The New Pegasus In Townby Scarlet WonderChaptersWho Is He?That Stormy NightSick DayThe RaceThe StormWho Is He?It was peaceful day in the land of Equestria; nothing could go wrong on such a fine day. A gentle breeze flowed through the grassy fields and the skies were clearer than ever. A blue Pegasus who was covered by a dark cloak was walking along a dirt path headed towards the town of Ponyville carrying a saddle bag. He removed the hood of his cloak to allow the gentle breeze to blow through his mane as he walked along his path; he opened his wings to let the air breeze through his feathers. He enjoyed the feeling of the wind more than anypony he knew, not the wind you get from flying at great speeds, but the gentle wind that came from nature itself. He took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes, and then exhaled while opening them back up. "There it is, Ponyville. My new home." he said as he lowered his hood. ~~~~~ Everypony in town was outside enjoying the day, but nopony was enjoying it more than Rainbow Dash. Today she had the day off from weather patrol and it was clear skies which made it perfect for some flight practice. She had been practicing her new moves for days in hopes of impressing the Wonderbolts. Occasionally she would drift off in the middle of practice and imagine herself as the captain of the Wonderbolts with Spitfire and Soarin flying right by her side. She had Fluttershy watch her since she was the only one not busy enough to watch Rainbow practice. Rainbow attempted to perform the Buccaneer Blitz as a finishing move for her routine, but she began to lose herself in another one of her fantasies and ended up crashing head first into the ground. Fluttershy walked over and watched as Rainbow pushed against the ground, "Good job Rainbow Dash! That was wonderful! Um, are you alright?" Rainbow finally managed to pry her head out of the dirt, "Yeah, I totally meant to do that! I was thinking of changing my landing techniques a bit though. How about we go into town for a quick break?" "That sounds nice; you have been working on your routine for a long time now." Fluttershy said as they began walking into town. "Well yeah," Rainbow began, "If I'm going to be part of the Wonderbolts then I'm going to have to really show them my stuff! I can't afford any slip ups or I'll never get in!" "I'm sure you'll be just fine Rainbow. We all believe in you after all." said Fluttershy with a warm smile. Rainbow looked over at her, "Thanks Fluttershy, it helps when you know that others believe in you as well." Rainbow looked forward to see a strange looking pony, "Huh? Who's this guy? I've never seen him before." Rainbow stared at this pony that was covered in some sort of cloak so you couldn't see his face. He kept on walking by as other ponies stopped by to look at him, but he didn't look back or say anything to them. He just kept going as Rainbow and Fluttershy made their way into town to get something to eat. Rainbow couldn't help but look back at him as she walked away; she wondered why he was wearing such strange clothing. Suddenly out of nowhere they heard a scream come from across town. "Help me! Somepony please help me!" shouted the voice of a pony who was hanging onto her balcony that was about to break at any moment. Rainbow took to the skies looking for where the cries for help were coming from. Finally she spotted the pony and began flying towards her as fast as she could, "Hang on!" she shouted. As she dived toward the balcony her mane and tail began to create a rainbow of colors that followed her as she flew. The balcony had suddenly snapped in two causing the pony to fall and Rainbow began to pick up her speed. Oh no! I'm not going to make it! She thought. Then before she could even blink, a rainbow of blue colors flew right by her at incredible speeds. It dashed by and caught the falling pony before she could hit the ground. The cheers of many ponies filled the town as the ponies savior began to float back gently onto the ground. The Pegasus who saved her ended up being the same one that Rainbow had just seen not too long ago. "T-t-thank you." said the pony as she let go of her hero. The Pegasus' hood had come off during his flight, revealing his face to the ponies who were standing nearby. "No problem, I'm glad I could help." He was a blue Pegasus, his mane and tail were like rainbows that consisted of several shades of blue. "Who are you?" asked the pony. "I am no one." he answered as he covered his face once again, "Please forget about me and what I did today." He turned around and began walking away. Rainbow noticed something fall out of his saddle bag and landed near it to pick it up. "This badge...No way! Hey you!" she called out. The blue Pegasus turned his head back to look at who was calling him. "You dropped this!" she said as she held up a badge. The blue Pegasus then quickly began checking his saddle bags, "When did that fall out?! Give it back right now!" he shouted as he began running up to Rainbow. "This is a badge that belongs only to the captain of the Wonderbolts! Where did you get this?!" she asked. The blue Pegasus swiped it from her hoof and put it back into his bag. "It's mine, now leave me alone!" he said as he walked away. Fluttershy had finally caught up to Rainbow dash and landed right by her, "Oh my goodness! What happened Rainbow, is everypony okay?!" Rainbow turned to face her, "I'm not sure, somepony was falling and that guy over there saved her before I could even reach her. He's really fast." "Who is he?" asked Fluttershy. "I don't know, but I plan on finding out!" she said with a smirk. "C'mon! Let's follow him!" "Oh, I don't know Rainbow. I need to get back to my animals, it's almost feeding time." said Fluttershy. "That's okay; I'll follow him by myself then." She said as she began to follow the mysterious Pegasus. Rainbow Dash spent about thirty minutes following the mysterious pony until the Pegasus stopped and took out a small box from his bag. He opened it and a small cloud came out, as it raised itself to the sky the mysterious Pegasus began to fly circles around it. His flying caused the cloud to expand across the sky morphing it into what Rainbow Dash believed to be his home. He can compress clouds into such small sizes?! I've never heard of a pony that could fly fast enough to do that! She continued to watch as the Pegasus as he flew back down to get his box and flew back up into his home. Rainbow took this chance to follow him up and say hello. "You know you're not very good at following ponies." said the blue Pegasus as he removed his hood. Rainbows jaw dropped, "You knew?! How did you find out I was following you?!" He turned to open his door, "The wind told me." "The wind?" said Rainbow, "What do you mean?" He turned around and looked at Rainbow, "Why did you follow me?" "Oh yeah!" said Rainbow, "I want to know why you have a badge that belongs to Spitfire! You know, the captain of the Wonderbolts!" The blue colt turned his face toward the ground, "That's because the badge belongs to me, the ex-captain of the Wonderbolts." Rainbow was shocked to hear this, "You were captain of the Wonderbolts?! What are you doing here?" He turned to face his door, "Simple, I quit the Wonderbolts some time ago. Now I'm here to start a new life for myself." "Quit the Wonderbolts?!" shouted Rainbow, "Why would you want to quit being captain of Equestria's greatest flying team?!" "I told you what you wanted to know, now leave me alone." he said as he began walking into his home. "Not so fast!" said Rainbow as she flew by him, blocking him from the entrance to his house. "You're pretty fast," said the blue Pegasus, "But not that fast." Suddenly he disappeared and Rainbow felt a breeze go past her. She turned around to see him already inside the house. "You've got a lot to learn if you want to become a Wonderbolt." "But...how did you do that?" she asked as she looked back and forth. "And how did you know that I want to become a Wonderbolt?" "Simple, the wind told me when you flew by me. You are Rainbow Dash, a young novice who dreams of one day becoming captain of the Wonderbolts." he said with a smug look on his face. "At the rate you're going you'll never make captain." "Did you just call me a novice?! I'll show you novice, let's have a race right now and I'll show you who's a novice!" she shouted. "If I win then you tell me everything I want to know! If you win then I'll never bother you again!" "A race?" he said, "Where's the starting point?" "Right here!" shouted Rainbow as she made a line in the cloud, "First one to reach the top of that mountain wins!" He walked up to the starting line as Rainbow prepared herself. Then Fluttershy popped her head up and looked around, "Oh there you are Rainbow, I've been looking for you! I was worried that something might have happened to you!" "Nope!" shouted Rainbow, "Hey Fluttershy, can you do a count down for us? We're about to have a race!" "Oh, uh, okay." said Fluttershy as she got into position, "Uh, three, two, one, go!" "Aw yeah!" shouted Rainbow as she darted of the cloud. Fluttershy turned around to see the blue Pegasus still standing there, "Aren't you going too?" she asked. He turned to face her, "I never said I was going to race her, she decided that on her own. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea while you wait for her to come back?" "Oh, um, I guess a cup of tea wouldn't hurt." she said as she followed him inside. Three Hours Later Fluttershy and the new colt sat across from each other and waited for Rainbow to come back. The mysterious colt refilled Fluttershy's tea cup whenever she needed, occasionally he offered her a snack if she felt hungry but she declined. After about thirty more minutes he decided to make dinner for them and set the plates on the table. Fluttershy offered to help with the cooking but he insisted that he do it himself. Finally after he finished preparing dinner, Rainbow Dash opened the door with a grumpy look on her face. "Where were you?!" she shouted, "I waited for like three hours!" "Sit down, I just finished making dinner. I hope you like spaghetti." he said with a smile. "What about the race?!" she screamed. "You didn't even try did you?!" "Of course not." he said with a chuckle, "I never said I was going to race you, I only walked up to the starting line to see if I could trick you into actually going through with it. Honestly, you're such a novice. Now sit down and eat, I'm sure you've built up quite the appetite from all the flying you did today." Rainbow did as instructed since she really was hungry. "So then," she began, "Are you going to tell us your name or what?" He wiped his mouth with a napkin before he spoke, "Nope, the less you know about me the better." "Fluttershy, have you tried asking him his name yet?" she whispered. Fluttershy put her hoof onto her chin, "No, I don't think so." Rainbow put her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders and began lightly shaking to her, "Try it! Maybe he'll tell us if you ask him!" Fluttershy tried to recover from all the shaking and began to see straight again, "Oh okay then, um, if you don't mind sir. Would you tell me your name?" The blue Pegasus once again wiped his mouth of any sauce that might have gotten stuck on his face, "My name? Certainly, since you asked so nicely it's Plasma, Plasma Burner." "Plasma Burner?" repeated Rainbow, "How strange, I've never of you before." "Of course you wouldn't, I had erased all traces of me from the Wonderbolts." he said as he continued eating. "It's like I was never even a part of the Wonderbolts to begin with." "Say what?! Why?!" shouted Rainbow. "Look," he said as he stopped eating, "Being captain of the Wonderbolts was great, I never felt happier then when I was flying for crowds of ponies as they cheered for me and my incredible team. I had Soarin and Spitfire by my side; we felt that nothing could go wrong. We had the whole world to admire us; it was the best time of our lives." "So then what happened?" asked Rainbow. "Sorry, but I've already told you that the less you know about me the better. And I think I've told you enough already." he said as he began picking up the plates, "Now it's getting late, and I'm sure you two need to get home now." Rainbow and Fluttershy thanked him for the meal and left his home. On their way back to their own homes, Rainbow couldn't help but feel confused by his story. If he loved being a Wonderbolt more than anything, then why did he give it up? She thought. When Rainbow got home she quickly went through her old archives of the Wonderbolts. She had studied the Wonderbolts for years and had kept everything she learned about them in a book that she had in her room. Sure enough, she found no information about Plasma Burner. That night she wondered to herself. There's no way he could be the ex-captain of the Wonderbolts, could he? I know! I'll send a letter to Spitfire about him and she'll clear everything up! As everypony slept in Ponyville, Plasma Burner was still awake looking through his old photo album. He began to remember the days he spent with his team and all of the laughs that they had shared back then. He looked over to his closet and stared at his old uniform, it hadn't changed at all since the day he quit the Wonderbolts. His eyes began to tear up and he quickly looked away and headed towards his bed. He lay on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, I was too slow back then, but not anymore. He thought, I won't ever forgive myself for being too slow. He closed his eyes and rested up for the next day when his new life in Ponyville will have officially begun. Author's Note I've been working on this for a long while now and I figured, why not finish it up today? This came to me a while ago and I've added to it little by little while working on my main story. I hope you all like it! Feedback is greatly appreciated! That Stormy NightThe storm was relentless, thunder and lightning clashed outside the cloud home as Plasma Burner watched the rain fall from his living room window. Spitfire was sitting next to him staring at him, she hadn't seen him in years yet here he was sitting merely a few inches away from her. For years she's looked back on the days of when they used to fly together and when ponies from all over the world would come by just to see the team in action. It was hard for her when she had to take charge as the new captain, she feared for the future of the Wonderbolts. She struggled when the time came to find a new member who could replace Plasma Burner. As she stared at Plasma Burner she failed to notice that Rainbow and Fluttershy had entered the room giving her a slight scare when she finally felt their presence. "So how are you feeling?" asked Plasma Burner as he continued to monitor the storm. "A bit better." said Rainbow as she opened her wings, "I think I'm good enough to fly now, thanks for your help earlier." "Don't mention it." said Plasma Burner. "But, there's something that's been bothering me. How did you know where to find me in that storm?" asked Rainbow. Plasma Burner turned his head around to look at Rainbow, "I heard you calling out for help." Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "I never called for help in the storm." "You did, the wind told me so." said Plasma Burner. "What do you mean the wind told you?" asked Rainbow, "You've said that before, but I still don't get what you mean by that. How can the wind tell you something?" Plasma Burner moved off of his sofa, "Someday you'll understand." He began walking towards the stairs but stopped midway when he walked by Rainbow Dash, "By the way, I know you've been watching me through your friends telescope for the past couple of days." Rainbow Dash's cheeks began to burn up, "What, how did you know about that?!" "The wind told me." he said as he continued walking past her. He moved to the middle of the room, "Now unfortunately it doesn't seem like the storm is going to calm down anytime soon, so you're all going to have to spend the night with me. The problem is that I have only two rooms, so we're going to need to decide who's sleeping with whom." Everypony in the room stopped and looked back and forth from each other, except for Plasma Burner who walked up the stairs to prepare the guest room. Fluttershy wasn't worried because she planned to sleep with Rainbow since they were such good friends, but Rainbow had other plans. She thought that if she spent the night with Plasma Burner then she might learn more about him and his days as a Wonderbolt. She wasn't the only one thinking that way though, Spitfire wanted to use this opportunity to try to convince him to re-join the Wonderbolts. That wasn't all though, she had something important that she needed to tell him no matter what. Rainbow and Spitfire stared at each other knowing that only one of them would accomplish their goals tonight. Plasma Burner came walking down the stairs, "Okay so I've cleared up the room a little, but I'll finish the minor details later when we go to bed. We still have plenty of time before then, so how about I make us some dinner?" Spitfire quickly turned her head, "It's been so long since I've had some of your cooking! What are you going to make?" "I was thinking of making some tomato soup." said Plasma Burner as he walked towards the kitchen. Spitfire quickly ran up and blocked him off from the kitchen, "Hold on! There is no way I'm going to let you make soup by yourself!" Rainbow looked over at Spitfire, "Why? He's a great cook!" "Yeah!" added Plasma Burner, "I didn't hear any complaints coming from you and Soarin the last time I made soup." "That's because we were smart enough to not eat any!" said Spitfire, "You mixed up the tomato sauce with hot sauce! Not only that, but you also added too much salt!" "I thought it tasted fine!" said Plasma Burner. "You're hopeless when it comes to making soup. Here, I'll lend you a helping hoof in the kitchen." said Spitfire as she headed towards the kitchen with him. "Fine then, here, take this." said Plasma Burner as he held out an apron. "What, why do I have to wear this?!" asked Spitfire. "My house, my kitchen, my rules." said Plasma Burner as he began taking out the necessary ingredients, "What's wrong Spit's, scared of wearing a little apron?" "N-not at all!" said Spitfire as she pulled the apron over her head. "There, see? No problem at all." "Good, now let's get started." said Plasma Burner as he pulled out the last of the ingredients. Twenty Minutes Later Spitfire picked up a spoon and took a little taste of the soup, "Mmm! That's good! Try it!" She held out the spoon for Plasma Burner. Plasma Burner leaned in and took a small taste, "You're right. That is good!" Spitfire began stirring the soup with the spoon, "You know, this reminds me of the old days." Plasma Burner simply looked at her without turning his head to face her. "Remember? We used to cook together in the kitchen back home. Soarin would always complain about why we would take so long with making the food. Whenever we caught him trying to sneak a taste I would hit him in the back of his head with the spatula." Plasma Burner turned his body around, "I don't think about the past anymore. It brings nothing but bad memories." He began walking towards the table where Rainbow and Fluttershy were waiting. Spitfire put her hoof out to Plasma Burner and tried to say something to him, but the words got stuck in her throat and she couldn't speak. Just when she thought she had moved one step closer, she moves two steps back. "Are you two ready to eat?" asked Plasma Burner. "You know it!" said Rainbow, "Let's see this amazing soup!" "Thank you very much for making us dinner mister Plasma Burner sir." said Fluttershy as she bowed her head a little. "Well you're very welcome Fluttershy. I'll bring you your soup now." He went to get four bowls and began pouring the soup into each bowl. Then he and Spitfire carefully brought the bowls to the table and set them down one at a time. Rainbow was the first to take a sip, "Wow! This is amazing! I've never tasted anything this good before!" Spitfire turned to her, "You should have seen Soarin whenever Plasma Burner made dinner. He would scarf his food down like an animal! On occasion he would challenge Plasma Burner here to see who could finish their dish first." "Really, who won?" asked Rainbow. "I did." said Plasma Burner, "I'm not just the fastest flyer in all of Equestria you know." "Oh really?" said Rainbow as she raised an eyebrow, "How about you prove it?" "Is that a challenge?" asked Plasma Burner. "First one to finish their bowl wins!" said Rainbow. "Is that right? So what do I get once I win?" asked Plasma Burner. "Don't think it'll be that easy! The loser has to wash all the dishes!" said Rainbow. "Very well, I accept your challenge!" said Plasma Burner as he nodded at Spitfire. "Ready?" said Spitfire as she raised a hoof, "Three, two, one, GO!" Rainbow immediately raised her bowl with her hooves and began eating the soup with all her might. She didn't want to stop, she couldn't stop. She could feel the last of the soup going down her throat as she slammed her bowl down with a grin as soup was dripping down her face. She lifted her chin and her jaw dropped as she saw that Plasma Burner's bowl was already empty. She couldn't believe it, he didn't spill a single drop on his face yet her face was covered in soup. "How, how did you do that?!" she asked. "I told you I'm the fastest." said Plasma Burner. "Thanks for volunteering to do our dishes Rainbow Dash." He placed his bowl over Rainbow's bowl and headed up the stairs. "Great, I'm on dish duty." grumbled Rainbow. "You shouldn't have challenged him to it. You were practically walking into your own defeat." said Spitfire as she passed by with her bowl. She dropped it into the pile that was building on Rainbow's side of the table. Now is my chance. She thought. She headed up the stairs to find Plasma Burner. "Don't worry Rainbow, I'll help you clean the dishes." said Fluttershy as she carried her bowl to the sink. "Thanks Fluttershy." said Rainbow as she carried her three bowls to the sink. Upstairs Plasma Burner was in the guest room cleaning up the last bit of the mess inside. "I know you're there Spitfire, you can't hide form me." Spitfire walked in and closed the door behind her, "So you knew huh?" "Yup, you know I've been reading up on the Wonderbolts since I left, I heard you replaced my position with...what's her name? Fleetfoot! She's not bad. She still has a lot to learn though; I can see it in her flight technique." "Yeah, she's okay." "How's Soarin doing?" "He's fine, he asked me out a few weeks ago." "Is that so?" "I turned him down though." "I see." "Aren't you going to ask me why?" "I'm sure you had your reasons." "Won't you please reconsider?" "I already told you that I'm not going back to the Wonderbolts Spitfire." "Why? We need you captain!" "..." "I need you." "Don't." "My feelings haven't changed since last time Plasma Burner." "Spitfire, you are the captain of the Wonderbolts! You know you cannot let your feelings get in the way of your responsibilities as captain!" "Captain please, I still love you." Outside the door Rainbow Dash was listening in on their conversation. She had finished the dishes early and wanted to talk to Plasma Burner but she noticed that the door had been closed and decided to listen in. She could not believe what she had just heard. She began to back away from the door and ran back down the stairs, when she made back down she ran for the couch and sat down. She grabbed one of the pillows and squeezed it tightly; she didn't know why this made her feel uneasy on the inside. She heard the door open upstairs and looked over to see Plasma Burner come down the stairs. When he looked over to her Rainbow turned back and stared out the window. Fluttershy walked over to the couch, "Rainbow, are you feeling okay?" "Yeah, I'm alright Fluttershy." said Rainbow as she turned to face her, "My stomach just feels a little upset from eating the soup too quickly." "Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Fluttershy. "Don't worry." said Plasma Burner, "I know a little remedy that will help. I used to make it whenever Soarin got a stomach ache, which was about every other day." As he walked over to the kitchen to prepare the remedy, Fluttershy leaned in close to Rainbow. "What's wrong Rainbow?" Rainbow looked over to make sure Plasma Burner wasn't looking and whispered to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy, Spitfire is in love with Plasma Burner. I was upstairs when I heard them talking alone." "What else happened?" Fluttershy asked. "I don't know, I ran away after I heard her say that. I don't know why but, when I heard her say that it made me feel a bit uneasy inside. My heart feels like it's in pain." "Rainbow Dash, d-do you like Plasma Burner?" Fluttershy asked. "Say what now?! No way, I don't like him! I mean, he's nice, he's really fast, and he's a good flyer..." she turned her head towards him, "He saved my life, he has a nice mane, he's handsome..." Rainbow began blushing and shook her head, "Uh, I mean, uh..." "You do like him!" squeaked Fluttershy. "No I don't! I don't like him Fluttershy; I just met him about a week ago! There's no way I like him." Rainbow looked past Fluttershy, "He's coming this way, act natural!" "Here, drink this. It'll calm your stomach." said Plasma Burner as he handed Rainbow a small cup. *Sniff* *Sniff* "Eww, what is this stuff?!" asked Rainbow. "Sorry, but that's a secret." said Plasma Burner, "Now drink, the sooner you finish it, the sooner your pain will go away." "Right, so what's the plan for later?" asked Rainbow as she drank the remedy. "I already took care of it. Spitfire and Fluttershy will sleep in the guest room. You and I will sleep in my room." he said as he took the cup from Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash nearly spit out all of the medicine, "WHAT?!" "What's wrong? Is there a problem?" asked Plasma Burner. "Uh, well, wouldn't you rather sleep with Spitfire?" asked Rainbow. "Having her around will only remind me of my past, and I don't like remembering the past." said Plasma Burner as he made his way to the kitchen. Rainbow looked over at him, "What do you mean by tha..." Fluttershy stopped her, "Don't ask, it will only hurt him." Spitfire came down from upstairs, when Rainbow looked over she noticed Spitfire wiping a tear off of her face. She didn't know what happened after she stopped listening in, but she had a clue what it was. She got what she wanted though; she was the one who would end up sleeping with Plasma Burner. Now she could use this opportunity to learn more about him and his days as a Wonderbolt, but now she wasn't sure whether she should feel happy or not. What Rainbow wanted to know now was, what was Plasma Burner's response to Spitfire's feelings? "So, how are you feeling now?" asked Plasma Burner. "Huh? Oh yeah, wait a moment...the pain is already gone!" said Rainbow in surprise. "I told you it would help." said Plasma Burner. Suddenly a loud boom came from outside the window followed by a white light. "It looks like the storm is getting worse. We should go to sleep now before the storm get's so bad that we won't even be able to fall asleep." "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." said Fluttershy as she cowered on the floor. "Relax Fluttershy," said Plasma Burner as he kneeled down next to Fluttershy, "The lightning won't be able to hurt you so long as you're in here with me, okay?" "Okay, I'm okay now." said Fluttershy as she slowly rose from the ground. Plasma Burner rose up with her, "Good, now let's all get to bed." With that said, they all headed to their rooms. Plasma Burner first led Fluttershy and Spitfire to the room they would be using for the night. A minor issue that came up was that Fluttershy asked for a night light since she was terrified, so Plasma Burner did something that none of them expected. He took a piece of his cloud home and morphed it into a little cloud that surged with electricity. The cloud gave off a warm glow that lit the room; none of them believed that was even possible. After that was done, he and Rainbow made their way to his room. Rainbow began breathing heavily, "I can't believe I'm standing in the room of somepony who used to be captain of the Wonderbolts!" "Don't get used to it." said Plasma Burner, "Can you stand over here please?" "Wait, why?" she asked. "It's your wings, they're very messy from earlier. You were too rough with your wings when flying, so I'm going to preen them." said Plasma Burner. "I-I can preen them on my own!" said Rainbow with a blush. Nopony but Fluttershy knew that Rainbow's wings were really sensitive. "Oh no you don't, as long as your in my home you'll do things my way. Now get over here and spread your wings, trust me, I've learned a lot about good techniques for preening a Pegasus' wings over my travels." "N-no way, I can preen them on my..." "I know that your wings are sensitive to the touch Rainbow Dash." "You know?! What gave it away?!" "It was the way the lightning struck you. It barely grazed your wings, yet right after your wings simply froze up and you passed out. I've dealt with lightning before, so even after you were grazed by the lightning you still should've been able to fly." "I see, so I guess the secrets out of the bag huh?" "Don't worry, I won't tell anypony about it. I understand the need for wanting to keep something a secret better than anypony. Now come, let me preen your wings." "Alright, but you promise?" "Of course Rainbow, now spread your wings." "Just be careful, please?" "That sounded like you were begging." "Shut up! I do not beg!" "We'll just see about that." Plasma Burner began to preen Rainbows wings. Rainbow struggled to keep a level head the entire time. What she did not expect was for Plasma Burner to be so gentle with her wings, it felt good to her. Her cheeks burned a bright red the entire time as he went through her wings. Her legs trembled at the smallest touch; the sensation flowed throughout her body. It took every ounce of strength to keep from moaning. "Hmmm, your wings are interesting. They remind me of my own." "A-aren't all wings the same?" asked Rainbow. "No, each Pegasus pony has different wings. Yours, however, are a rare type. You don't see our type of wings very often these days." "I-I see. A-are you almost done back there?" she asked. Her legs were shaking from the feeling of Plasma Burner touching her wings. "Almost, I just have a little more to go." He plucked a few feathers out and ran his hoof through the other to make sure they were strong and healthy. "There, I'm finished." Rainbow collapsed onto the floor still blushing and breathing heavily. Her hooves were still shaking from his gentle touch. She felt a sudden wind go by her and soon noticed that she was on Plasma Burner's back. "W-what, w-what are you doing? I-I could've gotten up myself you know, eventually." "I couldn't just leave you on the floor like that, besides you need rest from earlier. I'm going to need to get my wings preened as well. Actually, I should get rid of these bandages. I can feel how filthy they are." "H-hey wait, you did my wings so it's only fair that I get to do yours." said Rainbow. "I don't think you want to do that Rainbow. Besides, you can't preen my wings. They're not healed yet." "How bad is the injury?" asked Rainbow. Plasma Burner walked over and gently placed Rainbow on his bed, "Don't worry about it. I'll be changing the bandages in the other room here so please wait a moment." Plasma Burner walked into the other room and Rainbow lied down on the bed. She could hear him removing the bandages in the other room. She could hear him agonizing over the pain he felt from his wings as he removed the bandages. Eventually she heard him re-wrapping his wings with new bandages. He opened the door and came out, Rainbow turned her head as her whole body went into shock. Plasma burner was