Rainbow Dash and a Dinner Party with the Wonderbolts

Chapters

Different Battlefields, Same Goal
The Start of Something Awesome
A New Sky, An Old Sky
A New Battlefield, an Old War
The Staging Grounds
A Chance of a Lifetime
Sky Loved, Chained by the Wind

Different Battlefields, Same Goal

As Rainbow flies over to the library to see Twilight, she spots a certain blond haired cow-pony making a beeline towards the big tree as well so she alters her course and lands beside the pony.

“Why howdy there Rainbow, how's it goin'?” Applejack says with her usual country accent.

“It's going alright, I'm on my way over to Twilight's to see if she's interested in hanging out and possibly grabbing a bite to eat.”

“Ha! I was on my way over to pick up a book on pest prevention in orchards. I reckon that if I stop the little buggers before they do their damage, I won't be running around trying to stop'em in the first place.” She says with a wry smile. “But a bite to eat does sound mighty appealin' right about now.”

“Great! Lets get goin', maybe we can drop by Sugar Cube Corner since Pinkie's still there.”

“Sounds like a plan ta me.”

In a few moments, the two ponies walk through the front of the town library, a gentle chime announcing their presence. Looking around, everything seems to be in the usual order but Rainbows eyes stop for a moment over the Daring Do section to see if there are any new books to come in ahead of schedule. Looking up a bit, they see their lilac coated friend coming down the set of stairs that leads up to her loft.

“Hey Applejack, glad you could make it over. I have that book you asked about and I must say I'll be using some of those tricks myself. Wouldn't want my home to get sick now, would I?” She finishes with a wry chuckle.

“Thanks a bunch Twilight, and I reckon you wouldn't want that either.” She says laughing with her.

“So what brings you here Rainbow? You normally come over once a month when the new Daring Go book comes in, not that I don't see you around often enough, mind.”

“Well...” She beings as she tells the two about what Rarity and she are doing. “So, here I am wondering if you want to go to Sugar Cube Corner and hang out for a while.”

“It sounds like you two are going to be at your best. We should let Fluttershy know so we'll all be there to cheer the two of you on. And sure Rainbow, Sugar Cube Corner sounds great. Just let me go tell Spike to have him take my meal over to Rarities. It'll save her the time and trouble, plus the trip over will make it up to the little guy for his efforts.” She finishes with a smile as she walks off.

“So why are you so excited to go to a dinner party with the Wonderbolts in the first place Rainbow? Don't you see some of them every weekend when you go to that flight school of theirs?”

“Yeah... And that's the problem.” Applejack looks at her with the most bewildered expression on her face. “Think about it for a moment A.J. While I'm there I'm just a student and they're the teachers. They have duties and I have responsibilities. We don't mingle at all and small talk is about the only thing we have time for.”

“I've never thought about it that way Rainbow. This really would be a good chance for you to get to know them better. I'll tell you what though. You're gonna have a great cheering section this weekend. I'll bring my sister and her friends. It'll be a good experience for them to visit Canterlot. Maybe word will get out and some of the local ponies might show up too.” She finishes with a foreleg around Rainbows shoulders and a companionable chuckle that shows she'll be spreading the word around town.

“You girls ready to go?” Twilight says coming back from the kitchen and stops when she sees the chummy friends. “Anything I should know about?” She says with a bit of laughter in her voice.

“Just that I have the best friends in all of Equestria.” Rainbow says with a big smile that turns to a startled look when her stomach rumbles loudly enough for all three ponies to feel vibrations to one degree or another. “Lets get going before my stomach rebels.”

They all laugh and head out to eat while talking about what Rainbow has planned for the race. As they settle down at a table to wait for Pinkie to finish in the kitchen, they turn the direction of the questions to the fashion show portion of the event.

“Well I don't know many details about that. You're gonna have to get the details from Rarity. Speaking of which, the two of us are gonna have to work out what I'm supposed to do for that. I've only ever done the shows we did with Rarity and those were just small and informal.” She says with a bit of nervousness. At that point Pinkie comes out of the kitchen still stirring a bowl of batter.

“Hey girls, I'll be right with you. Sorry, I've been busy but the Cakes got an order earlier today for a catering job tomorrow.” She sets the bowl on the counter to grab a few plates and loads them up with all manner of treats. “I'm really sorry I can't hang around, but the Cakes are really counting on me to help them out. They're off getting more ingredients at the moment and Pumpkin and Pound are with them so I can get a good head start.”

“We understand Pinkie. You can't let the Cakes down after all.” Twilight says.

“Do ya think you'll be able to get the weekend off to come cheer for Rainbow?” Applejack asks.

“That shouldn't be a problem unless something suuuper important comes up. The Cakes try to make sure I have the weekend off since I've been helping them a lot more with the little ones. I wouldn't want to miss my friends big weekend even for all the cupcakes in the world.” She says smiling at Rainbow.

“Thanks, Pinkie. It really means a lot to know my friends will be there cheering me on.” Rainbow says smiling back. “Now don't worry about us and be sure to make the best deserts for your order. Don't feel like you're ignoring us because you're not.”

“Okie Dokie Dashie.” She says, a few energy levels below her usual bubbly self. She must really have a lot of baking to do if she's this serious. Rainbow thinks to herself as the pink mare takes her bowl of batter back to the kitchen.

“It's great to see how much the Cakes depend on her and how she returns that trust.” Twilight says. “It looks like she took a page out of your book Rainbow about not letting your friends down.”

“Ha ha, I guess you're right.” She says while hiding her nervousness. I just hope I don't let Rarity down.

It is Wednesday morning and Rainbow dash stood in Rarities dressing room. Fluttershy had been over all day yesterday helping Rarity with her unique sewing know how and the flight suit was finally ready. With some instructions from Rarity, Rainbow had gotten the suit on just fine. She had some trouble with the cloak, but once she walks out to ask Rarity for some help, she is shown how and instructed her how to put it on by herself. It felt weird to the pegasus because she had only ever worn the half-suits the trainees are given.

“Oh Rainbow...” Rarity says slightly breathless. “You look absolutely stunning in it. Here, take a look at yourself.” She grabs a standing mirror with her magic and brings it around to give her a full view of herself.

The pony in the mirror is totally, undeniably awesome. She turns to look at herself and she feels like she is the embodiment of a storm front, possessing the deceitful calm belying its intimidating nature. Lowering her flight goggles over her eyes and striking a take off posture, the image comes together that the storm is about to break. “Rarity,” Rainbow says as she stands back up. “You're a great designer, but this... This suit is a sheer stroke of genius! I mean, it encompasses what pagasi do and makes it clear what we're capable of. Deceptively calm but the promise of action in a moments notice.”

Rarity smiles, her eyes a little watery at her friends praise. “I do try my best Rainbow. After all a lady can't be seen to be lacking in passion where it counts.”

“You've got the skills to back it up, no denying that. Now...” Rainbow says with a bit of trepidation. “I was wondering if you could teach me what to do for the fashion show portion.” Her voice finishing low and embarrassed as she looks at her friend.

“Of course, my dear Rainbow Dash. It would be my honor. Your performance for Hoity Toity should give you all the confidence you'll ever need to run with the professionals, but I think I might have something in mind that's going to blow them all away.” A devious smile turning the corners of her mouth up. “Now, why don't you go out and give that suit a test flight? I'll get everything around in about a half hour, so no need to be in a hurry.”

“Sounds good to me Rares. I'll leave you to it and I'll let you know how everything is. I'll drop by after five minutes to leave it with ya.”

“Wonderful. See you soon.”

With that Rainbow walks outside to get the feel of the suit. It's not just a single layer, thanks to Fluttershy's advice, but two. The inner layer is linen while the outer one a thick cotton. The combination is very good for sports ponies since it'll absorb large amounts of sweat and allow it to evaporate without being seen through the breathable fabrics allowing the ponies to maintain the air of effortlessness. It takes a few moments for Rainbow to get used to the two layers as the feel of fabric rubbing on fabric is a new experience to her. Feeling confident, she takes off less than a minute later. This is so weird, she thinks after takeoff. It's almost like the suit isn't there. Maybe it's just me, but I'll have to ask Rarity about it after I finish testing it out.

Pushing the thought out of her mind, she puts her full attention into flying. After returning the cloak to Rarity she performs her entire repertoire of tricks from barrel rolls to steep dives and all manner of sharp moves that require her to contort her body quickly and sometimes awkwardly. During one particularly tricky one, she almost looses control over the Ponyville reservoir but the thought of getting Rarities suit wet and dirty gives her the ability to recover. She decides to walk back to Rarities place when she decides that it's getting close to the time they agreed upon for her to return.

As she makes her way through the streets, she draws a lot of attention. Since the general population knows Rainbow by sight, the sight of her in a flight suit is definitely out of the norm. The fact that it makes such a statement even more so. She thanks each pony for their complements and tells them a little about the contest and that if they want the full details to ask Rarity. Who knows? She thinks to herself as she makes her way through town. Maybe Rarity can drum up a little extra business if I send some ponies her way?

Soon she's back in Carousel Boutique and looking for Rarity. “Rarity?” She calls out from the foyer. Almost as if response, she hears a short and shrill shriek followed by a loud thump from behind the curtains of the small modeling runway. Being a mare of action, she jumps up on the stage to see if she's alright. She sees Rarity sitting on her haunches next to a fallen ladder and rubbing herself in a very unlady-like manner. Seeing her friend is relatively unhurt, she sits down with a small chuckle. “Having some technical difficulties Rarity?”

Rarity shoots her a look laden with ten kinds of promised reparations in her future but sighs instead and smiles wryly. “Ha ha, Rainbow Dash. If you must know, I was setting up a mist-maker from that rafter. If my plan works, we'll be the talk of Canterlot's designer circuit for years.”

“Really?” Rainbow responds. “I'm more interested in what's going on with this suit and that mist-maker. First of all, what kind of crazy magic is in this thing? When I was flying, it could feel the air current like I wasn't wearing anything at all.”

“I'm so glad it worked!” Rarity exclaims and gets up promptly to go about her final preparations. “You see, yesterday evening Twilight came over and told us, Fluttershy and I, about a very old spell she came across. She told us that it was one of the many peace gifts exchanged between the three pony civilizations that founded Equestria. This was one that worked in harmony with the innate pegasus magic to allow pegasi warriors to feel the air currents through their armor. You could imagine their joy at the ability to feel the air through their stuffy armor and uniforms. So Twilight graciously offered to teach me the spell and she performed the enchantment herself on the suit you're wearing.” With that, Rarity finished both her explanation and her preparations.

“Now, about the mist-maker. I was thinking we could use it to make a truly dynamic entrance. I've seen how some pegasi can trail clouds behind themselves simply through contact and I thought that would make a real impression. I'm going to fire up the mist-makers and let them build up a thick fog and keep it from thinning with my magic. What I want you to do is walk through it slowly through it when I let it quickly roll out onto the runway and emerge halfway out of it and pick up your pace halfway down the runway. See if you can use your pegasus magic to have it cling to your waist and trail it behind you until you get to the very end. Once you get there, use a quick but powerful wing beat to blow a quick gust of air at the ground, breaking its contact with you and causing the low lying mist to open up and form a sort of cave around you. If you do it properly, it'll look absolutely phenomenal.

