking forward to doing more sky dancing.”

“We'll be doing a lot of that,” said Dash. “Frost will be here tonight so we might do a little tomorrow but she'll try to avoid it if she can. It's okay if we still practice out here isn't it?”

“Sure,” said Fluttershy, “if you want to. It will make it easy for me to practice and keep an eye on my critters.”

“Good,” said Dash, “we'll stop by but I don't know if we'll do much flying. Windy and Firewing will be here sometime tomorrow so Wednesday will be the first day we really get to practice. The next two days we'll do a lot more and then fly to Cloudsdale on Saturday.”

“I won't be going to Cloudsdale this week,” said Fluttershy. “Rarity is sending me to Canterlot to line up some shops there. There are quite a lot of pegasi there you know. More than I thought there were anyway. Twilight had Princess Celestia send her the last census records to help Rarity do her marketing. We're, we pegasi I mean, we're all over the place.”

“Sounds like you'll be as busy as me,” said Dash. She sounded sad.

“What's wrong Dashie?” asked Fluttershy.

“Nothing really,” said Dash, “I just feel like I won't be seeing you as much as before, not to mention the others. This traveling business is kind of a pain.”

“Yeah, it is,” said Fluttershy, “but it won't last forever. I think that once Rarity gets established in the different cities, I won't be traveling as much. You probably won't be gone as much either once you get your routines down.”

“Yeah!” said Dash brightly, “you're right. We just have to get through this rough time and things will get more normal. Listen, I'll drop by tomorrow with Frost and we can plan a little practice session. I've got to go see Pinkie Pie and see if she knows where I can find that DJ so we can have some music.”

“Oh, alright,” said Fluttershy, “I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll try to get things straightened up a little so we have some place to rest between practice time.”

Rainbow Dash lifted off as she said goodbye and headed back to Ponyville. She landed in front of Sugar Cube Corner and went in. This time Pinkie Pie was there and she greeted Rainbow Dash happily.

“Hi Rainbow!” she said, “it's great to see you again. Are your friends here yet? You ought to get something for them while you're here and don't forget I have a party all planned out for Wednesday night out at Applejack's farm. Are you going to put on another show with the other Wonderbolts? What did you do this weekend? Did you have fun? I hope you did...”

Rainbow Dash found it necessary to interrupt or she feared that the store might close before she got to buy anything. “Pinkie!” she shouted, “It's great to see you too. No, they aren't but Frost will be here tonight. I bought some things this morning. I didn't forget the party. No show, sorry. I practiced, went to a couple of clubs and a sky dancing show and yes, it was fun.”

Pinkie looked at Dash as she digested this information. A few seconds passed and her face broke into a smile. Great!” she said, “So what brings you to Sugar Cube Corner?”

“Pinkie Pie, do you know where I can find that DJ that helped out at the celebration?” asked Dash.

“Sure,” said Pinkie, “go to the train station and follow the tracks towards Canterlot. It's the last house at the edge of town. Easy peasy. She lives out there so her music doesn't disturb the neighbors.”

“Thanks Pinkie,” said Dash, “I need to talk to her about some music for my routine.”

“I'm sure she'll be able to help you,” said Pinkie, “She did a great job at the celebration.”

“But we gave her the music,” said Dash, “all she had to do was tweak it a little. This time she has to come up with about ten minutes of some really special music. It's worth a shot though. If I can't come up with something on my own, Immelmane or somepony will choose for me.”

“Either way you should have some good music to fly to,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Maybe,” said Dash. “I still want to see what she can do for me.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” said Pinkie, “Be sure to bring Frost by tomorrow so I can meet her.”

“I will,” said Dash, “maybe we'll stop by for breakfast. See ya.”

Rainbow Dash lifted off and took aim on what she guessed was the DJ's home. Flying in a straight line, she was there in less than a minute.

Hearing music coming from the house, Rainbow Dash assumed that she was at the right place. She knocked on the door but there was no response. She knocked again with more force but still no pony answered. Looking down she noticed that the door had a lot of dents in it, no doubt due from other ponies repeatedly knocking harder than should have been necessary. There was a lull in the music and Dash quickly knocked as hard as she could. The music stopped.

Rainbow Dash heard hoof steps from inside the house and soon the door opened. It was the DJ pony that Rainbow had been looking for. She squinted her already half closed eyes and quickly slid a pair of sunglasses into place.

“Yeah?” she said.

“Hi,” said Rainbow Dash, “you played music at our victory celebration and show a couple weeks ago. I was wondering if you'd like to do something like that again.”

“Maybe,” said the unicorn, “c'mon in and lets talk.”

The unicorn left the doorway and walked to a beat up sofa where she flopped down. Dash followed, closing the door behind her. There was an overstuffed chair near the sofa and Dash took a seat there. The room was messy even by Rainbow Dash's standards and was very dark.

“My name's Vinyl Scratch but call me Vinyl,” said the DJ, “so what's up, Rainbow?”

“Well, I need some music for my routines when I perform at the Wonderbolt shows,” said Dash. “You did a great job at the show Firewing and I did here in Ponyville and I thought maybe you'd like to do the music for my routine.”

Vinyl raised her sunglasses to the top of her head and looked at Rainbow Dash. “That show was nothing,” she said, “any decent DJ could have done that. I only did it because it was short and a way to make some easy bits. That was some cool flying though. You're good.”

“Thanks,” said Dash. She wondered if she had made a mistake in coming here. Vinyl didn't seemed to be very enthusiastic. “This is for a longer routine; about ten to ten and a half minutes. It's also going to be in Canterlot in front of the Princesses.”

“I'm interested,” said Vinyl, “what kind of time are we talking about and how much does it pay?”

“I'll need you to practice with me a few times this week here in Ponyville,” said Dash. “This weekend we'll need to go to Cloudsdale and I'll also be practicing there most of next week. We'll go to Canterlot for the party that weekend.”

“I might be able to do that,” said Vinyl. “I'm burned out with the gigs here in Ponyville and wouldn't mind branching out but it would have to be worth my while. I'm not really into the kind of music they usually play at upper class parties.”

“Neither am I,” said Dash, “that's why I'm here. I want something that rocks and I'm afraid if I let the Wonderbolts or my choreographer chose I might get stuck with something lame. What do you charge for that kind of thing.”

“The practice stuff here in town won't cost too much,” said Vinyl. “I figure about ten bits a day should do it as long as you don't want me to work too early or all day long. Cloudsdale huh? You have noticed that I don't have wings, right?”

“Not a problem,” said Dash, “the practice field is on the ground. There's a hotel near the train station too. Practice sessions there will be all day though or at least half a day.”

“Okay,” said Vinyl, “I'll want travel expenses and some bits for meals. Fifty bits for a half day session and seventy five for all day. I'll want fifty for the real gig in Canterlot too and some help setting up my equipment.”

“I think the Wonderbolt support ponies will be able to help with that,” said Dash. She did some calculations in her head. This was getting expensive. “Sounds like you're looking for about a thousand bits for two weeks work,” said Dash.

“Yeah,”said Vinyl, “about that. I'd do it for a thousand. You're not just paying for me though, it's also my equipment.”

“Couldn't you use the Wonderbolts equipment?” asked Dash.

“Maybe,” said Vinyl, “I'd have to check it out and if I could use that I'd cut down the price some. If you're worried about the cost, you could just pay for a recording and use that. I'd work with you this week and I could have that ready sometime next week. That would only cost you about a hundred or so and you could use it as much as you want.”

Rainbow Dash thought about Vinyl's offer for a while. She knew that good music could really make her program special but the cost was something she couldn't absorb on her own for every show. A recording would be great but what if she was asked for an encore? How would she handle that?

She expressed her concerns to Vinyl who told her that the Wonderbolt DJ should be able to handle encores and play the recordings and even extend them to a degree. She also pointed out the advantages of having her there to do a live show such as being able to ad lib if the situation called for it or fix equipment should it go down.

