***
"Dad! Dad! You're sleeping in!? Get up!"
A polychromatic blur of feathers and fur rocketed onto my bed before I had the chance to seek shelter under the covers. Without a moment's pause it began to jump all over my bed, several times on my chest, all the while chanting "Getupgetupgetupgetup!" I don't know why I even bothered to set my alarm this morning.
"Alright, alright! I give in! I'm awake already!" I said in surrender. After a few more jumps to be sure I was awake, my daughter finally relinquished her assault on my bed sheets.
"You'd better be!" she said with a stern pout fit to make even Celestia submit. I groggily rolled out of my bed under the stern eye of my irrepressible daughter. Nopony argues once "The Pout" is out. I gave her a faint smile, then faked a wince of pain.
"Ooh, my chest! I think you may have broken a rib or something, kiddo! I don't know if I can go in today!" I staggered back and fell onto my bed melodramatically, clutching my claimed-to-be-injured chest.
"Daaaaaad!" whined Rainbow. "Stop being silly! You're fine! Get your lazy rump outta bed!"
I laid in bed a few moments longer, letting my tongue stick out for effect.
"All right! You asked for it!"
Rainbow leapt onto me again and started bouncing on my chest like a rubber ball. She's right; I did kinda ask for it.
"Oof! O-ohkay, Dashie!" I laughed between bounces. "I'm really getting up now, but you might really break something if you keep bouncing on me like that!"
She hopped down and sped off to the kitchen as I blew my colorful mess of a mane out of my face. I yawned and stretched a night's worth of stiffness from my limbs. I worked my wings around a few times to get the kinks out, giving extra attention to my right wing. I heard my daughter yell at me from the kitchen.
"Don't make me come back in there!" she said. I guess I was taking a bit too long for her. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I finished my stretching.
Before I left my room I glanced back at the clock. 5:00 A.M. it read. She woke me up an hour early, but I can't say that I blame her. That little bundle of terror of mine would never allow me to be late for work today. I had promised her that she could come with me today, and she didn't take that promise lightly.
As I entered the kitchen, my nose was met by the scent of toast being burned to a crisp. "Oh boy, I can smell breakfast cooking!" I said with a sunny smile and a few sharp sniffs. "Smells, *sniff*, better than yesterday's ashes!"
Rainbow's multicolored head peeped out from behind the open cabinet door. She gave me another one of her signature grumpy pouts. "Hey! It wasn't that bad!" she said.
I walked over to the smoking toaster and popped out the charred remains of bread. I held them up and looked over to Rainbow with a grin.
"Ah, ashes! Just the way I like 'em! Oooo, and just the right texture, too!"
"Ha ha, very funny!" she groaned as she perused the contents of the cabinet. She looked up to the highest shelf where we kept the jam and worked herself into a crouch like a cat ready to pounce.
"Umm, do you need me to get that for you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope! I've got it!" she said, screwing up her face in concentration. She sprung upwards as high as her little legs and wings could carry her. At the peak of her leap, she reached out and fluttered her tiny wings madly. The jam jar was still just a few inches out of reach. She fell back on her flank with a whump. I chortled a bit at her efforts and she shot me a glare.
"Well, you got one shelf higher than a week ago. That's improvement!" I said. I shrank back in terror as Rainbow aimed a playful kick at me.
"Hmph!" she humphed, crossing her forehooves grumpily. She looked back at me with a determination in her fierce eyes that I knew all too well. "One day, I'll reach that top shelf!" she proclaimed, like she was conquering all of Equestria. I laughed and picked her up in my hooves. She started laughing too as I tossed her into the air.
"One day you'll reach higher than that silly shelf," I laughed. "You'll reach so high, ponies will need binoculars to see you! You'll reach so high, the sun might get jealous!" I kept tossing her up and catching her in my hooves, the two of us laughing wildly.
"Higher! Higher!" she squealed with delight. I winced slightly as the tendon in my right wing felt the strain of my activity. I quickly hid the wince behind a smile.
"I can't just toss you around all day! We'd miss work if I did!" I set her down softly. She wriggled free of my grasp as soon as her hooves touched the ground.
