Chapter 1: Superstars and Stripes
Earning Her Stripes
By: Mickey Dubs
—
"I must say, Darling, you've really outdone yourself this time around!"
Giant lumbering clouds marched slowly across the heavens, gracing the land beyond their picnic site with a brief respite from the slow bake of the sun. Rarity sighed with relief when a plush baby thunderhead strayed overhead and gave her complexion a respite from the sun's heat. As worrying as the imminence of the coming rainstorm was, she was unfazed. Her friends were close-by, their arduous hike was over, and Rainbow Dash was expected any minute to play hostess as intended.
These were cause for celebration... but then again, so was every opportunity to spend the day with her friends.
Rarity allowed her weary bones some time to relax and work out the kinks from their hike before turning to her friends as they organized their picnic supplies. Their blankets had been placed gingerly on the plushy weeds and grasses of Ponyville's northern rolling hills, each of them unpacked neatly from Applejack's saddlebags. Those utensils which hadn't bounced out from Pinkie's bags or caught magically in midair by the observant Twilight behind her had been neatly collected and polished to a glorious shine by Rarity, and now all of them were laid out in organized little lines beside porcelain plates with delicate, flowery designs.
Rarity’s own contributions, of course.
Once all was in order and everything was cleaner than when it had arrived, Rarity smiled at the hidden sun before it broke free and seared her cheeks, reminding her of her lilac parasol's cooling shade. Nestling herself carefully on her friend Applejack's quilt, she drew close her glass and ensured her skin was hidden from the sun, swirling her straw with her magic to mix her drink to her exact specifications.
“I mean, honestly,” Rarity continued, eyeing Applejack appreciatively. “For a first batch, you've done a splendid job! Not too bitter, wonderfully cold, and with lemon? Simply divine! Who knew you’d be as successful with iced tea as you are with apples!”
“Hey now, no need for the praise,” Applejack chuckled, adjusting her hat to protect her ears. “First attempts might be a surprise, but we’ll see if the next batch is as good before gettin’ serious. Don’t get your hopes up though. Chances are it won’t take off.”
“Nonsense, darling!” Rarity exclaimed, topping off her glass and two others beside her. “Putting yourself down so soon before your product gets a chance to prove itself is a surefire way to fail! We’ll see what the girls think when they get here.”
“That’s a good point,” Twilight Sparkle muttered, stretching her wings to soak in the heat before tucking them tightly to her sides. Shooting her friend Pinkie Pie a little smile, she floated over a glass of tea for Pinkie to savor before catching the edges of her previous statement. “I wouldn’t have thought Rainbow Dash would be late for her own little picnic, or Fluttershy for that matter. They're both usually so prompt, and Rainbow was excited about something... do you think something's happened to them?”
Pinkie plopped cube after cube of sugar in her glass, gave it a swig, and took a deep contented sigh as it went down smooth.
"I doubt it," she chirped, giving Twilight a playful nudge. "I've got a special Pinkie's-pals-in-peril twitchy-twitch for the both of them, and I've been feeling nada!"
"Well hopefully they get here soon," Twilight sighed, nudging herself closer to Rarity's parasol. "This sun's starting to get pretty intense, and I’m not liking the look of those rain clouds...”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack mumbled, glancing past the brim of her hat towards the thunderheads marching ever-closer on the horizon. Adjusting her hat once more, she chanced a glance back towards town and shrugged her shoulders when nothing new came to light. “Maybe she’s runnin’ late on her usual trainin’. She’s been goin’ at it something fierce lately with getting her dives and moves perfected.” She chuckled at a little memory and shook her head, grinning. “As much as I appreciate the help with shakin’ down my apples whenever she pulls off her Buccaneer Whats-it-called, she could stand to take a break.”
“I don’t think the word ‘break’ is in her vocabulary,” Rarity stated evenly. “She’s going to run herself ragged if she keeps this up. Mark my words: sooner or later she’s going to hit something a little more stubborn than she is, and then it’s ‘bye-bye Wonderbolts’ for her.”
“Maybe, Rarity... but we all know she’s got a little more control over herself than that.” A few nods from her other companions were enough validation for Applejack. “Let’s give ‘em both a few more minutes before gettin’ all snippy.”
“A lady is never ‘snippy’, dearest Applejack. She just gets mildly irritated and sharp when simple etiquette is ignored. She’s had years to learn how to be prompt, and the fact she cares nothing about it is a travesty.”
“Travesty is a pretty strong word,” Twilight offered, nudging a plate of cookies closer towards Pinkie. She snatched one up in her magic just before Pinkie threw herself on the others, nibbling delicately at the edges with a little smile as Pinkie cleaned herself and her plate of what remained of her kill. “She’s a busy mare, what with practicing her routines and weather duty, and more... well, more practice...”
“Practicing twice doesn’t count, Twilight.”
“Why not?” Pinkie mumbled, her cheeks still full of cookie remains. “Maybe she was practicing for the practice, or practicing her practice for the practice!”
“She's probably just goofing off as usual,” Rarity snickered, finishing off her iced tea with a hearty gulp. Levitating a few cubes of sugar and a slice of lemon, she dropped each in at the precise moment as her glass slowly refilled.