“I'll tell you what,” said Dash at last, “how about we call this a trial run. This is my first show and I want it to be perfect. It's also for the Princesses, especially Princess Luna, so it has to be great. I'm willing to work with you on this and maybe do a combination of what you suggested. Let's do the recording thing and you work with me daily on that for this week. You'll also travel to Cloudsdale this weekend and check out the Wonderbolts stuff and see if you can use it. Whether you can or not, I want you in Canterlot for the party. You do that and I'll pay you six hundred and pay your expenses to Cloudsdale and Canterlot. How does that sound?”

“You're close,” said Vinyl, “as long as I don't have to haul my stuff around. How about six fifty if I use the Wonderbolts stuff and seven fifty if I don't?”

“I can live with that,” said Dash. “Remember, if this works out you can count on more work from me. Probably three or four recordings a season at least. I figure I'll have to change up a little every time I do a show. They'll be longer too. I have to do the opening act and the intermission and they're each about fifteen to twenty minutes.”

“Not a problem,” said Vinyl, “remixes are pretty simple depending on what you want. If it's not too hard I'll throw those in for free.”

“You know, I'm getting a discount for my home in exchange for advertizing,” said Dash. “What would it be worth to you to have your name or maybe even an ad in a Wonderbolt's program?”

Vinyl raised her eyebrows and looked at Rainbow Dash. “Might be worth something,” said Vinyl. “I might be able to give you a discount for that.”

“And what if I introduce you at a few shows that you could do live?” asked Dash.

“Yeah, I could seen that being worth even more. It doesn't hurt to get my name out there,” said Vinyl. “I'm surprised that the Wonderbolts don't just pay for this themselves.”

“Well, I'm sort of a new case,” said Dash. “They've never had a featured soloist before so we're all just figuring things out as we go. I think that they want to have me use their music but I need something special since I'm up there on my own. Maybe later they'll chip in or something. I have to buy my own outfits and pay for my own living space too. The others live in a compound in Cloudsdale.”

“I don't know if I could live like that,” said Vinyl. “I like my privacy.”

“It's pretty cool,” said Dash. “Every pony has their own room and the foods terrific. There's a gym and a pool, a spa and masseurs. Everything you could want is right there. Cloudsdale is a great place to hang out too, if you're a pegasus.”

“What do you guys do besides fly anyway?” asked Vinyl. “Is Cloudsdale like any other city except up in the air?”

“I guess it is,” said Dash. “Pegasi do pretty much what other ponies do. Friday we went to a club, danced, drank and sang karaoke. Saturday we went to a sky dancing show or ballet and then to a high class club after that.”

“Ballet?” said Vinyl with a shudder, “I'll pass on that.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “It was my first time to one and it was actually pretty cool. Awesome flying even if it was a little slow. I was never that interested in it before but it's kinda fun. I sky danced later that night with a very handsome stallion.”

“Oh ho!” said Vinyl, with a laugh, “yeah, it sounds like you pegasi are like other ponies all right.”

“I think so,” said Dash. “We might be a little rougher. I considered Friday night a victory because we didn't get into any fights.”

“I think I'm going to enjoy working with you, Rainbow Dash,” said Vinyl. “When do you want to start?”

“I'll definitely need you on Wednesday,” said Dash, “but why don't we meet up tomorrow and I'll run through my routine real quick so you have some idea of what I'll be doing. I have some friends coming in this week and we'll need some music for when we practice. I think we can get by with just doing the afternoons.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Vinyl, “mornings aren't my favorite time. Where should we meet?”

“We'll be practicing out at Fluttershy's place,” said Dash. “Why don't we meet up at the cafe around noon. I'd better get going. My friend Frost will be here in a couple of hours and I have some things to do first.”

“I'll be there ,” said Vinyl. She didn't get up and let Dash find her own way out. She picked up a magazine from the floor. It fell open to a page that displayed a rather high priced mixing board. “Soon, my pretty, soon you will be mine.” She started to laugh in her best imitation of an evil scientist but it soon devolved into a hacking cough. She grabbed a bottle of cider from the end table and chugged the contents. It had only been there since the previous night and she didn't think it would kill her.

Chapter 74

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Chapter 74

Rainbow Dash went to the library to see Twilight once more. There were some contracts to sign which Dash did willingly. If not for her line of credit, she would be getting short of funds. She told Twilight that she would be by in the morning and went in search of supper. She was not really hungry so she settled for a sandwich and returned home where she had a few apples while answering some mail. After about an hour she grew bored and fell asleep by the window.

An hour or so later she was awakened by an incessant knocking at her door. Startled and confused, she fell off the window ledge and stumbled to the door. She shook her head and opened the door to find Frost standing on her porch.

“Is this the Dash residence?” asked Frost.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Hiya Frosty,” she said, “c'mon in.”

Frost entered and Dash told her to follow her upstairs. “You're here first so I guess you get the spare bedroom. Right this way.”

“What were you doing?” asked Frost. “I was knocking for a couple minutes.”

“Napping,” said Dash. “I was following Mr. Immelmane's orders to rest.”

“Oh sure,” said Frost, “you always follow orders.”

“I'll follow that one,” replied Dash, “no problem.”

The pair shared a laugh and Dash entered the spare room. It was nearly a mirror image of Dash's own room but slightly smaller.

“Make yourself at home,” said Dash. “Shelves will support your stuff but the floor won't except for along the inner wall. That door goes to the bathroom and that one's a closet.”

“This is a nice place,” said Frost. “I'm surprised you didn't just buy this one.”

“It wouldn't have made sense,” said Dash. “I would've had to pay the difference for a new one for the next weather team leader and pay to rent a place for the leader until it was built. I will miss this place. I've lived here almost the whole time I've been in Ponyville.”

“So what now?” said Frost, as she shrugged off her bags. “I did manage to get dinner before I left and I picked up some snacks for later. What were your plans for the evening?”

“I didn't really make any,” admitted Dash. “Let's go down to the library and I'll introduce you to Twilight Sparkle and Spike. After that we can do a fly over of Ponyville so you can get an idea of where things are.”

“Let's skip meeting your friends until tomorrow,” said Frost, “I'm a little tired. I had a great practice today but it was tough flying and then I had to fly all the way here.”

“You got to fly all three positions?” asked Dash.

“Yes,” said Frost, proudly, “I did pretty well too. I got a little fast when I flew lead but they all said I did well. It felt so good to hear that. It made all the practice work seem worth it.”

“Even the sky dancing?” asked Dash.

“Yeah, even that,” said Frost with a laugh. “Don't forget our bet. I've gotten a lot better and I'm going to make you work for that free dinner.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Dash, “we'll see. I've been working out too you know.”

“Just don't say you weren't warned,” said Frost. “It'll be good to hang out together again, Dashie. I really mean that.”

“You too, Frosty,” said Dash. “This should be a great week. I got another bottle of Barleyfields too. We can have a little nip later. Let's take your snacks down to the kitchen and then we can relax for a while.”

The relaxing didn't last. Neither pegasus could stay still for very long. The sun was almost set when the pair left Rainbow's home and glided over Ponyville. There were few ponies about but here and there a few earth ponies could be seen going home from the market. The cafe was busy and several ponies looked up to see the pegasi fly by. Most of the town knew that some of Rainbow Dash's Wonderbolt friends were staying in their town for the week and were eager to catch a glimpse of them. Frost and Rainbow Dash circled the town slowly as Dash pointed out the more important places. They flew out to Sweet Apple Acres and then Fluttershy's cottage. Frost found it amusing that all the pegasi but Rainbow Dash lived on the ground. She wasn't as impressed by the Everfree Forest as Firewing had been since there was still a lot of wild country near Cloudsdale.