"No way that's happening!" she said, speeding off to her room. She reappeared wearing her favorite Wonderbolts sports cap, the one with the little white wings on the side and a shining gold lightning bolt in the center.
I couldn't help smiling at my precious little Dash, with those big, endearing eyes, and "eager" written all over that irresistible face. My heart melted a few times right then. What I wouldn't give to keep that mental snapshot forever. For a few seconds I just stood there staring at her with what must have been a pretty goofy smile.
"Umm, dad? What are you staring at?" she said, waving a hoof in front of my face. "Something wrong with my hat?" She worriedly began inspecting her cap.
"What? Oh, no, Rainbow! You're hat's just perfect!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" She shot off in a blur for the front door.
I laughed and shook my head. "Breakfast, maybe?"
***
I decided we could forego breakfast at home today. Dashie just seemed all too eager to get moving, and I still had the scent of burnt toast in my muzzle.
"We'll stop by the donut shop and pick up a few glazed with the rainbow sprinkles. How's that sound, kiddo?" My call fell on deaf ears attached to a hyperactive body already speeding down the street to the donut shop. Maybe sugar wasn't the best idea.
I let her run ahead while I took in the morning sights. The sun was just about to rise and I could see the colors of the sky changing gradually from grey to gold. Little wispy clouds hovered around the sleepy streets, tossing sunlight here and there, and covering shops in their warm honey-glaze. Cloudsdale had the best mornings in Equestria, and not just because it said so in Informed Equestrian Explorer. A Cloudsdale morning was always pure, always right. Cloudsdale caught the first rays of sunshine before the rest of Equestria, and that made it something special.
Right now, my little ray of sunshine was catching me stalling on her.
"Oh my gosh, daddy! You are so slow today!" huffed Rainbow when I finally arrived at the donut shop. She tapped her hoof impatiently.
I smiled and bopped the brim of her hat. "You think they're gonna run outta donuts while you're waiting?" I teased. She rolled her eyes back at me and trotted into the shop.
A charming tinkle of a bell hanging above the door announced our entrance to the cozy little donut shop. There was not a single customer in the shop besides ourselves. Warm, sweet smells tempted our snouts as we approached the front counter.
A portly little brown pegasus stallion trotted in from the kitchen and greeted us warmly; good 'ol Jim. He had jowls like a bulldog and a heart as big as a buffalo. He was one of the nicest stallions you could ever hope to meet. I still had the coffee mug he gave me for my wedding.
"Moinin', Split," he said in his quaint Manehatten accent.
"Mornin', Jim," I replied with a little nod.
"And lookie who we got 'eah! Li'l miss Dash 'ehself!" He beamed brightly upon noticing my daughter standing at my side. "Whaddaya doin' out wid ya pop dis moinin'?"
"I'm going with him to work today!" she pronounced proudly puffing out her chest. "I'm gonna meet the Wonderbolts in person!"
"Is dat so?" he replied, leaning over the counter.
I looked down at my daughter with a weak smile and patted her on the head. "Now, Dashie, I didn't make any promises! I said they might be there today. They change their training schedules so suddenly sometimes."
"Pretty big Wondabolts fan, ah we?" said Jim, still grinning at Rainbow. "Who's ya faivrit flya?" You could tell by the way Rainbow's eyes lit up that she had prepared for just such a question.
"I think Misty Fly has got some sweet moves. Her Triple Tailwind Tumble is, like, completely awesome! But she's got nothin' on Fleetfoot's speed! Have you seen her wings move? Neither have I! That's how fast she is! But then there's Spitfire, the youngest flyer to ever become captain of the Wonderbolts! She's got the style, the speed....yeah, pretty much everything!" Before I could raise a hoof to stop her, she began dashing around the tiny shop in emulation of her idol. Jim didn't seem to mind. He thought it was a riot.
"Hahaha! Jus' like dat, eh?" he hooted.
"Zoooooom! Whoooooooosssshhh! Eeeeeeearrrrrrr!" She jumped up on the tables and began to leap between them in her aerial acrobatics. Her tiny wings fluttered with each leap, trying to support her insignificant weight. I watched anxiously as she leapt about. Jim was laughing his jowls off. I couldn't help but smile and chuckle along with him.