“That’s a little harsh, don'tcha think?”
Applejack nudged her hat from her eyes as Rarity finished her pour, both of them eying the other in confusion. “I mean, she doesn’t go off at you about makin’ dresses for free, or at Pinkie for eatin’ up all the Cake's sweets. I wouldn’t say it’s 'goofing off' so much as it is doin' what she loves!"
"Yes,” Rarity scoffed, “but at our expense! We're here for her picnic and she isn't! And when I make practice garments I don't just throw them away! The orphanage is always looking for clothes for their fillies and colts, and it drums up a nice bit of business to pump into other things... like Sugarcube Corner, or your orchard! Do you see Rainbow doing anything useful in her free time?”
"Your point?" Applejack grumbled tersely, cocking an eyebrow. Sitting up proudly, Rarity took a light sip of her glass before seating it firmly on the blanket.
"My point, dear, is this: her flying around and causing a ruckus only benefits her, and no one else. I don't mean to say she isn't allowed to have fun, but... but... well, she's a little selfish is all. She's causing trouble for others but only really thinks about herself. We're getting sunburned while she's playing around, and I find it insulting... that's all."
"Some Element of Generosity you are," Applejack snapped coolly. "You can't give one of your best friends a few extra minutes, and you're the one goin' off about how bein' selfish is wrong?!"
"If she had sufficient reason for being late, then that would be fine! As it stands, she doesn't... and she isn't even here to tell us why! This is her picnic, and she begged us to come celebrate with her! She's not here because she's busy with something she thinks is more important than her best friends! It doesn't take a genius to find that a little selfish or a little mean."
"Hold your glasses, girls," Pinkie interjected with a little shiver. "I think I'm getting something here..."
With a triumphant aha! Rarity stamped out her victory, smiling radiantly at Pinkie before sneering at her opponent. "See?! Someone else can see it too!" Shooting Applejack a challenging glare, Rarity pulled herself up as proudly and as haughty as she was able. "What do you say to that, Applejack? Even Pinkie knows a selfish act when she sees one."
"I ain't sayin' nothin'," Applejack commented, drawing her glass close to her chest as Pinkie's shivering slowly built up. Those few remaining crumbs lingering on Twilight's plate slowly increased their jittering tempo until they and their bubblegum-pink assailant were quivering in time. Twilight drew close her glass and held it tight as per Applejack's example, both of them waiting expectantly while Rarity, her eyes closed to savor the warmth of her victory, remained ignorant of her surroundings.
"That's because deep down you know I'm right, isn't it? You know that Rainbow is being a little selfish today, don't you?"
"Of course she is," Applejack mumbled, eyeing Twilight devilishly. Sensing her intentions, Twilight and Applejack hid the evidence of their retreat behind Pinkie Pie as the latter, now vibrating uncontrollably, popped and hummed with activity.
"Good," Rarity said with a huff. "I'm glad you've seen the error of her ways, and I'm glad you've seen that I'm indeed correct." She took another dainty sip of her glass, and then another, before levitating her glass at her side. "I mean, honestly, was it really such a stretch? Rainbow has a hard time keeping her word, no surprises the—"
KA-BOOM!
A concussive blast and a high pitched yelp of excitement followed close behind a bright stripe of rainbow light, both of them masking only slightly the primal howl of a terrified seamstress and the utter destruction of a drinking glass. Crackling booms of thunder and the entrancing crashing of rainbow light signaled the implementation of one of Rainbow Dash’s trademark Rainbooms. The rainbow-maned daredevil herself, sweating profusely, looked back at her creation in awe for a moment before rounding on her friends with a massive, triumphant smile.
"Made it!" Rainbow Dash cried, looking from Twilight to Applejack and back towards her saddlebags. "I'm sorry I'm late, guys! Practice went a little longer than I'd planned, and Derpy had a rough day so the mail was late, but I've... I’ve... umm...”
With a little pant she looked around one extraordinarily soaked seamstress before giving the mare a little nudge.
“Uhh... Rarity?"
Cocking her head quizzically at her friend, Rainbow did a quick double-take between a smug Pinkie and a mare covered from head to toe in her sticky beverage. A few ice cubes had taken residence on the folds of her hair, coursing slowly from her curls with every deep breath in and shaky breath out. Rarity sat deaf and dumb, staring at the shards of her shattered glass as Rainbow snuck in for a closer look.
"Hey, Rarity? You in there?”
No answer.
“Hey, Rarity! Earth-to-Rarity?!" Rainbow chanced a glance at Pinkie before wiping some iced tea from her hooves. "What's wrong with her?"
"I warned her," Pinkie said lyrically, nibbling daintily on a cracker as Applejack held her gut in vain. "I told her to be careful, but ohh no! She just had to be right! She kept on going and going and going and then I was like 'hey girls, you should hold your drinks' but then she was like 'quiet Pinkie, I'm on a roll here' and then she kept talking and talking and then you Rainboomed on over here and shook her out of her groove! Good to see ya, by the way! Did you get your mail? Didja didja didja?"