“I don't expect it to be just right the first time, but that's why we have all day today and tomorrow to practice. Now, how about we get started?” She finally finishes. Rarity has a look resembling a pony who not only has a vision, but a pony who knows that her vision will be a reality.

I'm so pumped about this that even I can see it. She thinks to herself. With that, they get everything set up, the longest part involving the mist-makers which takes quite a while to produce enough vapor for Rainbow Dash to be confident her magic can affect it and to produce enough to work with. Almost ten minutes later Rarity is standing at the end of her runway, horn still glowing to hold back the silvery mist. She drops the containment and the mist boils on stage, looking like something alive. The light creates silvery highlights and swirling shadows and a dark, indistinct shadow begins to emerge from the mists. Halfway down, Rainbows nose pokes out which is quickly followed by her head and upper body, the mist looks as though it's trying to cling to her waist. Just like I hoped and imagined. Rarity thinks slightly lightheaded and giddy that everything is going exactly how she had planned.

Rainbow stops at the end, looking back slightly scornfully at the clinging mist and with a deceptively nonchalant flutter of her wings, a moderately powerful gust of wind breaks the mist from her body and sends it roiling up. It stops after a short distance to form a silvery arch suspended above the runway. It lasts for only a moment and then dissipates. Rainbow looks to Rarity a few moments later who hasn't said a single thing since she had finished the routine. “So... How was I?” She asks suddenly nervous about how she did.

“How did you do?” Rarity says slightly higher pitched than normal. “How did you do?! You were simply MAGNIFICENT! I've never seen anypony make such a powerful impact from such a simple display. This is it Rainbow Dash. We're going to blast those other ponies out of the water with this.” She says surprisingly aggressive and suddenly begins moving with purpose, motioning Rainbow to follow her. “We have the rest of today and tomorrow to get everything down pat, but we should get you out of the suit. I want to make another as a backup later tonight, just in case, and we can practice without it.”

The rest of the day passes like this for Rainbow and Rarity. Aside from moving the mist-makers closer together at Rainbows insistence to let her pegasus magic seep into the gathering vapor while she stands inside of Rarities containment magic letting her have better control over it even after she breaks physical contact with it. By the end of the day, Rainbow is exhausted while Rarity is practically shimmering from pent up excitement. They part ways Wednesday night, planning to meet up tomorrow morning for another day of the same.

Thursday goes by incredibly fast for the driven and passionate pair with occasional visits from their friends. Rarity makes sure none of them have any idea what their routine is going to look like to make sure they're as enraptured at the rest of the audience Friday evening. As the entire group of friends are eating a boisterous supper in Rarities kitchen, there comes a knock on her front door. Rarity comes back with a sealed scroll held in her magical grasp.

“What's that Rarity?” Pinkie asks with her usual energy. From what she had said, the Cakes had given her a bit of a bonus and the weekend off for her since she had done such a great job of completing almost half the catering order on her own.

“It's the roster of competitors, both the designers and the athletes for this weekend. Lets take a look at the competition, shall we?” With a sharp crack, she breaks the seal and unrolls it as the group of friends gather around to look on. Rainbow, unsurprisingly, ignores the designer roster on the left to go down the athlete roster. As her eyes goes lower and lower, her eyebrows rise higher and higher until she and Rarity let out a startled 'WHAT?!' simultaneously.

The other ponies back off a little bit, startled by their outburst. Rainbow and Rarity look to each other with a bit of anxiety. “What's the matter with you two? It sounds like you two sat on a tack.” Applejack asks.

“Well, there's a lot of stiff competition, nothing to be surprised about there. But I was never expecting Hoity Toity to register! I mean, he caters to the nobility of Equestria and rarely does anything like this...” She says with a bit of embarrassment over her outburst.

“Yeah, you may have some stiff competition Rarity, but I'm really going against the cream of the crop here." Rainbow interjects. "Almost everypony on that roster is either a current international athlete or somepony who's almost as good of a flier as I am. I mean, not that I'm worried or anything, but what really surprised me was the name at the bottom.”

“The bottom you say?” Rarity responds.

“Yeah, why?”

With twin looks of horror, they look at the bottom of the scroll. There, in elegant calligraphy and separated by an elegant slash, are the names Hoity Toity and Lightning Dust.

Author's Note

Well ponyfeathers. Looks like the competition's going to be fierce for the unlikely pair.

The Start of Something Awesome

After the shock of finding out that not only Hoity Toity and Lightning Dust were in the same competition, but were partners as well, all six ponies began to talk of plans. Plans were thought up and discarded almost immediately. This went on for a few minutes before Rainbow Dash finally had enough.

“AUGH!” She groaned suddenly drawing all the scattered attention to herself. “It's not gonna make a bit of difference. We're just gonna have to kick everything up a notch is all. Maybe even make some stuff up along the way as we get to it, but this isn't working.”

“You know what?” Rarity chimes in with a bit of laughter in her voice. “Rainbow's right. There's absolutely nothing we can do this late anyways, but we can work that to our advantage. The element of surprise as the case may be, but we are most definitely not going down without a fight.”

“That's right.” Rainbow agrees with a fierce grin. “Now, that that's taken care of, we should see about turning in early. We'll want to get there as soon as possible if we want to make the best of this.”

Twilight nods in agreement and says “Plus it'll give me a chance to show you girls some of my favorite places around Canterlot since the first events aren't until the mid afternoon and evening.”

“Then it's all settled then.” Rarity says with a tone of finality. “We should all meet at the train station for the 7 A.M. departure?”

“Sounds good ta me.” Applejack replies amidst the approving nods of her other friends. “Just one thing... What about our pets? Should we let Spahk take care of' 'em again? He seemed ta be ok with it last time, but I'd worry something fierce about lettin' 'er run around with only Big Mac and Granny Smith ta look after her.”

“That's a fantastic idea Applejack.” Twilight responds. “I'm sure he'd be more than willing to look after our pets again. I'll double check with him to be sure, but I think we could leave them with a professional pet-sitter. We did leave Spike here the last time we all went off together and with all the crazyness about me becoming an Alicorn, we haven't had a chance to just go out and simply enjoy ourselves.”

“That's right thoughtful of ya Twilight. I would feel a bit guilty pushin' pet sittin' on him. I think that's what I'll do.” The other ponies nod in agreement that Spike should be entitled to tag along as well. With the last of their preparations completed or decided upon, they make their goodbyes and leave Rarities kitchen just as the sun begins to transition into late evening.

The group waiting on the platform in the misty morning consists of five moderately energetic mares, three very groggy fillies, a blanket draped young dragon and a very excited Alicorn Princess along with a small mountain of baggage from them all. They stand in a close knit group chatting amiably amongst themselves while waiting for the first train of the day. They don't wait for too long as a train pulls up to the platform. Once it comes to a complete halt, the conductor comes out and performs a perfunctory ticket check while the ponies set about putting their luggage in the appropriate car. Their tasks complete and nopony else being witnessed to be coming, the conductor retreats back to the head car and gives the engineer the go ahead for departure.

Almost an hour later, the train comes to a stop amidst the gleaming station of Canterlot. Waiting for them is a small dispensation of three royal guards as Twilight had informed Princess Celestia of their visit due to the contest. With a short explanation as to why they are there, which seems to exhaust their limited supply, Rarity sets them about loading up all of their luggage for transport to their rooms despite a minor complaint from Applejack. The morning seems to be almost like an illusion with its brightness and the sheer energy they all seemed to share. I'm gonna have to see about breaking away for a good nap after lunch. Rainbow Dash thinks to herself as the entire group begins debating what they should do first.

“How about we go visit the Princess and give her our personal thanks for allowing us to have apartments in the castle for the weekend? I mean we did all come in support of Rarity and Rainbow Dash, but she really didn't have to do this.” Twilight says matter-of-factually as a pony who knows they're being treated better than some of the high nobility of Equestria.

“She really is the heart of generosity, I mean my stay here was simply divine if you'll pardon the word play.” Rarity says with a slight giggle. “But I think I may have over shown my appreciation a tad bit last time I was here.”

“I'd really like that.” Fluttershy says looking up towards the castle. “I'd really like to see Philomena again, um... if that's ok with the Princess I mean...” Finishing with her usual shyness.

“Not ta mention the little ones here've never met the Princess in person. It'd be a good experience for'em.” Applejack says looking at the group of suddenly nervous little fillies.

“Yeah, sounds good to me too. I don't think we've ever been here aside from Rarity for an extended stay for something not doom-of-Equestria related.” Rainbow chimes in with a half-cocked grin and a scratchy chuckle.

“Oh come on Dashie, don't go saying that. We'll just have to make up for all the time we've missed out on while we're here. Not to mention we have all weekend to do stuff aside from the time we have to be at your and Rarities thingies to cheer you guys on. But that's not for a while, so we should get crackin' because time's a wastin'.” Pinkie says before she begins to bounce at a casual pace down the street. Rarity turns to the guards who had been standing placidly in place since they had loaded the carts and informed them to be extremely careful with their belongings under threat of thinly veiled dire consequences and to have them taken to their appropriated rooms at the castle.

As they walk through the busy streets of Canterlot, they can feel the thriving activity of the city. It's nothing like the casual thrum of ponies going about their business in their own time like Ponyville, but the energetic pulse of a city that knows it has things to do and when they need to be done by. As they make their way through the city, a few well dressed ponies greet Rarity as they walk through the streets. They say little more than what would be expected of a casual greeting, but Rarity begins to carry herself a little higher as she remembers how some of the ponies here respected and accepted her and her friends despite their unique introduction. It's not long before they find themselves at the first step leading up to the main entrance of Canterlot Castle and begin the short climb up while the guards take their belongings to a side entrance.

“You three're mighty quiet back there. Sumthin' the matter?” Applejack says with a glance back at her younger sister and her friends.

“Jus' nervous sis.” Apple Bloom replies.

“Yeah, just a little bit.” Scootaloo says with a half hearted chuckle.

“Maybe a teensy bit.” Sweetie Belle says looking to her sister for reassurance. “But we'll be ok since we have all of you here with us.” This gets the other fillies nodding in agreement.

“You girls have nothing to worry about.” Twilight says with a reassuring smile. “The Princess will be very pleased to meet all three of you.”

With that, they reach the half open doors and file through with a curt nod from the guards. The light filters through the crack in the door and glitters on faint particles floating sedately in the air. They don't stop for directions or get stopped in turn as they are known on sight by most of the palace staff from their various visits. It doesn't take too long for them to find the throne room, which they wait outside of to inform the guard of their visit. He walks in and opens the door from the inside a moment later. Seeing the clear invitation they walk into the long throne room, the guard leaving and closing the door behind them. Princess Celestia stands and begins walking down the hallway at a sedate pace to meet them halfway.

