Better than the Best

Chapters

Straight from the Heart
A Matter of Trust
Mt. Aerie
Pressure Building
Rivals
Falling Out
A Random Encounter
Event Two
Mistakes and Regrets
Confessions
Everything is Awesome
Reunion
What Truly Matters

Straight from the Heart

Chapter 1

Straight from the Heart

Twilight Sparkle gazed at the town of Ponyville far below as she leisurely soared across the sky. Closing her eyes, she relished the joys of flight as the warm glow of the afternoon sun spread throughout her body. Although she had been flying for several months now, the thrill of gliding effortlessly through the air was still a fairly new sensation to her. A sensation that she was slow to tire from.

She suddenly heard somepony call from below, and glanced down to find Pinkie Pie waving enthusiastically from her balcony on the third floor of the Sugarcube Corner. With a chuckle, Twilight returned the wave as she passed over the shop.

As she continued to smile, her thoughts turned lovingly to Spike.

Ever since she had shared her newfound enjoyment of flying with him, Spike had insisted on taking over some of her chores. Twilight had at first refused, but having been deeply touched by his noble offer, she had quickly given in. As a result, she now had an hour of her afternoon schedule open, and more often than not, she spent the time in the sky.

At that moment, she felt more proud of her little number one assistant than she ever had before.

"Twilight!"

Twilight slowed to a halt and turned around. As her eyes landed on the rainbow hued pony that was speeding toward her, she groaned inwardly.

She loved her friend and truly enjoyed flying with her, but sometimes all she wanted was to have a nice relaxing flight. Whenever she flew with Rainbow Dash, she was often coaxed into flying higher and faster than she was comfortable with. Twilight simply didn't get the same joy out of speeding through the air as Rainbow, but her friend never seemed to notice.

Just as she reached Twilight, Rainbow swooped down beneath her and flipped over. Flying backward, Rainbow greeted, "What's up?"

"Not much, just having a nice relaxing afternoon flight," Twilight replied in a tone that suggested that she knew it was over.

"That's cool." Rainbow nodded.

Here it comes.

"So...you wanna race?"

Twilight sighed. "Not really, Dash."

"Oh, come on!" With a small loop, Rainbow positioned herself beside Twilight. "It'll be fun! How about down to that tree?"

Twilight hated diving. Hurtling herself toward the ground at breakneck speeds and pulling up just before crashing was not her idea of a good time.

"You know how much I hate diving," Twilight told her. "Besides, there isn't much point in racing you."

Rainbow grinned. "I'll go easy on ya."

"Yeah, but you won't let me win."

Rainbow's grin widened. "Well, how could I be a member of the Wonderbolt Reserves if I let an egghead like you beat me?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned away.

Since she had passed the Wonderbolt's history test and became an official member of the Wonderbolt Reserves just five days ago, Rainbow Dash had become extremely cocky. Twilight and the others didn't mind this, however. To them, it was worth the mild annoyance to see their friend this happy. Still, Twilight had had an especially frustrating day and had been looking forward to her afternoon flight to unwind. She couldn't help but feel a little resentment toward Rainbow for ruining it.

"Actually, Dash, I was just getting ready to head back to the library anyway."

To her surprise, Rainbow's face fell. "No, Twilight. Don't cut your flight short because of me. I didn't mean to make you mad. I was just teasing."

Suddenly feeling terrible, Twilight said, "I'm not mad at you, Rainbow. I've just been having a bad day."

"How come?"

"Well, today was Twilight Time, and Apple Bloom was trying to brew a complex potion. And Scootaloo had put together a scooter from scratch and was riding it around the room to show that she had done it correctly."

"Uh-oh," Rainbow groaned.

"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "A wheel broke off the scooter and she crashed into Apple Bloom's chemistry set. There was broken glass and smelly goop everywhere. Then Sweetie Belle decided that she could clean it with a new spell, and before I could stop her, she had accidently cast a multiplier spell, which made the mess three times as large!"

Rainbow grimaced. "Ugh."

"I know, right!" Twilight exclaimed, slightly amused by the Pegasus's reaction. "It took Spike and I an hour to clean everything!"

"And what about the Crusaders?" Rainbow asked.

"The three of them left the library covered from head to hoof in goop."

Rainbow Dash rolled over in the air and laughed so hard that she began to slowly drop. Unable to help herself, Twilight began laughing as well as she watched her friend gasp for air and struggle to maintain her altitude.

Finally catching her breath, Rainbow stated, "I am so gonna give Scoots a hard time about that tomorrow."

Still giggling, Twilight said, "Don't be too hard on her, Dash. She was pretty embarrassed."

Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively. "Oh, I won't."

Grinning broadly, Twilight realized that maybe her day hadn't been so bad after all.

This was why she loved Rainbow so much. She could take any awful situation and find something humorous about it. Not even Pinkie Pie would have found anything to laugh about in that particular scenario. She would have gasped and sympathized with her, and then probably cracked a silly joke to cheer her up, but only Rainbow would have found the circumstance itself funny.

Sure, it wasn't always a good thing that she laughed at other's misfortunes, and sometimes it was downright inappropriate, but at times like these, Twilight was grateful to have her around.

Her smile abruptly fading from her face, Twilight turned serious. "I'm sorry, Rainbow."

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For the way I was acting toward you. I was having a bad day and thought that a leisurely flight would help relax me, and I was annoyed when you showed up. But it turned out that all I really needed was you." Twilight smiled sincerely. "Thank you, Dash."

With a self-satisfied grin, Rainbow replied, "Yeah, things are usually easier to handle when I'm around." Then she moved in front of Twilight and flew backward so that they were face to face. "But you can tell me if you wanna be left alone, Twilight. I'm not gonna get mad. I get that sometimes you just want to fly to clear your mind. I do it all the time."

Grateful that her friend was so understanding, Twilight said, "You really are awesome, Rainbow Dash." As Rainbow beamed brightly, she asked, "You still up for that race?"

"You bet!" Rainbow cried excitedly.

Chuckling at her friend's enthusiasm, Twilight scanned the area below. "How about to that big rock over there? First pony to reach it wins. Sound good?"

"Sounds great!" With a quick flip, Rainbow moved to Twilight's side. "You ready to lose?"

Suddenly feeling playful, Twilight jetted toward the rock without warning. "Nope!" she called back with a laugh.

"Hey!" she heard Rainbow yell indignantly from behind.

Squinting against the rushing wind as it whipped through her mane almost painfully, Twilight kept her focus on the rock. After a few moments, Rainbow blew past her, obviously deciding not to hold anything back after the stunt she had just pulled.

Not this time, Dash. Twilight thought with a sly smile.

Gathering up her magic, Twilight disappeared in a blinding flash of magenta light, and reappeared on top of the rock just as Rainbow was reaching it.

