The Race for the Missing Powersby Rainbow Dash 55ChaptersThe Patience TestThe InterruptionMs. PieThe Surprise VisitorCapturedThe City in the CloudsThe Helpful SquirrelInformationThe Wonderbolt Weapons VaultThe Illusion RiverThe Different DimensionBad NewsThe TruthThe Hidden PowersThe Other Hidden AbilityThe Next DayThe Underwater Hidden AbilityPowersTrainingThe SalonThe GetawayCaughtThe Candor PegasusThe Plan in ActionThe FightGive Her the Powers, or Have Him DieThe Patience Test"Dashy, struggling doesn't help anything," Rarity told her for the millionth time. "It's must do SOMETHING!", Rainbow yelled. She was tied to the ground with frosting and ropes. "Bet you're glad I got ten extra tubes of frosting," Pinkie sang as she bounced around the room. "Yes, Pinkie." Rarity sounded exhausted. "Now, I'm almost done with the sewing, but I need to run to the market for some more thread. Would you mind watching Dashy for a moment while I'm gone?" "Hey!" Rainbow Dash glared at Rarity. "I'm right here! And I'm not a dog!" "Sure thing, Rarity!", Pinkie said. "Thank you, dear. You're a gem." Rarity grabbed her 'shopping hat' and basket. "Oh, and make sure Dashy stays calm and controlled in order to get her powers." "Okee-dokee, artichokee!", Pinkie happily replied. "Thank you!" Rarity walked out of the salon. "Okay, Dashy, I want you to look deep into your sole--" "This is rediculous," Rainbow mumbled. "Dashy, Rarity as at the market and Twilight is busy with some sort of princessey thingy in Canterlot. So I'm in charge of you for now, and that means I have to help you get your powers. So--" Rainbow Dash got an idea. "Hey, Pinkie! I just remembered something! There's a HUGE sale at the baking store. You know, the one that...Pinkie?" Rainbow looked around the fitting room, but Pinkie Pie had already ran to the store that had a "sale". "Hmm. That works." Rainbow tried to pick up her hooves from the frosting and ropes, but it wouldn't budge. Just then, one of the greatest Wonderbolts in all of history came into the salon. "Hey, Dash," he said. Rainbow's face flushed the deepest shade of red she'd ever thought possible. "Soarin! What are you doing here?" "I heard you screaming a while ago. Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. The Wonderbolts sorta held me hostage for training." Rainbow had forgotten about Soarin's impeccable hearing. It was almost as though HE had powers. His other powers were his amazing personality, and good looks. "Dash?" Soarin asked. "Huh?" "I said, 'are you okay?' Or did you have a fight with a dozen tubes of frosting?" Soarin gave her that wicked gorgeous grin of his. Rainbow blushed again, then answered, "No. We were trying something, but it's almost impossible. Twilight tried to give me powers, but they have to come on their own." "Oh. Well, is the test over, 'cuz I could use a mountain hike right about now." "Yeah, we're done...Would you mind untying me?" "Sure." He did, and together, they flew out the window. The Interruption"SPITFIRE!" Soarin shouted angrily. He dove under the surface and brought Rainbow up. She gasped, coughed, and clung to him. "Dash, are you okay?", he demanded. Spitfire noticed how they were hugging, and how he was comforting her. "Sorry, did I interrupt your DATE?", she taunted. "You know, since this IS a romantic scenery." Rainbow started to break away from Soarin, but he held on. "What do you want, Spitfire?", Soarin growled. "Geez, why are you so stressed, Soarin?" This time, the voice came from a palm tree. She flew down, and they could see that it was another member from the Wonderbolts: Misty Fly. "What, do you think you guys are prey and we're gonna go after Dash?" Soarin stared her down. Then, Spitfire spoke up, this time, to Rainbow. "Actually, we have some of your Ponyville friends coming here. They asked if you were with us and we said we'd help them look for you." "Uh-oh," Rainbow mumbled. Then, as she predicted, Pinkie Pie jumped across the lake and effortlessly broke the bond between Rainbow and Soarin. "Dashy! We were so worried!" Ms. Pie"Dashy, I am very disapointed in you," Pinkie said. She had just got dressed up in a teacher's outfit, and was holding a yard stick in one hoof, and slapping it against the other one. She paced around Twilight's library. "Now," she continued. " I made some pictures here on a slideshow. Tell me, what do you see?" Rainbow looked at the first slide. "I see me flying." "Good. That represents who you are and what you do. Now what do you see?" "I see me with super powers." "Very good. And what does that represent?" "The me that we want me to be?" "NO! It is the you that you are GOING to be!" Pinkie Pie gathered herself again. "Now what do you see?" Rainbow blushed at the drawing. "I see me and Soarin." "And what are you two doing in this drawing?" She blushed harder. "Kissing." "Exactly. This is a very good example of what you should NOT be doing. Soarin is a distraction. He is a myth. He is a hot myth, but he is still a myth." "Pinkie, are you done?" Rainbow became bored. "Almost. Now, I have a few more slides that--" Then, just at the nick-of-time, Mrs. Cake burst into the library. "Pinkie Pie! We have a situation! The cupcakes have been stolen!" Pinkie Pie gasped as loud and as long as she could. "Class dismissed!" She flew out the door. "Wow. It is not hard to get her distracted," Rainbow said. "I know, and that's exactly why I made it up," Mrs. Cake said. "You did?" "Yep." Mrs. Cake smiled. "Thought you could use a break from Ms. Pie. "Thanks, Mrs. Cake." Rainbow yawned. "Well, I think I'll hit the sack for the night." "Goodnight, Rainbow Dash." "Goodnight, Mrs. Cake." Rainbow flew out the window of the library and into her house in the clouds. The Surprise VisitorRainbow Dash felt her bed softly shake. "Huh?", she mumbled. Then, a pair of forelegs wrapped around her upper body. "AAAAAAHHH!", she screamed. She grabbed a foreleg, and with all of her strength, she hurled the pony across the room. She then heard a faint "Oh geez, that hurt". She flipped a light on. "Soarin?!" He rolled over and looked up at her. "Hey, Dash." She began to help him get up, but he pulled her on the ground next to him, and hugged her. "What are you doing here?", she demanded. "It's the middle of the night!" "Actually, it's 3:00 in the morning." "Soarin!" "Okay, okay. I wanted to see you." Rainbow Dash's cheeks colored, and she hoped he couldn't see it. "I also wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened yesterday," Soarin added. "It was totally my fault." She apprectiated his apolgy. "It's fine. I had fun." He grinned sweetly at her. "Me too. Do you think we can go again?" "Sure. When?" He smiled mischieviously at her. "How 'bout now?" "Soarin! It's 3:00 a.m.!" "And we still haven't seen the mountains at night. What do you say?" "I say you're crazy." Rainbow got up, and started walking over to her bed. "What, are you jealous?" She stopped and turned her head, but not all the way to him. "Excuse me?" He gave another gorgeous grin. "You obviously don't think you can fly as fast as me. That might be true, that might not. But I guess now we'll never know." She turned to face him again. "Is that a challenge?" He shrugged. She smiled. "I accept." Once again, a gorgeous grin. "I'll give you a head start. Ten seconds." "Five seconds." "Deal." They raced into the night. Captured"I let you win." "You did not!" Rainbow partially believed that he did, but that didn't mean she had to say so. "You callin' me a liar?", he joked. "Maybe." Rainbow smiled. "Come here!" He tackled her, and they tumbled down the hill. When they got to a stop, Soarin was on top of her, and they gazed into each other's eyes. Their faces got closer and closer...But then, they heard a noise. "What was that?", Rainbow asked. Soarin glared at the trees. "Spitfire! It's not gonna work this time! ...I'll go take care of her." He got up and flew to the trees. Rainbow shivered from the cold. Then, she heard a loud cry. "Soarin!", Rainbow screamed. She flew to where she heard the cry, but no one was there. Soarin had been captured. "It's okay, Rainbow! Calm down! We'll find him!", Twilight assured her. "Now stop flying back and forth before you give us a headache!" "I like headaches. Sometimes they're fun!" Pinkie said as she hopped around under Rainbow Dash's nonstop flying. "Maybe we should ask the woodland creatures if they've seen him," Fluttershy suggested. "Good idea, darling," Rarity said. Fluttershy smiled shyly. "Are you kidding me?!", Applejack shouted. "That's the worst idea I ever heard!" Fluttershy began to cry. Rarity comforted her and said, "Applejack! Who do you think you are?! That was a stupendous idea!" Applejack rolled her eyes. "If you want even a GOOD idea," (This made Fluttershy cry even harder.) "then just have me HERD the animals there!" "What good would that do?" Rarity demanded. "I don't know! It's what I do!" Applejack ungracefully plumped herself on the ground and crossed her forelegs over her chest. Rarity rolled her eyes. "Do YOU have any ideas, Dashy? You've been awfully quiet." The ponies then noticed that Rainbow and Pinkie were sitting on the high window of the library. Applejack knew that taunting usually got to her, so she said, "She's in loooove with Soar-in." When Rainbow still didn't say anything, she sang, "Rainbow and Soar-in, sittin' in a tree. K-I--" Before she could finish, Rarity used a spell to pick her up and throw her outside the door. "Rainbow? Are you okay?", Fluttershy flew up to the window, followed by Twilight. Rarity used a spell to teleport herself up. "It's okay, Dashy. There's always Misty and Spitfire," Pinkie told her. Rainbow looked up. "That's it! The other Wonderbolts! They probably know something! Come on, let's go!" They all started to fly away, then looked at Rarity and Pinkie. "It's alright, girls." Rarity didn't seem offended or out-of-place, in the state that she didn't have wings. "We'll look at the place that he was ponynapped. Where was it, Dashy?" "Half Peak." "Good. We'll go there now." "Wait!", Pinkie cried out. "Shouldn't we bring Fluttershy to translate the animals?" "Excellent idea, Darling." Rarity smiled. "Yes, I'll go with Pinkie Pie and Rarity," Fluttershy agreed. "Great! Good luck, girls!", Rainbow Dash called. They set off to their missions. The City in the Clouds"Wow! This place is even more magical then I thought!", Twilight exclaimed. "What do you mean? You've been up here before," Rainbow reminded her. But Rainbow had to admit, even though she'd lived up here her whole life, the view of Cloudsdale, also known as the 'City in the Clouds', took her breath away every time. "Yeah, but not as a pegasus!", Twilight said. "It's so cool!" They landed on the cloud streets, where workers were busily hustling to make snowflakes for the winter, or new rainbows for the upcoming rainy days. "Okay, the Wonderbolts live in here," Rainbow said as she pushed open a door to a mansion. "Or, I guess, I live in here." "You haven't gotten used to calling yourself a Wonderbolt yet, have you?" "Not exactly." They walked down the hallway in silence, until two pegasi dressed head-to-hoof in Wonderbolt merchandise bumped into them. They gasped. "You're Rainbow Dash!", the first one exclaimed. "I am your biggest fan in the world!" "Me too!", the second one said. "How did you get in here?", Rainbow aked them. "We snuck in through the back air vent," Pony #2 replied. Pony #1 nudged her. "Oh!", Pony #2 corrected herself. "I mean, your servant let us in." "We don't have servants." "Oh, well, then--" "Fillies, if Rainbow gives you an autograph, would you be so kind as to leave?", Twilight suggested. They gasped again, then bowed. "Your majesty! So sorry to disturb you!" Pony #1 apologized. Rainbow Dash signed a page on their notebooks. "It's just that," Pony #1 continued, "We saw that the Wonderbolts were competing in Canterlot, so we thought that we might be able to check out their mansion." "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rainbow said. "Competing in Canterlot? Who told you this?" "It was on Spitfire's blog," Pony #2 said simply. "Okay, pegasi, thank you, but we've really got to get busy doing...Wonderbolt stuff," Twilight said, pushing them out the door. "Bye, Rainbow Dash! Bye, Princess