"Heheh, careful now, Dashie!"
"Whooooooooossssh-zoooooo-whoa!"
Her hoof caught on the edge of one of the tables and she lost her balance. My heart took a plunge into my hooves as I dove to steady her before she fell.
"Whoops! That was a close one, kiddo!" I breathed heavily. "Let's give the tables a break, okay?"
She looked up at me, a bit of The Pout coming out to protest. Celestia help me, if she didn't look so much like her mother right then. I gave her a soft but stern look, and she reluctantly obeyed.
I blew a bit of my mane out of my face. "I think we're ready to order now, Jim." I turned around to the counter where Rainbow as already selecting the donut she wanted.
"That glazed one with the rainbow sprinkles!"
"Excellent choice! What'll it be fa you, Split?"
"Same as she's havin'. She's got great taste!" I replied.
The register went *ding* and a paper bag was tossed over the counter as Jim hollered: "Two glazed rainbows, comin' at'cha!"
I caught the bag in my teeth and passed it down to my daughter. "Rainbow, why don't you go get us a spot at one of the tables outside so we can get a good view of the sunrise?" I said. "Looks like a real good one today!"
That little filly needed no second bidding, and she dashed out the door hardly allowing the bell to chime. I grinned, turning back to the counter. I dug a few bits out of my saddle bag to pay for our breakfast.
"She's a real cute kid, Split," said Jim.
"Yeah," I nodded. "She's my little Whirlwind Wonder. Don't know how I've managed to keep my mane on my head."
"Keeps ya hooves outta trouble, don' she?"
"Yep. By keeping hers outta trouble." I placed my bits on the counter and scratched my neck. "Oh, sorry Jim, was it two bits or four?" I shook my head, digging my hoof into my saddle bag again. "Heh, speaking of trouble...."
Jim looked over the bits on the counter. He gave me a look over the rim of his cheeks, then a kindly smile formed beneath them.
"Hey, I got'cha buddy. No chahge."
"No, Jim, I couldn't-"
"Well, I can," he said. I couldn't believe my eyes as he filled an empty box with donuts and shoved it over the counter at me. "Take deeze wid ya too."
"No, Jim, I-I couldn't," I protested, pushing the box back. "That's real nice of you to offer and all, but really-"
Jim pushed the box back to me firmly. "Take 'em!"
"....it's fine-"
"I ain't takin' no for an ansa, Split!" Jim kept his hoof planted firmly against the box. I knew Jim well enough. There was no way that box was getting back across the counter. I sighed and accepted the box gratefully.
"Dat's moah like it!" he said with an immense grin. "Now, get out deah wid ya dauhta! She's gonna ruin my clean windows if ya don't!" Sure enough, as I turned back around I could see my daughter's face plastered against the front window, her eyes crossed and her cheeks puffed out in an attempt to grab my attention. Yep, she was my kid alright. I nodded at her to assure her that I had seen how great she looked.
"Thanks again, Jim," I said, giving him a wave.
"Don' mention it!" he hollered.
Rainbow removed her face from the glass as I emerged from the shop. "Finally!" she groaned, tossing her tiny hooves in the air. "Geez daddy, that took forever! We'll never get to the Cloudaseum on time now!"
"Oh stop worryin'," I laughed. She gave me a pout and I knocked her hat from her head. She hastily picked up her hat and dusted it off, horrified that I would do such a thing.
I made another jab for her hat and she dodged it. "Still plenty of time before my shift starts," I said with a sigh. "And the Wonderbolts won't even start practicing until at least a half-hour after that. You're not gonna miss anything, Miss Impatient-Pants."
We both sat in silence for a little while as we admired the sun rising over the clouds. Rainbow looked over to me with an irresistible grin. "I got a pretty good spot, didn't I?" she said proudly. "A real B-three, huh?"
"Definitely," I said, leaning back into my seat. "Best seat in the house, for sure."
Rainbow slumped into her chair, the remains of her doughnut encircling her lips. Her face looked like a perfect blue sky with little rainbow sprinkles all over it. Her eyes sparkled, so much like her mother's.