With a shout of surprise, Rainbow pulled out of her dive. "You cheated!" she accused as Twilight began to laugh.

"Not really," Twilight explained. "I said whoever was the first to reach the rock wins. I never stated that we had to fly there."

As her friend continued to hover there in silence, her forelegs crossed and her eyes narrowed, Twilight began to worry that she had gone too far. She knew that sometimes when she tricked her, it made Rainbow feel dumb. Rainbow had always seen her as the more intelligent one, and was often touchy around the subject of her own intellect when she was with Twilight.

Had she just hurt her friend? She hadn't meant to, she had just wanted to play a little trick on her. Why hadn't she thought this through more carefully?

Abruptly, a grin appeared on Rainbow's face. "I have to admit, you got me." Landing on the rock next to Twilight, she playfully punched her shoulder. "I guess I had it coming, what with that egghead crack I made earlier." Holding up a hoof, she waited for a relieved Twilight to bump it. "You win, Twi. Just don't get too used to it."

Twilight giggled. "No, I'm sure it will never happen again."

"Definitely not," Rainbow confirmed as she lay on her back.

Twilight quickly followed suit, and the two of them lay side by side on the large rock in silence as they stared up at the bright blue sky above.

"It's a beautiful day," Twilight commented.

Instead of answering, Rainbow rolled onto her side to face her friend. Propping her head up on a hoof, she said, "Twilight, I want to ask you something, but I'm afraid that you'll say no."

Twilight frowned. "How do you know that?"

Rainbow shrugged. "It's just not something you would typically do. But there really isn't anypony else I could ask."

A little concerned over the sudden change in her friend, Twilight rolled onto her side as well. "What is it, Rainbow?"

"Well..." Rainbow hesitated, then rolled onto her back and gazed up at the sky. "I want you to enter a competition with me."

Twilight blinked. "Huh?"

"It's The Annual Flying Pairs Competition. It's a competition that the Griffons host once a year near their home, Mt. Aerie. I entered it when I was little with my dad and we came in third place, and ever since then, I've wanted to enter it again." Turning her head and looking at Twilight meaningfully, she concluded, "And now that you can fly, I can."

Twilight's initial reaction was to say no. She already got far too much attention now that she was a princess.

Just earlier today, Mayor Mare had stopped by the Golden Oaks Library while she and Spike were trying to clean up the Crusaders' mess, and started asking her opinions for several topics the upcoming Ponyville Committee Meeting were going to cover. This had irritated her, not only because she was busy trying to clean smelly goop off of her beloved books, but also because she knew that Mayor Mare wouldn't have asked her for her opinion just six months earlier when she had been a simple Unicorn.

Making up her mind, she was about to turn Rainbow down, but then she remembered that that was the answer her friend was dreading.

Unsure what to do, Twilight studied her friend. She could tell by the way Rainbow was determinedly staring up at the sky that she was nervous. Otherwise, she would be flashing her cocky smiles and trying to coax her into agreeing.

Suddenly realizing just how important this must be to her friend, Twilight began to fret.

She didn't want to enter a flying competition, she was still a beginner. She would just make a fool of herself. But how could she tell Rainbow no when she could see just by looking at her that this was important?

Finally, Twilight asked, "Isn't there somepony else that you could ask?"

With a long sigh, Rainbow sat up and turned away. "No. You know how Fluttershy is, and she's going to compete in the Equestria Games. I can't ask her to do anymore than that."

"But what about the other Pegasi?" Twilight pressed. "Thunderlane is the second fastest flier in town, and Flitter and Cloudchaser are both really agile. Why not ask one of them to enter?"

Her back to Twilight, Rainbow gazed at the ground and poked at a crack in the rock. "Because I don't feel the same way about them like I do you and the others. I mean, we're friends and all, but it isn't the same. This is a pairs competition, I want to enter and win with a pony I'm close to. And I've been feeling really close to you lately, you know? I helped you learn to fly, we've been spending a lot of time reading that new Daring Do book together, and you just helped me pass that test. I feel like we've grown closer since you became an Alicorn, and I know that if I enter with you, it will feel like...like it did with my dad. Even if we don't win."

Twilight could do nothing more than stare at Rainbow. It wasn't the first time that Rainbow had opened up to her, but this was different. Rainbow was speaking straight from her heart, and Twilight was truly at a loss for words.

Without warning, Rainbow stood up. "But I get that you don't want to, and I'm cool with it. Believe it or not, I understand why you don't want to, and I can respect it. It was just a silly idea anyway." Turning her head, she shot Twilight a smile and a wink. "I'll catch ya later!"

Watching her friend take to the air and fly away, Twilight finally snapped out of her stupor. "Rainbow Dash, wait!" she called as she lifted off in pursuit.

Rainbow turned and looked at her quizzically.

"I never said no," Twilight told her as she drew near.

"It's okay, Twilight. Really."

"But, Rainbow, I—"

"Look, I don't want to guilt you into doing it. I know I just gave that big speech to you, and I shouldn't have, cause now you feel like you have to. That's not what I wanted."

As Rainbow started off, Twilight quickly caught her hoof in her own. "No, Rainbow. You were being honest, and you shouldn't regret it." Twilight smiled sincerely. "I want to enter the competition with you."

Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't have to do this, Twilight."

"I know." Twilight held her friend's gaze. "That's why I want to."

Abruptly, Rainbow's face broke out in a wide grin. "All right!" she shouted with a small, excited back flip in the air. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

Laughing, Twilight hoof bumped her friend. "Yeah, it is!"

"We're gonna totally rock the horseshoes off of the competition!"

"I sure hope so," Twilight said, suddenly feeling very unsure of herself.

"Of course we will," Rainbow replied as she threw a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders. "You've got one of the best coaches in Equestria to train you. I'll have you flying like a pro in no time!"

"When is this competition, anyway?"

"Two weeks from now." Turning Twilight in the air, Rainbow stared intently into her eyes. "You ready to train hard?"

Twilight hesitated, worried that two weeks wouldn't be long enough for her to improve her flying. What if she got to the competition and then ruined it for Rainbow by being too inexperienced?

But after taking a moment to gaze at her friend's cocky smile and intense eyes, Twilight quickly came to realize that she would do whatever it took to make her friend proud.

Twilight nodded determinedly. "I'm ready."

"Great!" Rainbow released her and started flying backward. "We start tomorrow afternoon."

A Matter of Trust

Chapter 2

A Matter of Trust

The following day, Rainbow Dash entered the library as Twilight was removing a book from a top shelf for Derpy Hooves.

Waving a greeting to Rainbow, Twilight guided the book into Derpy's outstretched hoof. "Here you go, Derpy. Fifty two exotic muffin recipes."