"Well, yeah... but what about Rarity? I’ve never seen her so, so... sticky! Is that iced tea?"
"It's all her fault!" Rarity cried, pointing a dripping hoof at Pinkie. "She should have warned me she was getting one of her... her... ohh! I don't know what they are, but it was important and she didn't say anything!” She ripped off her garments, shrieking when she found them equally soggy. “This sunhat was one of a kind, and my sunglasses! They're ruined!"
"She did too say something," Applejack interjected. "You were just too set on bein' right to listen!"
"But... but all my things! If I don't get them cleaned right now they'll be destroyed forever!"
In a flurry of soggy desperation Rarity wrapped up her soiled garments in her magic's grasp and started towards town until a pointed cough bid her halt. Applejack's glare and head-nod towards Rainbow was enough of a reminder of their conversation about selfishness, and the passing of a few seconds of thought was enough time for a quick recovery.
"On second thought, this is the wrong type of fabric... it can wait a bit," Rarity said, hiding her shame with a glimmer of magic. A wicker basket popped idly from thin air, plopping to the ground as her clothing tumbled down after it. Seating herself on the ground, she held one eye on Rainbow and another towards town, awaiting her cue to scramble home and rescue her clothes.
"So, you said something about mail?" Twilight asked, deferring Rainbow's attention. With a brief start Rainbow drew her head back to recover her mail, dropping a bundle of letters, flyers, and advertisements to the ground with a dull thunk! Puffing out her chest, Rainbow stood up tall and idly polished her hoof in triumph.
"Oh, yeah. Nothing too important really, just the usual mail. Bills, advertisements, admission to the Wonderbolts, more bills. Nothing out of the ordin—"
"YOU GOT IN!"
A puffy pink cannonade of giggling excitement hurtled across the blanket, slamming into Rainbow as the mare herself shrieked with surprise. Closing her eyes, Rainbow laughed uproariously as Pinkie held her close and swayed her little hooves through the air.
"You got into the Wonderbolts?!” Pinkie screamed, bouncing in a circle with Rainbow held tightly to her breast. “OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!! Oh my gosh, Dashie! You finally got in! You've been trying for years and years and years and now YOU'RE A WONDERBOLT!!! This is your dream-come-true! You did it! You did it! YOU DID IT!!!"
Plopping her friend back on the grass, Pinkie stood up tall on two legs as the others watched in admiration. "Rainbow Dash: Wonderbolt!" she said stoically, swiping a hoof through the air as if conjuring a grand sparkling marquee. "Yeah, I could get used to that!"
"So that's what this whole thing was about?" Applejack gasped, dumbstruck. "Rainbow, that's amazin'! You finally got your dream job! Tourin' the world, racin' in tournaments, bein' a superstar? That's your life now!"
Rainbow got back to her hooves and scratched her neck. "Well, yeah, it is exciting... but I haven't—"
"I'm very proud of you, Rainbow," Rarity blurted suddenly, casting a glance in Applejack's direction before facing the ground. "I know I haven't been very supportive of your flying tricks... I mean, your work! It is work, and you've been doing so well with it lately... I just..."
Shrugging her shoulders, she gave a little sigh. "I'm sorry to have ever doubted you."
"That's okay, Rarity," Rainbow stammered, stroking Rarity’ shoulder. "I don't really know where that came from, but I appreciate it a whole lot. But you guys should know that I don't actually know if I'm in or not. That’s just got the decision letter from Spitfire."
"WHAT?!"
Deflating audibly with a gurgling hiss of air, Pinkie's plush mane imploded while her face grew warm with rage. Stomping her hoof, Pinkie's voice remained as sweet as molasses even as she growled out her discontent.
"You mean you're not actually a Wonderbolt?!" She scoffed and stomped the ground. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Here I was, about to ask if I could plan your party, but it's not like there will be a party anymore! I was going to have streamers and balloons, and clowns and cannons and fire jugglers! I was thinking of getting a bouncy house! A bouncy house, Rainbow! You don't see bouncy houses anymore, and you gotta have special permission from a Princess to have one! Do you know how hard that is to get?"
"Not very, because you don't need permission," Twilight muttered coolly, fluttering her wings. "Besides, it's not like you'd need to go to Canterlot to ask if you did."
"Oh yeah!" Pinkie giggled, her eyes growing a little brighter before reaffirming themselves to her mission. "Well alright missy, maybe you could get a bouncy house... but not until you become a Wonderbolt!"
"Well let's find out if she is!" Rarity exclaimed, leaping towards the parcel of letters and peeling apart the twine holding them together. “Let’s see what Spitfire has to say about it!”
“You don’t have to ask me twice!”
Scrambling through her mail, Rainbow plopped herself down between Pinkie and Twilight as the four of them awaited her reply. Informational flyers and aviation magazines flew hurriedly through the air until two letters remained, both of them stamped and sealed with Spitfire’s flaming cutie mark and the gold-embossed seal of the hallowed Wonderbolts.
“Alright girls,” Rainbow announced, beaming at each of them in turn. “Listen close, because you’re only going to hear the Wonderbolt acceptance spiel once!”
Ripping through the envelope with her teeth, Rainbow tore out the pages within and began to read aloud.