Twilight!" The Helpful Squirrel"Ew, sticky! Ew, slimy! AAH! IT'S MOVING!" Rarity jumped into Fluttershy's forelegs. "Rarity, I think things are usually like that in nature," Fluttershy gently informed her. Pinkie Pie bounced past them. "Yeah, Rarity. They can't hurt you. See?" She poked a rose stem. "OW!" Rarity got down. "I rest my case." "So, Fluttershy, did you ask any animals where Soarin is?" "I was just about to, Pinkie," Fluttershy happily replied. She walked over to a squirrel, who was gathering acorns. "Excuse me, but have you seen a tall, strong, good-looking pegasus anywhere around here?" The squirrel looked sad. It chirped at Fluttershy, and she said, "Yes! He IS light blue with dark blue mane and a winged lightning bolt cutie mark! Can you tell us which way he went?" Information"WHAT?!", Pinkie and Rarity screamed at the same time. "Who would DO such a thing?!", Rarity demanded. The squirrel chirped to Fluttershy again. She then said, "What?! No! They would never do that!" "Who?", Pinkie asked. "Well, he said that it was...the other Wonderbolts." Pinkie Pie did one of her long, signature gasps while Rarity said, "There has to be some mistake! Sure, they're rough with each other sometimes, but that's just obnoxious, good-natured rough housing." He chirped. "Well. Yes, one of them IS yellow with orange mane and a lightning bolt cutie mark that's on fire, but--" More chirping. "Yes, the other one IS yellow with light blue mane and a lightning bolt cutie mark, but--" "Fluttershy, he just described the three main Wonderbolts. It's them," Rarity told her. Pinkie Pie hopped up the trail. "But why would they do that?", Fluttershy wondered. "Hmm," Rarity pondered. "I'm not sure. But I plan on finding out. That gorgeous hunk of a pegasus is NOT getting away!" "Guys?" Pinkie said. She was at the very top of the trail. The unicorn and pegasus walked up next to her. Their mouths dropped. "Check out this view!", Pinkie exclaimed. Rarity got a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. "Wow, it would be incredible to be up here with Soarin, gazing out to the mountains, his foreleg wrapped around my shoul--" "Rarity?", Fluttershy asked. "Hmm?" She noticed Pinkie and Fluttershy staring at her as if she'd lost it. Then Pinkie happily bounced down the trail. "Oh," Rarity reddened. "Sorry...Besides, he and Dashy are a couple now." "I don't remember her saying that. Or him saying that," Fluttershy commented. "Well, it's pretty obvious. They're ALWAYS together...That is, except for right now, of course." "I hope we'll find him soon." Fluttershy saw the squirrel again. "Oh, excuse me, Mr. Squirrel? Do you know which way they went after Spitfire and Misty Fly. Um." The squirrel shook his head, then chirped. "Oh. Well, thank you for your help." The squirrel hopped away. "What did he say?", asked Rarity. "He said he went to see another pegasus who was calling for Soarin. He said she had rainbow-colored mane with a sonic rainboom cutie mark." That brought a tear to Rarity's eye. "Dashy." "Yes. And by the time he got back, they were all gone." "Well, then I guess we'll have to find them ourselves." The Wonderbolt Weapons Vault"This is the room that we only use for emergencies, so don't get any ideas for future competitions or charities," the pegasus ordered. "I won't," Rainbow Dash promised. The pegasus typed in a long code that opened the door to amazement. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle gasped. It had every gadget the Wonderbolts had used on their missions, and more. It had everything from grappling hooks to invisibility pills. "Wow," Rainbow said in awe. "The Wonderbolt Weapons Vault!" "Thank you so much, sir," Twilight said. "I think we've got it from here." She smiled at him. "I'm sure of it," he said. "But I do have a few suggestions as of what to bring." The Illusion River"Guys! I think I found something!" "What is it, Pinkie Pie?", Rarity asked as she walked down the rest of the trail. "Look! There are hoofprints leading down there!", Pinkie Pie excitedly exclaimed. "That's wonderful, Pinkie! Great job!", Rarity congradulated her. "Um, filles? I don't think you're going to like where these hoofprints lead to." They followed Fluttershy's voice. "They lead into the river?!", Pinkie asked. "Well who in the world would live in the river?! It's so shallow! If I lived in a river, I would want it to be super deep, but I wouldn't want--" As Pinkie Pie talked a mile a minute, Fluttershy said, "Wait a minute! I've been to this river before! I use it when I have very large sea creatures who are lost, or who need protection. It's an Illusion River! It looks like it's about five feet deep, but really, it's HUNDREDS of feet deep! You just have to swim to the bottom, and believe that the bottom isn't there. Then, you'll swim right through it!" "Fascinating," Rarity whispered, looking into the river. "And it would be the perfect place for a lair!" "Exactly. But how are we going to get down there? We can't hold our breath for a hundred feet." Rarity thought about that. "Maybe not, but I know something that might help us." The Different Dimension"You sure about this, Twilight?" "Positive. And these wet suits and oxygen tanks will protect us too. Just remember, Rainbow, there isn't a bottom to the river." "Got it." Rainbow sucked in her breath, then let it out. "Let's do this." They put on their masks and looked at the river. "On the count of three," Twilight suggested. "One!" "Two!" "Three!" They dove into the water, and for a second, Rainbow had the slightest doubt that they couldn't go through the bottom of the river, but she pushed it aside. They swam right through the bottom, and it was as if they'd entered a different dimension, which, in a way, they had. "Wow," Rainbow whispered as they swam deeper and deeper. They passed the most magnificent sea creatures: octopi, sea turtles, angelfish, you name it. "I know," Twilight said. Rainbow Dash giggled. "Well, at least we know the com set works." Twilight returned the gesture. "Yep. Now, where do you think they're keeping Soarin?" Rainbow flinched at his name, but she quickly regained herself. She looked at the bottom of the ocean, then saw a small castle made of sand, clay, and rocks. She knew it looked small because it was so far away. "Down there!" "Good eye, Rainbow! Let's go!" As they got nearer to the castle, it grew larger and larger, as Rainbow had predicted. "How do we get in?", she inquired. "We should probably try somewhere in the back of the castle," Twilight answered. "Good idea." As they swam around the lair, they noticed that all of the Wonderbolts were there, guarding it. "Oh, no!", Twilight said. "NOW how are we supposed to get in?" Rainbow slowly looked over at her, a smile appearing just as slowly and mischievously. "What?" Bad NewsRainbow Dash woke up in Soarin's lap, and he was crying and hugging her. She moved, and opened her eyes. "Dash! Oh, Thank goodness you're okay!", he cried. He clung to her as if she was a life preserver in an ocean. Then, after a while, he let go, and looked at her. "How's your head?" He felt her head. "It hurts a little bit, but not that much. I've been through worse." She gave him a small smile. "I'll kill her." Soarin gritted his teeth. Rainbow nudged him behind his ear with her nose: the one place she knew always calmed him down. "Don't say that." "She deserves it." She heard a groan from the other end of the cell. "Twilight!" Rainbow tried to get up to see if she was alright, but she became lightheaded and fell back into Soarin's strong forelegs. "Rainbow?", she said. "Twilight! Are you okay?! What happened?!", Rainbow cried. Twilight looked as though she was burned. "Spitfire. Spitfire burned me." She crawled over to them. "What?" "It's true, Dash. She can firebend," Soarin said. "She used it on me too." Rainbow then noticed he was burned on his right foreleg. "That's awful. How can she do it?" "She drank some of my potion. It was gone when I woke up this morning," Twilight said. "She's not the only one with powers. Misty can airbend." "No," Rainbow whispered. The Truth"It's true, Dash." The cold, ugly, and unfortunately familiar voice came from the other side of the prison bars. Soarin gently put Rainbow down, but then charged at the bars, and kicked out at Spitfire's face so hard that she fell backward. Misty helped her up. "You'll pay for that, Soarin!", she shouted. "Spitfire, why would you do this?", Rainbow asked. "Oh, my dear, sweet, sweet, Dash," Spitfire smiled. It disgusted Rainbow. "I guess I've been a little secretive from you. Let me explain myself. As you've probably found out, we stole Twilight's magic potion, and our powers showed up fast. I have the power of fire, and Misty has the power of air. But, you see, we did a little research on this magic potion. And it said that there is always one pony. One pony that doesn't need the potion. One pony that, if she drinks the potion, her powers won't appear for a few hours, but then they will suddenly show up, rapidly. They will stay with her for the rest of her life." Everypony looked at Rainbow. "I have natural powers?", Rainbow slowly asked. "Yes, Rainbow. It said in one book, 'There is one pony every five hundred years, who recieves super powers. She will accomplish everything that is good'. And I thought to myself, Dash has everything. She's romantic, she's kind, she's energetic, she's athletic, she's everything. She must be the one." She paused. "Then, I thought, 'wait! I need bait! She's not just gonna LET me capture her. I'll get the one thing she cares most about: Soarin.'" They looked at him. "What are you saying you're gonna do?", he asked. "Excellent question," Spitfire said. "But first, I must ask Dash a question." Rainbow brought herself to look at her, but she couldn't hold back her glare. "Rainbow, would you be willing to give me your powers?", Spitfire asked her politely. Rainbow gave her a dry, unhappy laugh, which made Spitfire frown, and growl. "Very well. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." The Hidden PowersAll of Rainbow's instincts came alive at once. Her eyes glowed, and she felt so much power and anger boil up to the surface. She broke free from the chains, and super-sped at Spitfire. She airbended her against the wall, and then firebended a storm at her. She took the rocks from outside, in the ocean, letting a flood come in, and used them to hold Spitfire in place. She then gathered all of the ocean's water, and bended it at Spitfire, nearly drowning her. She then firebended at Twilight's chains. "Go," Rainbow said to Twilight. Rainbow used telekinesis to pick Soarin up, and put him in Twilight's forelegs. She waterbended the water away from the nearest exit to Twilight. Twilight flew out of the lair at maximum speed. Spitfire and Misty Fly were almost dead, this, Rainbow Dash knew, but she didn't stop yet. She held them both by pressing their foreheads against a wall, and took away their powers. She then activated a forcefield, and flew out of the collapsing lair. Rainbow passed by Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity on her way to the surface, but she paid no attention to them. They were even in a submarine. "Did we miss the party?", Pinkie asked. "Forget that!", Rarity shouted. "GO!" Rarity steered the submarine away from the lair, and just in time. Rainbow Dash shot a bolt of lightning at the lair. The Other Hidden AbilityRainbow softly landed on the ground, and her eyes returned to normal. Twilight helped her stand back up. "What happened?", Rainbow mumbled. "You don't remember?" Rainbow looked back at the river. "I think I just demolished the Wonderbolts. And I took away two of their members' powers." Twilight giggled. "Actually, they're all safe. Even Misty and Spitfire, somehow." "WHAT?! Where are they? That's it! I feel another explosion comin'!" Rainbow snorted and pawed at the ground. Twilight's smile faded when she remembered something. "I think you'll have to hold that thought, Rainbow." She angled Rainbow to look at something on the ground, motionless. "Soarin!" Rainbow screamed. She flew over to him, then cried. She longed for him to pick up his head, then say a funny remark about how beautiful she is, or that he would never leave her. But