It was a leisurely flight but Rainbow Dash was well rested and couldn't resist going past her house and doing a few tricks. Frost was less inclined to force her aching muscles to do more and settled on a cloud to watch. After about fifteen minutes of flying, Rainbow Dash landed beside her.

“Not up for any tricks tonight?” asked Dash.

“Not really,” said Frost. “Let's go back to your place and have a little of that drink. Maybe we could dilute it with something this time.”

“I don't have anything but a little apple juice and water,” said Dash. “Hey! Remember that time we got that bottle of something, I don't remember what it was, but we took it out to the woods and couldn't drink it because it was so bad? We didn't have anything else so we got a cloud and poured the drink through the cloud into glasses to dilute it. Maybe we could try that.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “that sort of worked but it still tasted bad. The Barleyfields is a lot better so it might work. Fly up and grab one of those clouds up there. They should be colder.”

“Good idea,” said Dash and sped off.

Dash returned with the cloud and together they pushed it back to Dash's house. Dash went inside and returned with a small pitcher and the remains of the first bottle of Barleyfields. Between the two of them they managed to pour the liqueur through the cold cloud and into the pitcher. It almost doubled the amount of liquid. The pair grinned at each other and hurried back inside.

Frost made herself comfortable in Dash's living room while Dash went to get some glasses. She soon returned and poured them each a half a glass of the concoction.

“Well, here goes,” said Frost. She took a mouthful of the drink and swallowed. “Pretty good,” said Frost. “It's still kind of strong though.”

Dash took a drink. It was much weaker than the first time she tasted it but Frost was right, the potency was still apparent. She swished a small amount in her mouth before swallowing. It was cool but not cold and still had the flavor she liked. “I think we're onto something here,” she said.

Frost agreed and took another sip. They spent the next hour talking and laughing as they reminisced about old times. By then they had finished the original bottle and were considering opening the full bottle. Rainbow Dash suggested they go on a little moonlight flight.

Neither pegasus was, by this point, very intoxicated and Frost had recovered from her flying to some extent so she followed Dash out and they flew away from Ponyville. Before long they were doing tricks and showing off for one another. The serious tricks devolved into parodies of real maneuvers and soon they were laughing so hard that they could barely fly.

Frost landed on a cloud followed closely by Rainbow Dash. Dash was going slowly and giggling as she prepared to land. Just for fun, Rainbow did a single flat spin and landed on the cloud so that she lay on her side facing Frost.

“Wow, Dash,” said Frost, “is that move going to be in your routine?”

Dash got the better of her laughing. “What?” she answered, “What are you talking about?”

“That landing you just did,” said Frost. “That looked pretty cool.”

“Aw, I was just messing around,” said Dash. “I just sort of... did it.”

“I'm telling you Dashie, that could be a really cool way to end a show,” insisted Frost. “How fast and how many spins do you think you could do?”

“Probably just a couple since I was going so slow,” said Dash. “Of course I could spin a couple of times on the cloud after I land. It wouldn't last long though because I'd bore right through it if I did very many.”

“Oh yeah,” said Frost and fell silent for a second as she thought about the move. “I have a great idea. Why don't you do this; get a nice flat thin cloud and put it on the ground. Then you come in and do your moves to slow down. Do your flat spin on top of the cloud and disperse it and then end up facing the crowd in a pose of some kind.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Yeah! I could picture doing something like that,” she said. “We can work on it tomorrow. Imagine doing that at night with a spotlight shining on the cloud. That would look so awesome.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “that would. Look, I'm about ready for bed. Let's have a another drink and call it a night.”

“Okay, let me grab another cloud,” said Dash. “I guess it is about time to call it a night. Firewing and Windy will be here tomorrow and there's still a little stuff to clean up at my place.”

Frost watched Dash fly upwards until she disappeared into the dark sky. The moon shone on the white puffs here and there in the sky. It was another lovely night in Equestria and Frost laid back to take it all in. She was more of a night pony than almost any pony she knew but lately she had been up for most of the day. When she was younger, it was nothing for her to stay up all night and sleep in the depths of Cloudsdale until the moon was up. She chuckled to herself. Maybe Windyday was right when she said she was more in touch with Luna than Celestia. A flicker of light caught her eye high up in the sky. As she watched, it grew as it descended. Rainbow Dash was returning with a tuft of cloud.

Frost lifted off and flew to meet Dash who altered her course to head to her home. “We'll have to hurry,” said Dash, “this little cloud is going to disperse pretty quick. It's really cold too.”

“You went so high that I couldn't see you,” said Frost. “You must have really been up there.”

They flew quickly to Rainbow's home and brought out the pitcher and the second bottle of Barleyfields. Working as before, Dash poured the liqueur through the cloud and Frost caught it in the pitcher. They made enough for a couple of small glasses for themselves. Retreating to the living room they talked and drank this colder version of the beverage.

It was starting to get late now and both ponies were feeling the effects of the drink. At last Dash staggered upstairs and into her bed. She left Frost in the living room. Frost was looking through an issue of the Ponyville paper when Dash left but waved her sleepy friend goodnight as she finished her drink.

Chapter 75

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Chapter 75

The next morning Dash was roused by some noise from downstairs. Bleary eyed, she got out of bed and floated down the stairs. Frost had fallen off the sofa was thrashing around in a blanket on the floor. Dash was amused by this but felt so bad that she couldn't laugh. Abruptly, Frost's head popped up from the blanket and looked wildly around. She saw Dash and sank back to the floor.

“Oh, Celestia,” moaned Frost, “what did we do last night?”

“Just a few drinks and a little moonlight flight,” said Dash. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “I think so. What time is it?”

“Morning time,” said Dash. She couldn't be more accurate. The nearest clock was in the kitchen.

Dash made her way to the kitchen and found that it was just after nine o'clock. She drank some water and returned to the living room. Frost had untangled herself from the blanket and was lying on the sofa.

Dash slumped to the floor. “There's water in the kitchen,” she said, “it helps.”

“Does it help aching muscles?” asked Frost. “I hurt all over.”

The two stayed where they were for a few minutes when there was a knock at the door. Dash reluctantly got up to answer it. She opened the door to find Firewing standing on her porch. The mare had a pair of large saddle bags and a satchel and was smiling happily.

“Rainbow!” shouted Firewing, “it's great to see you again.” She skipped forward and embraced the stunned pegasus.

Dash was able to stay on her hooves and tried to return the hug but that was all she could manage. Firewing sensed something amiss.

“Are you alright?” asked Firewing.

“Um, I think so,” said Dash, “come on in. Frost and I might have had a little too much to drink last night.”

Firewing followed Dash inside and saw Frost sprawled out on the sofa. She laughed. Frost looked up and managed a weak smile and waved at her.

“I didn't expect to see you here,” said Firewing. “Is Windy here too?”

“She'll be coming in after practice tonight,” said Dash. “We weren't sure when you were going to get here. We thought you might go to Cloudsdale first.”

“I thought about it but I thought I'd rather just come straight here,” answered Firewing. “So what are we going to do first? I'll bet you have all sorts of moves you want to show me and I guess Frost is going to get me started on the team routine too. What are you waiting for? Let's get flying.”

Dash and Frost looked at Firewing and then each other. Rainbow gave a little laugh while Frost just moaned and let her head drop back down.

“Later,” said Dash, “we haven't even had breakfast yet.” This caused Frost to moan again.

“What were you drinking?” asked Firewing.

“This,” said Dash as she reached for the bottle of Barleyfields. The level seemed to be a bit lower than she remembered. “Frost? Did you drink more after I went to bed?”

“Yeah,” admitted Frost, “I had a little bit more. Just one glass though...I think.”

Dash laughed. “No wonder you're in bad shape. Do you have any idea how strong that stuff is?”

“I do now,” said Frost.