Dear Miss Rainbow Dash,
We have received your application for admission to the Wonderbolts and have discussed the possibility of your acceptance into our ranks. Much time and thought has been placed into your consideration, with members of both the Wonderbolts team and its Board of Directors personally verifying your credentials. Of the list of possible candidates, you are one of the most qualified.
Rainbow swelled even further, an all-but-stifled smirk sneaking out from her lips. “This is going to be a cakewalk!” she exclaimed, looking at her friends in turn. “If even Spitfire herself thinks I’m a shoe-in, there’s no way the others will disagree!”
Picking up where she left off, she did her best to keep her voice even and controlled while her heart quickened its foxtrot in her breast.
As a Best Young Flyer Competition Champion, we understand that you have the agility, dexterity, and sheer tenacity that is required of a Wonderbolt. You proved this further during your time at Wonderbolt Flight Camp, where you successfully executed the role of both Wingpony and Leadpony to their utmost.
Rainbow chanced a glance at her friends one last time and bubbled with excitement before their ushering hoofs bid her continue.
Your control over your flight is unparalleled, and your courage in the air is unrivaled by most. However, we regret to inform—
Silence fell alongside a dull rumble of faraway thunder, stretching on for a few moments of tension before Rainbow tore through what remained of her letter. Her eyes scanned back and forth over each line multiple times, every disheartening word one more weight added to her spine. When the final line had been read, the letter tumbled slowly from her grasp and joined the broken shards of her heart.
“I... I didn’t get in.”
She stared quietly out across the rolling fields beyond, trying her hardest not to cry out or betray any sliver of weakness. The first raindrops fell, matting the signature of her hero and any promise of her life’s ambitions. For all she knew it could have been a tear, but she couldn't tell; she’d lost all feeling in her cheeks, her face, even her glorious wings. With a little whimper she rested her head on the grass, letting out a shaky breath and the fluttering hope she’d harbored since those smoking trails of her heroes first rumbled across the sky like the thunder overhead.
“But... but I practiced every day! I gave everything I had at Flight Camp!” she whined, her voice shaking with tears. “ I... I was the best! I am the best!” She rounded on her friends as if they might have some explanation, only to find them powerless. She continued with a little sniffle and another whimper. “And my Rainboom! No one else can do that, and they loved me for it during the competition! They loved me... didn’t they?”
“They do, honey,” Rarity said gently, straightening out her friend’s mane. “They do... but I guess they just couldn’t get you a spot this year. Maybe next time, right?”
“Next time?!” Rainbow snapped, her melancholy turning quickly to rage. “There may not be a next time! I mean, c’mon! They snubbed me this year, and the year before that, and the year before that! I mean, what’s the deal? Do they think I’m too good? Is that what’s going on? That has to be! They don’t want me to steal the show! They’re a team, and I... well, I’m my own team, really...”
Blowing her mane from her eyes, Rainbow stared blankly into space as the rain grew heavier on the horizon.
“I guess they just think I’m worthless.”
“Well shoot, Rainbow! You are worthless with an attitude like that!” Applejack gave her friend’s shoulder a little punch. “Keep your chin up and try again. They can’t ignore you forever!”
“But they always do!” Rainbow whined, falling to the grass with a plop. “They have for years!”
“I don’t think so, Dashie!”
Looking up from the blades of grass below, Rainbow found an anxious Pinkie and a hopeful Twilight holding between them the last of her mail.
“You got one last thing from Spitfire, remember?” Twilight said hopefully, drifting Rainbow’s mail over the blanket to fall against her nose. “Come on, see what she has to say! Maybe she included a better explanation for refusing you this year!”
Rainbow grumbled miserably. “Do I have to? What if she just twists the knife a little more?”
“You won’t know until you read it,” Twilight said with a smile. “Don’t you worry, the hardest part is already over and you’ve come through it just fine. This might have a little more clarity.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Rainbow perked up a little before ripping open the envelope’s seal with her teeth. “Maybe you’re right,” she said sullenly, pulling herself upright and seated once more before her friends. Grasping the letter between her hooves, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before reading aloud once more.
Dear Rainbow Dash,
I’m sure you’re a little heartbroken over our decision to deny you entrance to the Wonderbolts this year.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Rainbow mumbled before shaking her mane once more to rally herself.
After a few weeks of deliberation between Soarin’, Fleetfoot, and myself, we came to the conclusion that you have the ability and the drive to win, but your ability to work as part of a team needs a little work. You did well during Wonderbolt Flight Camp, but your willingness to quit before working out your issues with your partner indicated to me that you need more opportunities to grow.
Rainbow’s eyes fell from the page for a brief moment and she seemed ready to abandon the letter entirely, but Twilight stroked her shoulder and gave her a little nod to stay strong. Breathing deep, she gathered what courage she had left and continued.
Your singular ability to execute the fabled Sonic Rainboom is definitely a big drawing point for us, as are those tricks you displayed during the Best Young Flyer Competition last year. In talking with you following the event and during your time at Flight Camp, I found you to be very amiable and driven. You are an extremely skilled flyer and were held in very high regard by our Board of Directors, as were many. If it makes things a little easier, you are not the only skilled applicant we have denied this year.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but that sigh turned to a full bellowing gasp as her eyes encountered the next line on the page.