“It's so very good to see you all again.” The Princess says in a warm and personally confident tone. “I'm glad you accepted my invitation to stay in the castle. I wish you two the best of luck, Rainbow Dash and Rarity.”

“Thank you so much for the well wishes your Majesty. We shall try our very best.” Rarity responds.

“Yeah, you got nothin' to worry about Princess.” Says Rainbow with a nod.

“Oh! Oh! Princess! Princessss!” An urgent whisper from Pinkie drawing the attention of everypony. “We have three little fillies we brought along with us for you to meet.”

“Oh?” She responds with a little smile. “Might I have seen these three little fillies at a certain Royal wedding?”

“Oh! You did, you did!” Pinkie says with her typical enthusiasm.

“Princess Celestia? I'd be proud to introduce ma little sister, Apple Bloom and her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Sweetie Bell just so happens to be Rarities younger sister as well.”

At the sudden attention of the solar diarch of Equestria, the three fillies blush and crouch down. “It's my pleasure to meet you finally my little ponies. Are you all excited to see your friends and family compete over this weekend?”

“You bet Princess!” Scootaloo says finding excitement to replace her nervousness. “Rainbow Dash is gonna rock!”

“Yeah!” A squeaky voiced Sweetie Belle chimes in. “Rarity's design is just amazing. I know for sure she's gonna win.”

“Sweetie Belle, honestly.” Rarity says with a smile. “No pony can know how everything will turn out. All we can do is our absolute best with what we have, but we will certainly try our best to win.”

“It sounds like you ponies have everything well under control. Do you all have plans aside from this contest over the weekend? If not, I have some suggestions that you all can do as a group.” Princess Celestia ventures.

“Thank you kindly for the offer Princess, but I was going to show the girls some of my favorite places today. However, we may take your offer tomorrow if it's not too much of an inconvenience.” Twilight says.

“Not at all Twilight. I hope you all have a pleasant day and I look forward to watching you two do your best in the contest. If I do say so myself, it looks to be quite the venue and I wouldn't want to miss it for anything.” The Princess responds magnanimously.

They all smile and make small talk with the Princess for a short while. But they take their leave after a while and leave the castle proper and head back into the city. It's almost nine in the morning by the time they get to their first stop, Joe's Doughnuts, much to Spikes obvious delight. They all joke and laugh at the memories of their first group visit there as they walk in.

“Hey Joe, long time no see!” Twilight says seeing the proprietor wiping the spotless counter with a rag.

“Twilight Sparkle, or should I call ya Princess Sparkle now? I see Spike's with ya too.” He responds with his usual gruff manner. “What brings you two back to this run down little doughnut shop?”

“Come on Joe, your place is as sparkling new as it was when you opened up and you've known me for years, so no Princess stuff from you. I just thought I'd bring my friends here to visit all of my favorite places in Canterlot since we're here over the weekend.”

“Here for the weekend are ya? Somethin' ta do with that Wonderbolts contest? Been a lot of talk about it, especially this past week.”

“Yep. My friends Rarity and Rainbow Dash are in the contest as partners. We're all here to wish them the best of luck.”

“Then I hope you two'll take a doughnut on the house. Think of it as my own way to wish you two good luck.”

“Just like old times Joe.” Twilight says with a smile.

“What can I say? After that time we went through that whole rigamarole on the train, I don't want Rainbow Dash going after my doughnuts wholesale.” He says with a grin giving the joke away.

“Hey!” Rainbow objects. “That was Mulia. Though I would have gone after them if I had had the time.” She says with a laugh.

“Well don't just stand there girls and dragon, come on in and have a seat. I've got whatever suits yer fancy.” Joe says while leaning on the counter.

They spend almost an hour at Doughnut Joe's before they leave, with many promises to drop by again before they leave Canterlot. They walk around the various markets and streets dedicated to the arts before they finally make it back to the castle for lunch. They begin making their way up the front steps when a sudden aquamarine and yellow blur flashes by in front of them. They stop suddenly and watch as the blur swerves back around to make a landing on the top step and resolves into Lightning Dust.

“Yo, Dashie. How's it going?” She says as she casually crosses her fetlocks.

“Pretty good, until now.” Rainbow replies with a cocky grin. “Even better now that I know you're here and I can kick your feathered butt into next week.”

“We'll see who kicks whose butt Dash. Just giving you fair warning that you should watch out for a little 'friendly' competition.” She says with her own smirk. Without waiting for a response, she takes off in a blur across town.

That's right, Rainbow thinks to herself. A little friendly competition between old pals. I just hope it stays out on the air strip.

A New Sky, An Old Sky

Lightning Dust had left as abruptly as she had appeared, but Rainbow Dash still felt as though she were hanging around. As though she were standing beside her with an aggressive smirk of superiority and aggressive pressure. It was a completely new experience for the cerulean pegasus. Sure, she had felt the pressures of stage fright that had nearly thwarted her victory in the best young flier contest but this lit a fierce fire in her competitive spirit. Not even her contest against Applejack came close to this feeling.

“Are you alright Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asks noticing her glare and silence.

“Yeah. I'm fine. It's Lightning Dust who won't be fine.” She says with a predatory smile.

“That's right! You're gonna show that two-bit hack what's what.” Scootaloo says with her usual unshakable bravado when speaking about her role model.

“That may be darling, but we certainly can't go about our business with empty stomachs.” Rarity says with the infallible voice of reason. “Lets retire to the castle for the time being and remedy this situation.”

With that being said, they continue up the steps and into the coolness of the castle.

Lunch was a lively affair with them all sitting around a oval table and enjoying lively conversation along with a delicious meal. They talk about the upcoming race and fashion show but Rainbow Dash remains reserved throughout most of the meal, conversing only when directly talked to. With the fire smoldering in her chest, Rainbow dismisses all thoughts of taking a nap after her meal when they finish. As the meal is cleared away, she begins to walk away from her friends to go find peace in the sky but Applejack notices her before she walks out the door.

“Slow down partner, where d'ya think your goin'?”

“Just out. No need to worry AJ. I just need to clear my head for later.” Rainbow says honestly.

“Don't let'er get your feathers all flustered sugar cube. We know you're gonna do your best, so don't go getting' yourself all riled up.” Applejack replies soothingly as she remembers how heated their own rivalry had gotten.

“That's not an issue AJ. I got this. I just feel like I should go out for a bit. That's all. Tell them to don't worry about it and that I'll be back before four.” Rainbow says with confidence in her intuition. Applejack nods knowingly and turns back to their friends as Rainbow leaves the room. She wanders around the castle taking flights of stairs, always heading up. She eventually finds herself looking out on a wide circular platform, Princess Celestia standing at the outer lip with her wings slightly outstretched, her feathers caressed by a moderately strong breeze comes down from the nearby mountains. Rainbow walks sedately out to stand by her side, extending her wings similarly as she looks out and down. The view is spectacular as she sees verdant valleys, lively rivers and steep mountain sides stretching out before her.

“Beautiful, is it not?” Celestia says breaking the silence.

“Yeah.” Rainbow replies simply. “I thought I'd take to the skies for a while before the big race.”

“You really are something else Rainbow Dash.” Celestia says with a smile. “I've seen you grow from a pony who used to rely solely on her own hooves and wings to pursue her own dreams into somepony who selflessly helps her friends pursue their dreams as well.”

“I'm also doing this for myself. But I also won't let my friends down for my own reasons.”

“That's as may be, but the one thing I've noticed about you is how your attitude about flying has changed quite a bit. Whenever you fly now, it's not only about pushing yourself anymore. You enjoy that part quite a bit, but I think you've fallen in love with the sky itself.”

“I've fallen in love with the sky? What do you mean by that, Princess?” Rainbow says completely puzzled.

“I'm sure you know what I mean, but how about you join me for a little while? I'm sure it will become evident soon my little pony.” She says with a smile as she gently steps off the ledge into a steep dive. Rainbow laughs and follows quickly. Before her, the Princess keeps her wings barely outstretched as they pick up speed. As they near a third of the way down the mountainside she gently unfurls her wings and levels out to glide at a deceptively serene pace, Rainbow Dash emulating her motions. Normally she would try to build her speed quickly and maintain it but it doesn't feel like the right thing to do this time. She glides in the wake of the larger Alicorn and focuses on what she had told her. I've fallen in love with the sky? But what does that even mean?

They quickly cover distance as they travel between mountains, rivers flashing with a silvery light below them and the tops of trees swaying like the waves of the ocean under the caress of the wind that bears them. Rainbow lets her mind go blank so she can just enjoy the sensation of flying, a serene peace steals over her as she glides on. It's such a strange thing to the fierce pony but it feels... Right. Her strong heart begins to beat faster despite the lack of strenuous activity. The wind begins to feel like it's sliding around her without any effort or resistance on her part, her wings become gently strained as they are filled. The peace pulls her under and her heart soars in the embrace of the sky. Without her noticing, she finds herself quickly pulling alongside and past the Princess with a look of overwhelming joy lighting her face.

Her nerves light up as though she flew through a cloud coated by sheet lightning, her heart is now racing as she finds herself gliding along as fast as she would normally fly. Laughter bubbles up from the depths of her heart. Now she knew what the Princess meant. What it was to love the sky, and to be loved by it in turn. She tucks in a wing and rolls over and down to her right to pick up speed. She gently opens her wing back up and completing the roll, she completes the circuit and arcs at a tremendous speed over the flight of Princess Celestia while quickly pulling ahead with no strenuous beating of wings or pushing of herself. Here, it wasn't about racing or proving herself. It was about the joy of flying for the sake of flying. She's not sure how long she flies nor does she care anymore but eventually her joy subsides and she slowly returns to Princess Celestia's side.

She looks at the beaming face of the benevolent ruler and smiles in return. They glide sedately around a mountain and begin their flight back to the castle in silence. When they gently touch down on the same platform they departed from, Rainbow looks up to the Princess with serious expression on her face. “I wasn't sure what you meant at first Princess, but I definitely know now. Since I've been training at the Wonderbolt Academy, I've been spending a lot of time at home just flying around at Ponyville. No purpose at all really, just wanting to feel the wind under my wings. I don't know when it happened, but whenever I race against or with my classmates now I don't feel the same need to beat anypony anymore but I still win anyways.”

“It's because the sky responds to you now. I remember a letter from Twilight Sparkle about a big accident on their first visit to you at the Academy. Maybe that had something to do with your change.” Celestia smiles as she watches Rainbow think about it. The expressions ranging from contemplation to realization to joy.

“I guess you're right Princess. Being around a certain pony who always pushed herself for no reason than to be better than everypony else taught me that it's good to push yourself in the right direction but to also enjoy your efforts too. It took me a while to discover that last bit, but when I thought about it, it made perfect sense to me. I love racing and being the most awesome flier in Equestria still, but now that's not my only reason anymore.”