"Daddy," she said, "why do you keep staring at me like that?"
"Hmmm? Staring?"
"Yeah, staring. Your eyes look kinda funny...."
I wiped a hoof over my eyes. "Oh, umm....you've got something on your cheek, Rainbow."
"Oh really? Where? Here?"
"Nope, a little higher."
"There, did I get it?"
"Smidgeon higher."
"Gone yet?"
I reached over and brushed the sprinkles off her face. "There. Gone now."
***
Rainbow's cute little squeal of delight was music to my ears as we flew down the sleepy streets of Cloudsdale. The brisk morning air whistled in my ears and stung my cheeks, probably one of the best sensations known to pegasi. Most of the shops lining the streets weren't even open yet. There were a few early-birds out watering their cumulus gardens, and a few paper colts missing front porches by yards, but otherwise, we were the only ponies out and about at that hour.
"Higher! Faster! Faster!" Rainbow giggled, bopping me on the head to egg me on.
"Alright, now you asked for it! Hang on tight!"
"Weeeeeeeeee! Hahaha!"
Her gleeful cheers echoed off the walls of houses and shops. She was probably waking up half the neighborhood right now. I thought what the hay, and cheered along.
"Yaaaaaaahoooooooooooooo!" Boy, how I had missed that feeling.
Suddenly Rainbow stood up on my back and began to shout. "There it is! I can see it!" She eagerly pointed ahead of us. "Daddy, I can see it! Can you see it?"
"Well, maybe I could, if your hoof wasn't - mph! - on my muzzle, kiddo!" I alighted to let her off, wincing as her hoof dug into my wing socket. As soon as I landed, Rainbow leapt off my back and zoomed towards the front entrance.
The Cloudaseum hovered majestically before us as the suns peaking rays filtered through the tall archways and pearly columns. Wreathed in sun-graced mist, it looked like a spectacular golden crown, studded with fluttering pennants proudly displaying the Cloudsdale colors. Its splendor became suddenly much more imposing, with my little Rainbow Dash's miniscule body bouncing around the high-arched entryway. I could hear her yelling for me to get a move on as I took the last hundred feet on hoof.
"Let'sgolet'sgolet'sgogogo!"
"Alright, alright, here I am!" I said, breathing heavily at the front gate. "Next time, you get to do the flying, and I get to do the head-bopping!"
We both made our way up to the tall front gates of the Cloudeseum, Rainbow tugging on my tail each step of the way. "Hurry up, hurry up! The Wonderbolts will be done practicing by the time we get inside!" she moaned. I grinned at her, then proceeded to check through every single key on my key ring.
"Oh no, I think I brought the wrong keys!" I said, trying my best not to laugh. Rainbow moaned even louder.
"Ah, wait, here it is!" I pronounced, holding up the gate key. I unlocked the gate and opened it as slowly as I dared. I could almost feel Rainbow lining up another kick for me. Once the gate had opened wide enough, she wriggled through by the fur of her neck, not giving a moment's pause. Before I could stop her, she was around the corner and out into the stadium.
"No, Dashie! Wait!" I charged in as fast as my hooves could carry me. The stadium was massive, with rows upon rows of stands, and box seats going high up into the stratosphere. In the center, the great hole that was the "floor" of the stadium opened up to nothing but empty space, with the ground far, far below.
"Rainbow, where are you?" I yelled with a cracked pitch in my voice. My eyes darted high and low, my gut doing summersaults each time I looked low. That gaping hole in the center looked incredibly sinister. From behind, a voice called out to me - the sweetest sound I could hope to hear.
"Daddy, over here!"
My head whipped around, quick as a flash. "Oh, there you are, Rainbow!" I sighed. "Don't ever run off into the stadium like that again! You had me worried sick!" She was sitting in our favorite spot in the stands, with a pout on her face that made me look like the culprit.
"Daddy, the Wonderbolts aren't practicing yet," she humphed. "When are they gonna be here?"
I sat down next to her, putting my hoof over her shoulder. "I told you we were early, you just didn't listen to me. They should be here in thirty minutes or so, but complaining about it won't make them come any quicker."