that didn't come. The color didn't return to his face, so Rainbow pressed her cheek to his, and softly cried into it. Soarin. "I'm so sorry, Rainbow," Twilight said. A tear fell onto Soarin's cheek, and Rainbow wiped it away. And then the strangest thing happened: her hoof, the tear, and Soarin's face, glowed. It glowed a brilliant sky blue color, and she gasped and pulled her hoof back. But Soarin continued to glow. It spread throughout his whole body, stopping on his wounds, and then continuing to flow. Rainbow touched his face, and he reached up, pulled her face a centimeter from his, and said, "Did you really think I would leave you after a few scratches?" And then he kissed her, really kissed her. Rainbow dug deeper into the kiss by opening her mouth, and Soarin did the same. Then, it finally broke, after they both had enough. "You're alive...And I love you, Soarin." "Eh, I'm OKAY," Soarin said, then gave her a gorgeous grin she knew and loved. She smiled, then gave him a hard, deep kiss. "You're amazing. I'll never let you go to anyone else." "You're amazing too, Dash. I love you so much, my heart ached every time I saw you. I've always wanted to kiss you, tell you how I feel about you. But I didn't know how, or if you felt the same way." "I've always loved you too. I was just too shy to admit it." "You? Shy? When have YOU been shy?", he smiled. She playfully punched his arm, and he did the same to her. "Uh, guys?" Twilight sounded worried. They turned toward her and saw Spitfire getting up, looking almost worse than Soarin did. Rainbow immediately pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!", Rainbow said between her gritted teeth. "Dash, I'm so sorry! It'll never happen again, I promise! I'm so sorry! You should be the one with the powers!" "You're lying! I can feel you shaking!" "That's fear, Dash! I'm telling the truth!" She looked petrified, which was part of the reason Rainbow let go of her. Spitfire picked Misty up, and flew away. Rainbow heard faint sounds of talking and gasping. They all walked over to it. "Guys?", Rainbow asked. "What are you doing here?" "I'm never going submarining again!", Rarity said. "I thought it was cool!" Pinkie bounced up and down. "And Dashy, it was so intense when you shot the lightning at the castle, and it went BOOM! And it went BOOM so loud and hard, that it hit our submarine too! Well, the lightning didn't hit it. We hit a rock 'cause we were WATCHING the pretty lightning." "Wow. Sorry, guys," Rainbow said. "It's okay!", Pinkie exclaimed. "It was fun! Let's do it again!" The Next Day"That's so cool!" Rainbow's friends had all been watching her perform all of her powers. She landed, after she had finished waterbending. "Thanks, Pinkie." "It looks as if you've mastered you powers already!", Twilight exclaimed. "Thanks, but I think I'm pretty far from that. I'm still a little shaky." "Rainbow!" Rainbow turned around to see a Wonderbolt member that hadn't techically betrayed her. "High Winds!", Rainbow welcomed her. "Are you alright? Did you survive my, uh, explosion?" "Yes, I did. Fortunetly, Spitfire had me running errands so I wasn't even in the lair! I just saw and heard it from far away. When I got there, everyone was gone, and when I swam to the ocean, the lair was ruined. I knew better than to ask Spitfire and Misty Fly what happened, so I asked Silver Lining, and he told me everything." "Oh...Hey, High Winds?" "Yes?" "At the castle, I promised that, if we survived, I'd pay you back." "Yes?" "So, I guess I should pay you back. You were so kind to me when I really needed it." Rainbow smiled. High Winds blushed, and returned the smile. "It was nothing, Rainbow." "But it was. I feel like I NEED to pay you back." "Thank you, Rainbow. But if you REALLY want to pay me back, promise me one more thing." "What is it?" "Take. Down. Spitfire. Promise me, Rainbow." "I promise." Her smile returned. "Thank you...Well, I'd better get going. Bye, guys." She flew away. Rainbow reflected on her words, then noticed everypony staring at her. "Okay, back to work" "Well, it's only been a day," Soarin reminded her. He was relaxing in the sun with a glass of lemonade. "And," he set the glass down, "I believe we have some unfinished business." He out his foreleg around Rainbow's shoulders, and she shyly looked at the ground. "Ooh-ooh!", all of her friends, except Pinkie, cooed. Instead, Pinkie said, "Unfinished business? I'll get my briefcase!" She zoomed away. Rarity cleared her throat. "Well, then, I guess I do have to do that, uh, thing. With the...Right, girls?" They quickly caught on. "Oh, yes! That! Let's go," Twilight said. "Have fun you two!" They left giggling. "Well," Rainbow said, "What are we waiting for?" "I, for one, was waiting for you to say that." (A gorgeous grin.) Soarin picked her up, and she laughed. He flew her to their mountain. The Underwater Hidden AbilitySoarin and Rainbow watched the sun set over the tops of the hills. "Soarin?" "Yes, Dash?" "I have to ask you something." "Anything you want, the answer is yes." She smiled. "Thanks, Soarin, but that's not it...I wanted to ask you...Well, what would you have done if you were in my position? If you had to choose between my life, or the world?" She looked down. "Sorry, that was stupid." "No, it's fine. Honestly, I probably would've died from all the pressure." His smile faded. "Saving the world and all the princesses is what I told you to do, but really, I wouldn't have been able to let you die. I would sacrifice myself, and the world, to save you, Dash." They looked deeply into each other's eyes, then kissed just as deep. "I love you, Soarin." She looked into his eyes again. "I love you, Dash." He smiled. "You know, we still have the unfinished business." "This isn't it?" "Nope." He shoved her off the cliff, and she free-fell, screaming. This time, when he caught her, she was on her back, lying on his stomach. "You've got to stop doing that!", she accused, then grinned. He gracefully dipped onto the surface of the water, floating, once again, like a boat. "You know, I'm starting to like the water now," Rainbow said. "Yeah? How come?" She closed her eyes, and rested her head on his powerful chest. "Because I'm with you. I know I'll be safe wherever I go, as long as I'm with you." He grinned. "So you trust me?" "Yes." "Okay. Then hold your breath." He dove into the water, holding tight to Rainbow. They went through the sand and clay, seeing the amazing, breathtaking ocean. A fish like nothing Rainbow had ever seen swam past her. She, without thinking, gasped, and didn't choke on the water. It was as if she was breathing air. Soarin! Yes, Dash? He looked at her. I can breathe underwater! What?! He too, accidentally drew in a breath. Oh, my gosh! I can too! Then she remembered. Twilight said that, if a pony is powerful enough, she'll give her true love powers too! She said that, if the bond between them continues, they'll have powers forever! That's amazing!...So, I'm your true love? She hugged him. Yes. Rainbow melted when they gave each other another magical kiss. Soarin held her with his strong forelegs, and swam her through the ocean. Rainbow noticed how dozens, then hundreds, of sea creatures were following them, as if they were the king and queen. Soarin rubbed his nose all over Rainbow's head, under her chin, and on her neck. When she tried to push him away to tell him to stop, he held tighter, and continued doing it. That's when she knew: he was claiming her, in front of the entire ocean, in front of all the sea creatures. Letting them know that she is his, and always will be. Powers"There. All better, Brownie." Fluttershy carefully tended the beaver's injured paw. "But no building dams for two months." Brownie chirped in understanding. "Good. Now, I'll just--" Fluttershy was immediately interupted by a rainbow-colored blur that crashed in through a window in the cottage. It knocked over more than half of the bookshelf, a bird cage, and a lamp. Then, it tried to get up, and Fluttershy could just make out a sonic rainboom cutie mark. "Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cried in alarm. "You have to be more careful! Are you hurt?" Rainbow picked up her head from a large pile of books. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, Fluttershy. We were just practicing." "We?" Then, Princess Twilight entered the cabin. "Goodness! Is everything all right in here?" Fluttershy immediatley bowed before the alicorn. "Oh, your highness! Did we disturb you?!" The princess giggled. "No, Fluttershy. And I told you, call me Twilight!" Fluttershy got back to all four hooves. "Sorry...What were you two practicing, anyway?" Rainbow started to put the books back on the shelf. "I was trying to do a sonic rainboom so I can get my powers." "Powers?" Fluttershy asked. "No pony has EVER got powers before, other then the spells you do, Twilight." "Well, Rainbow Dash is gonna be the first, then," Twilight declared. "Twilight put a spell on me, so I'll get powers," said Rainbow. Fluttershy looked at the alicorn. Twilight said, "Well, it IS a little more complicated than that, but that's pretty much right. It's a spell I just discovered. It can, in occasion, give a pony powers. It's mainly to help the Wonderbolts with their training and missions." "That's very clever," Fluttershy said thoughtfully. "Yeah, but it's pretty hard to do a sonic rainboom. Isn't there anything else we can try that will make my powers appear, Twilight?" Rainbow asked. "Well, we could try training in a couple other ways. But they're very tiresome," Twilight added. "Let's do it!" Rainbow charged out the door. Training"Okay, Rainbow. Let's see what you got!" Twilight challenged. Rainbow Dash and Twilight had been training all day, but Rainbow wasn't ready to give up. Twilight made a spell that made daggers appear out of thin air, and at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow flew up, dodging every one. She kicked out at one that just barely gave her a cut on her back left leg. She did the same to one more, but she missed the one that was flying at her head. The handle hit her head, and she fell. "Rainbow!" Twilight cried. Rainbow lifted her head. "Did I win?" Twilight sighed. "No, but your instincts were good...relatively speaking." Rainbow got up. "Let's keep training. What else is on the list?" Twilight thought for a second. "Well, there IS the water training. But you're a pegasus. It could be dangerous in the water. You're meant to be in the sky." Rainbow let her think about it. "Ooh, I know what we can do!" Twilight said. "A patience test!" Rainbow groaned. "Twilight, I'm an athlete! I don't have TIME for patience!" "Do you want powers or not?" "...Where should we go?" Twilight smiled. "Follow me." The SalonTwilight and Rainbow Dash entered a salon. "Girls! Come in, come in!" "Hi, Rarity!" Twilight said politely. "What brings you two here on this wonderful day?" Rarity inquired. "Yeah! What DOES bring you here?" Pinky Pie said, popping down from the ceiling. She gasped. "Are you two spies?! Hyah!" She pinned Rainbow Dash to the ground, and bended one of her legs back. Twilight magically picked Pinkie up with a spell from her horn. "Pinkie! We're not spies! We came here to train." "Train? For what? To be SPIES?!" Pinkie yelled. She pawed at the ground once. "Rarity, you call the cops. I'll get the rope and frosting." And with that, Pinkie Pie galloped up the stairs. "So sorry, Princess Twilight. Is there anything I can get you two?" Rarity opened her fridge. "No, that's fine. But there is something else we came here for," Twilight grinned. "Your favorite word." Rarity gasped. "Princess Twilight, I have been waiting my entire life for you to say that. I am HONORED! Now, is it for you or Dashy?" "Is what for her or Dashy?" Rainbow became suspicious. "It's for Dash," Twilight answered. "Actually, I could use one too." "Use WHAT?!" "Splended!" Rarity exclaimed. "What kind?" "What kind of WHAT?!" "The most glamorous thing you've got!" Twilight said happily. Rarity began to cry. "Princess, this is truely the happiest day of my life...AAAAAHHHH! This is so exciting! I'll get the supplies!" She cantered to the back room. "Twilight! If you don't tell me what's going on right now, I'll--" "Rainbow, this might be hard for you to hear, but you see...Well, I sort of--" "Hyah!" Pinkie Pie fell out of the ceiling (again) on top of Twilight, and tied her up with the rope she'd gotten from upstairs. "Pinkie!" Twilight said angrily. "Untie me!" "Not a chance!", Pinkie refused. "Fine." Twilight's horn glowed, and the ropes that held her appeared on Pinkie Pie. "Hey!