“I think you've made a profound discovery about yourself my dear. I'm so glad you found that you love what you do more than for the reasons you started it in the first place. I wish you the best of luck this afternoon in your race, I look forward to a spectacular race.” She says with a smile as she walks off to return to the duties she took up out of responsibility but came to love them because she loves her subjects and helping to make their lives better.

“Welcome back Rainbow Dash. Did you enjoy your time alone?” Twilight asks as she walks into Rarities room. Rarity was making some last minute adjustments to her backup flight suit on a ponnequin in the corner.

“Yeah, I feel like I could take on the Wonderbolts right now.” She says with a smile and a laugh. “But my alone time wasn't so alone. I happened to join Princess Celestia for a flight around the area.”

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight says with a little shock. “I hope you didn't get a little... Overeager while you were flying with her.”

“Of course not. In fact, she was the one who taught me something new. Lets just say I'm more than ready to get in the air and show everypony what I'm really capable of now with what Princess Celestia taught me.” Rainbow says with an eager expression. Twilight sniffs a little at the air and wrinkles her nose suddenly.

“What's that smell? It's weird.” She says looking at Rainbow Dash who sniffs the air trying to detect what her friend had smelt. A slight but sharp odor was in the air, which Rainbow Dash recognized immediately.

“It's called ozone, Twilight. You tend to smell it a lot when you work with storm clouds. It tends to dissipate fairly quickly, but the sky was clear when we flew around.” She replies, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Strange. Maybe I should look around the library for a book about ozone and why it would linger or be around for no reason. I really should read more about flying and the related topics since I'm an Alicorn now.”

“Well, now... I think I'm done!” Rarity says excitedly drawing the attention away from their conversation. “Would you be a dear, Rainbow Dash and try this new suit out before we have to make our appearance? I want to be at the meeting place a half hour before we're supposed to be there so I can get everything arranged for the fashion show after the race. Twilight and the other girls will be waiting in the seats while we get ready.”

Twilight makes her goodbyes to the pair and leaves them to go about their preparations to go meet the rest of their friends at the Sky Track. Rainbow agrees and soon tries out the suit, which fits exactly like the first one. She swaps flight suits and is greeted by the strange sensation of the ancient magic at work again, only this time it doesn't even feel like she's wearing a full body suit instead of just letting her feel the air currents through it. A gentle breeze wafts a stronger smell of ozone to her nostrils causing her to shake her head at the smell. Why am I smelling all of this ozone? This is weird. She thinks to herself as they make preparations to head out.

It's not long before they're leaving the castle with a medium sized bag floating in Rarities magic to head up the slope to the Canterlot Sky Track where the Wonderbolts hold their regular derbies and shows. Once they reach the front doors they're greeted by a dark gray unicorn floating a clip board with magic who asks their names and directs them to their individual dressing/locker room supplied with all manner of supplies. Rarity quickly finds herself in her element and sets about organizing the supplies and materials to suit herself. Rainbow Dash finds herself thinking about what the Princess had said about her love of flying and the feel of how she felt the sky respond to that love.

Maybe I can pull this off after all. I'm not gonna get flustered over some pony too full of herself to lift her ego off the ground. Maybe I wasn't so different a while back, but I'm absolutely not gonna loose to her. I'm gonna win this for Rarity and myself. She thinks to herself, the smoldering fire burns a little hotter in her chest. She watches the clock as it gets closer to the time. Her time. Rarity floats a diagram of the race circuit over for her to inspect. It's a large track leading them up the mountain range north of Canterlot with specific checkpoints set up at various altitudes that they have to fly through. She feels her muscles reacting to her excitement as they begin to feel lighter and lighter, waiting to spring into action. Long years of experience helps to keep her own body in check as she moves with exaggerated slowness and purpose so as to not loose any of the energy now coursing through every fiber of her body from a sudden motion or tightness. Then it's time. No tolling of bells or fanfare, just a deep sigh and a look over to Rarity who had been happily humming to herself up until this point. Rarity looks back with a fierce pride and determination matching what Rainbow feels, they leave the room shoulder to shoulder.

They walk into the bright outdoors from the moderately lighted interior and separate to go to their respective places. The seats are angled a quarter turn north of the city so that if any accidents occur, there's a better chance for the afflicted ponies to recover or to be rescued but to also provide better lighting for the participants and spectators. Floating a moderate distance away were two of the new magical viewing devices set up so that the long distance races can be viewed in their entirety. Turning to her left, Rainbow walks along the wide path in front of the tiered seats walking to the retractable launching platform. Several pegasi have already gotten in place already, each sporting a unique flight suit. They don't matter to Rainbow Dash as she draws nearer. She doesn't hear their mutters or notice their glances as her ears are filled with the sound of rushing wind and her eyes focused on the horizon.

Time seems to loose meaning as she stands there. Each breath takes years, more and more seats are filled without the ponies moving the distance from the entrance to their spots. A voice tries to break through the sound of the wind filling her ears a couple times but is swept away with a casual flick of her ear, it gives up. A officiator climbs up the steps to a signal box leaning out over the straight drop and the gently moving crowd slows to a frozen tableau. In the stillness Rainbow glances to the crowd and easily spots her group of friends in the box seats on the highest row, a certain pink pony rears up noticing her glance and her fore legs become a blur from their frantic waving. She smiles and shifts her attention back to the officiator who is now levitating several flags out over the guard rail of his box.

Rainbow slowly readies herself into a low crouch, wings stretching out slightly. A gust of wind blows by, rustling her mane and tail. The flag flashes again as the first one it retracted to give the final warning to get ready, a deep breath laced by a sharp scent fills her lungs. The last flag is revealed, the fire in Rainbows chest bursts to life from a low smolder to white hot intensity and she lunges forward as the pent up energy in her legs flares from a cool tingling sensation to a sudden warmth. The other ponies around her jump higher than her in their take off and begin pushing off with their wings almost immediately. Rainbow seemingly glides for a few feet before her wings slowly unfurl to their full length, the air slipping around her as she gently flaps downward. Another flap of her wings and she feels herself gliding through the air. Just above and to her left, she sees a pony with an electric yellow tail straining to pull ahead of the other competitors. Another flap of her wings and she feels a straining against her wings similar to her flight earlier, the pony falls from her sight.

The fire in her chest mingles with the joy of the flight, fierce and undaunted by anything else. She flies. She finds herself alone in the sky, calm but incredibly focused. She had a race to win after all. The flight course vivid in her mind as she tilts to the right and begins to fly in earnest. Her friends were watching and confident in her victory. She wouldn't, couldn't, let them down. This flight is unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Joyous, profound and awakening to the fierce pegasus. This race quickly becomes the epitome of what it was that Rainbow Dash had found in her efforts to become one of the Wonderbolts and her own reason why she wanted to be one. Her love of flying and the contest of one pony against any and all competitors.

It is the longest and shortest race she had ever participated in. By the time she returns to the Sky Track to break the circuit, the spectators are silent. Their eyes wide and not understanding the event they had just witnessed. Landing on the walkway and proceeding up the steps on moderately tired legs, she trots up the stairs to where her friends are seated and unconcerned with waiting for her fellow competitors. She walks into the sheltered room to see her friends just as silent but animated in their motions as they just wait to unleash their cheers. Fluttershy breaks the silence with a shriek exactly like when she did finally perfected the Sonic Rainboom during the Best Fliers competition. The sound breaks the spell of silence hanging over the crowds and the air throbs with the sheer volume of their cheers. With a cocky smirk she looks at her friends and says, “So, how'd I do?”

***To Be Continued***

Author's Note

So, what'd you think?

A New Battlefield, an Old War

This chapter is from Rarities point of view.

A New Battlefield, an Old War

Rarity and Rainbow Dash just walk into the light from the interior of the stadium. The Sky Track stretches out before them in a daunting glory that is just simply daunting for anypony without wings. With a last look of encouragement to her friend, Rarity walks to the right to find the flight of stairs that leads up to the box seats. But she can't help but be nervous as she walks up the stairs, as Rainbow Dash had been unnaturally quiet since her flight earlier with Princess Celestia. She didn't think it was stage fright or anything like that, but it was still so out of character for her that she couldn't help but worry about her friend. As she reached the box seats and spotted her friends and sister sitting together near the front, she takes her place amongst them. Around them are several other ponies, mostly Rarities competitors and a few of the upper class ponies that enjoy watching high skill level races.

“So, how's she feelin'.” Applejack says after she sits down.

“Well... She's quiet. I don't think we have to worry, but it's certainly strange to be in the same room as her when she's quiet. She's not even that quiet even when she reads one of her Daring Do novels.” Rarity responds.

“Well, I think she'll be just fine.” Twilight says with a smile. “She seems like she's definitely more serious about this race then any of the others I've seen her in.”

“She'd gonna be AWESOME! I just know it.” Scootaloo says with her usual aplomb.

“No need to worry dear, I'm sure Rainbow Dash will be at peak performance as always.” Rarity assures.

“Uuugh... That's what I said in the first place!” Scootaloo retorts but her words are lost as the crowd begins to raise their general volume once the last of the participants appear on the track. As they watch, Lightning Dust with her distinct mane style pauses momentarily by Rainbow Dashes stall and looks as though she says something but is succinctly ignored. That's my girl. Rarity thinks as she sees Lightning Dust attempt to say something again but is still ignored. Their opponent walks off with an annoyed expression as she realizes Rainbow Dash won't rise to her bait. It's down to the last moments before the race begins as the officiator makes his way to the signal box. Rarities attention switches back to Rainbow Dash who settles into a low stance, the same as every other racer. Time seems to slip by Rarity as she watches the gates swing open and watches the flurry of wings as they launch their selves out into the open air. While every other pony launches up at an angle, Rainbow simply seems to glide straight forward from her stall with an elegant beat of her wings.

In all her time around Rainbow Dash, Rarity had always seen her fly just like every other pegasus albeit much faster. She normally flies as though she was fighting the air and gravity in addition to the ponies she flew against, real or imagined. This... This Rainbow Dash flew as though the sky was her friend, her wings flapping almost sedately as she effortlessly pulls ahead of the other competitors. She was around the first turn before the rest of the pegasi had even cleared the stands. The general volume of the stands subsides to a moderate buzz once the racers are lost to sight and attention is given to the enormous monitors and conversations begin to establish amongst groups of fans and supporters for a specific pony.

“So, Twilight, how long is this race supposed to last? Not that I'll be bored or anything, I'm just curious.” Rarity says as their group begins to talk amongst one another.

“Well, from what I was told, the course is going to be close to two hours from the test run the Wonderbolts did after they set it up.” She responds. “That's roughly the average they try to maintain for these types of events from what I've seen. I used to come to the races once in a while with my brother when he had some time off from the Cadet Academy. We always made sure to come to these events since the derbies tended to be a lot more boisterous and we could catch up with each other while enjoying the race.”

“It sounds like you and your brother have some very good memories involving the races. But two hours? It seems a little much to me. I mean, it's not like it's a marathon or anything like that, right?” At her words a pony walks over to join in their conversation. Looking over they recognize that it was Spitfire that had joined them with a smirk.