“Let me see that,” said Firewing. She read the label. “Oh my, and you two were drinking this stuff? You're nuts.”

“It's really pretty good,” said Dash. “I'm going to be their spokespony.”

“You've started doing endorsements already?” said Firewing. “I haven't even gotten a fan letter yet.”

Dash started laughing and even Frost managed to chuckle from her place on the couch. Firewing thought at first that they were laughing at her but Dash was quick to explain.

“Wait until you get to Cloudsdale,” said Dash, “you'll be lucky if you can get into your room.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “you have sacks of mail to go through when you get back. Wait until you see some of it.” She started to laugh again.

“Really?” said Firewing in an excited voice, “that's great! I can hardly wait to see it.”

Dash and Frost were really laughing now. Firewing was perplexed and thought they were still suffering from the effects of their drinking binge.

“You think so, huh?” said Frost. “You might change your mind when you see some of the requests from fans or the offers to pose for magazines.”

“If you want to get married, I'm sure you'll have a couple of dozen offers,” added Dash.

Firewing looked shocked. “You're not serious.”

“Oh yeah,” laughed Dash. “What do you think Frost? About half of it goes straight to the trash?”

“Almost,” said Frost, “I know I refilled one mail sack out of two the first time I went through it. It wasn't quite as bad the second week.”

“Listen,” said Dash, “Spitfire told us how to deal with it and we're going to help you. At least you'll be prepared for some of the stuff you're going to see. When you're back in Cloudsdale, Spitfire can help you out if you're having any trouble.”

“We'll help you catch up,” offered Frost. “Once you can deal with it daily, it's not so bad. You'll have three weeks of mail to go though so it's going to take a while. Some of it can be fun if you don't take it too seriously.”

“Come on,” said Dash, “Let's find you a place to sleep. Frost got my spare room but I thought you could have the little room off the balcony. Windy can have the turret. You can share a room with me or Frost if you'd rather do thatl.”

“I'm sure the balcony room will be fine,” said Firewing, “besides, you snore.”

“Do not,” said Dash.

“Do to,” said Frost. “I heard you all the way down here last night.”

Firewing laughed. “Told ya,” she said.

“Maybe you'd rather sleep on the balcony,” said Dash. “Come on, I'll show you the room. You get yourself together,” she said to Frost. “We're going to Sugarcube Corner for some breakfast.”

“I'll pass,” said Frost. “I'll be okay here. Where's the bathroom again?”

“Upstairs, center door,” replied Dash. “Come with us, a cup of tea will do you good.”

Frost said nothing but got up and headed for the stairs. Dash led Firewing to a doorway that accessed the back of the house. There was a small, brightly lit room with a door that opened onto a balcony. Dash had not used the room often herself, preferring the balcony itself for relaxation. There were some shelves that she had used for storage but were now empty, their contents packed away in boxes.

“This is a lovely room, Dashie,” said Firewing, “but it doesn't look like you use it much. In fact, if you don't mind me saying so, your whole house seems rather empty compared to the last time I was here.”

“Yeah, it does,” answered Rainbow Dash. Though she was excited about her new house, she still held a lot of affection for the home she would be leaving. She told Firewing about having to move and her new house.

Firewing was stunned at the news and insisted on seeing the site of the proposed home as soon as possible. To satisfy her, Dash showed her some of the drawings.

“Rainbow, this isn't a house, it's a mansion,” said Firewing. “When do you think it will be ready?”

“In a couple of weeks,” said Dash. “Charm, the lead architect, should be coming out this week to look at the site. I'll have to get some bits together for her to take along back and even more for Long Flight, he's doing the construction. I got a great deal from Las Pegasus Quality Clouds. I'm even getting a fireplace.”

“Cool,” said Firewing, “I can't wait to see it. Ready for some breakfast?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “I'm getting hungry. Let's see if Frost is going to join us.”

They returned to the living room and found a still disheveled Frost standing in the doorway looking out at the morning. She turned to them as they entered the living room.

“I guess I'll come along,” she said, “but lets fly a little first so I can shake off some of these cobwebs.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “I'll take you out to where I'm building my new home. It's not far.”

The trio flew towards Whitetail Wood with Dash in the lead. The cool morning air did wonders to revive Rainbow Dash and Frost. After a brief stay at the site, they flew to Sugarcube Corner.

“I was wondering if you were coming for breakfast!” said Pinkie Pie. “Firewing! When did you get here? And you must be Frost. Pleased to meet you. I have some special muffins that I saved for you but I wasn't expecting three ponies. Maybe there's something else you might like?”

“I think the muffins will do,” said Rainbow Dash. “Frost, this is Pinkie Pie, she keeps the whole town smiling. She'll be throwing us a party tomorrow out at Applejack's place.”

“Nice to meet you Pinkie,” said Frost, “I guess Dash told you all about me.”

“Probably not all about you,” said Pinkie Pie, “but I'm sure we'll be friends in no time.”

“Sure,” said Frost, “could we get some tea to go with the muffins please?”

“Coming right up!” said Pinkie. “Go find a seat and I'll bring everything right over.”

The three pegasi found a seat and began to talk. Firewing had been through a week of celebrations. Friends and family, her flight club, her school and the local Manehatten pegasi all had gatherings in her honor. Frost and Rainbow Dash told her of their progress in training and their adventures in Cloudsdale.

“Wow,” said Firewing, “I hadn't even thought about some of the things you two have been through. I guess I'll have to watch my step when I'm out in public. I still can't wait to go through my mail though. I had no idea we could get paid so much for endorsements.”

“You can get signed up for one before we leave Ponyville,” said Rainbow. “We're going to do a calendar for Rarity. It'll be just us four new Wonderbolts modeling Rarity's outfits and we'll split the profits between us and Rarity and then some will be donated to a education fund for the Wonderbolts. How does that sound?”

“It sounds great!” exclaimed Firewing. “Who's idea was that?”

“Sort of Rarity's and sort of mine,” said Rainbow. "The education fund part was Spitfire's idea, I guess." She went on to tell Firewing the story of her conflict with Cloudsdale Construction and the bad discount offer.

“How much do you think we'll make?” asked Firewing.

“Hard to say,” said Rainbow Dash, “I did a little figuring and I think we should at least make about a thousand each. That's a low end figure, it might be more.”

“I'll wait and see,” said Frost, “I don't trust your math.”

“I figure we'll sell about four thousand copies,” said Dash. “At five bits each that's twenty thousand bits. Of course that doesn't include the cost of the photographer or the printing or getting the calendars to the shops. Then you have the shop owner's cut. There's the twenty percent that goes to the Wonderbolt's fund. We'll be lucky to be able to split ten thousand five ways, and it might be less but I think we should all get at least a thousand each.”

“Sounds pretty close to me,” said Firewing.

“Yeah,” admitted Frost, “you must have learned something in school after all.”

“I had to learn more once I got the job as lead weather pony,” said Dash. “I had to do all the budget requests, payroll and stuff like that. Then there were the weather figures too, how much rainfall, dew points, wind velocity... it's all numbers.”

“After you're done eating, why don't we go see Rarity?” suggested Firewing.

“Sure,” said Dash, “she wants to meet Frost anyway.”

The three mares finished eating their breakfast and drank their tea. Rainbow Dash ate most of the muffins since Firewing had already eaten on the train and Frost wasn't feeling very hungry. They said goodbye to Pinkie Pie and made their way on hoof to Carousel Boutique.

Chapter 76

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Chapter 76

Rainbow Dash pointed out some of the various shops on the way to Rarity's place, mostly for Frost's benefit. They entered the shop and found Rarity talking to her sister, Sweetie Belle. Rarity looked up and smiled as they entered. Sweetie Belle gasped. It was her first time meeting Firewing personally and she had never seen Frost before.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash, welcome back Firewing,” said Rarity. “I see you've brought another friend along.”