"Oh, boy!" Derpy exclaimed. "Thanks, Twilight! I can't wait to go home and get started!"

"You're welcome," Twilight stated as she watched Derpy start toward the door.

Almost immediately, the clumsy Pegasus tripped over her own hoof and crashed to the floor. As she fell, the book was launched across the room and straight toward the open window.

Just as the book reached the opening, Twilight caught hold of it with her magic, and patiently waiting for Derpy to climb back to her hooves, set it gently into her outstretched hoof once again. "And please don't lose it," she added.

Derpy grinned sheepishly. "I won't, Twilight. Promise."

Rainbow stepped aside and allowed Derpy to leave. "You ready to get started?"

"Give me one more minute," Twilight replied, eyeing the whistle that was around her friend's neck.

Suddenly, her horn began to glow with a magenta light as the six books stacked behind her lifted into the air, and simultaneously shot across the room in different directions to their proper places on the bookshelves.

Rainbow scratched her head. "Wow, that gives me a headache just watching you do it."

Twilight smiled at Rainbow, then turned her gaze toward the stairs leading to the second floor. "I'm leaving now, Spike. I'll see you later."

From the second floor, they heard his muffled voice carrying down the stairs. "All right. Good luck with your training!"

Looking at Rainbow for a moment, she called, "I'm probably going to be out later than usual, so you'll have to take care of yourself for dinner."

"No problem. I'll head over to Rarity's and see if she has any dinner plans."

Noticing the smirk on Rainbow's face, Twilight had to struggle to keep the amusement out of her voice. "Sounds great, Spike. Goodbye."

Tilting her horn toward the far corner of the room, she gripped her saddlebag with her magic and brought it to her. As it fastened itself around her, she led the way outside.

As the two of them took to the air, Rainbow began to chuckle. "I guess Rare's gonna have her hooves full tonight."

"Oh, he's not that bad," Twilight stated indignantly.

"Not for you and me," Rainbow replied, "but I don't know how Rarity can stand having somepony fawning over her all the time. It would drive me bonkers."

"You know Rarity. She eats that kind of thing up."

Rainbow frowned. "Yeah, but don't you ever worry that one day she'll have enough?"

"Not really." Twilight shrugged. "What I dread is the day he comes to realize that they can never be together. I worry all the time about what that will do to him."

Rainbow turned over in the air. "He'll be fine, Twilight. He's a tough little guy. He'll handle it, no problem."

Twilight knew that Rainbow was an excellent judge of character. She didn't need to be around somepony for very long before she had a pretty good assessment of their strengths. If Rainbow said that Spike would be fine when that dreaded day came, then Twilight believed her.

Smiling, Twilight agreed, "You're right, Dash."

Rainbow flashed one of her cocky grins. "Of course I am." Turning her gaze to the large field below them, she said, "This looks as good a place as any."

Twilight watched as Rainbow dove toward the field at top speed, and with a strong beat of her wings just before hitting the ground, she landed softly on her hooves.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight began to slowly spiral down. There was no reason to dive so recklessly toward the ground when you could get there just as easily by flying simple circles.

After a few moments, Rainbow called, "Today would be nice, Twi!"

"Shut up," Twilight retorted with a chuckle as she landed neatly beside her impatient friend.

"Okay. Now before we start flying, it's important to do some stretching." Rearing up on her hind legs, Rainbow began to bend over and touch her hooves.

Taking off her saddlebag, Twilight pulled out a small scroll, a quill, and a little bottle of ink, and set the three items on the ground. Unrolling the scroll, she studied it for a moment before arching her back and fully extending her wings.

"Twilight...what is that?" Rainbow asked as she approached.

"It's a checklist," Twilight answered matter-of-factly.

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For my stretches," Twilight explained. "Earlier today, I researched which stretches were most important to do before you physically exert yourself, and added them to this list."

Rainbow slapped herself hard in the forehead with a hoof. "Twilight, you know I like you, right?"

"Of course!"

"Okay, good." Suddenly, Rainbow snatched up the scroll, and crumbling it into a ball, tossed it over her shoulder and kicked it with a hind leg.

"My checklist..." Twilight said sadly as she watched it bounce away.

"You're going to approach your training as an athlete," Rainbow told her. "Not an egghead."

When Twilight bit her lip and turned her gaze to the balled up parchment once again, Rainbow placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Just forget it, Twilight. Do what I do, and you'll cover all of the important stretches before we start."

With a sigh, Twilight nodded.

For the next ten minutes, the two of them performed various stretches for their legs, wings, and even their necks. Although she trusted Rainbow to cover all of the essential stretches, Twilight's eyes repeatedly returned to her scroll. She couldn't help it. She could only truly stop worrying when she had something physical that she could check and double check to be sure that she hadn't forgotten anything.

"All right, that should be good," Rainbow said as she gave her neck one final stretch. "You ready to start?"

"Actually..." Twilight hesitated. "I think you missed one. Maybe I should look over my checklist real fast." As she spoke, her horn began to glow with a magenta light.

As the scroll rose into the air, Rainbow snorted in irritation and quickly smacked Twilight's horn. "Nope," Rainbow stated as the parchment fell back to the ground. "I covered them all."

Twilight scowled as she rubbed her horn. "That wasn't very nice, Rainbow."

"You can't use a checklist in the air, Twilight," Rainbow retorted. "When you're flying, you have to forget your worries and doubts, and let your gut instincts guide you. If you can't let go of your stupid checklists, then you'll never be a good flier."

"They're not stupid," Twilight mumbled.

"Let's just get started," Rainbow said as she took to the air.

As she followed Rainbow high into the sky, Twilight studied her friend.

She understood that Rainbow was right. She wouldn't be able to use her lists once she was in the air. It really was in her best interest to start relying on them a little less often. She resolved to stop worrying so much and allow Rainbow to instruct her the way she wanted to.

Coming to an abrupt halt, Rainbow turned around and watched as Twilight drew near. "The single most important thing when flying with a partner is trust."

Twilight already trusted Rainbow completely, but deciding not to disagree, simply nodded instead.

"Stay right here," Rainbow instructed. Without warning, Rainbow allowed herself to fall a dozen yards before stopping herself. "This is called a trust fall!" she called. "Close your eyes, and when I tell you, you're going to stop flapping and let yourself fall!"

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed, gazing at the ground far below.

"Don't worry, Twilight. I'll catch you. You've gotta trust me."

Twilight swallowed hard. She trusted Rainbow fully in her heart, but the problem was her brain wouldn't stop reminding her that the ground was nearly a mile away.

She closed her eyes and fought to steady her nerves. I can do this. Rainbow will catch me, I know it. She would never let anything happen to me.

"Now!" Rainbow suddenly called. "Fall, Twilight!"

