Author's Note

The author would like to take a moment to remind you that this story is tagged 'Mature' and 'Sex' for a reason, and if anyone would like to avoid those parts, they are tagged with a line of asterisks at the start and the end of the scenes in question.

Chapter 2: Wonderbolt Wrap Up

“And that should cover everything you need to know about pegasi and unicorns. Remember to review pages twenty-eight through forty-six of the kamare-sutra and have your report done by tomorrow.”

“Yes princess,” mumbled Twilight, her eyes glazed over and focused on her notes, an almost permanent blush staining her cheeks.

“Do you have sufficient instruments for the facilitation of pleasure between two mares?”

Twilight blinked. “You mean...sex toys?”

“Exactly!” The booming voice caused Twilight to squeak and nearly fall out of her chair. “No doubt your harem will be comprised of several mares and while your hooves and tongue are excellent conveyers of pleasure some only find true bliss with a nice stallion strap-”

“Luna! Inside voice!” Twilight had long ago put up a bubble of silence around the library, but she wasn't eager to test her magic against the absurd power of Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice.

Pulling out a scroll and a quill, Luna began to scribble furiously. “I shall send a missive to Celestia at once. A harem owner must be able to fulfill the needs of every potential fetish after all. Do you prefer Good Dragon or Stallion La-Natural? Oh no bother, we can provide both.”

Twilight groaned and placed both hooves on her head as Luna began listing off all manner and brands of 'pleasure enhancers' until Twilight felt like teleporting to the other side of the world.

“Of course, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, there's always this little spell,” provided Luna, levitating a book in front of Twilight's face. Peeking out from between her hooves, the alicorn's eyes widened as the provided spell was burned into her analytical mind.

“That can't be real,” she said finally. Even so, there was no way she was going to be able to forget it now. “Where did you get that? I know it wasn't from here!”

“Oh this is from my sister's personal collection,” said the lunar mare with a wink. “She wasn't always the mentor type you know. Fifteen-hundred years ago she-”

Twilight's magic slammed the book shut. “I don't need to hear this! Look, Luna, I really appreciate how much trouble you're going to for my sake, but there's no way anypony is going to-”

Her voice stopped short as there was a sudden knock on the library door. Giving Luna an embarrassed look, the alicorn calmed herself and answered it. Standing there was a lavender coated pegasus with a jasmine colored mane. “Oh...hello Cloud Kicker, did you want to check out a book?”

“Actually I was passing by when I heard Princess Luna shouting something about building a harem. Can I help?”

Nonplussed, Twilight gently grabbed the door with her magic and quietly closed it again before whirling back towards Luna. “As I was saying, there's no way twenty ponies are just going to be alright with this!”

“Really? Have you asked your friends what they think? Because I've seen a few of their dreams and you'd be surprised at just how many-”

Twilight's magic snapped out, encasing the princess in a ball of silence before she could finish. “I am not hearing this!” she declared loudly, putting her hooves over her ears for good measure.

With an annoyed sigh, Luna let her magic free to pop the bubble. “Really Twilight, must you be so dramatic? Are you simply frightened of intimacy?”

“What? No!”

“Is there some embarrassing fetish you possess that makes it otherwise impossible for you to become aroused? You do have some rather risque dreams yourself after all.”

“Okay first, that's really creepy. Stop it. Second? No!”

“Then if you have twenty willing ponies and you are not afraid of intimacy, what are you frightened of?”

“I don't have twenty ponies I trust that much and I'm perfectly happy to keep my current relationships where they're at without intimacy getting in the way!”

To her surprise, Luna seemed to stop and consider that for a moment. “I believe I am seeing the problem. You are a pony who believes that intimacy should only be showed between two ponies with a special bond? Perhaps only with a single other?”

Relieved, Twilight nodded her head, thankful that she was finally getting through.

“And where did you develop that opinion from? I take it my dear sister impressed this knowledge upon you? As a young foal I would assume?”

Celestia's student didn't respond but her look said everything.

“Twilight, sex is as simple or as complicated as you wish it to be. How important it is will ultimately be up to you. While it certainly can be unhealthy if you're trying to use it as a substitute to fill a hole in your life, there is nothing wrong with enjoying sex and seeking pleasure.”

“Well what if I don't want that with twenty other ponies?” said the alicorn defiantly.

“Then sometimes a princess needs to put the good of the kingdom above her own desires.”

Twilight groaned and slumped back onto her flank. Luna was crazy, that's all there was to it. Maybe a thousand years on the moon had gone to her head after all.

“Now that we've gone over the theory, let's put your knowledge to a practical test,” said Luna, several lewd objects levitating in the air around her as she grinned at the purple alicorn.

The force of Twilight's sudden teleport scattered all her nearby papers and created a brief vacuum that air rushed to fill.

With a pop, Twilight materialized into existence a foot above the ground in a lightly wooded area. Gravity took effect soon after and with a yelp she fell to the ground on her head before righting herself.

“Ow...okay, no more long distance teleporting,” she said to herself, shaking out her wings. “Now where the heck am I?” Recalling the emotions she had been feeling at the time, Twilight remembered wanting to go somewhere safe, quiet, and peaceful. Taking a closer look at the lightly wooded area, Twilight put the pieces together in short order. “Fluttershy's place. Of course.”

Normally it wouldn't have been her first choice, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Luna had probably already told half of Ponyville about her 'harem' but if there was one pony guaranteed to stay far away from the chaos, it would be Fluttershy.

“I'll just stick around here for the rest of the day...or week, and let all this blow over,” she said to herself, though the thought of having to reschedule the rest of those days sent a chill down her spine.

Pushing the feeling down for now, Twilight made her way to Fluttershy's cottage, nodding to the few animals who were lazing in the sun after their morning meal. Raising a hoof the alicorn knocked smartly on the wood, her head turning to the spot in the curtains where she knew Fluttershy would be peaking out from. Giving her a wave, Twilight frowned as the door opened only a fraction of an inch. Something had turned the Fluttershy terror level to yellow.

“H-hello Twilight.” The timid voice was barely audible and the nervous energy was rolling off of her in waves.

“Morning Fluttershy. Sorry for dropping in unexpectedly. Things were getting a bit crazy around the library. Can I come in?”

“Oh! Um...no, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm coming down with a really bad...um...flu...” From the small view she got through the crack in the door, Twilight saw the pink maned pony raise a hoof to her mouth and give a cough so unconvincing that even Fluttershy had the decency to look ashamed of it. “Sorry!”

Twilight carefully considered her options as the door closed. Shouting would accomplish nothing even though it was the most cathartic choice. Barging in would likely upset the animals and probably make things worse. Fluttershy was definitely hiding something though, and Twilight was willing to bet good bits it had to do something with the current craziness.

Putting some magic into her voice to make sure Fluttershy could hear it no matter where she was hiding, Twilight turned towards the animals that were gathered around her house. “Well, I suppose that since I'm here, I could at least practice my flying animal routine.”

“Eeep!”

“What's that Mr. Beaver, you want to go higher? Well okay...”

“Eeep!”

“You five want to go too? Well I think I can handle all of you...”

“Eeep!”

“Faster? Sure thing! Try to hold onto your breakfast!”

The door slammed open. “Alright, I'll talk! Just put them down!”

Outside, she saw Twilight, horn not glowing as she stood in the midst of a small group of animals who all looked to be sniggering quietly. Even they enjoyed a good prank now and then.

Before Fluttershy could slam the door closed again, Twilight gently took hold of it with her magic and kept it open as she walked inside. “Alright Fluttershy, what's going on?” asked the princess.

“N-nothing!” Twilight gave her a look before slowly walking around the house, watching Fluttershy's reactions from the corner of her eye, using the increased signs of her nervous energy to determine if something was hidden in the house. By the time her search took her to the couch, the mare was practically sweating.

Lifting up the cushion, Twilight found the hastily hidden letter Fluttershy had received from Princess Celestia. “Nothing is it?” Despite a muffled squeak of protest, Twilight began to read, her eye slowly developing a twitch. “Clever mare...”

Realizing that Fluttershy was still trembling behind her, Twilight put the parchment down. “Why were you worried about me seeing this?” she asked finally. “I'm pretty sure everypony is going to know before the day is over. Gossip is one of our leading exports.”

“W-well I just thought...” Her words trailed off into an incoherent mumble.

Twilight considered between letting Fluttershy work up the confidence to speak up herself or cast a spell that would increase her hearing and decided she really didn't want to wait around for two hours.

“W-well I just thought that since Celestia was asking for our help and you were going to lose your title as princess that we'd have to help out and join your harem but I really don't want to but I also don't want to disappoint Celestia or you!”

Twilight could feel a headache coming on. “Fluttershy, I'm not here to ask you to join my...ugh...harem.”

“R-really?” Her voice was now a more normal volume now so Twilight dispelled the magic.

“Fluttershy, this harem thing is nuts! It's a stupid law trotted out by a bunch of ponies who have been plotting against me ever since I became a princess. I'm not going to start building one, and even if I was, there's no way I'd be so callow as to try and guilt my friends into going along with it!”

The pegasus looked embarrassed and traced a design on the ground with her hoof, avoiding Twilight's eyes. “S-sorry, I guess I was just being silly.”

Twilight took a breath and let it out slowly, calming herself down. “That's alright Fluttershy, sorry for shouting. I had a pretty arduous morning with Luna.”

“Oh my...yes, I think I heard her voice all the way out here. Something about...um, perverted pony p-pleasuring?”

Twilight groaned. That was it. All of Ponyville knew by now. “Look, I'll be fighting this law in the royal court. It might take a couple years, but there's no way something like this will stick.”

“But what if it does?”

“Then Luna and Celestia will find another way to beat it. They've been doing this for longer than all of our lives put together.” Twilight have the pegasus a reassuring smile which was hesitantly returned.

“Okay...if you're sure.”

“I'm sure. I'm not going around building a harem. I don't even know twenty ponies I'd even consider asking,” she said with a small giggle at the absurdity.

Nervously, the pink maned mare shared her laugh, deciding to carefully avoid mentioning anything about the meeting she'd had with her friends, thankful that Twilight had stopped once she'd found the first letter and hadn't continued looking for the folders she'd carefully hidden elsewhere.

Luna looked thoughtfully at the papers she had tacked up to one of Twilight's spare wall spaces, several arcane symbols drawn on them along with a few words here and there in Luna's elegant script. “Clever Twilight, very clever. But we can't make progress if you keep running away.”

Absorbed in her notes, Luna took several moments to realize that there was an insistent knocking coming from the door. Opening it, Luna was surprised to see Spitfire there, flanked by Soarin and Fleetfoot. Upon seeing the princess, all three of the Wonderbolts bowed.

“Captain? What brings you and your kin here?” asked Luna curiously.

“Princess Luna, we are acting in official capacity as guards to Princess Twilight,” came the sharp reply. “We have come to offer our assistance in the midst of this crisis.”

Luna couldn't help but grin. “Oh? You've come to help Twilight build her harem?”