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Now," Twilight said, "Rainbow, I have to tell you...You're getting a--" "Okay! I'm ready for the makeover!", Rarity sang. Twilight closed her eyes, ready for Rainbow's outburst. Rainbow's eyes were as big as bowling balls as she said, "M-m-m-makeover?!" "Now, Rainbow, it's okay. Remember what this is for. This might be the only way to get your powers," Twilight reminded her. Rainbow darted to the door. "Pinkie, now!", Twilight shouted. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Pinkie slipped out of the ropes and bolted Rainbow to the door. "Pinkie! Let go of me!" Rainbow struggled against Pinkie's grasp. "No! You will get this makeover that Rarity so graciously decided to give you and you are going to love it!", Pinkie yelled as she shook Rainbow like a bell. Rarity emerged from the shadows. "Dashy, it's time." Pinkie Pie started to lead Rainbow to the fitting room. "Noooo!" They entered the fitting room. The Getaway"Wow. Check out that view." Rainbow lifted her head from Soarin's shoulder, then nudged him playfully. "C'mon. You must see this stuff all the time." Rainbow Dash had to admit, though: the view of the mountains was amazing. "Yeah, but it has more of a glow when you're here." Rainbow lowered her head, grinned, then raised it again. "You know, I've always wanted to go somewhere else. Somewhere away from the sky." "You mean like, the ocean?" "Well, maybe not the ocean, but somewhere else, you know?" "Like the ground?" "You know I don't--" Before she could finish her sentence, Soarin put her on his back and free-fell to the ground. Rainbow laughed and screamed. Then, Soarin slowed down slightly, and tossed Rainbow into the air. She screamed again, and then he caught her so she was sitting on his ribcage. She punched him roughly. "Don't do that!" "What? You don't have wings?" He gave her his gorgeous grin, and she returned her own grin to him. "Oh, c'mon. I wouldn't have let you fall." She flushed. "I know. I trust you." She rested her head on her hooves, while her elbows rested on Soarin's strong chest. Soarin carefully landed in a clear river, using his wings to paddle them. "Was this your idea of 'not being in the sky'?", Soarin asked. "I like the idea of floating, just not of swimming." "There's nothing to it, you know. Just hold your breath and paddle," he informed her. Then, something charged into Rainbow Dash, knocking her off of Soarin, and into the water. CaughtSoarin flew out of the water as Pinkie Pie and her friends gave Rainbow Dash a pep talk. "What were you THINKING?!", Pinkie screamed at Rainbow, even though she was right in front of her. "You're supposed to be very relaxed and calm so you can get your super powers!" She shook her silly. "Pinkie!" Twilight pulled her off of Rainbow Dash with her horn. "You're not helping her relax!" "Super powers?", Spitfire asked. "I say we teach her a lesson! Throw her back in the river! Here, I'll help." Applejack tried to pick Rainbow up, but she flew up. "No!", Rainbow said. "Guys, I'm sorry, but--" Pinkie cut in. "Do you want your powers or not?!" Soarin stepped in between her and Rainbow Dash. "Guys, stop. This is my fault. I untied Dash and I brought her here. She didn't do anything." Rainbow Dash loved the way he defended her. Twilight stepped forward. "Maybe not, but she still went along with it. Come on, Rainbow. We're going home." Rainbow hung her head and followed Twilight. Just as Soarin was about to say something else, Spitfire said, "Soarin, you should be getting home too." She and Misty Fly flew away, but Soarin lingered there. The Candor Pegasus"This is bad. This is really, really bad!" Rainbow Dash started to fly-pace back and forth again. "Why would Spitfire say they're in Canterlot?", Twilight asked. "Pst!" "What?!" Rainbow demanded, looking at Twilight. "What?", Twilight asked. "PPPSSSTT!" They both turned to somepony hiding in the shadows. "Over here!" They followed him. "Rainbow Dash, I saw Spitfire and Misty Fly go out last night," the pegasus said. "And I know I wasn't supposed to, but I followed them. They went into the woods, and ponynapped Soarin. It was awful. He was covered in dirt, grass, and blood." Twilight gasped while Rainbow stiffened. "He was unconscious when they took him," he continued. "I knew I couldn't fight them on my own, so I followed them again. They took him near a river, but I lost them before I saw where they went after that. I'm so sorry this has happened." "Did you tell anyone?", Twilight asked. He looked away. "No. I couldn't bring myself to, after seeing what just happened." Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder, and he brightened a bit. "It's okay. I understand. But we'll find him. I'm sure of it." The pegasus thought for a moment. "I think I have just the thing to help you." The Plan in ActionThere was a loud knock on the door of the underwater lair, and Silver Lining went to open it, letting a little bit of ocean water drain in as well. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville. WHAT is the meaning of this castle at the bottom of the ocean?!" "Uh, I, um--" Wave Chill quickly came to Silver Lining's rescue. "Your highness, so good to see you. What brings you here on this lovely day?" All of the Wonderbolt's attentions were on them, so Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to sneak through the back window. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS CASTLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN?!" Wow, she is really good at being a stuck-up, spoiled princess, Rainbow thought. She crept through the hallways, throwing a pebble into a room or two if she thought a Wonderbolt would see her. Then, she heard somepony coming, so she flew as fast as she could around a corner. Unfortunately, she crashed right into another Wonderbolt member. "Rainbow Dash?!", she said. "Blaze?!", Rainbow said. They stared at each other in shock, while Blaze wondered if she should call for backup. Then, at the same time, they charged at each other. Rainbow pinned her to the floor, but Blaze kicked at her stomach, making her fly backward at a wall. She hit her head harder then she imagined possible, and she fainted. Twilight and the other Wonderbolts heard somepony stumble, then, a vase broke. "What was that?", High Winds asked. Twilight thought fast. "Um, excuse me?! I am the royal princess and I DEMAND--" But the pegasi ignored her, and flew to the sound. Twilight heard shouts of "Rainbow Dash!" and "What is she doing here?!". This was bad. She ran at them, and saw Rainbow Dash unconscious in a pegasus's forelegs. Twilight tried to fight them off one by one, but there were too many. She was losing her strength. Then, something horrible happened. Something she thought she'd never see in her life. The unthinkable happened. Spitfire threw a fireball at her with her bare hooves. Twilight, like Rainbow Dash, lied on the floor, unconscious. The FightWhen Spitfire opened the cell door, they were ready. Rainbow was the first to react. She bolted out the door, only to be collided with Misty Fly. They wrestled, and Misty tried to use airbending to fight her. Soarin and Twilight tackled Spitfire. She easily kicked Twilight off of her, and while Soarin took a milli-second to debate whether or not he should help her, Spitfire used that moment to gather up all of her strength, and electricute him. Rainbow screamed, and was about to kill her, but she was, like Soarin, a milli-second too late. Misty Fly airbended a cell bar. It broke, and she picked it up, and whacked it at Rainbow's head as if she was the ball, and the bar was the bat. The last thing Rainbow saw was Spitfire, smiling evilly at her. Rainbow Dash woke with a horrible throbbing pain at the back of her head. She looked up, but her vision was blurry, and she could see that all of her hooves were bound to a wall, using a strong kind of metal. She tried to break free, but the cuffs wouldn't budge. Then, she looked across the small room, and saw Soarin, chained to a metal pole, unconcious. She then saw Twilight in the same form, only she was chained to a pole away from Soarin. Rainbow was blinded by a door that opened into the dim room, and she wasn't completely surprised to see High Winds, the kindest member of the Wonderbolts. She flipped on a light switch, lighting up the whole room. She was pushing a cart that held a buffet of delicious food. "High Winds," Rainbow greeted her. She didn't smile, however. She jumped. "Oh, Rainbow Dash! You startled me!" Rainbow kept looking at her. "So, are you alright? You don't look so good." Rainbow scowled at her. "Yeah, I guess being beat almost to death could affect my appearance." High Winds frowned, then looked as if she was about to cry. "Oh, Rainbow, I'm so sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen." "Then why did you help?!" "I HAD to! Spitfire said that, if I didn't, she would kill me. And my boyfriend." She looked down, then remembered why she was there. "I brought you something. Well, a lot of something, anyway." She walked an omlet over to Rainbow, who sniffed it. "Did Spitfire tell you to give that to me?" "Actually, no. She doesn't know I brought anything. She'll be back soon, though." She cut a piece off, then put it in Rainbow's mouth. She repeated this several times, until the omlet was gone. "Well, I'd better get going. Spitfire can't know I was here." "High Winds?" "Yes?" "Thanks." "For what?" "For your hospitality. If I make it through this, I'll pay you back. I promise." High Winds smiled, knowing that Rainbow Dash always kept her word. No matter what. "Thank you, Rainbow. I wish I could do more." And with that, she left the room. Give Her the Powers, or Have Him DieA few minutes later, the door opened, and Rainbow was almost blinded once again. She wasn't surprised to see Spitfire and Misty. Spitfire noticed she was awake, and Rainbow noticed the others were too. "Well, you guys are finally up. I hope you slept well," Spitfire said. "Now, unto other business. Dash, I'm giving you one last chance to give me your powers. What do you say?" "I don't even know what they are. How would I give them to you?", Rainbow stalled. "I would simply extract your powers from you, but that would require you to help me do it." "Never." Spitfire looked slightly surprised to hear this, so she scowled and said, "Very well. We'll do it the hard way." She charged over to Soarin, and burned him with her fire hooves. He yelped. Rainbow screamed, "No! Don't! Stop, Spitfire, please!" Twilight cried, then tried to throw Spitfire into the ocean with her horn, but it didn't work. Her horn didn't even glow. "Rainbow! My horn! It's broken!" But Rainbow ignored her, and focused on Soarin. She used telepathy she discovered she can use a few days ago. Soarin!, she yelled to him with her mind. I'm here, Dash. Hang on! I'll get us through this! No! Don't give her your powers! Spitfire stopped firebending him, and looked between him and Dash. "You two are being awfully quiet. What are you doing?" But if I don't, you'll die. I'm willing to sacrifice that. Spitfire said that, once she gets your powers, she'll be the most invincible pony in the world. She's going to kill all of the princesses, including Twilight, to make herself the queen. "HEL-LO! I asked you a question!", Spitfire told Rainbow. "Oh. Sorry, Spitfire. I just feel a little lightheaded," she faked. "Well, you better get used to it. 'Cause I'm not done. You surrender or he dies!" She continued to lash out at Soarin, and Rainbow and Twilight continued to try to get free. Dash? Soarin! I'm right here! Don't leave me! I think I have to. I just wanted to ask you...Do you love me? Rainbow paused. Yes, Soarin. I love you with all my heart. He gave her a small smile. I love you too, Dash. He looked so tired, and it made Rainbow Dash so angry. Soon enough, the color in his cheeks faded, and he relaxed.