In fact, despite hundreds of applications: the Wonderbolts will not be including anyone to the roster for this coming season.
"Whaddya mean, 'not including anyone'?" Pinkie babbled, crestfallen. "But, but Dashie's gotta be a Wonderbolt! She has to be!"
"Well at least you've got a reason now," Twilight inserted. "Nopony got in, and they still think you're one of the better ones! You're in a good spot for next year!"
"I wouldn't be so sure, girls..."
Pinkie and Twilight's heads fell as Rarity, ever-watchful of her friend, held Rainbow's eyes as they skirted past the next few lines of the pages. For a brief moment she seemed about lost between the lines, but after a brief second to rationalize what she was seeing she began reading, slowly at first until she found some courage in Spitfire's words.
The Boards of Directors has decided, with the approval of the Wonderbolt Captains, to allow for a greater range of qualified applicants to apply for admission into the Wonderbolts. In celebration of the inauguration of Princess Twilight Sparkle to the throne of Canterlot, we've decided to turn over a new leaf and open our doors to fliers from around the world, not exclusively Equestria. We want only the best, as you well know.
Her eyes flew over the last few lines in a daze until she began reading aloud once more, but when the beginning of the first few lines were uttered, Rainbow Dash stopped dead. The four of them waited with bated breath as the seconds of silence passed.
Each of them were unprepared for Rainbow's next sentence, nor were they ready for her reaction. She took a double-take, and then another, before reading each word slowly for herself, and the others, to hear.
Therefore, it is with great pride that I wish to personally invite you to compete in the first-ever Wonderbolt Invitational Grand Supersprint!
The letter fluttered slowly to the ground, followed close behind by Rainbow’s jaw. Gaping and drooling only slightly, she relinquished all control of her body and slumped into the grass, staring blindly out towards a very confused and thoroughly flustered Pinkie Pie. While Pinkie tried everything at her disposal to bring Rainbow back around, Twilight floated over the abandoned letter and continued.
You will be given the opportunity to compete in a series of endurance challenges for the final spot on our roster this year. You and ten other applicants have been personally invited by members of the Wonderbolt team and the Board of Directors, with one final spot left open for a newcomer. The winner of this competition will be immediately awarded a place on the following year’s Wonderbolt roster along with one hundred thousand bits with which to tour the world.
Unfolding the final crease, Twilight and the two mares reading over her shoulder gasped when two silver-and-gold stamped tickets and a small sheaf of papers tumbled out from the bottom of the envelope. Inspecting them for a moment, the three of them brought her attention back to the letter as Pinkie began to bounce atop her blissfully-lost pegasus companion like a bellows.
You are encouraged to invite a flier whom you believe to be Wonderbolt material for their chance to compete for the final spot on the list. More details will follow during the Opening Ceremonies in Las Pegasus in three month's time. I have enclosed some paperwork you will need to fill out if you’re interested. These forms are due in two weeks at the Wonderbolt Headquarters.
I hope to see you there, and I wish you the best of luck.
Sincerely,
Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts
Reading the final paragraph a few more times, Twilight sat stunned as Rarity and Applejack seized control of the letter and began to read between themselves. Once the two mares had read their fill, they let the letter fall from their grasp as Twilight and Pinkie shook Rainbow out from her stupor.
“One hundred thousand bits!” Applejack whispered under her breath. “That’s... that’s just... I can’t even begin to think how much you could buy with that! That’s enough to replace the whole farmhouse three times over!”
“Or a luxurious few months in Prance!” Rarity added, her eyes twinkling wonderfully. “Masseuses, room service, champagne and evening strolls by the river! It would be a dream!”
“Just remember whose dream it would be,” Twilight interjected cordially, shaking Rainbow by the shoulders. “You hear that, Rainbow? You could see the world! You could live the high life before becoming a world-class athlete! Doesn’t that excite you?”
When nothing came but a little more drool, Pinkie perked up with an idea, cupped her hooves around her mouth, took a heaving breath in, and bent down low.
“WAKEY-WAKEY, SUPERSTAR!!!”
With a startled yelp Rainbow returned to the land of the living with a flurry of wings. Panting heavily, she gasped a few times and then stared blankly into space, her lips quivering spasmodically on the borders between elation and horror. Then, as her friends looked on, her previously taut and confused face broke out into a massive smile.
“They... they think I can do it!” Rainbow whispered in astonishment. “They think I can take on the world!”
“It would seem so,” Rarity said with a smile. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you, honey! You were made to be a champion, and I have no doubt you’ll do a marvelous job!”
“I have to! This may be the only shot I ever get to be a Wonderbolt! Who knows the next time this might happen?”
Applejack looked on quizzically. “Well, the letter said 'first ever'. That kind of implies it'll happen aga—”
“Once!” Rarity blurted hurriedly, silencing her companion. “Only once, which makes it even more important! You’re going to win, I can feel it!”