Twilight gathered all the courage she could muster, then stopped flapping her wings. For a brief moment, she felt as though she were floating on air, and then she was plummeting toward the ground with terrifying speed.

She fought to keep her panic in check as the wind whipped around her, and an overwhelming sense of loss of control enveloped her mind. She forgot that this was a training exercise, and that she was doing this to prove her trust to Rainbow. She forgot that Rainbow was below waiting to catch her. All she knew was that both her mind and body were screaming at her to use her wings.

With a shriek of fright, Twilight opened her eyes and began flapping her wings furiously. As she came to a halt and leveled herself out, she let loose a long sigh of relief.

Twilight glanced down at her friend, and felt a sudden stab of regret upon seeing the expression on the Pegasus's face, but Rainbow quickly hid it with a grin. "Great first try, Twilight!"

She saw straight through the false smile and fake enthusiasm. Rainbow was disappointed, maybe even a little hurt, that she hadn't gone through with the trust fall.

Feeling thoroughly ashamed of herself, Twilight lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, Dash. The fall was just so intense...all of my instincts told me to start flying."

This time Rainbow's smile seemed genuine. "No, Twilight, you were listening to your brain, and it caused you to panic. You tend to over think things a lot, and you can't do that while flying. You've got to stop being such a worrywart."

Before Twilight could respond, Rainbow shot upward and came to a halt far above.

"Okay, now it's my turn. I'm gonna fall, and you've gotta catch me!" she called down.

Alarmed, Twilight yelled, "Wait, not from that high up! Let me get closer first!" As Twilight rushed to close the distance between them, Rainbow abruptly fell from the sky.

Caught completely off-guard, Twilight gasped in horror as Rainbow fell right passed her.

"Rainbow! No!" Desperately, Twilight went into a steep dive, but quickly realized that she would never catch up with her in time. A wave of panic crashed over her, washing away any rational thought that she might have had. What do I do, what do I do?! Oh, why isn't she flying?!

"Rainbow!" she screamed as her friend neared the treetops. Without realizing that she was doing it, she tilted her horn and halted Rainbow with her magic.

As soon as she stopped falling, Rainbow opened her eyes and grinned at her panicked friend. "Good catch, Twi!"

Nearly in tears, Twilight yelled, "Why didn't you try to fly?!"

Rainbow winked. "Because I trusted you to catch me."

"But I didn't!" Twilight indicated the treetops directly below them. "Look how close you came to the ground!"

Rainbow glanced down. "Yeah, it was pretty close," she replied, completely indifferent.

"Rainbow, how can you be so calm? I almost didn't catch you."

"But you did."

"Only because I used my magic!" Twilight shouted, exasperated.

Again, Rainbow smiled. "And why didn't you use your magic right off the bat?"

"Because..." Twilight hesitated. Why hadn't she used it right away? Normally, her first instinct was to use magic in emergencies. So, why hadn't she used it in this instance?

While she contemplated this, she followed Rainbow back to the ground. As soon as she landed, Rainbow fell onto her back and placed her forelegs behind her head. Crossing her hind leg over her knee, she bounced it as she patiently waited for Twilight to answer.

Finally, Twilight said, "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to catch you, and when I missed, I panicked."

Rainbow sat up and nodded. "That's right. You were over thinking it. It wasn't until I got really close to the ground that you finally turned off your mind and listened to your instincts."

Twilight could only stare at her friend.

It made perfect sense. On the ground, Twilight always felt in control, and called upon her magic without even thinking about it in emergencies. But in the air, she never felt in control, and it caused her to worry excessively. As a result, she over thought everything and it hindered her performance, which was what had just happened here. Only when she became certain that Rainbow wouldn't survive had she been able to cast aside her panic and allow her instincts to take control.

She realized then that Rainbow had already understood this about her, and that was why she had taken her checklist away.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "Rainbow, you knew that I was going to miss you, didn't you?"

"Sure did," Rainbow confirmed as she climbed back to her hooves.

"And you let yourself fall to teach me how to ignore my apprehension and listen to my instincts."

"Yup."

Twilight shook her head. "Rainbow, when did you get so smart?"

With a chuckle, Rainbow replied, "All great fliers understand the difference between listening to your brain and listening to your instincts." Playfully punching Twilight in the shoulder, she added, "And I've been hanging around with you a lot, remember?"

As Twilight smiled, Rainbow announced, "Okay, Twilight, it's time to train for real." Bringing the whistle to her mouth, she instructed, "Now, get down and give me twenty wing-ups."

Twilight crouched low to the ground, and placing her wingtips on either side of her, pulled her forelegs up and held her weight on her wings.

Suddenly, Rainbow blew the whistle and she began.

It wasn't long before she felt the burn in her wings, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to complete the twenty wing-ups.

Finished, Twilight sat back on her haunches and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Phew!"

Without warning, the whistle blew again. "Fifty laps in the sky. Go!"

Twilight blinked. "Fifty? Rainbow I-"

Another shrill of the whistle cut her off, and fuming, Twilight leaped into the air and began her laps. She knew that this was how Rainbow typically coached other fliers, but it was getting tiresome. The whistle was completely unnecessary, and Twilight found it to be abrasive and rude.

When she was about halfway to her goal, Twilight began to feel dizzy and slowed her pace. Abruptly, she heard the whistle. Twilight scowled as she struggled to keep her anger in check.

"You lost most of your speed," Rainbow commented. "Were you getting dizzy?"

"Well, yeah," Twilight snapped. "I am flying in circles."

Rainbow took her outburst in stride. "You're just not used to it yet. Your senses will adapt to it soon."

She blew the whistle. "Now, do a back flip!"

Twilight did as she was told and was awarded with another shrill from the whistle. "That was sloppy. Try again."

As time passed, and Rainbow's whistle kept blowing, Twilight felt the last of her patience slipping away. In her mind, the shrill of the whistle quickly came to represent her failure as a flier.

After she failed to please Rainbow with her barrel roll, and she heard the whistle once again, Twilight shrieked with frustration. Turning her horn toward Rainbow, she shot a spell at the detestable object. The whistle rose above Rainbow's head and glowed with a magenta light for a moment, and then vanished with a flash.

"Hey!" Rainbow cried. "What did you do with it?"

Twilight crossed her forelegs smugly. "I sent it to my desk drawer in the library."

"Why'd you send it there?" Rainbow asked, looking angry.

"Trust me," Twilight spat. "That wasn't the first place I thought to put it."

That elicited a laugh from Rainbow. "Okay, Twilight, I'm sorry. Maybe the whistle was a little excessive."

"A little?" Twilight retorted.

Still smiling, Rainbow said, "Well, I guess we were just about finished for today anyway. You wanna meet here again tomorrow, around the same time?"

"Sure," Twilight answered curtly.