carrying the old bandages with him; they were completely covered in blood. He walked over to a nearby trash basket and threw the old bandages away. "I'm sorry." said Rainbow. "Don't be sorry, if anything I should be thanking you." said Plasma Burner. "What? Why? You got hurt because of me!" "I've been hurting for many years Rainbow Dash. Yet you were the one who got me flying back out in the skies again. It felt great to have the wind in my face again. You don't have to apologize for this little wound." "Well I guess this means I owe you for saving my life huh?" "I guess it does. So, I bet you were a little concerned about what happened between me and Spitfire huh?" Rainbows eyes shot open, "I guess you could tell I was there because of the wind huh?" "Yeah, so I bet you have some questions for me don't you?" "She told you she loved you, what did you do about it?" "It's not something that will ever be. The captain of the Wonderbolts must be focused on their duties and nothing else, that's what it means to be the captain. Spitfire and I loved each other very much back in the past, but being captain kept me from spending any time with her. Back then me and Spitfire were planning on leaving the Wonderbolts and live the rest of our lives together, but then there was...let's just say some things happened. After that, I left the Wonderbolts and chose to never look back. Now she is captain, her duties in life must remain with the Wonderbolts so long as she remains captain." "So, you didn't tell her that you loved her back?" "No, I didn't. I don't love her the way I used to back then. Things were different back in the old days." "What about now? Do you have anypony that you care about deeply?" "Hmm? Why the sudden interest in my love life Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow began blushing, "N-no reason!" "Right, do me a favor. Now that you've stopped shaking from having your wings preened, I want you to try to open your wings." "You want me to open my wings?" Rainbow did as instructed and opened her wings. They immediately shot open faster than they used to, "Whoa, my wings! What's going on?" "I've preened your wings to better suit yourself for high speed flying. Before I preened your wings they had excess feathers that only weighed them down, I shifted some of them and removed the unnecessary ones. This will make you much faster." "Awesome, but why do this for me?" "Because after we race next weekend I'm going to end up teaching you one way or another. I'm just preparing you so it seems like you actually stand a chance at winning." "Say what?! I'll show you! I'm going to win next weekend! And once I win, you'll have to go on that date with Spitfi..." Rainbow stopped herself in her tracks. "What's the matter? Are you having second thoughts about the bet? Have you already accepted the fact that you can't beat me?" "No not at all! It's just that..." "The idea of Spitfire and me dating bothers you?" "No, that doesn't bother me at all!" "You can't hide anything from me Rainbow, I could tell from the moment you ran into the living room. The wind told me that you are feeling upset deep down inside. You may have been able to keep it secret, but Fluttershy's wind told me everything I needed to know." "W-w-what are you talking about?" Rainbow asked as her head began spinning slightly. Plasma Burner looked over to her with concern. "Rainbow, are you feeling okay? There's something off about the wind around you." "I feel fine...wait, something's off. I feel...hot." Plasma Burner walked over and placed his hoof on her head, "You're burning up! You must be getting sick from flying in that storm. Here, get into bed." He began tucking Rainbow under the covers. "I'm getting sick? I'm supposed to help the weather team clear this storm tomorrow!" said Rainbow as she began to breathe heavier. "Don't worry, I'll fill in for you." said Plasma Burner as he walked to the other side of the bed. "No, I'm sure I'll be better by tomorrow. There's no way I'm losing to some cold." said Rainbow. *Sniff* "Aw man, my nose." "Just rest Rainbow, everything will be fine tomorrow." said Plasma Burner as he entered the bed. As he entered the bed, Rainbow Dash turned her body away from Plasma Burner. She knew she wanted to get to know him better, but now she wasn't sure if that was all she wanted. An hour passed by and Rainbow took a quick glance back at Plasma Burner to look at his bandaged wing. She felt guilty about having rushed into the storm like that, she knew it was a bad idea but she just wanted to prove her worth to him. There was a sudden bolt of lightning that crashed outside the window which caused Rainbow to yelp, she then began to quiver in fear. She kept shaking until she felt a pair of hooves wrap around her waist. Her ears perked up and she began blushing as she turned around to see Plasma Burner right behind her, "W-w-what are you doing?" "Don't worry; you're safe so long as you're with me...zzzz...never be too slow again." "Is he asleep?" Rainbow looked down at where Plasma Burner held her. She put her hooves over his and tightened his grip, "I know I shouldn't be, but this makes me feel happy." Rainbow carefully turned her body around to face Plasma Burner without loosening his grip on her, "Spitfire loves you, she's loved you ever since you were a Wonderbolt. So is it wrong for me to enjoy this? I was confused about what I felt earlier, but I think I know what it is now. Even after I bothered you endlessly about not being a Wonderbolt, you risked your life just to save me. I guess Fluttershy was right, I really do like you." Rainbow snuggled up next to Plasma Burner and rested in his embrace. She knew that Spitfire still loved him, but that didn't matter to her. She knew that she couldn't simply ignore what she felt towards Plasma Burner. If Plasma Burner could hear the voices of the wind, then she would tell him everything he needed to know in their next flight together. She still had a race to look forward to and she was determined to show him her stuff when that moment arrives. Author's Note Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this story! Sorry about that, I promise I wont take as long for the next one. That doesn't mean I'm going to be publishing chapter every week, all of my efforts are still going towards my main story. Thank you for reading, feedback is greatly appreciated. Sick DayRainbow Dash was laying in bed breathing heavily. Unlike last night she had to breathe through her mouth, it seemed her condition had worsened since yesterday. Plasma Burner was the first to wake up, he looked over and placed his hoof on Rainbow's forehead. He knew she couldn't go out and fly, it would only make things even worse for her. He then climbed out of bed and removed his bandages. He walked over to the mirror in his washroom and looked at his injured wing, there were many feathers missing, his skin was torn in certain places from the lightning strike, and much of his wing was covered in dry blood. He reached into his wall and pulled out a small piece of his cloud home. He gave it a good shake and it began dripping water. He then used the cloud to wash the blood off of his wing. He then grabbed a nearby towel and began to clean his wound, it wasn't a very pleasant experience for him. "Looks like that lightning bolt did even more damage than I thought. I better get some bandages to cover it up before it starts to bleed again." Plasma Burner walked to the other room and grabbed some more bandages. He began wrapping his injured wing with clean bandages until he heard Rainbow in the other room. *Sniff* "Oh my head. It hurts." *Cough!* *Cough!* "How are you feeling?" asked Plasma Burner as he stepped to her side. "I feel sick, I can't even move." said Rainbow. *Knock* *Knock* "Um, excuse me, can I come in?" asked a voice from outside the door. "Yes, come in Fluttershy." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, thank you. Are you ready to go Rainbow? The weather team is going to need your help to clear up all of the clouds from yesterdays storm." said Fluttershy. Rainbow began to lift herself from her pillow to face Fluttershy, "Yeah, just give me a-" "Actually Fluttershy, Rainbow's feeling a little sick." said Plasma Burner as he gently pushed Rainbow's head back down on the pillow. "I'll be taking her place today as we clear up the sky. She'll be staying here, in bed." "Oh dear, maybe I should take her home?" said Fluttershy. "Don't worry about her, she'll be staying here. I'll be taking care of her until she gets better." said Plasma Burner. "So where is Spitfire? I'm guessing she left already?" "Actually, she was already gone by the time I woke up. I don't know where she is." "I see. Well it was nice having company over. I'll see you out Fluttershy, I need somepony to show me where the weather team meets anyway." said Plasma Burner as he walked over to the door. "Oh, okay. I'll see you later Rainbow Dash." said Fluttershy as they both walked out the door. "Are you sure you don't want me to take her home? I can take care of her if it's too much trouble for you." "That's alright, it's my fault she got sick in the first place. So it's only fair that I help her now." said Plasma Burner as they walked down the stairs. Fluttershy noticed his wing twitching and stared at his bandages, "Are you sure you'll be able to fly with your wing like that?" "Thank you for your concern Fluttershy, but I will be fine. I just need to take it easy and my wing will be fine." said Plasma Burner as he opened the front door. "So where does the weather team usually meet?" ~~~~~ "Aw man, my nose is so stuffy." said Rainbow as she lay in Plasma Burner's bed. "I need some tissue paper. Where is his washroom?" She got up out of bed and carefully made her way to the washroom. She found the tissue's and began cleaning her nose. When she went to throw away the tissue paper, she saw the bandages that Plasma Burner took off last night and the one's he took off that morning. She couldn't believe how bloody they were, she could only hope that he had healed somewhat from last night. Then suddenly she heard the door to the house open from downstairs. She quickly grabbed the box of tissues and brought them with her and hopped back into the bed. The door opened and Plasma Burner walked in the room. "What are you doing back here so soon?" asked Rainbow Dash. "We finished." he said. "That fast?! There's no way you could have finished clearing the skies that fast with an injured wing!" said Rainbow Dash. "You were gone for only five minutes!" "When you have a proper team whose willing to follow your command, you can do anything in anytime." said Plasma Burner as he opened the window. "Unbelievable, there's no way you should have been able to clear up all of those clouds so quickly!" "What if I told you that there was a way to clear a hundred clouds in one move?" asked Plasma Burner as he walked closer to Rainbows side of the bed. "That's impossible, I've been captain of the weather team since I first moved to Ponyville. If such a thing was possible then we wouldn't need a weather team." "Are you so sure about that?" asked Plasma Burner. "Of course! There's not a doubt in my mind! Even you can't expect me to believe that such a thing exists." said Rainbow. Plasma Burner leaned in closer to Rainbow Dash. He eventually stopped until they were nearly face to face. "Oh but it does Rainbow Dash. There is a way, but it can be very dangerous if you try to execute it during a raging storm. It can even kill you if you're not careful." "H-h-how? How can you clear so many clouds in one move?" asked Rainbow Dash as she stared directly at Plasma Burner's eyes. She was finally about to learn one of his secrets. "Sorry, I can't tell you. You don't expect me to give away my secret techniques to some novice, do you?" he asked as he moved away from Rainbow Dash. "Why you! I hate it when you call me a novice! And I-" Rainbow was halted as Plasma Burner placed his hoof over her mouth. "Don't lose your temper Rainbow Dash. It will only make your condition worse." said Plasma Burner as he removed his hoof. You're the one who made me lose my temper you jerk! she shouted in her mind. "Stay here, I'm going to make you some soup." said Plasma Burner as he released her. "Wait, you don't have to go and do that!" said Rainbow. "Relax, I'm going to use the same recipe from last night. I'm not going to mix up the tomato sauce with hot sauce if that's what you're worried about." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, okay. Thanks." said Rainbow as she rested her head back onto the pillow. As soon as Plasma Burner was out of sight she took the pillow and stuffed her face into it. I can't believe this. Now I have to win that race! I have to get him to show me everything! After a short while Rainbow Dash could hear him cooking downstairs, she tried her best to rest but she couldn't fall asleep. She laid in bed for about thirty minutes when suddenly she heard somepony knocking on the door downstairs. She was curious as to who it was and got out of bed, she then began making her way downstairs but stopped midway so Plasma Burner couldn't see her. She carefully lowered her head as Plasma Burner walked to the door, but she couldn't see who it was at the door. "Hello Plasma Burner." "Do I...know you?" he asked. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm the towns mail mare! My name is Derpy! I have a letter for you in my bag!" said Derpy as she dug in her bag for the letter. "Here it is!" "I see, do you know who it's from?" asked Plasma Burner. "Yeah, it's from the Wonderbolts! You're so lucky, they're the greatest flyers in all of Equestria! Not many Pegasus ponies get mail from them!" said Derpy as she passed it to him. "They sent me a letter? How strange. Thank you for bringing me this letter." said Plasma Burner as he began opening the letter. "You're welcome! See you later!" said Derpy as she went on her way to deliver the rest of the mail. Plasma Burner looked at the letter again. "Alright, let's see here...are you going to be spying on me while I read this letter?" Rainbow's ears perked up and she backed off slowly. "Don't bother, I already know you're there Rainbow Dash." "Eheh, so you knew I was here the whole time?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Yes, I could hear your sniffling. I thought I told you to stay in bed." said Plasma Burner. "Sorry about that, I kind of..." "You couldn't fall asleep and got bored of laying in bed?" he said. "How did you know that?! The wind told you, didn't it?" asked Rainbow. "No, I guessed." he said out flat. "Are you serious?!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Temper! Now sit down, the soup is almost ready." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, okay." said Rainbow as she walked over to the table. As she sat there and waited for the soup to be ready, she felt a hoof being placed on her shoulder. "Hey, what are you doing?!" "Relax, I'm just putting a blanket on you." said Plasma Burner. "I don't want your condition getting worse so I'm just trying to keep you warm." "Oh, right. Sorry about that." said Rainbow Dash as she allowed him to place the blanket on her. "You're acting a bit strange, are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." said Rainbow as she tried to breathe through her stuffy nose. "I'll go and get you the tissues so you can clean your nose." said Plasma Burner. He disappeared in a gust of wind and immediately reappeared with the box of tissues in his hoof. "That's incredible." said Rainbow Dash. "How do you move that fast?" "That's a secret, so I can't tell you." said Plasma Burner. "That's what you think. Once I win that race, I'm going to make you teach me everything you know." said Rainbow. "Sorry Rainbow, but you're going to lose that race. Now here, keep these tissues with you." said Plasma Burner as he headed back into the kitchen. Rainbow took some tissues and cleaned her nose with them. "So...is the soup ready yet?" she asked. Plasma Burner took a spoon and tasted the soup. "Yes it is. It's perfect." "That has yet to be proven." said Rainbow. "Just you wait, it's going to be delicious." said Plasma Burner as he poured Rainbow a bowl of soup. He then brought the bowl to the table and placed it in front of her. "Okay, let's see how your soup is." said Rainbow Dash as she tasted the soup. "That's really good!" "See? I told you it was going to be good." said Plasma Burner. "So...what did you get in the mail?" she asked. "An invitation." "Invitation?" "Yes, it's an invitation for a party held in the Wonderbolts honor. A special event held once every year, and Spitfire sent me an invitation." "Are you going to go?" she asked. "No, I don't plan on going." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, I see." Rainbow kept eating her soup while Plasma Burner took the invitation to his living room. Rainbow couldn't see where he placed the invitation and decided not to worry about it. Plasma Burner came back and poured himself a bowl of soup. He then carried his bowl back to the table and ate his soup with Rainbow Dash. "I'm going to pick up some medicine once I finish eating." "Where are you going to get the medicine from?" she asked. "Don't worry about it. Just know that soon you'll be feeling a whole lot better." "Alright, so what do I do while you're gone?" asked Rainbow. "The dishes." said Plasma Burner as he slid his bowl over to Rainbow. "Again?! How did you even finish your food that fast? And don't you think it's rude to make a sick pony do the dishes?" "Don't you think it's rude to spy on ponies with your friends telescope?" "I was hoping you had forgotten about that." "Not a chance. I'm heading out, and make sure you keep that blanket on." said Plasma Burner as he left with a saddle bag on his back. "Alright, see you later." said Rainbow. Plasma Burner took off to the skies and was soon out of sight. Rainbow Dash sighed and took both of the dishes and carried them to the sink. "It looks like I'm on dish duty...again." Rainbow washed their dishes and headed up the stairs. She stepped into Plasma Burner's room and noticed a door that led to another room. That's where he got his bandages from last night. I wonder what else he has in there. she thought. She walked up to the door and opened it. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The walls were filled with old pictures from Plasma Burner's days in the Wonderbolts. His uniform was neatly folded in the corner, and his badge was still attached to it. Old trophies that he won in races were in glass cases, and medals were hung on the walls. Rainbow walked in to find an image of Plasma Burner with Spitfire and Soarin by his side. They were all holding a golden trophy with smiles across their faces. Then she spotted an old picture of Plasma Burner and Spitfire together. They were wearing scarves on a snowy hill and Spitfire was giving Plasma Burner a peck on the cheek. Then suddenly she heard the door downstairs open up. She quickly ran out the door and rushed back downstairs to see Plasma Burner there. "Welcome back! That was quick." "Yeah, there was this zebra in the woods that had all of the herbs I needed. It was strange though, she only spoke in rhymes." "That must be Zecora." "So her name is Zecora huh? She was very helpful. Now I can get to work on that medicine. Just wait on the couch and I'll have it ready in a few minutes." "Alright, what kind of medicine is it?" she asked. "It's an ancient medicinal tea that I learned throughout my travels in Equestria. You just have to drink it, and you should feel better by morning." "That's great! I can't wait to get airborne again." said Rainbow. "Yes, it'll be good for you to get some practice with your new wings." said Plasma Burner. "Yeah, I can't wait to try these bad boys out!" said Rainbow as she opened her wings under the blanket. Her wings tossed the blanket overhead and it slowly fell over Rainbow's entire body and covered her face. "Alright, it's ready Rainbow Dash." said Plasma Burner as he entered the living room with a cup full of green liquid. "Take that thing off of your head. Here, drink this." Rainbow Dash fixed the blanket to the way it was before. She then looked at the cup that Plasma Burner brought her. "Uh, this looks a lot different than the medicine you made me yesterday. Are you sure this stuff is safe to drink?" she asked. "Yes, now drink up. At first it will cause your cold to act up more than before, but by morning it should be all gone." said Plasma Burner as he walked back towards the kitchen. Rainbow Dash sat down on his couch and began drinking all of the medicine until it was all gone. As soon as she finished, she heard a loud bang come from the kitchen. "Hey, what was that?" she asked. But there was no answer. So Rainbow got up and walked towards the kitchen and found Plasma Burner on the ground. "Are you okay?!" she asked as she ran up to him. "I'm...I'm fine." he said. His voice sounded weak, and he seemed to be trying his best to stay conscious. "No you're not! What's wrong?!" she asked. She then took notice to his wing which was completely drenched in blood. "What happened to your wing?" Plasma Burner attempted to lift himself off the floor. "I...pushed my body...too much today. I opened the wound...and the pain..." "Don't try to push yourself. I'll help you upstairs." said Rainbow. She helped Plasma Burner stand on his hooves, and then they both made their way to his bedroom. "Here, let's get you on the bed and I'll change those bandages." "I can do it myself." said Plasma Burner. He tried to make his way to the washroom but ended up nearly falling over again. "Don't be an idiot. I'll do it." said Rainbow Dash. She slowly unraveled the bandages and her hooves were getting covered by the blood that stained them. "Aw man, this is so gross." She eventually got all of the bandages off of his wing and saw the wound. "Oh my gosh, it looks horrible. It's all my fault. You had to go and take my place on the weather team, and you went to get the medicine for me." "Don't beat yourself up over it. I took the risks of flying with an injured wing. I knew this would happen. It's my fault, not yours." "But..." "Just get the clean bandages please. I don't want to get blood all over my bed." "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" said Rainbow as she rushed to find the bandages. Plasma Burner could hear her rummaging through his things. "They're in the washroom!" "Got it!" said Rainbow as she ran for the door. When she entered the washroom, she began searching all over for the bandages. "Aha, found them!" She quickly rinsed her hooves before grabbing the bandages so they wouldn't be stained with the blood on her hooves. She then grabbed the bandages and quickly ran back to Plasma Burner. "Alright, I have the bandages." "Good, now first you have to clean the wound before you put the bandages on." said Plasma Burner. "Okay, how did you do it before?" she asked. "First let's make our way to the washroom. I don't want you to clean the wound on my bed." "Right, let's get going then!" said Rainbow as she lifted Plasma burner off the bed. "Just drop me off in the bath tub. This way the blood go down. It'll get absorbed into the cloud below and I'll clean it once my wing gets better. Now listen to me carefully. Take a small piece of my home, and shake it. Don't shake it too much though, you have to shake it just enough so that it rains lightly. If you do it too much, it'll start pouring out water uncontrollably and my home will become a rain cloud." "I'll do my best." said Rainbow Dash. She took a piece of his cloud home and began shaking it. "Softer, you have to be gentle." said Plasma Burner. "Gentle, right. I can do that." She began to gently shake the cloud and soon it was dripping water. "There you go, control the flow of water. Now gently clean the wound." said Plasma Burner as he slowly opened his wing. "Okay, like this?" asked Rainbow. "Yes, just like that. Thank you Rainbow Dash." said Plasma Burner. "No problem, you're letting me stay here as I get better so it's only fair that I help you get better too." said Rainbow as she made sure all of the blood was coming off of Plasma Burners wing. "How is it looking?" he asked. "It doesn't look good." "I figured as much. I think it's ready to be bandaged." said Plasma Burner as he struggled to keep his wing open. "Please hurry, I can't keep my wing open much longer." "Right, let me get the bandages." said Rainbow as she grabbed the bandages and began carefully wrapping his wing up. "There, that should do it." "Thank you. Now, I just need to get in bed...and let my wing heal." said Plasma Burner. "I'll help you." said Rainbow Dash as she helped him up. They made their way to the bed and she placed Plasma Burner on the bed and then tucked him in. As she began walking away, she felt him grab her hoof. "What's wrong?" "Have you forgotten that you're sick? You need to rest as well." said Plasma Burner. "I'm fi-a-a-achoo! Aw man, I think it's getting worse." said Rainbow as her voice became stuffy once again. "It's the medicine, it'll be like that for a while. In the morning you'll feel a lot better. Now get in." said Plasma Burner. "What?!" said Rainbow Dash. "I said to get in the bed. You need to rest and get better. I'm not letting go until you get in." said Plasma Burner. Rainbow Dash didn't argue, she knew she needed to rest. Her head was feeling hot and she began feeling woozy. So she climbed over and laid down in the bed. "You can let go of me now." said Rainbow Dash with a blush. Although one would not be able to tell since her face was red already from being sick. "ZzzzzZZzzzz..." He...he fell asleep already. thought Rainbow Dash. "I can't believe you." She closed her eyes and tried to rest as the sleeping Plasma Burner held her hoof. Somehow the two managed to sleep through the rest of the day. The next morning Rainbow Dash woke up to find herself alone in the bed again. This time though, she felt amazing. She jumped out of bed and took in a deep breath. It felt wonderful to be able to breathe clearly again. She ran downstairs to find Plasma Burner at the door talking to somepony. "I see. So you're one of Rainbow Dash's friends." said Plasma Burner. "Yes, is she still here?" asked the mare at the door. "Who are you talking to?" asked Rainbow. "It seems to be one of your friends. She says her name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight looked over to see Rainbow. "There you are Rainbow Dash!" said Twilight as she ran into Plasma Burner's home and gave Rainbow Dash a hug. "Fluttershy told us what happened! We were all so worried about you!" "I'm okay Twilight. Plasma Burner helped me get better. He's also the one who saved my life." said Rainbow. "You're looking much better Rainbow Dash." said Plasma Burner. "Yeah, thanks to your medicine." "How about you try out your new wings real quick?" said Plasma Burner as she stepped outside. "Yeah! This is going to be great!" said Rainbow as she ran outside. She then prepped herself and opened her wings. "Wow, I've never seen Rainbow's wings open that fast before. They look a little different too." said Twilight. "Yes, just wait until she takes off." said Plasma Burner. "Here I go!" said Rainbow Dash. She then bolted off of the cloud and began flying across the sky. "This is amazing! I feel even faster than before!" "That's incredible." said Twilight. "Yes, she's not half bad." said Plasma Burner. Rainbow Dash flew by and hovered in the middle of the air. "Come on! What are you standing around for Plasma Burner? Let's fly!" she shouted. "I can't Rainbow Dash, you know that." said Plasma Burner. Rainbow quickly landed back onto the cloud. "Oh, right. I'm sorry, I was so excited about trying out my new wings that I forgot." "That's fine, I probably won't be able to fly for a while. I might not even be able to fly on the day of our race." said Plasma Burner. "Then I'll help you get better!" said Rainbow. "No. That will not be necessary." "What...but why?!" "Simple, because your friend here has something for me. Don't you?" asked Plasma Burner. "Yeah, how did you know that?" asked Twilight. "Don't ask. Trust me." said Rainbow. "What do you mean?" asked Twilight. "Ask him and then you'll understand, but don't say I didn't warn you." said Rainbow. "Okay, how did you know that I brought you something?" asked Twilight. "The wind told me." "You can speak to the wind?!" asked Twilight. "I've heard about certain Pegasus ponies having the ability to communicate with the wind, but I never thought I'd actually meet one." "Wait, you know about this?!" asked Rainbow. "Yes, but I didn't know it was true. Supposedly everypony has their own personal wind that surrounds them. So ponies like him should be able to listen to it. Can you really do that?" asked Twilight. "Yes indeed. Not only that, but other Pegasus ponies with the same ability can communicate with each other through the wind that surrounds them." "You can?!" asked Twilight. "Yes, but it all depends on your wings. Only Pegasus ponies with wings that are the same type as mine can do it. They're a rare type, so not many ponies can do it anymore." "Wait...yesterday you said that my wings are just like yours!" shouted Rainbow. "He did?! Then does that mean..." "Yes, it means that Rainbow Dash is also capable of communicating with the wind." said Plasma Burner. "I can?! How do I do it? Can you show me?" asked Rainbow. "I'm afraid not. I could not teach you even if I wanted to. It is something that you must learn for yourself." "But...I want to know now." "I know it doesn't seem fair, but someday you'll learn. I had to learn it myself you know, and it took me a while before I could control it. So I understand that you brought me something Twilight?" said Plasma Burner. "Yes, I brought it in my bag. Here you go." She handed him a bottle with a strange liquid inside. "Zecora said to give it to you." "I see, it must be some type of medicine." said Plasma Burner as he held the bottle. "She told me that you must pour it on your wing." said Twilight. "On my wing? I wonder if it's some kind of healing potion." said Plasma Burner. "Would you mind lending me a hoof Twilight Sparkle?" "Yes, of course." said Twilight as she levitated the bottle over his wing. She then tipped it over and poured some its contents onto his bandaged wing. Then Plasma Burner's wing began shaking on its own. "What, what happened?" asked Plasma Burner. He then unwrapped his wing and the wound once plagued him had shrunk in size. "Incredible. I've heard that the zebra's were well known for their amazing medicinal potions, but I never imagined that they could make something like this." "That's amazing. She said to pour this medicine onto your wound at least once a day. If you do, then your wing should be fully healed by the end of the week." said Twilight as she levitated the bottle towards him. "I see. So in other words..." "In other words, you'll be ready to race me!" said Rainbow Dash. "If I remember correctly, we still have a race at the end of the week!" "That is true. In that case, the next time we see each other will be at the race!" "I don't think so, because I'm staying here!" said Rainbow Dash. "Excuse me? Why would I let you stay here? You're not sick anymore." "Isn't that obvious? You're going to need somepony to help you pour that medicine onto your wing, and I just volunteered!" said Rainbow. "Hmmm, very well. But you shall leave on the day of our race." said Plasma burner. "Fair enough. You're coming to the race too, right Twilight?" asked Rainbow. "Sure, I'll bring the girls along too. Where are you two going to start the race?" she asked. "Right...here. Aw man, we have to change the starting line. My friends aren't Pegasus ponies like us." "It's true." said Twilight. "Can we change it to someplace else?" "Of course princess. There's a nice hill near the outskirts of Ponyville, so why don't we meet there? I'll lead us all to the hill on the day of the race." asked Plasma Burner. "That would be perfect...how did you know I was a princess?!" asked Twilight. "The wind told me." "Amazing, you need to tell me everything you know about that!" said Twilight. "Of course your highness. I would be more than happy to share what I know." said Plasma Burner. "Alright, enough about the wind! You better prepare yourself Plasma Burner! Because I'm going to win that race!" said Rainbow Dash." "I don't think so Rainbow Dash! For while you may be a novice, I am a master! So don't even think for a moment that you can beat me!" "We'll just see about that! I'll show you who the novice is!" said Rainbow as they glared at each other with smiles on their faces. Then suddenly both of their stomachs began rumbling in sync with each other. "Perhaps we should eat first. My body was in so much pain that I slept through the entire day, and you were so sick that you slept through the whole day as well. That means we slept through lunch and dinner!" "Oh man, you're right! I'm hungry!" said Rainbow. "Come on, I'll make us all some food." said Plasma Burner as he stepped back into his house. "Alright, I can't wait to eat! I'm starving!" said Rainbow Dash as she and Twilight followed him inside. Now all they had to do was wait until the end of the week for the race. Rainbow Dash was confident in her abilities, she had her secret weapon. The sonic rainboom, it would increase her speed tenfold should she ever fall behind in the race. There was no way she could lose, she knew for sure that she would win. Author's Note Chapter 4! I hope you're all excited, because the big race is coming up in the next chapter! That's right! Plasma Burner vs. Rainbow Dash! So thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and remember, feedback is greatly appreciated! The RaceAuthor's Note After so long...it's finally here. The next chapter, that I had planned to post so long ago but never finished. I wish to take this chance to apologize to anybody who has still been waiting for this next chapter, and if you've still been following this story then I thank you for being patient. Please enjoy the new chapter, and remember that feedback is greatly appreciated. And just a warning, this one has a bit of mature jokes in it. The Race "Ha! I told you that I was the best flyer in all of Equestria!" Shouted Rainbow Dash as she raced through the air. "Impossible! How can you be so fast?!" asked Plasma Burner as he struggled to keep up with Rainbow Dash's speed. "Who's the novice now Plasma Burner?" "No, it can't be!" "I gonna win! I knew I would win!" "Rainbow Dash! Look out ahead of you!" shouted Plasma Burner. Rainbow Dash turned forward to see a giant wall of storm clouds. She quickly turned back only to find herself surrounded by a raging storm. Thunder and lightning crashed all around her. She began maneuvering through the clouds, but no matter where she flew there were just more storm clouds in her way. The lightning began to strike at her as she flew through the storm. Her attempts were in vain as a lightning bolt suddenly struck her wing, sending her falling towards the ground. As she fell, the world around her began falling apart. She screamed her lungs out as she continued falling down an endless pit. "Rainbow Dash!" "Rainbow Dash!" "Rainbow Dash! Wake up!" shouted Plasma Burner. "Gah! What?! What's happening?!" she shouted as her eyes shot open. Her eyes focused on Plasma Burner as he was shaking her. "You were screaming in your sleep. Are you okay? That must have been one horrible nightmare." said Plasma Burner as he let her go. "Yeah, I'm okay. What time is it?" she asked as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "It's morning. The sun rose about an hour ago. Come, it's time for breakfast. I'll prepare some tea, it will help calm your mind." said Plasma Burner as he headed out the door. "Yeah, today's the big day after all." said Rainbow Dash as she got out of bed. The week had passed by so quickly, each day Rainbow Dash applied Plasma Burner's medicine onto his wing. At last his wound had disappeared and he had grown new feathers. Rainbow Dash climbed out of bed and headed downstairs where Plasma Burner was preparing breakfast. After they finished eating, Rainbow Dash stepped outside and took in a deep breath. At last the day of their race had come, and she couldn't be more excited. "Enjoying the fresh air?" asked Plasma Burner as he stepped outside to join her. "You could say that. So how about it? Are you ready to race?" "Humph, if you can call it that. I'll be sure to make you feel like you stood a chance before you lose." "We'll see who loses!