Chapters The day of the Cloudsdale Flying Competition had arrived. Rainbow Dash was already there and her friends were getting ready to leave. Fluttershy joined her friends over at the library where they were getting ready to leave.
Twilight realized that she would need to cast a spell on her friends and herself, except Fluttershy, so that the non-pegasus ponies would be able to walk on clouds. After she cast the spell on them they got into their hot air balloon and headed up to Cloudsdale, while Fluttershy flew up there beside them.
Once they arrived they headed over to the grandstands. As they were headed there, Rainbow Dash shouted, "Hey guys, I'm so glad you could make it. It just wouldn't be the same without you!"
Pinkie replied, "You know we wouldn't miss this for the world. After you win this we will have to have a huge party!"
"Uh yeah Pinkie," replied Rainbow "we'll have to do that."
"Come on everypony," said Twilight "Rainbow has to get ready for the competition. Let's go and get a good seat to watch this."
Fluttershy was looking better than she was last week but she still didn't seem as excited as her friends were for watching Rainbow compete.
Rarity asked, "Fluttershy, are you still feeling down? Do you remember what I told you last week?"
Fluttershy replied, "Yeah, I should be happy for her and I shouldn't let my envy affect how I act around her."
Princess Celestia arrived and announced to the crowd, "Welcome to this year's Cloudsdale Flying Competition! We have a great field of competitors this year. The winner of this competition will automatically qualify for the Canterlot Speed Competition next month! It is an open competition so anypony else who is interested, talk to me after today's competition. Today's judges will be Soarin' and Spitfire, the two longest tenured Wonderbolts! Let the competition begin!"
The crowd cheered as the competitors went out onto the stage to be introduced.
Celestia announced, today's first competitor it Lightning Dust!
Lightning Dust took flight doing numerous aerial acts, soaring skywards, plunging straight down, soaring up over the crowd and then landing on the stage. The crowd cheered loudly as she was posing for the cameras.
Next up was Raindrops. She spread her wings wide and took off. Her first act was flying around four clouds in a square making them spin very fast and then jumping on them creating a rainstorm, then dived down into the storm and soared upwards, kicking all four clouds at the same time with her hooves causing the clouds to dissipate and the rain to stop. She then soared skywards and then swooped down to the stage.
The crowd cheered loudly as Raindrops was much more modest bowing for the crowd rather than posing for the cameras.
Twilight said, "Wow, Raindrops did a spectacular job with those rain clouds."
Pinkie Pie said, "If only those were chocolate milk clouds!"
Next up was Flitter. Her's was the most interesting competition as she would have three fireflies performing with her. She started by soaring skywards carrying her fireflies on her wings, she then sped into a cloud bank clearing the sky out completely all while keeping those fireflies on her wings. She then dived towards the ground, surging back upwards only inches away from crashing and then sped to the stage. She was bowing to the crowd with the fireflies still on her wings.
"Wow," said Fluttershy "she did a really good job with those fireflies. I wonder if she has a talent involving them?"
Rarity replied, "Well her cutie mark is three fireflies so I would think so!"
Cloudkicker was up next. She took flight skywards towards a long row of clouds. She dived up and down like the way a wave oscillates kicking the clouds as she goes. After she finished that she surged down towards the ground where some fog had developed and crashed into it but avoided the ground. She surged back up and dived straight down towards the stage landing safely before crashing into it.
Applejack said, "Wow, ah didn't know that was even possible. Ah thought for sure she was going to crash into the ground."
"I thought the same," said Twilight "She must have practiced a lot to do that performance so flawlessly."
Finally it was Rainbow Dash's turn. "Come on Dashie, you can do it!" shouted Pinkie
Rainbow looked over at her friends and smiled. She took flight with great speed towards a large bank of clouds. She flew around them causing the whole bank of clouds to spin very fast and then put her wing into the cloud to shape it like an hourglass. She then sped barely above the crowd's heads, soared skywards and looked down. She flew down as fast as she could and hit a cloud as fast as she could. She bounced back up skywards and accelerated in speed, finally creating a sonic rainboom. She flew up and around the city encircling it in a beautiful rainbow before landing on stage.