"Ugh, thirty minutes?" she groaned, slumping over onto my lap. "Thirty whole stinkin' minutes? Who's got time for that?"
I smiled at her and looked at my watch. A glint caught my eye, coming from the crystal statue at the far end of the stadium. "You can watch the sun as it rises through the Skylight Pegasus," I said, gesturing to the statue. As the sun rose, the light shone through the statue, making brilliant rainbows spill over the stadium. It was considered the crown jewel of the Cloudeseum, and the one thing they forgot to mention about Cloudsdale in Informed Equestrian Explorer.
"That's pretty cool to watch, isn't it?" I said.
"Hmph," humphed Rainbow unhappily. "It can't do a Triple Tailwind Tumble."
"Well then," I said, "I guess we'll just both sit here and be bored." I stroked Rainbow's mane and glanced at my watch again. Work could wait for now.
***
My wings strained and I could almost hear my tendons screaming at me. Luckily, I had my daughter here to drown out the screaming in my tendons.
"A little to the left!" she yelled.
My breath came out in short gasps as I hefted the training ring into position. "How's it look?" I grunted.
"A little-no, now that's too low! Lift it up! Up! That's it, just a smidgeon more...."
The ring slipped slightly in my grasp. I moved swiftly to steady it. My right wing felt like it was being torn from its socket. With a final tendon-wrenching shove, I pushed the ring up to the last rung of the mounting pole. It slid into place with a satisfying clank. "Does it look good?" I called to Rainbow, practically wheezing my lungs out.
"Perfect!" she replied. "Just a few more now! Remember, Spitfire uses five rings in her Jetstream Joust routine!" I'm pretty sure my daughter was trying to kill me.
Rainbow oversaw my final ring-setting with a critical eye. Everything had to be absolutely perfect for the Wonderbolts, otherwise they wouldn't want to practice here, or so Rainbow feared. She kept me in line like I was a slouchy military recruit.
"That one's leaning to the left! Straighten it out! Oh, and that one's too low again! Hurry up and fix it, daddy! The Wonderbolts could be here any second!"
I don't know how I was ever able to do this job without my daughter. But thankfully, the remaining rings got progressively smaller, so the job didn't get any harder, and we finished long before the Wonderbolts finally arrived. They were twenty minutes later than I had expected; Rainbow was almost dying. It wasn't characteristic of them to be late, and I was a bit surprised. They seemed kind of grumpy to me, but that obviously wasn't what Rainbow saw. She could hardly contain herself.
They pointed hooves at Misty Fly, who had apparently lost her training jersey, and had stalled the entire team as she attempted to hunt it down. "I could have sworn that it was in the washer last night!" she said. "Maybe it got mixed with the darks, and not the lights? Ugh, maybe I should just get a new one." Rainbow hung on every word Misty Fly spoke. She thought Misty was the coolest thing she had ever seen.
"I'll go grab you a new one from training storage," I said. "By the way, this is my daughter. She's wanted to meet you guys for some time now. Hey kiddo, come on up here and meet the Wonderbolts!"
I could hear Rainbow squee from behind me. She squeed even louder when Spitfire walked right up to her. "Hey, kid!" she said. "Come over here and meet the team! This here's Misty Fly, that's Fleetfoot, and this guy's Soarin. My name's Spitfire, and I'm the team captain. What's your name, kid?"
The only words that Rainbow could manage were, "ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!"
"That's a pretty long name, but I'm sure I'll remember it!" Spitfire chuckled.
I coughed. "I'm gonna go get your jersey now, Misty," I said. "Rainbow, make sure these ponies don't get into any trouble now. I'm counting on you to keep a close eye on them. Their trainer would have my wings clipped if I lost track of these guys." Spitfire gave another chuckle.
I left Rainbow basking in the glow of her heroes while I went to fetch another training jersey from storage. Training equipment storage was in the locker room beneath the stadium. I really liked the Wonderbolts' locker room. When I stepped inside, I breathed deeply, smelling that old, familiar scent of pinewood benches and finely-aged gym socks. The locker room was large, with sunlight dimly drifting from the windows. Lockers lined the walls and dusty trophies glinted weakly from the shelves. There were several pictures on the walls, too. Pictures of the old teams captured in mid-flight. At the end of the wall closest to the door was a picture of the current team, with Spitfire zooming boldly at the front. It looked like a place where rousing speeches were meant to be made, and future heroes were inspired.