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she darted in front of him. "Rainbow Dash!" called a voice from below. Rainbow Dash and Plasma Burner walked towards the clouds edge and looked down to see five ponies standing below them. "Hey! You all made it!" Rainbow Dash took off and landed near her friends. "I'm glad you're all here!" "Oh Rainbow Dash! I'm so glad to see that you're okay! I heard about what happened to you during that horrible storm!" said a white unicorn. "Ah can't believe you would go flying in that storm! Ah thought you of all Pegasus ponies would know better than to pull something like that!" said an orange earth pony. "Yeah, I guess it wasn't my best move." said Rainbow Dash as she rubbed the back of her head. "So? Where is this amazing Pegasus who saved your life?" asked the white unicorn. Rainbow lifted her head up, "He's up....there....Where did he go?" "I'm right here." he said from behind Rainbow Dash. "Gah! Don't do that!" she shouted as she jumped in shock due to his sudden appearance. "What's wrong? Did I scare you?" he asked. "N-not a chance! Nothing can scare me!" She noticed that Plasma Burner was wearing the cloak he wore on the first day that they met. "Why are you wearing that thing again?" "I always wear this when I go out. I don't want to be seen by anypony who might recognize me. Besides, I don't like meeting new ponies." "So this is the Pegasus who saved your life?" asked as the white unicorn. "Yeah this is him. Plasma Burner, this is-" "Rarity, Applejack, and the pink one who is about to try and surprise me from behind is Pinkie Pie." said Plasma Burner as he quickly ducked down. At that moment, Pinkie Pie had leaped at Plasma Burner to surprise him but ended up leaping over him and landing on the other side instead. "Hey! How did you know I was coming from behind?" she asked. "I could hear your hoofsteps." "How in tarnation did you hear her?! Ah couldn't even see her, let alone hear her." asked Applejack. "It's quite simple for me." "You listened to the wind, didn't you?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Say what now?" asked Applejack. "He listened...to the wind?" asked Rarity. "Yeah, it's this cool thing he can do." said Rainbow Dash.. "It's amazing!" said Twilight. "I've been stopping by at his home recently and have been studying this ability of his. It's unlike anything I've ever seen! It seems that everypony has their own personal wind pattern surrounding them, and he is somehow able to read them like books! It tells him who they are, where they are, what they're doing, and it allows him to read their emotions!" "Well, that certainly is interesting." said Rarity. "Ah don't know. It sounds kind of funny to me. What about you Fluttershy? can you, um, hear the wind?" asked Applejack. "Oh no, I can't do anything like that." "Alright, I think that's enough! I hope you all haven't forgotten why we all gathered here in the first place!" said Rainbow. "Oh yeah, the race. Sorry about that Rainbow Dash." said Twilight. "Do not worry Princess Twilight. Rainbow Dash is simply anxious to lose." said Plasma Burner. "Oh you're asking for it now! Let's go! I've been dying to beat you in a race all week!" said Rainbow Dash. "Very well then. Let's be on our way." said Plasma Burner as he began to lead them down the road. As they began their trip towards the hills, Rarity moved ahead to walk alongside Plasma Burner. "Pardon me, but are you going to wear that...thing...all day?" "Yes, I do not like to be seen by others. Although I shall not be wearing it during the race." "Then you wear that even when Rainbow Dash is around?" "No, she has seen my face. Only by sheer coincidence though. She just happened to be around when my hood came off." "I see. Where did you get that cloak? It looks very old, and I'd say it's been through a lot as well." "Hey Rarity, what's with the bag?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Oh it's just a little something I brought just in case." "Hang on a minute!" Applejack interrupted. "Ah want to know more about this...hearing the wind thing. How did it tell you our names?" "I would be happy to tell you Applejack, but I'm not so sure an Earth pony who works on her family's apple farm with her little sister, big brother, and grandmother, would be able to understand the concept of listening to wind." "How in Equestria?!" As Applejack gawked in amazement, Rarity slowed down to talk with Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, are you sure you cannot listen to the wind? You are a Pegasus pony as well, so would you not have the same ability?" "I'm sorry. I don't think I can." "Not just any Pegasus pony knows how to listen to the wind. Only those with certain wing types can possess this ability." said Plasma Burner. "Yeah, like me!" said Rainbow Dash. "Really? Well then what do you feel when you listen to the wind Rainbow Dash?" asked Applejack. "I, uh...I don't know how to listen to the wind...yet." she said with red cheeks. At long last they had arrived on the hill that would be the starting point for their race. "Aw yeah! Finally I get to show you just how awesome the great Rainbow Dash can be!" "Easy there Rainbow." said Applejack as she leaned in to whisper to Rainbow Dash. "From what ah've heard, this guy is a professional. So ah don't think you'll be able to beat him so easily." "What?! Are you saying I might lose?!" asked Rainbow. "Ah'm just saying that you should think about what you're getting yourself into! He's not like others ponies. Something about him just seems...strange. It's like he's hiding something." "Yeah, I know what you mean. He's been keeping his awesome flying secrets from me! And now it's time for me to uncover all of them!" said Rainbow as she ran towards Plasma Burner. Applejack put her hoof out. "No Rainbow, that's not what ah...oh forget it. Ah'm sure ah'm just worrying about nothing." "Alright! Let's get this race started!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "No, not yet." said Plasma Burner. "What?! Why not?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "I was promised a race! And I'm not about to let you walk out on this!" "I'm not walking out on our race!" shouted Plasma Burner. "Then what's the problem?" "Somepony's coming." he said. "What? How do you know?" she asked. "I can feel them...No, not them...her." "Who is it?" "It's Spitfire. She's coming this way." said Plasma Burner as he looked up to the sky. "Are you sure?" asked Twilight. "I can't see anything." "Yes, neither can I." said Rarity. "Ah think you're pulling our legs." said Applejack. They all stared in the same direction as Plasma Burner but couldn't see anything. After a few moments they all spotted a small dot in the middle of the sky. The more they waited, the more they could make out the shape of the object. Soon they could see the yellow coat and the fiery mane of Spitfire heading towards them. They continued watching in amazement as Spitfire moved in for a landing nearby. "Ah don't believe it. How did you do that?!" Spitfire turned around to look at all of the ponies standing there with a smile. "Hello everypony! I hope I'm not too late to see the race!" "What are you doing here Spitfire?" asked Plasma Burner. "Well it's been so long since I've seen you fly, and I thought it might be fun to watch you race again. So here I am!" "Hey Spitfire! It's great to see you again!" said Twilight. "Greetings princess! Forgive me for not noticing you sooner!" said Spitfire as she bowed to Twilight. "It's okay, really. I bet you can't wait to watch this race huh?" "Of course! Good luck Rainbow Dash, you're going to need it! "Oh, uh, yeah...thanks." said Rainbow Dash as she turned away. If I win, then she'll have to go on a date with Plasma Burner. ~~~~~ "Captain please, I still love you." ~~~~~ No, I can't think about that right now! thought Rainbow as she shook her head. "Are you ready or what?!" "Hmm? Of course I am ready." said Plasma Burner as he removed his cloak. "So, how are we doing this?" "Oh my, well he certainly is a looker." said Rarity. "I see why Rainbow Dash has taken a liking to him." "Ah don't think so. She's probably been too focused on learning flying tips from this guy." "You know I can hear you!" shouted Rainbow Dash in embarrassment. "The first one to fly around that mountain and back wins!" said Rainbow Dash as she pointed towards a mountain on the opposite side of Ponyville. "That's about an fifteen minute long flight for an average Pegasus. It's not exactly challenging, but I suppose it will have to do. Where is the starting line?" "Right here!" said Rainbow as she began dragging her hoof along the ground. "I hope you're ready, because I'm not holding anything back!" "I'll be sure to watch out then." he said with a grin. "Hey Twilight, do you think you can do the countdown for us?" asked Rainbow. "Of course Rainbow Dash, I would be delighted to." said Twilight as she walked up to the starting line. "Ahem! Welcome everypony! Today we will be having a race between our very own Rainbow Dash, and the new mysterious Pegasus in town known as Plasma Burner! This is sure to be an exciting race so don't look away!" The other ponies began cheering as Twilight continued talking. "Alright ponies, get ready! Three!" At last! "Two!" It's finally happening! "One!" Time to show my stuff! "GO!" Rainbow Dash took off like lightning towards the sky. She planned to fly at half her full speed in the beginning, then if that didn't work she would increase to her full speed, if that still wasn't enough then she would use the sonic rainboom to finish the race and guarantee her victory. As she soared through the sky she took a quick glance back to see if Plasma Burner was flying behind her. When she did look back there was nothing there. "Ha! This is going to be even easier than I thought it would be!" "I agree, this is going to be quite the easy win. Perhaps I was too lenient when I said that you were just above a novice?" "What?! Who said that?!" asked Rainbow as she began looking around. "Where are you?!" "Up here." Rainbow Dash tilted her head up to see Plasma Burner flying right above her. "What...When did you get there?!" "I've been here since the beginning of the race. I'm surprised you didn't notice me, then again you are just a novice. Perhaps even below a novice? I'm not sure there's a rank low enough to describe your...abilities, if you can call them that." "Grrr, I'll show you!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she burst forward. She took another glance back expecting to see Plasma Burner falling behind, but here was nopony there. She then checked above herself to make sure that he wasn't there. "Humph! I showed him!" "Indeed, you've shown me that this is going to be the easiest race I've ever had." Rainbow Dash lifted her head again, but saw nothing. "What the?! Where are you?!" "Down here." Rainbow Dash lowered her head to see Plasma Burner with his body turned upside down. She noticed his hooves were behind his head and his eyes were closed. "Are you sleeping in the middle of the race?!" "Of course not, I'm just relaxing..." He opened his eyes and looked at Rainbow with a smile. "And I've got to say the view is rather nice." "T-t-the view?!" she said with a blush. As they soared over the skies of Ponyville, Plasma Burner and Rainbow Dash began flying around each other. Their Rainbow trails intertwining as they continued spiraling around one another. Rainbow Dash could then feel Plasma Burner closing the distance between them. Soon they were nearly face to face, and Rainbow Dash's face was getting hotter and hotter. Plasma Burner closed his eyes and turned away, "Can we stop playing games? My wings are warmed up now and I'm getting bored." His words made Rainbow Dash shake her head in anger. "Why you! If you're so bored, then I guess it's time I show you my true speed!" Rainbow's comment intrigued him. "Is that so? So does that mean you've been holding out on me?" he asked. "That's right! Get ready for my secret weapon! THE SONIC RAINBOOM!!!" shouted Rainbow. At that moment she exploded forward as a giant explosion of rainbow colors filled the sky. Back on the Hill Rainbow Dash's friends cheered as they saw the great sonic rainboom in the sky. "Amazing! I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that!" said Twilight. "Ah hear you. That Plasma Burner fellow is in for a real race now!" said Applejack. "I can't wait to throw Rainbow Dash a victory party!" said Pinkie Pie as she waved flags with rainbows on them. "Oh such beauty!" said Rarity as she watched the sonic rainboom through a pair of binoculars. "Oooh! I just had an idea for a new dress for Rainbow Dash!" "I hope she wins." said Fluttershy. "Don't count on it." said Spitfire. The other ponies turned to face her. "I can tell you right now that Plasma Burner hasn't even been trying to win this race yet. That sonic rainboom may give Rainbow Dash a great boost of speed, but it's not going to be enough to beat Plasma Burner." Back in the Race Rainbow Dash had just performed the sonic rainboom and burst forward at incredible speeds. "How do you like my secret weapon?!" Rainbow Dash could feel that her speed was still increasing. "Wow! This is amazing! I've never flown this fast before!" said Rainbow Dash as she finally reached the mountain. "Oh man, it's harder to turn at this speed. I can do this though, I can win!" she shouted. "Are you so sure about that?" Rainbow turned back to see a blue blur of colors rush towards her at great speeds. "No way, it can't be!" "I must admit that move was quite impressive, not many Pegasus ponies can perform a move as advanced as that." said Plasma Burner as he kept up with her speed. "However I think it's time I showed you what true speed is." In that single moment, before she could even blink, Plasma Burner had disappeared. "T-t-that's impossible! How did he..." Rainbow Dash continued flying around the mountain and when she finally came around she could see a giant explosion of blue colors in the sky and a thin blue trail that lead to the finish line. "No way, did he use a sonic rainboom too?! There's no way, there's just no way!" she shouted. Rainbow flew as fast as she could back towards the hill. When she landed back on the hill she struggled to catch her breath. "Rainbow Dash are you okay?" asked Twilight as she ran up to her. "Yeah...I just...I just need to catch...my breath. Did...Did I win?" she asked. "Well..." "I'm afraid not." said Plasma Burner as he walked up to her, wearing his cloak once again. "What?! How?!" "I'm impressed that you could perform such a technique, but you're only on the first level." said Plasma Burner. "Even I can perform your 'sonic rainboom' whenever I want." "That's...impossible!" "That was incredible! Ah can't believe how much faster you've gotten Rainbow Dash!" said Applejack. "Thanks...but I think I need to rest a little." said Rainbow Dash as she collapsed. "Don't worry Rainbow Dash! I brought my picnic baskets just in case!" said Pinkie Pie. "Great idea Pinkie Pie! This place is perfect for a picnic!" said Twilight. "I brought some blankets that we could use!" said Rarity. "So that's...what was in...the bag!" said Rainbow Dash. "Let's find a place with some good shade!" said Applejack. "Um, do you mind if I come along?" asked Spitfire. "Of course not! You're more than welcome to join us!" said Twilight. "You don't mind, do you Plasma Burner?" asked Spitfire. "It is not my place to say. Do what you want. I'm heading home." "No way! You have to stay and have a picnic with us silly!" said Pinkie Pie. "I will not let you leave until you have some cake!" she shouted with determination. "Hmmm...fine. If you insist." "Hooray!!!" The eight ponies then went in search for a shady spot so that they could set up the blankets and enjoy the picnic. After a short while, Plasma Burner found them the perfect spot and they began unpacking Pinkie Pie's basket. It was mostly full of cakes, cupcakes, candy, and a few sandwiches. They chatted away about their old adventures to Spitfire and Plasma Burner, the most incredible one being about their battles and how they saved the world with the elements of harmony. "Pinkie Pie! Quit hogging all of the chocolate cupcakes!" said Rainbow Dash. "How many of those did you bring with you anyway?" asked Rarity. "Well I wasn't sure how many we would need so I just grabbed three baskets and filled them all up!" she said as she pulled out more baskets from the first basket. "How did you even get those in there?!" asked Applejack. "It's a secret!" said Pinkie with a smile. As everybody was having fun chatting away, Plasma Burner stood up and looked towards the forest. "I'm going for a walk." "I'll come with you." said Rainbow Dash. "No, I will only be a moment. Stay here with your friends." "Are you sure?" she asked. "Yes. I will return soon." he said as he left. The picnic continued for a while until they all decided to pack things up and head for home. "Come on Pinkie Pie, let's get this stuff back into the basket." said Twilight. "I must say those cupcakes were quite delectable." said Rarity. "Hey, where did Spitfire go?" asked Rainbow as she looked around. "Ah think she said she had some business to take care of." said Applejack. "Did you see where she went?" "I think she went that way." said Fluttershy as she pointed into the forest. "I think I'll go take a look around and see if I can't find her and Plasma Burner. We should at least let them know we're heading back." said Rainbow Dash as she headed into the forest. "Man, I didn't think it would be this hard to find those two. Where are you Plasma Burner? Spitfire?" She continued running through the endless maze of trees hoping to find some trace of Plasma Burner or Spitfire. She saw a cliff off in the distance, she then noticed two ponies standing near the edge. She began creeping up on them, eventually she could see that it was Plasma Burner and Spitfire. She snuck up on them but kept her distance in hopes that Plasma Burner would not be able to sense her. "This view is beautiful, isn't it? It reminds me of the time we flew to the top of the Crystek mountains." said Spitfire. "..." "Soarin couldn't even make the trip up with us because he forgot his goggles so the snow kept getting into his eyes when the wind would pick up. We had to go on ahead without him, he didn't show up for another hour." "..." "Do you remember the picture we took? I still have the scarf you got me." "..." That must be the picture I saw! thought Rainbow. "I also have the picture we took on that day. I've kept it in my office for all these years." "..." "Did you get my letter?" "...Yes." "You know, you're allowed to bring a guest with you." "I am well aware." "I was wondering...if you wanted to go together?" "...No." "Why not?" she asked. Plasma Burner turned his head away. "Because I refuse. And even if I did decide to go, I wouldn't go with you, or for you." He then began walking along the edge of the cliff, not looking back at Spitfire. She then began to follow from behind. "B-but...why not? I don't understand! I'm trying to fix what we've lost but you just keep brushing me off! This isn't like you!" "This is me. This is who I am, and I don't care what anypony else thinks about me." "What about your fans?! The ponies who still remember you! The ones who cheered for you every time you flew across the stadiums with your team?!" "They've probably all but forgotten about me by now. They've moved on to the new face of the Wonderbolts." "That's not true! I haven't forgotten about you! I never stopped thinking about you after you left! I even tried looking for you, hundreds of times! But no matter how hard I tried, I could never find you!" "..." "Then finally one day I got that letter from Rainbow Dash and I learned that you've come home! I couldn't have been happier to see that you had come back!" "I did not come back. The fact that you had even discovered my presence in Ponyville was a mistake." "Then why did you go to Ponyville? Why now?" "I don't know. The wind...it brought me here. Or rather...it feels like it pulled me here. I'm not even sure I should stay here anymore." Rainbow Dash continued following and listening to them. "What? He can't leave!" She whispered as she prepared to approach them. "He still has-" "But I can't." said Plasma Burner as he stopped and looked across the land. Rainbow Dash then stopped in her tracks, waiting to hear his next words. "I have a promise to keep." "A promise? What promise?" asked Spitfire. "That Pegasus, Rainbow Dash. I made that promise to teach her. Until I've completed this task, I cannot leave." "That's why you can't leave?! That stupid bet you made with her?! Why is that even important to you?! I'm here trying to get you to open up to me and I even asked you to come to the big party up in Canterlot, but you won't even give it a second thought!" "Humph! You know I erased all records of myself from the Wonderbolts! If I attended such a party, who's to say I won't be recognized by somepony there?" "But that's a good thing! If we go to the party together then everypony will remember you and you can return to the Wonderbolts! It can be like old times, we'll be together again!" "I refuse!" "But why?!" she shouted. Her eyes then suddenly went wide with shock as she quickly shot a glare at Plasma Burner. "It's her, isn't it? It's that pony!" "What about her?" "You...you would rather go with her wouldn't you?!" "Go? With her? Humph...and if I did?" "Why?! I love you! I've waited for you to come back all this time! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!" "You know it's something that will never be no matter how much you want. Times have changed Spitfire, and I don't love you anymore." he said as he turned away from her. Spitfire then ran up and grabbed Plasma Burner. "Why?! Why her?! Why some stupid mare like her who could never understand you like I do?!" Rainbow Dash's eyes grew wide as her idol had just insulted her. She began to feel angry, but at the same time she felt upset. She had admired the Wonderbolts all her life, especially Spitfire since she was everything Rainbow Dash had been aspiring to become one day. She bit her lip as she prepared to reveal herself to them both and get back at Spitfire. Before Rainbow Dash made her move, however, Plasma Burner immediately shook Spitfire's grip away as he gave her a mean look. Just then a gust of wind suddenly blew in and began flowing around both Plasma Burner and Spitfire, it was as if the wind was surrounding them. "How DARE you speak that away about her! She has done absolutely nothing wrong to you, and yet you think you can just insult her like that?! You don't know anything about her or what she's been through! It's time for you to go...NOW!!!" Spitfire's eyes began to tear up as she ran away angry and took to the skies. Rainbow Dash then watched as the wind around Plasma Burner died down as he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He then looked back over the hill as the wind slowly blew by. Rainbow Dash was unsure as what to do next now that Plasma Burner was alone. She then took a deep breath and began walking towards Plasma Burner. "Hey...are you okay?" Plasma Burner immediately looked back to see her approaching him. "Huh? Oh, it's you Rainbow Dash." "Are you okay? I saw that big gust of wind over here. I didn't know what was causing it so I came as quick as I could." "Ah...I see. Not to worry Rainbow Dash, the wind has already gone and passed." "Oh, okay. Hey, have you seen Spitfire? I was coming to tell the both of you that we were heading back home." "Sorry, but I'm afraid you just missed her. She had some important Wonderbolt business to take care of so she couldn't stay." "Oh, well that's too bad. Um, well, do you want to head back now? I think they're waiting for us back at the starting line." "...Yes. Let us head back." Plasma Burner then turned around and began walking towards Rainbow Dash. "Are you okay? Your wind...it feels cold." "Me? Oh...yeah, I'm fine! I'm still a bit tired from our race so that's probably it." "Well then, we should head back so that you can rest." Together, the two made their way through the trees and found Rainbow Dash's friends still waiting for them. "My apologies for being gone for so long. I hope I didn't make you all wait too long." "Oh not at all deary." said Rarity. "We just finished packing up so you showed up right on time!" "Hey, we're still missing Spitfire." said Twilight. "Plasma Burner said that she already left." said Rainbow Dash. "Oh that's too bad. I wanted to ask her something. But maybe you could answer my question Plasma Burner?" "If it is something within my knowledge then I would be more than happy to answer your question princess." "Well...you see. It looked like the two of you knew each other, so I wanted to know-" "Yes...Spitfire and I knew each other before today. We had first met long ago." "Wow, where did you two meet?" Plasma Burner turned away and looked up to the sky. "Forgive me princess, but I would much appreciate if you simply forget the matter altogether. I do not like to talk about...my past." "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." "No, it's fine. You were only curious princess. Now then, shall we all head back?" "Yes, of course. Come on everypony! Let's go home." said Twilight as she led them back to Ponyville. On their way back home to Ponyville Plasma Burner stayed in the back of the group. Rainbow Dash looked back to see him there and slowed down so she could talk to him. "Hey, what's up?" "Hm? I believe it is the sky." "What? No, dummy, I'm asking how are you?" "Oh, of course. My apologies, I was lost in thought for a moment." "Lost in thought? Well what are you thinking about?" "Let me ask you something Rainbow Dash. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" "Through with what? You mean the training? Of course I'm sure! It's my dream to become the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and one day become captain of the Wonderbolts...or maybe...even start my own team! I know I'm not as good as you, or Spitfire, but I know I can do this! I can handle the training, and I will not give up no matter how tough it gets!" "Oh...no I was talking about our date." "Our...date?!" she repeated. Suddenly all of Rainbows friends turned their heads and stared at the two of them. "Date?!" "D-did you just say your date?!" asked Rarity. "Did she not mention that to you?" asked Plasma Burner. "When Rainbow Dash demanded a race from me, she decided to make a bet on the race. Now that she's lost the race, she must go on a date with me." "Eeeeeeeh! Rainbow Dash! So this was your plan all along?" asked Rarity. "No way. Ah didn't think you would go this far just to get a date with a colt." said Applejack. "So where are you two going to go for your date?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Does that mean you lost on purpose?" asked Twilight. "No! You girls all have it wrong!" said Rainbow Dash as she attempted to get control of her situation. "Well, it seems you have this under control. I think I'll take my leave now." said Plasma Burner as he took off with a smile on his face. "You! You did that on purpose! Didn't you?!" she shouted at him while her friends continued to bombard her with questions. "Good luck Rainbow Dash!" "Get back here!" she shouted. "Ack! Girls please! It's not like that! Just let me explain!" 