Soarin' and Spitfire talked among themselves and headed over to Celestia to tell her who they believe did the best job.
Princess Celestia grabbed the microphone and shouted, "The winner of this year's Cloudsdale Flight Competition is Rainbow Dash!"
The crowd cheered wildly as Rainbow sped skyward and started bowing to the crowd. Her friends were cheering loudly. Rarity looked over towards Fluttershy and said, "You see dahling, it is good to celebrate a friend's achievements."
Rarity realized that Fluttershy was not even there. She thought to herself, "Oh geez, why does she have to dwell on this and not be here for Rainbow's celebration?"
Fluttershy flew up undetected to where Celestia was sitting and asked, "Um Celestia, I was just wondering, if it is ok with you if I could sign up to fly in next months Canterlot Speed Competition?"
Celestia at first thought to herself, "How is Fluttershy going to even stand a chance in that race but realized that she should give her a chance."
Celestia replied, "Of course you can fly in the competition Fluttershy! You're on the list, you better get back down with your friends. I am sure Rainbow will want you there to celebrate with her."
"Thank you your Majesty!" replied Fluttershy
Fluttershy flew back down to her friends right before Rainbow Dash went over to them to celebrate. "Wasn't I just awesome?" asked Rainbow
"yay! You were awesome!" replied Fluttershy
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Fluttershy acting more like herself around Rainbow.
Rainbow Dash boasted, "I am so ready for next month's speed competition! Will you guys be there to watch me speed my way to victory?"
"Of course we will! We wouldn't miss it for the world." replied Fluttershy
"Alright everypony, let's head home." said Twilight "Fluttershy, Rainbow, we will see you two once you get home."
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash hung around Cloudsdale for a while talking about how awesome her performance was. Rainbow Dash was talking about how she is going to crush her competition next month.
Fluttershy agreed with her but knew that she would be surprised when she would be in the race with her.
Preparations for the Race
Late that night Fluttershy got home from Cloudsdale after spending several hours listening to Rainbow Dash talk about how she is going to win. Fluttershy did this not because she wanted to, she did it to make herself more focused. She said to herself, "Starting tomorrow, I am going to train hard to fly as fast as I can and for as long as I can."
The next day arrived and the ponies had a meet up scheduled at Sugarcube Corner. Everypony showed up, except one.
Twilight said, "Has anyone seen Fluttershy this morning? She usually doesn't miss these."
Rainbow Dash replied, "Well she was late getting home last night. Her and I spent several hours up in Cloudsdale talking about all my past triumphs."
Applejack glared at her and said, "Don't y'all think you are bragging Rainbow? I don't know how she put up with that much of you strutting around like a prize rooster."
Rainbow replied, "Oh, come on AJ. If she would have got sick of it she would have left much sooner."
Little did they know that Fluttershy was at home doing push ups with her wings. She said to herself, "Come on Fluttershy, you have to strengthen these wing muscles if you are going to do well!" She even had some of her critter friends sitting on her back to strengthen her muscles more.
Later that afternoon Rarity was headed to Fluttershy's cottage when she saw her flying around her cottage at a speed faster than normal. Fluttershy saw her and headed down to her cottage and said, "Oh hi Rarity."
Rarity replied, "Fluttershy dahling, whatever are you doing?"
Fluttershy replied, "Oh, I'm just working out my wing muscles. I don't want to lose them after all."
Rarity looked at her wondering what her real reason was. She asked, "Fluttershy, you aren't training for that race next month are you? I knew you were gone for a minute. Did you go talk to Celestia about being in the race?"
"No, I'm not training for a race Rarity, I was gone because I had to use the restroom." replied Fluttershy
Rarity told her that she had come over for their afternoon tea and thought that she had forgot about it. Fluttershy let her know that she had not forgot about it and like she said before, she was just working out her wing muscles.
Once they sat down to tea Rarity noticed that Fluttershy's house was not as clean as it usually is, "Fluttershy, why is your house such a mess, it is usually so clean when I came over."