"Great!" Rainbow lifted into the air. "And I promise not to bring a whistle this time. I'm not too crazy about the idea of needing a doctor to retrieve it for me."

"Sounds good." Twilight tried to hold onto her anger, but it was proving very difficult in the wake of the Pegasus's humor.

As she started off, she heard Rainbow say, "Um, Twilight?" Turning around, she saw her friend scratch her head uncertainly. "I'm sorry I smacked your horn."

Unable to help it, Twilight's face broke out in a grin. "It's cool, Dash. I'll see you tomorrow."

As Twilight headed back toward the library, she reflected on how much she had enjoyed her training session with Rainbow. It really had been fun, and she couldn't wait to return tomorrow.

Mt. Aerie

Chapter 3

Mt. Aerie

"I'm so super excited to see the Griffon's home town, city, mountain place!" Pinkie Pie cried as she hopped up and down on her seat.

"Pinkie, stop that bouncing this instant!" Rarity scolded, leaning halfway into the aisle to avoid being stepped on. "There is simply too little space here for you to carry on as you are." As Pinkie settled down with an apologetic smile, Rarity flipped her mane. "Thank you."

"I'm right there with ya, Pinkie," Applejack said. "I've heard tell of Mt. Aerie and seen some pictures, but I ain't ever been there."

"I'm more excited to meet their Falconers," Fluttershy told them as she turned in her seat. "Supposedly, they train all sorts of large birds to help with their daily lives. Like mail delivery and trash collection."

Rainbow glanced at Fluttershy and rolled her eyes. "We aren't here for sightseeing. We're here for a competition. Me and Twilight still have a day and a half to practice before it starts, and we'll need every second of it."

Twilight remained silent as she watched the trees zip past the window. They had only been on the train for an hour, but her stomach was already tying itself into knots. She had worked hard with Rainbow Dash over the last two weeks, and knew that she had improved her flying skills tremendously, but she still wasn't convinced that she was good enough to compete with other expert fliers.

"Practice is, indeed, important," Rarity commented, "but I'm sure that Twilight would love to explore and learn about the Griffon's home and cultures. Wouldn't you, Twilight?"

Twilight glanced at her friends and forced a smile before returning her attention back to the window. The smile quickly melted from her face as she watched the evening sun begin its slow descent toward the horizon.

"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow leaned back in her seat. "Just don't waste too much time. You still need to perfect your corkscrews."

The knot in her stomach tightened at Rainbow's words. Twilight reminded herself that she was doing this for Rainbow, and that it didn't matter if they won or lost. But she couldn't stop envisioning herself failing, and seeing the look of disappointment on Rainbow's face.

Fluttershy grimaced. "I hate corkscrews. They always make me so dizzy."

"I love being dizzy!" Pinkie exclaimed before rearing up on her seat and quickly spinning in circles.

After being slapped in the face by Pinkie's tail for the third time, Rarity growled with annoyance, and rolling up her magazine, levitated it above the hyper Earth pony and smacked her on the head.

"Ow," Pinkie said as she sat back down. "Sorry, Rarity."

Rainbow turned around and placed her forelegs on the back of her seat. Gazing over Rarity's head at Twilight, she asked, "How different is their culture from ours anyway? The only Griffon I've ever known was Gilda, and she really wasn't all that different from the other Pegasi." Suddenly, Rainbow sneezed. "Geez, Rare, you got enough hairspray in there?"

As the others chuckled, Rarity placed a hoof to her mane indignantly. "Excuse me for wanting to look my best."

"Gilda grew up in Cloudsdale," Twilight explained, happy to focus on a topic that would help to keep her mind off of her nerves. "So she would have picked up on a lot of pony culture. I'm sure the Griffons living at Mt. Aerie will be different. So let's try our best not to do anything offensive." She turned her gaze to Pinkie. "Okay?"

As Pinkie nodded with a bright smile, Applejack asked, "I hear that Equestria ain't on the best of terms with the Griffon Nation. Is that anythin' that we need to worry bout?"

"Of course not," Rarity answered. "The Griffons residing in Mt. Aerie are the descendants of those that were exiled from the Griffon Nation when their revolt failed three hundred years ago." Rarity cocked an eyebrow. "Honestly, Applejack, haven't you ever read a history book?"

Applejack crossed her forelegs across her chest. "Ya know, some of us didn't have it so easy as fillies and had to scrape by with only the basics of education."

Rarity's eyes went wide. "My sincerest apologies, Applejack. I didn't mean to imply that you were not well educated."

With a smile and a tip of her hat, Applejack replied, "I know ya didn't mean anythin' by it. I'm sorry for bein' so touchy."

"Well, different cultures or not, I hope they're ready to lose," Rainbow stated, "because me and Twilight are gonna wipe the floor with them." Twilight felt a wave of anxiety wash over her as her friend met her gaze. "Right, Twi?"

Twilight forced another smile. "You bet!"

With another sneeze, Rainbow turned back around in her seat. "Urgh, that hairspray is killing me."

As Rarity glared at the back of Rainbow's head, Twilight stood. "I think I'm going to go pick up a little snack. You girls want anything?"

Without warning, Pinkie quickly climbed over a protesting Rarity. "I'll go with you!"

Twilight had been hoping to be alone for a bit, but figured having Pinkie for company wouldn't be so bad. Pinkie had a way of brightening even the worst of days.

"That's fine," Twilight said. After carefully squeezing around Applejack and reaching the aisle, she glanced at the others. "How about the rest of you?"

When the others shook their heads, Twilight followed Pinkie to the end of the car. Opening the door, Pinkie stood aside and allowed Twilight to enter first, and then closed the door behind them.

"Twilight?" Pinkie said hesitantly as soon as the door was shut.

"Yeah, Pinkie?"

"I hate seeing frowns on my friends," Pinkie told her. "But what's even worse is seeing fake smiles. Since we got on the train, you've made a lot of fake smiles." Pinkie cocked her head. "What's wrong?"

Unable to help herself, Twilight chuckled. Pinkie was always so happy and goofy that it was easy to forget just how observant and intelligent she was.

"What's so funny?" Pinkie asked with a look of confusion.

Still smiling, Twilight answered, "Sorry, Pinkie. You just caught me completely off guard." Walking to the first set of seats beside the door, Twilight sat. "I'm just worried."

"About what?"

"I'm worried that I won't be as good as Rainbow thinks I will. I'm worried that I'm going to ruin the whole competition for her."