“It's not like that at all. We design our courses to test a lot of the different aspects of competitive flying. Sprinting, endurance, agility and a huge variety of other things as well. But the biggest thing is the mentality of the racers. That plays a bigger part in the race than you might think. So was it just me, or was Rainbow Dash completely different than I remember?” Spitfire asks the group in general.

“Well, she was a mite agitated earlier when that Lightning Dust came by to rustle her feathers.” Applejack says with an irked expression at the memory.

“But she settled down after she went out for a flight after lunch.” Twilight says. Thinking about something from earlier, she looks to Spitfire and asks, “So, what do you know about ozone? I kept smelling it inside the castle earlier after Rainbow Dash came back. She said it was weird and I don't know much about it since I'm still learning about this stuff.”

“Inside the castle? That really is weird.” Spitfire is silent for a moment as she thinks. Her expression suddenly looks grimly humorous. “Oh ho ho boy, it's just not fair. If what I think has happened, then nopony will catch her in the sky. Your friend is gonna destroy the competition at every event. This'll be something to watch because she's gonna shatter records for years to come and this is only the start.”

“Really? What happened to her? Should we be worried? I mean, it's cool that she's gonna be even more awesome, but I don't want something bad to happen to her even if it makes her epic.” Scootaloo pipes in as she had wandered over to them when the Wonderbolts Captain joined the group to listen in on the conversation.

“Not for her and you don't have to be worried at all kiddo. I'll let you ponies in on the secret before the end of the weekend if my hunch is correct. But for now, I have to go talk to some ponies about something important.” With that, she leaves. They slowly resume conversation amongst their group, Spitfires words quickly passing amongst them. They slowly open up their tight group as a few ponies come by to talk a little, some even to only talk with Rarity which is quite pleasant as her reputation is apparently as strong as ever in Canterlot. As the race progresses, they notice she has quite literally stolen the show once again. Right in front of their eyes, Rainbow Dash is the sole occupant of one of the three viewers. The image pans back and around her as the magical camera is manipulated to show her as the sole flier as far as the eye could tell. It moves around her to trail her from a body length away and over her right shoulder. She flaps her wings gently but with regularity, coasting once in a while. If one looked closely enough at her wings, one could almost see a slight disturbance in the air that shouldn't be there.

But that wasn't it what really stole the attention of everypony. It was the time mark in the lower right corner. Barely twenty five minutes had passed and from the small display of the course and the dots representing each pony and Rainbow has already completed a third of the course, far ahead of her competitors. She was quickly becoming the sole talking point of every pony there. Some were in shock, others awe and some were simply angry that such a relatively unknown athlete was making fools of such accomplished competitors. But the one fact that they couldn't deny was that she was simply amazing in flight.

Conversation slowly quiets down as the general atmosphere of the audience changes to one of awe as their previous feelings subsumed by her enraptured expression and performance. As she makes the turn around a mountain top to continue the second half of the course they watch with bated breath as a corona forms around her. It's not like the Sonic Rainboom, but the cone of breaking the sound barrier fused with the flickering colors of light being separated simply by her ambient magic as it gets captured in the water vapor trapped in the vacuum she creates. But it doesn't stop just there as another corona forms, creating a two ringed aura of cascading colors around her. The sheer speed she flies at quickly leaves the viewer falling further and further behind as she makes graceful banks and turns to pass through the cloud rings of the course.

Before long the only thing they see is a scenic view of the race course as the arcane construct can no longer follow the pegasus in flight. The eyes of the audience never leaves the screen though, as they strain to catch any sight of the tell tale colors in the distance. They closely pay attention to the course representation of Rainbow Dash as it shows her moving along the course at an obscene rate when compared to her competition. It was forty-one minutes, thirteen seconds when Rainbow Dash lands at the finish line. There was no sound in the stadium as she trots up the steps. Some had noticed her arrival and watched her as she makes her progress to the v.i.p. box while others had not noticed her presence as they are still watching the big monitor. As Rarity watched her friend casually trot up to them, her breathing accelerates and adrenaline begins pumping through her veins out of uncomprehending excitement. From behind her, Fluttershy unleashes an unearthly shriek of pure joy which breaks the dam for everypony in the stadium. The sheer amount of sound is a physical pressure that throbs around them.

“So, how'd I do?” Rainbow asks with her cocky smirk, barely heard in the noise. In response, Rarity and all of their friends rush forward to hug and congratulate her as one. They break away after a few moments as other ponies had come up to congratulate and speak with her. The cheering continues for an easy five minutes as the adrenaline works its way out of their systems or their throats become too raw to continue any more. Rarity contents herself with talking animatedly with her friends instead of making a spectacle of herself in front of so many ponies. Okay, only a small one quickly contained in the heat of the moment. Once Rainbow is able to get away from her many admirers, she make her way back to her friends to casually lay down on one of the long body pillows for those who wish to watch the race in comfort. She lies there swishing her tail back and forth like an overly content cat with a facial expression to match.

“Rainbow Dash, that was astounding! You beat the average time set by the Wonderbolts by over half! What have you been doing to be able to fly like that?!” Twilight Sparkle says still slightly giddy by her friends astonishing ability.

“Not much really. I had a revelation earlier today with the Princess and I just applied that to the race.” She says with a mischievous smile. “Nothing wrong with loving the sky, is there?”

Her words confuse her friends but they don't pry her for answers. She settles down a bit with a happy smile and mostly responds to them with one word answers for the most part as they are content to wait until later tonight to talk more deeply. Scootaloo comes over to lay beside Rainbow, who drapes a wing casually over the cerise coated filly who begins to chat with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom who sit down in front of them. Spike and Pinkie Pie are off carousing amongst the elite and the ponies in the lower benches as they are still running off of the adrenaline Rainbow Dash's victory had caused. Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy were chatting contentedly amongst their selves about some of the highlights of the race, soon to be joined by Rarity herself. So, all-in-all, it was modus operandi for everypony.

It takes almost a half hour for Spike and Pinkie to eventually find their way back to their friends where Spike promptly lays downs for a power nap and Pinkie just joins them in the conversation as though she was there the whole time. The remaining time winds down in that manner until the ponies competing in the race finally begin to trickle in. Surprisingly enough, Lightning Dust only makes 6th place as she her daring flight style was beaten out by experience and technical skill. She positively radiates indignity at her position which is immediately exchanged for disbelieving shock when she looks over at the flashing time marker for first place. She just stands there for several moments as she tries to wrap her head around the simple numbers displayed for everypony to see. A certain gray pony with a silvery white mane walks up to her and puts his hoof on her shoulder, saying a few words to the shocked pony. She gently walks away, letting his hoof fall back to his side. He returns to the upper room to give his partner some time to herself and work some of his social skill amongst his peers. You know? Rarity thinks a little darkly to herself at the sight she just saw. I almost feel sad for her, but I think I'll just call this even for almost killing me and my friends. Now we'll just have to see what happens tonight, because Rainbows victory is only half the battle if we want to win this war.

Author's Note

I apologize for the long overdue update. I was mentally hijacked by my other story for a while :b I promise to get the next chapter up soon though and not a month from now. Again, sorry all.

The Staging Grounds

This chapter is from Rarities point of view

The Staging Grounds

It takes a couple more hours before Rarity and her friends finally were able to quietly sneak away from the crowd of ponies who were seeking to simply talk to them. This is not counting those who wished an autograph, hoofprint or, strangely enough, to even hug them out of sheer joy. It wasn't as though Rarity and Rainbow Dash were without fans, but their wish to hug them is quite sudden and inexplicable because they felt as though everything they had done was for them. It warmed their hearts beyond measure that they had touched these ponies in such a way that words no longer sufficed. Once they got over their initial feelings of reluctance to hugging total strangers, they welcomed them without restraint. It was something special to the two mares as they gave comfort and reassurance to these ponies who were touched by their work and actions.

The two were comfortably silent as they sat in the preparation room they were given earlier. They make their hasty goodbyes to their friends once time began to turn into a precious commodity as the deadline draws closer to them for the following fashion show. Rarity is kept comfortably busy as she goes about the room, Dash letting her do her thing without too much fuss. After a quick rinse and brushing down of Rainbow Dash allows Rarity to treat her mane and coat with oils and solutions that made them more vibrant than they usually are. It is a strange sensation for Rainbow Dash as her coat and mane are treated to become something more delicate and feminine than her usual ministrations make them into, but she relaxes as Rarities careful ministrations relax her to the point that she no longer minded.

Rarity smiles as she softens her friends usual hard edges into something greater. The usual contrast of colors she had was beautiful, of course, but she makes her positively shine. Her ministrations brings out the inner beauty of the polychromatic mane, made the sky blue coat positively glow. It wasn't makeup or something dross that she did with her friend. She simply brought out her intrinsic features to light for other to see her as she saw her friend in the minds eye. She doesn't use any styling gels or holding sprays, just letting the mane remain as unrestrained as ever, but she treats them with a very expensive oil that makes it flow freely through her hooves until it is as smooth as silk. Her coat is trickier as it requires a more delicate touch with both waxes and oils to make it look the way she desires. It was a good thing she began to consult Aloe and Lotus on proper hair care as this would have been a disaster of untold proportions.

Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep as Rarity went about her work. They have roughly a half hour until they are required to make their mutual appearance when Rarity finally wakes Rainbow Dash. She isn't especially groggy or cantankerous when she woke up, so that makes Rarity especially happy as her friend had needed the little bit of rest that she had gotten. They go about their final preparations together in silence aside from the occasional request for something or other. They finally make their way out of their dressing room with a small duffel bag floating beside them in Rarities arcane glow. Rainbow Dash was silent and stoic this time as Rarity felt the inner flame of passion begin to glow brighter with each step.

She remembers the debacle involving Fluttershy and her jealousy involving her friends good fortune as they walk down the moderately lit hallway. She only feels joy and happiness this time as she allows her friend to shine in the light instead of being delegated to the shadows near the edge. This is what she had truly wanted for Fluttershy and she would make it up to her friend in one way or another after this weekend. Another few transient moments in time and they find their selves being guided by a staff member to one of the simple back rooms of the temporarily redesigned dining hall. Rarity gives Rainbow Dash the alternate suit to change into as the other is still slightly damp with perspiration.

Removing the mist machines from the bag, Rarity ignited them with a steady pulse of magic. Humming to life, they begin to spew forth a slow milky vapor which she captures with another application of magic. The staff pony reappears with a list of order in which the models are to appear. Rainbow Dash is assigned to be the first. Twenty minutes to get ready. I hope we have enough time... Rarity thinks as she looks at the slowly gathering mass of vapor.