Fluttershy replied, "Well I haven't had much of a chance to clean it this morning. I have been in the forest visiting my woodland friends"
"And flying around to work out your wing muscles," said Rarity "Which is something I have never seen you do before."
Fluttershy replied, "Well just because I haven't done it before doesn't mean that I have to not do it. A pony does have the right to change what she does."
Rarity told her that yes a pony does have the right to change her mind but given how she has been feeling here lately that she is suspicious of her real reasons for doing this.
Fluttershy replied, "Rarity, I just want to feel more like a regular pegasus and be able to fly better. I know there have been a couple of times in the past when I flew fast but I want to be able to fly like most every other pegasus."
Rarity decided to head home. She wanted to believe everything Fluttershy was telling her but she had her suspicions that Fluttershy was doing all this so she could fly in next month's race.
Back over at Fluttershy's she was doing more push ups, except this time with a sack of flour on her back, working her muscles much harder.
Fluttershy shouted, "Come on Fluttershy, we're going to do this!"
As the month progressed, she continued to miss more and more get-togethers and she was able to do push ups effortlessly with more and more weight on her back. She was also flying faster and faster, soaring over the Everfree Forest for several hours each day.
Finally the day before the competition arrived and Fluttershy finally showed up at Sugarcube Corner. Rarity said, "Fluttershy, what have you been doing? We haven't seen much of you in almost a month."
Fluttershy replied, "Well I've been spending a lot of time in the Everfree Forest with my critter friends."
Rainbow Dash replied, "Oh, so you're picking your critter friends over us now?"
"Uhm, well no. I just hadn't spent a lot of time with them recently so I thought I would make up for it." said Fluttershy
"You know Fluttershy," said Applejack "ah want to believe you but you have just been acting odd here lately. Flying around a lot, missing get togethers, altering your activities so much, ah don't know what to think."
Twilight interrupted, "You know everypony, give Fluttershy the benefit of the doubt. I can understand her wanting to fly around more. Maybe she just wants to act more like a normal pegasus."
"Thank you for understanding what I have been doing Twilight." said Fluttershy
The ponies left Sugarcube Corner and headed back to their homes, except one. Fluttershy headed over towards her cottage but once she got there, she flew up to Canterlot so she would be well rested once the competition began.
The day of the race arrived. Rainbow Dash was already up in Canterlot, having flown there from Cloudsdale. Rarity headed over to Fluttershy's cottage knocking on her door shouting, "Fluttershy, it is time to go! We don't want to miss Rainbow win the race!"
Rarity used her magic to open Fluttershy's door only to discover that she was not home. She thought to herself, "Oh Fluttershy, she is probably hiding in the forest so she won't have to go. Well I know Rainbow will not be pleased but oh well, we have to go."
Rarity returned to the library and told Twilight that she could not find Fluttershy.
"Well we better get going." said Twilight "The train to Canterlot leaves in ten minutes."
They get on the train and head up to Canterlot discussing what they think might have happened to Fluttershy.
Applejack suggested, "Ah am just wondering, you don't think she was doing all that flying for the past month because she has been training to be in the race do you?"
Twilight laughed, "Applejack, I doubt it. She can't fly very fast. Don't tell her I said anything but she just doesn't have the muscle in her wings to fly that fast."
Rarity replied, "Twilight is right. She was probably just hiding in the forest, putting her woodland friends ahead of Rainbow Dash."
"I don't think she would do that," replied Pinkie "she'll show up before the race."
They finally arrive in Canterlot and head over towards where the race will be held. Rainbow Dash sees them and said, "You guys made it! Wait a minute, where is Fluttershy?"
Rarity replied, "Oh I don't know. I went over to her cottage this morning to get her and she wasn't home. I don't know what is up with her but she has been acting strangely for the past month."
"Well, I am hoping she will show up. If she doesn't, I'm not going to make a big deal out of it, but I will be disappointed." said Rainbow
"We better get over to the seats," said Twilight "I want us to have the best seats to see Rainbow win this race."
They headed off to the seats and arrived in time to have front row seats at the start/finish line. The odd thing is, most of the race will not be seen by the spectators, just the start and the finish as it is a huge oval track.
