Showing True Talent

Dash woke up with confidence running pure. She bolted down a quick breakfast and zoomed over to the Wonderbolt Academy, landing perfectly on the launch runway. She waited, quite a while. She was patient. Beyond her nature it was, but she was willing to wait however long to be seen by Spitfire and the rest of the team.

Eventually Spitfire trotted out, clipboard and commander uniform on. She had already marked a box down as complete:

[X] Patience

“Okay then hotshot. Amaze me” she spoke, in her commander voice. She sounded completely different from last night.

Dash’s plan was like this:

1. High speed fly-by

2. Model clouds- Wonderbolt logo

3. Clean skies fast as possible

4. Do 200 laps

5. Bucaneer Blaze

6. Single Rainboom

7. ^ Double it!!! ^

Firstly, the High Speed fly-by. A no brainer. The sky model was a no brainer too. A quick peek I take behind me and I see it’s perfect.

Clearing the skies is easy. Doing it fast can be tricky. Thanks to years of being Ponyville’s weather manager, the sky gets cleared faster than ever. Now for 200 laps. Bah. Too easy. I add an extra 600 laps on top for good measure so my lap counter ticks up to 800 laps. Now the heat is really on. The Bucaneer Blaze goes off without a hitch. I’m surprised my wings don’t even ache by now. Thank you again Twilight for the training!

It’s.

Rainboom.

Time.

I just hope Twilight’s magic holds up as I head into the dive, from a higher height than usual. Spitfire notices something’s up. The familiar squeezing comes forth as my usual Rainboom bursts forth, but my confidence soars higher than ever as the sight of the Wonderbolt captain has looked up from her writing, all focus on me. The look of “Is she really…?” is pasted perfectly on her face. Flapping my wings faster than ever, I push harder and harder but can’t break the barrier.

One image: Me as a Wonderbolt and my frustration that I could be let down here by a stupid barrier. That’s what I needed! I flap my wings faster than ever before the barrier fails before me and the Double Rainboom echoes forth, reaching Spitfire and knocking her back a good way across the Academy fields.

The Rainboom spreads further than the usual one I do, encompassing as far as Canterlot. In Canterlot, Princess Luna is reading a book with a window open. The accelerated air flowing in through the windows knocks her back a fair way. She shakes her head, and sees Rainbow’s Double Rainboom in the distance, slowly fading over the Academy, and doesn’t believe it.

Back at the Academy airfield, I land on the runway with perfection, then collapse right where I landed.

I open my eyes, to see the entire Wonderbolt team and my friends all around a hospital bed. Well, almost all the Wonderbolts. One was missing.

“You’re awake sugarcube” says Applejack

“Spitfire left that box for you” Twilight says, pointing beside me. Taped to the box was the checklist Spitfire must have used when she marked me.

[X] Patience.

[X] Dedication.

[X] Focus.

[X] Able to inspire others.

[X] Can work in a team.

[X] Maintain a professional attitude.

[X] Always does what’s right.

[X] Loyal to the Wonderbolts.

The last option was scribbled in on the bottom and earned a smirk from me:

[X] Can break records and look totally awesome at the same time!

A couple days later and I’m tidying up my cloud home. The initial hype over my Double Rainboom hasn’t quite died down, when I remember I still haven’t opened the box Spitfire left for me. Inside it was a letter and a smaller box:

Rainbow Dash:

Sorry I couldn’t be beside you at the bed, but I had other commitments. I wish you all the best for the future as a Wonderbolt and hope to be flying beside you soon after you complete your training. I’ll be honoured to see how you turn out. You’ve got some real guts and talent to do a double rainboom. Just remember those friends who helped you get where you are.

P.S. Keep up the awesome work!

P.P.S. See you at 0800 sharp on Tuesday on base.

Spitfire.

Inside was the signed Wonderbolt uniform Spitfire had promised. When I realise that today is Tuesday, and I look at the clock with half an hour to go. I have but two words to say:

Game on.