“Rarity, I'd like you to meet my old friend Frost,” said Rainbow, “Frost this is Rarity, greatest designer in Equestria.”

“That's a bit much, Rainbow,” said Rarity. “How do you do, Frost, I've been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Pleased to meet you too, Rarity,” said Frost. “Rainbow's told us all about you. I'm glad you decided to include me in your calendar. From what I've seen of your designs, I don't think Dash was exaggerating at all.”

“Thank you,” said Rarity, “I can hardly wait to get started on your flight suit. I've been simply dying to do one for a pony with a darker coat. Firewing, your new one is ready if you'd like to try it on.”

“I would,” said Firewing, “but don't you think you should introduce your apprentice first?”

“My apprentice?” said Rarity. She laughed. “Oh, you mean Sweetie Belle here. She's not my apprentice, she's my sister. Say hello Sweetie Belle.”

“It's about time,” said Sweetie Belle, “hello Ms. Firewing, hello Ms. Frost.”

The three pegasi giggled. “Pleased to meet you Sweetie Belle,” said Firewing.

“Hiya kid,” said Frost, “are you another fan?”

“Not really,” said Sweetie Belle. “I've only ever seen Firewing fly and Rainbow Dash of course. I've never been to a real Wonderbolts show. Scootaloo is the real fan in this town.”

“Have we met?” asked Firewing.

“No,” said Rainbow Dash, “but I'll make sure we do. She's kinda looking to me to teach her about flying and stuff. I've been neglecting her since I left for Cloudsdale. I've just been so busy. I hope she understands.”

“I think her head does,” said Sweetie Belle, “but I'm not sure her heart does.”

“Well, tell her to come out to Fluttershy's this afternoon and she can watch us all fly. I think she'll like that,” said Rainbow Dash.

“She sure will!” said Sweetie Belle. “Can Apple Bloom and I come too?”

“Yes,” said Dash, “but that's all, understand. Keep it quiet, okay?”

“I will,” said Sweetie Belle, “it'll be just us three. Rarity? Can I go out to Sweet Apple Acres now?”

“I suppose so,” said Rarity, “but do be careful and keep quiet about watching our Wonderbolt friends.”

I promise,” said Sweetie Belle, “nice meeting you Wonderbolts!” She trotted off.

“Cute kid,” said Frost. She smiled as she watched Sweetie Belle exit the shop. “I bet she can be a hoof full though.”

“You have no idea,” said Rarity. “Come now. I'll get Firewing's suit and while she's getting dressed I can take your measurements.”

Rarity went behind the counter and returned levitating a box. She escorted Firewing behind a screen. Returning to Frost and Rainbow Dash, Rarity levitated a tape measure, notepad and pencil across the room. Frost watched the items float in fascination. She had, of course, seen unicorns do this sort of thing before but it had been some time since she had been outside of Cloudsdale. She took a step forward and let Rarity begin taking her measurements.

Rainbow Dash found a comfortable seat and waited. For once she was not impatient. She was feeling more herself now but felt that another hour of sleep would have been nice. Frost apparently felt the same way. Her head began to droop as Rarity measured and she had to ask Frost to stand straighter.

It didn't take long for Rarity to take her measurements and soon Frost was looking through some drawings and designs. As she was doing this, Firewing came out from behind the screen dressed in her new suit.

Rainbow Dash was the first to see her. “Firewing,” she said, “that looks great on you. Looks like you did it again Rarity.”

Rarity and Frost turned to look at Firewing. Frost's eyes opened wide for the first time that day. Rarity hurried over to Firewing and looked closely at her, checking the fit and straightening seams. While the color of the suit closely matched Firewing's chestnut coat, Rarity had woven gold thread into the fabric. The effect was stunning as the thread sparkled and the silk gleamed brighter than any natural pony hair could.

“Step over here into the light,” said Rarity, “and I'll get you a mirror.”

Firewing did as she was told and Rarity rolled a full length mirror into place so she could see herself. Frost and Rainbow Dash moved closer and walked around her.

“What are those gems, Rarity?” asked Dash. “The smoky colored ones.”

“Topaz and some sequins of a similar color,” said Rarity, “I thought they really set off the blend of silk as well as Firewing's coat color. I added some clear ones just for a little added sparkle.”

“It's beautiful,” said Firewing, “Can I wear it for the calendar pictures?”

“I thought it would look good for a fall scene,” said Rarity. “We haven't really worked out what we're doing yet.”

“I guess my suit will have something to do with winter,” said Frost.

“One of them might,” said Rarity. “Since there are four of you, I thought you could each do three months in different seasons. How does that sound?”

The three pegasi thought it was an excellent idea and said so. They immediately starting discussing possible shots and locations. Firewing wanted to do her summer shot on the beach at Pony Island near her home while Frost wanted to do hers at a beach south of Baltimare. Rainbow Dash wanted to do a beach shot too but felt it would be too much for all of them to do the same thing. Firewing suggested the lake Dash favored near Cloudsdale and she was satisfied with that.

“Wait a minute,” said Firewing, “if we have to wait until each season arrives to do this it will be a whole year before the calendar comes out. This isn't going to work.”

“I thought about that,” said Rarity. “We'll do most of those shots on a set. It's still warm enough to do the summer shots outdoors and the leaves will be changing in just a few weeks. We might even squeeze in winter and still get them out before the end of the year. Spring is the only one that will be a problem and we can do that with artificial flowers on a set. We'll have to go to Manehatten to do it. I have a friend there that can help us out.”

“We could do winter on a mountain top,” said Frost. “There's always snow and the views are spectacular.”

“That's a good idea,” said Dash, “but I'd like to do one about Hearth's Warming. I guess we could lug some decorations and stuff up there.”

The discussion continued for some time with suggestions, both good and bad, flying back and forth. At last Rarity had an idea that they all agreed on. They would each pick a month out of a hat from January through April and then repeat in order until the end of the year. All thought that this was a fair way to do things and couldn't wait for Windy to arrive so that they could begin.

“We should be heading over to the cafe,” said Dash. “I told the DJ we'd meet her there around noon.”

“But I haven't picked out a suit yet,” protested Frost.

“I want to do yours to suit you, dear,” said Rarity, “not just pick something out of these designs. If you don't mind going to lunch a little late, we can start now and you can catch up with your friends later.”

“I don't mind,” said Frost, “I can grab something later if I get hungry.”

“I can fix you something here, if you'd like,” said Rarity. “We can make it a working lunch. I haven't had lunch yet either.”

“Is that okay with you two?” asked Frost.

“Sure,” said Dash, “I'm hiring her for my routine anyway. You can find Fluttershy's place, can't you?”

“Sure,” said Frost, “no problem.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “we'll see you later. Come on Firewing, let's go hit the cafe. See you later Rarity.”

“See you, Rarity,” said Firewing, “how much do I owe you for this suit? I'll bring you a check when we stop by.”

“I have it right here,” said Rarity, as she trotted off behind the counter. “Let's see... here it is. I think you'll agree it's a fair price.”

Rarity levitated it over to Firewing who read it. “I don't agree that this is fair at all,” said Firewing, “it can't possibly be this low. I appreciate that you're probably giving me a discount because I'm Rainbow's friend and I want to do the calendar but this looks like it's below cost to me.”

“Well, it isn't that low,” said Rarity, “and yes, you are getting a discount but I think that for all your help and trying to keep our friend safe, it was the least I could do.”

“Alright,” said Firewing, “but this is the last time. I just don't feel right taking advantage of your generosity like this.”

“Forget it Firewing,” said Dash, “Rarity is generous. You might say it's an element of her personality.”

Rarity laughed. “I suppose so,” said the unicorn, “and it's very loyal of you to stick up for me like that, Rainbow Dash.”

Frost and Firewing both groaned as Rainbow Dash and Rarity shared a laugh.