About five minutes later, Rainbow Dash enters the roughly pony-sized mass of mist to begin to imbue it with her own pegasus magic. After a little bit of time, Rainbow Dash tells Rarity to stop holding the mist in as her magic fully grasps the nebulous mass. As she drops the faint containment magic, Rarity feels as though the shadow of a cool mountain breeze passes over her. As she watches, Rarity notices the milky cloud of vapor begin to roil with movement that should not be there. It slows despite the currents of air in the room, expanding slightly faster than the rate of the devices are able to produce. Then she notices it. The air has begun to move in the opposite direction. She stares as the temperature of the room fluctuates slightly, the air moving against her coat with the slight sensation of static electricity despite the moist air. The mass of water vapor begins to fill the room, rolling around Rarities hooves as it slowly obliterates all familiarity in the space she occupies. Light and shadow shifts and dances before her eyes as she tries to even spot the familiar silhouette of her friend. Piercing through the odd silence comes a knock.

“Are you okay in there Miss Rarity? Miss Dash?” Comes the oddly thick sounding voice of a staff member.

“We're fine!” Rarity says slightly flustered. “Just some final preparations for our performance!”

“Alright...” The pony says, not entirely sure to believe her or not. “Just make sure the hallway is clear as you two leave for the other contestants...”

“Rest assured that we shall do exactly that. No need to worry at all.” Rarity says in response. The hallway?! She thinks to herself.

Once the concerned staff member leaves, she opens the door softly to look out of their room. She can't even tell that there is even a hallway. Milky silvers and subtly shifting shadows are the only thing she sees as she looks in both directions. She has no inkling of what to do. She could quite possibly ruin everything if she breaks Rainbows concentration, or she could just let everything fall is it did. She would just have to trust in her friend that she could bring everything to fruition. She levitates the hanging clock off of the wall to her side so that she is able to gauge how long they have left. The clock states that they have ten minutes. So, with a sigh, Rarity sits on a slightly damp chair with a slight grimace as the dampness seeps into her coat and lets Rainbow Dash 'do her thing.'

Six minutes later, Rarity finally speaks up to Rainbow, letting her know that it's time for them to make their way to the stage. Rainbow walks over to Rarity, giving her a reference point in this eerie new place that was once a room. They leave the room, only to stumble upon a staff pony looking precisely for them. They follow the pony at a slow pace until Rainbow Dash pauses momentarily, a small bubble of semi-clear air opens in front of her, allowing her slightly skittish companions some familiarity. They make their way to the impromptu area behind the curtains of the main stage. The staff pony consults a small pocket watch, which is promptly followed by the odd reverberations of a stallions magically amplified voice introducing the first model to the stage through the cloud they stand in.

“Ladies and Gentle-Colts, despite the odd events that have transpired, I am very pleased to announce the first model in our lineup. Miss Rainbow Dash!” The gentle clapping of hooves accompany his final words, only to quickly fade away.

“It's time to show them what for, Rainbow Dash! Go get'em!” Rarity whispers fiercely to her friend.

Rainbow takes a deep breath, the vapor moving once again with purpose. It moves ahead as though on some unseen current, Rainbow Dash following a moment later. She takes a peek from behind the thick curtain. The glowing lights that rim the walkway creates a bright glare that makes it hard to distinguish anything aside from her friend, who is nothing more than a darkly flickering figure. Absolutely striking. She thinks, as she sees her friend in the spotlight. Rarity watches as her friends shadowy form slowly advances down the way, where she stops as nothing more than a faintly gray outline. Ethereal wings slowly extend out to her friends side, casting shadows that shift columns of dark gray through her vision. A moment of delay separates the action of a wing flap and the coming elation that Rarity knows is coming. Starting from below, the vapor slowly ripples as it inexplicably picks up speed. It's as though a cold mountain breeze washes over her coat as she watches the mist be banished from her sight.

With her nerves sending shivering chills through her body, Rarity watches the ominously dark ceiling transform into shimmering sheets of pure and radiant color, reflecting the colors of her friends mane and tail. Rainbow Dash stands at the end of the stage, her head turned to the right as they had practiced. A slightly scornful look graces Rainbows face. Everything is as perfect and beyond her expectations as Rarity watches, her breath held until it burns her lungs for want of air. She finally exhales softly, not wanting to break the spell before its time. Rainbow looks over the crowd once with a gentle smile as the shimmering sheet above her begins to die down. Turning around, she walks back down the walkway to disappear as the last, feeble flicker of color above her fades into nothing. There is a resounding silence. Nothing but the soft sound of hooves on the carpeted floor as they walk past the next pony to make their appearance. They look at the pair with slightly wide eyes as they walk past in the silence.

They walk back to their designated room to wait for the end of the other routines. The wait seems to last forever for Rarity. Rainbow Dash just goes over to the small couch and goes back to sleep again. To be so assured about how everything will fall. I wish I could be that confident, but then again her battles will be in the sky. But that's why I'm here to lead her in this aspect of the contest. Rarity thinks to herself. They sit in relative silence, the large room nearby gives no low rumble of applause or cheering to give and semblance of time moving along. It's not long before Rarity finds herself following Rainbows example and gently falls asleep in her chair. Rarity sleeps on soft clouds and gentle breezes, her worries carried off as though they never were. She isn't sure how long she was asleep for, but the gentle rocking hoof on her shoulder brings her slowly back to the waking world. Opening her eyes, she sees Rainbow Dash smiling in that way she does when she's laughing at a joke nopony but her would understand.

“You enjoy your nap?” She says. “One of the staff dropped by a couple minutes ago to let us know that the contestants have gone through their routines and that supper will be served with the winner being announced at the conclusion.”

“Oh! Wonderful. How about we make our way there and find our friends? I'm sure you're more than ready for something to eat, as am I.” Rarity responds. At her words both of their stomachs decide to voice their agreement at the same time, causing the pair to laugh. They leave their dressing room in good spirits, looking forward to the good food and conversation that is surely to be waiting for them in the dining hall. As they walk down the hallway, they come to an abrupt and unpleasant surprise as Lightning Dust cuts them off as they go to pass an intersection.

“What's up, Dash?” Lightning says nonchalantly. “So what was that about earlier? You sure you're flying with your own wings?” Her words create an immediate effect on Rainbow Dash. She doesn't flip out or even move in a threatening manner towards the offending pony. She just looks at her with just a trace of annoyance on her face. But that's not the only thing that happens. A breath taking, sharp scent immediately fills the air as Rarity feels chilling magic sweep across her body. Pegasus magic. It's not the passive or gentle magic she had felt from her pegasus friends in the past as they went about manipulating the weather around them. This was the raw, openly hostile magic of an untamed storm. The kind of storm that takes lives without even noticing, the kind that would easily snap the wings and break the body of a pegasus foolish enough to fly into its maw. The air moves and begins to drop rapidly in temperature as it carries moisture on its currents.

Lightning Dusts response is immediate. Her eyes open completely from her usually half-lidded stare of confidence to one of absolute terror. She slowly backs away until she bumps into the wall of the hallway and slides down until her haunches rest on the floor. Rainbow Dash slowly walks forward as she stares the offending pony in the eye, the air temperature dropping to below freezing in moments. Rainbow Dash leans down slightly to whisper something in Lightning Dusts ear, who completely freezes up in fright. Rarity watches on in confusion and horror at this alien display of raw power. Rainbow Dash talks to her for a couple more moments as Rarity curiously watches the milky white film of rime ice form over the wings and mane of Lightning Dust. Then, without warning, Rainbow backs away as does the malicious atmosphere of impending doom. She looks to Rarity and tilts her head silently with the clear meaning of lets get outta here.

They walk on in silence once Rarity snaps out of her shocked trance. What was that? She thinks as they walk on, the air becoming warmer and muggier in relation to where has just been. She looks behind quickly to see Lightning Dust still frozen with a look of terror stuck on her face. But she doesn't stop or turn around to help the stricken mare. That pony just doesn't know when to stop, does she? She thinks a little sadly.

When they reach the dining hall, everypony is silent and staring at them. The first thing that they notice is that there isn't a single pegasus present, not even Fluttershy or Scootaloo. Twilight sits at one of the larger tables with their other friends sitting though she wears a look of uncomprehending fear of her face. Their friends throw worriedly confused looks between Twilight and them at their arrival. They make their way over to the table amidst the quiet stares. Somehow, Rarity just knows that they know that the commotion was caused by them. It was mortifying for Rarity to be the center of an incident that had unintentionally caused a major panic amongst the pegasi and a minor one to the other ponies who still remained. They sit at the table in silence until Rarity coughs politely into her hoof and begins to try to bring back a semblance of normalcy to their table at the least.

“So... How were the other contestants after us?” She says with forced levity.

“Wa-huh?” Applejack says with her usual aplomb at being caught off guard.

“The other ponies who came out onstage to show off their partners hard work with a unique act to highlight the design? Surely you remember how they did...” Rarity says trying desperately to snap her friends out of their shock.

“Oh! Oh!” Sweetie Belle says with her cute, squeaky voice when she gets overly excited. “Rarity, they were great... But they weren't as good as you and Rainbow Dash. That's what I think anyways.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie says supporting the little filly. “They were all pizazz and wham-pow! But you were just... wow. I mean, I didn't know what to think when that fog started to roll in. It was all super creepy at first, but then it went all...” She uses her hooves and sound effects to explain this part because she can't think of the right words. “And then Rainbow Dash emerges like some mysterious traveler as the fog keeps rolling forward trying to cover us all. Then she looks back at the fog because it looks like it's clinging to her and then with a flap of her wings it goes all vwoosh and whoa as it gets blown up to the ceiling. How did you do that whole rainbow thing anyways?”

“Ha!” Rainbow laughs at her friends rendition of her performance. “That's a Rainbow Dash trade secret.” She says with a gesture of her hoof and a cocky smile.

“It was really cool though.” Spike says, finally joining in the conversation as he had been gently trying to get Twilight to come back to earth and giving up for the time being. “I didn't know you could do something like that, Rainbow Dash. And that race! I mean, that was really something! You left even the camera in the dust!”

“ He he. Just couldn't keep up with the awesome! Not that I expected it to anyways.” She says with mirth in her voice.

“I dunno about anypony else, but I could rightly use a bite to eat if they don't mean to starve us out.” Applejack says with a chuckle, getting nods of approval from most of the ponies around the table. As though their conversation had finally gotten through to the other ponies in the room, quiet conversation begins to drift through the air. Once most of the eyes are off of them, Rainbow puts her forehooves up on the table and leans forward to ask the table in general something that was at the forefront of everyponies mind.

“What in the hay happened?!” She whispers to everypony and nopony in particular. “Where did all the pegasi go and why is Twi so freaked out?!” They look back and forth with a worried look before Applejack finally speaks up.

“We don't rightly know, Dash. It happened so suddenly nopony knew what was goin' on 'til the pegasus ponies were so scared their feathers nearly fell out and they all made a mad dash to head for the hills. Fluttershy nearly broke down before she grabbed lil Scootaloo and took off with her in hoof. Poor Twi here just froze up and hasn't done or said a thing. What do you know about it, Dash?”