Pinkie smiled brightly as she took a seat beside Twilight. "Don't be silly! You're not going to ruin anything for Dashie." When Twilight only sighed and shook her head, Pinkie placed a hoof on her shoulder. "You know, while you were agreeing to enter the competition, I was having a late lunch with Fluttershy at the Sugarcube Corner. All of a sudden, Rainbow came flying inside, yelling and shouting about how excited she was that you were entering. I think she nearly scared the life out of Fluttershy!" Pinkie began to laugh and raised her forelegs over her head. "She was all pumping her forelegs in the air and flipping around. She was so happy, Twilight. You should have seen her.

"Nothing you do is going to ruin this for her. You've never ever ever ever ever let any of us down before, and that's because you always do your best, no matter what. And that's all you need to do now."

Twilight embraced her friend. "Thanks, Pinkie."

With a giggle, Pinkie nuzzled her cheek affectionately. "You're welcome!"

After a moment longer, Twilight released her. "You ready to go back?"

"Actually..." Pinkie glanced toward the door on the far side of the car. "I am kinda hungry."

Twilight laughed. "You're always hungry."

"Pretty much."

Together they made their way across the car and stepped through the door. The next car was a dining area, and was full of tables and a long bar that was surrounded with numerous stools.

Trotting over to the bar, Twilight ordered a single sandwich, and then watched with amusement as Pinkie ordered five sandwiches and a smoothie.

"I'll get it," Twilight said as Pinkie reached for her saddlebag.

Pinkie blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Very," Twilight answered as she paid the stallion, and lifted all of their food with her magic.

"Thanks!" Pinkie beamed as she led the way back to their seats. As they arrived, Twilight noticed Applejack cock an eyebrow, then Pinkie winked, and Applejack smiled and leaned back in her chair.

Twilight couldn't help but grin as she took her seat beside Applejack. It was great knowing that her friends were watching over her. Even when she wasn't aware of it.

As Rarity stood to allow Pinkie to return to her window seat, Applejack glanced at Twilight. "Did ya want your window seat back?"

"No, I'm fine. I don't need it anymore." Twilight held Pinkie's sparkling sky blue eyes as she spoke the words. Thanks to her fun loving friend, she now understood that her worries had been baseless. Rainbow would enjoy the competition as long as she did her best.

"Glad to hear it," Applejack stated.

Rarity looked at the two of them with a confused expression, but remained silent. Behind her, Rainbow and Fluttershy carried on their own conversation, both of them chuckling as Rainbow told one of her captivating stories.

For the next several hours, the six of them sat together, talking and laughing as the sky slowly darkened outside the window. Then, while Rarity was recounting her latest visit to Canterlot, Pinkie's head slumped onto her shoulder.

Rarity paused in mid-sentence and lifted her head to gaze at her slumbering friend. "Well, I didn't think my story was that boring."

As the others laughed, Twilight suggested, "We should probably all get some sleep. We're scheduled to arrive at Mt. Aerie pretty early." Noticing that Rarity was gently shaking Pinkie, she quickly said, "Don't. I'll carry her."

Her horn glowing with a magenta light, Twilight carefully lifted Pinkie into the air. Enveloped in a shimmering aura, Pinkie snored loudly and rolled onto her back as she rose over their heads. Giggling quietly, the five remaining conscious mares made their way to the opposite end of the car.

The final train car was a long hallway with several bedrooms on either side, each with two beds and a small bathroom.

"I'm going to share a room with Pinkie," Twilight stated, indicating the sleeping mare hovering directly overhead as they approached their door numbers.

"Me and Fluttershy's got this one," Rainbow announced as she entered the closest room.

With a sweet smile, Fluttershy said, "Good night, girls," and then shut the door behind her.

"It looks like we get to be bunk pals," Applejack observed, playfully nudging Rarity's side.

"Oh, fabulous." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Now I get to listen to you snore all night long."

"I don't snore," Applejack argued.

Rarity flipped her mane. "No, Fluttershy doesn't snore. You sound like a freight train."

Whatever Applejack's retort may have been, Twilight didn't hear it as she shut the door to her room. Gently lying Pinkie on the closest bed, Twilight drew the covers up to her friend's chin before sitting down beside the window.

Twilight sighed peacefully as she gazed at the pinks and purples in the sky that were her namesake.

In just a few short hours they would be arriving in Mt. Aerie; the only place in Equestria that one could experience the lifestyles and cultures of the Griffons. She had been excited by the prospect of visiting the mountainside city since she had first agreed to enter the Annual Flying Pairs Competition, but it had been overshadowed by her fear of disappointing Rainbow Dash. Now that her fear had been squelched, however, Twilight couldn't keep her mind off of the abundant opportunities to learn more about the Griffons that were sure to present themselves.

As she climbed into bed, Twilight wondered how she could possibly sleep with all of these eager thoughts swirling in her head, but as soon as her head it the pillow, her fatigue quickly overcame her.

She slept peacefully and dreamt of flying alongside Rainbow. The two of them laughed and teased one another as they soared across the sky and busted through clouds.

Without warning, she was startled awake by the train's shrill whistle announcing their arrival at the Mt. Aerie train station. Twilight sat up and yawned as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, and was suddenly knocked onto her back.

A moment later, Pinkie's nose was less than an inch from her own. "We're here, Twilight! I can't wait to see what it's like!" She began to jump up and down on the bed. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"We will as soon as you get off of me," Twilight grunted as she pushed the hyperactive mare off of the bed.

Pinkie climbed to her hooves as Twilight stood and stretched, and then the two of them left the room to find the others waiting in the hallway.

"Isn't Rarity ready yet?" Twilight asked as she stepped aside to allow an older couple to squeeze past them.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "She's wearin' earplugs and that, uh, whatever it's called over her eyes. I shook her a couple of times, but she just hollered at me to leave her be till mornin'." She snorted with annoyance. "I'm tempted to just leave her in there."

"I'll get her!" Pinkie announced before opening the door and disappearing inside. Twilight heard Pinkie shout, the squeak of a mattress, and Rarity's startled cry, and then Pinkie reemerged looking pleased with herself. A moment later, a disheveled Rarity stumbled into the hallway, gazing at each of them in turn with an air of indignity.

"Really, none of you could have awoken me? You had to send in Pinkie Pie?"

"I tried to wake ya," Applejack stated heatedly, "but ya'll were too stubborn."

With a resentful harrumph, Rarity turned and made her way down the hall and toward the closest exit. The others followed, knowing that Rarity's anger would pass soon enough.

As Twilight climbed off of the train, she heard her friends gasp, and looking up, she gasped as well.

Looming just ahead was a massive mountainside, its face littered with hundreds if not thousands of caves. At its base were several large wooden platforms that could lift visitors halfway up the mountain, and numerous smaller platforms hanging from wires interconnected the higher caves. Griffons could be seen entering and exiting the openings as they went about their daily lives.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said as she took a tentative step back. "That is a very tall mountain."

"It's impressive, all right," Applejack agreed. "Ya'll reckon all them caves are the Griffons' homes?"