The competitors finally arrived to the track and headed towards the start line. Rainbow was closest to her friends so she walked over to them and said, "I see you got the best seats to see me being awesome!"
"Of course we did dahling! We wouldn't miss this for the world!" replied Rarity
Fluttershy was on the far end of the line of contestants and she was not seen by her friends. She knew they were there but wanted her being part of this race to be as big of a surprise for them as it will be for Rainbow.
Princess Celestia finally arrived and addressed the crowd. "Welcome to the Canterlot Speed Competition. This race will determine who is this year's fastest flyer in Equestria! All the ponies in this race have trained hard for this so I would like you to give them a warm welcome."
The crowd cheers for the contestants. Rainbow's friends cheer and shout, "Let's go Rainbow Dash, we know you can win this!"
Celestia continues, "In lane 1, we have Rainbow Dash, in lane 2 we have Hoops, in lane 3 we have Lightning Dust, in lane 4 we have Flitter, in lane 5 we have Raindrops and in lane 6 we have Fluttershy!"
Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped open as she said, "Fluttershy? Did I hear that right?"
Rarity said, "She lied to me! She said she was not training for this race. Why would she lie to me?"
Twilight replied, "Probably because she knew you would try to talk her out of taking part in it. That is why she hid this from all of us."
Rainbow walked over to Fluttershy and said, "What the hay are you doing in this race? You're just going to make a fool out of yourself. You'll be lagging so far behind the rest of us. Why don't you just drop out of the race so you won't embarrass yourself?"
This did not set well with Fluttershy. "You know what Rainbow? I just want to feel like a normal pegasus once, just once. I feel like I am the only one who has any confidence in myself. It is sad when a friend doesn't even have confidence in you." shouted Fluttershy
"Fine." said Rainbow Dash "Go make a fool out of yourself. You will just get taunted like you did in summer flight camp."
Fluttershy grunted and rolled her eyes as Rainbow headed back to her lane.
Celestia spoke into the microphone again, "It looks like our competitors are ready to start. On your marks, get set, GO!"
The competitors took off. Rainbow Dash started out early leading the pack with Lightning Dust on her tail. Hoops was not far behind, further back was Raindrops and Flitter and Fluttershy was lagging way behind.
Fluttershy just could not get focused after she got belittled by Rainbow Dash. She kept hearing those same words in her head. She kept saying to herself, "Come on Fluttershy, focus, power up those wings!"
When they hit the first turn Rainbow Dash already had a sizeable lead as Lightning Dust had fallen further back. Hoops was catching up with her threatening to pass her. Flitter and Raindrops were further back and Fluttershy was still lagging way behind.
Rainbow Dash was cruising and increasing her lead more and more. She thought to herself, "Just like I said, I'm gonna win this baby!"
The competitors hit the second turn and Rainbow Dash had a huge lead, followed by Hoops who had passed Lightning Dust. Flitter passed Raindrops for fourth and Fluttershy was still lagging behind the rest of the field.
Fluttershy was trying as hard as she could but she just couldn't fly any faster. She was saying to herself, "Come on Fluttershy, don't give up, never say die!"
Rainbow Dash hit the third turn well before any of the other competitors did. She looked back and her competition looked just like a bunch of dots. She did not slow down any though because she was on a pace that would shatter the old record, which she had set just the year before.
When Fluttershy finally got to the third turn, Rainbow was already half way to the fourth turn. Two of Hoops' friends, Dumb Bell and Score were waiting there to taunt her. Dumb Bell said, "What business do you even have in this race. Typical Klutzershy, can't fly good and definitely can't race good."
Score added, "Uh yeah, can't fly. You're a loser!"
This caused Fluttershy to go into a rage. She started flapping her wings with a lot more force, causing her to gain speed and gain it quickly. She soared past Raindrops and Flitter advancing to fourth place. Rainbow Dash hit the fourth turn and then BOOM! Rainbow broke the sound barrier and was cruising towards a record finish.