30 Minutes Later Plasma Burner was in his cloud home watching the sun set as his dinner was cooking in his kitchen. He had some tea in a cup and occasionally drank small sips as he watched the sun go down. He began to think about how difficult his life had become so suddenly. All he wanted was to be left alone and forgotten by the world, now he has a student ready to learn from him, and his past has caught up to him in the form of his ex-girlfriend Spitfire. *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* "My, those are quite the aggressive knocks." said Plasma Burner as he made his way to his front door. He opened it to see Rainbow Dash there, staring at him angrily. "Hmmm...can I help you?" "Oh! Sure! Now you ask me that! What about earlier when I actually NEEDED your help?!" she shouted. "They kept asking weird questions about us that it took me forever to clear things up!" "I'd say about twenty eight minutes, and then two minutes to get here." "DON'T JOKE ABOUT THIS!!!" she shouted. "Geez! I've never been so embarrassed before in my life!" "What about when I called you out about spying on me with your friends telescope?" "That was embarrassing too!" She said as she tried to calm herself. "So tell me, was yelling at me the only reason you came by?" "Huh? Oh, well...I was wondering about the...you know..." Rainbow's face began to blush slightly. "Ah, right, I almost forgot to tell you...training begins tomorrow morning when the sun comes up." "Huh? Wait, I was talking about...grrrr!" "Something wrong? You seemed so excited about finally getting trained by me." "I am! But you just...never mind!" Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, feeling irritated. "I'm going home now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said. She opened her eyes to see Plasma Burner smiling at her. "Why are you smiling like that?" "Oh nothing, I'm just enjoying the view. It's rather beautiful." he said. Rainbow Dash then turned around to see the sun about to fully set. "Wow, you're right. It is beautiful." "I wasn't talking about the sun." said Plasma Burner as he closed the front door. "Huh?!" Rainbow Dash quickly turned back only to see that Plasma Burner had already gone back inside. "He wasn't talking about the sunset? W-was he talking about...me?" She then jumped off of his cloud and flew back to her own home and walked inside the front door. "Phew! I'm kind of glad to be back home!" Rainbow Dash closed her door and then took a few steps and relaxed on a nearby sofa. "Aaaahhhh, hey I was wondering...oh yeah...there's no one else here. It's...just me...again." Rainbow Dash got off the sofa and walked towards the stairs until her stomach growled. She then decided to find something to eat before she goes to bed. She made herself a hayburger and began making her way towards the stairs, until suddenly she felt really cold. She immediately froze in place, she didn't know why but she felt as though she was in danger. Then before her very eyes, an unknown blur began flying through her home at incredible speeds. The blur continued to rummage through her home, breaking everything and distorting her cloud home as it flew. Rainbow Dash attempted to run for the door until she was blocked off by the blur. It was then that the blur began to circle around Rainbow Dash, this being began to scare her like nothing ever had before. She feared this being that she couldn't see, "Who are you?! What do you want?!" she screamed. It was then that the figure stopped for a split second in front of her. It almost appeared to be a pony, wearing some form of purple suit. The figure then disappeared from her line of sight, and the front door was left open. Rainbow Dash turned around to see that her home was completely destroyed by whatever it was that had attacked her. "W-w-what w-was-" Rainbow Dash was cut off as she noticed a picture of her friends, shattered on the floor. She lifted the picture to see that the figure had cut a message for her on the picture. One line only... Stay away from Plasma Burner! Rainbow Dash felt an ice cold wind overcome her entire body as her home continued to fall apart, the speed at which her home distorted increased with each passing second. She quickly ran out the front door and took to the night sky of Ponyville. She turned to see the horrible damage done to her home and immediately began flying towards Plasma Burner's cloud home which was still there in one piece. She slammed down onto the cloud and began banging on the front door with all her strength. She continued to knock on the door even faster as the absolute feeling of fear inside began to cause tears to fall down her face. Just then she could see a light heading down the home and towards the front door. "Whose banging on my door?!" shouted Plasma Burner. He then realized that it was Rainbow Dash and that she was crying. "Rainbow Dash? What's wrong?!" Plasma Burner could immediately sense that something was wrong. This feeling, her wind is completely erratic. But this fear is different, it's almost as is her life was at risk. "P-p-please help me!" she screamed. "My home...something...attacked my home! It's gone...it's completely gone!" "Something attacked you?! What was it?" he asked. Rainbow Dash just shook her head and continued to cry. "Come inside, quickly." He guided her to the kitchen and prepared some coffee for her, he then brought a blanket down to give her. "Listen to me Rainbow Dash, I want you to stay here. I'm going to go take a look at what happened, but you have to promise me that you're going to stay here. Do you understand?" "No, please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!" she shouted. "It's okay! It's okay Rainbow Dash. I won't be gone for long. I promise, you'll be safe here. I'll be right back." said Plasma Burner as he grabbed his cloak. He then lowered the hood and bolted out the door, leaving Rainbow Dash in his home. "Gone? How could her home be gone? You can't just...destroy, a cloud home." Plasma Burner then arrived at her house to see the ruins of what used to be Rainbow Dash's home. "This...this is...unbelievable. This is impossible! The wind...the air...it's gone...there's absolutely no wind to read here...but that cannot be possible! It's almost as if something cancelled the wind itself!" Plasma Burner then rushed towards the home of Twilight Sparkle and called her from outside. She opened the door, surprised to see him there. "Plasma Burner? What are you doing here?" "Princess Twilight, I'm sorry but this is an emergency! Rainbow Dash just came to me saying that she had been under attack!" "What?! Is she okay?!" "She's fine, but she's completely terrified of whatever it was that attacked her. Not only that, but her home has been completely destroyed, it's gone." "Her home...gone. What happened?" "I don't know. I left her at my home, but I need you to call the royal guard. We don't know if whatever it was that attacked Rainbow Dash is still here in Ponyville or not." "Right! I'll contact Princess Celestia right away!" said Twilight as she quickly gathered her scrolls and quills. "I'll come by once I've reported the situation to the guards, please take care of Rainbow Dash! I'll tell the others too!" "Thank you princess, and don't worry, Rainbow Dash will be safe with me." said Plasma Burner as he quickly flew back to his home. He opened the door only to have Rainbow Dash jump out and grab him. "Don't leave again!" she said as she tightened her grip to him. "I won't. Don't worry, the royal guards are on their way. Come on, let's go inside." Plasma Burner then brought her to the couch and poured the coffee that had been prepared. I've never seen a pony this scared before. Whatever it was that attacked her, it must be a vicious creature with tremendous abilities. "Rainbow Dash, I need you to tell me what happened." "I...I went home...right after we talked. I...I walked inside...I got hungry...made myself something to *Sniff* eat. And then...it flew in." "Flew? So this creature could fly?" "Y-y-yes. I-I-I-I-I felt so cold before it flew into my home. It kept flying around my home, going back and forth! And then...I tried running for the door...when I saw it!" "You saw it? What was it?" Rainbow Dash tried to answer, but her fear made it difficult for her. "Rainbow Dash, you have to tell me what you saw." "It...it looked like a p-p-pony...in a purple s-suit." ".....no.....no that's impossible. Rainbow Dash, you must have seen it wrong. It couldn't possibly have been a-" "IT'S TRUE! THAT'S WHAT I SAW!!!" she screamed. "Are you absolutely one hundred percent sure?" he asked. "YES!!!" she screamed as more tears began falling down her face. "It was horrible! And then...after it left...it left a picture of me and my friends on the ground. It was shattered, but on the back...that thing left a message." "What did it say?" "It said...to stay away...from you." Plasma Burner backed off slightly and turned towards the window, shocked. "What do I do now?" she asked. Plasma Burner turned to look at her. "I've lost my home...I spent most of my life in that house! And now...it's gone! I have nothing now!" They began to hear more knocks on the door. Plasma Burner opened the door to see Twilight's friends and a group of royal guards. He allowed them to enter as Rainbow's friends attempted to comfort her, while Plasma Burner shared what he had learned to the royal guards as they began to fly around town to make sure it was safe, while two others flew towards Rainbow Dash's home to investigate the scene. Plasma Burner turned back to look at Rainbow Dash and her friends, and began wondering on what to do next. "Don't worry Rainbow Dash, the royal guards will find whatever it was that attacked you." said Twilight. "Isn't that right Plasma Burner?" Twilight Sparkle then turned around to see that he had disappeared. "Plasma Burner? Where did he go?" ~~~~~ Plasma Burner soared over the skies of Ponyville, scanning the ground for any signs of the mysterious pony that had attacked Rainbow Dash. Yet no matter how many times he flew over the town, he couldn't find anything. He stopped midair and looked over towards his home where Rainbow Dash was recovering. "What am I doing? She must have seen it wrong. There's no way she saw-" Plasma Burner then stopped as his eyes had fixed themselves on something standing on one of the roofs of Ponyville. There, on top, was the mysterious pony in purple. Just as he had seen him, the pony had taken off and sped off towards the woods. Plasma Burner then immediately took off after him and chased him through the woods. The two Pegasus ponies raced through the woods, Plasma Burner attempted to catch it but could never get close enough to catch it. Then suddenly they both stopped in a clearing where the moonlight shined down on them. Plasma Burner stared in shock. "You...it was you! You were there! On that day!" "What's wrong Plasma Burner? You look like you've seen a ghost." said the pony. It's voice sounded as though it had been distorted. "You...why? How?!" he shouted in anger. "You want answers tough guy? Then you're going to have to catch me...if you can!" said the pony as it took off at incredible speeds. Plasma Burner immediately took off after the pony as the two continued to race until they entered a clearing where Plasma Burner found himself alone. The mysterious pony was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go?" asked Plasma Burner as he looked around. "Poor Plasma Burner." said a voice from behind. Plasma Burner immediately turned around to see the mysterious pony. "After all these years, you're still too slow. When are you going to learn that you'll never be fast enough to catch me?" The figure then disappeared from Plasma Burner's sight. Then in a quick moment, Plasma Burner was struck from his right, and then from his left, and then a third attack was performed from the front, sending Plasma Burner falling onto the ground. "Why...why can't...I..." "Come on Plasma Burner. Is that all you have to show after all these years?" "Don't underestimate me!" shouted Plasma Burner as he got up and zoomed towards the mysterious pony. The two began to fly around in the air, Plasma Burner attempted to get the upper hand on his opponent, but was soon overwhelmed by the mysterious ponies speed. He was then sent falling towards the ground where the mysterious pony tackled him towards a tree. "You...*cough!* I will get you!" "Hah! Look at you! Still wanting to go up against me!" said the mysterious pony as it lifted Plasma Burner up. "But you can't even fly straight! Your anger is making you sloppy...just...like...before. You can never beat me Plasma Burner..." Then suddenly a huge gust of wind had overcome them both until Plasma Burner noticed that they were both back in Ponyville. "Because I...am the fastest Pegasus pony alive!" The mysterious Pony then threw Plasma Burner on the ground. "See you around, ex-wonderbolt." The mysterious pony then disappeared in an instant, leaving Plasma Burner there alone. ~~~~~ "Are you feeling any better Rainbow Dash?" asked Fluttershy. "A little bit...but...I'm getting this sick feeling inside. It's like...something bad just happened." "Something bad?" said Twilight. "Do you think Plasma Burner's okay?" "That pony is the fastest colt ah've ever seen. He can handle himself." said Applejack. Just then, two royal guards entered the house. "Your highness! The guards all report that Ponyville is secure. Whatever it was that had attacked miss Dash's home is gone." "What about my home?" asked Rainbow Dash. "We...salvaged what we could from inside. I'm afraid to say that, we could not repair any of the damages." Another guard walked in with a cart full of Rainbow Dash's things. "I'm sorry." "What am I going to do now?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I can't believe this is happening to me. Where am I supposed to go?" "Sir! Are you okay?!" asked one of the guards from outside. Everypony turned to see Plasma Burner walk in, covered in bruises. "Plasma Burner! Are you okay?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "What happened?!" asked Twilight. "I...I found it...the thing...that attacked Rainbow...Dash..." "You went out looking for it?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "Why did you do that?! Look at you! You're hurt!" "I'll be...fine. But...we have to talk..." "Talk?! What about you?! You need a doctor!" "That can wait! Right now, it's important that I tell you about that pony." "Wait, what?" said Twilight. "What do you know about this pony?" asked Applejack. "I know that this isn't the first time it's attacked." said Plasma Burner. "And I know for sure that this won't be the last. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I must speak to Rainbow Dash, alone." "What, why?!" asked Applejack. "No, it's fine Applejack." said Rainbow Dash. "Please, let us be alone for now." Everypony did as she asked and everypony waited outside for them. "Plasma Burner, what's going on? What is that thing? And why didn't you tell us about it sooner?" "Because I wasn't certain if it was real or not. Rainbow Dash, I know this may seem difficult right now, but I need you to trust me. This isn't going to be easy for you...nor will it be easy for me. But I think it's time I shared my biggest secret with you." "Y-your biggest secret? Wh...what is it?" "The true reason as to why I left the Wonderbolts and why I erased my history from them." The StormAnother beautiful day in Ponyville, the skies were clear of any clouds for the moment. The Pegasus ponies planned for a heavy storm later that night. The last time they had one this big was a couple of months ago, Rainbow Dash was on her couch watching Plasma Burner through a telescope that she borrowed from Twilight. When she asked why she wanted to borrow it, Rainbow told her it was for star gazing, a lie of course. Rainbow had sent her letter to Spitfire a few days ago and has been spying on Plasma Burner hoping to catch him fly like he did the first time they met. She was mesmerized by his incredible speed that day; she hoped to learn something about it by watching him day and night. "Rainbow?" said a voice from behind. "GAH!" shrieked Rainbow as she jumped off of her couch, "Oh, it's just you Fluttershy. What are you doing here?" "I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, none of us have seen you for a couple of days now. Isn't that Twilight's telescope?" asked Fluttershy. "Uh, yes it is! I'm just using it to, uh, look at the stars!" said Rainbow as her eyes darted from side to side. "In the middle of the day?" asked Fluttershy. "Well yeah! When you're as awesome as I am, you can see the stars whenever you want!" said Rainbow as she placed her hoof to her chest and lifted her chin up. Fluttershy moved in to look through the telescope, "Rainbow Dash! How could you spy on Plasma Burner? He said he wanted to be left alone." "I don't believe that guy Fluttershy. He's hiding something big! I plan on finding out just what that is! I sent a letter to the Wonderbolts about this guy, all I have to do now is wait." said Rainbow as she looked through the telescope. "You sent a letter to the Wonderbolts? You know he doesn't like to talk about those days, I think it would be a bad idea to tell them he's here." said Fluttershy. "Oh come on Fluttershy," said Rainbow as she turned around, "What's the worst that can happen?" Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other, and then back at the door. Rainbow walked over slowly as the knocks began once again, this time they were knocking even harder and faster than before. Rainbow placed her hoof on the door and slowly opened it. The pony standing outside turned out to be Spitfire, "Are you the one who sent this letter to us?" Rainbow's eyes grew wide in excitement, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It's Spitfire! The captain of the Wonderbolts and you're at my house!" Spitfire examined Rainbow carefully, "Hey I know you, you're that Pegasus who saved us at the best young flyer competition up in Cloudsdale right? If I'm not mistaken, you were also signed up at the Wonderbolts Academy for the summer. I got your letter." Rainbow tried to calm herself down a bit, "Ahem! Yes I did send you that letter, there's this Pegasus here who claims that he used to be captain of the Wonderbolts before you! I can't find any records about him anywhere; I was hoping you could clear this up for me?" "You had me travel all the way down here just because of some chump who says he used to be a Wonderbolt? I came down here because your message said this was urgent! I'm out of here! This was a waste of my time." she turned around and prepared to take off. "Wait!" shouted Rainbow, "He says his name is Plasma Burner!" Suddenly Spitfire's entire body froze up, she turned around and stared at Rainbow. "What did you just say his name was?" Rainbow looked at Fluttershy and then turned back to Spitfire, "Plasma Burner. He said he used to be on a team with you." Spitfire charged into Rainbows home and pinned her on the ground, "Are you sure?! Are you absolutely sure he said his name was Plasma Burner?!" Rainbow tried to avoid eye contact with the upset mare, "Yes!" Spitfire released Rainbow and backed away a few steps, "Take me to him. Take me to him now!" Rainbow pulled herself together; both she and Fluttershy showed Spitfire the way to Plasma Burners house. When they got there Spitfire seemed scared about seeing his house. Rainbow was unsure as to why Spitfire would react this way; she waved her hoof in front of Spitfire to see if she was still with them. Spitfire blinked a couple of times before coming back into reality; she walked forward and began to breathe heavily as he got closer to the door. She knocked three times and waited by the door. The door began to open, "Can I help you?" Plasma Burner froze when he saw Spitfire standing in the doorway. "H-hi there." said Spitfire. Plasma Burner stared at her for a couple of seconds before he spoke, "How did you find me?" Spitfire turned her head, "Rainbow Dash over there sent me a letter about some urgent Wonderbolt business. I didn't expect to find out she was talking about you." Plasma Burner narrowed his eyes, "Go home Spits, forget that you ever saw me here." He began to close the door. "Wait!" shouted Spitfire, "Can't an old friend say hello?" Plasma Burner turned his head, "I doubt that's all you want to say." "Please?" she begged. Rainbow Dash didn't know what to think about what was happening before her eyes. Spitfire was begging? Not only that, but she was begging to this guy of all ponies? Plasma Burner looked at her for a couple of seconds before allowing them to enter his home. Rainbow now began to see that something bigger was going on around this strange Pegasus. He led them toward his living room; he went to the kitchen and brought back drinks for each of them. They were all silent for a while, nopony said a single word. Rainbow sat there looking back and forth at Spitfire and Plasma Burner, waiting for one to start talking. "So..." Rainbow began. "I'm not going to race you if that's what you're going to ask." said Plasma Burner as he turned to her. Spitfire looked at him, "She challenged you to a race?" He turned to face her, "She won't stop asking me for one." Spitfire turned to face Rainbow, "He won't race you. He doesn't do that anymore. Besides, you can't win. Nopony has ever won against him before." "What?!" shouted Rainbow, "What about you Spitfire? You can beat him right?" Spitfire chuckled, "I'm afraid not, neither me nor Soarin could ever beat him." Rainbow's eyes widened, "So it's true then! He really did know you guys?! I thought he just stole that badge form you!" Spitfire's eyes widened, "You kept your badge after all? Do you still have your uniform?" Plasma Burner glared at her, "Yes, but I don't plan on wearing it ever again. Not ever since, that day." Spitfire gave him a look of concern, "You can't blame yourself for what happened, it wasn't your fault!" "But it's my fault that he wasn't saved!" shouted Plasma Burner. "What are you talking about? What happened?" asked Rainbow. "It's time for you to go! It was a mistake for me to let you in here." Plasma Burner began walking toward the door. "Captain!" shouted Spitfire, "Please, come back to us." Plasma Burner stopped and the girls stared at him, "I am not your captain anymore." He opened the door to see that the storm had already begun. "Great," he said as he gritted his teeth, "It looks like I'm stuck with you three for the night. None of you can maneuver your way through that storm." "Oh yeah?" said Rainbow, "Just watch me, I'll fly to my house and back here and that'll prove to you that I'm Wonderbolt material!" Rainbow began running towards the door and took off into the storm. "No don't!" shouted Plasma Burner, but it was too late. Rainbow had already flown out of the house. "She'll never make it! Those thunder clouds will zap her right out of the sky in mere seconds!" "You have to go after her!" shouted Spitfire, "You're the only one who can move through those clouds without getting scorched by the lightning!" "I can't," said Plasma Burner, "I don't do that kind of flying anymore, I'm afraid she's on her own." "Please!" begged Fluttershy, "You have to save her! She's my best friend!" "I'm sorry, but I can't." said Plasma Burner as he began heading up the stairs. "What do we do?" asked Fluttershy. "There's nothing we can do, not even I can fly through a storm as bad as that one." said Spitfire. "What happened to Plasma Burner? Why won't he help her?" asked Fluttershy. Spitfire became uncomfortable when she asked that question; she took a second to think and then took in a deep breath. "When Plasma Burner was still captain of the Wonderbolts, there was this young filly he met one day. The little colt said he was Plasma Burner's biggest fan, it was cute really. He had this little doll of Plasma Burner, and he asked for his signature. He believed there was nothing that Plasma Burner couldn't do. Then one day, there was an accident during one of our shows. They never found out what caused the accident, but it endangered the lives of the audience. We helped the guards with the evacuation, then Plasma Burner decided to make one last sweep to make sure nopony was left behind." Spitfire began to quiver as tears began forming in her eyes. "What's wrong Spitfire? What happened?" asked Fluttershy. Spitfire wiped the tears off her face, "When he went to check inside, the building started becoming unstable. It began to fall apart as he was flying inside, then out of the corner of his eye he spotted somepony. It was the little filly he had met before, it seems he went back to retrieve the doll of Plasma Burner that he dropped during the chaos. Plasma Burner flew towards the young colt in an attempt to save him, but he didn't make it in time. Plasma Burner blames himself for being too slow to save him in time; he left right after the filly's funeral. He never even said goodbye to us. As far as we know, he never flies like he used to because he's afraid of being too slow again." "That's terrible!" said Fluttershy, "But if he doesn't help Rainbow, then she might not make it either! Isn't there anyway to convince him?" Spitfire lowered her head as roars of thunder could be heard inside, "I'm afraid not, there's nothing we can do for her." "Maybe you can't, but I can." said Plasma Burner as he came down the steps. Spitfire looked over to see him wearing his old uniform, "Plasma Burner? You're wearing your old uniform! You even have your badge on! Does this mean..." "Yes, just don't get used to it." he said as he headed towards the door. He turned his head to face Fluttershy, "These suits are meant to provide extra protection for harsh weather conditions. Hey Spits, hold onto this for me would you?" He handed her a small torn doll of himself with his signature on it. Spitfire's eyes widened, "Isn't this?" "Yes, I've kept it ever since the accident." He opened the door and put on his goggles. "I kept it to remind myself of my mistake, but now it's to remind me that I can never let anything like that happen ever again!" He took off to the skies like a blur; they never even saw his wings move an inch. Spitfire stared with wide eyes, "He's even faster then he was before!" Rainbow was lost in the middle of the storm searching for her home. She couldn't navigate with lightning crashing all over the place; the cold weather was affecting her flying too. She could barely keep her eyes open anymore, she was grazed by a bolt of lightning and she began to lose consciousness and fell towards the ground. She opened her eyes to see that she was about to fall through another thunder cloud but she couldn't move her wings, Plasma Burner came in a flash before the cloud could strike her with another bolt of lightning. It ended up hitting Plasma Burner's wing instead; he still had to get Rainbow back to his house though. He mustered up every bit of strength he had left to fly them both back to safety. They ended up crashing on his cloud before he carried her inside. "Get her in bed, now!" shouted Plasma Burner. Spitfire ran up to him, "Plasma Burner! Your wing! Are you okay?" "I'll be fine, just focus on her for now! We need to put her in bed right away!" shouted Plasma Burner. Fluttershy took Rainbow upstairs and put her in bed, Plasma Burner laid on the couch with Spitfire. She began wrapping his wing in bandages before the bleeding could get any worse. He felt sparks of pain now and then but lucky for him his injuries weren't too serious, or so he thought. Fluttershy decided to check up on Plasma Burner to see if he was okay. After that the three of them walked upstairs and went to check on Rainbow. She didn't have any major injuries on her, but her temperature was dangerously low. They grabbed some extra blankets and placed them carefully on the bed. Plasma Burner walked over by her side and stared at Rainbow. "You know," Spitfire began, "She only went into that storm to prove herself to you. It seems she wanted to impress you." Plasma Burner moved his hoof to brush Rainbows hair away from her face and smiled, "She's so stubborn. She thinks she can do anything she wants." Spitfire smiled at him, "You know, you used to be like that too when you were a Wonderbolt in training." He began to blush in embarrassment, "What are you talking about? I actually made it into the Wonderbolts. This one is too reckless, she's just a novice!" Spitfire moved closer to him, "You were too at the beginning; you had someone to teach you everything you would ever need to know. Perhaps you can do the same for her?" Plasma Burner began to think about her words, "Maybe you're right. She could become a great Wonderbolt, maybe even better then I ever was." "Huh? Where am I?" asked Rainbow as she began to open her eyes. "Safe." said Plasma Burner, "I told you it was too dangerous to fly out there. How are you feeling?" "My head hurts." said Rainbow as she began rubbing her head, "What happened? I remember flying through the clouds and then nothing." Plasma Burner moved in closer, "You were struck by lightning, but it doesn't look like you have any physical wounds." Rainbow noticed his bandages, "What happened to your wing?! Wait, now I remember. You saved me, didn't you?" He turned his head to look at his wing, "Yeah, so long as I don't fly for a couple of days then I'll be fine. You on the other hand are in big trouble. You owe me big time." Rainbow lowered her head, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to show you how good of a flyer I was." Plasma Burner lifted her chin up with his hoof, "I'll admit, you're not as bad as I thought you were for lasting that long out there. That's not good enough to become a Wonderbolt though." "So how am I then?" asked Rainbow. "A little above a novice, but just a little." he said while turning his head around. "I'm no novice! I'll show you whose a novice! I demand a race from you! This is no longer a request!" shouted Rainbow as she shot out of bed. Plasma Burner turned to face her with a smile, "Very well then! You will have your race, and then we will see just where you stand!" "Why don't we make this interesting?" said Rainbow. "What do you have in mind?" asked Plasma Burner. "If I win, then you have to teach me how to fly as fast as you do!" She moved her eyes toward Spitfire, "And you'll also have to go on a date with Spitfire! Thinking of backing out yet?" "Wait what?!" shouted Spitfire as she began to blush. "Not a chance! I accept your terms!" shouted Plasma Burner, "But if I win, then I teach you my way. And you'll have to go on a date with me! I bet you want to back out now huh?" Rainbow began to blush as well "N-n-n-no way! Going on a date with a Wonderbolt, you think I would be scared of something like that? I accept your terms as well!" shouted Rainbow. They both shook their hooves in agreement. "Wait...what?!" shouted Spitfire once more. "Next weekend, the same track I chose when I first challenged you!" said Rainbow, "Prepare yourself, because you're going to eat my dust!" Plasma Burner moved in closer, "Trust me Rainbow, it won't be much of a race without a 'real' opponent to challenge me. Now get back into bed, you need to rest." He began walking out of the room as Spitfire followed him out. "How could you agree to something like that?!" asked Spitfire with red cheeks. "I didn't think she would go through with it after I made my demands. I can't believe she actually agreed to go on a date with me if I win. It's almost sad really; she stands no chance of winning. I can't lose on purpose out of pity though, cause then I'd have to date you." he said as he looked at her. "What's wrong with that?" asked Spitfire as she raised her eyebrow. "I just didn't expect to have to take either of you on a date is all." he said as he went to his couch. "It looks like the storm isn't stopping any time soon; I guess you'll all have to spend the night here." Author's Note Hooray! Chapter two, it came a lot quicker than I originally anticipated. Well I hope you all enjoy it, and remember that feedback is greatly appreciated!