The Patience Test"Dashy, struggling doesn't help anything," Rarity told her for the millionth time. "It's must do SOMETHING!", Rainbow yelled. She was tied to the ground with frosting and ropes. "Bet you're glad I got ten extra tubes of frosting," Pinkie sang as she bounced around the room. "Yes, Pinkie." Rarity sounded exhausted. "Now, I'm almost done with the sewing, but I need to run to the market for some more thread. Would you mind watching Dashy for a moment while I'm gone?" "Hey!" Rainbow Dash glared at Rarity. "I'm right here! And I'm not a dog!" "Sure thing, Rarity!", Pinkie said. "Thank you, dear. You're a gem." Rarity grabbed her 'shopping hat' and basket. "Oh, and make sure Dashy stays calm and controlled in order to get her powers." "Okee-dokee, artichokee!", Pinkie happily replied. "Thank you!" Rarity walked out of the salon. "Okay, Dashy, I want you to look deep into your sole--" "This is rediculous," Rainbow mumbled. "Dashy, Rarity as at the market and Twilight is busy with some sort of princessey thingy in Canterlot. So I'm in charge of you for now, and that means I have to help you get your powers. So--" Rainbow Dash got an idea. "Hey, Pinkie! I just remembered something! There's a HUGE sale at the baking store. You know, the one that...Pinkie?" Rainbow looked around the fitting room, but Pinkie Pie had already ran to the store that had a "sale". "Hmm. That works." Rainbow tried to pick up her hooves from the frosting and ropes, but it wouldn't budge. Just then, one of the greatest Wonderbolts in all of history came into the salon. "Hey, Dash," he said. Rainbow's face flushed the deepest shade of red she'd ever thought possible. "Soarin! What are you doing here?" "I heard you screaming a while ago. Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. The Wonderbolts sorta held me hostage for training." Rainbow had forgotten about Soarin's impeccable hearing. It was almost as though HE had powers. His other powers were his amazing personality, and good looks. "Dash?" Soarin asked. "Huh?" "I said, 'are you okay?' Or did you have a fight with a dozen tubes of frosting?" Soarin gave her that wicked gorgeous grin of his. Rainbow blushed again, then answered, "No. We were trying something, but it's almost impossible. Twilight tried to give me powers, but they have to come on their own." "Oh. Well, is the test over, 'cuz I could use a mountain hike right about now." "Yeah, we're done...Would you mind untying me?" "Sure." He did, and together, they flew out the window.
The Interruption"SPITFIRE!" Soarin shouted angrily. He dove under the surface and brought Rainbow up. She gasped, coughed, and clung to him. "Dash, are you okay?", he demanded. Spitfire noticed how they were hugging, and how he was comforting her. "Sorry, did I interrupt your DATE?", she taunted. "You know, since this IS a romantic scenery." Rainbow started to break away from Soarin, but he held on. "What do you want, Spitfire?", Soarin growled. "Geez, why are you so stressed, Soarin?" This time, the voice came from a palm tree. She flew down, and they could see that it was another member from the Wonderbolts: Misty Fly. "What, do you think you guys are prey and we're gonna go after Dash?" Soarin stared her down. Then, Spitfire spoke up, this time, to Rainbow. "Actually, we have some of your Ponyville friends coming here. They asked if you were with us and we said we'd help them look for you." "Uh-oh," Rainbow mumbled. Then, as she predicted, Pinkie Pie jumped across the lake and effortlessly broke the bond between Rainbow and Soarin. "Dashy! We were so worried!"
Ms. Pie"Dashy, I am very disapointed in you," Pinkie said. She had just got dressed up in a teacher's outfit, and was holding a yard stick in one hoof, and slapping it against the other one. She paced around Twilight's library. "Now," she continued. " I made some pictures here on a slideshow. Tell me, what do you see?" Rainbow looked at the first slide. "I see me flying." "Good. That represents who you are and what you do. Now what do you see?" "I see me with super powers." "Very good. And what does that represent?" "The me that we want me to be?" "NO! It is the you that you are GOING to be!" Pinkie Pie gathered herself again. "Now what do you see?" Rainbow blushed at the drawing. "I see me and Soarin." "And what are you two doing in this drawing?" She blushed harder. "Kissing." "Exactly. This is a very good example of what you should NOT be doing. Soarin is a distraction. He is a myth. He is a hot myth, but he is still a myth." "Pinkie, are you done?" Rainbow became bored. "Almost. Now, I have a few more slides that--" Then, just at the nick-of-time, Mrs. Cake burst into the library. "Pinkie Pie! We have a situation! The cupcakes have been stolen!" Pinkie Pie gasped as loud and as long as she could. "Class dismissed!" She flew out the door. "Wow. It is not hard to get her distracted," Rainbow said. "I know, and that's exactly why I made it up," Mrs. Cake said. "You did?" "Yep." Mrs. Cake smiled. "Thought you could use a break from Ms. Pie. "Thanks, Mrs. Cake." Rainbow yawned. "Well, I think I'll hit the sack for the night." "Goodnight, Rainbow Dash." "Goodnight, Mrs. Cake." Rainbow flew out the window of the library and into her house in the clouds.
The Surprise VisitorRainbow Dash felt her bed softly shake. "Huh?", she mumbled. Then, a pair of forelegs wrapped around her upper body. "AAAAAAHHH!", she screamed. She grabbed a foreleg, and with all of her strength, she hurled the pony across the room. She then heard a faint "Oh geez, that hurt". She flipped a light on. "Soarin?!" He rolled over and looked up at her. "Hey, Dash." She began to help him get up, but he pulled her on the ground next to him, and hugged her. "What are you doing here?", she demanded. "It's the middle of the night!" "Actually, it's 3:00 in the morning." "Soarin!" "Okay, okay. I wanted to see you." Rainbow Dash's cheeks colored, and she hoped he couldn't see it. "I also wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened yesterday," Soarin added. "It was totally my fault." She apprectiated his apolgy. "It's fine. I had fun." He grinned sweetly at her. "Me too. Do you think we can go again?" "Sure. When?" He smiled mischieviously at her. "How 'bout now?" "Soarin! It's 3:00 a.m.!" "And we still haven't seen the mountains at night. What do you say?" "I say you're crazy." Rainbow got up, and started walking over to her bed. "What, are you jealous?" She stopped and turned her head, but not all the way to him. "Excuse me?" He gave another gorgeous grin. "You obviously don't think you can fly as fast as me. That might be true, that might not. But I guess now we'll never know." She turned to face him again. "Is that a challenge?" He shrugged. She smiled. "I accept." Once again, a gorgeous grin. "I'll give you a head start. Ten seconds." "Five seconds." "Deal." They raced into the night.
Captured"I let you win." "You did not!" Rainbow partially believed that he did, but that didn't mean she had to say so. "You callin' me a liar?", he joked. "Maybe." Rainbow smiled. "Come here!" He tackled her, and they tumbled down the hill. When they got to a stop, Soarin was on top of her, and they gazed into each other's eyes. Their faces got closer and closer...But then, they heard a noise. "What was that?", Rainbow asked. Soarin glared at the trees. "Spitfire! It's not gonna work this time! ...I'll go take care of her." He got up and flew to the trees. Rainbow shivered from the cold. Then, she heard a loud cry. "Soarin!", Rainbow screamed. She flew to where she heard the cry, but no one was there. Soarin had been captured. "It's okay, Rainbow! Calm down! We'll find him!", Twilight assured her. "Now stop flying back and forth before you give us a headache!" "I like headaches. Sometimes they're fun!" Pinkie said as she hopped around under Rainbow Dash's nonstop flying. "Maybe we should ask the woodland creatures if they've seen him," Fluttershy suggested. "Good idea, darling," Rarity said. Fluttershy smiled shyly. "Are you kidding me?!", Applejack shouted. "That's the worst idea I ever heard!" Fluttershy began to cry. Rarity comforted her and said, "Applejack! Who do you think you are?! That was a stupendous idea!" Applejack rolled her eyes. "If you want even a GOOD idea," (This made Fluttershy cry even harder.) "then just have me HERD the animals there!" "What good would that do?" Rarity demanded. "I don't know! It's what I do!" Applejack ungracefully plumped herself on the ground and crossed her forelegs over her chest. Rarity rolled her eyes. "Do YOU have any ideas, Dashy? You've been awfully quiet." The ponies then noticed that Rainbow and Pinkie were sitting on the high window of the library. Applejack knew that taunting usually got to her, so she said, "She's in loooove with Soar-in." When Rainbow still didn't say anything, she sang, "Rainbow and Soar-in, sittin' in a tree. K-I--" Before she could finish, Rarity used a spell to pick her up and throw her outside the door. "Rainbow? Are you okay?", Fluttershy flew up to the window, followed by Twilight. Rarity used a spell to teleport herself up. "It's okay, Dashy. There's always Misty and Spitfire," Pinkie told her. Rainbow looked up. "That's it! The other Wonderbolts! They probably know something! Come on, let's go!" They all started to fly away, then looked at Rarity and Pinkie. "It's alright, girls." Rarity didn't seem offended or out-of-place, in the state that she didn't have wings. "We'll look at the place that he was ponynapped. Where was it, Dashy?" "Half Peak." "Good. We'll go there now." "Wait!", Pinkie cried out. "Shouldn't we bring Fluttershy to translate the animals?" "Excellent idea, Darling." Rarity smiled. "Yes, I'll go with Pinkie Pie and Rarity," Fluttershy agreed. "Great! Good luck, girls!", Rainbow Dash called. They set off to their missions.
The City in the Clouds"Wow! This place is even more magical then I thought!", Twilight exclaimed. "What do you mean? You've been up here before," Rainbow reminded her. But Rainbow had to admit, even though she'd lived up here her whole life, the view of Cloudsdale, also known as the 'City in the Clouds', took her breath away every time. "Yeah, but not as a pegasus!", Twilight said. "It's so cool!" They landed on the cloud streets, where workers were busily hustling to make snowflakes for the winter, or new rainbows for the upcoming rainy days. "Okay, the Wonderbolts live in here," Rainbow said as she pushed open a door to a mansion. "Or, I guess, I live in here." "You haven't gotten used to calling yourself a Wonderbolt yet, have you?" "Not exactly." They walked down the hallway in silence, until two pegasi dressed head-to-hoof in Wonderbolt merchandise bumped into them. They gasped. "You're Rainbow Dash!", the first one exclaimed. "I am your biggest fan in the world!" "Me too!", the second one said. "How did you get in here?", Rainbow aked them. "We snuck in through the back air vent," Pony #2 replied. Pony #1 nudged her. "Oh!", Pony #2 corrected herself. "I mean, your servant let us in." "We don't have servants." "Oh, well, then--" "Fillies, if Rainbow gives you an autograph, would you be so kind as to leave?", Twilight suggested. They gasped again, then bowed. "Your majesty! So sorry to disturb you!" Pony #1 apologized. Rainbow Dash signed a page on their notebooks. "It's just that," Pony #1 continued, "We saw that the Wonderbolts were competing in Canterlot, so we thought that we might be able to check out their mansion." "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rainbow said. "Competing in Canterlot? Who told you this?" "It was on Spitfire's blog," Pony #2 said simply. "Okay, pegasi, thank you, but we've really got to get busy doing...Wonderbolt stuff," Twilight said, pushing them out the door. "Bye, Rainbow Dash! Bye, Princess Twilight!"