“Well, what are you waiting for?!” Pinkie screamed excitedly, her hooves tapping a steady beat on the grass. A worried Rainbow was ready with a response. Cradling her head in her hooves, she once again stared blankly at the ground.
“But what if I fail?” Rainbow muttered. “What if I disappoint Spitfire? She’ll think her invite went to waste, and then I won’t have any good words at all! They’ll never invite me to things again!
“Well, this is sort of the first thing they’ve ev—”
Applejack soon found herself with Rarity’s hoof in her mouth as the latter, sweating profusely, once again recovered. “Ever really believed you’d win! Heh heh! They think you’re a shoe-in, that’s all! Doesn’t that make you want to get up right now and go training?”
“It does!” Rainbow said, perking her ears as her smile grew wide. But then, just as quickly, both fell back into hiding. “But there’s no tricks! No chances to show my stuff! It said ‘endurance challenges', not ‘stunts’ or ‘acrobatics’! Endurance! What if I can’t do that?! What if I make a fool of myself in front of Spitfire and Soarin’ and... and... Fluttershy?”
“Whaddya mean, silly?” Pinkie giggled. “Fluttershy’s not a Wonderbolt Captain... unless you think... OHMYGOODNESS! You should invite Fluttershy to compete! Then we could say we know two potential Wonderbolts! Can you imagine the party I could throw?”
“Pinkie, can you please be quiet?” Twilight muttered quietly, staring over Rainbow’s shoulder in alarm.
“How can I? This is WAY too exciting! We could do it at Sugarcube Corner! No, wait... it’s in Las Pegasus, right? We could go to the Mareage! The Veneightian! Ohh, what about Manedalay Bay! Can we go there?! Can we can we can *hmph*!”
Applejack’s hoof in her mouth did the trick. Though she kept on talking and mumbling past the blockade, Pinkie soon found the atmosphere far more somber than she’d hoped. Finally breaking from her thoughts, she averted her attention in the direction of her friends.
All of them were looking over the fields in horror. She turned to join them, and immediately her heart fell in her stomach.
On the crest of the next hill, just breaching the far side, was their friend Fluttershy.
An utterly heartbroken Fluttershy.
In a flash of light Rainbow sprinted forth to meet with her oldest friend as the others stampeded behind her, equally worried. Catching her disconsolate friend as she collapsed, Rainbow tried in vain to staunch the heart-wrenching gasps and sobs that Fluttershy let loose the second she found herself safe.
“Hey! Whoa, Fluttershy, what’s wrong?! What happened?!” Rainbow babbled in alarm. Nothing came but more tears and some muffled blubbering as Fluttershy cried openly into her mane, heaving with the pain of her sprint and the prickling agony of her distress. The others came to a halt behind her, and with a little shove Rarity soon enveloped her friend in her embrace.
“Hush now, honey,” Rarity crooned, working out the kinks in her partner’s mane. “Everything’s going to be fine, just... just tell us what happened! What’s wrong, dear?”
Fluttershy tried in vain a few times to speak over her struggling gasps for air, but no power would allow that to happen before its time. A crack of thunder rippled its way overhead, only causing that fear to spike. When Rarity’s calm comfort helped her gather her thoughts, she was able to force some words out.
“I couldn't... I just couldn’t... I wanted to, but she wouldn’t let me!” Fluttershy mumbled, her lips quivering and shaking. “She wouldn’t let me see her! I don’t know if she’s okay, and she... she was so mean and rude and... and... I don’t know what’s wrong! They won’t let me see her! Please, please help me!”
“You’ve got to tell us what’s happenin’, Fluttershy!” Applejack asserted, stamping her hoof. “Think real hard, and tell us whatcha saw! ”
“That’s not helping right now, Applejack!” Rarity growled, covering Fluttershy’s ears. “The last thing we need is to stress her more! Something is obviously going wrong, and you’re not helping the situation at all”
“Well neither is your coddlin’ her! She’s gotta tell us so we can fix it together!”
“In her own time,” Rarity snarled before brushing Fluttershy’s mane from her eyes. She kept her voice low and whispered for the two of them alone, shielding them both from the first raindrops of an imminent downpour.“Now honey, I know you feel horrible right now, but if you can tell me where to start we can fix everything together. Now please darling, just tell me... what’s the matter?”
Every one of her breaths rattled with the last of her tears, but with every stroke of her mane Fluttershy stifled what remained and swallowed her fears. Looking Rarity dead in the eyes, she took a deep breath, held onto it, and then exhaled her answer.
“Zecora. I... I think she’s in danger!”
The very thought sent chills down Rarity’s spine. “What kind of danger?”
“I don’t know!” Fluttershy cried, shaking uncontrollably. “All I know is I saw her being carted into the Ponyville hospital! I went in but... but Nurse Redheart wouldn’t let me through! I want to help her! We have to help her!”
“Dear Celestia,” Applejack mumbled, pulling her hat over her heart. “How long ago did this happen?”
“I don’t remember, I was running and flying as fast as I couldn’t keep track!”
“Think really hard, Fluttershy!” Twilight interjected, snapping open her wings. “Please, just one more time! I know you can do it!”
Fluttershy took a deep trembling breath and released it. Then, with a grimace, she found her words.