Who Is He?It was peaceful day in the land of Equestria; nothing could go wrong on such a fine day. A gentle breeze flowed through the grassy fields and the skies were clearer than ever. A blue Pegasus who was covered by a dark cloak was walking along a dirt path headed towards the town of Ponyville carrying a saddle bag. He removed the hood of his cloak to allow the gentle breeze to blow through his mane as he walked along his path; he opened his wings to let the air breeze through his feathers. He enjoyed the feeling of the wind more than anypony he knew, not the wind you get from flying at great speeds, but the gentle wind that came from nature itself. He took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes, and then exhaled while opening them back up. "There it is, Ponyville. My new home." he said as he lowered his hood. ~~~~~ Everypony in town was outside enjoying the day, but nopony was enjoying it more than Rainbow Dash. Today she had the day off from weather patrol and it was clear skies which made it perfect for some flight practice. She had been practicing her new moves for days in hopes of impressing the Wonderbolts. Occasionally she would drift off in the middle of practice and imagine herself as the captain of the Wonderbolts with Spitfire and Soarin flying right by her side. She had Fluttershy watch her since she was the only one not busy enough to watch Rainbow practice. Rainbow attempted to perform the Buccaneer Blitz as a finishing move for her routine, but she began to lose herself in another one of her fantasies and ended up crashing head first into the ground. Fluttershy walked over and watched as Rainbow pushed against the ground, "Good job Rainbow Dash! That was wonderful! Um, are you alright?" Rainbow finally managed to pry her head out of the dirt, "Yeah, I totally meant to do that! I was thinking of changing my landing techniques a bit though. How about we go into town for a quick break?" "That sounds nice; you have been working on your routine for a long time now." Fluttershy said as they began walking into town. "Well yeah," Rainbow began, "If I'm going to be part of the Wonderbolts then I'm going to have to really show them my stuff! I can't afford any slip ups or I'll never get in!" "I'm sure you'll be just fine Rainbow. We all believe in you after all." said Fluttershy with a warm smile. Rainbow looked over at her, "Thanks Fluttershy, it helps when you know that others believe in you as well." Rainbow looked forward to see a strange looking pony, "Huh? Who's this guy? I've never seen him before." Rainbow stared at this pony that was covered in some sort of cloak so you couldn't see his face. He kept on walking by as other ponies stopped by to look at him, but he didn't look back or say anything to them. He just kept going as Rainbow and Fluttershy made their way into town to get something to eat. Rainbow couldn't help but look back at him as she walked away; she wondered why he was wearing such strange clothing. Suddenly out of nowhere they heard a scream come from across town. "Help me! Somepony please help me!" shouted the voice of a pony who was hanging onto her balcony that was about to break at any moment. Rainbow took to the skies looking for where the cries for help were coming from. Finally she spotted the pony and began flying towards her as fast as she could, "Hang on!" she shouted. As she dived toward the balcony her mane and tail began to create a rainbow of colors that followed her as she flew. The balcony had suddenly snapped in two causing the pony to fall and Rainbow began to pick up her speed. Oh no! I'm not going to make it! She thought. Then before she could even blink, a rainbow of blue colors flew right by her at incredible speeds. It dashed by and caught the falling pony before she could hit the ground. The cheers of many ponies filled the town as the ponies savior began to float back gently onto the ground. The Pegasus who saved her ended up being the same one that Rainbow had just seen not too long ago. "T-t-thank you." said the pony as she let go of her hero. The Pegasus' hood had come off during his flight, revealing his face to the ponies who were standing nearby. "No problem, I'm glad I could help." He was a blue Pegasus, his mane and tail were like rainbows that consisted of several shades of blue. "Who are you?" asked the pony. "I am no one." he answered as he covered his face once again, "Please forget about me and what I did today." He turned around and began walking away. Rainbow noticed something fall out of his saddle bag and landed near it to pick it up. "This badge...No way! Hey you!" she called out. The blue Pegasus turned his head back to look at who was calling him. "You dropped this!" she said as she held up a badge. The blue Pegasus then quickly began checking his saddle bags, "When did that fall out?! Give it back right now!" he shouted as he began running up to Rainbow. "This is a badge that belongs only to the captain of the Wonderbolts! Where did you get this?!" she asked. The blue Pegasus swiped it from her hoof and put it back into his bag. "It's mine, now leave me alone!" he said as he walked away. Fluttershy had finally caught up to Rainbow dash and landed right by her, "Oh my goodness! What happened Rainbow, is everypony okay?!" Rainbow turned to face her, "I'm not sure, somepony was falling and that guy over there saved her before I could even reach her. He's really fast." "Who is he?" asked Fluttershy. "I don't know, but I plan on finding out!" she said with a smirk. "C'mon! Let's follow him!" "Oh, I don't know Rainbow. I need to get back to my animals, it's almost feeding time." said Fluttershy. "That's okay; I'll follow him by myself then." She said as she began to follow the mysterious Pegasus. Rainbow Dash spent about thirty minutes following the mysterious pony until the Pegasus stopped and took out a small box from his bag. He opened it and a small cloud came out, as it raised itself to the sky the mysterious Pegasus began to fly circles around it. His flying caused the cloud to expand across the sky morphing it into what Rainbow Dash believed to be his home. He can compress clouds into such small sizes?! I've never heard of a pony that could fly fast enough to do that! She continued to watch as the Pegasus as he flew back down to get his box and flew back up into his home. Rainbow took this chance to follow him up and say hello. "You know you're not very good at following ponies." said the blue Pegasus as he removed his hood. Rainbows jaw dropped, "You knew?! How did you find out I was following you?!" He turned to open his door, "The wind told me." "The wind?" said Rainbow, "What do you mean?" He turned around and looked at Rainbow, "Why did you follow me?" "Oh yeah!" said Rainbow, "I want to know why you have a badge that belongs to Spitfire! You know, the captain of the Wonderbolts!" The blue colt turned his face toward the ground, "That's because the badge belongs to me, the ex-captain of the Wonderbolts." Rainbow was shocked to hear this, "You were captain of the Wonderbolts?! What are you doing here?" He turned to face his door, "Simple, I quit the Wonderbolts some time ago. Now I'm here to start a new life for myself." "Quit the Wonderbolts?!" shouted Rainbow, "Why would you want to quit being captain of Equestria's greatest flying team?!" "I told you what you wanted to know, now leave me alone." he said as he began walking into his home. "Not so fast!" said Rainbow as she flew by him, blocking him from the entrance to his house. "You're pretty fast," said the blue Pegasus, "But not that fast." Suddenly he disappeared and Rainbow felt a breeze go past her. She turned around to see him already inside the house. "You've got a lot to learn if you want to become a Wonderbolt." "But...how did you do that?" she asked as she looked back and forth. "And how did you know that I want to become a Wonderbolt?" "Simple, the wind told me when you flew by me. You are Rainbow Dash, a young novice who dreams of one day becoming captain of the Wonderbolts." he said with a smug look on his face. "At the rate you're going you'll never make captain." "Did you just call me a novice?! I'll show you novice, let's have a race right now and I'll show you who's a novice!" she shouted. "If I win then you tell me everything I want to know! If you win then I'll never bother you again!" "A race?" he said, "Where's the starting point?" "Right here!" shouted Rainbow as she made a line in the cloud, "First one to reach the top of that mountain wins!" He walked up to the starting line as Rainbow prepared herself. Then Fluttershy popped her head up and looked around, "Oh there you are Rainbow, I've been looking for you! I was worried that something might have happened to you!" "Nope!" shouted Rainbow, "Hey Fluttershy, can you do a count down for us? We're about to have a race!" "Oh, uh, okay." said Fluttershy as she got into position, "Uh, three, two, one, go!" "Aw yeah!" shouted Rainbow as she darted of the cloud. Fluttershy turned around to see the blue Pegasus still standing there, "Aren't you going too?" she asked. He turned to face her, "I never said I was going to race her, she decided that on her own. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea while you wait for her to come back?" "Oh, um, I guess a cup of tea wouldn't hurt." she said as she followed him inside. Three Hours Later Fluttershy and the new colt sat across from each other and waited for Rainbow to come back. The mysterious colt refilled Fluttershy's tea cup whenever she needed, occasionally he offered her a snack if she felt hungry but she declined. After about thirty more minutes he decided to make dinner for them and set the plates on the table. Fluttershy offered to help with the cooking but he insisted that he do it himself. Finally after he finished preparing dinner, Rainbow Dash opened the door with a grumpy look on her face. "Where were you?!" she shouted, "I waited for like three hours!" "Sit down, I just finished making dinner. I hope you like spaghetti." he said with a smile. "What about the race?!" she screamed. "You didn't even try did you?!" "Of course not." he said with a chuckle, "I never said I was going to race you, I only walked up to the starting line to see if I could trick you into actually going through with it. Honestly, you're such a novice. Now sit down and eat, I'm sure you've built up quite the appetite from all the flying you did today." Rainbow did as instructed since she really was hungry. "So then," she began, "Are you going to tell us your name or what?" He wiped his mouth with a napkin before he spoke, "Nope, the less you know about me the better." "Fluttershy, have you tried asking him his name yet?" she whispered. Fluttershy put her hoof onto her chin, "No, I don't think so." Rainbow put her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders and began lightly shaking to her, "Try it! Maybe he'll tell us if you ask him!" Fluttershy tried to recover from all the shaking and began to see straight again, "Oh okay then, um, if you don't mind sir. Would you tell me your name?" The blue Pegasus once again wiped his mouth of any sauce that might have gotten stuck on his face, "My name? Certainly, since you asked so nicely it's Plasma, Plasma Burner." "Plasma Burner?" repeated Rainbow, "How strange, I've never of you before." "Of course you wouldn't, I had erased all traces of me from the Wonderbolts." he said as he continued eating. "It's like I was never even a part of the Wonderbolts to begin with." "Say what?! Why?!" shouted Rainbow. "Look," he said as he stopped eating, "Being captain of the Wonderbolts was great, I never felt happier then when I was flying for crowds of ponies as they cheered for me and my incredible team. I had Soarin and Spitfire by my side; we felt that nothing could go wrong. We had the whole world to admire us; it was the best time of our lives." "So then what happened?" asked Rainbow. "Sorry, but I've already told you that the less you know about me the better. And I think I've told you enough already." he said as he began picking up the plates, "Now it's getting late, and I'm sure you two need to get home now." Rainbow and Fluttershy thanked him for the meal and left his home. On their way back to their own homes, Rainbow couldn't help but feel confused by his story. If he loved being a Wonderbolt more than anything, then why did he give it up? She thought. When Rainbow got home she quickly went through her old archives of the Wonderbolts. She had studied the Wonderbolts for years and had kept everything she learned about them in a book that she had in her room. Sure enough, she found no information about Plasma Burner. That night she wondered to herself. There's no way he could be the ex-captain of the Wonderbolts, could he? I know! I'll send a letter to Spitfire about him and she'll clear everything up! As everypony slept in Ponyville, Plasma Burner was still awake looking through his old photo album. He began to remember the days he spent with his team and all of the laughs that they had shared back then. He looked over to his closet and stared at his old uniform, it hadn't changed at all since the day he quit the Wonderbolts. His eyes began to tear up and he quickly looked away and headed towards his bed. He lay on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, I was too slow back then, but not anymore. He thought, I won't ever forgive myself for being too slow. He closed his eyes and rested up for the next day when his new life in Ponyville will have officially begun. Author's Note I've been working on this for a long while now and I figured, why not finish it up today? This came to me a while ago and I've added to it little by little while working on my main story. I hope you all like it! Feedback is greatly appreciated!
That Stormy NightThe storm was relentless, thunder and lightning clashed outside the cloud home as Plasma Burner watched the rain fall from his living room window. Spitfire was sitting next to him staring at him, she hadn't seen him in years yet here he was sitting merely a few inches away from her. For years she's looked back on the days of when they used to fly together and when ponies from all over the world would come by just to see the team in action. It was hard for her when she had to take charge as the new captain, she feared for the future of the Wonderbolts. She struggled when the time came to find a new member who could replace Plasma Burner. As she stared at Plasma Burner she failed to notice that Rainbow and Fluttershy had entered the room giving her a slight scare when she finally felt their presence. "So how are you feeling?" asked Plasma Burner as he continued to monitor the storm. "A bit better." said Rainbow as she opened her wings, "I think I'm good enough to fly now, thanks for your help earlier." "Don't mention it." said Plasma Burner. "But, there's something that's been bothering me. How did you know where to find me in that storm?" asked Rainbow. Plasma Burner turned his head around to look at Rainbow, "I heard you calling out for help." Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "I never called for help in the storm." "You did, the wind told me so." said Plasma Burner. "What do you mean the wind told you?" asked Rainbow, "You've said that before, but I still don't get what you mean by that. How can the wind tell you something?" Plasma Burner moved off of his sofa, "Someday you'll understand." He began walking towards the stairs but stopped midway when he walked by Rainbow Dash, "By the way, I know you've been watching me through your friends telescope for the past couple of days." Rainbow Dash's cheeks began to burn up, "What, how did you know about that?!" "The wind told me." he said as he continued walking past her. He moved to the middle of the room, "Now unfortunately it doesn't seem like the storm is going to calm down anytime soon, so you're all going to have to spend the night with me. The problem is that I have only two rooms, so we're going to need to decide who's sleeping with whom." Everypony in the room stopped and looked back and forth from each other, except for Plasma Burner who walked up the stairs to prepare the guest room. Fluttershy wasn't worried because she planned to sleep with Rainbow since they were such good friends, but Rainbow had other plans. She thought that if she spent the night with Plasma Burner then she might learn more about him and his days as a Wonderbolt. She wasn't the only one thinking that way though, Spitfire wanted to use this opportunity to try to convince him to re-join the Wonderbolts. That wasn't all though, she had something important that she needed to tell him no matter what. Rainbow and Spitfire stared at each other knowing that only one of them would accomplish their goals tonight. Plasma Burner came walking down the stairs, "Okay so I've cleared up the room a little, but I'll finish the minor details later when we go to bed. We still have plenty of time before then, so how about I make us some dinner?" Spitfire quickly turned her head, "It's been so long since I've had some of your cooking! What are you going to make?" "I was thinking of making some tomato soup." said Plasma Burner as he walked towards the kitchen. Spitfire quickly ran up and blocked him off from the kitchen, "Hold on! There is no way I'm going to let you make soup by yourself!" Rainbow looked over at Spitfire, "Why? He's a great cook!" "Yeah!" added Plasma Burner, "I didn't hear any complaints coming from you and Soarin the last time I made soup." "That's because we were smart enough to not eat any!" said Spitfire, "You mixed up the tomato sauce with hot sauce! Not only that, but you also added too much salt!" "I thought it tasted fine!" said Plasma Burner. "You're hopeless when it comes to making soup. Here, I'll lend you a helping hoof in the kitchen." said Spitfire as she headed towards the kitchen with him. "Fine then, here, take this." said Plasma Burner as he held out an apron. "What, why do I have to wear this?!" asked Spitfire. "My house, my kitchen, my rules." said Plasma Burner as he began taking out the necessary ingredients, "What's wrong Spit's, scared of wearing a little apron?" "N-not at all!" said Spitfire as she pulled the apron over her head. "There, see? No problem at all." "Good, now let's get started." said Plasma Burner as he pulled out the last of the ingredients. Twenty Minutes Later Spitfire picked up a spoon and took a little taste of the soup, "Mmm! That's good! Try it!" She held out the spoon for Plasma Burner. Plasma Burner leaned in and took a small taste, "You're right. That is good!" Spitfire began stirring the soup with the spoon, "You know, this reminds me of the old days." Plasma Burner simply looked at her without turning his head to face her. "Remember? We used to cook together in the kitchen back home. Soarin would always complain about why we would take so long with making the food. Whenever we caught him trying to sneak a taste I would hit him in the back of his head with the spatula." Plasma Burner turned his body around, "I don't think about the past anymore. It brings nothing but bad memories." He began walking towards the table where Rainbow and Fluttershy were waiting. Spitfire put her hoof out to Plasma Burner and tried to say something to him, but the words got stuck in her throat and she couldn't speak. Just when she thought she had moved one step closer, she moves two steps back. "Are you two ready to eat?" asked Plasma Burner. "You know it!" said Rainbow, "Let's see this amazing soup!" "Thank you very much for making us dinner mister Plasma Burner sir." said Fluttershy as she bowed her head a little. "Well you're very welcome Fluttershy. I'll bring you your soup now." He went to get four bowls and began pouring the soup into each bowl. Then he and Spitfire carefully brought the bowls to the table and set them down one at a time. Rainbow was the first to take a sip, "Wow! This is amazing! I've never tasted anything this good before!" Spitfire turned to her, "You should have seen Soarin whenever Plasma Burner made dinner. He would scarf his food down like an animal! On occasion he would challenge Plasma Burner here to see who could finish their dish first." "Really, who won?" asked Rainbow. "I did." said Plasma Burner, "I'm not just the fastest flyer in all of Equestria you know." "Oh really?" said Rainbow as she raised an eyebrow, "How about you prove it?" "Is that a challenge?" asked Plasma Burner. "First one to finish their bowl wins!" said Rainbow. "Is that right? So what do I get once I win?" asked Plasma Burner. "Don't think it'll be that easy! The loser has to wash all the dishes!" said Rainbow. "Very well, I accept your challenge!" said Plasma Burner as he nodded at Spitfire. "Ready?" said Spitfire as she raised a hoof, "Three, two, one, GO!" Rainbow immediately raised her bowl with her hooves and began eating the soup with all her might. She didn't want to stop, she couldn't stop. She could feel the last of the soup going down her throat as she slammed her bowl down with a grin as soup was dripping down her face. She lifted her chin and her jaw dropped as she saw that Plasma Burner's bowl was already empty. She couldn't believe it, he didn't spill a single drop on his face yet her face was covered in soup. "How, how did you do that?!" she asked. "I told you I'm the fastest." said Plasma Burner. "Thanks for volunteering to do our dishes Rainbow Dash." He placed his bowl over Rainbow's bowl and headed up the stairs. "Great, I'm on dish duty." grumbled Rainbow. "You shouldn't have challenged him to it. You were practically walking into your own defeat." said Spitfire as she passed by with her bowl. She dropped it into the pile that was building on Rainbow's side of the table. Now is my chance. She thought. She headed up the stairs to find Plasma Burner. "Don't worry Rainbow, I'll help you clean the dishes." said Fluttershy as she carried her bowl to the sink. "Thanks Fluttershy." said Rainbow as she carried her three bowls to the sink. Upstairs Plasma Burner was in the guest room cleaning up the last bit of the mess inside. "I know you're there Spitfire, you can't hide form me." Spitfire walked in and closed the door behind her, "So you knew huh?" "Yup, you know I've been reading up on the Wonderbolts since I left, I heard you replaced my position with...what's her name? Fleetfoot! She's not bad. She still has a lot to learn though; I can see it in her flight technique." "Yeah, she's okay." "How's Soarin doing?" "He's fine, he asked me out a few weeks ago." "Is that so?" "I turned him down though." "I see." "Aren't you going to ask me why?" "I'm sure you had your reasons." "Won't you please reconsider?" "I already told you that I'm not going back to the Wonderbolts Spitfire." "Why? We need you captain!" "..." "I need you." "Don't." "My feelings haven't changed since last time Plasma Burner." "Spitfire, you are the captain of the Wonderbolts! You know you cannot let your feelings get in the way of your responsibilities as captain!" "Captain please, I still love you." Outside the door Rainbow Dash was listening in on their conversation. She had finished the dishes early and wanted to talk to Plasma Burner but she noticed that the door had been closed and decided to listen in. She could not believe what she had just heard. She began to back away from the door and ran back down the stairs, when she made back down she ran for the couch and sat down. She grabbed one of the pillows and squeezed it tightly; she didn't know why this made her feel uneasy on the inside. She heard the door open upstairs and looked over to see Plasma Burner come down the stairs. When he looked over to her Rainbow turned back and stared out the window. Fluttershy walked over to the couch, "Rainbow, are you feeling okay?" "Yeah, I'm alright Fluttershy." said Rainbow as she turned to face her, "My stomach just feels a little upset from eating the soup too quickly." "Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Fluttershy. "Don't worry." said Plasma Burner, "I know a little remedy that will help. I used to make it whenever Soarin got a stomach ache, which was about every other day." As he walked over to the kitchen to prepare the remedy, Fluttershy leaned in close to Rainbow. "What's wrong Rainbow?" Rainbow looked over to make sure Plasma Burner wasn't looking and whispered to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy, Spitfire is in love with Plasma Burner. I was upstairs when I heard them talking alone." "What else happened?" Fluttershy asked. "I don't know, I ran away after I heard her say that. I don't know why but, when I heard her say that it made me feel a bit uneasy inside. My heart feels like it's in pain." "Rainbow Dash, d-do you like Plasma Burner?" Fluttershy asked. "Say what now?! No way, I don't like him! I mean, he's nice, he's really fast, and he's a good flyer..." she turned her head towards him, "He saved my life, he has a nice mane, he's handsome..." Rainbow began blushing and shook her head, "Uh, I mean, uh..." "You do like him!" squeaked Fluttershy. "No I don't! I don't like him Fluttershy; I just met him about a week ago! There's no way I like him." Rainbow looked past Fluttershy, "He's coming this way, act natural!" "Here, drink this. It'll calm your stomach." said Plasma Burner as he handed Rainbow a small cup. *Sniff* *Sniff* "Eww, what is this stuff?!" asked Rainbow. "Sorry, but that's a secret." said Plasma Burner, "Now drink, the sooner you finish it, the sooner your pain will go away." "Right, so what's the plan for later?" asked Rainbow as she drank the remedy. "I already took care of it. Spitfire and Fluttershy will sleep in the guest room. You and I will sleep in my room." he said as he took the cup from Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash nearly spit out all of the medicine, "WHAT?!" "What's wrong? Is there a problem?" asked Plasma Burner. "Uh, well, wouldn't you rather sleep with Spitfire?" asked Rainbow. "Having her around will only remind me of my past, and I don't like remembering the past." said Plasma Burner as he made his way to the kitchen. Rainbow looked over at him, "What do you mean by tha..." Fluttershy stopped her, "Don't ask, it will only hurt him." Spitfire came down from upstairs, when Rainbow looked over she noticed Spitfire wiping a tear off of her face. She didn't know what happened after she stopped listening in, but she had a clue what it was. She got what she wanted though; she was the one who would end up sleeping with Plasma Burner. Now she could use this opportunity to learn more about him and his days as a Wonderbolt, but now she wasn't sure whether she should feel happy or not. What Rainbow wanted to know now was, what was Plasma Burner's response to Spitfire's feelings? "So, how are you feeling now?" asked Plasma Burner. "Huh? Oh yeah, wait a moment...the pain is already gone!" said Rainbow in surprise. "I told you it would help." said Plasma Burner. Suddenly a loud boom came from outside the window followed by a white light. "It looks like the storm is getting worse. We should go to sleep now before the storm get's so bad that we won't even be able to fall asleep." "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." said Fluttershy as she cowered on the floor. "Relax Fluttershy," said Plasma Burner as he kneeled down next to Fluttershy, "The lightning won't be able to hurt you so long as you're in here with me, okay?" "Okay, I'm okay now." said Fluttershy as she slowly rose from the ground. Plasma Burner rose up with her, "Good, now let's all get to bed." With that said, they all headed to their rooms. Plasma Burner first led Fluttershy and Spitfire to the room they would be using for the night. A minor issue that came up was that Fluttershy asked for a night light since she was terrified, so Plasma Burner did something that none of them expected. He took a piece of his cloud home and morphed it into a little cloud that surged with electricity. The cloud gave off a warm glow that lit the room; none of them believed that was even possible. After that was done, he and Rainbow made their way to his room. Rainbow began breathing heavily, "I can't believe I'm standing in the room of somepony who used to be captain of the Wonderbolts!" "Don't get used to it." said Plasma Burner, "Can you stand over here please?" "Wait, why?" she asked. "It's your wings, they're very messy from earlier. You were too rough with your wings when flying, so I'm going to preen them." said Plasma Burner. "I-I can preen them on my own!" said Rainbow with a blush. Nopony but Fluttershy knew that Rainbow's wings were really sensitive. "Oh no you don't, as long as your in my home you'll do things my way. Now get over here and spread your wings, trust me, I've learned a lot about good techniques for preening a Pegasus' wings over my travels." "N-no way, I can preen them on my..." "I know that your wings are sensitive to the touch Rainbow Dash." "You know?! What gave it away?!" "It was the way the lightning struck you. It barely grazed your wings, yet right after your wings simply froze up and you passed out. I've dealt with lightning before, so even after you were grazed by the lightning you still should've been able to fly." "I see, so I guess the secrets out of the bag huh?" "Don't worry, I won't tell anypony about it. I understand the need for wanting to keep something a secret better than anypony. Now come, let me preen your wings." "Alright, but you promise?" "Of course Rainbow, now spread your wings." "Just be careful, please?" "That sounded like you were begging." "Shut up! I do not beg!" "We'll just see about that." Plasma Burner began to preen Rainbows wings. Rainbow struggled to keep a level head the entire time. What she did not expect was for Plasma Burner to be so gentle with her wings, it felt good to her. Her cheeks burned a bright red the entire time as he went through her wings. Her legs trembled at the smallest touch; the sensation flowed throughout her body. It took every ounce of strength to keep from moaning. "Hmmm, your wings are interesting. They remind me of my own." "A-aren't all wings the same?" asked Rainbow. "No, each Pegasus pony has different wings. Yours, however, are a rare type. You don't see our type of wings very often these days." "I-I see. A-are you almost done back there?" she asked. Her legs were shaking from the feeling of Plasma Burner touching her wings. "Almost, I just have a little more to go." He plucked a few feathers out and ran his hoof through the other to make sure they were strong and healthy. "There, I'm finished." Rainbow collapsed onto the floor still blushing and breathing heavily. Her hooves were still shaking from his gentle touch. She felt a sudden wind go by her and soon noticed that she was on Plasma Burner's back. "W-what, w-what are you doing? I-I could've gotten up myself you know, eventually." "I couldn't just leave you on the floor like that, besides you need rest from earlier. I'm going to need to get my wings preened as well. Actually, I should get rid of these bandages. I can feel how filthy they are." "H-hey wait, you did my wings so it's only fair that I get to do yours." said Rainbow. "I don't think you want to do that Rainbow. Besides, you can't preen my wings. They're not healed yet." "How bad is the injury?" asked Rainbow. Plasma Burner walked over and gently placed Rainbow on his bed, "Don't worry about it. I'll be changing the bandages in the other room here so please wait a moment." Plasma Burner walked into the other room and Rainbow lied down on the bed. She could hear him removing the bandages in the other room. She could hear him agonizing over the pain he felt from his wings as he removed the bandages. Eventually she heard him re-wrapping his wings with new bandages. He opened the door and came out, Rainbow turned her head as her whole body went into shock. Plasma burner was carrying the old bandages with him; they