The Helpful Squirrel"Ew, sticky! Ew, slimy! AAH! IT'S MOVING!" Rarity jumped into Fluttershy's forelegs. "Rarity, I think things are usually like that in nature," Fluttershy gently informed her. Pinkie Pie bounced past them. "Yeah, Rarity. They can't hurt you. See?" She poked a rose stem. "OW!" Rarity got down. "I rest my case." "So, Fluttershy, did you ask any animals where Soarin is?" "I was just about to, Pinkie," Fluttershy happily replied. She walked over to a squirrel, who was gathering acorns. "Excuse me, but have you seen a tall, strong, good-looking pegasus anywhere around here?" The squirrel looked sad. It chirped at Fluttershy, and she said, "Yes! He IS light blue with dark blue mane and a winged lightning bolt cutie mark! Can you tell us which way he went?"
Information"WHAT?!", Pinkie and Rarity screamed at the same time. "Who would DO such a thing?!", Rarity demanded. The squirrel chirped to Fluttershy again. She then said, "What?! No! They would never do that!" "Who?", Pinkie asked. "Well, he said that it was...the other Wonderbolts." Pinkie Pie did one of her long, signature gasps while Rarity said, "There has to be some mistake! Sure, they're rough with each other sometimes, but that's just obnoxious, good-natured rough housing." He chirped. "Well. Yes, one of them IS yellow with orange mane and a lightning bolt cutie mark that's on fire, but--" More chirping. "Yes, the other one IS yellow with light blue mane and a lightning bolt cutie mark, but--" "Fluttershy, he just described the three main Wonderbolts. It's them," Rarity told her. Pinkie Pie hopped up the trail. "But why would they do that?", Fluttershy wondered. "Hmm," Rarity pondered. "I'm not sure. But I plan on finding out. That gorgeous hunk of a pegasus is NOT getting away!" "Guys?" Pinkie said. She was at the very top of the trail. The unicorn and pegasus walked up next to her. Their mouths dropped. "Check out this view!", Pinkie exclaimed. Rarity got a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. "Wow, it would be incredible to be up here with Soarin, gazing out to the mountains, his foreleg wrapped around my shoul--" "Rarity?", Fluttershy asked. "Hmm?" She noticed Pinkie and Fluttershy staring at her as if she'd lost it. Then Pinkie happily bounced down the trail. "Oh," Rarity reddened. "Sorry...Besides, he and Dashy are a couple now." "I don't remember her saying that. Or him saying that," Fluttershy commented. "Well, it's pretty obvious. They're ALWAYS together...That is, except for right now, of course." "I hope we'll find him soon." Fluttershy saw the squirrel again. "Oh, excuse me, Mr. Squirrel? Do you know which way they went after Spitfire and Misty Fly. Um." The squirrel shook his head, then chirped. "Oh. Well, thank you for your help." The squirrel hopped away. "What did he say?", asked Rarity. "He said he went to see another pegasus who was calling for Soarin. He said she had rainbow-colored mane with a sonic rainboom cutie mark." That brought a tear to Rarity's eye. "Dashy." "Yes. And by the time he got back, they were all gone." "Well, then I guess we'll have to find them ourselves."
The Wonderbolt Weapons Vault"This is the room that we only use for emergencies, so don't get any ideas for future competitions or charities," the pegasus ordered. "I won't," Rainbow Dash promised. The pegasus typed in a long code that opened the door to amazement. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle gasped. It had every gadget the Wonderbolts had used on their missions, and more. It had everything from grappling hooks to invisibility pills. "Wow," Rainbow said in awe. "The Wonderbolt Weapons Vault!" "Thank you so much, sir," Twilight said. "I think we've got it from here." She smiled at him. "I'm sure of it," he said. "But I do have a few suggestions as of what to bring."
The Illusion River"Guys! I think I found something!" "What is it, Pinkie Pie?", Rarity asked as she walked down the rest of the trail. "Look! There are hoofprints leading down there!", Pinkie Pie excitedly exclaimed. "That's wonderful, Pinkie! Great job!", Rarity congradulated her. "Um, filles? I don't think you're going to like where these hoofprints lead to." They followed Fluttershy's voice. "They lead into the river?!", Pinkie asked. "Well who in the world would live in the river?! It's so shallow! If I lived in a river, I would want it to be super deep, but I wouldn't want--" As Pinkie Pie talked a mile a minute, Fluttershy said, "Wait a minute! I've been to this river before! I use it when I have very large sea creatures who are lost, or who need protection. It's an Illusion River! It looks like it's about five feet deep, but really, it's HUNDREDS of feet deep! You just have to swim to the bottom, and believe that the bottom isn't there. Then, you'll swim right through it!" "Fascinating," Rarity whispered, looking into the river. "And it would be the perfect place for a lair!" "Exactly. But how are we going to get down there? We can't hold our breath for a hundred feet." Rarity thought about that. "Maybe not, but I know something that might help us."
The Different Dimension"You sure about this, Twilight?" "Positive. And these wet suits and oxygen tanks will protect us too. Just remember, Rainbow, there isn't a bottom to the river." "Got it." Rainbow sucked in her breath, then let it out. "Let's do this." They put on their masks and looked at the river. "On the count of three," Twilight suggested. "One!" "Two!" "Three!" They dove into the water, and for a second, Rainbow had the slightest doubt that they couldn't go through the bottom of the river, but she pushed it aside. They swam right through the bottom, and it was as if they'd entered a different dimension, which, in a way, they had. "Wow," Rainbow whispered as they swam deeper and deeper. They passed the most magnificent sea creatures: octopi, sea turtles, angelfish, you name it. "I know," Twilight said. Rainbow Dash giggled. "Well, at least we know the com set works." Twilight returned the gesture. "Yep. Now, where do you think they're keeping Soarin?" Rainbow flinched at his name, but she quickly regained herself. She looked at the bottom of the ocean, then saw a small castle made of sand, clay, and rocks. She knew it looked small because it was so far away. "Down there!" "Good eye, Rainbow! Let's go!" As they got nearer to the castle, it grew larger and larger, as Rainbow had predicted. "How do we get in?", she inquired. "We should probably try somewhere in the back of the castle," Twilight answered. "Good idea." As they swam around the lair, they noticed that all of the Wonderbolts were there, guarding it. "Oh, no!", Twilight said. "NOW how are we supposed to get in?" Rainbow slowly looked over at her, a smile appearing just as slowly and mischievously. "What?"
Bad NewsRainbow Dash woke up in Soarin's lap, and he was crying and hugging her. She moved, and opened her eyes. "Dash! Oh, Thank goodness you're okay!", he cried. He clung to her as if she was a life preserver in an ocean. Then, after a while, he let go, and looked at her. "How's your head?" He felt her head. "It hurts a little bit, but not that much. I've been through worse." She gave him a small smile. "I'll kill her." Soarin gritted his teeth. Rainbow nudged him behind his ear with her nose: the one place she knew always calmed him down. "Don't say that." "She deserves it." She heard a groan from the other end of the cell. "Twilight!" Rainbow tried to get up to see if she was alright, but she became lightheaded and fell back into Soarin's strong forelegs. "Rainbow?", she said. "Twilight! Are you okay?! What happened?!", Rainbow cried. Twilight looked as though she was burned. "Spitfire. Spitfire burned me." She crawled over to them. "What?" "It's true, Dash. She can firebend," Soarin said. "She used it on me too." Rainbow then noticed he was burned on his right foreleg. "That's awful. How can she do it?" "She drank some of my potion. It was gone when I woke up this morning," Twilight said. "She's not the only one with powers. Misty can airbend." "No," Rainbow whispered.
The Truth"It's true, Dash." The cold, ugly, and unfortunately familiar voice came from the other side of the prison bars. Soarin gently put Rainbow down, but then charged at the bars, and kicked out at Spitfire's face so hard that she fell backward. Misty helped her up. "You'll pay for that, Soarin!", she shouted. "Spitfire, why would you do this?", Rainbow asked. "Oh, my dear, sweet, sweet, Dash," Spitfire smiled. It disgusted Rainbow. "I guess I've been a little secretive from you. Let me explain myself. As you've probably found out, we stole Twilight's magic potion, and our powers showed up fast. I have the power of fire, and Misty has the power of air. But, you see, we did a little research on this magic potion. And it said that there is always one pony. One pony that doesn't need the potion. One pony that, if she drinks the potion, her powers won't appear for a few hours, but then they will suddenly show up, rapidly. They will stay with her for the rest of her life." Everypony looked at Rainbow. "I have natural powers?", Rainbow slowly asked. "Yes, Rainbow. It said in one book, 'There is one pony every five hundred years, who recieves super powers. She will accomplish everything that is good'. And I thought to myself, Dash has everything. She's romantic, she's kind, she's energetic, she's athletic, she's everything. She must be the one." She paused. "Then, I thought, 'wait! I need bait! She's not just gonna LET me capture her. I'll get the one thing she cares most about: Soarin.'" They looked at him. "What are you saying you're gonna do?", he asked. "Excellent question," Spitfire said. "But first, I must ask Dash a question." Rainbow brought herself to look at her, but she couldn't hold back her glare. "Rainbow, would you be willing to give me your powers?", Spitfire asked her politely. Rainbow gave her a dry, unhappy laugh, which made Spitfire frown, and growl. "Very well. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
The Hidden PowersAll of Rainbow's instincts came alive at once. Her eyes glowed, and she felt so much power and anger boil up to the surface. She broke free from the chains, and super-sped at Spitfire. She airbended her against the wall, and then firebended a storm at her. She took the rocks from outside, in the ocean, letting a flood come in, and used them to hold Spitfire in place. She then gathered all of the ocean's water, and bended it at Spitfire, nearly drowning her. She then firebended at Twilight's chains. "Go," Rainbow said to Twilight. Rainbow used telekinesis to pick Soarin up, and put him in Twilight's forelegs. She waterbended the water away from the nearest exit to Twilight. Twilight flew out of the lair at maximum speed. Spitfire and Misty Fly were almost dead, this, Rainbow Dash knew, but she didn't stop yet. She held them both by pressing their foreheads against a wall, and took away their powers. She then activated a forcefield, and flew out of the collapsing lair. Rainbow passed by Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity on her way to the surface, but she paid no attention to them. They were even in a submarine. "Did we miss the party?", Pinkie asked. "Forget that!", Rarity shouted. "GO!" Rarity steered the submarine away from the lair, and just in time. Rainbow Dash shot a bolt of lightning at the lair.