“Take her and go,” said Frost. “We've got to get these two apart.”

“Agreed,” said Firewing. “Come on Rainbow, let's go meet the DJ.”

Chapter 77

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Chapter 77

Firewing and Rainbow Dash left and headed for the cafe. They decided to fly to avoid the inevitable autograph seekers. As they neared the cafe, Dash spotted Vinyl plodding along to meet them. Dash was pleased that she was on time even though she didn't seem very energetic. Firewing and Dash landed and got a table. They waited for Vinyl to show up and chatted as they waited. Eventually Vinyl joined them. She slumped into her chair.

“Hi,” said Vinyl.

“Hi yourself,” said Dash. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” said Vinyl, “I just got up is all. Did you order yet?”

“We were waiting for you,” said Firewing. “I'm getting hungry though. How about you Rainbow?”

“I could eat a little something,” said Dash. “Order whatever you want, Vinyl, it's on me.”

“Thanks,” replied Vinyl, “what I want most is a Colta-Cola, a large one.”

The waiter came and took their order. Vinyl did get something to eat but when the beverage arrived, she quickly downed half of it.

“That's better,” said Vinyl. “So where's your other friend? I thought she was coming to this thing too.”

“Frost is over at Rarity's place,” said Rainbow Dash, “but it's alright. The music is just for my solo routine anyway. She'll meet us out at Fluttershy's later.”

“That's cool,” said Vinyl. “You're Firewing, right? I remember you from the celebration. That was some nice flying.”

“Thanks,” said Firewing, “it was fun. What you'll be doing for Rainbow will be more complex.”

“Yeah, I'm hip,” said Vinyl. “You want ten to ten and a half minutes for this next show and you'll be needing something else for additional shows. How long are they going to be again?”

“Fifteen to twenty minutes each,” said Dash. “I'll open with one and then I'll perform again during intermission.”

Vinyl thought for a moment. “Will you want the longer ones to be slower? You were really moving during the celebration.”

“”I suppose so,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'll be adding in some slower elements so I can rest a little and make the show longer but the rest of the time I'll be going fast.”

Vinyl asked a few more questions while they ate their lunch as she tried to get an idea of what Rainbow Dash wanted. Firewing remained silent most of the time allowing Dash to describe her act. At last they finished their meal and headed out to Fluttershy's cottage to practice.

* * * * * * * * *
Rainbow Dash and Firewing walked along with Vinyl rather than fly but it didn't take them long to reach the place. Fluttershy was in her yard and three fillies were sitting in front of her. Firewing recognized one as Sweetie Belle from Rarity's shop and she remembered seeing the other two but didn't know them. As they approached one of the three fillies, a purple maned orange pegasus, saw them and ran to meet them.

Rainbow Dash smiled as Scootaloo ran up. “Hi kid,” she said, “I thought you'd like to come see us fly.”

“More than anything,” said Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash introduced Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who had arrived by this time, to Firewing and Vinyl. The earth pony and the little unicorn were polite but were otherwise not too impressed by the two pegasus stars or the DJ. Scootaloo was just the opposite, fawning over both Rainbow Dash and Firewing.

“Why don't you show us a little flying?” said Firewing to Scootaloo.

The filly looked at the ground and mumbled something.

“She's having a little trouble getting started,” said Rainbow Dash quickly. “I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out before too long.”

Scootaloo looked at Dash and managed a smile. Firewing felt very awkward and didn't know what to say. She had assumed that a filly of Scootaloo's age would know at least a little bit of flying by now.
She herself had started sky dancing by the time she was her age.

“Go find a place to sit,” said Rainbow Dash, “and we'll get started.”

“Come on,” said Vinyl Scratch, “show me a good spot. I'll be doing the music for Rainbow and I need to see her routine.” She didn't know exactly what was going on with the little pegasus but sensed that something wasn't right.

As Scootaloo and the others went on ahead, Rainbow Dash and Firewing began to fly and get warmed up. Firewing watched Dash who said nothing and wore a serious expression.

“There's something wrong with her, isn't there?” said Firewing at last.

“Maybe,” said Dash, “I don't really know. She can barely get off the ground. I know some pegasi fly sooner than others but even Fluttershy could fly at her age. I should have told you.”

“Has she seen a doctor?” asked Firewing. “Have you talked to her parents?”

“I don't know about a doctor and I don't know her parents,” replied Dash. “I'm not sure I want to know them.”

“We'll talk about it later,” said Firewing. “I'll go down and see what I can do about getting a timer or something.”

“Fluttershy can help you,” said Dash. “She has a timer and you can shout out to me in half minute intervals. That should work. I'll circle to simulate my start since we don't have a lot of ground space here. When I fly right in front of you, start my time.”

“Okay,” said Firewing, “Show us what you've got.”

Dash just smiled. She was sure that Firewing was going to love her routine. She started to climb.

Rainbow Dash looked down and saw that her friends were waiting for her to start she started to slowly spiral down and build speed to start. She went over her routine in her mind, making sure she had it right. She was at the proper level now and her speed was where she wanted it. This circle would bring her in front of her friends.

Rainbow Dash began her routine, concentrating on her speed and trying to do the tricks as if the Princesses were watching. Here and there she added some of the style moves. It felt good and seemed to be the same as when she had practiced for Immelmane. Firewing and her other friends shouting out her times confirmed that she was on time. At last she came to her landing maneuver. She smiled to herself, knowing that Firewing had never seen this move.

Rainbow Dash landed and bowed. Vinyl and her friends applauded. She gave Scootaloo a wink and went to talk to Firewing.

“How was my time?” she asked Firewing. To her surprise, Vinyl answered.

“Ten minutes and twenty-six seconds,” said Vinyl. “Looks like you've got this down pretty good.”

“Vinyl brought her own stopwatch,” explained Firewing. “We thought it was better to use that than Fluttershy's kitchen timer.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “I might have to get one of those myself. So what did you think? Good enough for a couple of Princesses?”

Firewing laughed. “It was awesome. I've never seen a couple of those moves. That landing was incredible. Do you do nothing but come up with amazing landings?”

“To be honest, that one came from Frost, partially anyway,” replied Dash. “The Wonderbolts are going to incorporate part of it into their show by the end of the season so I'll show you how to do it later. I do have one more landing but it's still in the development stages.”

“She should have used it in her program during the try outs,” said Firewing. “I wonder why she didn't.”

“Probably didn't think about it,” said Dash. “The only reason I used it is because Immelmane and Spitfire wanted me to end facing the crowd. I hadn't done it in years except as a way to break off a trick I messed up so I could try it again. It's an old move from when we were kids.”

“You had an interesting childhood,” commented Vinyl. “I've seen a lot of pegasi fly but not like that. I'm going to really need to work on this with you and we don't have a lot of time. How many times can you do that in an afternoon without burning out?”

“Maybe a dozen before things get sloppy,” said Dash, “but I'm supposed to take it easy this week.”

Vinyl thought for a moment. “Do you have this whole thing written down so I could make a copy and make notes on it?”

“I have it written down but it's getting pretty marked up already and I still need it to work on my style moves,” said Dash. “I doubt if you'd understand what a lot of the symbols mean anyway. How about if we start over and make you a new one with just the names of the moves on it. Would that help?”

“That might be better,” said Vinyl. “I brought some paper and a quill with me but I need some ink. I'm out.”

“I have some inside,” said Fluttershy, “I'll be right back.”

Fluttershy returned with the ink and Rainbow Dash and Vinyl sat down and made a copy of the routine. Dash then returned to the sky and went through the routine again. As Dash flew, Firewing told Vinyl when she did a move and Vinyl wrote down the time. When Dash finished she landed and they discussed the timing and the type of music to use. Dash was about to run through the routine again when Frost arrived. She was feeling a lot better than before and was anxious to see Dash's routine again.

“Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash, “if you have any suggestions about how I can punch this thing up, let me know. Mr. Immelmane wants me to add some style elements to my act and I need a little help in that department. You're the best at that so feel free to write anything down you think would work.”

“Alright,” said Firewing, “but I don't know what you mean. That show looks great to me.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, “Immelmane thinks it looks good too but we want it to look great. Remember how you showed me that bow for the end of my landing? It's little things like that. What did Immelmane say... a raised hoof, a swish of the tail...expression, um head position, you know, stuff like that.”

“Okay, I know what you mean,” said Firewing. “You want something to set it apart from just a set of maneuvers. Got it. I'll try.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Here we go again.” She took wing and went through the act another time.

The time was very close to the first run and Vinyl was able to get most of the times down. After another try, she had them all and Dash was starting to tire. She suggested a break by giving Firewing and Fluttershy a chance to sky dance. Fluttershy put a record on her old phonograph. Vinyl seemed to be amused by the archaic piece of equipment but said nothing.

While Fluttershy and Firewing danced, Rainbow Dash looked over the routine that Vinyl had written down. Beside each move was a time. Rainbow Dash thought this was very helpful and said so.

“Once you learn the music, you won't need the times anymore,” pointed out Vinyl. “I'll try to get the beat to match the start of the move and you'll be able to tell where you're at in the program. I've done things like this for dance competitions. I'll bet I could get something together for those two up there that would be awesome.”

Rainbow Dash thought about this as she watched the two pegasi perform. She had never given much thought to who did the music for the Wonderbolts. Would they be angry if she brought in a new pony? The music that the Wonderbolts usually used was booming, dynamic works mostly composed by ponies long dead. Rainbow Dash couldn't even name one of them. She remembered that they once did a short program that featured the tunes from a popular musical. She was a filly then and couldn't recall the name of that either.

“What sort of music were you planning for me?” asked Dash.

Vinyl didn't take her eyes off of Firewing and Fluttershy. “I was going to ask you what you like,” she said. “I have a few ideas. Do you like Roan Jett and the Blackhooves?”

Chapter 78

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Chapter 78

They spent the rest of the day practicing. Rainbow would run through her act and then Fluttershy would dance with Firewing or Frost. Rainbow Dash was impressed by her progress and worried that she might have to actually pay for the dinner after all. Fluttershy made them all stay for supper and it became a party of sorts though much more relaxed and quieter than the ones Pinkie Pie planned.

Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders stayed, oblivious to the trouble they were bound to face for staying late. Fluttershy suggested that the pegasi see the little ones home and they agreed. Rainbow Dash took Scootaloo while Applebloom laid on the back of Firewing and Frost let Sweetie Bell ride her. Vinyl started her long walk home, though she planned on making a stop at Ponyville's only pub on the way. Fluttershy was left alone to take care of her animals for the night.

They had not traveled far when Rainbow Dash spotted Applejack walking towards Fluttershy's home. Guessing that she was hunting for her sister, Rainbow Dash dove down to meet her. The others followed. Only Scootaloo found this sudden dive enjoyable. Both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom screamed in piercing tones. Applejack looked up and saw them coming to meet her.

The pegasi landed in front of Applejack who viewed them with a stern expression. Apple Bloom jumped down and trotted over to her sister.

“I guess I know where you've been,” said Applejack, “so I won't ask. You were supposed to be home over an hour ago.”

“I'm sorry sis,” said Apple Bloom, “I guess I just lost track of time.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “it was my fault too. We were just so caught up in flying that we weren't thinking of anything else. By the way, this is my friend Frost, from Cloudsdale. She flew in last night.”

“Pleased to meet you, Frost,” said Applejack. “Rainbow Dash has told us a lot about you.”

“Uh oh,” said Frost, with a laugh, “that might not be good. Nice to meet you too, Applejack.”

Applejack laughed. “I reckon if I can handle livin' in the same town as RD, I can get along with you. Anyway, she didn't say anything too bad about you. I ain't so sure about you though,” she said, with a look towards Firewing. “What were you doing up there with my sister? She can't fly, you know.”

Before Firewing could respond, Apple Bloom spoke up. “Aw sis, I was okay. You really ought to try flyin' some time. It's fun!”

“Fun huh,” said Applejack, “we'll see how much fun you think it is when you're doing extra chores for a week.”

“Oh come on Applejack,” said Firewing, “we were just giving them a ride home. It was faster than walking.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “lighten up mare. They were having a blast.”

“Seriously AJ,” said Rainbow Dash, “do you really think we'd drop them? We're some of the best fliers anywhere.”

“Accidents can happen,” replied Applejack, “I'd appreciate it if y'all wouldn't take her up again.” She gazed at each of the pegasi in turn. Her expression showed that she expected her wishes to be obeyed.

Rainbow Dash nodded and Firewing mumbled a sorry but Frost just rolled her eyes. She glanced back at Sweetie Belle and asked if she was ready to go home.

“Sure,” said Sweetie Belle, “we'd better go. My sister will be getting worried too. My parents probably wouldn't be as much of a problem as Rarity. She's kinda fussy.”

Frost laughed and took off.

“See ya tomorrow AJ,” said Dash and followed Frost.

“Sorry, AJ,” said Firewing, “we were being careful really.” She lifted off and flew after her friends.

* * *

As they flew, Rainbow Dash and Firewing spoke. Firewing was worried that Applejack was mad at her.

“I wouldn't worry about it,” said Dash. “There was no harm done. Applejack is just very protective.”

“I hope Apple Bloom isn't in too much trouble,” said Scootaloo. “The clubhouse is out at Sweet Apple Acres and those extra chores might mean she can't spend as much time with us.”

“I'll have a little talk with her tomorrow night at the party,” said Dash. “It wouldn't be fair if she gets punished and you and Sweetie Belle don't. You won't get punished, will you?”

“Nah,” said Scootaloo, “they probably won't even notice I'm not there.”

“I think you should get along with Frost,” said Dash. “Tomorrow, why don't you hang out with her a little bit. I think you two might have a little in common.”

“Um, okay,” said Scootaloo, “we can still hang out though, right?”

“Sure we can,” replied Rainbow Dash. “I don't want anything to change between us but I think it would be good for you to get to know some other great fliers. Maybe you'll pick something up from them. We all fly different.”

“Besides,” added Firewing, “Rainbow is going to be flying a lot. I'm going to be working out tomorrow too. We'll be glad to answer any questions you might have.”

Frost was a little bit ahead of Dash and Firewing and Sweetie Belle was both directing her and holding on for dear life. There was even a little glow around her horn as if she was using her limited magic to stay stuck to Frost's back. Frost began to descend to Rarity's shop. She flew in gentle circles this time to avoid scaring the filly.

They landed in front of the shop and Frost knelt down to allow Sweetie Belle to get down more easily. She had scarcely put her hoof on the ground when Rarity came out of her shop. The expression on her face was as grim as Applejack's.

“You, young lady, are late,” said Rarity. “I suppose you lost track of time watching the air show. That's still no excuse for you being late for supper.”

“Sorry, sis,” said Sweetie Belle, “but after the Wonderbolts were done practicing, Fluttershy made us all supper and I guess one thing just led to another.”

“We figured you would know she was with us,” said Dash. “Sorry if we made you worry for nothing.”

“I did assume that she was with you,” said Rarity, her tone somewhat softer. “I wasn't too worried.”

“You didn't mind me flying with them?” piped Sweetie Belle happily.

Rarity's eyes opened wide. “You were flying?” she said.

“We, uh, gave her a ride home,” offered Rainbow Dash.

“It was fun!” said Sweetie Belle. Belatedly, she turned to Frost and thanked her.

Frost smiled at her. “You're welcome. I'll take you up anytime.” She turned to Rarity. “She was using her magic to hang on. I could feel it like a rope around me.”