were completely covered in blood. He walked over to a nearby trash basket and threw the old bandages away. "I'm sorry." said Rainbow. "Don't be sorry, if anything I should be thanking you." said Plasma Burner. "What? Why? You got hurt because of me!" "I've been hurting for many years Rainbow Dash. Yet you were the one who got me flying back out in the skies again. It felt great to have the wind in my face again. You don't have to apologize for this little wound." "Well I guess this means I owe you for saving my life huh?" "I guess it does. So, I bet you were a little concerned about what happened between me and Spitfire huh?" Rainbows eyes shot open, "I guess you could tell I was there because of the wind huh?" "Yeah, so I bet you have some questions for me don't you?" "She told you she loved you, what did you do about it?" "It's not something that will ever be. The captain of the Wonderbolts must be focused on their duties and nothing else, that's what it means to be the captain. Spitfire and I loved each other very much back in the past, but being captain kept me from spending any time with her. Back then me and Spitfire were planning on leaving the Wonderbolts and live the rest of our lives together, but then there was...let's just say some things happened. After that, I left the Wonderbolts and chose to never look back. Now she is captain, her duties in life must remain with the Wonderbolts so long as she remains captain." "So, you didn't tell her that you loved her back?" "No, I didn't. I don't love her the way I used to back then. Things were different back in the old days." "What about now? Do you have anypony that you care about deeply?" "Hmm? Why the sudden interest in my love life Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow began blushing, "N-no reason!" "Right, do me a favor. Now that you've stopped shaking from having your wings preened, I want you to try to open your wings." "You want me to open my wings?" Rainbow did as instructed and opened her wings. They immediately shot open faster than they used to, "Whoa, my wings! What's going on?" "I've preened your wings to better suit yourself for high speed flying. Before I preened your wings they had excess feathers that only weighed them down, I shifted some of them and removed the unnecessary ones. This will make you much faster." "Awesome, but why do this for me?" "Because after we race next weekend I'm going to end up teaching you one way or another. I'm just preparing you so it seems like you actually stand a chance at winning." "Say what?! I'll show you! I'm going to win next weekend! And once I win, you'll have to go on that date with Spitfi..." Rainbow stopped herself in her tracks. "What's the matter? Are you having second thoughts about the bet? Have you already accepted the fact that you can't beat me?" "No not at all! It's just that..." "The idea of Spitfire and me dating bothers you?" "No, that doesn't bother me at all!" "You can't hide anything from me Rainbow, I could tell from the moment you ran into the living room. The wind told me that you are feeling upset deep down inside. You may have been able to keep it secret, but Fluttershy's wind told me everything I needed to know." "W-w-what are you talking about?" Rainbow asked as her head began spinning slightly. Plasma Burner looked over to her with concern. "Rainbow, are you feeling okay? There's something off about the wind around you." "I feel fine...wait, something's off. I feel...hot." Plasma Burner walked over and placed his hoof on her head, "You're burning up! You must be getting sick from flying in that storm. Here, get into bed." He began tucking Rainbow under the covers. "I'm getting sick? I'm supposed to help the weather team clear this storm tomorrow!" said Rainbow as she began to breathe heavier. "Don't worry, I'll fill in for you." said Plasma Burner as he walked to the other side of the bed. "No, I'm sure I'll be better by tomorrow. There's no way I'm losing to some cold." said Rainbow. *Sniff* "Aw man, my nose." "Just rest Rainbow, everything will be fine tomorrow." said Plasma Burner as he entered the bed. As he entered the bed, Rainbow Dash turned her body away from Plasma Burner. She knew she wanted to get to know him better, but now she wasn't sure if that was all she wanted. An hour passed by and Rainbow took a quick glance back at Plasma Burner to look at his bandaged wing. She felt guilty about having rushed into the storm like that, she knew it was a bad idea but she just wanted to prove her worth to him. There was a sudden bolt of lightning that crashed outside the window which caused Rainbow to yelp, she then began to quiver in fear. She kept shaking until she felt a pair of hooves wrap around her waist. Her ears perked up and she began blushing as she turned around to see Plasma Burner right behind her, "W-w-what are you doing?" "Don't worry; you're safe so long as you're with me...zzzz...never be too slow again." "Is he asleep?" Rainbow looked down at where Plasma Burner held her. She put her hooves over his and tightened his grip, "I know I shouldn't be, but this makes me feel happy." Rainbow carefully turned her body around to face Plasma Burner without loosening his grip on her, "Spitfire loves you, she's loved you ever since you were a Wonderbolt. So is it wrong for me to enjoy this? I was confused about what I felt earlier, but I think I know what it is now. Even after I bothered you endlessly about not being a Wonderbolt, you risked your life just to save me. I guess Fluttershy was right, I really do like you." Rainbow snuggled up next to Plasma Burner and rested in his embrace. She knew that Spitfire still loved him, but that didn't matter to her. She knew that she couldn't simply ignore what she felt towards Plasma Burner. If Plasma Burner could hear the voices of the wind, then she would tell him everything he needed to know in their next flight together. She still had a race to look forward to and she was determined to show him her stuff when that moment arrives. Author's Note Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this story! Sorry about that, I promise I wont take as long for the next one. That doesn't mean I'm going to be publishing chapter every week, all of my efforts are still going towards my main story. Thank you for reading, feedback is greatly appreciated.
Sick DayRainbow Dash was laying in bed breathing heavily. Unlike last night she had to breathe through her mouth, it seemed her condition had worsened since yesterday. Plasma Burner was the first to wake up, he looked over and placed his hoof on Rainbow's forehead. He knew she couldn't go out and fly, it would only make things even worse for her. He then climbed out of bed and removed his bandages. He walked over to the mirror in his washroom and looked at his injured wing, there were many feathers missing, his skin was torn in certain places from the lightning strike, and much of his wing was covered in dry blood. He reached into his wall and pulled out a small piece of his cloud home. He gave it a good shake and it began dripping water. He then used the cloud to wash the blood off of his wing. He then grabbed a nearby towel and began to clean his wound, it wasn't a very pleasant experience for him. "Looks like that lightning bolt did even more damage than I thought. I better get some bandages to cover it up before it starts to bleed again." Plasma Burner walked to the other room and grabbed some more bandages. He began wrapping his injured wing with clean bandages until he heard Rainbow in the other room. *Sniff* "Oh my head. It hurts." *Cough!* *Cough!* "How are you feeling?" asked Plasma Burner as he stepped to her side. "I feel sick, I can't even move." said Rainbow. *Knock* *Knock* "Um, excuse me, can I come in?" asked a voice from outside the door. "Yes, come in Fluttershy." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, thank you. Are you ready to go Rainbow? The weather team is going to need your help to clear up all of the clouds from yesterdays storm." said Fluttershy. Rainbow began to lift herself from her pillow to face Fluttershy, "Yeah, just give me a-" "Actually Fluttershy, Rainbow's feeling a little sick." said Plasma Burner as he gently pushed Rainbow's head back down on the pillow. "I'll be taking her place today as we clear up the sky. She'll be staying here, in bed." "Oh dear, maybe I should take her home?" said Fluttershy. "Don't worry about her, she'll be staying here. I'll be taking care of her until she gets better." said Plasma Burner. "So where is Spitfire? I'm guessing she left already?" "Actually, she was already gone by the time I woke up. I don't know where she is." "I see. Well it was nice having company over. I'll see you out Fluttershy, I need somepony to show me where the weather team meets anyway." said Plasma Burner as he walked over to the door. "Oh, okay. I'll see you later Rainbow Dash." said Fluttershy as they both walked out the door. "Are you sure you don't want me to take her home? I can take care of her if it's too much trouble for you." "That's alright, it's my fault she got sick in the first place. So it's only fair that I help her now." said Plasma Burner as they walked down the stairs. Fluttershy noticed his wing twitching and stared at his bandages, "Are you sure you'll be able to fly with your wing like that?" "Thank you for your concern Fluttershy, but I will be fine. I just need to take it easy and my wing will be fine." said Plasma Burner as he opened the front door. "So where does the weather team usually meet?" ~~~~~ "Aw man, my nose is so stuffy." said Rainbow as she lay in Plasma Burner's bed. "I need some tissue paper. Where is his washroom?" She got up out of bed and carefully made her way to the washroom. She found the tissue's and began cleaning her nose. When she went to throw away the tissue paper, she saw the bandages that Plasma Burner took off last night and the one's he took off that morning. She couldn't believe how bloody they were, she could only hope that he had healed somewhat from last night. Then suddenly she heard the door to the house open from downstairs. She quickly grabbed the box of tissues and brought them with her and hopped back into the bed. The door opened and Plasma Burner walked in the room. "What are you doing back here so soon?" asked Rainbow Dash. "We finished." he said. "That fast?! There's no way you could have finished clearing the skies that fast with an injured wing!" said Rainbow Dash. "You were gone for only five minutes!" "When you have a proper team whose willing to follow your command, you can do anything in anytime." said Plasma Burner as he opened the window. "Unbelievable, there's no way you should have been able to clear up all of those clouds so quickly!" "What if I told you that there was a way to clear a hundred clouds in one move?" asked Plasma Burner as he walked closer to Rainbows side of the bed. "That's impossible, I've been captain of the weather team since I first moved to Ponyville. If such a thing was possible then we wouldn't need a weather team." "Are you so sure about that?" asked Plasma Burner. "Of course! There's not a doubt in my mind! Even you can't expect me to believe that such a thing exists." said Rainbow. Plasma Burner leaned in closer to Rainbow Dash. He eventually stopped until they were nearly face to face. "Oh but it does Rainbow Dash. There is a way, but it can be very dangerous if you try to execute it during a raging storm. It can even kill you if you're not careful." "H-h-how? How can you clear so many clouds in one move?" asked Rainbow Dash as she stared directly at Plasma Burner's eyes. She was finally about to learn one of his secrets. "Sorry, I can't tell you. You don't expect me to give away my secret techniques to some novice, do you?" he asked as he moved away from Rainbow Dash. "Why you! I hate it when you call me a novice! And I-" Rainbow was halted as Plasma Burner placed his hoof over her mouth. "Don't lose your temper Rainbow Dash. It will only make your condition worse." said Plasma Burner as he removed his hoof. You're the one who made me lose my temper you jerk! she shouted in her mind. "Stay here, I'm going to make you some soup." said Plasma Burner as he released her. "Wait, you don't have to go and do that!" said Rainbow. "Relax, I'm going to use the same recipe from last night. I'm not going to mix up the tomato sauce with hot sauce if that's what you're worried about." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, okay. Thanks." said Rainbow as she rested her head back onto the pillow. As soon as Plasma Burner was out of sight she took the pillow and stuffed her face into it. I can't believe this. Now I have to win that race! I have to get him to show me everything! After a short while Rainbow Dash could hear him cooking downstairs, she tried her best to rest but she couldn't fall asleep. She laid in bed for about thirty minutes when suddenly she heard somepony knocking on the door downstairs. She was curious as to who it was and got out of bed, she then began making her way downstairs but stopped midway so Plasma Burner couldn't see her. She carefully lowered her head as Plasma Burner walked to the door, but she couldn't see who it was at the door. "Hello Plasma Burner." "Do I...know you?" he asked. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm the towns mail mare! My name is Derpy! I have a letter for you in my bag!" said Derpy as she dug in her bag for the letter. "Here it is!" "I see, do you know who it's from?" asked Plasma Burner. "Yeah, it's from the Wonderbolts! You're so lucky, they're the greatest flyers in all of Equestria! Not many Pegasus ponies get mail from them!" said Derpy as she passed it to him. "They sent me a letter? How strange. Thank you for bringing me this letter." said Plasma Burner as he began opening the letter. "You're welcome! See you later!" said Derpy as she went on her way to deliver the rest of the mail. Plasma Burner looked at the letter again. "Alright, let's see here...are you going to be spying on me while I read this letter?" Rainbow's ears perked up and she backed off slowly. "Don't bother, I already know you're there Rainbow Dash." "Eheh, so you knew I was here the whole time?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Yes, I could hear your sniffling. I thought I told you to stay in bed." said Plasma Burner. "Sorry about that, I kind of..." "You couldn't fall asleep and got bored of laying in bed?" he said. "How did you know that?! The wind told you, didn't it?" asked Rainbow. "No, I guessed." he said out flat. "Are you serious?!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Temper! Now sit down, the soup is almost ready." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, okay." said Rainbow as she walked over to the table. As she sat there and waited for the soup to be ready, she felt a hoof being placed on her shoulder. "Hey, what are you doing?!" "Relax, I'm just putting a blanket on you." said Plasma Burner. "I don't want your condition getting worse so I'm just trying to keep you warm." "Oh, right. Sorry about that." said Rainbow Dash as she allowed him to place the blanket on her. "You're acting a bit strange, are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." said Rainbow as she tried to breathe through her stuffy nose. "I'll go and get you the tissues so you can clean your nose." said Plasma Burner. He disappeared in a gust of wind and immediately reappeared with the box of tissues in his hoof. "That's incredible." said Rainbow Dash. "How do you move that fast?" "That's a secret, so I can't tell you." said Plasma Burner. "That's what you think. Once I win that race, I'm going to make you teach me everything you know." said Rainbow. "Sorry Rainbow, but you're going to lose that race. Now here, keep these tissues with you." said Plasma Burner as he headed back into the kitchen. Rainbow took some tissues and cleaned her nose with them. "So...is the soup ready yet?" she asked. Plasma Burner took a spoon and tasted the soup. "Yes it is. It's perfect." "That has yet to be proven." said Rainbow. "Just you wait, it's going to be delicious." said Plasma Burner as he poured Rainbow a bowl of soup. He then brought the bowl to the table and placed it in front of her. "Okay, let's see how your soup is." said Rainbow Dash as she tasted the soup. "That's really good!" "See? I told you it was going to be good." said Plasma Burner. "So...what did you get in the mail?" she asked. "An invitation." "Invitation?" "Yes, it's an invitation for a party held in the Wonderbolts honor. A special event held once every year, and Spitfire sent me an invitation." "Are you going to go?" she asked. "No, I don't plan on going." said Plasma Burner. "Oh, I see." Rainbow kept eating her soup while Plasma Burner took the invitation to his living room. Rainbow couldn't see where he placed the invitation and decided not to worry about it. Plasma Burner came back and poured himself a bowl of soup. He then carried his bowl back to the table and ate his soup with Rainbow Dash. "I'm going to pick up some medicine once I finish eating." "Where are you going to get the medicine from?" she asked. "Don't worry about it. Just know that soon you'll be feeling a whole lot better." "Alright, so what do I do while you're gone?" asked Rainbow. "The dishes." said Plasma Burner as he slid his bowl over to Rainbow. "Again?! How did you even finish your food that fast? And don't you think it's rude to make a sick pony do the dishes?" "Don't you think it's rude to spy on ponies with your friends telescope?" "I was hoping you had forgotten about that." "Not a chance. I'm heading out, and make sure you keep that blanket on." said Plasma Burner as he left with a saddle bag on his back. "Alright, see you later." said Rainbow. Plasma Burner took off to the skies and was soon out of sight. Rainbow Dash sighed and took both of the dishes and carried them to the sink. "It looks like I'm on dish duty...again." Rainbow washed their dishes and headed up the stairs. She stepped into Plasma Burner's room and noticed a door that led to another room. That's where he got his bandages from last night. I wonder what else he has in there. she thought. She walked up to the door and opened it. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The walls were filled with old pictures from Plasma Burner's days in the Wonderbolts. His uniform was neatly folded in the corner, and his badge was still attached to it. Old trophies that he won in races were in glass cases, and medals were hung on the walls. Rainbow walked in to find an image of Plasma Burner with Spitfire and Soarin by his side. They were all holding a golden trophy with smiles across their faces. Then she spotted an old picture of Plasma Burner and Spitfire together. They were wearing scarves on a snowy hill and Spitfire was giving Plasma Burner a peck on the cheek. Then suddenly she heard the door downstairs open up. She quickly ran out the door and rushed back downstairs to see Plasma Burner there. "Welcome back! That was quick." "Yeah, there was this zebra in the woods that had all of the herbs I needed. It was strange though, she only spoke in rhymes." "That must be Zecora." "So her name is Zecora huh? She was very helpful. Now I can get to work on that medicine. Just wait on the couch and I'll have it ready in a few minutes." "Alright, what kind of medicine is it?" she asked. "It's an ancient medicinal tea that I learned throughout my travels in Equestria. You just have to drink it, and you should feel better by morning." "That's great! I can't wait to get airborne again." said Rainbow. "Yes, it'll be good for you to get some practice with your new wings." said Plasma Burner. "Yeah, I can't wait to try these bad boys out!" said Rainbow as she opened her wings under the blanket. Her wings tossed the blanket overhead and it slowly fell over Rainbow's entire body and covered her face. "Alright, it's ready Rainbow Dash." said Plasma Burner as he entered the living room with a cup full of green liquid. "Take that thing off of your head. Here, drink this." Rainbow Dash fixed the blanket to the way it was before. She then looked at the cup that Plasma Burner brought her. "Uh, this looks a lot different than the medicine you made me yesterday. Are you sure this stuff is safe to drink?" she asked. "Yes, now drink up. At first it will cause your cold to act up more than before, but by morning it should be all gone." said Plasma Burner as he walked back towards the kitchen. Rainbow Dash sat down on his couch and began drinking all of the medicine until it was all gone. As soon as she finished, she heard a loud bang come from the kitchen. "Hey, what was that?" she asked. But there was no answer. So Rainbow got up and walked towards the kitchen and found Plasma Burner on the ground. "Are you okay?!" she asked as she ran up to him. "I'm...I'm fine." he said. His voice sounded weak, and he seemed to be trying his best to stay conscious. "No you're not! What's wrong?!" she asked. She then took notice to his wing which was completely drenched in blood. "What happened to your wing?" Plasma Burner attempted to lift himself off the floor. "I...pushed my body...too much today. I opened the wound...and the pain..." "Don't try to push yourself. I'll help you upstairs." said Rainbow. She helped Plasma Burner stand on his hooves, and then they both made their way to his bedroom. "Here, let's get you on the bed and I'll change those bandages." "I can do it myself." said Plasma Burner. He tried to make his way to the washroom but ended up nearly falling over again. "Don't be an idiot. I'll do it." said Rainbow Dash. She slowly unraveled the bandages and her hooves were getting covered by the blood that stained them. "Aw man, this is so gross." She eventually got all of the bandages off of his wing and saw the wound. "Oh my gosh, it looks horrible. It's all my fault. You had to go and take my place on the weather team, and you went to get the medicine for me." "Don't beat yourself up over it. I took the risks of flying with an injured wing. I knew this would happen. It's my fault, not yours." "But..." "Just get the clean bandages please. I don't want to get blood all over my bed." "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" said Rainbow as she rushed to find the bandages. Plasma Burner could hear her rummaging through his things. "They're in the washroom!" "Got it!" said Rainbow as she ran for the door. When she entered the washroom, she began searching all over for the bandages. "Aha, found them!" She quickly rinsed her hooves before grabbing the bandages so they wouldn't be stained with the blood on her hooves. She then grabbed the bandages and quickly ran back to Plasma Burner. "Alright, I have the bandages." "Good, now first you have to clean the wound before you put the bandages on." said Plasma Burner. "Okay, how did you do it before?" she asked. "First let's make our way to the washroom. I don't want you to clean the wound on my bed." "Right, let's get going then!" said Rainbow as she lifted Plasma burner off the bed. "Just drop me off in the bath tub. This way the blood go down. It'll get absorbed into the cloud below and I'll clean it once my wing gets better. Now listen to me carefully. Take a small piece of my home, and shake it. Don't shake it too much though, you have to shake it just enough so that it rains lightly. If you do it too much, it'll start pouring out water uncontrollably and my home will become a rain cloud." "I'll do my best." said Rainbow Dash. She took a piece of his cloud home and began shaking it. "Softer, you have to be gentle." said Plasma Burner. "Gentle, right. I can do that." She began to gently shake the cloud and soon it was dripping water. "There you go, control the flow of water. Now gently clean the wound." said Plasma Burner as he slowly opened his wing. "Okay, like this?" asked Rainbow. "Yes, just like that. Thank you Rainbow Dash." said Plasma Burner. "No problem, you're letting me stay here as I get better so it's only fair that I help you get better too." said Rainbow as she made sure all of the blood was coming off of Plasma Burners wing. "How is it looking?" he asked. "It doesn't look good." "I figured as much. I think it's ready to be bandaged." said Plasma Burner as he struggled to keep his wing open. "Please hurry, I can't keep my wing open much longer." "Right, let me get the bandages." said Rainbow as she grabbed the bandages and began carefully wrapping his wing up. "There, that should do it." "Thank you. Now, I just need to get in bed...and let my wing heal." said Plasma Burner. "I'll help you." said Rainbow Dash as she helped him up. They made their way to the bed and she placed Plasma Burner on the bed and then tucked him in. As she began walking away, she felt him grab her hoof. "What's wrong?" "Have you forgotten that you're sick? You need to rest as well." said Plasma Burner. "I'm fi-a-a-achoo! Aw man, I think it's getting worse." said Rainbow as her voice became stuffy once again. "It's the medicine, it'll be like that for a while. In the morning you'll feel a lot better. Now get in." said Plasma Burner. "What?!" said Rainbow Dash. "I said to get in the bed. You need to rest and get better. I'm not letting go until you get in." said Plasma Burner. Rainbow Dash didn't argue, she knew she needed to rest. Her head was feeling hot and she began feeling woozy. So she climbed over and laid down in the bed. "You can let go of me now." said Rainbow Dash with a blush. Although one would not be able to tell since her face was red already from being sick. "ZzzzzZZzzzz..." He...he fell asleep already. thought Rainbow Dash. "I can't believe you." She closed her eyes and tried to rest as the sleeping Plasma Burner held her hoof. Somehow the two managed to sleep through the rest of the day. The next morning Rainbow Dash woke up to find herself alone in the bed again. This time though, she felt amazing. She jumped out of bed and took in a deep breath. It felt wonderful to be able to breathe clearly again. She ran downstairs to find Plasma Burner at the door talking to somepony. "I see. So you're one of Rainbow Dash's friends." said Plasma Burner. "Yes, is she still here?" asked the mare at the door. "Who are you talking to?" asked Rainbow. "It seems to be one of your friends. She says her name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight looked over to see Rainbow. "There you are Rainbow Dash!" said Twilight as she ran into Plasma Burner's home and gave Rainbow Dash a hug. "Fluttershy told us what happened! We were all so worried about you!" "I'm okay Twilight. Plasma Burner helped me get better. He's also the one who saved my life." said Rainbow. "You're looking much better Rainbow Dash." said Plasma Burner. "Yeah, thanks to your medicine." "How about you try out your new wings real quick?" said Plasma Burner as she stepped outside. "Yeah! This is going to be great!" said Rainbow as she ran outside. She then prepped herself and opened her wings. "Wow, I've never seen Rainbow's wings open that fast before. They look a little different too." said Twilight. "Yes, just wait until she takes off." said Plasma Burner. "Here I go!" said Rainbow Dash. She then bolted off of the cloud and began flying across the sky. "This is amazing! I feel even faster than before!" "That's incredible." said Twilight. "Yes, she's not half bad." said Plasma Burner. Rainbow Dash flew by and hovered in the middle of the air. "Come on! What are you standing around for Plasma Burner? Let's fly!" she shouted. "I can't Rainbow Dash, you know that." said Plasma Burner. Rainbow quickly landed back onto the cloud. "Oh, right. I'm sorry, I was so excited about trying out my new wings that I forgot." "That's fine, I probably won't be able to fly for a while. I might not even be able to fly on the day of our race." said Plasma Burner. "Then I'll help you get better!" said Rainbow. "No. That will not be necessary." "What...but why?!" "Simple, because your friend here has something for me. Don't you?" asked Plasma Burner. "Yeah, how did you know that?" asked Twilight. "Don't ask. Trust me." said Rainbow. "What do you mean?" asked Twilight. "Ask him and then you'll understand, but don't say I didn't warn you." said Rainbow. "Okay, how did you know that I brought you something?" asked Twilight. "The wind told me." "You can speak to the wind?!" asked Twilight. "I've heard about certain Pegasus ponies having the ability to communicate with the wind, but I never thought I'd actually meet one." "Wait, you know about this?!" asked Rainbow. "Yes, but I didn't know it was true. Supposedly everypony has their own personal wind that surrounds them. So ponies like him should be able to listen to it. Can you really do that?" asked Twilight. "Yes indeed. Not only that, but other Pegasus ponies with the same ability can communicate with each other through the wind that surrounds them." "You can?!" asked Twilight. "Yes, but it all depends on your wings. Only Pegasus ponies with wings that are the same type as mine can do it. They're a rare type, so not many ponies can do it anymore." "Wait...yesterday you said that my wings are just like yours!" shouted Rainbow. "He did?! Then does that mean..." "Yes, it means that Rainbow Dash is also capable of communicating with the wind." said Plasma Burner. "I can?! How do I do it? Can you show me?" asked Rainbow. "I'm afraid not. I could not teach you even if I wanted to. It is something that you must learn for yourself." "But...I want to know now." "I know it doesn't seem fair, but someday you'll learn. I had to learn it myself you know, and it took me a while before I could control it. So I understand that you brought me something Twilight?" said Plasma Burner. "Yes, I brought it in my bag. Here you go." She handed him a bottle with a strange liquid inside. "Zecora said to give it to you." "I see, it must be some type of medicine." said Plasma Burner as he held the bottle. "She told me that you must pour it on your wing." said Twilight. "On my wing? I wonder if it's some kind of healing potion." said Plasma Burner. "Would you mind lending me a hoof Twilight Sparkle?" "Yes, of course." said Twilight as she levitated the bottle over his wing. She then tipped it over and poured some its contents onto his bandaged wing. Then Plasma Burner's wing began shaking on its own. "What, what happened?" asked Plasma Burner. He then unwrapped his wing and the wound once plagued him had shrunk in size. "Incredible. I've heard that the zebra's were well known for their amazing medicinal potions, but I never imagined that they could make something like this." "That's amazing. She said to pour this medicine onto your wound at least once a day. If you do, then your wing should be fully healed by the end of the week." said Twilight as she levitated the bottle towards him. "I see. So in other words..." "In other words, you'll be ready to race me!" said Rainbow Dash. "If I remember correctly, we still have a race at the end of the week!" "That is true. In that case, the next time we see each other will be at the race!" "I don't think so, because I'm staying here!" said Rainbow Dash. "Excuse me? Why would I let you stay here? You're not sick anymore." "Isn't that obvious? You're going to need somepony to help you pour that medicine onto your wing, and I just volunteered!" said Rainbow. "Hmmm, very well. But you shall leave on the day of our race." said Plasma burner. "Fair enough. You're coming to the race too, right Twilight?" asked Rainbow. "Sure, I'll bring the girls along too. Where are you two going to start the race?" she asked. "Right...here. Aw man, we have to change the starting line. My friends aren't Pegasus ponies like us." "It's true." said Twilight. "Can we change it to someplace else?" "Of course princess. There's a nice hill near the outskirts of Ponyville, so why don't we meet there? I'll lead us all to the hill on the day of the race." asked Plasma Burner. "That would be perfect...how did you know I was a princess?!" asked Twilight. "The wind told me." "Amazing, you need to tell me everything you know about that!" said Twilight. "Of course your highness. I would be more than happy to share what I know." said Plasma Burner. "Alright, enough about the wind! You better prepare yourself Plasma Burner! Because I'm going to win that race!" said Rainbow Dash." "I don't think so Rainbow Dash! For while you may be a novice, I am a master! So don't even think for a moment that you can beat me!" "We'll just see about that! I'll show you who the novice is!" said Rainbow as they glared at each other with smiles on their faces. Then suddenly both of their stomachs began rumbling in sync with each other. "Perhaps we should eat first. My body was in so much pain that I slept through the entire day, and you were so sick that you slept through the whole day as well. That means we slept through lunch and dinner!" "Oh man, you're right! I'm hungry!" said Rainbow. "Come on, I'll make us all some food." said Plasma Burner as he stepped back into his house. "Alright, I can't wait to eat! I'm starving!" said Rainbow Dash as she and Twilight followed him inside. Now all they had to do was wait until the end of the week for the race. Rainbow Dash was confident in her abilities, she had her secret weapon. The sonic rainboom, it would increase her speed tenfold should she ever fall behind in the race. There was no way she could lose, she knew for sure that she would win. Author's Note Chapter 4! I hope you're all excited, because the big race is coming up in the next chapter! That's right! Plasma Burner vs. Rainbow Dash! So thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and remember, feedback is greatly appreciated!