The Other Hidden AbilityRainbow softly landed on the ground, and her eyes returned to normal. Twilight helped her stand back up. "What happened?", Rainbow mumbled. "You don't remember?" Rainbow looked back at the river. "I think I just demolished the Wonderbolts. And I took away two of their members' powers." Twilight giggled. "Actually, they're all safe. Even Misty and Spitfire, somehow." "WHAT?! Where are they? That's it! I feel another explosion comin'!" Rainbow snorted and pawed at the ground. Twilight's smile faded when she remembered something. "I think you'll have to hold that thought, Rainbow." She angled Rainbow to look at something on the ground, motionless. "Soarin!" Rainbow screamed. She flew over to him, then cried. She longed for him to pick up his head, then say a funny remark about how beautiful she is, or that he would never leave her. But that didn't come. The color didn't return to his face, so Rainbow pressed her cheek to his, and softly cried into it. Soarin. "I'm so sorry, Rainbow," Twilight said. A tear fell onto Soarin's cheek, and Rainbow wiped it away. And then the strangest thing happened: her hoof, the tear, and Soarin's face, glowed. It glowed a brilliant sky blue color, and she gasped and pulled her hoof back. But Soarin continued to glow. It spread throughout his whole body, stopping on his wounds, and then continuing to flow. Rainbow touched his face, and he reached up, pulled her face a centimeter from his, and said, "Did you really think I would leave you after a few scratches?" And then he kissed her, really kissed her. Rainbow dug deeper into the kiss by opening her mouth, and Soarin did the same. Then, it finally broke, after they both had enough. "You're alive...And I love you, Soarin." "Eh, I'm OKAY," Soarin said, then gave her a gorgeous grin she knew and loved. She smiled, then gave him a hard, deep kiss. "You're amazing. I'll never let you go to anyone else." "You're amazing too, Dash. I love you so much, my heart ached every time I saw you. I've always wanted to kiss you, tell you how I feel about you. But I didn't know how, or if you felt the same way." "I've always loved you too. I was just too shy to admit it." "You? Shy? When have YOU been shy?", he smiled. She playfully punched his arm, and he did the same to her. "Uh, guys?" Twilight sounded worried. They turned toward her and saw Spitfire getting up, looking almost worse than Soarin did. Rainbow immediately pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!", Rainbow said between her gritted teeth. "Dash, I'm so sorry! It'll never happen again, I promise! I'm so sorry! You should be the one with the powers!" "You're lying! I can feel you shaking!" "That's fear, Dash! I'm telling the truth!" She looked petrified, which was part of the reason Rainbow let go of her. Spitfire picked Misty up, and flew away. Rainbow heard faint sounds of talking and gasping. They all walked over to it. "Guys?", Rainbow asked. "What are you doing here?" "I'm never going submarining again!", Rarity said. "I thought it was cool!" Pinkie bounced up and down. "And Dashy, it was so intense when you shot the lightning at the castle, and it went BOOM! And it went BOOM so loud and hard, that it hit our submarine too! Well, the lightning didn't hit it. We hit a rock 'cause we were WATCHING the pretty lightning." "Wow. Sorry, guys," Rainbow said. "It's okay!", Pinkie exclaimed. "It was fun! Let's do it again!"
The Next Day"That's so cool!" Rainbow's friends had all been watching her perform all of her powers. She landed, after she had finished waterbending. "Thanks, Pinkie." "It looks as if you've mastered you powers already!", Twilight exclaimed. "Thanks, but I think I'm pretty far from that. I'm still a little shaky." "Rainbow!" Rainbow turned around to see a Wonderbolt member that hadn't techically betrayed her. "High Winds!", Rainbow welcomed her. "Are you alright? Did you survive my, uh, explosion?" "Yes, I did. Fortunetly, Spitfire had me running errands so I wasn't even in the lair! I just saw and heard it from far away. When I got there, everyone was gone, and when I swam to the ocean, the lair was ruined. I knew better than to ask Spitfire and Misty Fly what happened, so I asked Silver Lining, and he told me everything." "Oh...Hey, High Winds?" "Yes?" "At the castle, I promised that, if we survived, I'd pay you back." "Yes?" "So, I guess I should pay you back. You were so kind to me when I really needed it." Rainbow smiled. High Winds blushed, and returned the smile. "It was nothing, Rainbow." "But it was. I feel like I NEED to pay you back." "Thank you, Rainbow. But if you REALLY want to pay me back, promise me one more thing." "What is it?" "Take. Down. Spitfire. Promise me, Rainbow." "I promise." Her smile returned. "Thank you...Well, I'd better get going. Bye, guys." She flew away. Rainbow reflected on her words, then noticed everypony staring at her. "Okay, back to work" "Well, it's only been a day," Soarin reminded her. He was relaxing in the sun with a glass of lemonade. "And," he set the glass down, "I believe we have some unfinished business." He out his foreleg around Rainbow's shoulders, and she shyly looked at the ground. "Ooh-ooh!", all of her friends, except Pinkie, cooed. Instead, Pinkie said, "Unfinished business? I'll get my briefcase!" She zoomed away. Rarity cleared her throat. "Well, then, I guess I do have to do that, uh, thing. With the...Right, girls?" They quickly caught on. "Oh, yes! That! Let's go," Twilight said. "Have fun you two!" They left giggling. "Well," Rainbow said, "What are we waiting for?" "I, for one, was waiting for you to say that." (A gorgeous grin.) Soarin picked her up, and she laughed. He flew her to their mountain.
The Underwater Hidden AbilitySoarin and Rainbow watched the sun set over the tops of the hills. "Soarin?" "Yes, Dash?" "I have to ask you something." "Anything you want, the answer is yes." She smiled. "Thanks, Soarin, but that's not it...I wanted to ask you...Well, what would you have done if you were in my position? If you had to choose between my life, or the world?" She looked down. "Sorry, that was stupid." "No, it's fine. Honestly, I probably would've died from all the pressure." His smile faded. "Saving the world and all the princesses is what I told you to do, but really, I wouldn't have been able to let you die. I would sacrifice myself, and the world, to save you, Dash." They looked deeply into each other's eyes, then kissed just as deep. "I love you, Soarin." She looked into his eyes again. "I love you, Dash." He smiled. "You know, we still have the unfinished business." "This isn't it?" "Nope." He shoved her off the cliff, and she free-fell, screaming. This time, when he caught her, she was on her back, lying on his stomach. "You've got to stop doing that!", she accused, then grinned. He gracefully dipped onto the surface of the water, floating, once again, like a boat. "You know, I'm starting to like the water now," Rainbow said. "Yeah? How come?" She closed her eyes, and rested her head on his powerful chest. "Because I'm with you. I know I'll be safe wherever I go, as long as I'm with you." He grinned. "So you trust me?" "Yes." "Okay. Then hold your breath." He dove into the water, holding tight to Rainbow. They went through the sand and clay, seeing the amazing, breathtaking ocean. A fish like nothing Rainbow had ever seen swam past her. She, without thinking, gasped, and didn't choke on the water. It was as if she was breathing air. Soarin! Yes, Dash? He looked at her. I can breathe underwater! What?! He too, accidentally drew in a breath. Oh, my gosh! I can too! Then she remembered. Twilight said that, if a pony is powerful enough, she'll give her true love powers too! She said that, if the bond between them continues, they'll have powers forever! That's amazing!...So, I'm your true love? She hugged him. Yes. Rainbow melted when they gave each other another magical kiss. Soarin held her with his strong forelegs, and swam her through the ocean. Rainbow noticed how dozens, then hundreds, of sea creatures were following them, as if they were the king and queen. Soarin rubbed his nose all over Rainbow's head, under her chin, and on her neck. When she tried to push him away to tell him to stop, he held tighter, and continued doing it. That's when she knew: he was claiming her, in front of the entire ocean, in front of all the sea creatures. Letting them know that she is his, and always will be.
Powers"There. All better, Brownie." Fluttershy carefully tended the beaver's injured paw. "But no building dams for two months." Brownie chirped in understanding. "Good. Now, I'll just--" Fluttershy was immediately interupted by a rainbow-colored blur that crashed in through a window in the cottage. It knocked over more than half of the bookshelf, a bird cage, and a lamp. Then, it tried to get up, and Fluttershy could just make out a sonic rainboom cutie mark. "Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cried in alarm. "You have to be more careful! Are you hurt?" Rainbow picked up her head from a large pile of books. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, Fluttershy. We were just practicing." "We?" Then, Princess Twilight entered the cabin. "Goodness! Is everything all right in here?" Fluttershy immediatley bowed before the alicorn. "Oh, your highness! Did we disturb you?!" The princess giggled. "No, Fluttershy. And I told you, call me Twilight!" Fluttershy got back to all four hooves. "Sorry...What were you two practicing, anyway?" Rainbow started to put the books back on the shelf. "I was trying to do a sonic rainboom so I can get my powers." "Powers?" Fluttershy asked. "No pony has EVER got powers before, other then the spells you do, Twilight." "Well, Rainbow Dash is gonna be the first, then," Twilight declared. "Twilight put a spell on me, so I'll get powers," said Rainbow. Fluttershy looked at the alicorn. Twilight said, "Well, it IS a little more complicated than that, but that's pretty much right. It's a spell I just discovered. It can, in occasion, give a pony powers. It's mainly to help the Wonderbolts with their training and missions." "That's very clever," Fluttershy said thoughtfully. "Yeah, but it's pretty hard to do a sonic rainboom. Isn't there anything else we can try that will make my powers appear, Twilight?" Rainbow asked. "Well, we could try training in a couple other ways. But they're very tiresome," Twilight added. "Let's do it!" Rainbow charged out the door.
Training"Okay, Rainbow. Let's see what you got!" Twilight challenged. Rainbow Dash and Twilight had been training all day, but Rainbow wasn't ready to give up. Twilight made a spell that made daggers appear out of thin air, and at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow flew up, dodging every one. She kicked out at one that just barely gave her a cut on her back left leg. She did the same to one more, but she missed the one that was flying at her head. The handle hit her head, and she fell. "Rainbow!" Twilight cried. Rainbow lifted her head. "Did I win?" Twilight sighed. "No, but your instincts were good...relatively speaking." Rainbow got up. "Let's keep training. What else is on the list?" Twilight thought for a second. "Well, there IS the water training. But you're a pegasus. It could be dangerous in the water. You're meant to be in the sky." Rainbow let her think about it. "Ooh, I know what we can do!" Twilight said. "A patience test!" Rainbow groaned. "Twilight, I'm an athlete! I don't have TIME for patience!" "Do you want powers or not?" "...Where should we go?" Twilight smiled. "Follow me."