Spitfire seemed nonplussed. “Yes ma'am. My wingponies have also expressed interest in helping. I approve, since they've had positive experiences with Twilight in the past, and Soarin's flank was constantly distracting her when she flew as his wingmare.”

“Hmm...perhaps her perverse side is a bit less repressed than her dreams implied...this is wonderful news,” said Luna gleefully. “There is a minor problem though.”

“Ma'am?”

Stepping aside, Luna revealed the notes she had been working on. “Twilight can teleport and she's very good at it. If she ever finds herself in a situation that's too embarrassing for her, it's quite likely she'll use it to get away. I've been working on a solution though.”

Spitfire nodded sagely. “This seems in character. Fleetfoot had little success flirting with Twilight and often caused her to flee.”

Fleetfoot gave a nervous chuckle. “You saw that?”

Reaching into the small pouch at her side, Spitfire pulled out a thin, golden ring and handed it to Luna. “Last time, I had this made for Twilight's training, but she found a way around it. Do you think it could work?”

Luna glanced at the ring before gently taking it with her magic. “My sister's work,” she said with some admiration. “If anyone would know Twilight's magic, it would be her, though Twilight is equally familiar with Celestia's magic.”

Delicately, the lunar mare began to weave her magic around the ring, adding her power to it and enhancing the enchantment until she was satisfied with the results. “There we go,” she said, returning the ring. “With that, it should delay her more advanced magical abilities by a good fifteen seconds.”

“That's not a whole lot of time,” mused Fleetfoot.

“Well if you can keep her attention focused elsewhere and her mind off of magic, then you'll have far longer,” said Luna with a small smile. “Before you start looking though, don't forget to take one of these.” From inside the ornate box Twilight had left behind, three gold necklaces rose into the air, shimmering with Twilight's magic, the amethyst stones glowing softly.

Each of the Wonderbolts took one, placing them around their necks. The gold color matched the blue of their special uniforms quite nicely, though the gems were a bit distracting.

“Actually Luna, we're going to need one more...”

Ten minutes changed a lot. Twilight had finally cooled down and Fluttershy had finally stopped squeaking every time the alicorn looked and spoke to her. Away from the lunar mare, she was doing exactly what she'd intended to do all along, namely relax a bit and spend some time with her friends.

“So how have things been here? I haven't really been able to follow up on that group after they went underground. They haven't been giving you any more trouble have they?”

“You mean Ponies for the Eradication of Terrifying Animals?”

“PETA, yeah that was it. They haven't been picketing your house anymore have they?”

“Oh no, Rainbow Dash was very helpful about that. All the weather ponies were, really.”

Twilight chuckled. She'd had to calm down a very irate Rainbow Dash who had been ready to deliver a one-two hoof to the ponies whose shouting and ranting had been driving Fluttershy's animals wild. Instead, the alicorn had signed some papers and gave Rainbow authorization to repurpose some weather resources. Two days of cold hard rain later and Fluttershy's cottage was as peaceful as it had always been.

“You wouldn't believe the number of petitions I got around that time. All these ponies seemed to think that putting a bunch of signatures on a misleading piece of propaganda would somehow force me to action.”

“I'm just glad it was taken care of,” said Fluttershy diplomatically. “None of my animals deserve to be called terrifying.”

“Hehe..yeah...” said Twilight nervously. Not unless you counted the bear, the numerous snakes, the cockatrice she was certain she'd seen on more than one occasion, and Angel Bunny who was a terror all his own. “So did every one of my friends get a letter from Celestia?” she asked cautiously.

“Oh um...I'm not sure really,” said Fluttershy, her nervousness returning in full force.

Twilight finished off her snack and sighed. “Well I should probably make sure this doesn't get blown out of proportion. Thanks for having me over.”

With one hoof on the door, Twilight nearly jumped as she heard a firm and demanding knock from the other side. For a moment she feared Luna had caught up with her, but then remembered the princess rarely (if ever) knocked, preferring to simply announce her presence.

“Fluttershy?” asked Twilight politely.

“Just tell them I'll be right there,” came the pegasus' voice from the kitchen.

“Alright!” Answering the door, Twilight put on a smile, assuming she was about to speak with one of Fluttershy's customers. “Hello there, Fluttershy should-eep!” The alicorn recoiled as she saw Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soarin standing there in full Wonderbolt gear and looking quite imposing.

The new outfits were definitely a big part of that look. While the striking blue and gold colors had made them stand out, the enchanted spider silk seemed to shift and waver all on its own, giving the appearance of running beneath a bright sky.

All of them were wearing goggles around their necks too, as if ready for some serious flying. What immediately caught Twilight's eye though was the new addition to their outfits. Specifically, the bright golden chokers each of them wore.

“No, no, no! Take those off, right now!”

Spitfire gave her a raised brow before a hoof snapped forward faster than the princess could react, very gently brushing against her horn. When she pulled away, a small gold ring, barely a hair thin was circling it.

“Princess Twilight, it has come to my attention that there is an internal threat to your title and throne. The Wonderbolts are here to assist.”

Twilight looked between Soarin's sheepish look, Fleetfoot's playful grin, and Spitfire's expression of utter seriousness. She tried the ring but the magic which usually came so easily to her was taking far too long to build up.

Taking a step back, the alicorn extended her wings and bolted through Fluttershy's window, cracking the glass as it slammed open in her wake, a violet streak trailing behind her.

In the wake of her exit, Soarin cursed and handed ten bits to a grinning Fleetfoot. “See, I told you she'd run.”

“Focus squad!” came Spitfire's sharp command, the two pegasi snapping to attention behind her. “Our target is panicked, powerful, and adverse to perversion. I want a very gentle takedown with no injuries. Soarin, you're in C-Position as catcher. Fleetfoot, you're my wing mare. Fluttershy?”

There was a squeak from the pegasus who had dived behind the couch upon hearing the crash. “Y-yes ma'am?”

“Apologies for intruding. We will take care of the damaged window of course. Wonderbolts, move out!”

Taking to the air, three blue streaks began to chase after the rapidly vanishing alicorn.

Fluttershy let out a calming breath once she was alone again, carefully closing the door and shutting the cracked window before uncovering the secret compartment where she stored things she didn't want the animals getting into.

Opening the single folder she had been given, Fluttershy gave it another glance before gathering her writing materials and starting a letter. Despite Twilight's words, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt for not being as committed as all of her friends seemed to be, but in this small way she could still help.

Dear Lightning Dust...

Several Months Earlier...

“A flying routine?” asked Twilight incredulously. “What's wrong with the magic display we gave last year?”

The pony known as Inkwell and one of many personal advisers to Celestia cleared his throat and adjusted his polished spectacles. “Well, we've gotten several complaints from pegasi that the overemphasis on magical displays wasn't very representative of the other species.”

“That's ridiculous. Celestia and Luna did the same ceremony even before I got involved. Why change things now?”

“Because there are three princesses now and some very important ponies have raised some...concerns.”

“Really? Have we had any 'concerns' from the earth ponies then? Should we have Princess Celestia buck a tree so they're not 'concerned' about not being represented?” came the irritable reply.

Inkwell pulled out his parchment and made a note. “I shall be happy to field the idea for the next celebration,” he said cheerfully, completely oblivious to her sarcasm. “In the meantime, I believe this modest show of aerial acrobatics should suffice.”

Twilight looked at the provided paper for ten seconds. “Inkwell, I can't understand any of this,” she said finally. “But even putting that aside, what makes you think I could perform it?”

“B-but you're an alicorn! And a princess too!” came his shocked reply.

Twilight had to remind herself that Inkwell was probably used to dealing with Celestia and Luna, two alicorns with hundreds of years of experience to draw on. He probably held them on a very high pedestal. Even so, it was hard not to shout him down. Flying may not have come easy to her, but the Canterlot Royal Voice was coming along nicely. “Two weeks isn't going to be long enough. I haven't even had my wings for a year yet!”

“B-but Celestia said you had a personal instructor who was very talented!”

“Between her work schedule, her training, and my duties, we're lucky to get one day out of the week together,” came the terse response. “Until just now, it really hasn't been important, and even now it still doesn't seem that important. Just change things back to the normal routine and send whatever pegasus complained about it a letter telling them that we heard their complaint and we'll consider other options in the future.”

“I see...yes, I suppose that might be for the best. Celestia will be disappointed but that can't really be helped.”

“Wait, what?” Twilight stopped him before he could continue.

“Oh, well she seemed excited to do something different for this year rather than reprise what had already been done countless times before.”

The words wormed in through her ear, into her brain, found a small lever called 'guilt' and pulled. “Look, Inkwell,” she began hesitantly. “I'm not promising anything but there's no reason to give it up just yet. If it doesn't work out, we can switch back to the normal schedule.”

Inkwell's eyes seemed to light up at even that small concession. “Wonderful! Princess Celestia will be delighted!” With a spring in his step, Inkwell pranced out of the library, leaving Twilight behind to massage her head tiredly. “Spike, take a letter. I'm going to need to do some damage control.”

“So how bad is it?” asked Twilight as Rainbow looked over the diagram.

The pegasus studied it a bit further before shaking her head. “Well, to put it nicely, with your level of flying there's a very good chance that you'll crash into Celestia or Luna and turn this Summer Sun Celebration into the biggest disaster since that one time at the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“That's putting it nicely?” said Twilight flatly.

“A tight corkscrew flying formation isn't easy Twi, and you're barely able to fly in formation with just me. Not to mention how the size difference is going to affect things. We don't even have a third pony to practice with.”

“Really? Not one pony in Ponyville?” asked Twilight with surprise.

“Most pegasi are fine just knowing how to fly from point A to B. Ask them to do anything more complicated than that tornado thingy though...”

Twilight sighed. “Well I guess I can't fault them that. Most unicorns don't bother learning much beyond basic levitation.”

“Sorry Twi, I wish I could be more help. Maybe if I had an uninterrupted month but two weeks is-”

“-just enough time so long as you're willing to work for it,” came a voice from above.

With a landing that was accompanied by a small tremor through the floor, the Wonderbolt captain burst into view.

“Don't you ponies ever use the door?” said Twilight exasperated.

“Rainbow Dash left the window open. I invited myself in,” came the calm reply. “But that's not important right now.”

“Actually I think it is.”

“Oh. Well it's not interesting then.” Ignoring Twilight's groan, the Wonderbolt captain looked over the diagram. “A reverse corkscrew huh? That's going to be difficult, especially considering Celestia's large fl...size. Do you really think you're up for it?”

“Well, I hope so. I mean, I realize I have a ways to go but-”

“Rookie, I asked you a question,” came the sharp interruption. “And I want a simple yes or no answer. Are you willing to work your wings off for the next two weeks to do this?”

“Erm...yes?” came the hesitant reply. From the corner of her eye she could see Rainbow Dash holding back a laugh, amused to see Spitfire turning her sharp tongue on someone else for a change.

Reaching into the pocket of her instructors uniform, she produced a gold ring and pushed it towards Twilight. “Put this on your horn.”

Twilight recognized the telltale sign of Celestia's magic almost immediately. “A sealing ring?”