Dash begins to respond but is cut short when the large double doors open suddenly to reveal Princess Celestia standing there with a very serious expression on her face. She walks through the newly shocked crowd to make her way to where they all sit. Each step is oddly distinct in the silence, like the toll of a muted bell. Instead of the stares of the congregated ponies, the single gaze of the Princess is something that makes them all slink down in their seats collectively. Celestia stops a pace from their table and looks at them all but finally rests her gaze on Rainbow Dash.

“We need to have a talk.” She says with a solemn expression.

***To Be Continued***

Author's Note

DUN DUN DUUUUNNN...... What's in store for our polychromatic heroine? Tune in next time to find out!

A Chance of a Lifetime

Rainbow Dash Goes to a Dinner Party

Rainbow Dash was enjoying a few hours of down time as she reclined on a cloud over Sweet Apple Acres. A long morning of being just awesome was hard work and she thought that she deserved a break, not just for her sake either. It was also for anypony spectating who wasn't used to such high levels of pure awesome. Bad for the ol' ticker, ya know?

It was rounding up on noon when Rainbow finally decided it was safe to end her two hour “break” and head into Ponyville. A hard working mare had to eat too and Sugar Cube Corner sounded like just the ticket. I wonder if Pinkie has any plans later, she thinks as she appears to fall off her cloud before unfurling her wings to lazily wind her way into town. It's only a few minutes before the low-flying pegasus spots the rooftops over the trees and comes to a gliding halt before the bakery.

Almost as if on queue, Pinkie walks outside just as her hooves touch down. “Hiya Dashie! How's it going? You want a cupcake? Of course you want a cupcake, what am I thinking? Well just come on in and have a seat and I'll bring you one in half a jiffy. Actually, how long is a jiffy? I mean, when we say 'give me a sec', we actually mean eight to twelve seconds. But a jiffy is definitely sooner than a sec, but longer than right now, so I guess a jiffy is really close to if not exactly five point five seconds.” Pause for a long, wheezing indrawn breath. “But now I've held you up for almost three jiffies. Is that what their called? What exactly is a group of jiffies? I mean, do you call them a group of friends? Or maybe you treat them like they're identical brothers and call two a twin of jiffies, or maybe a triplet of jiffies?” She stops herself mid-rant as she spontaneously imagines what somepony would look like if he were called “jiffy” and begins to roll on the ground holding her sides as a uncontrollable fit of giggles overtakes her. Rainbow stands in the same place with a semi-blank face and wonders what exactly it would feel like if her mind were to be hit with a metaphorical wagon from nowhere. She thinks it would be something like this and cracks a smile and shakes her head at her friends antics with no attempt at comprehension. She'd leave that to the experts or the criminally insane, whichever the case may be.

Pinkie recovers with her usual alacrity and heads back inside with Dash right on her heels. She sits at one of the small tables and a trio of strawberry cupcakes on a plate are placed in front of her. Her stomach growls loudly enough to send slight tremors through her body. With a quick thanks to the bubbly pink pony behind the counter, she digs in and finishes the tasty treats in ten seconds flat. She sits there licking a little bit of pink frosting off of her hoof when Rarity walks in the front door and does a quick double take at spotting her.

“Rainbow Dash! Just the pony I was looking for.” She says in her prim businesslike voice. “The Wonderbolts are having a contest for their next uniform design next weekend in Canterlot and I could only think of one pony who would be the best model for my design. They're planning on the whole thing to be a bit of a competition along with the fashion show, there will be a race, an obstacle course and an endurance race over the course of the weekend starting Friday night. The model and designer get a five-star private dinner with the Wonderbolts at one of Canterlot's premiere restaurants and a modest award of five hundred bits for each pony.”

“Oh Dashie! That sounds like super-duper-double-ooper fun!” Pinkie replies with a big smile, a little bounce and a grandiose sweeping motion of her forelegs.

It takes the super-athlete a moment to register what her friend had said. “Wait a minute there, Rarity. You want me to be a model for the Wonderbolts next uniform AND take part in a three day contest with said Wonderbolts as the judges?!” Her voice reaches a scratchy crescendo as the sheer awesomeness of what her friend tells her sinks in.

“OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!” Rainbow says with barely restrained enthusiasm. She immediately flips the white unicorn around and begins to unceremoniously push her out the door by her flank, much to her shock and displeasure. “What are we waiting for Rarity? Let's get crackin!”

“Well, I'm waiting to get a bit of lunch.” She deadpans at the blunt pegasus after being pushed through the door she had just walked through.

Rainbow stops her zealous efforts to help Rarity back to her workshop and drops to a sitting position as her wings suddenly snap to her sides. “I guess that's as good a reason as any in my book.” She says with a chagrined expression and a hoof rubbing at the back of her head. Pinkie walks through the doorway and laughs at Rainbow's antics causing Rarity to do the same. Rainbow even manages to chuckle as she joins her friends in their humor at her expense.

This is so boooring, Rainbow thinks as she floats above Carousel Boutique on a cloud. After lunch, Rarity had taken Rainbows measurements for her test designs and got to work sketching, daydreaming and doing all her designer things. Rainbow had been through all this before, and she didn't want to go through it again so she left with an admonishment to stay nearby in case Rarity had to ask her questions about what was needed in a flight suit and her general input. It's not like she really knew what was needed anyways because she had never joined any of the other flight teams. It was the Wonderbolts or bust for this pegasus.

“Rainbow? Could you come here for a moment?” Rarity's voice carries clearly out of her work room and she rolls off of her cloud.

“Yeah? What d'ya need Rarity?” She says after landing in the chaotic room.

“Well I was wondering what you would recommend for the uniform to be the same and yet have a unique flare for each pony on the team?”

The uniform in front of her is cool. Really cool. It is a cowled one-piece jumper, but that's where the similarities between this one and their current uniform end. Beginning at the cowl, it is a deep sky blue and as you follow the uniform down the body, it seems as though windswept gray clouds are trying in vain to cover the rest of the uniform. And then there's a cloak. Cloaks kinda seem dorky and especially hard to pull off with a pegasus, but against Rainbows logic, Rarity managed to make a half-cloak that just stopped at the ponnequin's flanks and still keep that sleek feel. It managed to feel a part of the uniform all the same as it took the windswept clouds and advances them up the uniform to just behind where the wing joints would be. As Rainbow takes a closer look, Rarity had in fact come up with a new design just for performing pegasi. It has two tear drop shaped holes and had a four-part clasp that would let the cloak come off in a moments notice.

“Rarity...” Rainbow says as her friends fashion sense and skill completely blows her away. “This is so, totally, amazingly cool I don't know what else you could do to make it any better.”

“Oh, you're just saying that. It still needs a ton of work and I need to ask Fluttershy about a flexible stitch strong enough to hold without hampering movement.”

“No, Rarity, I'm not just saying that. I really like this design, not that anypony wouldn't not like it, but I'm honored you'd let me help you. Sure, I get to have fun too, but now I want to do better than I've ever done and win every contest just so your efforts aren't wasted.”

“Oh Rainbow, just do what you do best and let me worry about everything else.” Rarity says as she walks over to the fiery pegasus and promptly hugs her. They break apart a moment later with Rarities fore hooves resting on her shoulders. “My efforts are never wasted as long as my friends are happy, but it would be nice to be known as the pony who designed the Wonderbolts uniform.” She says with a wistful smile and a giggle.

“You won't regret it Rares, I promise. But maybe, now that I think about it, you could incorporate the Wonderbolts insignia somewhere and maybe add a little extra epic for Spitfires since she's the team captain.”

“Wonderful catch there darling. I thought something seemed a little off but I just couldn't place it. I'll add one to each corner of the cloak and keep the insignia in the same place as the original on their old uniforms, but maybe I can work in some thread-of-gold for a little extra flair.”

“Sounds like you know what you're doing, so I'll leave you to it. I'm gonna drop by Twilights to see what she's up to and maybe get some supper. You want me to bring something back for ya?”

“No, it's quite all right. I have something I can whip up in a jiffy when I get hungry.”

Rainbow laughs at her choice of words and makes a quick farewell as the fashionista wonders what it was she said that was so funny.

Author's Note

Just a little something to keep the ol' juices flowing. I will tell you all now... Pinkie Pie was ranting in my head for an hour after I wrote that section.

Sky Loved, Chained by the Wind

This Chapter is from Rainbows Point of View

Sky Loved, Chained by the Wind

It had been just over four hours since the Princess made her appearance in the dining hall of the Cloud Stadium. They had left the room in absolute silence with all eyes on the bizarre train of ponies. Twilight had been in a state of shock so the Princess gently encased her in magic and floated her out, which would have been pretty funny if the situation weren't so dire. Now they all sit around the same table they ate lunch at earlier that day, except for Fluttershy, Scootaloo and Twilight who was taken to a different room to recuperate. They sit around the table in silence, not even a peep from Pinkie Pie. They were found and gathered up like a bunch of fillies doing something bad that they didn't even know was bad, put in timeout without so much as an explanation as to why it was bad. Rainbow didn't even know what had really happened before she made it to the dining hall. It was as though she were dreaming the whole time, forgetting it as she would any other dream. To say the least, she is confused. Confused and angry.

I remember that I was really angry about something on my way to the dining hall, but come on! Seriously! Rainbow thinks furiously. It's not like I went ballistic and ripped the wings off somepony. She hopes anyways. One of the castle staff comes in silently with a trolley filled with pastries and tea, breaking Rainbows train of thought. About time... I'm about to starve here since I didn't get to eat earlier. Once the food and drink is placed on the table, she begins to eat with gusto despite her friends barely looking at the food in front of them. She would be right with them if she weren't angry as well as slightly worried. As Rainbow began to work on her fifth pastry, the door opens again to admit Princess Celestia along with three other pegasi, one of whom is Spitfire.

“I apologize for the wait, but we had to wait for the High Archivist from Cloudsdale to arrive to give us what knowledge he can. We will begin shortly.” Celestia says with a slightly weary expression.

“Begin what?” Applejack says. “What's this all about anyways, Princess?”

“Yeah! What gives! I mean, seriously. So I got royally ticked off at somepony, that's my problem. But that's no reason to treat my friends like this, Princess.” Rainbow says with all the righteous anger at her friends discomfort fueling her anger, oblivious to a unnatural stirring of the air.

“I sincerely apologize for that, Rainbow Dash, but I had good reason to get you all to relative safety.” The Princess replies calmly. “The stabilizing effects of being in a stone building being the most important right now. Rainbow, when I said you were loved by the sky, I wasn't lying, but neither did I know everything either. We had to wait for the Archivist to arrive so that we will know all that we can. That he knows of, in any case.”

“If we truly have a Sky Loved, as you believe Spitfire, she will be the first one in over a millennium.” A pegasus with a light brown coat and silvery mane says. “I am the High Archivist of Cloudsdale, keeper of the history and legends of the pegasus race, but you may simply call me Jet Stream. Miss Dash, would you be so kind as to come over here so that we may first verify something?”

“Sure, but just call me Rainbow. What's a Sky Loved anyways?” She asks before hopping off her seat to walk over to the group with a casual toss of her mane. Once she gets there, the three pegasi move around the Princess and sniff quickly around Rainbow. “Hey! What's the deal! I thought you were just checking for something, not seeing how I smell!”