"I'm sure that some are shops and restaurants and the like," Rarity stated.

"Speaking of shops, look at all these!" Pinkie exclaimed as she pointed at all the wooden stalls that lined both sides of the path that led from the train station to the base of the mountain.

As she followed Pinkie toward the closest of the stalls, Twilight suddenly heard several loud gasps and a voice cry, "It's the Princess!"

Quickly turning toward the commotion, Twilight caught sight of a pair of Griffon guards taking flight as a crowd of Griffons and ponies dropped to a bow.

Her face flushing fiercely, Twilight said loudly, "Everyone, please return to what you were doing. I'm not here on any royal business, I'm just visiting."

Seemingly confused, the crowd slowly rose and lingered for several moments. Once they realized that she wasn't going to address them any further, they finally returned to their business.

"I'm never going to get use to this," Twilight muttered as she turned to her friends.

"Of course you will, darling," Rarity reassured her. "You just need a little more time."

Twilight started toward the nearest stall with the others, but came to a halt when she noticed that Rainbow wasn't following. "Rainbow, what's wrong?" Twilight inquired as she approached her friend.

Rainbow studied her for a moment before she spoke. "Twilight, I just want you to know that...well..." She turned and looked at the crowd that was milling about the stalls. "I know that all this attention makes you uncomfortable, and if you want to back out of the competition, I won't hold it against you."

"Not for a million bits," Twilight stated with a smile.

"Great!" Rainbow returned her smile. "Just wanted to throw that out there."

"I appreciate that, Dash, but nothing is going to keep me from this competition."

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, I presume," a voice suddenly spoke from above.

With a start, Twilight turned her gaze up to find a Pegasus wearing an elegant crimson robe and flanked by two Griffon guards descending toward her.

"Um...yes," Twilight affirmed.

The Pegasus landed before her and bowed, as did the two guards behind him. "I am Ambassador Overwatch. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

The Ambassador straightened and his steely gaze met her own. "Governor Gideon humbly requests you to accompany him for breakfast." He glanced behind her as the others drew near. "Your friends are welcome to join us as well."

Twilight swallowed hard. The ruler of Mt. Aerie was inviting her to breakfast? What should she do? She had no idea how to conduct herself for such a formal meeting. What if she messed up and caused tension between Mt. Aerie and Canterlot? How would she ever be able to face Princess Celestia again?

"Um, Twilight?" Applejack mumbled as she poked her in the flank.

"Uh, yes, yes! We accept." Twilight smiled sheepishly as she stared at Ambassador Overwatch's stern face. "Of course we'll attend Governor Gideon's breakfast. We'd be happy to!" She heard the others voice their agreement behind her.

Overwatch lowered his head. "Please follow me, Your Highness."

Following the Ambassador, Twilight glanced back at her friends and saw that they all looked as nervous as she felt. Apparently, she wasn't the only one that was worried about attending the breakfast.

As they approached the large wooden platforms at the base of the mountain, several Griffon guards stepped forward to block a group of ponies from boarding. "I'm sorry, sir," Twilight heard one of the guards say. "The Princess and the Ambassador take priority. You can board the next platform."

Twilight climbed the stairs that led to the platform, and then eyed the two chains that extended from the midpoint of the mountain all the way to the ground. She surmised that the chains acted as a pulley system that would raise the platform up the mountainside.

"I was very excited to hear that you were visiting." Overwatch suddenly smiled and the hard lines on his face vanished. "I've heard so much about you from Princess Celestia."

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight blinked. "The princess told you about me?"

"Indeed." Overwatch nodded. "We are good friends."

Just then, the platform started upward with a lurch that caused them all to stagger.

The Ambassador watched them as they regained their balance, then turned to Twilight. "I can see that you're nervous."

Twilight's ears flattened against her head as she averted her eyes. "I thought I was doing a better job of hiding it."

"Twilight isn't very used to this whole being a princess thingy," Pinkie unexpectedly chimed in. Smiling brightly, she added, "She doesn't even like wearing her crown."

"Yes, I was wondering about that."

"I just don't feel comfortable wearing it," Twilight explained, throwing Pinkie an angry look. "I don't want anypony to feel like I'm better than they are."

"Celestia was right," Overwatch commented. "You do make a fine princess."

As Twilight's cheeks began to burn, Fluttershy suddenly pressed against her. She glanced over and saw that Fluttershy was eyeing the edge of the platform fearfully as she continued to push her way to the center. Feeling her friend quivering, Twilight put her foreleg around her neck reassuringly.

"So, if ya don't mind me askin'..." Applejack scratched her head. "Why is an ambassador needed here? We are still in Equestria, ain't we?"

"We are," Overwatch confirmed. "When the Griffons crossed the sea from the Griffon Nation three hundred years ago, Princess Celestia not only offered them this mountain and the surrounding land as a new home, but also as a place where their culture and customs could be practiced unopposed.

"Although Princess Celestia wants to interfere with the Griffons' way of life as little as possible, it is still necessary to have someone around to remind them that they are under Canterlot's rule. As ambassador, it is my duty to ensure that Equestria's best interests are always kept in mind. I also uphold all Equestrian laws, and watch over the pony residents of the city."

At that moment, the platform came to a halt in front of a large cave.

Immediately inside were several Griffon guards wearing golden armor and wielding spears standing along one side of the cave. On the far end of the cave was a long table where several Griffons sat and talked to the new arrivals. A long line of ponies and a few Griffons ran from the desk all the way back to the platform. The small crowd chattered and shuffled impatiently as they waited to be allowed into the city.

Upon seeing Twilight, the guards straightened, thrusting out their chests and holding their heads high as they raised their spears in a show of respect. One of the Griffons that had been sitting at the table knocked his chair over in his haste to reach them.

"Ambassador Overwatch, sir, and Princess..." he hesitated.

"Twilight Sparkle," Twilight offered.

"Ah, yes. Please pardon me," the Griffon said as he deeply bowed. "Welcome to Mt. Aerie. We are honored to have you in our humble city."

"T-thank you," Twilight stammered, unsure if she was supposed to say anything or not.

"Right this way," he instructed, indicating the exit of the cave to their right. "With the upcoming competition there have been many more new arrivals to the city than usual. But there's no need to make the princess and her entourage wait in a line."

As they reached the exit, Overwatch stated, "I can handle it from here. You best get back to your job."

"Yes, sir," the Griffon said as he turned and headed back toward the table.

They followed Overwatch out of the cave, and found themselves standing on a huge ledge. Twilight watched the train in the distance as it carried its passengers away from the city, and then looked down at the ponies that were milling about the station. Directly below, she could see the platforms being boarded by the next group of arrivals.

Suddenly, they all heard a small, pathetic squeaking sound, and turned to find Fluttershy trembling uncontrollably.