Spitfire gave a curt nod. “For the next two weeks, you're not going to be an alicorn. You're going to be a pegasus. You're going to think like one, live like one, and by the time I'm done with you by Celestia you'll fly like one. Now put that ring on, or put your tail between your legs and go study whatever pretty little light show you're planning on doing instead.”

Helplessly, Twilight looked towards Rainbow Dash who gave her a sheepish look. “She's the best instructor there is, Twi.”

Sighing, Twilight braced herself and put the ring on over her horn, getting a nod of approval from the Wonderbolt. Celestia's calming influence washed over her even as her magic began to turn inward, curling up inside her core and hiding away. It wasn't a complete seal, but it was enough to make reaching for her magic and utilizing it a trying task.

“Good to see our princess has some drive after all. I expect to see you front and center at the Wonderbolt Academy in one hour.”

“An hour?” squeaked Twilight in shock. “But I've got court to put in order and things to pack...and that's going to take even longer without magic!”

“Yet apparently you have time to sit there and run your mouth. Forty-five minutes.”

Before Twilight could protest further, Spitfire took off through the window once again. Behind her, Rainbow Dash finally let out the laughter she had been holding in.

“Keep laughing Rainbow, I have the authority to cut the weather budget you know.”

“Aww c'mon Twi, don't be like that. Here, I'll help you pack.”

“Thirty minutes late,” came the sharp reprimand as Twilight landed, panting slightly. Behind her, looking completely calm, was Rainbow Dash who'd even done her the kindness of carrying the single bag she'd managed to pack. “That's going to be one lap for every five minutes.”

“Haa...haa...technically...only twenty seven minutes so...that should be-”

“Seven laps and it's only going to get higher the more you complain.”

The alicorn groaned, but stretched her wings, wincing slightly as the mostly unused muscles protested the exercise while bringing her unsteadily into the air. The one small concession she took from this as she began to fly around the camp was at least Spitfire wasn't treating her like a princess, though she probably would have talked to Celestia that way if she had been her instructor.

“Fly with me Rainbow Dash,” said Spitfire as she took off, staying behind Twilight as she pushed herself around the academy on a shaky path. “You've been teaching her right? What have you learned?”

Rainbow gave the issue a bit of thought before replying in a low tone that Twilight had no chance of overhearing. “She knows the theory inside and out but she hasn't gotten over the fear of flying. She has to think about everything before she does it, and it's easy to disrupt her concentration.”

“And the inconsistent schedule means that your lessons don't really stick.”

Glumly, Rainbow nodded. “Well, it's hard to blame her really. She's a princess after all.”

“Not for the next two weeks she isn't.”

“Um...Captain, I know it might be out of line to ask but...well I don't want you to take it easy on her or anything but-”

“Spit it out cadet.”

“Just...help her learn to enjoy flying, alright?”

Spitfire looked ahead to where Twilight was struggling halfway through her first lap. “Being a hard ass who gets results is in my job description and I don't intend to change that, but I'll drop a few hints to Fleetfoot and Soarin.”

One lap in and Twilight was already struggling to stay aloft. Rainbow watched the display with a small frown. “She's not going to like this, is she?”

“Let me put it this way. Do you remember Tartarus week?” Rainbow cringed at the memory. “This is going to be the two-week version.” Pushing on ahead, Spitfire caught up to Twilight. “Alright rookie, bring it down.”

Landing awkwardly, Twilght let out a heavy breath, the flight already having taken a fair bit out of her.

“If you were a foal two months out of the crib I might be impressed. Right now I'm impressed you even manage to make the trip here. Now spread those wings, I'm going to show you some stretching exercises.”

Groaning, Twilight stretched her protesting wings and followed Spitfire's motions while Rainbow quietly made her exit, silently wishing Twilight luck.

Thankfully, sore wings weren't too hard on her legs, though each step she made caused her back and sides to ache a little bit as she walked behind Spitfire. “There are a lot of hopefuls here at the academy so space is at a premium. You'll be having a roommate while you're here and if you've got a problem with that you can go find a cloud to curl up on.”

“I'm pretty sure I'll manage,” came the mildly sarcastic reply as she knocked on the door. To her surprise, the one who answered was wearing a full Wonderbolt uniform.

The pegasus' eyes lit up in recognition. “Twilight! How have you been?” she asked excitedly. “And for that matter, what are you doing here?”

“Twilight will be staying here for a couple weeks while going through an intensive training routine,” came Spitfire's answer before Twilight could respond. “We don't have room to spare so I'm putting her with you. I'll be expecting you on the runway bright and early tomorrow.”

With a flick of her tail, Spitfire was gone down the hall, leaving the two behind. “Sorry for intruding Fleetfoot, this was kinda thrown at me last minute,” she said apologetically. “How have the outfits been working out?”

Fleetfoot grinned. “Best suit of clothes I own. I actually crashed wearing them once and you know what? Not only were they not even torn or dirty, but I'd swear they cushioned my fall too. It felt like I was wearing a suit of armor!”

“That's not too far off actually,” said the alicorn with a light chuckle. “I'd try to avoid crashing all the same though.” Stepping inside the room, Twilight was surprised to see a tidy, if rather spartan living space meant for two. Despite the suddenness of her arrival, Fleetfoot had obviously taken time to make sure all of her things were on one side, leaving Twilight with a generous amount of space.

“Okay princess, I'll bite. What did you enchant them with? Are we talking Stonehoof's iron cloth technique?”

With her saddlebags haphazardly thrown onto the bed, Twilight flopped down onto the mattress and carefully tried to move her sore wings. “Not unless you wanted to carry an extra fifty pounds when you fly. It only worked for Stonehoof because he was a mutant...” Her words trailed off and she looked at Fleetfoot curiously. “You know who Stonehoof is?”

The pegasus gave her an innocent look. “What, are pegasi not allowed to study magic?”

“What? No! Of course not! I was just surprised, that's all. Most unicorns don't know who Stonehoof is.”

Fleetfoot chuckled and walked over to Twilight's bed. “Admittedly most of what I learned was from one of my old friends. I did a bit of reading here and there just so I could keep up with her. So c'mon, try me. What did you use?”

Twilight gave her an embarrassed look. “Sorry, I'm not allowed to say.”

“Ooh, is this a royal secret?” asked Fleetfoot, now more excited and eager than before.

“Technically, yes.” While Twilight hadn't exactly broken any rules or laws per say, she seriously doubted that Celestia wanted the enchantments placed upon her golden battle armor being common knowledge.

“Now you're just making me even more curious,” said Fleetfoot. “What if I offered you something in return?”

Twilight gave her a playful look. “Bribery? I think there are laws against that.”

“Really? I thought you called it lobbying. Stay still for a moment,” she said before bringing a hoof down on Twilight's wing, causing the princess to tense up. “I can tell Spitfire put you through the ringer today and tomorrow isn't going to be any easier.”

Aside from one small lesson Rainbow had given her a while back, Fleetfoot was the only other pony to ever touch her wings and her skilled hoof quickly found the aching joints and sensitive spots, carefully massaging each one and eliciting a surprised gasp from Twilight.

“Stay still, you're really stiff,” said Fleetfoot, continuing her careful massage. “How often do you go flying?”

Twilight groaned and tried her best not to squirm. “Nnhh...once a week...”

“That's like an earth pony who only walks once a week. You should take time each morning to do some flying even if it isn't for very long.”

Twilight mumbled an affirmative, the day's fatigue catching up with her as the relaxing massage continued.

Fleetfoot giggled at her cute sounds. “I realize it might not feel like a lot of fun right now, but trust me, going through this training is like trying to learn how to levitate objects for the first time. Once you finally get it, it'll feel like the greatest thing in the world.”

On the verge of sleep now, Twilight only gave a soft moan in response, slowly drifting off beneath the tender care of Fleetfoot's hooves.

Fourteen days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

“Look alive rookie, up and at 'em! Front and center in ten seconds or by Celestia I'll park a thundercloud over your bed!”

The subsequent crash of the door being opened by a well placed kick made Twilight yelp and fall from her bed. In the doorway stood Spitfire, radiating with authority and looking sharp in her instructor's uniform. On the opposite bed, Fleetfoot continued to snore quietly, oblivious to the noise.

“Ugh...what time is it?” A tiny bit of sunlight was peeking through the curtains, signaling the time as being criminally early.

“It's time to see if our new princess can live up to the title of rookie! On the runway in five! Every minute later than that is an extra lap!” Flinging a bag forward onto the floor in front of her, Twilight saw the corner of a Wonderbolt training uniform poking out. “And put that on too.”

It took the princess four minutes and forty-two seconds to complete her task and join Spitfire on the runway in the cool morning air, trying to avoid shivering openly. The higher altitude was making the wind chill all the worse, though Spitfire didn't even twitch.

“Cold? Don't worry, you'll be sweating before long. Let's get those wing muscles warmed up and then we'll go through those stretches again. Keep up with me and don't fall behind.” Barely giving the alicorn time to catch her breath, Spitfire took to the air.

To her minor annoyance, Spitfire performed several aerial tricks in front of her as she tried her best to keep up, going as far as to fly backwards at times. One small benefit to the cool morning air was that sleep was quick to flee and her shaky flight path soon became straighter and more sure.

After two laps, Spitfire brought her down. “Not bad for a pegasus half your age. Now spread your wings and go through your exercises.” Willing her body to move, Twilight pushed her wings through the various motions while Spitfire continued to bark criticisms and corrections at her. By the time she was satisfied, Twilight was already feeling yesterday's soreness creep back in and hunger was starting to set in as well. Like clockwork though, it seemed as though the Pegasus instructor knew exactly how far to push before breaking off.

“Keep that up rookie and you might be worthy of being called 'runt' by the week's end. Now give me one more lap around the clouds and you can get yourself some breakfast!”

Despite her fatigue, it was her fastest lap yet.

The stares were probably inevitable since Twilight stuck out like a sore hoof among so many pegasi, but that didn't make it any more comfortable. Loading up her tray, she turned and looked for a place to sit and soon spied Fleetfoot waving her over.

“Heya Twilight,” greeted a male pegasus who had been sitting beside her. “Welcome to the Wonderbolt Academy. Enjoy your morning?” he asked with a knowing grin that made Twilight want to drop something heavy on his head.

Quelling the urge, she focused on putting a name to the face. “Soarin right?”

“The one and only!” he said proudly, though his bravado was quickly ruined when Fleetfoot put a hoof in his gut.

“And thank Celestia for that. Equestria has enough trouble with one of your egos.”

Recovering his dignity after a small coughing fit, Soarin eyed the alicorn. “So what did you do to earn Spitfire's personal attention? I thought after those awesome outfits she'd at least give you the honor of pretending you don't exist.”

For the second time Soarin was doubled over into a coughing fit as Fleetfoot's hoof found the same spot again. “Don't pay too much attention to him Twilight. He may be a flying savant but on the ground he barely qualifies as a moron.”

“Spitfire is sort of giving me an intensive course. I've been neglecting my wings so I need to play some serious catch up before the summer sun festival comes around.”

“How much catch up are we talking?” asked Soarin curiously.

“Er...ground up instruction,” said Twilight with a small sigh.