Fluttershy was gaining more and more speed, then BOOM! Fluttershy broke the sound barrier as well, soaring past Hoops, knocking him off the track completely. Then she passed LIghtning Dust, knocking her off the track as well. Rainbow Dash was within her sights. Rainbow heard the boom and thought to herself, "Who in the hay just broke the sound barrier? Oh well, I'm still going to win and shatter the record!"
Rainbow Dash could see the finish line but Fluttershy was gaining on her quickly. Suddenly, BOOM! An even louder boom accompanied with a blinding flash of pink light shook Canterlot as Fluttershy reached Mach 2. Fluttershy was racing towards Rainbow Dash and gaining more and more on her. Rainbow Dash was fifty feet away from the finish line when she saw a pink blur speed fast her. Fluttershy came to a grinding halt once she got a couple hundred feet past the finish line. Rainbow very shortly crossed the finish line, breaking her old record but not setting a new overall record.
"I lost?" said Rainbow Dash "Who was that pink blur that soared past me and how did they reach Mach 2?"
Rainbow stopped to see the pony who had surged past her and defeated her. It was Fluttershy.
"What?" said Rainbow "I lost to FLUTTERSHY? How is that even possible?"
Rainbow flew over to where Fluttershy and said, "Fluttershy, how in Equestria did you reach Mach 2?"
Fluttershy replied, "Well when two ponies taunt you in the middle of the race, it is easy to get angry and when I'm angry, I'm not the normal Fluttershy."
"I know." replied Rainbow "You know I'm not a good loser but congratulations Fluttershy. I am sorry for doubting you. You should be in inspiration to every young pegasus. You did something that even I've never done, you hit Mach 2."
Fluttershy replied, "Thanks Rainbow. I have been training hard working my wing muscles and doing a lot of flying during the past month, but in the end it takes my rage to do what was once thought impossible."
Celestia flew down to the track to announce the winner. "This year's winner of the Canterlot Speed Competition did something special. She not only set a new record time but she also hit Mach 2, which until now has never been done before. This year's winner and fastest flyer in all of Equestria is Fluttershy!"
The crowd started to chant, "FLUTTERSHY, FLUTTERSHY, FLUTTERSHY!"
Fluttershy was floating next to Celestia, blushing as she has never experienced this before.
Celestia presented a golden trophy to Fluttershy that was almost as big as she was. Celestia said, "Congratulations Fluttershy, you are in inspiration to everypony. You go from being a shy pony who doubted her flying abilities to being the fastest flyer in all Equestria."
"Thank you princess!" said Fluttershy "I am happy you even let me compete, but I never expected this!"
Celestia handed the microphone to Fluttershy and said, "Address the crowd Fluttershy."
"Well, um, I never imagined that I would ever be in this situation, much less set a new record and hit Mach 2. I would like to thank my friends for always being there for me. I would also like to thank Princess Celestia for allowing me to enter the race even though she knows that I was a weak flyer as a filly and I would especially like to thank DUMB BELL AND SCORE for taunting me at the third turn. That made me focused and brought out a part of me that I never knew existed!"
Hoops walked over to Dumb Bell and Score and shouted at them, "You idiots! Thanks to you now Fluttershy has not only broke the time record, but reached Mach 2 and will forever be remembered as the first pegasus to do that."
"Well we were only speaking the truth when we were taunting her." said Dumb Bell
Hoops shouted, "Well it isn't anymore. Losing to Rainbow Dash bad enough, but for Fluttershy to not only beat me but cement a place in history, is horribly embarrassing."
Fluttershy's friends ran up to her and congratulated her and celebrated with her.
"Wow sugar cube, ah never knew you could fly like that!" said Applejack
"I didn't either." said Fluttershy "I guess when you get angry a whole new pony comes out."
Rainbow said, "Fluttershy, I'm thinking you should start racing. Just replay them saying that in your mind before every race, get angry and you will be a great racer."
"Seriously?" asked Fluttershy
"Yeah!" said Rainbow "You and I could start doing team relays. You and I would make an unstoppable team as long as you are angry going into and throughout the race. What do you say? Shall we form a relay team together?"
"Yes!" replied Fluttershy "Just think of all the trophies we will be bringing home!"
"Oh yeah!" said Rainbow "You look awesome with that trophy and just think how good the two of us will look when we win trophies together!"