The RaceAuthor's Note After so long...it's finally here. The next chapter, that I had planned to post so long ago but never finished. I wish to take this chance to apologize to anybody who has still been waiting for this next chapter, and if you've still been following this story then I thank you for being patient. Please enjoy the new chapter, and remember that feedback is greatly appreciated. And just a warning, this one has a bit of mature jokes in it. The Race "Ha! I told you that I was the best flyer in all of Equestria!" Shouted Rainbow Dash as she raced through the air. "Impossible! How can you be so fast?!" asked Plasma Burner as he struggled to keep up with Rainbow Dash's speed. "Who's the novice now Plasma Burner?" "No, it can't be!" "I gonna win! I knew I would win!" "Rainbow Dash! Look out ahead of you!" shouted Plasma Burner. Rainbow Dash turned forward to see a giant wall of storm clouds. She quickly turned back only to find herself surrounded by a raging storm. Thunder and lightning crashed all around her. She began maneuvering through the clouds, but no matter where she flew there were just more storm clouds in her way. The lightning began to strike at her as she flew through the storm. Her attempts were in vain as a lightning bolt suddenly struck her wing, sending her falling towards the ground. As she fell, the world around her began falling apart. She screamed her lungs out as she continued falling down an endless pit. "Rainbow Dash!" "Rainbow Dash!" "Rainbow Dash! Wake up!" shouted Plasma Burner. "Gah! What?! What's happening?!" she shouted as her eyes shot open. Her eyes focused on Plasma Burner as he was shaking her. "You were screaming in your sleep. Are you okay? That must have been one horrible nightmare." said Plasma Burner as he let her go. "Yeah, I'm okay. What time is it?" she asked as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "It's morning. The sun rose about an hour ago. Come, it's time for breakfast. I'll prepare some tea, it will help calm your mind." said Plasma Burner as he headed out the door. "Yeah, today's the big day after all." said Rainbow Dash as she got out of bed. The week had passed by so quickly, each day Rainbow Dash applied Plasma Burner's medicine onto his wing. At last his wound had disappeared and he had grown new feathers. Rainbow Dash climbed out of bed and headed downstairs where Plasma Burner was preparing breakfast. After they finished eating, Rainbow Dash stepped outside and took in a deep breath. At last the day of their race had come, and she couldn't be more excited. "Enjoying the fresh air?" asked Plasma Burner as he stepped outside to join her. "You could say that. So how about it? Are you ready to race?" "Humph, if you can call it that. I'll be sure to make you feel like you stood a chance before you lose." "We'll see who loses!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she darted in front of him. "Rainbow Dash!" called a voice from below. Rainbow Dash and Plasma Burner walked towards the clouds edge and looked down to see five ponies standing below them. "Hey! You all made it!" Rainbow Dash took off and landed near her friends. "I'm glad you're all here!" "Oh Rainbow Dash! I'm so glad to see that you're okay! I heard about what happened to you during that horrible storm!" said a white unicorn. "Ah can't believe you would go flying in that storm! Ah thought you of all Pegasus ponies would know better than to pull something like that!" said an orange earth pony. "Yeah, I guess it wasn't my best move." said Rainbow Dash as she rubbed the back of her head. "So? Where is this amazing Pegasus who saved your life?" asked the white unicorn. Rainbow lifted her head up, "He's up....there....Where did he go?" "I'm right here." he said from behind Rainbow Dash. "Gah! Don't do that!" she shouted as she jumped in shock due to his sudden appearance. "What's wrong? Did I scare you?" he asked. "N-not a chance! Nothing can scare me!" She noticed that Plasma Burner was wearing the cloak he wore on the first day that they met. "Why are you wearing that thing again?" "I always wear this when I go out. I don't want to be seen by anypony who might recognize me. Besides, I don't like meeting new ponies." "So this is the Pegasus who saved your life?" asked as the white unicorn. "Yeah this is him. Plasma Burner, this is-" "Rarity, Applejack, and the pink one who is about to try and surprise me from behind is Pinkie Pie." said Plasma Burner as he quickly ducked down. At that moment, Pinkie Pie had leaped at Plasma Burner to surprise him but ended up leaping over him and landing on the other side instead. "Hey! How did you know I was coming from behind?" she asked. "I could hear your hoofsteps." "How in tarnation did you hear her?! Ah couldn't even see her, let alone hear her." asked Applejack. "It's quite simple for me." "You listened to the wind, didn't you?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Say what now?" asked Applejack. "He listened...to the wind?" asked Rarity. "Yeah, it's this cool thing he can do." said Rainbow Dash.. "It's amazing!" said Twilight. "I've been stopping by at his home recently and have been studying this ability of his. It's unlike anything I've ever seen! It seems that everypony has their own personal wind pattern surrounding them, and he is somehow able to read them like books! It tells him who they are, where they are, what they're doing, and it allows him to read their emotions!" "Well, that certainly is interesting." said Rarity. "Ah don't know. It sounds kind of funny to me. What about you Fluttershy? can you, um, hear the wind?" asked Applejack. "Oh no, I can't do anything like that." "Alright, I think that's enough! I hope you all haven't forgotten why we all gathered here in the first place!" said Rainbow. "Oh yeah, the race. Sorry about that Rainbow Dash." said Twilight. "Do not worry Princess Twilight. Rainbow Dash is simply anxious to lose." said Plasma Burner. "Oh you're asking for it now! Let's go! I've been dying to beat you in a race all week!" said Rainbow Dash. "Very well then. Let's be on our way." said Plasma Burner as he began to lead them down the road. As they began their trip towards the hills, Rarity moved ahead to walk alongside Plasma Burner. "Pardon me, but are you going to wear that...thing...all day?" "Yes, I do not like to be seen by others. Although I shall not be wearing it during the race." "Then you wear that even when Rainbow Dash is around?" "No, she has seen my face. Only by sheer coincidence though. She just happened to be around when my hood came off." "I see. Where did you get that cloak? It looks very old, and I'd say it's been through a lot as well." "Hey Rarity, what's with the bag?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Oh it's just a little something I brought just in case." "Hang on a minute!" Applejack interrupted. "Ah want to know more about this...hearing the wind thing. How did it tell you our names?" "I would be happy to tell you Applejack, but I'm not so sure an Earth pony who works on her family's apple farm with her little sister, big brother, and grandmother, would be able to understand the concept of listening to wind." "How in Equestria?!" As Applejack gawked in amazement, Rarity slowed down to talk with Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, are you sure you cannot listen to the wind? You are a Pegasus pony as well, so would you not have the same ability?" "I'm sorry. I don't think I can." "Not just any Pegasus pony knows how to listen to the wind. Only those with certain wing types can possess this ability." said Plasma Burner. "Yeah, like me!" said Rainbow Dash. "Really? Well then what do you feel when you listen to the wind Rainbow Dash?" asked Applejack. "I, uh...I don't know how to listen to the wind...yet." she said with red cheeks. At long last they had arrived on the hill that would be the starting point for their race. "Aw yeah! Finally I get to show you just how awesome the great Rainbow Dash can be!" "Easy there Rainbow." said Applejack as she leaned in to whisper to Rainbow Dash. "From what ah've heard, this guy is a professional. So ah don't think you'll be able to beat him so easily." "What?! Are you saying I might lose?!" asked Rainbow. "Ah'm just saying that you should think about what you're getting yourself into! He's not like others ponies. Something about him just seems...strange. It's like he's hiding something." "Yeah, I know what you mean. He's been keeping his awesome flying secrets from me! And now it's time for me to uncover all of them!" said Rainbow as she ran towards Plasma Burner. Applejack put her hoof out. "No Rainbow, that's not what ah...oh forget it. Ah'm sure ah'm just worrying about nothing." "Alright! Let's get this race started!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "No, not yet." said Plasma Burner. "What?! Why not?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "I was promised a race! And I'm not about to let you walk out on this!" "I'm not walking out on our race!" shouted Plasma Burner. "Then what's the problem?" "Somepony's coming." he said. "What? How do you know?" she asked. "I can feel them...No, not them...her." "Who is it?" "It's Spitfire. She's coming this way." said Plasma Burner as he looked up to the sky. "Are you sure?" asked Twilight. "I can't see anything." "Yes, neither can I." said Rarity. "Ah think you're pulling our legs." said Applejack. They all stared in the same direction as Plasma Burner but couldn't see anything. After a few moments they all spotted a small dot in the middle of the sky. The more they waited, the more they could make out the shape of the object. Soon they could see the yellow coat and the fiery mane of Spitfire heading towards them. They continued watching in amazement as Spitfire moved in for a landing nearby. "Ah don't believe it. How did you do that?!" Spitfire turned around to look at all of the ponies standing there with a smile. "Hello everypony! I hope I'm not too late to see the race!" "What are you doing here Spitfire?" asked Plasma Burner. "Well it's been so long since I've seen you fly, and I thought it might be fun to watch you race again. So here I am!" "Hey Spitfire! It's great to see you again!" said Twilight. "Greetings princess! Forgive me for not noticing you sooner!" said Spitfire as she bowed to Twilight. "It's okay, really. I bet you can't wait to watch this race huh?" "Of course! Good luck Rainbow Dash, you're going to need it! "Oh, uh, yeah...thanks." said Rainbow Dash as she turned away. If I win, then she'll have to go on a date with Plasma Burner. ~~~~~ "Captain please, I still love you." ~~~~~ No, I can't think about that right now! thought Rainbow as she shook her head. "Are you ready or what?!" "Hmm? Of course I am ready." said Plasma Burner as he removed his cloak. "So, how are we doing this?" "Oh my, well he certainly is a looker." said Rarity. "I see why Rainbow Dash has taken a liking to him." "Ah don't think so. She's probably been too focused on learning flying tips from this guy." "You know I can hear you!" shouted Rainbow Dash in embarrassment. "The first one to fly around that mountain and back wins!" said Rainbow Dash as she pointed towards a mountain on the opposite side of Ponyville. "That's about an fifteen minute long flight for an average Pegasus. It's not exactly challenging, but I suppose it will have to do. Where is the starting line?" "Right here!" said Rainbow as she began dragging her hoof along the ground. "I hope you're ready, because I'm not holding anything back!" "I'll be sure to watch out then." he said with a grin. "Hey Twilight, do you think you can do the countdown for us?" asked Rainbow. "Of course Rainbow Dash, I would be delighted to." said Twilight as she walked up to the starting line. "Ahem! Welcome everypony! Today we will be having a race between our very own Rainbow Dash, and the new mysterious Pegasus in town known as Plasma Burner! This is sure to be an exciting race so don't look away!" The other ponies began cheering as Twilight continued talking. "Alright ponies, get ready! Three!" At last! "Two!" It's finally happening! "One!" Time to show my stuff! "GO!" Rainbow Dash took off like lightning towards the sky. She planned to fly at half her full speed in the beginning, then if that didn't work she would increase to her full speed, if that still wasn't enough then she would use the sonic rainboom to finish the race and guarantee her victory. As she soared through the sky she took a quick glance back to see if Plasma Burner was flying behind her. When she did look back there was nothing there. "Ha! This is going to be even easier than I thought it would be!" "I agree, this is going to be quite the easy win. Perhaps I was too lenient when I said that you were just above a novice?" "What?! Who said that?!" asked Rainbow as she began looking around. "Where are you?!" "Up here." Rainbow Dash tilted her head up to see Plasma Burner flying right above her. "What...When did you get there?!" "I've been here since the beginning of the race. I'm surprised you didn't notice me, then again you are just a novice. Perhaps even below a novice? I'm not sure there's a rank low enough to describe your...abilities, if you can call them that." "Grrr, I'll show you!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she burst forward. She took another glance back expecting to see Plasma Burner falling behind, but here was nopony there. She then checked above herself to make sure that he wasn't there. "Humph! I showed him!" "Indeed, you've shown me that this is going to be the easiest race I've ever had." Rainbow Dash lifted her head again, but saw nothing. "What the?! Where are you?!" "Down here." Rainbow Dash lowered her head to see Plasma Burner with his body turned upside down. She noticed his hooves were behind his head and his eyes were closed. "Are you sleeping in the middle of the race?!" "Of course not, I'm just relaxing..." He opened his eyes and looked at Rainbow with a smile. "And I've got to say the view is rather nice." "T-t-the view?!" she said with a blush. As they soared over the skies of Ponyville, Plasma Burner and Rainbow Dash began flying around each other. Their Rainbow trails intertwining as they continued spiraling around one another. Rainbow Dash could then feel Plasma Burner closing the distance between them. Soon they were nearly face to face, and Rainbow Dash's face was getting hotter and hotter. Plasma Burner closed his eyes and turned away, "Can we stop playing games? My wings are warmed up now and I'm getting bored." His words made Rainbow Dash shake her head in anger. "Why you! If you're so bored, then I guess it's time I show you my true speed!" Rainbow's comment intrigued him. "Is that so? So does that mean you've been holding out on me?" he asked. "That's right! Get ready for my secret weapon! THE SONIC RAINBOOM!!!" shouted Rainbow. At that moment she exploded forward as a giant explosion of rainbow colors filled the sky. Back on the Hill Rainbow Dash's friends cheered as they saw the great sonic rainboom in the sky. "Amazing! I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that!" said Twilight. "Ah hear you. That Plasma Burner fellow is in for a real race now!" said Applejack. "I can't wait to throw Rainbow Dash a victory party!" said Pinkie Pie as she waved flags with rainbows on them. "Oh such beauty!" said Rarity as she watched the sonic rainboom through a pair of binoculars. "Oooh! I just had an idea for a new dress for Rainbow Dash!" "I hope she wins." said Fluttershy. "Don't count on it." said Spitfire. The other ponies turned to face her. "I can tell you right now that Plasma Burner hasn't even been trying to win this race yet. That sonic rainboom may give Rainbow Dash a great boost of speed, but it's not going to be enough to beat Plasma Burner." Back in the Race Rainbow Dash had just performed the sonic rainboom and burst forward at incredible speeds. "How do you like my secret weapon?!" Rainbow Dash could feel that her speed was still increasing. "Wow! This is amazing! I've never flown this fast before!" said Rainbow Dash as she finally reached the mountain. "Oh man, it's harder to turn at this speed. I can do this though, I can win!" she shouted. "Are you so sure about that?" Rainbow turned back to see a blue blur of colors rush towards her at great speeds. "No way, it can't be!" "I must admit that move was quite impressive, not many Pegasus ponies can perform a move as advanced as that." said Plasma Burner as he kept up with her speed. "However I think it's time I showed you what true speed is." In that single moment, before she could even blink, Plasma Burner had disappeared. "T-t-that's impossible! How did he..." Rainbow Dash continued flying around the mountain and when she finally came around she could see a giant explosion of blue colors in the sky and a thin blue trail that lead to the finish line. "No way, did he use a sonic rainboom too?! There's no way, there's just no way!" she shouted. Rainbow flew as fast as she could back towards the hill. When she landed back on the hill she struggled to catch her breath. "Rainbow Dash are you okay?" asked Twilight as she ran up to her. "Yeah...I just...I just need to catch...my breath. Did...Did I win?" she asked. "Well..." "I'm afraid not." said Plasma Burner as he walked up to her, wearing his cloak once again. "What?! How?!" "I'm impressed that you could perform such a technique, but you're only on the first level." said Plasma Burner. "Even I can perform your 'sonic rainboom' whenever I want." "That's...impossible!" "That was incredible! Ah can't believe how much faster you've gotten Rainbow Dash!" said Applejack. "Thanks...but I think I need to rest a little." said Rainbow Dash as she collapsed. "Don't worry Rainbow Dash! I brought my picnic baskets just in case!" said Pinkie Pie. "Great idea Pinkie Pie! This place is perfect for a picnic!" said Twilight. "I brought some blankets that we could use!" said Rarity. "So that's...what was in...the bag!" said Rainbow Dash. "Let's find a place with some good shade!" said Applejack. "Um, do you mind if I come along?" asked Spitfire. "Of course not! You're more than welcome to join us!" said Twilight. "You don't mind, do you Plasma Burner?" asked Spitfire. "It is not my place to say. Do what you want. I'm heading home." "No way! You have to stay and have a picnic with us silly!" said Pinkie Pie. "I will not let you leave until you have some cake!" she shouted with determination. "Hmmm...fine. If you insist." "Hooray!!!" The eight ponies then went in search for a shady spot so that they could set up the blankets and enjoy the picnic. After a short while, Plasma Burner found them the perfect spot and they began unpacking Pinkie Pie's basket. It was mostly full of cakes, cupcakes, candy, and a few sandwiches. They chatted away about their old adventures to Spitfire and Plasma Burner, the most incredible one being about their battles and how they saved the world with the elements of harmony. "Pinkie Pie! Quit hogging all of the chocolate cupcakes!" said Rainbow Dash. "How many of those did you bring with you anyway?" asked Rarity. "Well I wasn't sure how many we would need so I just grabbed three baskets and filled them all up!" she said as she pulled out more baskets from the first basket. "How did you even get those in there?!" asked Applejack. "It's a secret!" said Pinkie with a smile. As everybody was having fun chatting away, Plasma Burner stood up and looked towards the forest. "I'm going for a walk." "I'll come with you." said Rainbow Dash. "No, I will only be a moment. Stay here with your friends." "Are you sure?" she asked. "Yes. I will return soon." he said as he left. The picnic continued for a while until they all decided to pack things up and head for home. "Come on Pinkie Pie, let's get this stuff back into the basket." said Twilight. "I must say those cupcakes were quite delectable." said Rarity. "Hey, where did Spitfire go?" asked Rainbow as she looked around. "Ah think she said she had some business to take care of." said Applejack. "Did you see where she went?" "I think she went that way." said Fluttershy as she pointed into the forest. "I think I'll go take a look around and see if I can't find her and Plasma Burner. We should at least let them know we're heading back." said Rainbow Dash as she headed into the forest. "Man, I didn't think it would be this hard to find those two. Where are you Plasma Burner? Spitfire?" She continued running through the endless maze of trees hoping to find some trace of Plasma Burner or Spitfire. She saw a cliff off in the distance, she then noticed two ponies standing near the edge. She began creeping up on them, eventually she could see that it was Plasma Burner and Spitfire. She snuck up on them but kept her distance in hopes that Plasma Burner would not be able to sense her. "This view is beautiful, isn't it? It reminds me of the time we flew to the top of the Crystek mountains." said Spitfire. "..." "Soarin couldn't even make the trip up with us because he forgot his goggles so the snow kept getting into his eyes when the wind would pick up. We had to go on ahead without him, he didn't show up for another hour." "..." "Do you remember the picture we took? I still have the scarf you got me." "..." That must be the picture I saw! thought Rainbow. "I also have the picture we took on that day. I've kept it in my office for all these years." "..." "Did you get my letter?" "...Yes." "You know, you're allowed to bring a guest with you." "I am well aware." "I was wondering...if you wanted to go together?" "...No." "Why not?" she asked. Plasma Burner turned his head away. "Because I refuse. And even if I did decide to go, I wouldn't go with you, or for you." He then began walking along the edge of the cliff, not looking back at Spitfire. She then began to follow from behind. "B-but...why not? I don't understand! I'm trying to fix what we've lost but you just keep brushing me off! This isn't like you!" "This is me. This is who I am, and I don't care what anypony else thinks about me." "What about your fans?! The ponies who still remember you! The ones who cheered for you every time you flew across the stadiums with your team?!" "They've probably all but forgotten about me by now. They've moved on to the new face of the Wonderbolts." "That's not true! I haven't forgotten about you! I never stopped thinking about you after you left! I even tried looking for you, hundreds of times! But no matter how hard I tried, I could never find you!" "..." "Then finally one day I got that letter from Rainbow Dash and I learned that you've come home! I couldn't have been happier to see that you had come back!" "I did not come back. The fact that you had even discovered my presence in Ponyville was a mistake." "Then why did you go to Ponyville? Why now?" "I don't know. The wind...it brought me here. Or rather...it feels like it pulled me here. I'm not even sure I should stay here anymore." Rainbow Dash continued following and listening to them. "What? He can't leave!" She whispered as she prepared to approach them. "He still has-" "But I can't." said Plasma Burner as he stopped and looked across the land. Rainbow Dash then stopped in her tracks, waiting to hear his next words. "I have a promise to keep." "A promise? What promise?" asked Spitfire. "That Pegasus, Rainbow Dash. I made that promise to teach her. Until I've completed this task, I cannot leave." "That's why you can't leave?! That stupid bet you made with her?! Why is that even important to you?! I'm here trying to get you to open up to me and I even asked you to come to the big party up in Canterlot, but you won't even give it a second thought!" "Humph! You know I erased all records of myself from the Wonderbolts! If I attended such a party, who's to say I won't be recognized by somepony there?" "But that's a good thing! If we go to the party together then everypony will remember you and you can return to the Wonderbolts! It can be like old times, we'll be together again!" "I refuse!" "But why?!" she shouted. Her eyes then suddenly went wide with shock as she quickly shot a glare at Plasma Burner. "It's her, isn't it? It's that pony!" "What about her?" "You...you would rather go with her wouldn't you?!" "Go? With her? Humph...and if I did?" "Why?! I love you! I've waited for you to come back all this time! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!" "You know it's something that will never be no matter how much you want. Times have changed Spitfire, and I don't love you anymore." he said as he turned away from her. Spitfire then ran up and grabbed Plasma Burner. "Why?! Why her?! Why some stupid mare like her who could never understand you like I do?!" Rainbow Dash's eyes grew wide as her idol had just insulted her. She began to feel angry, but at the same time she felt upset. She had admired the Wonderbolts all her life, especially Spitfire since she was everything Rainbow Dash had been aspiring to become one day. She bit her lip as she prepared to reveal herself to them both and get back at Spitfire. Before Rainbow Dash made her move, however, Plasma Burner immediately shook Spitfire's grip away as he gave her a mean look. Just then a gust of wind suddenly blew in and began flowing around both Plasma Burner and Spitfire, it was as if the wind was surrounding them. "How DARE you speak that away about her! She has done absolutely nothing wrong to you, and yet you think you can just insult her like that?! You don't know anything about her or what she's been through! It's time for you to go...NOW!!!" Spitfire's eyes began to tear up as she ran away angry and took to the skies. Rainbow Dash then watched as the wind around Plasma Burner died down as he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He then looked back over the hill as the wind slowly blew by. Rainbow Dash was unsure as what to do next now that Plasma Burner was alone. She then took a deep breath and began walking towards Plasma Burner. "Hey...are you okay?" Plasma Burner immediately looked back to see her approaching him. "Huh? Oh, it's you Rainbow Dash." "Are you okay? I saw that big gust of wind over here. I didn't know what was causing it so I came as quick as I could." "Ah...I see. Not to worry Rainbow Dash, the wind has already gone and passed." "Oh, okay. Hey, have you seen Spitfire? I was coming to tell the both of you that we were heading back home." "Sorry, but I'm afraid you just missed her. She had some important Wonderbolt business to take care of so she couldn't stay." "Oh, well that's too bad. Um, well, do you want to head back now? I think they're waiting for us back at the starting line." "...Yes. Let us head back." Plasma Burner then turned around and began walking towards Rainbow Dash. "Are you okay? Your wind...it feels cold." "Me? Oh...yeah, I'm fine! I'm still a bit tired from our race so that's probably it." "Well then, we should head back so that you can rest." Together, the two made their way through the trees and found Rainbow Dash's friends still waiting for them. "My apologies for being gone for so long. I hope I didn't make you all wait too long." "Oh not at all deary." said Rarity. "We just finished packing up so you showed up right on time!" "Hey, we're still missing Spitfire." said Twilight. "Plasma Burner said that she already left." said Rainbow Dash. "Oh that's too bad. I wanted to ask her something. But maybe you could answer my question Plasma Burner?" "If it is something within my knowledge then I would be more than happy to answer your question princess." "Well...you see. It looked like the two of you knew each other, so I wanted to know-" "Yes...Spitfire and I knew each other before today. We had first met long ago." "Wow, where did you two meet?" Plasma Burner turned away and looked up to the sky. "Forgive me princess, but I would much appreciate if you simply forget the matter altogether. I do not like to talk about...my past." "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." "No, it's fine. You were only curious princess. Now then, shall we all head back?" "Yes, of course. Come on everypony! Let's go home." said Twilight as she led them back to Ponyville. On their way back home to Ponyville Plasma Burner stayed in the back of the group. Rainbow Dash looked back to see him there and slowed down so she could talk to him. "Hey, what's up?" "Hm? I believe it is the sky." "What? No, dummy, I'm asking how are you?" "Oh, of course. My apologies, I was lost in thought for a moment." "Lost in thought? Well what are you thinking about?" "Let me ask you something Rainbow Dash. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" "Through with what? You mean the training? Of course I'm sure! It's my dream to become the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and one day become captain of the Wonderbolts...or maybe...even start my own team! I know I'm not as good as you, or Spitfire, but I know I can do this! I can handle the training, and I will not give up no matter how tough it gets!" "Oh...no I was talking about our date." "Our...date?!" she repeated. Suddenly all of Rainbows friends turned their heads and stared at the two of them. "Date?!" "D-did you just say your date?!" asked Rarity. "Did she not mention that to you?" asked Plasma Burner. "When Rainbow Dash demanded a race from me, she decided to make a bet on the race. Now that she's lost the race, she must go on a date with me." "Eeeeeeeh! Rainbow Dash! So this was your plan all along?" asked Rarity. "No way. Ah didn't think you would go this far just to get a date with a colt." said Applejack. "So where are you two going to go for your date?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Does that mean you lost on purpose?" asked Twilight. "No! You girls all have it wrong!" said Rainbow Dash as she attempted to get control of her situation. "Well, it seems you have this under control. I think I'll take my leave now." said Plasma Burner as he took off with a smile on his face. "You! You did that on purpose! Didn't you?!" she shouted at him while her friends continued to bombard her with questions. "Good luck Rainbow Dash!" "Get back here!" she shouted. "Ack! Girls please! It's not like that! Just let me explain!" 