To her surprise, Soarin simply nodded. “Don't sweat it. Every pegasus had to start there at some point.”

Twilight nodded and took a moment to glance around the mess hall. “So what are you two doing here anyways? Do you usually eat with the rookies?”

“Not usually but Soarin and I are going to be your flying partners for the stunt you're practicing.”

Twilight looked shocked. “You are?”

Soarin's voice came a breath behind hers. “We are?”

Fleetfoot rolled her eyes. “Twilight I can understand but what's your excuse? Spitfire sent you a message this morning.”

“Er...well I think I remember seeing something like that...”

“Point is, this is a three pony stunt so you're going to need two others. Spitfire is going to handle your morning workouts and in the afternoon you'll practice squad flying with me and captain oblivious over here.”

“I know I'm in good hooves then,” said Twilight, wondering privately what Rainbow was going to think when she learned that her friend was going to be flying with the Wonderbolts before she had the chance.

“The very best,” bragged Soarin before digging into his meal.

“So can you tell me a little more about this trick? I saw the diagram but I really only have a rough idea of what's involved.”

Fleetfoot grinned and launched into a detailed explanation, even going as far as to illustrate the trick with carrot sticks on the table as Twilight listened intently.

As it turned out though, no amount of explanations could compare to the real thing when she saw the three Wonderbolts performing it an hour later. It was short, barely half a minute long, but it was effective, nicely symbolic, and sure to be a real crowd pleaser.

“So what did you see, Twilight?” asked Spitfire as she landed next to her.

“The difficult part will be maintaining the ring formation and timing the wingbeats properly. The dive and sudden stop seem a bit dangerous too.”

“Good eye. You can't fly worth a foal right now, but you can deconstruct it well enough. That trick is a ways off though. For now, you just have to learn to fly straight. Fleetfoot, take point so Twilight and Soarin can catch air.”

“Be sure to enjoy the view,” teased the Wonderbolt, giving Twilight a wink as she shook her flank a couple of times.

“No cheek from you Fleetfoot or I'll bust you back down to Cadet.”

Obviously used to Spitfire's taunts, the threat only merited a salute from the pegasus before she took to the air, closely followed by Soarin.

“Try to stay two feet diagonal of Fleetfoot. Use Soarin's position to measure yourself and let Fleetfoot break the air in front of you. We'll switch the lead pony every thirty seconds.”

Nodding her understanding, Twilight focused on flying and maintaining her position, while most definitely not enjoying the view...even a little bit.

Thirteen days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

“One of the most important things you need to learn as a pegasus is how to pull yourself out of a freefall. In your case it's doubly important since you're likely to go into freefall flying in a straight line.”

Twilight gulped as she looked at the dizzying wheel in front of her. Rainbow Dash had told her about this particular method of 'training'. “No chance of something maybe a little less dangerous?”

“Oh, well, since you asked we do have a far more pleasant device that simulates a nice and peaceful crash. I can roll it out for you if you want.”

Fighting her urge to roll her eyes at the thick sarcasm, Twilight approached the wheel, thankful she hadn't had breakfast yet. Strapping herself into the harness, Twilight braced herself as her world was turned upside down and sideways. Wind rushed through her ears and by the fourth turn she felt like closing her eyes, only barely managing to keep them open.

“Release!” Twilight yelped as the harness snapped free and sent her flying. Her wings tried to catch the air and her legs flailed. Her vision suddenly turned white for several moments as she flew straight through one of the clouds, the impact altering her course slightly and weakening her momentum. Finally, the inertia faded as gravity began to take over until at last she was able to orient herself, fighting back nausea as she unsteadily headed for the runway, coming in for a landing that was immediately followed by a stumble.

Click. “Thirty-one seconds, not bad. If you spin out more than a thousand feet into the air, you might be able to recover before you hit the ground. Back on the wheel rookie, you're not getting breakfast until you hit twenty!”

Groaning and still unsteady on her hooves, Twilight made her way back.

Ten days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

Twilight winced as the smartly dressed unicorn very carefully shifted her wing before letting his magic take over. “It's only a minor sprain. With a bit of regeneration therapy she'll be ready to fly by tomorrow.”

“Thank you doctor,” said Spitfire curtly, waving him away. “What did you do wrong rookie?”

“I caught too much air with my wings and tried to turn against the wind,” said Twilight immediately, who had been thinking it through ever since the accident.

“Good. Learning from your mistakes is important...and at the rate you're making them, you'll be a grandmaster of flying by the end of the first week. Air currents are incredibly important, especially at higher altitudes like this. You need to use your wings to feel them and take in that information before reacting. Take your rest and enjoy the recovery time because I'm going to drill that lesson into your head once you're out.”

Spitfire left quickly but before the door had closed behind her, Fleetfoot and Soarin slipped inside, taking her place at her bedside.

“Congratulations on your first flying injury Twilight,” said Soarin giving her a good-natured hit on the leg. “You're looking more like a Wonderbolt than ever.”

“Really? Doesn't feel like it...feels more like pain,” she groaned as the unicorn doctor's magic quickened the healing process.

“Injuries come with the territory Twi, that's why we have a dedicated unicorn doctor up here. I've had more wing sprains than I can count and Soarin actually managed to fracture his foreleg the first time he was on the wheel.”

“That's not exactly inspiring you know...”

“The point is, injuries are going to happen on occasion. Just don't try to act tough or hide them. That'll just make things worse.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two Wonderbolts took off. With nothing left to do, Twilight began to probe at the ring around her horn, testing her limits and the restraints it imposed. It was a very clever bit of magic, but that only encouraged the alicorn to experiment, distracting herself with the puzzle Celestia had inadvertently given her. An observing pegasus might have thought Twilight had fallen asleep. A unicorn would have felt the hairs on their mane raise in reaction to the steady hum of magic emanating from her.

An hour later, there was a very faint but clear glow coming from her horn while the golden ring had a similar glow. She was nowhere near her full power, but it was enough for a small simple spell. Bringing to mind what the doctor had used on her before, Twilight began to focus her energy inwards.

“You used your magic,” came the accusation not one hour later.

“Me? Never. I have respect for the rules and this ring came from Celestia herself, remember?” Spitfire's probing stare made her fidget slightly but there was no reason to doubt Celestia's magic, right?

Spitfire finally sighed. “I won't question our fortune then. Perhaps you're simply more receptive to healing because of your nature as an alicorn.”

Twilight gave her an innocent look. “Me, an alicorn? I'm just another pegasus ma'am.”

The glare she received told her that she'd be paying for that little comment. “Two laps for your cheek rookie, and once you're done, meet me on the runway for formation flying.”

Imitating what Fleetfoot had done before, Twilight gave her a salute before taking off.

Eight days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

Twilight's eyes snapped open the second the morning sun cracked the horizon and exactly six minutes before Spitfire was set to pound on her door. Opening the window she let some of the cool air inside, letting it run through her mane and urge her awake. Counting down mentally she did a few stretches, grinning inwardly as she heard the soft sound of hooves outside her door.

“Good morning ma'am,” said Twilight suddenly, opening the door onto Spitfire who had a hoof raised in mid knock. “I was just about to head out and do my morning laps.”

“Glad I caught you then because you're getting a couple extra now,” came the smooth reply.

“Of course ma'am, I'll get right on it.” Yes, she was probably going to pay for that prank later, but getting one over on Spitfire had been worth it. Taking to the air, she began the long trek around the Wonderbolt's camp, occasionally waving to the other pegasi going through their own morning routines.

“You were looking good out there Twilight,” said Soarin as she took a seat at what she'd come to see as her usual table. Their group never seemed to increase beyond three despite space in the mess hall being rather scarce.

“Six whole days learning to fly straight and turn without injuring yourself. I'd call that good progress,” teased Fleetfoot.

“Don't be mean Fleet, she couldn't fly at all a few months ago and I think she'll have a trail soon.”

“A what?”

“You know, a color trail, when you fly really fast.”

“Well...that'd be nice I guess, but the trick I'm trying to perform is all about finesse, not speed. We're supposed to give the ponies a chance to admire their royalty after all.”

“What? Don't tell me you're not going to keep flying after this,” said Soarin aghast.

“Well...I am pretty good at teleporting. I just don't really see the point...sorry.” Twilight gave the two Wonderbolts a sheepish look. “I...I mean not that I'm saying it isn't nice but-”

The alicorn was cut off as Fleetfoot put a hoof on her shoulder. “Twi, you've got a lot more to learn than you think. Soarin, you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“I think so Fleet, but where are we going to get twenty pounds of chicken feathers?”

“Not that one you moron, I meant the other one.”

“Ohhh...wait, didn't Spitfire specifically warn-”

“What she doesn't know won't hurt us.”

“This is already starting to sound like a bad idea,” said Twilight with narrowed eyes.

“Don't worry, this is all on us,” reassured Fleetfoot. “Just be ready in two days.”

Despite her further attempts to get information out of them, the Wonderbolt pair were very tight lipped and evasive with their answers until it was time for noon day practice.

“Put these on, they're part of your uniform now.” Momentarily forgetting her lack of magic, the pair of goggles nearly hit her in the face before she managed to catch them with her hooves.

“What are these for?” asked Twilight, dropping them around her neck.

“Today you're going to learn how to fly fast. Part of your trick involves a freefall so this is going to help simulate one. You're going to fly straight at that cloudbank,” she said, gesturing towards a mass of soft clouds, “and once you pass that line, you're going to try and change your course. I'll demonstrate.”

Crouching low, Spitfire took off like a bullet, leaving an orange trail in her wake that gave the impression of fire. Within seconds she reached the line and suddenly the trail turned a full forty-five degree angle, her sleek form just barely cresting the wall of clouds before turning back and landing.

“As you can guess, this is just as hard as it looks. Turning at those speeds requires near perfect wing control. First though, we need to get you moving fast enough.”

It took some time for Spitfire to teach her the proper technique and positioning, but the results spoke for themselves, like the difference between an earth pony trotting and galloping. Once she'd had the technique drilled into her, Twilight began to make her runs. It was just as difficult as Spitfire said. Adjusting too little resulted in a crash. Adjusting too much killed her momentum entirely. Fortunately, the impact was soft, though it left her fur feeling damp each time.

Finally, on the sixth try, she hit the angle perfectly, her hooves skimming the cloud bank as she lessened her speed and came around for a landing.

“Good job rookie. Now let's see you do it with enough speed to outrace a baby foal.”

Seven days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

Twilight groaned as she collapsed into her bed, not even bothering to get beneath the covers as she clutched the pillow to her head. Spitfire had been particularly on her game today with her critiques and her inventive insults and even though the practice had cut off early, she still felt exhausted. Thankfully, Soarin and Fleetfoot were always there to soften the blows after practice, but her time with them was half over and while she could fly straight and had steadily been picking up speed, practice on the trick itself hadn't even started.

Tap...tap...tap...

Shifting her head slightly, Twilight looked towards the window. In the light of the moon she could just barely make out a hoof tapping at the window. When she got up to answer, Twilight had to resist the urge to groan.