Rarity was shocked. “Well, I suppose it would be alright if you promise me you'll be careful,” said Rarity.

“I will,” said Sweetie Belle.

“I wasn't talking to you,” said Rarity, “I was talking to our pegasi friends.”

“I'll treat her like she's my own sister,” said Frost. “Good to see you're not such a hard-flank like Applejack.”

Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh and Rarity glanced at her. “AJ was a little bit more upset about us taking the girls flying,” explained Dash. “I think Apple Bloom is grounded in more ways than one.”

Frost chuckled at Dash's joke but Firewing was still feeling guilty about the misunderstanding with Applejack. At last Rarity smiled. She felt that the pegasi would take care of her sister and she was also pleased that Sweetie Belle was starting to use her magic.

“Well, I would appreciate it if you're careful and have her home on time,” said Rarity, “but otherwise I have no objections to her flying. I know what it's like.”

“You do?” said Firewing.

“Twilight gave her wings for a day,” said Dash, “it didn't turn out so well.”

“But I did get to fly,” said the unicorn, “Not as well as you do but it was beautiful.”

“Are you going to try it again?” asked Dash.

“Um, no I think not,” said Rarity. “I'll leave the flying to those with real wings.”

“Good idea,” said Frost, “but if you really want to fly, we could take you up.”

“”That's alright,” said Rarity, “I'm a bit bigger than Sweetie Belle. I think you'd find it hard to fly with me on your back.”

Frost laughed. “Well, I probably could do it but I meant a chariot or cart.”

“Oh, of course,” said Rarity, “how silly of me. I might take you up on that.”

Scootaloo got down from Rainbow Dash's back. “I can make it home from here,” said the little pegasus. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure squirt,” said Dash. “I guess we'll be out at Fluttershy's place around ten or so. Does that sound good?”

“Great!” said Scootaloo. She hugged Dash's foreleg and Dash hugged her with one wing.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” said Scootaloo. She turned to Firewing and Frost. “You two were great to watch too. I can't wait to see more.”

“It was our pleasure,” said Firewing. “I think Windyday will be here soon so you'll get to see her fly too.”

“Oh wow,” said Scootaloo, “what's she like?”

“She won the first open position,” said Dash. “What's that tell you?”

“That, um, she's even better than you?” said Scootaloo, nervously.

“Out of the mouths of babes,” mumbled Frost to Firewing. Firewing coughed and looked away.

“She is not better than me,” said Dash tersely. “She is a great pegasus that has a lot of formation flying experience but I can out-fly her.”

“It's on,” whispered Firewing to Frost. Frost snickered.

“There's reasons that the Wonderbolts picked her for the first open slot,” said Dash. “It can get kind of complicated but sometimes even being the best at something isn't enough. Sometimes there are other reasons that a pony might be a better pick for a job than just skill. You'll get it when you're older.”

Scootaloo cocked her head. “That's just a grownup’s way of saying kids are dumb.”

Dash planted her hoof on her forehead. “Okay. Look at it this way; what if I had been chosen for Windy's job? I'd have had to move away to Cloudsdale. I'd have had to learn to fly in a completely different way. Soarin, Spitfire and Mr. Immelmane would have had to work harder to get me ready and they're already short of time. You see? There are other reasons.”

“I see,” said Scootaloo. “Could Windyday do your job?”

“No way!” said Dash but after thinking about it she went on. “She might be able to do it if I taught her. She doesn't have all my tricks. She can't go as fast or turn as tight either but she could look good. The same goes for these two,” said Dash with a smile. “Great fliers but they can't do what I do, not yet anyway.”

“So nice to know she thinks that there's hope for us,” said Frost.

“Very generous of her,” said Firewing. “I wonder if that's an offer for us to become her students.”

“She doesn't have the guts to do that,” replied Frost. “She'd be afraid that we would get better than her.”

“I'll show you anything that you ask to see,” said Dash. “I owe you that. No students right now though, I already have one.” She gave Scootaloo a hug with her wing.

Scootaloo smiled up at Dash. She would have happily stayed there like that for the rest of her days.

“Go on home now and get some rest,” said Dash, “we'll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” said Scootaloo. She trotted off to the farewells from Frost, Firewing and Sweetie Belle. Rarity couldn't speak. She was too choked up by the show of affection between Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo.

“When do you think Windy will get here?” asked Firewing.

“It depends on when practice is over and how tired she is,” said Frost. “I was pretty beat before I flew out and I stayed to eat supper first. If she left right after practice she could be here by now but I think she'll rest and eat before she leaves. I'd make a guess at maybe another couple hours or so.”

“Will, ahem, excuse me,” said Rarity, finding her voice, “will you be bringing her to meet me tomorrow?”

“I hope to,” said Rainbow Dash. “That's why we're not going to Fluttershy's until ten. That will give us time to have breakfast and come see you.”

“That will be fine,” said Rarity. “Feel free to stop by latter tonight, if you'd like, as long as it's not too late.”

“We might,” said Dash, “but it will depend on how Windyday feels. Frost was pretty tired when she got here.”

“That's for sure,” said Frost. “It was a long day of practice though. Maybe today won't be as bad.”

“It varies?” asked Firewing.

“Oh yeah,” said Frost. “Sometimes there's a lot of walk-throughs and classwork. Other days it's practicing the same move over and over again or doing the whole routine from start to finish. Soarin said that on really hot days we might work in the evenings instead of the afternoons. We need to train for night shows anyway.”

“At least that should keep things from getting stale,” said Firewing. “I guess they really keep you on your hooves that way.”

“You never know what to expect when you show up in the morning,” said Frost. “They help each other with weak points and show you what you're doing wrong.” Frost laughed. “Sometimes that takes a long time.”

“Like sky dancing?” asked Dash.

Frost shuddered. “Exactly,” she said. “Some of the others have their problems too. This one day, Fleetfoot just couldn't get her timing right and kept getting too close to Spitfire. Eventually they put Windy in the lead and Spitfire flew behind her telling her what to do in real full speed maneuvers. That was real exciting to watch and Fleetfoot got it down in a couple of tries.”

“Windy must be doing well if they let her lead,” said Firewing.

“You've seen her fly,” said Frost. “She's ready to perform, no doubt about it. We all have to learn all the positions though, I flew lead for the first time yesterday.”

“Figures,” said Firewing. “She is still the perfect flier. That much didn't change about her.”

“You sound disappointed,” said Rarity, “don't you want her to succeed?”

“Of course I do,” said Firewing, “it's just that she is so perfect about everything she does. It's kind of frustrating the way she makes it look so easy.”

“Don't be jealous of her,” said Dash. “I had some time to talk to her and found out how she does it. It's kind of scary. I don't think I'll try it.”

“So how does she do it?” asked Firewing.

“She just switches everything else off,” said Dash. “I know we all do it when we're concentrating on something but Windy is a level above that. She used to do it so much that she was like that almost all the time and not just when she was flying or performing. No emotions, no feelings, no sadness or happiness just...nothing. It was like she was a machine.”

“No wonder everypony thought she was cold,” said Frost. “Everything she did was just a calculation, wasn't it?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “that's pretty much it. She'd been trained to win. She'd been trained to gain honor and glory but it didn't mean anything to her. She was just going through he motions.”

Rarity was shocked. “Can we talk about this some other time,” she said. “I don't think this is for a young pony to hear.”

“Sweetie Belle went inside a few minutes ago,” said Dash. “I think we were boring her.”

“Sweetie Belle is in my house...alone?” said Rarity. “Good evening everypony, I'll see you tomorrow.”
Rarity turned and ran inside.

“Protective of her sister too, I take it?” said Firewing.

Dash laughed. “Not exactly. I think she's more afraid of the destruction Sweetie can cause on her own.”

Frost and Firewing both laughed. “Come on,” said Frost, “let's go relax for a while until Windy gets here.”