“That's one in the same, in this instance.” Jet Stream says smiling a bit as he rubs his snout with a hoof. “The unmistakable scent of ozone lingers around you, like the smell of a storm on the horizon. Just like the legends say...”

“But still, give a girl some warning...” She says a little heatedly. The air suddenly crackles a bit, like it's filled with static electricity, at her anger. She looks around suddenly at the noise which disappears as suddenly as it came. “What the hay was that?”

“That was your pegasus magic responding to your emotions, Rainbow Dash.” Says the second unknown pegasus who has a verdant green coat with a robins egg blue mane. He extends his wings slightly as though testing the air currents. “I'm called Spring Breeze, I also happen to be the boss of your bosses boss. I'm the lead weather coordinator of Equestria.”

Spitfire steps forward to nudge Rainbow Dash with one of her fore hooves. “I'm pretty sure you know who I am, but you're probably wondering why I'm here anyways, huh? I'm sure you know anyways, but I'm the head captain of the first response fliers in emergencies. I know the strengths and weaknesses of most pegasi and make teams that compliment one another so they are the best they can be.”

“Sooo... Why are you all here? What legends are you talking about and what does it all have to do with me?” Rainbow says a bit worried that she's in it deep.

“It's a legend that not many pegasi outside of traditional pegasus families, like Spitfire here, know about anymore. The legend tells about a pegasus who not only love the sky, but also exceptionally gifted with our innate magic. The legend ends with a pony you should know a little about, even if it was as a part in a play. Commander Hurricane, the last great leader of the Sky Legions. The main reason we pegasi retained our dominance over the other pony races, during this time, was because of her. The unicorns were able to manipulate the weather around their strongholds through their magic, but when the Commander ascended, they lost this ability due to her ability to exert unalterable control over the weather despite how she was helpless in the face of the W indigo threat. The very sky responded to her wishes, her emotional state and she was the closest thing we had to a Princess at the time. The archives have very little actual information about the full extent of her abilities, but we have a few things to go by. The most distinct thing is the presence of ozone around you constantly. The next is the extent that your own magic has increased, which not even the Princesses have that much of in comparison. Thirdly, what has occurred at the Cloud Stadium. We have reports that the entire city of Cloudsdale felt what you did, so strongly you exerted your power. Nopony in living memory has the raw power you possess, Rainbow Dash. It is no exaggeration why the Commander was named as such, by the little snippets we have left.”

“So... What you're telling me is that I am this super-mega-awesome pegasus that has so much power that I could potentially create a storm so powerful I might accidentally destroy Equestria?!” Rainbow says, beginning nonchalantly but quickly rising to a squeak as shock makes her quickly freeze.

“Yes. We are.” Spring Breeze says flatly. At his words, Rainbow simply gives up trying to understand; and promptly faints dead away.

When Rainbow Dash opens her eyes, she finds that she was moved to a guest room somewhere in the Castle. So uncool. She thinks as she remembers fainting in front of everypony. Her embarrassment doesn't last long though, as she remembers what they told her. Tossing her blanket over her head, she curls up underneath it, fear making her shiver. Why me? Nopony should have that much power, but why me of all ponies? I'm not like Twilight who can shoulder that kind of responsibility. Sure, I've never let my friends down when it counts, but now I have to be there for all the ponies of Equestria?! There's just no way I can do that! A knock at the door sounds suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts. She lies there, not saying anything, but the door opens anyways. The soft clack of metal on stone tells her that it's the Princess come to visit her.

“Rainbow Dash?” She says cautiously. “I'm sorry this came as such a shock, but I had hoped to have a little talk with you before something happened like it did. I knew a little of the lore pertaining to what a Sky Loved is, but apparently not enough. Most of my ignorance springs from the rarity of their appearance and that they were from before my time in Equestria. I had no idea you would manifest such strength in so little time and I let not only you, but many others down due to my inaction. It's my job to be able to help all of my subjects, and I let you down most of all.” The Princess turns to leave but Rainbow suddenly tosses the covers off and stands up on the bed, making her pause.

“It's not your fault Princess. Not one bit, so don't you go blaming yourself.” She says hurriedly, stamping her hoof on the bed. “I just don't know what I should do, and it's not like you're supposed to know everything. I mean, suddenly I've changed into this thing called a 'Sky Loved' and I have so much power I'm afraid of what I might do by accident... From getting angry, I caused a mass panic... I mean, that's something I never want to repeat. Ever.”

“Oh Rainbow Dash.” The Princess says, closing the distance to pull the smaller pony into a warm embrace. “I want to help you with this in any way possible. I don't want you to change anything about yourself at all. I hope that we can get all this figured out as soon as possible. But there is one thing I have to tell you that may disappoint you... I've had you removed from the remaining events of the competition.”

“It's okay Princess... I don't know if I'd be up for it anyways since I know all of this now. Maybe it was for the best... Especially since it's not fair to everypony else that's competing. But I can't deny that I'm really sad I'm gonna miss a chance to have dinner with my instructors at the Flight Academy.” Dash replies sadly.

“Oh, I think I can come up with a solution to that at the very least.” Celestia says with a warm smile. “I'll talk to Spitfire about inviting a 'special guest' to their dinner. I know it might not be the way you had hoped to get there, but I think it may be for the best.”

“You'd do that?! Really! You have no idea how much this means to me... But I think I have an apology to make first to a large group of pegasi... Have you found everypony I scared off?” Dash asks looking really embarrassed.

“Yes, we have, and they are none the worse for wear. Though we had to search the longest for Fluttershy and little Scootaloo. They flew all the way back to Ponyville if you can believe it!” She says with a gentle laugh and getting a disbelieving one from Rainbow. “To be honest, once you fainted you wouldn't wake up at all. It's actually a half hour before dawn. We decided it was best to let you get your rest since you had quite the yesterday. I came to visit you because I felt your magic stir. Sorry for barging in like that, but I felt like I should apologize to you as soon as possible.”

“Ugh... That's so uncool...” She says not realizing her statement was ambiguous. “N-n-not you Princess or anything about what you said, I meant about me and my fainting like that. But, do you think it would be possible for me to apologize to everypony before they start the first event of the day?”

“There shouldn't be any problem with that. I'll make the arrangements after I raise the sun.” She says letting go of Rainbow to make her way out to go about her daily duties.

“Princess?” Dash says just as she's about to leave. “Thanks again. For everything.”

Celestia nods with a smile and leaves the room.

Now. Rainbow Dash was nervous. Blow through a race that took the Wonderbolts two hours to finish? No problem. Do a fashion show with your friends hopes and dreams hanging in the balance? Sure thing. Making a public apology to not only your friends, but a large crowd of strangers? That would give anypony a case of cold hooves. But it has to be done, and Rainbow Dash won't let anything get in the way of the things that matter.

Rainbow Dash is waiting just inside the castles main doors with the main courtyard completely filled with ponies, their hushed conversations creating a dull buzz that drones through the air. Rumors and speculation runs rampant through the congregated mass of ponies as they wonder what's in store for them today. Well, it won't be long... Or as long as it takes Dash settles her high strung nerves enough to go out there. Okay... Deep breaths, like Twilight taught me. In... And out. In... And out.

With one last breath, Dash blows it through her nose forcefully and nods to the two guards set to open the doors when she's ready. The doors open slowly, a brilliant shaft of golden morning light landing on Dash which causes her to squint from the sudden increase of light. Once she gets used to the light she steps forward confidently yet lacking any trace of arrogance or bravado. She wasn't here to make something of herself after all, she owed these ponies a sincere apology. She stops at the edge of the top step and swallows audibly as she scans the crowd which has become so quiet you could hear the wind blowing through the courtyard.

“Hello everypony. I'm sure you all know why you're here this morning. Yesterday, something happened that terrified you ponies, something that shouldn't have happened in the first place. It's not my place to tell you everything about what happened, but it was me that caused your panic. I don't know how to show or explain how sorry I am, but I will do everything I can to make sure it never happens again.” She takes a deep breath before she says one last thing. “Everypony... I don't know if you can forgive me right away, but I want to apologize to all of you for yesterday.”

She didn't know what it was that she expected, but the gentle clapping of the amassed ponies certainly was a surprise. Looking out at the crowd, she sees their expressions ranging from a bit grumpy to rueful to even the odd smirk, though most wear a carefully neutral expression. In that moment, Rainbow Dash feels as though a weight is lifted from her. Her heart doesn't quite soar, but she definitely feels better that she is forgiven... For the most part anyways. She isn't quite sure what to do next, but the ponies seem to. Some of them who have duties choose to depart quietly while others begin to walk up the steps to talk to her, so Rainbow meets them halfway. For the most part they talk about inconsequential things and her performances yesterday, both on and off the track. But the one thing Rainbow makes sure of is to apologize again personally to each pony that comes to talk with her. She's not sure how long she spends talking with these ponies, but by the time she's done the sun has risen noticeably and she's ready to take a small nap. As she walks up the stairs again to the castle, she finds all of her friends waiting for her.

“That was very brave of you, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity says as she steps forward. “I'm certain it was daunting to face so many ponies who were so frightened yesterday. Your actions truly make me proud to call you my dear friend.”

“Darn tootin'!” Applejack pipes in. “That took some real gumption.”

“Thanks guys.” Rainbow says as she turns to her three winged companions. “But I still have three more, personal, apologies to make.”

“I-It's okay, Rainbow. W-We know you d-didn't m-m-mean it.” Fluttershy says timidly, moving slightly behind Twilight.

“No, it's not 'okay,' Fluttershy.” Dash says gruffly. “Not only did I cause a mass panic, but I also scared you three senseless... My own friends... That's so not cool. I don't know how I'm gonna do it yet, but I'll definitely make it up to you guys.”

“If you want to make it up to me, really make it up, then you'll just apologize to me. Nothing more.” Twilight says with a moderately stern expression. “I wouldn't be a good friend if I let you bend yourself backwards trying to make it up to me, especially since you never meant for it to happen in the first place.”

“That's right.” Scootaloo says grumpily. “What Twilight said.”

Fluttershy steps out a little bit and nods firmly in agreement.

“Alright... Since that's what you guys want.” Dash says resignedly. “Scootaloo? Fluttershy? Twilight? Can you three forgive me for what happened yesterday?”

They all smile as one and nod in acceptance. Dash smiles happily and she feels as though she's the luckiest mare in the world right now to have such great friends who ask for so little yet give so much. Even if they don't realize it. As a group, they make their way back into the castle to grab a little snack before the next event. Rainbow can't help but remember the Princess' words from earlier and decides to mention it.

“So... Fluttershy... Did you really fly yourself and Scootaloo all the way back to Ponyville yesterday?”

A deep blush and a noncommittal whisper is her only reply.

Author's Note

What will happen to our friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash now? Where will she go and what will she do after this? What about Lightning Dust? All these questions and more in store for you in the next installment!