“Fleetfoot, why are you sneaking into your own room?”

“Sorry Twi, couldn't let anypony see me wearing this, they're only supposed to be for shows and special occasions,” said the pegasus flying through the window, fully clothed in the Wonderbolt outfit she and Rarity had crafted. The material looked different in the evening light, almost as though the soft blue colors were shimmering not unlike Luna's mane. “You seriously need to tell me what you did with this thing. I find out something new every time I wear it.”

Twilight chuckled nervously and hoped Luna wasn't a fan of theirs. The shimmer would have been a dead giveaway. “So...this is one of those occasions?”

“Yes, now let's get going.” Anticipating her protest, Fleetfoot quickly grabbed her by the hoof and began to pull her towards the window, forcing the alicorn to start flying or get dragged along.

“Wha...wait, what are you doing?”

“Unofficial lessons. Don't worry, nothing dangerous.”

Fleetfoot's strong wings beat quickly as she pulled Twilight along, staying low to the ground and out of sight, only picking up altitude once they were away from the camp facilities.

“So am I heading to some sort of hazing ritual?” asked Twilight.

“Hazing? What sort of cadet do you think I am?” asked Fleetfoot with mock offense. “This is a rule breaking ritual.” Cresting the final cloud bank, Twilight saw the moonlit figure of Soarin below, holding something beneath his leg while dressed in his own uniform.

Waving the two mares down, Soarin tossed a bag to Twilight. “Go ahead and put that on. It's not as awesome as your uniforms, but there's still plenty of regular awesome in it.”

Flipping the bag open, Twilight gasped. “Soarin, I can't wear this!” she whispered harshly. Inside was a full Wonderbolt uniform that looked to fit her perfectly.

“No complaining Twi, we don't have enough time to wrestle you into it.” Seeing hers and Soarin's matching grins made Twilight realize they were only half joking.

“F-fine, but not a word to Rainbow. I'll never hear the end of it if she learns I wore one of these before she did.”

“I'm sure you've heard Spitfire talk about night time flying-” began Fleetfoot.

“Yeah, she said only the most idiotic pegasus would even consider it and even then only after they've been knocked on the head a few-”

“Well she exaggerates a bit but yeah, it's dangerous. That's why we're here though,” she interrupted, reaching into the bag and giving Twilight a pair of goggles. There was an enchantment on them but it was hard to tell exactly what with her sealed magic. She'd been guessing at some sort of night vision enhancement but instead of an ugly color filter, the lenses simply enhanced the glow of the moon, giving the soft clouds vibrant color as they reflected the light.

“You'll be following my lead and Fleetfoot will be at your back, so don't worry too much, but be careful all the same.” Taking to the air, Soarin flew a casual loop before suddenly putting on speed and punching a hole straight through the clouds with a dive.

Peeking through the hole, Twilight had to fight off a sudden sense of vertigo as she saw the ground far below. The cloud construct of the Wonderbolt's Academy had done a good job of hiding just how far up in the air they really were.

“That's...wow that's high,” she said numbly.

“Been a while since you've seen the ground huh? Here's a tip, don't pull out of the dive until you can start to make out individual trees.”

Taking a breath, Twilight closed her eyes and jumped, diving through the hole and folding her wings to catch less air. Soarin's soft glowing outfit quickly caught up to her vision while she could see Fleetfoot following in her wake from the corner of her eye.

The feeling was exhilarating. Twilight hesitated to blink just in case she missed a moment of seeing the ground rushing towards her, eyes taking in the scope of the realm for a few brief moments as she went into freefall.

Despite the intense feeling, the second she saw Soarin pull out of the dive, she did the same, giving herself plenty of time. The Wonderbolt outfit felt like a second coat of fur on her body and cut the wind chill to a cool pleasant feeling through her mane and tail.

Ahead of her, Soarin's course swerved and began to take them over the tops of the faintly glowing trees. To an earth pony the forest might have been a dangerous place at night, but to the three pegasi it was little more than a fantastic view as they swerved around the tops of the branches.

It was all perspective really. Up among the faceless clouds it was hard to tell how fast she had been going. Down among the trees whipping by her in a blur of green, it encouraged her to push herself, the fatigue of earlier fading away for the moment. Soarin was picking up speed now, the moonlit colors of his trail streaking behind. Gritting her teeth, Twilight straightened her body and rode the wind tunnel he was leaving, the forest below turning into little more than a green blur as they flew towards the full moon.

Catching sight of Fleetfoot in the corner of her eye, Twilight noticed that she was casting a trail, but even now she was keeping up with her. Did that mean...

Quick as a flash, Twilight risked a glance backwards. It was there. A streak of purple, pink, and violet trailing behind her, glimmering in the moonlight. A surge of pride overtook her and with a cheer she put on an extra burst of speed, managing to close the distance with Soarin and show off her accomplishment. Soarin's own cheer was lost in the rush of air but she could see his enthusiasm.

Despite the new found speed though, she was quickly reminded that she was in the presence of two Wonderbolts when the two of them flanked her, easily keeping pace while Fleetfoot gestured in a particular direction.

Flying above the treeline, Twilight gasped as she saw their destination. A lake, smooth as a mirror lay in the midst of the thick forest, reflecting the full moon. With the help of the goggles the place was bathed in the soft white glow while the stars blanketed the sky. Her flight faltered, slowed, and finally stopped as the alicorn fixed the amazing sight in her mind.

“So how did you get into the Wonderbolts?” asked Twilight sometime later. The three of them were resting on a cloud Fleetfoot and Soarin had managed to bring together, positioning it so they could continue to take in the view.

“Forced is the word I'd use,” he said with a chuckle. “I was pressed into guard duty once my parents kicked me out, and I probably would be wearing gold armor right now if Spitfire hadn't found me.”

“Played him like a drum,” cut in Fleetfoot. “Got him to sign up for Wonderbolt training by saying he wouldn't amount to much and someone as unskilled as him would collapse after the first day.”

“Well she was right about that part,” said Soarin sheepishly.

“Only because you kept giving her cheek and she kept giving you laps!”

Twilight giggled. “My brother was the same way. He was already dating Cadance when he joined the training school for the royal guard so the drill sergeant had to take his ego down a few pegs.”

“Wish I could say my story was as interesting. I just joined because I liked flying and the Wonderbolts were the ultimate flyers. Perhaps a bit too heavy with all the ceremonies, but it was pretty much everything I thought it'd be. Now I even get to say I taught one of Equestria's princesses.”

“Planning on leaving out the part where you taught me to break rules?” The jibe earned her a soft hit on the leg.

“Only if you tell me you didn't enjoy it,” she shot back. “You'll even have something to show Spitfire tomorrow...today.”

Twilight grimaced. “Well I had the help of a wind tunnel and I was-”

“Ah ah ah, none of that now,” interrupted Fleetfoot. “You did it once, you can do it again. Don't start thinking otherwise.”

Twilight's intended response died on her tongue. “Alright.”

“Good, now let's get back before the sun starts coming up. It'll be impossible to sneak in during the morning.”

“And just where in Tartarus have you three been?”

“Busted,” moaned Soarin, hanging his head.

“You two are back on my list, starting today. Night time flying is dangerous enough but taking a princess along over the Everfree Forest when she doesn't even have her magic?”

“I don't suppose a sorry is going to cut it?” said Fleetfoot with a weak smile.

Spitfire glared at her. “That's a good start, but when I'm finished you're going to be looking worse than Twilight will tomorrow morning. As for you...” she said, turning towards a suddenly nervous alicorn, “Give me back my uniform. I'll be expecting you on the runway at the usual time.”

Twilight winced as her head provided her with a depressingly small number for the hours of sleep she was going to get that night.

Six days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

If Spitfire had been impressed with her speed, she didn't show it, though she did celebrate Twilight's midnight flying by putting her through a grueling routine, barely giving her time to rest. Despite it though, Twilight left with a grin when she heard Spitfire's last remark of the day.

“Adequate. We'll begin work on the stunt properly tomorrow.”

Fleetfoot did not share her enthusiasm. “Not so loud,” she groaned as Twilight entered their room. “My head is pounding.”

“Oh, sorry,” whispered Twilight as she carefully closed the door. “Spitfire?”

“Spitfire,” she agreed with a groan, “Lots of it.”

Looking around conspiratorially, Twilight approached her bed. “I might have something that can help with that...but it doesn't leave this room, alright?”

Wearily, the pegasus looked up at Twilight. “Go on...”

Concentrating, the alicorn carefully began to filter her magic through the seal on her horn, her body taking on a faint violet glow. Touching it to Fleetfoot's head, she imitated the spell she'd seen the unicorn doctor use, easing the pain before making it vanish completely.

“Hey, I thought you couldn't use magic!” said Fleetfoot in surprise, getting to her hooves and rubbing her suddenly clear head.

“Oh I can't, not like I usually can, but I'm Celestia's student remember? That's like being the Wonderbolt of magic,” she teased, putting on her best impression of Rainbow Dash at her most exuberant. “You wanna help me try something else? It's untested though, so it might not work, but it's perfectly safe. Just turn over onto your stomach.”

“Alright...go ahead,” she offered, following Twilight's request.

It took a minute for the magic to come to her and the effort made her perspire a bit, but slowly she got around the ring once more. When her hooves began to rub the pegasus' back like she had done to her previously, it came with a flood of warmth that spread throughout her body. The moan she let out made Twilight blush a bit, her hooves briefly pulling away in surprise.

“Mmhh...do that again!” she gasped out. Twilight did so and her pleased moans continued to fill the room. Her technique was lacking, but her magic more than made it up for it and as her hooves continued down her back and over the muscles of her wings, the mare's moans only grew more lewd. By the time she finally pulled away, Twilight could have sworn she saw a trail of drool coming from Fleetfoot's mouth.

“Ahh...I'd call that a success,” mumbled Fleetfoot. “Do it again sometime and I'll be sure to buy you dinner first,” she teased. “I'll even provide the candles if you wanna set a mood.”

“H-hey! I was just trying something out,” she protested. “I didn't expect you to react so...strongly.”

Fleetfoot let out a yawn and lightly flexed her wings. “You've no idea Twilight.” Before the alicorn could inquire further, a soft snore rose from her bed.

Five days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

Twilight had to admire the patience of Soarin and Fleetfoot. Each time the stunt fell apart, she knew it was her fault, knew that she was the one holding the other two back, but they never were discouraging. Even Spitfire's attitude seemed to have shifted somewhat, and while she was still as hard as ever, the insults had lessened to a softer degree, though she still held the title of rookie.

While the stunt wasn't as visually impressive as some of the more common Wonderbolt acrobatics, there were hidden challenges scattered everywhere. The wingbeats of each pegasus had to be timed perfectly with one another and the strength of each flap had to sustain her in the air and keep her perfectly level for a certain time. The slower parts were perhaps the hardest, forcing the princess to make constant adjustments while trying not to overcompensate. It was somewhat grueling and she couldn't imagine having to run such drills for entire routines.

Fumbling the landing after a shaky decent, Twilight gave Spitfire an apologetic look and readied herself for another try. She'd come too far to fail now.