“Maybe... maybe ten... fifteen minutes ago?”
“We have enough time. Girls, get close to me!”
The five of them did as they were told. Scrunching her face tight, Twilight enfolded her friends within her wingspan and began to mutter incessantly, her mumbling rhythms increasing their pace and complexity until tendrils of shimmering light grew slowly from her wingtips. The rest of them looked on in wonder as a diaphanous web of light slowly snaked and coiled together into a mesh sphere of hazy luminescence, Twilight alone not looking around her in awe.
When everything was ready, Twilight opened her eyes.
And then, with a little pop, the Elements of Harmony blinked out of sight.
~~~~~
“Alright now, missy! You’d better tell me where she is or I’m going to tear this place apart until I find her!"
Rainbow held Nurse Redheart's attention from over the counter with a violent snort, their eyes locked in a silent battle for supremacy. What warm light there was filling the waiting room seemed cold with every one of Fluttershy's stifled sobs and with every drum of the rain on the windowpanes. Rarity's hair was splattered with tears, mucus, and a healthy dose of rainwater, but she paid them no mind. Twilight and Applejack looked on in worry and talked between themselves while Pinkie played and joked with Fluttershy, making her giggle where and when she could.
"I'm sorry Rainbow Dash," the nurse replied gravely, glancing out over the waiting room and the ponies waiting there patiently for their turn. "You need to be family to go back into the emergency room. No exceptions."
"But what about when I sprained my wing?" Rainbow countered, nodding towards her friends. "You let them in to see me lots of times!"
"Recovery Ward has one set of rules, and Emergency has another." She shot her rainbow-maned opponent a cocky glare. "Haven't you been through here enough times to figure that out?"
Rainbow reeled with fury. "Don't get smart with me, toots! This is serious! You've been holding us here while our friend is in trouble! We're her best friends! Maybe her only friends!"
"That's a little presumptuous, Rainbow," Twilight offered, taking a few steps forward. "It would be rude of us to claim that position." She seized control of the situation with a polite smile. "Please, Miss Redheart. Isn't there something I could do?" Twilight lowered her eyes slightly. "I'd hate to have to order it, but if I must..."
Nurse Redheart's eyes flicked from Rainbow's bristling wings towards Twilight's newfound ones. Recoiling visibly with a sudden wave of epiphany, she swallowed audibly and wiped her brow.
"Of course, Princess!" she mumbled, sorting through her paperwork. "I would never deny royalty full access to the hospital! Could you please tell me the name of the patient again, Your Highness? I mean, Princess Sparkle! Your Grace? I mean Your—"
"Please, just relax." Twilight bowed her head and gave the nurse a kind smile. "I'm still the same old Twilight, and we're looking for a zebra named Zecora. She's the only one in town, if that helps."
"Immensely!" Redheart quipped hurriedly. She gave an apologetic grin at Rainbow before sliding out a folder, slamming it open, and sorting through a sheaf of paper as fast as her hooves would allow. Rainbow held onto her every muttered word with venomous eyes. She made the air heavy with every discontented snort, which only made Nurse Redheart fly through her paperwork faster.
"Wind Dancer? No, not him. White Squall? No... no... definitely not her. Xenophilus... Yew... Zap Flash, Zero, Zephyr..."
She looked up in alarm, sweating. "No Zecora."
"How can Zecora not be here?!" Rainbow howled furiously, causing some other ponies in the waiting room to perk up in alarm. "She's the only zebra in town! There's one of them! ONE!"
"Will you just knock it off, Rainbow?!" Applejack snapped, looking towards Fluttershy. "This ain't exactly what we need right now! Simmer down and stop givin' her a hard time!"
"Yeah, she'll have a hard time alright! She'll have a hard time finding all her teeth if she doesn't cooperate!"
"Don't make me call security!" Redheart growled, her hoof inches away from an ominous red button. "They'll be here faster than you could ever be!"
"Did you hear that, guys?! She insulted me!” Rainbow Dash took a few steps back, cracked her neck, and pawed the ground viciously. “You want the rainbow? Alright, let's have at it, right here, right now!"
"Have you lost your mind, Rainbow? She's only doing her job."
"Shut it, Rarity! Her job isn't to keep us from saving a friend! Her job isn't to make Fluttershy cry! Every second she wastes holding us here is another second less for Zecora!"
A gurgling moan snuck out from Rarity's mane as Fluttershy returned to sobbing violently. Rarity stroked her back once more with hate in her eyes. "Perfect, just perfect! See what you've done? She was just calming down before you went crazy!"
"I wasted six balloons trying to get her to laugh!" Pinkie cried in dismay. With a sudden puff of air she suddenly found herself capable of counting them individually on her hoof. "Six! That's almost four bits down the drain!"
Rarity looked at Pinkie's hoof in horror. "Pinkie, please explain what those... those... things are on your hoof!"
"Oh, these?" Pinkie said blithely, twiddling her little knubs. "I dunno, really. I've been able to do this ever since that Mirror Pond debacle. Makes tying balloons a cinch, though!" With a squelching sound each knub popped back into her flesh, making her giggle and snort. "Tickles every time!"