I stopped before a very familiar locker and put my hoof over the wood, where you could still just barely see the name beneath several layers of paint. A long time ago, that name hadn't been painted over, but had once stood out in bright gold letters.
Split Second. That name had stood out there proudly for an entire day.
I returned to the stadium with Misty's new jersey, and found Rainbow mingling with the Wonderbolts like she was already part of the team. She spoke a mile a minute, and kept zooming around in little circles, chanting "ohmygosh!" whenever she got a chance. The team laughed uproariously at my daughter's antics.
"Well, here's your new jersey, Misty," I said. I smiled at my daughter, who was still running around between the Wonderbolts' legs. "I hope the Dash Attack hasn't run you all ragged before you've even started training!" Spitfire laughed and tousled Rainbow's mane.
"Whew! This kid's a maniac!" she said. "I can hardly keep up with her! She knows all my routines better than I know them!"
"Daddy! Spitfire's gonna show us all her moves right now! Can you believe it??" Rainbow leapt onto my back and began bouncing over every square inch of it.
"That's great, Dashie!" I said, both wincing and smiling. "A private show from the Wonderbolts! Not just anypony gets this kind of treatment. What did you do to them? Threaten to bounce all over them if they didn't fly for you?" Spitfire got another chuckle out of that.
"Nope," said Spitfire. "But Rainbow here is a special filly, and she deserves a special treat." Rainbow sqeed with delight.
"Spitfire thinks I'm special?? Awesome!!"
The team was up in the air in no time. Rainbow dashed away to our favorite spot in the stands. She didn't want to miss a thing, and wanted the best view for it. I sat down next to her. "Best seat in the house!" I said.
Rainbow shushed me as though it were rude to speak during the show. The Wonderbolts flew out over the stands in perfect formation. Suddenly, Rainbow jabbed me in the side. "Daddy!" she said, "That's my spot you're sitting in! B-four is over there!"
"Oh, whoops!" I said, looking at the number on my seat. "Sorry, Dashie. Here, I'll move over." Rainbow took her seat, but didn't keep it for very long. Every other second she was jumping about on the hoofrests or on the seat in front of her, too excited to sit still. At one point she even asked if she could sit on my shoulders, and you couldn't say no to a face like hers.
The show was a real spectacle, even if it was a bit early, and the team had woken up less than an hour ago and were all in training outfits. They zoomed about the sky in dazzling formations, criss-crossing the air with tricky patterns and acrobatic flips. When they got to the hoops, my eyes couldn't keep up with the dizzying pace at which they weaved and corkscrewed around and through, never missing a wing-beat, and never once bumping the hoops. Rainbow was having the time of her life, judging by the way she kept yanking on my mane.
"Woah, look at them go, daddy! They're so...so awesome! They are just the absolute best thing in the entire world! I would give anything to be just like them when I grow up! Did you ever want to be a Wonderbolt too, daddy?"
"You know what I always wanted to be, Dashie? Your daddy," I replied. "That's my dream: to be the best daddy that I can be for you." I reached a hoof back to pat Rainbow's head. She stopped tugging at my mane for a second.
"Really?" she said.
"Yes, really," I replied, looking up at her with a smile. She pondered this silently for a moment.
"Even after mommy died?"
"After mommy died, do you know what I wanted then?" I said. "I wanted to be your daddy even more."
She didn't say a word for several seconds after that. The Wonderbolts continued whizzing about through the air over our heads, but I got the feeling that Rainbow wasn't really watching them anymore. She'd stopped tugging at my mane completely. "Something wrong?" I asked. Suddenly, she perked up.
"When I grow up, I want to be a daddy too!" she said.
I burst out laughing. A few of the flyers paused in their routines to give me strange looks. "I bet you'll make a great daddy," I said, wiping tears from my eyes. "I bet you'll make a great anything, Dashie."
***