Two days until the Summer Sun Celebration...

“Soarin, Fleetfoot, take fifteen and cool yourselves off. Twilight, go take a lap and take it slow.”

The alicorn in question let out a sigh but did as she was told, taking a lazy route around the camp. It wasn't the first time Spitfire had ordered her to do so either, often doing so each time practice became too frustrating. To her surprise, this time Spitfire joined her.

It wasn't until halfway through the lap that Spitfire finally spoke. “You've come quite a ways, you know that?”

Twilight appreciated the compliment but her cynicism spoke for her. “Not far enough.”

There was another silence, broken only by the muffled cries of instructors barking orders to other ponies. When Spitfire spoke again, it was with a far off voice.

“When your friend Rainbow Dash was attending here and breaking every academy record we had, I told her that I respected pegasi that pushed themselves. One week later, she threw that in my face when I realized my creed was pushing ponies in the wrong direction for the wrong reasons and breeding bad habits. Lightning Dust in particular was so intent on pushing herself that she didn't care who she pushed down or out of the way to do it. Right now I'm seeing some of that in you Twilight. Tell me, why are you pushing yourself? And no vague answers please.”

“My mentor...Princess Celestia. I want to impress her,” she admitted finally.

“What if you're not able to do the trick by day after tomorrow then?” Twilight's flight balked slightly but she quickly recovered. “If you can't perform it, would you consider these last two weeks wasted?”

“What? No! Of course not! I've learned more than ever flying with you!” It hardly seemed like two weeks when it came to that. Everything had been so fast paced that one experience just seemed to bleed into the next. Add to that the time she'd spent with Soarin and Fleetfoot and the memories gave her a warm feeling that she often associated with her close friends.

“A lot of pegasi try out for the Wonderbolts for really superficial reasons. Some try out because they have family in here. Others see it as a status symbol. Most of these types tend to wash out in the first year. The ones who succeed more often than not are the ones who are doing it for themselves. Ponies who want to push themselves and their abilities for its own sake. For example, do you think Rainbow Dash would stop trying to improve herself if she couldn't become a Wonderbolt?”

No, of course she wouldn't, Twilight realized. Dropping out of flight camp hadn't even slowed her down. She might be devastated if she were to lose that chance, but she would never stop trying to push herself and her flying abilities.

“Don't misunderstand me Twilight, trying to please Celestia is certainly an admirable goal, but if you take anything away from these two weeks, I'm hoping that it's pride in what you've accomplished.”

The rest of the lap passed in thoughtful silence, the frustration she'd been feeling slowly bleeding away. Fifteen minutes later when the Wonderbolts returned, there was a determined look on her face, mirrored by Soarin and Fleetfoot. At Spitfire's signal, the three of them took to the air once more.

The day of the Summer Sun Celebration...

“Nervous?” asked Fleetfoot as they looked down from the cloud cover the weather ponies had provided for the occasion.

Twilight shook her head and turned away from the sea of colors below. “I'm going to be too busy flying to be nervous,” she said humorlessly. “There must be hundreds of ponies down there.”

“I do apologize for this Twilight, I had no idea Inkwell had something so elaborate planned. He must have caught me at a busy time while I was organizing the event.”

“It's okay princess,” said Twilight quickly, giving her old mentor a smile. “Even if it was unintentional, I managed to get a lot out of the experience.”

Her touching statement was followed by a sudden hoof to the back of the head. “Don't give me this defeatist attitude now Twi! You've come this far, now get out there and nail it!”

Grinning at Fleetfoot, Twilight flicked her wing before taking off, closely followed by Luna and Celestia.

Far below the conversation above, an orange mare was muscling her way through the crowd. “Place seems a bit more crowded than usual,” said Applejack, finally making it to her group of friends.

“Lot of pegasi from Cloudsdale around,” provided Rainbow Dash. “Spitfire suspended training camp for the celebration but everyone knows she wants to see Twilight do this, and a lot of the academy members showed up too.”

“Well Pinkie seems excited. Then again, Ah think she has emergency stashes 'round Ponyville just in case she needs to make a celebration bigger.”

“Shh, here it goes!” said Rainbow excitedly. A breath after she'd finished and suddenly the clouds that had been covering the sky were banished, clearing a wide circle in the sky above the ponies below. The glow of the moon now revealed seemed to shine intensely, overpowering the artificial light that had been strung up for the occasion.

An azure streak arced across the sky, leaving a trail of stars that slowly faded in its wake. Behind that came a streak of blazing gold, following for a brief moment before diverting onto its own path. The two bright trails danced around the crowd of ponies, slowly drawing closer to one another on their seemingly random paths through the sky until a bright flash of purple light drew everypony's attention upwards towards the moon where a violet comet was hurtling towards the earth in a freefall, the trail set to intersect with those of the celestial princesses.

As she descended, the sky began to shift colors, the glow fading as the horizon turned from black and blue to a lavender hue as the light arrived.

The three streaks raced towards one another, looking for all the world as though they were about to collide, but at the last possible second, high in the air, the three alicorns spread their wings wide, the light of the coming dawn catching each of them and making their manes shimmer.

The stillness only continued for a moment as gravity began to take over, but with a single beat of their wings, all three alicorns moved into a new position, a circle slowly spinning against the image of the fading moon with each pony touching front hooves to back, flapping their wings in perfect synch to maintain the slow speed and stay aloft, a living imitation of the mural of the two sisters, with one small addition.

At an unseen signal, the formation broke, the three alicorns entering a freefall. With a few almost unnoticeable adjustments to their wings, the three of them began to spiral downwards, their trails igniting once more and weaving together into one. Less than ten feet from the ground, their wings snapped open, the ponies closest to the stand feeling a rush of air as the three landed gracefully on the stage, Twilight in the middle.

Luna's horn brightened first, the moon lowering and fading into the morning light. Twilight was next, adding splashes of color to the sunrise. Finally, Celestia raised her head, her horn giving off a brilliant, almost blinding light, the sun rising into the sky and banishing the night. A cheer went up from the crowd along with a thunderous sound of hooves beating the ground. Then, in a flash of light, the royal alicorns vanished.

Twilight had barely come out of the daze that accompanied teleportation when a rainbow blur tackled her, sending her to the soft grass. “That. Was. Awesome!”

Closely followed behind the excited Rainbow were the Wonderbolts. “Gotta say, you did well.”

“And you owe me twenty bits,” came Fleetfoot a moment later. “I told you she was going to nail it.”

Twilight gave Soarin a mock-hurt look. “You were betting against me?”

“Only for fun!” he insisted with a nervous laugh. “I had every confidence in you.”

“As did I,” said Spitfire, “even though you were off by a quarter wing beat, a tad too slow on the corkscrew, and a breath behind the others on the stop at the end-”

Twilight groaned. “Come on Spitfire...”

“-I think you've officially graduated from rookie.” To Twilight's surprise, the Wonderbolt captain had a rare smile on her face. “You've at least earned the right to be called 'runt'.”

The alicorn gave her a playful glare. “How about princess? I seem to remember getting that title at some point.”

“Cheer up Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash who still had a leg around Twilight's back. “She still calls me names and I can fly faster than her hooves down.”

“Yes, and flying faster than all your squad members is still a problem I need to hammer out of you,” said Spitfire, her serious look sliding back into place. “That aside, there is one thing I'd like to ask of you Dash. Something I'd consider a personal favor.”

Rainbow's eyes lit up with excitement while Twilight suddenly developed a sinking feeling in her stomach. “You name it!”

Pointing a hoof towards Twilight she gave the alicorn a look that seemed to radiate with mischief. “Make sure she gets some flying practice in three times a week. I'm sure you of all pegasi would know just how tragic it would be for flying talent to go to waste.”

“You got it ma'am! No back-sliding here, you can count on that!” Her grip around Twilight's midsection turned into a tight hug.

“I don't suppose anypony cares what I think?”

“You can have a say in the matter once you make newbie rank,” said Spitfire with a deadpan tone. “Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go make some of the cadets really uncomfortable while they're trying to enjoy themselves.”

Soarin shook his head as the captain flew off. “Mare's got a mean streak, but I guess that's a perk of the job. Be sure to drop by and visit sometime. If you ever get tired of this princess thing, you're welcome back at the academy. I'm sure Spitfire would love to turn you into a proper pegasus.”

“And you still owe me another one of those massages,” said Fleetfoot with a suggestive wink before she flew off as well.

The sudden blush that appeared caused Rainbow Dash to stare and the second the two of them were alone, Rainbow Dash's hug turned from tight to bone-crushing. “Alright Twi, spill! Just what sort of 'massage' did you give her?”

“Gah! Dash, it wasn't like that!”

Present day...

Derpy Hooves hummed to herself as she carefully flew through the air, a mailbag slung across her shoulder packed with messages for every pony in Ponyville. Today had been particularly busy, but she was getting a decent overtime wage and didn't mind the extra work.

ZHOOM!

The pegasus yelped as a violet blur suddenly rushed past her, a wave of air following after and dislodging the partially open bag, sending several dozen letters flying.

“Ahhh! No no no!” Pumping her wings, Derpy chased after the falling letters, sweeping back and forth in an impressive display of flying, catching each and every one of the letters fluttering towards the ground and depositing them back in her bag before any of them managed to fall. “Whew...close one.”

ZHOOM! ZHOOM! ZHOOM!

The world briefly turned white as letters flew everywhere in the sudden wave of air following in the wake of the three Wonderbolts. Derpy whimpered as she saw the letters scatter everywhere, her mailbag almost empty now. Taking a breath, the gray pegasus reached deep inside her bag and pulled out an emergency ration. A chocolate muffin. Taking a bite, her defeated look turned into one of determination, the remainder of the muffin disappearing back into her bag as she raced after them.

Twilight, meanwhile, was struggling with the ring around her horn. Using magic while flying had always been difficult, and now with Luna's improved ring, it was impossible. Oh, and she was trying to outfly the Wonderbolts.

Air was rushing past her ears, making any sounds inaudible, but the Wonderbolts had a way of communicating that didn't involve speaking. From the corner of her eye, Twilight could see Soarin and Fleetfoot gaining on her at a steady pace, their expressions relaxed to the point where it almost seemed like they were on a casual morning flight.

Twilight squeaked as Spitfire disappeared, only to suddenly descend from above, one of her hooves sliding along her back and causing her flight to waver slightly. Folding her wings, Twilight shot downwards towards the forest below, trying to use the trees as cover, taking the most random and unpredictable path she could, but soon she found her route being decided for her as the other pegasi began to cut her off and outpace her.

Pushing herself now, Twilight looked around for options. Flying through the forest was far too dangerous, but up above there was a large collection of clouds. Gritting her teeth, Twilight began to fly straight up, the three Wonderbolts in close pursuit. For a moment it seemed as though she was going to make it, then from the corner of her eye she could see a fast moving rainbow trail.

Twilight barely had time to cry out in surprise before the pegasus passed in front of her, the force of the air pushing her off course. Zipping around faster than her eye could track, Twilight didn't have time to steady herself before a pair of hooves gently gave her tail a tug, killing her momentum and sending her downwards. The fall was short lived though as she fell into the hooves of Rainbow Dash. To her dismay, she was wearing a familiar golden choker.