30 Minutes Later Plasma Burner was in his cloud home watching the sun set as his dinner was cooking in his kitchen. He had some tea in a cup and occasionally drank small sips as he watched the sun go down. He began to think about how difficult his life had become so suddenly. All he wanted was to be left alone and forgotten by the world, now he has a student ready to learn from him, and his past has caught up to him in the form of his ex-girlfriend Spitfire. *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* "My, those are quite the aggressive knocks." said Plasma Burner as he made his way to his front door. He opened it to see Rainbow Dash there, staring at him angrily. "Hmmm...can I help you?" "Oh! Sure! Now you ask me that! What about earlier when I actually NEEDED your help?!" she shouted. "They kept asking weird questions about us that it took me forever to clear things up!" "I'd say about twenty eight minutes, and then two minutes to get here." "DON'T JOKE ABOUT THIS!!!" she shouted. "Geez! I've never been so embarrassed before in my life!" "What about when I called you out about spying on me with your friends telescope?" "That was embarrassing too!" She said as she tried to calm herself. "So tell me, was yelling at me the only reason you came by?" "Huh? Oh, well...I was wondering about the...you know..." Rainbow's face began to blush slightly. "Ah, right, I almost forgot to tell you...training begins tomorrow morning when the sun comes up." "Huh? Wait, I was talking about...grrrr!" "Something wrong? You seemed so excited about finally getting trained by me." "I am! But you just...never mind!" Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, feeling irritated. "I'm going home now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said. She opened her eyes to see Plasma Burner smiling at her. "Why are you smiling like that?" "Oh nothing, I'm just enjoying the view. It's rather beautiful." he said. Rainbow Dash then turned around to see the sun about to fully set. "Wow, you're right. It is beautiful." "I wasn't talking about the sun." said Plasma Burner as he closed the front door. "Huh?!" Rainbow Dash quickly turned back only to see that Plasma Burner had already gone back inside. "He wasn't talking about the sunset? W-was he talking about...me?" She then jumped off of his cloud and flew back to her own home and walked inside the front door. "Phew! I'm kind of glad to be back home!" Rainbow Dash closed her door and then took a few steps and relaxed on a nearby sofa. "Aaaahhhh, hey I was wondering...oh yeah...there's no one else here. It's...just me...again." Rainbow Dash got off the sofa and walked towards the stairs until her stomach growled. She then decided to find something to eat before she goes to bed. She made herself a hayburger and began making her way towards the stairs, until suddenly she felt really cold. She immediately froze in place, she didn't know why but she felt as though she was in danger. Then before her very eyes, an unknown blur began flying through her home at incredible speeds. The blur continued to rummage through her home, breaking everything and distorting her cloud home as it flew. Rainbow Dash attempted to run for the door until she was blocked off by the blur. It was then that the blur began to circle around Rainbow Dash, this being began to scare her like nothing ever had before. She feared this being that she couldn't see, "Who are you?! What do you want?!" she screamed. It was then that the figure stopped for a split second in front of her. It almost appeared to be a pony, wearing some form of purple suit. The figure then disappeared from her line of sight, and the front door was left open. Rainbow Dash turned around to see that her home was completely destroyed by whatever it was that had attacked her. "W-w-what w-was-" Rainbow Dash was cut off as she noticed a picture of her friends, shattered on the floor. She lifted the picture to see that the figure had cut a message for her on the picture. One line only... Stay away from Plasma Burner! Rainbow Dash felt an ice cold wind overcome her entire body as her home continued to fall apart, the speed at which her home distorted increased with each passing second. She quickly ran out the front door and took to the night sky of Ponyville. She turned to see the horrible damage done to her home and immediately began flying towards Plasma Burner's cloud home which was still there in one piece. She slammed down onto the cloud and began banging on the front door with all her strength. She continued to knock on the door even faster as the absolute feeling of fear inside began to cause tears to fall down her face. Just then she could see a light heading down the home and towards the front door. "Whose banging on my door?!" shouted Plasma Burner. He then realized that it was Rainbow Dash and that she was crying. "Rainbow Dash? What's wrong?!" Plasma Burner could immediately sense that something was wrong. This feeling, her wind is completely erratic. But this fear is different, it's almost as is her life was at risk. "P-p-please help me!" she screamed. "My home...something...attacked my home! It's gone...it's completely gone!" "Something attacked you?! What was it?" he asked. Rainbow Dash just shook her head and continued to cry. "Come inside, quickly." He guided her to the kitchen and prepared some coffee for her, he then brought a blanket down to give her. "Listen to me Rainbow Dash, I want you to stay here. I'm going to go take a look at what happened, but you have to promise me that you're going to stay here. Do you understand?" "No, please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!" she shouted. "It's okay! It's okay Rainbow Dash. I won't be gone for long. I promise, you'll be safe here. I'll be right back." said Plasma Burner as he grabbed his cloak. He then lowered the hood and bolted out the door, leaving Rainbow Dash in his home. "Gone? How could her home be gone? You can't just...destroy, a cloud home." Plasma Burner then arrived at her house to see the ruins of what used to be Rainbow Dash's home. "This...this is...unbelievable. This is impossible! The wind...the air...it's gone...there's absolutely no wind to read here...but that cannot be possible! It's almost as if something cancelled the wind itself!" Plasma Burner then rushed towards the home of Twilight Sparkle and called her from outside. She opened the door, surprised to see him there. "Plasma Burner? What are you doing here?" "Princess Twilight, I'm sorry but this is an emergency! Rainbow Dash just came to me saying that she had been under attack!" "What?! Is she okay?!" "She's fine, but she's completely terrified of whatever it was that attacked her. Not only that, but her home has been completely destroyed, it's gone." "Her home...gone. What happened?" "I don't know. I left her at my home, but I need you to call the royal guard. We don't know if whatever it was that attacked Rainbow Dash is still here in Ponyville or not." "Right! I'll contact Princess Celestia right away!" said Twilight as she quickly gathered her scrolls and quills. "I'll come by once I've reported the situation to the guards, please take care of Rainbow Dash! I'll tell the others too!" "Thank you princess, and don't worry, Rainbow Dash will be safe with me." said Plasma Burner as he quickly flew back to his home. He opened the door only to have Rainbow Dash jump out and grab him. "Don't leave again!" she said as she tightened her grip to him. "I won't. Don't worry, the royal guards are on their way. Come on, let's go inside." Plasma Burner then brought her to the couch and poured the coffee that had been prepared. I've never seen a pony this scared before. Whatever it was that attacked her, it must be a vicious creature with tremendous abilities. "Rainbow Dash, I need you to tell me what happened." "I...I went home...right after we talked. I...I walked inside...I got hungry...made myself something to *Sniff* eat. And then...it flew in." "Flew? So this creature could fly?" "Y-y-yes. I-I-I-I-I felt so cold before it flew into my home. It kept flying around my home, going back and forth! And then...I tried running for the door...when I saw it!" "You saw it? What was it?" Rainbow Dash tried to answer, but her fear made it difficult for her. "Rainbow Dash, you have to tell me what you saw." "It...it looked like a p-p-pony...in a purple s-suit." ".....no.....no that's impossible. Rainbow Dash, you must have seen it wrong. It couldn't possibly have been a-" "IT'S TRUE! THAT'S WHAT I SAW!!!" she screamed. "Are you absolutely one hundred percent sure?" he asked. "YES!!!" she screamed as more tears began falling down her face. "It was horrible! And then...after it left...it left a picture of me and my friends on the ground. It was shattered, but on the back...that thing left a message." "What did it say?" "It said...to stay away...from you." Plasma Burner backed off slightly and turned towards the window, shocked. "What do I do now?" she asked. Plasma Burner turned to look at her. "I've lost my home...I spent most of my life in that house! And now...it's gone! I have nothing now!" They began to hear more knocks on the door. Plasma Burner opened the door to see Twilight's friends and a group of royal guards. He allowed them to enter as Rainbow's friends attempted to comfort her, while Plasma Burner shared what he had learned to the royal guards as they began to fly around town to make sure it was safe, while two others flew towards Rainbow Dash's home to investigate the scene. Plasma Burner turned back to look at Rainbow Dash and her friends, and began wondering on what to do next. "Don't worry Rainbow Dash, the royal guards will find whatever it was that attacked you." said Twilight. "Isn't that right Plasma Burner?" Twilight Sparkle then turned around to see that he had disappeared. "Plasma Burner? Where did he go?" ~~~~~ Plasma Burner soared over the skies of Ponyville, scanning the ground for any signs of the mysterious pony that had attacked Rainbow Dash. Yet no matter how many times he flew over the town, he couldn't find anything. He stopped midair and looked over towards his home where Rainbow Dash was recovering. "What am I doing? She must have seen it wrong. There's no way she saw-" Plasma Burner then stopped as his eyes had fixed themselves on something standing on one of the roofs of Ponyville. There, on top, was the mysterious pony in purple. Just as he had seen him, the pony had taken off and sped off towards the woods. Plasma Burner then immediately took off after him and chased him through the woods. The two Pegasus ponies raced through the woods, Plasma Burner attempted to catch it but could never get close enough to catch it. Then suddenly they both stopped in a clearing where the moonlight shined down on them. Plasma Burner stared in shock. "You...it was you! You were there! On that day!" "What's wrong Plasma Burner? You look like you've seen a ghost." said the pony. It's voice sounded as though it had been distorted. "You...why? How?!" he shouted in anger. "You want answers tough guy? Then you're going to have to catch me...if you can!" said the pony as it took off at incredible speeds. Plasma Burner immediately took off after the pony as the two continued to race until they entered a clearing where Plasma Burner found himself alone. The mysterious pony was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go?" asked Plasma Burner as he looked around. "Poor Plasma Burner." said a voice from behind. Plasma Burner immediately turned around to see the mysterious pony. "After all these years, you're still too slow. When are you going to learn that you'll never be fast enough to catch me?" The figure then disappeared from Plasma Burner's sight. Then in a quick moment, Plasma Burner was struck from his right, and then from his left, and then a third attack was performed from the front, sending Plasma Burner falling onto the ground. "Why...why can't...I..." "Come on Plasma Burner. Is that all you have to show after all these years?" "Don't underestimate me!" shouted Plasma Burner as he got up and zoomed towards the mysterious pony. The two began to fly around in the air, Plasma Burner attempted to get the upper hand on his opponent, but was soon overwhelmed by the mysterious ponies speed. He was then sent falling towards the ground where the mysterious pony tackled him towards a tree. "You...*cough!* I will get you!" "Hah! Look at you! Still wanting to go up against me!" said the mysterious pony as it lifted Plasma Burner up. "But you can't even fly straight! Your anger is making you sloppy...just...like...before. You can never beat me Plasma Burner..." Then suddenly a huge gust of wind had overcome them both until Plasma Burner noticed that they were both back in Ponyville. "Because I...am the fastest Pegasus pony alive!" The mysterious Pony then threw Plasma Burner on the ground. "See you around, ex-wonderbolt." The mysterious pony then disappeared in an instant, leaving Plasma Burner there alone. ~~~~~ "Are you feeling any better Rainbow Dash?" asked Fluttershy. "A little bit...but...I'm getting this sick feeling inside. It's like...something bad just happened." "Something bad?" said Twilight. "Do you think Plasma Burner's okay?" "That pony is the fastest colt ah've ever seen. He can handle himself." said Applejack. Just then, two royal guards entered the house. "Your highness! The guards all report that Ponyville is secure. Whatever it was that had attacked miss Dash's home is gone." "What about my home?" asked Rainbow Dash. "We...salvaged what we could from inside. I'm afraid to say that, we could not repair any of the damages." Another guard walked in with a cart full of Rainbow Dash's things. "I'm sorry." "What am I going to do now?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I can't believe this is happening to me. Where am I supposed to go?" "Sir! Are you okay?!" asked one of the guards from outside. Everypony turned to see Plasma Burner walk in, covered in bruises. "Plasma Burner! Are you okay?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "What happened?!" asked Twilight. "I...I found it...the thing...that attacked Rainbow...Dash..." "You went out looking for it?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "Why did you do that?! Look at you! You're hurt!" "I'll be...fine. But...we have to talk..." "Talk?! What about you?! You need a doctor!" "That can wait! Right now, it's important that I tell you about that pony." "Wait, what?" said Twilight. "What do you know about this pony?" asked Applejack. "I know that this isn't the first time it's attacked." said Plasma Burner. "And I know for sure that this won't be the last. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I must speak to Rainbow Dash, alone." "What, why?!" asked Applejack. "No, it's fine Applejack." said Rainbow Dash. "Please, let us be alone for now." Everypony did as she asked and everypony waited outside for them. "Plasma Burner, what's going on? What is that thing? And why didn't you tell us about it sooner?" "Because I wasn't certain if it was real or not. Rainbow Dash, I know this may seem difficult right now, but I need you to trust me. This isn't going to be easy for you...nor will it be easy for me. But I think it's time I shared my biggest secret with you." "Y-your biggest secret? Wh...what is it?" "The true reason as to why I left the Wonderbolts and why I erased my history from them."
The StormAnother beautiful day in Ponyville, the skies were clear of any clouds for the moment. The Pegasus ponies planned for a heavy storm later that night. The last time they had one this big was a couple of months ago, Rainbow Dash was on her couch watching Plasma Burner through a telescope that she borrowed from Twilight. When she asked why she wanted to borrow it, Rainbow told her it was for star gazing, a lie of course. Rainbow had sent her letter to Spitfire a few days ago and has been spying on Plasma Burner hoping to catch him fly like he did the first time they met. She was mesmerized by his incredible speed that day; she hoped to learn something about it by watching him day and night. "Rainbow?" said a voice from behind. "GAH!" shrieked Rainbow as she jumped off of her couch, "Oh, it's just you Fluttershy. What are you doing here?" "I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, none of us have seen you for a couple of days now. Isn't that Twilight's telescope?" asked Fluttershy. "Uh, yes it is! I'm just using it to, uh, look at the stars!" said Rainbow as her eyes darted from side to side. "In the middle of the day?" asked Fluttershy. "Well yeah! When you're as awesome as I am, you can see the stars whenever you want!" said Rainbow as she placed her hoof to her chest and lifted her chin up. Fluttershy moved in to look through the telescope, "Rainbow Dash! How could you spy on Plasma Burner? He said he wanted to be left alone." "I don't believe that guy Fluttershy. He's hiding something big! I plan on finding out just what that is! I sent a letter to the Wonderbolts about this guy, all I have to do now is wait." said Rainbow as she looked through the telescope. "You sent a letter to the Wonderbolts? You know he doesn't like to talk about those days, I think it would be a bad idea to tell them he's here." said Fluttershy. "Oh come on Fluttershy," said Rainbow as she turned around, "What's the worst that can happen?" Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other, and then back at the door. Rainbow walked over slowly as the knocks began once again, this time they were knocking even harder and faster than before. Rainbow placed her hoof on the door and slowly opened it. The pony standing outside turned out to be Spitfire, "Are you the one who sent this letter to us?" Rainbow's eyes grew wide in excitement, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It's Spitfire! The captain of the Wonderbolts and you're at my house!" Spitfire examined Rainbow carefully, "Hey I know you, you're that Pegasus who saved us at the best young flyer competition up in Cloudsdale right? If I'm not mistaken, you were also signed up at the Wonderbolts Academy for the summer. I got your letter." Rainbow tried to calm herself down a bit, "Ahem! Yes I did send you that letter, there's this Pegasus here who claims that he used to be captain of the Wonderbolts before you! I can't find any records about him anywhere; I was hoping you could clear this up for me?" "You had me travel all the way down here just because of some chump who says he used to be a Wonderbolt? I came down here because your message said this was urgent! I'm out of here! This was a waste of my time." she turned around and prepared to take off. "Wait!" shouted Rainbow, "He says his name is Plasma Burner!" Suddenly Spitfire's entire body froze up, she turned around and stared at Rainbow. "What did you just say his name was?" Rainbow looked at Fluttershy and then turned back to Spitfire, "Plasma Burner. He said he used to be on a team with you." Spitfire charged into Rainbows home and pinned her on the ground, "Are you sure?! Are you absolutely sure he said his name was Plasma Burner?!" Rainbow tried to avoid eye contact with the upset mare, "Yes!" Spitfire released Rainbow and backed away a few steps, "Take me to him. Take me to him now!" Rainbow pulled herself together; both she and Fluttershy showed Spitfire the way to Plasma Burners house. When they got there Spitfire seemed scared about seeing his house. Rainbow was unsure as to why Spitfire would react this way; she waved her hoof in front of Spitfire to see if she was still with them. Spitfire blinked a couple of times before coming back into reality; she walked forward and began to breathe heavily as he got closer to the door. She knocked three times and waited by the door. The door began to open, "Can I help you?" Plasma Burner froze when he saw Spitfire standing in the doorway. "H-hi there." said Spitfire. Plasma Burner stared at her for a couple of seconds before he spoke, "How did you find me?" Spitfire turned her head, "Rainbow Dash over there sent me a letter about some urgent Wonderbolt business. I didn't expect to find out she was talking about you." Plasma Burner narrowed his eyes, "Go home Spits, forget that you ever saw me here." He began to close the door. "Wait!" shouted Spitfire, "Can't an old friend say hello?" Plasma Burner turned his head, "I doubt that's all you want to say." "Please?" she begged. Rainbow Dash didn't know what to think about what was happening before her eyes. Spitfire was begging? Not only that, but she was begging to this guy of all ponies? Plasma Burner looked at her for a couple of seconds before allowing them to enter his home. Rainbow now began to see that something bigger was going on around this strange Pegasus. He led them toward his living room; he went to the kitchen and brought back drinks for each of them. They were all silent for a while, nopony said a single word. Rainbow sat there looking back and forth at Spitfire and Plasma Burner, waiting for one to start talking. "So..." Rainbow began. "I'm not going to race you if that's what you're going to ask." said Plasma Burner as he turned to her. Spitfire looked at him, "She challenged you to a race?" He turned to face her, "She won't stop asking me for one." Spitfire turned to face Rainbow, "He won't race you. He doesn't do that anymore. Besides, you can't win. Nopony has ever won against him before." "What?!" shouted Rainbow, "What about you Spitfire? You can beat him right?" Spitfire chuckled, "I'm afraid not, neither me nor Soarin could ever beat him." Rainbow's eyes widened, "So it's true then! He really did know you guys?! I thought he just stole that badge form you!" Spitfire's eyes widened, "You kept your badge after all? Do you still have your uniform?" Plasma Burner glared at her, "Yes, but I don't plan on wearing it ever again. Not ever since, that day." Spitfire gave him a look of concern, "You can't blame yourself for what happened, it wasn't your fault!" "But it's my fault that he wasn't saved!" shouted Plasma Burner. "What are you talking about? What happened?" asked Rainbow. "It's time for you to go! It was a mistake for me to let you in here." Plasma Burner began walking toward the door. "Captain!" shouted Spitfire, "Please, come back to us." Plasma Burner stopped and the girls stared at him, "I am not your captain anymore." He opened the door to see that the storm had already begun. "Great," he said as he gritted his teeth, "It looks like I'm stuck with you three for the night. None of you can maneuver your way through that storm." "Oh yeah?" said Rainbow, "Just watch me, I'll fly to my house and back here and that'll prove to you that I'm Wonderbolt material!" Rainbow began running towards the door and took off into the storm. "No don't!" shouted Plasma Burner, but it was too late. Rainbow had already flown out of the house. "She'll never make it! Those thunder clouds will zap her right out of the sky in mere seconds!" "You have to go after her!" shouted Spitfire, "You're the only one who can move through those clouds without getting scorched by the lightning!" "I can't," said Plasma Burner, "I don't do that kind of flying anymore, I'm afraid she's on her own." "Please!" begged Fluttershy, "You have to save her! She's my best friend!" "I'm sorry, but I can't." said Plasma Burner as he began heading up the stairs. "What do we do?" asked Fluttershy. "There's nothing we can do, not even I can fly through a storm as bad as that one." said Spitfire. "What happened to Plasma Burner? Why won't he help her?" asked Fluttershy. Spitfire became uncomfortable when she asked that question; she took a second to think and then took in a deep breath. "When Plasma Burner was still captain of the Wonderbolts, there was this young filly he met one day. The little colt said he was Plasma Burner's biggest fan, it was cute really. He had this little doll of Plasma Burner, and he asked for his signature. He believed there was nothing that Plasma Burner couldn't do. Then one day, there was an accident during one of our shows. They never found out what caused the accident, but it endangered the lives of the audience. We helped the guards with the evacuation, then Plasma Burner decided to make one last sweep to make sure nopony was left behind." Spitfire began to quiver as tears began forming in her eyes. "What's wrong Spitfire? What happened?" asked Fluttershy. Spitfire wiped the tears off her face, "When he went to check inside, the building started becoming unstable. It began to fall apart as he was flying inside, then out of the corner of his eye he spotted somepony. It was the little filly he had met before, it seems he went back to retrieve the doll of Plasma Burner that he dropped during the chaos. Plasma Burner flew towards the young colt in an attempt to save him, but he didn't make it in time. Plasma Burner blames himself for being too slow to save him in time; he left right after the filly's funeral. He never even said goodbye to us. As far as we know, he never flies like he used to because he's afraid of being too slow again." "That's terrible!" said Fluttershy, "But if he doesn't help Rainbow, then she might not make it either! Isn't there anyway to convince him?" Spitfire lowered her head as roars of thunder could be heard inside, "I'm afraid not, there's nothing we can do for her." "Maybe you can't, but I can." said Plasma Burner as he came down the steps. Spitfire looked over to see him wearing his old uniform, "Plasma Burner? You're wearing your old uniform! You even have your badge on! Does this mean..." "Yes, just don't get used to it." he said as he headed towards the door. He turned his head to face Fluttershy, "These suits are meant to provide extra protection for harsh weather conditions. Hey Spits, hold onto this for me would you?" He handed her a small torn doll of himself with his signature on it. Spitfire's eyes widened, "Isn't this?" "Yes, I've kept it ever since the accident." He opened the door and put on his goggles. "I kept it to remind myself of my mistake, but now it's to remind me that I can never let anything like that happen ever again!" He took off to the skies like a blur; they never even saw his wings move an inch. Spitfire stared with wide eyes, "He's even faster then he was before!" Rainbow was lost in the middle of the storm searching for her home. She couldn't navigate with lightning crashing all over the place; the cold weather was affecting her flying too. She could barely keep her eyes open anymore, she was grazed by a bolt of lightning and she began to lose consciousness and fell towards the ground. She opened her eyes to see that she was about to fall through another thunder cloud but she couldn't move her wings, Plasma Burner came in a flash before the cloud could strike her with another bolt of lightning. It ended up hitting Plasma Burner's wing instead; he still had to get Rainbow back to his house though. He mustered up every bit of strength he had left to fly them both back to safety. They ended up crashing on his cloud before he carried her inside. "Get her in bed, now!" shouted Plasma Burner. Spitfire ran up to him, "Plasma Burner! Your wing! Are you okay?" "I'll be fine, just focus on her for now! We need to put her in bed right away!" shouted Plasma Burner. Fluttershy took Rainbow upstairs and put her in bed, Plasma Burner laid on the couch with Spitfire. She began wrapping his wing in bandages before the bleeding could get any worse. He felt sparks of pain now and then but lucky for him his injuries weren't too serious, or so he thought. Fluttershy decided to check up on Plasma Burner to see if he was okay. After that the three of them walked upstairs and went to check on Rainbow. She didn't have any major injuries on her, but her temperature was dangerously low. They grabbed some extra blankets and placed them carefully on the bed. Plasma Burner walked over by her side and stared at Rainbow. "You know," Spitfire began, "She only went into that storm to prove herself to you. It seems she wanted to impress you." Plasma Burner moved his hoof to brush Rainbows hair away from her face and smiled, "She's so stubborn. She thinks she can do anything she wants." Spitfire smiled at him, "You know, you used to be like that too when you were a Wonderbolt in training." He began to blush in embarrassment, "What are you talking about? I actually made it into the Wonderbolts. This one is too reckless, she's just a novice!" Spitfire moved closer to him, "You were too at the beginning; you had someone to teach you everything you would ever need to know. Perhaps you can do the same for her?" Plasma Burner began to think about her words, "Maybe you're right. She could become a great Wonderbolt, maybe even better then I ever was." "Huh? Where am I?" asked Rainbow as she began to open her eyes. "Safe." said Plasma Burner, "I told you it was too dangerous to fly out there. How are you feeling?" "My head hurts." said Rainbow as she began rubbing her head, "What happened? I remember flying through the clouds and then nothing." Plasma Burner moved in closer, "You were struck by lightning, but it doesn't look like you have any physical wounds." Rainbow noticed his bandages, "What happened to your wing?! Wait, now I remember. You saved me, didn't you?" He turned his head to look at his wing, "Yeah, so long as I don't fly for a couple of days then I'll be fine. You on the other hand are in big trouble. You owe me big time." Rainbow lowered her head, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to show you how good of a flyer I was." Plasma Burner lifted her chin up with his hoof, "I'll admit, you're not as bad as I thought you were for lasting that long out there. That's not good enough to become a Wonderbolt though." "So how am I then?" asked Rainbow. "A little above a novice, but just a little." he said while turning his head around. "I'm no novice! I'll show you whose a novice! I demand a race from you! This is no longer a request!" shouted Rainbow as she shot out of bed. Plasma Burner turned to face her with a smile, "Very well then! You will have your race, and then we will see just where you stand!" "Why don't we make this interesting?" said Rainbow. "What do you have in mind?" asked Plasma Burner. "If I win, then you have to teach me how to fly as fast as you do!" She moved her eyes toward Spitfire, "And you'll also have to go on a date with Spitfire! Thinking of backing out yet?" "Wait what?!" shouted Spitfire as she began to blush. "Not a chance! I accept your terms!" shouted Plasma Burner, "But if I win, then I teach you my way. And you'll have to go on a date with me! I bet you want to back out now huh?" Rainbow began to blush as well "N-n-n-no way! Going on a date with a Wonderbolt, you think I would be scared of something like that? I accept your terms as well!" shouted Rainbow. They both shook their hooves in agreement. "Wait...what?!" shouted Spitfire once more. "Next weekend, the same track I chose when I first challenged you!" said Rainbow, "Prepare yourself, because you're going to eat my dust!" Plasma Burner moved in closer, "Trust me Rainbow, it won't be much of a race without a 'real' opponent to challenge me. Now get back into bed, you need to rest." He began walking out of the room as Spitfire followed him out. "How could you agree to something like that?!" asked Spitfire with red cheeks. "I didn't think she would go through with it after I made my demands. I can't believe she actually agreed to go on a date with me if I win. It's almost sad really; she stands no chance of winning. I can't lose on purpose out of pity though, cause then I'd have to date you." he said as he looked at her. "What's wrong with that?" asked Spitfire as she raised her eyebrow. "I just didn't expect to have to take either of you on a date is all." he said as he went to his couch. "It looks like the storm isn't stopping any time soon; I guess you'll all have to spend the night here." Author's Note Hooray! Chapter two, it came a lot quicker than I originally anticipated. Well I hope you all enjoy it, and remember that feedback is greatly appreciated!