"We will look amazing, not to mention that all the record books will have our names all over them!" said Fluttershy
Twilight was standing there thinking to herself, "Oh great, now Fluttershy is going to be just like Rainbow Dash. If those two start winning relays left and right, they will never shut up."
After that race Fluttershy was not quite the same pony. She had confidence and plenty of it and was no longer the shy, timid pony she once was. Her and Rainbow Dash did indeed form a relay team and set numerous new records. They still did individual races as well but no matter how hard Rainbow Dash tried, she could never beat Fluttershy.
It was a peaceful morning in Ponyville. The sky was bright and sunny, there was no wind blowing and the temperature was just right. It was obvious that the pegasus ponies planned a perfect day for Ponyville. Twilight and four of her friends were at Sugarcube Corner having some sweets when Rainbow Dash came rushing in the door.
Rainbow Dash started screaming, "Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh! You will never guess what came in the mail today!"
Twilight looked at her with a glare and said, "Rainbow, could you please use your inside voice. I know you are excited over whatever it is, but it is no reason to go screaming so loud everypony in town can hear you."
Pinkie Pie handed Rainbow a cupcake and said, "What's the good news Dashie?"
Rainbow Dash opened the envelope and showed her friends the letter she got from Princess Celestia. It read, "Dear Rainbow Dash, I am sure you are aware that the Cloudsdale Flying Contest is coming up here in a week. I would love it if you would come and take part in this considering you are one of the best flyers in Equestria. Sincerely, Princess Celestia"
"This is going to be so awesome!" shouted Rainbow "I know I am going to totally win this thing!"
All of her friends were celebrating her getting invited but something seemed a little wrong with Fluttershy.
"What's wrong Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow "Aren't you excited to go and see me win another competition?"
"I've just got some things on my mind." replied Fluttershy
"What kinds of things?" asked Rarity
"Oh just all sorts of things. Nothing in particular." replied Fluttershy
The rest of their get together went along as it normally would before they decided to go and do what needed to be done.
"See y'all later." said Applejack "I have apple bucking that I have to do."
"See you later everypony, I really need to get back home and catch up on my studying." said Twilight
Fluttershy walked back home with her head hung low as she wished so much that she could fly like Rainbow Dash but knew that she was a weak flyer and never would be a good flyer.
Rarity came running up to her and said, "Fluttershy, what is wrong? You seem so sad."
Fluttershy looked up at her and said, "Oh, I'm ok Rarity. I'm just a little tired and stressed."
Rarity would not just take that for an answer. She continued to try to get Fluttershy to tell her what is bothering her the whole way home. Fluttershy got a bit irritated and decided to tell her.
"You know what has me feeling down Rarity?" said Fluttershy "It is that Rainbow Dash always gets these invites to all these tournaments and competitions."
"Oh Fluttershy, don't let that bring you down. We all love you the way you are. There are things that you do really good that I know Rainbow Dash could never do." replied Rarity
"Oh, and what is that?" asked Fluttershy
"Well, look how good you are with animals. You tamed a manticore in the Everfree Forest, none of the rest of us could have done that. You brought a full grown dragon to tears after he tried to hurt us. Also, you have your stare that can freeze anypony or anything in their tracks. Rainbow Dash doesn't have that talent."
"I know," said Fluttershy "I should be happy with things the way they are but I will admit that I envy her flying abilities."
Rarity replied, "Well I will let you in on a secret of my own. I am jealous of Twilight's magical abilities but I don't let it affect how I am or act around her."
"You're right," said Fluttershy "I should act as I normally would around her and not let my desires to fly as good as her affect how I behave around her."
"That's the Fluttershy that I know and hold so dear." replied Rarity "Just keep your head up and don't let anypony's perception of you affect you. You know all your friends love you."
"I know." said Fluttershy "Sometimes I tend to forget the things that really matter. Thank you for helping me realize that."
Rarity headed back to her boutique hoping that Fluttershy would go with them to the Cloudsdale Flying Contest. She knew that with the way Fluttershy is feeling that it would be tough for her to act like she normally does.