Every pegasus had to know at least the basics of weather work if only to learn how to fly safely. Anypony who took a career in flying had to take several courses and work for a weather factory, so it was little surprise that the Wonderbolts had a cloud fort constructed within minutes that concealed the five of them from view.

At the same time, Rainbow Dash had the important job of keeping Twilight from flying away and distracting her each time she tried to call on her magic.

“You know, you could have just asked me to talk rather than ambushing me!” she grumbled, fighting a gasp as Rainbow Dash's teeth gently nibbled at her neck.

“Mhmm...sure, I can tell you were really eager to talk about this,” said Rainbow with a grin as she pressed down against Twilight's back a bit more, keeping her from squirming too much. “You ran the second you saw Spitfire wearing your collar.”

“I haven't exactly had the most calming day,” she shot back, groaning as Dash's tongue suddenly slid over her horn. “Will you stop that?” she asked, stammering slightly.

“Only when you stop trying to teleport.”

“I wasn't-”

“The ring glows blue every time you start thinking about it.”

Curiously, her eyes turned upwards towards her horn as she began to concentrate. Sure enough, the small gold hoop began to shimmer with a soft azure color. “Damn you Luna,” she groaned. Despite not intending to teleport, Dash took the chance to give her belly a rub with her hoof and break her concentration again.

“Excellent work Rainbow Dash,” said Spitfire as she landed inside the cloud fort with the other Wonderbolts.

Twilight took a moment to glare at each of them. “You know, I'm almost certain there's a law against treating royalty like this.”

“That depends on whether or not you'll still be royalty in two months,” said Spitfire, lowering her goggles and letting them hang around her neck. Beside her, Fleetfoot and Soarin did the same. “But that is aside the point. Princess Twilight Sparkle, I and my companions Fleetfoot and Soarin wish to be formally inducted into your harem.” The statement was followed by a bow from all three.

“And me,” said Rainbow, nuzzling the back of her neck. “Got the neck thingy and everything.”

“Why?” asked Twilight, fighting back another gasp as Dash's hooves continued to massage her sides and belly. “And will you stop that already? I'm not going to teleport away!”

“Ring is still glowing,” mumbled Dash, giving said horn another kiss.

Twilight let out a growl of frustration but slowly the glow from the ring abated and finally vanished. “There, now will you get off?”

“Mmm...nope. I like this spot,” teased Dash.

Before Twilight could start snapping at her friend, Spitfire interrupted. “My answer is three-fold, Princess Twilight. First, I hold respect for you as you were willing to work towards a challenging goal far outside your comfort zone and rise to the occasion. Second, I find this ham-hoofed attempt at dethroning you to be little more than petty bullying, of which I am opposed to. Third, as part of the royal guard, it is my duty to protect the royalty from all potential threats, both internal and external.”

“Not to mention the new uniforms,” added Soarin, tapping his hoof against his chest. “We've been fielding these requests for ages but Celestia never had time for them.”

“Hey that's not entirely her fault,” said Twilight defensively. “She has a lot of things to deal with!”

“And obviously you've helped her with that,” cut in Fleetfoot. “Sure, uniforms should probably take a back seat to diplomatic relations and food production, but you still got it done.”

Twilight sighed and shifted beneath Rainbow Dash once again. “Those are...decent reasons but this isn't like exchanging a favor you know! You're potentially walking into a lifetime commitment if the law can't be revoked!”

“I've made my decision Princess Twilight, and I stand by it.”

“What about aside from your duty then?” asked Twilight. “What makes you think I'd accept you just out of some sense of obligation?”

Spitfire blinked, but she'd obviously been prepared for the question. “Apart from my duty? Well, putting everything else aside, I think you're attractive, you're driven towards self-improvement, which I find to be an appealing quality, and the few times you let that cynical side of yours show with that biting wit made me want to give you a lesson completely unrelated to flying.”

It wasn't exactly the most flattering delivery, but the blunt way she had given it to her was almost charming in its own way. “And what about you Twilight, do we meet your standards?”

Twilight fought a blush as she looked over the three in their form fitting outfits. As Wonderbolts under a constant regimen of intense physical training, they were at the near peak of physical fitness and it showed. “Of course you do...” she mumbled, pushing her head against the cloud. “But that doesn't explain why you're in on this!” she snapped at Rainbow.

“Pfft. I wanted to ask you out the first time I saw you in Ponyville. I've just been waiting for an excuse.”

“I get the impression that you're nervous Twilight,” said Spitfire before the alicorn could respond.

“Of course I'm nervous! I've never even...you know...” She trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

Spitfire nodded. “I see. Soarin, Fleetfoot, I want you two to go on patrol. Don't let any pegasi come near this cloud cover. Tell them that there's a weather experiment going on if they ask. Rainbow Dash?”

“Ma'am?”

“I leave this in your capable hooves,” she said before the three of them took off, leaving her alone with the rainbow pegasus.

“Hey there,” said Rainbow with a soft nuzzle. “You looked good out there trying to outfly Spitfire.”

Twilight blinked at the praise but didn't respond, so Rainbow continued talking, even as she nipped at her neck and caressed her fur. “I wasn't joking you know. I've wanted to do this ever since I saw you in Ponyville.” Her body shifted and suddenly Twilight found Rainbow's mouth gently nibbling on a sensitive part of her wing. Her sharp moan was muffled by the clouds as her body trembled. “And I've wanted to do that ever since you got wings.”

“D-Dash, we're right out in the open!” she protested weakly.

“Relax Twi, we've got clouds. They'll keep things muffled no matter how loud you get.”

Despite Rainbow's assurances, Twilight tried her best to remain silent, a feat which became increasingly difficult as the pegasus continued her pleasurable assault on her wings. For a pony who had built her reputation on being fast and oft times impatient, she was moving almost tortuously slow, relaxing her with gentle touches and soft nips.

“A-aren't we supposed to go on dates before we do this kind of thing?” she gasped out, her entire body feeling warm.

“There's no rules for this sort of thing Twi,” murmured Rainbow Dash into her ear. “But if you really want me to stop, I'll go tell Spitfire to lay off and send the Wonderbolts packing. Promise.”

The conflict played out in her mind in an instant. She wasn't trying to build a harem. She'd only brought up this silly law because she wanted a break after all. Even now though, she could feel the warmth and affection coming from her close friend. She wasn't helping her out of obligation, but out of a genuine sense of affection and attraction, and if Twilight was being honest with herself, that attraction wasn't one-sided either. The stupid harem law may as well have just been window dressing.

Besides, Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts were just four ponies, a far cry from the twenty she needed, and if she took in a few members then it would look as though she were at least making an effort and perhaps get Luna to ease off a bit.

“T-turn me over,” she said finally, shifting to face the smiling pegasus. Swallowing, she recalled the words Luna had her recite when she was enchanting the chokers. “I, Twilight Sparkle, do welcome Rainbow Dash among my herd. Her burdens will be my burdens. Her happiness, my happiness. I accept the tribute of her worldly possessions along with her body and mind and bestow this collar as a symbol of my...ownership.”

“And I, Rainbow Dash, accept this gift.” There was a flash as the inert magic in the amethyst gem activated and began to glow a muted violet color. All of this went unseen by Twilight though, as Rainbow Dash has pushed in close, her mouth opening and pressing against Twilight's in a soft, sensual kiss, her tongue sliding out and gently licking along her mouth before slipping inside and briefly touching the alicorn's tongue before breaking away.

“So...did you come up with that on your own?” teased Rainbow, giggling lightly in an effort to help Twilight relax.

“I-it was Luna's idea,” she murmured nervously. “I didn't have a better one. The important part is the intent though and the thoughts associated with-”

Rainbow silenced her with another soft kiss, this time simply running her tongue along her muzzle. “I believe you,” she murmured. “Did you want to do the next part?” she said with a grin.

Blushing, Twilight nodded.

“Do you want me to lead?”

Another hesitant nod.

The warm smile Rainbow had on her face made Twilight's heart beat faster. Slowly, with the same care and affection she'd shown since her 'capture', Rainbow Dash began to move, her tongue trailing down her stomach and gently teasing at her fur.

**********

The pegasus' forelegs shifted to curl around Twilight's hind legs, her warm breath gently passing over her marehood before her tongue plunged inside. The sharp cry of pleasure was the signal Dash had been waiting for, her pace intensifying and her tongue sliding in deep, abandoning the gentle pace she had been building up to give Twilight a taste of the speed she'd been expecting.

Within moments the pegasus had the princess moaning and squirming on the cloud, bucking upwards towards her skilled tongue which seemed intent on exploring and pleasuring every inch it could reach. Just when the alicorn was adapting to her new pace, Dash shifted again, giving her longer, slower licks, occasionally pulling out completely to slide her tongue along her folds.

It almost made Twilight feel guilty to just lay there and enjoy the other mare's tongue, though the myriad of sweet cries and moans that filled the cloud fort seemed to more than satisfy the pegasus.

“D-Dash...close...” she managed to gasp out. The rainbow mare's response was to thrust faster and deeper with her long, wet tongue, quickly pushing the alicorn to her blissful peak. Juices spilled out, staining Dash's muzzle even as her tongue worked to lap up her offering. Around her neck, the amythest centerpiece glowed brightly and flashed as the energy of Twilight's release sealed the spell and cemented Rainbow Dash's place at her side.

Panting from her sudden and quick release, Twilight couldn't help but blush deeply as Rainbow Dash slid up Twilight's body, her tongue licking a small bit of cum from her muzzle before nuzzling her neck, embracing her in a warm hug and cuddling with her in the valley after the peak.

“You taste good Twi,” murmured Dash. “Really good. Wonder if it's a princess thing,” she teased.

“I'll take your word for it,” mumbled Twilight as she rested her hooves on Dash's back, careful to avoid disturbing her wings even though she didn't seem to mind.

“No really, have a taste,” said Rainbow with a grin, leaning in for another kiss.

Twilight squeaked and began to squirm beneath Dash whose grip had tightened a bit to keep her in place. “Nnhh! Dash, don't you d-mmph!” The pegasus proved faster, planting another kiss on her open mouth, her tongue darting in once more to share the taste with her. When she pulled back, the alicorn was glaring at her, shivering slightly at the sharp, potent flavor.

“Aww, don't be like that Twi, was it that bad?”

Twilight's glare gradually faded under Dash's knowing grin. “No...” she murmured, her legs tightening around her middle.

“Do you want me to call the Wonderbolts back?”

“Actually, can we spend a bit more time together?” mumbled Twilight with a hint of embarrassment.

Rainbow grinned and gave her neck another nuzzle. “Tell me what you want.”

“Turn around.” Rainbow gave Twilight another kiss on the cheek before standing up and turning, her rainbow tail brushing against her mouth as she lowered herself down onto the alicorn.

Small details bombarded Twilight's mind as a shiver of anticipation spread through her body. The pleasant scent of Dash after a bout of intense flying mixed with the aroma of her arousal flooded her senses while her eyes locked onto the mare's hips that were slowly descending towards her open mouth.