"What in tarnation?"
"Pinkie, that isn't natural! Nopony can do that!"
"Lyra can! How do you think she plays the harp so well?"
"I don't care what Lyra can do with those... those... oh dear Celestia that was disgusting!"
"Will you guys shut up?! I'm yelling at someone over here!!!"
"Will everyone please stop shouting?" Fluttershy whimpered tearily. "I can't take anymore fighting and bickering!"
"Not until Redheart says I'm right!" Rainbow shouted, rounding on the nurse. "Check it again!"
"The list has been checked, Rainbow. She's not here! There's another zeb—"
"You didn't look hard enough! Check it again!"
"Rainbow, please calm down! She's trying her harde—"
"Not hard enough, Twilight! Check it again! Do it! Zecora’s dying and it's all going to be your fault if you don't find her right bucking—"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
A furious voice snapped from the far side of the room, causing Fluttershy and those around her to jump in surprise. Rainbow and Nurse Redheart, as mad as they were, forgot their quarrel in the space of a skipped heartbeat as their eyes landed on a mare hidden away beneath her soggy rain-barding. A few seconds of tense silence passed unnoticed by hospital staff, patient ponies, and the six new arrivals before the mare cast off her rain-barding and assumed a calm air. Despite her anger, Rainbow couldn't help but look on thoroughly flabbergasted.
Zecora had never looked healthier.
“But... but you’re...” Rainbow stammered, distraught. “But you’re supposed to be dying or something!”
A worried pang flashed through Zecora’s face, but it was soon replaced by a quiet kind of anger. “Had you listened, you’d have found that they’ve not had me checked and gowned. I am quite well, thanks to Redheart." With a little stomp, she made evident her disappointment. "An apology is a worthwhile start.”
Her hint wasn’t missed.
Swallowing her pride, Rainbow Dash looked worriedly at her friends only to find similar expectant gestures onwards. Then, with a quick scratch of her neck, she shot Nurse Redheart a weak little grin.
“Hey, umm... yeah, I’m sorry about going off on you like that. That wasn't exactly the nicest thing to do...”
“Not especially,” Redheart muttered, looking sideways towards the wall. She shrugged her shoulders. “But I can tell you were worried. I get that a lot. No hard feelings?”
“None!” Rainbow smirked, nodding her thanks. When the nod was returned, Nurse Redheart gave a little sigh of relief before turning her attention towards Zecora. “Are you the emergency contact, Miss... Zecora?”
Zecora only nodded. The nurse took a moment to memorize her face for future reference before piling her papers back into the folder from whence they’d come.
“The doctor's have just finished up with her. You should be alright to go on inside. She's in Recovery Wing B.”
“Thank you, Miss,” Zecora said with a nod. Then, with a little start, she added, “but if you’ll allow, I’d like these six to follow me down. They've helped me time and time again. They've earned the right to be my kin.”
Rarity and Twilight swelled at this, hiding the bashful flush of their cheeks behind wide smiles. Applejack and Pinkie helped Fluttershy to her hooves and joined her in a tight hug with Zecora before trotting after their friends down the hallway.
Rainbow turned towards Nurse Redheart, gave her one last apologetic smile, and then followed close behind the troop of mares making their way down the hospital's corridors.
Zecora said not a word, a fact which only made Fluttershy more confused and, therefore, more worried. The tension in her walk, her dour silence... something was amiss which everyone picked up. Even Pinkie, for all her lackadaisical airs, was rendered mute as they paced silently down the hallway. No questions were asked, no explanations given. The fact that silence had become the norm when all reason pointed to a rational discussion about the day’s rapid-fire events was infuriating.
Something’s not right here, Rainbow thought, and Zecora is behind it somehow.
Motivational posters and brightly colored drawings of little fillies and colts dotted the walls, masterfully crafted by hoof and horn to draw some life back into the soul sucking atmosphere. It seemed as though the Pediatrics Wing had been lovingly adorned for its’ patients morale, but their facade was as thin as the little pictures fluttering on the walls as the six of them passed.
Somehow, despite her best attempts to piece everything together, the gut-wrenching excitement of trying to save her friend only to find her unharmed abolished all wonderful promises of her dream’s arrival and Spitfire’s invitation. No matter how much she tried to remind herself of what glorious opportunity she'd been provided, every other thought and every possible response from those mares she cared for most would no doubt shift towards Zecora and her mysterious ward.
She’d been cheated, it was as simple as that! Her picnic had been ruined by Zecora’s own issues, and even though she wanted nothing more than to make sure everything was okay, that fact remained. This was supposed to be her day, her admission to the Wonderbolts... her chance at glory.
So why was it being spent walking the halls of a child’s recovery wing in pursuit of something which didn't concern them?
Rainbow could find no explanation, and thus she picked up her pace to match those of the mares who’d she’d forgotten about. There must have been a reason for all this commotion, something worth finding which would make this whole deviation from her track worthwhile.
There must have been some answer somewhere at the end of this desolate hallway. With a disappointed huff Rainbow picked up her pace. It had better be a good one too, she mused sullenly before rounding the corner, her tail brushing past some pictures as she passed.
~~~~~