The SalonTwilight and Rainbow Dash entered a salon. "Girls! Come in, come in!" "Hi, Rarity!" Twilight said politely. "What brings you two here on this wonderful day?" Rarity inquired. "Yeah! What DOES bring you here?" Pinky Pie said, popping down from the ceiling. She gasped. "Are you two spies?! Hyah!" She pinned Rainbow Dash to the ground, and bended one of her legs back. Twilight magically picked Pinkie up with a spell from her horn. "Pinkie! We're not spies! We came here to train." "Train? For what? To be SPIES?!" Pinkie yelled. She pawed at the ground once. "Rarity, you call the cops. I'll get the rope and frosting." And with that, Pinkie Pie galloped up the stairs. "So sorry, Princess Twilight. Is there anything I can get you two?" Rarity opened her fridge. "No, that's fine. But there is something else we came here for," Twilight grinned. "Your favorite word." Rarity gasped. "Princess Twilight, I have been waiting my entire life for you to say that. I am HONORED! Now, is it for you or Dashy?" "Is what for her or Dashy?" Rainbow became suspicious. "It's for Dash," Twilight answered. "Actually, I could use one too." "Use WHAT?!" "Splended!" Rarity exclaimed. "What kind?" "What kind of WHAT?!" "The most glamorous thing you've got!" Twilight said happily. Rarity began to cry. "Princess, this is truely the happiest day of my life...AAAAAHHHH! This is so exciting! I'll get the supplies!" She cantered to the back room. "Twilight! If you don't tell me what's going on right now, I'll--" "Rainbow, this might be hard for you to hear, but you see...Well, I sort of--" "Hyah!" Pinkie Pie fell out of the ceiling (again) on top of Twilight, and tied her up with the rope she'd gotten from upstairs. "Pinkie!" Twilight said angrily. "Untie me!" "Not a chance!", Pinkie refused. "Fine." Twilight's horn glowed, and the ropes that held her appeared on Pinkie Pie. "Hey!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Now," Twilight said, "Rainbow, I have to tell you...You're getting a--" "Okay! I'm ready for the makeover!", Rarity sang. Twilight closed her eyes, ready for Rainbow's outburst. Rainbow's eyes were as big as bowling balls as she said, "M-m-m-makeover?!" "Now, Rainbow, it's okay. Remember what this is for. This might be the only way to get your powers," Twilight reminded her. Rainbow darted to the door. "Pinkie, now!", Twilight shouted. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Pinkie slipped out of the ropes and bolted Rainbow to the door. "Pinkie! Let go of me!" Rainbow struggled against Pinkie's grasp. "No! You will get this makeover that Rarity so graciously decided to give you and you are going to love it!", Pinkie yelled as she shook Rainbow like a bell. Rarity emerged from the shadows. "Dashy, it's time." Pinkie Pie started to lead Rainbow to the fitting room. "Noooo!" They entered the fitting room.
The Getaway"Wow. Check out that view." Rainbow lifted her head from Soarin's shoulder, then nudged him playfully. "C'mon. You must see this stuff all the time." Rainbow Dash had to admit, though: the view of the mountains was amazing. "Yeah, but it has more of a glow when you're here." Rainbow lowered her head, grinned, then raised it again. "You know, I've always wanted to go somewhere else. Somewhere away from the sky." "You mean like, the ocean?" "Well, maybe not the ocean, but somewhere else, you know?" "Like the ground?" "You know I don't--" Before she could finish her sentence, Soarin put her on his back and free-fell to the ground. Rainbow laughed and screamed. Then, Soarin slowed down slightly, and tossed Rainbow into the air. She screamed again, and then he caught her so she was sitting on his ribcage. She punched him roughly. "Don't do that!" "What? You don't have wings?" He gave her his gorgeous grin, and she returned her own grin to him. "Oh, c'mon. I wouldn't have let you fall." She flushed. "I know. I trust you." She rested her head on her hooves, while her elbows rested on Soarin's strong chest. Soarin carefully landed in a clear river, using his wings to paddle them. "Was this your idea of 'not being in the sky'?", Soarin asked. "I like the idea of floating, just not of swimming." "There's nothing to it, you know. Just hold your breath and paddle," he informed her. Then, something charged into Rainbow Dash, knocking her off of Soarin, and into the water.
CaughtSoarin flew out of the water as Pinkie Pie and her friends gave Rainbow Dash a pep talk. "What were you THINKING?!", Pinkie screamed at Rainbow, even though she was right in front of her. "You're supposed to be very relaxed and calm so you can get your super powers!" She shook her silly. "Pinkie!" Twilight pulled her off of Rainbow Dash with her horn. "You're not helping her relax!" "Super powers?", Spitfire asked. "I say we teach her a lesson! Throw her back in the river! Here, I'll help." Applejack tried to pick Rainbow up, but she flew up. "No!", Rainbow said. "Guys, I'm sorry, but--" Pinkie cut in. "Do you want your powers or not?!" Soarin stepped in between her and Rainbow Dash. "Guys, stop. This is my fault. I untied Dash and I brought her here. She didn't do anything." Rainbow Dash loved the way he defended her. Twilight stepped forward. "Maybe not, but she still went along with it. Come on, Rainbow. We're going home." Rainbow hung her head and followed Twilight. Just as Soarin was about to say something else, Spitfire said, "Soarin, you should be getting home too." She and Misty Fly flew away, but Soarin lingered there.
The Candor Pegasus"This is bad. This is really, really bad!" Rainbow Dash started to fly-pace back and forth again. "Why would Spitfire say they're in Canterlot?", Twilight asked. "Pst!" "What?!" Rainbow demanded, looking at Twilight. "What?", Twilight asked. "PPPSSSTT!" They both turned to somepony hiding in the shadows. "Over here!" They followed him. "Rainbow Dash, I saw Spitfire and Misty Fly go out last night," the pegasus said. "And I know I wasn't supposed to, but I followed them. They went into the woods, and ponynapped Soarin. It was awful. He was covered in dirt, grass, and blood." Twilight gasped while Rainbow stiffened. "He was unconscious when they took him," he continued. "I knew I couldn't fight them on my own, so I followed them again. They took him near a river, but I lost them before I saw where they went after that. I'm so sorry this has happened." "Did you tell anyone?", Twilight asked. He looked away. "No. I couldn't bring myself to, after seeing what just happened." Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder, and he brightened a bit. "It's okay. I understand. But we'll find him. I'm sure of it." The pegasus thought for a moment. "I think I have just the thing to help you."
The Plan in ActionThere was a loud knock on the door of the underwater lair, and Silver Lining went to open it, letting a little bit of ocean water drain in as well. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville. WHAT is the meaning of this castle at the bottom of the ocean?!" "Uh, I, um--" Wave Chill quickly came to Silver Lining's rescue. "Your highness, so good to see you. What brings you here on this lovely day?" All of the Wonderbolt's attentions were on them, so Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to sneak through the back window. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS CASTLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN?!" Wow, she is really good at being a stuck-up, spoiled princess, Rainbow thought. She crept through the hallways, throwing a pebble into a room or two if she thought a Wonderbolt would see her. Then, she heard somepony coming, so she flew as fast as she could around a corner. Unfortunately, she crashed right into another Wonderbolt member. "Rainbow Dash?!", she said. "Blaze?!", Rainbow said. They stared at each other in shock, while Blaze wondered if she should call for backup. Then, at the same time, they charged at each other. Rainbow pinned her to the floor, but Blaze kicked at her stomach, making her fly backward at a wall. She hit her head harder then she imagined possible, and she fainted. Twilight and the other Wonderbolts heard somepony stumble, then, a vase broke. "What was that?", High Winds asked. Twilight thought fast. "Um, excuse me?! I am the royal princess and I DEMAND--" But the pegasi ignored her, and flew to the sound. Twilight heard shouts of "Rainbow Dash!" and "What is she doing here?!". This was bad. She ran at them, and saw Rainbow Dash unconscious in a pegasus's forelegs. Twilight tried to fight them off one by one, but there were too many. She was losing her strength. Then, something horrible happened. Something she thought she'd never see in her life. The unthinkable happened. Spitfire threw a fireball at her with her bare hooves. Twilight, like Rainbow Dash, lied on the floor, unconscious.
The FightWhen Spitfire opened the cell door, they were ready. Rainbow was the first to react. She bolted out the door, only to be collided with Misty Fly. They wrestled, and Misty tried to use airbending to fight her. Soarin and Twilight tackled Spitfire. She easily kicked Twilight off of her, and while Soarin took a milli-second to debate whether or not he should help her, Spitfire used that moment to gather up all of her strength, and electricute him. Rainbow screamed, and was about to kill her, but she was, like Soarin, a milli-second too late. Misty Fly airbended a cell bar. It broke, and she picked it up, and whacked it at Rainbow's head as if she was the ball, and the bar was the bat. The last thing Rainbow saw was Spitfire, smiling evilly at her. Rainbow Dash woke with a horrible throbbing pain at the back of her head. She looked up, but her vision was blurry, and she could see that all of her hooves were bound to a wall, using a strong kind of metal. She tried to break free, but the cuffs wouldn't budge. Then, she looked across the small room, and saw Soarin, chained to a metal pole, unconcious. She then saw Twilight in the same form, only she was chained to a pole away from Soarin. Rainbow was blinded by a door that opened into the dim room, and she wasn't completely surprised to see High Winds, the kindest member of the Wonderbolts. She flipped on a light switch, lighting up the whole room. She was pushing a cart that held a buffet of delicious food. "High Winds," Rainbow greeted her. She didn't smile, however. She jumped. "Oh, Rainbow Dash! You startled me!" Rainbow kept looking at her. "So, are you alright? You don't look so good." Rainbow scowled at her. "Yeah, I guess being beat almost to death could affect my appearance." High Winds frowned, then looked as if she was about to cry. "Oh, Rainbow, I'm so sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen." "Then why did you help?!" "I HAD to! Spitfire said that, if I didn't, she would kill me. And my boyfriend." She looked down, then remembered why she was there. "I brought you something. Well, a lot of something, anyway." She walked an omlet over to Rainbow, who sniffed it. "Did Spitfire tell you to give that to me?" "Actually, no. She doesn't know I brought anything. She'll be back soon, though." She cut a piece off, then put it in Rainbow's mouth. She repeated this several times, until the omlet was gone. "Well, I'd better get going. Spitfire can't know I was here." "High Winds?" "Yes?" "Thanks." "For what?" "For your hospitality. If I make it through this, I'll pay you back. I promise." High Winds smiled, knowing that Rainbow Dash always kept her word. No matter what. "Thank you, Rainbow. I wish I could do more." And with that, she left the room.
Give Her the Powers, or Have Him DieA few minutes later, the door opened, and Rainbow was almost blinded once again. She wasn't surprised to see Spitfire and Misty. Spitfire noticed she was awake, and Rainbow noticed the others were too. "Well, you guys are finally up. I hope you slept well," Spitfire said. "Now, unto other business. Dash, I'm giving you one last chance to give me your powers. What do you say?" "I don't even know what they are. How would I give them to you?", Rainbow stalled. "I would simply extract your powers from you, but that would require you to help me do it." "Never." Spitfire looked slightly surprised to hear this, so she scowled and said, "Very well. We'll do it the hard way." She charged over to Soarin, and burned him with her fire hooves. He yelped. Rainbow screamed, "No! Don't! Stop, Spitfire, please!" Twilight cried, then tried to throw Spitfire into the ocean with her horn, but it didn't work. Her horn didn't even glow. "Rainbow! My horn! It's broken!" But Rainbow ignored her, and focused on Soarin. She used telepathy she discovered she can use a few days ago. Soarin!, she yelled to him with her mind. I'm here, Dash. Hang on! I'll get us through this! No! Don't give her your powers! Spitfire stopped firebending him, and looked between him and Dash. "You two are being awfully quiet. What are you doing?" But if I don't, you'll die. I'm willing to sacrifice that. Spitfire said that, once she gets your powers, she'll be the most invincible pony in the world. She's going to kill all of the princesses, including Twilight, to make herself the queen. "HEL-LO! I asked you a question!", Spitfire told Rainbow. "Oh. Sorry, Spitfire. I just feel a little lightheaded," she faked. "Well, you better get used to it. 'Cause I'm not done. You surrender or he dies!" She continued to lash out at Soarin, and Rainbow and Twilight continued to try to get free. Dash? Soarin! I'm right here! Don't leave me! I think I have to. I just wanted to ask you...Do you love me? Rainbow paused. Yes, Soarin. I love you with all my heart. He gave her a small smile. I love you too, Dash. He looked so tired, and it made Rainbow Dash so angry. Soon enough, the color in his cheeks faded, and he relaxed.