Hesitantly at first, Twilight pushed her tongue forward and slid it across Dash's outer lips, pleased to hear the pegasus moan encouragingly and press more firmly against her. The princess' hesitance and inexperience were plain, but Rainbow took immense pleasure in being her first, and in the cute muffled sounds that continued to escape even as she tried to concentrate on pleasuring her.

Rainbow's own tongue didn't remain idle for long, once again diving into the alicorn's slick folds, feeling her partner falter slightly as her concentration was split between giving and receiving pleasure. Dash's competitive spirit was also starting to rise, and even though it was a competition Twilight was ill prepared for, the alicorn gave it her all, locking her hooves around Rainbow's flank and licking earnestly, eager to see what the pegasus would do when she wasn't holding back.

Within moments she had her answer. Dash's tongue was everywhere; thrusting hard, lapping at her walls, taking in her juices. Her speed was incredible and Twilight found herself bucking instinctively towards her mouth, though Rainbow was quick to move her muzzle each time and remain in control.

The one advantage she had was rapidly diminishing, but the alicorn fought through the fast growing haze of pleasure, trying to imitate even a fraction of what Rainbow was doing. While the pegasus didn't respond openly, a taste of her juices and a shiver of her wings was encouragement enough.

Resistance crumbling rapidly, Twilight tried focusing on her magic. There wasn't much she could do, but she used what little she could cobble together to send a spark dancing from her tongue, giving the pegasus a jolt that made her jerk in surprise and briefly break her pace. Panting with desire and need, Twilight took the chance to push Rainbow over and take the top.

“Magic huh? Guess that means I get to use my wings!”

Twilight only had a moment to consider what that meant before Rainbow Dash showed her, the deceptively strong wings fanning out over her back, massaging her while pressing down hard, causing her legs to buckle. For a moment it almost felt like Rainbow's muzzle had pushed inside before her tongue lashed out, hitting even deeper than before. The alicorn's cry of pleasure filled the cloud fort as a tingling sensation raced up and down her body.

Movements shaky, Twilight tried to reciprocate in kind, but Dash wasn't giving her a moment to rest, her hooves massaging her flank and her sensitive cutie mark to add to the pleasure of her tongue, shattering the last of her resistance and pushing her over the edge a second time.

It wasn't until the pegasus had licked her juices clean that Twilight got a taste of her in return. Strong rear legs wrapped around her neck and pulled her close, and with a buck of her hips, Rainbow peaked, spilling her juices inside the alicorn's mouth, who found the taste surprisingly good despite her earlier reservations and made an effort to lick up every bit that had landed on her fur.

“Sweeter the second time,” teased Dash, slowly pulling Twilight onto her side before shifting once more to cuddle with her, playfully licking at some of the cum on her muzzle that her own tongue had missed. “How do you feel?”

The alicorn let out a satisfied sigh as she hugged her tight. “Good. Really good,” she admitted. “Not sure I have the energy to face down the Wonderbolts though.”

“Don't quit on me now Twi, you handled two weeks of Spitifire's personal attention...but I'll be sure to tell them to go easy on you.”

With another soft kiss, Rainbow took off, breaking through the cloud fort while Twilight took a moment to relax. It was hard to believe that all her friends were in on this. Sure, neither Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy had admitted it, but if both of them knew, then all of her friends knew, and their combined efforts had already coerced three of Equestria's finest fliers into this. She could only imagine what else they had planned.

“On your hooves rookie!” Twilight's eyes snapped open and her body jerked upwards at the sharp command.

Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot stood in front of her, all out of uniform. It was actually the first time she'd seen Spitfire without one, and the pegasus had a very bright and striking color in her mane and tail. Despite her younger look though, the air of authority was still present and seemed to overshadow everypony else.

“Wait, rookie? I thought you said-”

“You're not a rookie flier anymore but if you were about to fall asleep after two rounds with Dash, you're a completely different type of rookie. Now I believe you had something to say?”

Sheepishly and with some nervousness, Twilight recited the vow she had given to Rainbow Dash earlier. Like before, the chokers they wore began to shimmer with her magic as they accepted her vow.

“About face rookie. Spread your wings and lift that tail. This is an inspection!” The command had Twilight complying before the embarrassment of the position could catch up with her.

“Good to see you taking care of those wings. You get some points back but you're still in the negative from skipping on your morning flights with Dash and your inability to outfly us for more than thirty seconds.”

“W-what? But how could-eep!” Twilight let out a sharp yelp as Spitfire's hoof smacked against her flank just below her cutie mark.

“No talking during the grading portion of the exam,” came the sharp retort. “Fleetfoot! Soarin! I want a full examination of her wings!” Leaning down, Spitfire murmured something into the princess' ear before stepping back, watching as Twilight's body relaxed slightly even as the other two pegasi took their spots beside each wing.

Sharing a nod, Fleetfoot and Soarin began to examine her wings, rubbing their hooves tenderly across her feathers and flight muscles, nibbling and nuzzling the sensitive parts while Spitifre remained behind her.

“I expect you to remain standing for the duration of this examination rookie, or I will be most...disappointed.” Sliding her foreleg in between Twilight's hind legs, Spitfire rubbed firmly against the squirming alicorn who had to fight back her gasp.

The two pegasi at her sides soon gave up pretense, quickly becoming more perverse with their touches, caressing her back with their own wings while Sptifire's hoof rubbed intimately against her. Soarin and Fleetfoot worked well together, keeping the pace of their hooves and playful nibbles similar but varied enough to make it unique for each wing, preventing her from ever getting used to the sensations or relaxing fully.

Soon, Spitfire's petting turned to rough grinding, making Twilight's legs tremble as she was barely able to move without putting strain on her wings. Losing herself for the moment, Twilight's mouth opened and a soft moan escaped.

Then, just as suddenly, the sensations stopped, giving the princess a moment to catch her breath as Spitfire pulled away. “Your sensitivity gets a passing grade and the quality of your moans is top notch, but your most important mark...is endurance.” The last word was almost whispered and a warm breath passed over her flank as Spitifre took advantage of her upraised tail, building the tension once again with soft nuzzling and gentle rubs.

From her position, Twilight couldn't see Spitfire, only feel her touches and hear her words, her breaths slowly turning into ragged pants as the Wonderbolt's tongue teased at the edge of her folds. Finally, just as the tension was about to peak, Spitfire pushed her wet hot tongue inside, her hooves wrapping around her hind legs and preventing her from squirming away.

Later, Twilight would observe that while Dash had the better tongue, the wings and hooves of the other two ponies determined to caress and rub every sensitive part of her body made it impossible to tell which was better. Within moments, Twilight failed. Hard. Still, Spitfire hardly seemed to mind as she lapped up her juices and swirled her tongue along her walls, the gemstone in her choker glowing brightly.

**********

If there was one clear advantage pegasi had over their earth and unicorn cousins, it was their ability to cuddle, their soft yet strong wings giving them a sharp advantage. Despite the altitude, the warmth provided by the three pairs of wings was just as good as any blanket she could remember.

“I still feel a bit bad that you didn't um...you know...”

“Don't be,” murmured Fleetfoot. “You were obviously worn out after Spitfire.”

“I make no apologies,” came the captain's sharp retort as she pulled Twilight against her chest. “And neither of you seemed to mind either.”

“She does make the cutest expressions,” added Soarin. “Besides, we're officially part of Twilight's harem now. We'll have plenty of time to spend together.”

“And by Celestia she definitely needs the practice,” added Spitfire. “Your endurance scores were abysmal.”

“That's okay though,” said Fleetfoot with a nuzzle. “Practicing is half the fun.”

Reaching critical mass embarrassment, Twilight buried her head in Spitfire's fur, using her wings for cover while the Wonderbolts chuckled at the sight.

Minutes passed in a warm comfortable bliss and Twilight found herself drifting in and out of consciousness. Some time later though, she was being nudged fully awake by Fleetfoot. “We've got to get back to the academy and Spitfire has paperwork to do, but we'll be seeing you later tonight,” she promised.

“Don't worry, I'll make sure she flies home straight,” said Rainbow Dash from the cuddle pile.

“See to it Dash,” said Spitfire, carefully dislodging the other pegasi. “That's our mistress after all.”

Twilight groaned. “Never thought I'd miss being called rookie...”

Soon it was just her and Dash again. “Did you enjoy watching?” teased Twilight as she lay on her back. “Don't even try to play innocent, that necklace can tell me where you are.”

Rainbow gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I couldn't help it. Kinda surprised you went along with it though. Spitfire can be pretty intense.”

“She gave me a safety word,” admitted the alicorn. “Otherwise I might have really panicked. It was really...intense, yeah.”

It took some time for Rainbow's giggles to die down. “So what about Soarin huh? You didn't let him do anything with his stallion parts. Got a special harem member in mind that you're saving it for?”

“Gah! No! I don't have any members planned! You four practically strong-hoofed me into this!”

“I'll say sorry if you tell me you didn't enjoy it,” shot back Rainbow. “And my other question still stands. You waiting for a special stallion?”

“N-no, I was just tired after you and Spitfire,” she mumbled. “Still kinda feel like a nap actually,” she said with a yawn.

“Well get your wings in gear and start flying then. I'll give you a wind tunnel on the way back.”

Twilight gave her a playful grin. “You know, as your princess I could order you to carry me back.”

“Do it and I'll be sure to carry you over the most populated places in Ponyville so everyone can see us,” teased Rainbow in return.

“Fine, you win this time,” said Twilight with a pout, standing up and stretching herself out to prepare for the coming flight.

“Hey Twilight, what time is your court supposed to start?” asked Rainbow suddenly, stopping in mid-flight.

The alicorn briefly scrambled in mid air to avoid a collision. “Not for several hours, why do you ask?”

Putting a hoof on her forehead, Dash squinted into the distance. “Well, I might be off, but I'd say there are about a hundred ponies around your library right now.”

“What?” Twilight tried to squint like Dash had, but her vision could only make out a few bright dots in the distance.

“Don't worry princess, I'll go see what's up.” Before Twilight could protest, Dash had taken off, leaving Twilight to rest on a nearby cloud. A minute later she was back, holding a paper in her hand. “Guess this explains it,” she said, handing it to Twilight.

Snatching it from her hoof, Twilight quickly looked it over. It was a flier, printed professionally in neat, elegant script with a stylistic drawing of Twilight displayed prominently at the top.

“Save our princess,” she read. “Let's see...plot to dethrone...archaic law...building a harem...offer yourself to her...preserve our royalty...finest among all alicorns...who the buck wrote this thing?” snapped Twilight, the fatigue from earlier fading as it was replaced with anger, her eyes narrowing in on the fine print at the bottom. “Oh...he's a dead pony.”

Rainbow blinked in confusion but before she could ask who, Twilight took off, her violet trail streaking behind her as she raced towards Canterlot. Curiously, Dash picked up the paper and took a closer look, finally spying what had set Twilight off in the bottom corner.

“Endorsed by...Prince Blueblood?”