"Is she all right?" Overwatch asked with concern.

"Yeah," Rainbow answered as the others gathered around Fluttershy. "She's just terrified of heights."

Rarity took Fluttershy's hoof in her own. "You've been doing fabulous, darling. Don't stop now."

"You want to support Twilight, don't ya?" Applejack asked. When Fluttershy swallowed and nodded, Applejack smiled warmly. "Then we've got to keep goin'."

Fluttershy offered a small smile in return. "O-okay."

Twilight turned back to Overwatch. "I think we're okay to continue."

The six friends continued to follow Overwatch as he led them along the ledge.

He paused and indicated a group of six smaller platforms that were fastened to thick metal cables. "These platforms take you to The Den. The Den is the central hub of Mt. Aerie. You can reach any part of the city from there." Several yards further was a lone platform flanked by two guards. "This platform will take us directly to Governor Gideon's home."

As they approached the platform, Overwatch came to a halt. "Only three passengers can safely ride the lift. So the rest of us will have to fly."

Fluttershy gulped. "Oh...I don't think I can."

"Of course you can," Rainbow urged.

Twilight gently took Fluttershy's hoof. "Rainbow and I will hold your hooves the whole way, all right? Just close your eyes and we'll be there before you know it."

When Fluttershy still looked hesitant, Rainbow pointed out, "You know, you're going to have to do this if you want to see those Falconers you were going on about on the train."

Her features suddenly hardening, Fluttershy nodded. "You're right, I can do this."

"Uh...ya'll sure this is safe?" Applejack asked nervously as the platform slightly swayed beneath her.

"Absolutely," Overwatch assured her. "The only instances in fatalities were when those riding the lifts were foolish enough to jump around or roughhouse on them."

At his words, both Applejack and Rarity threw dark looks at Pinkie, who smiled sheepishly and quickly sat on the center of the lift.

As the platform began to move, Twilight and the others took flight. Fluttershy gripped Twilight's hoof with a strength that surprised her, but she simply squeezed back as she whispered words of encouragement.

Understanding just how difficult this was for Fluttershy, Twilight focused solely on helping her reach their destination, and so she didn't realize that anything was wrong until she heard her three friends below begin to scream.

Pressure Building

Chapter 4

Pressure Building

Her blood running cold, Twilight looked down to see that the lift had stopped and was swaying precariously. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie were lying on their stomachs and desperately clinging to the platform.

"Don't panic," Overwatch quickly instructed. "Remain still and help will be here shortly."

Just then two Griffons rushed toward the lift. The first hovered over the platform while the second positioned himself behind it. The three mares collectively sighed with relief as the platform steadied.

"You girls all right?" the Griffon asked from above.

As the mares affirmed that they were, the two Griffons began to push the lift along the wire.

Suddenly, Twilight felt Fluttershy begin to shudder.

Due to the excitement beneath them, Fluttershy had opened her eyes and was now staring at the ground far below in horror. As Twilight watched, Fluttershy began to whimper piteously, and then she unexpectedly squeezed Twilight's hoof so tight that she winced.

"You're going to be fine," Twilight coaxed through gritted teeth as she moved in front of her friend to block her view of the ground. She pointed to the ledge that the lift was quickly approaching. "Just watch that ledge and don't look down. I know you can do it."

Fluttershy swallowed hard and nodded. Turning her gaze toward the ledge, she stared at it determinedly and began to move forward.

"You're doing awesome, Fluttershy," Rainbow said. "Just a little further."

When they reached the ledge, Twilight and Rainbow helped Fluttershy land gently before coming down beside her.

"Great job, Fluttershy!" Rainbow exclaimed, holding a hoof into the air.

While Fluttershy bumped Rainbow's hoof, Twilight stepped forward and nuzzled her affectionately. "I'm so proud of you."

Fluttershy smiled sweetly as her cheeks began to glow, but then she turned at the sound of the lift landing behind them. The Griffon that had been holding the platform steady held out a clawed hand as the three mares stood.

"Oh, uh...thank ya kindly." Applejack smiled as she allowed him to help her off the lift.

As the Griffon helped Pinkie and Rarity down, the other landed before Twilight and bowed deeply. "I'm terribly sorry for the fright that we have caused your friends. Unfortunately, the cranks sometimes stick and we have to move the lifts manually."

"It's okay," Twilight replied, staring at the back of the Griffon's head and wishing that he would straighten. "You can't control when something like that will happen, and you got there quickly enough to avoid any harm coming to them."

The Griffon stood and smiled, but as he turned his attention to the ambassador, his smile faltered.

"You heard the princess," Overwatch stated. "Due to her grace, you will not be reprimanded, but this had better never happen again."

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir." The Griffon bowed to Twilight once again. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two hastily returned to the lift and started pushing it back toward the opposite side.

"I must apologize for this inconvenience as well," Overwatch said with a bow. "I am veritably embarrassed. This platform is the personal lift of the governor, and is supposed to be serviced regularly."

"It's okay," Twilight repeated. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the situation. How many times did they need to bow and apologize?

"Oh, please don't worry yourself so," Rarity chimed in.

"Yeah," Applejack added, "we're just plum grateful that help came so quickly."

"It was probably because Applejack makes such a great damsel in distress!" Pinkie giggled.

"I do not!" Applejack snapped, throwing a nasty look at Rainbow as the Pegasus suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh, come on, A.J.," Rainbow teased, wiping a tear from her eye. "You were screaming louder than Rarity!"

While the others laughed at Applejack's expense, Overwatch straightened and slowly shook his head. "You girls truly are something special." He met Twilight's gaze and smiled. "Governor Gideon will most certainly enjoy your company."

Heartened by Overwatch's words, Twilight returned his smile. They were getting along just fine with the ambassador, and if Governor Gideon was anything like him, maybe this breakfast wouldn't be so bad after all.

Ahead of them was a large cave opening. Inside was a long blue rug with gold trimming that ran the length of the cave, and several stone statues of various Griffon figures were lined along both sides. As Twilight trotted between the statues, she noticed that each one had the Griffon's name etched onto a bronze plaque, and realized that they must have been carved in honor of the past governors. The blue rug ended in front of an enormous statue of a Griffon standing on his hind legs with a drawn sword, the tip of the blade resting on the base. With his two clawed hands resting casually over the hilt, he gazed intently down the hall, as though judging if all who passed below were worthy of proceeding. A large detailed crown sat atop his head, completing the majestic feel of the piece.

Applejack stared up at the regal piece, her mouth hung open and eyes wide in wonder. "Who do ya reckon he is?"

Pinkie hopped forward and read from the plaque. "Prince Zephyr."

"Oh yes," Rarity nodded. "He is the ruler of the Griffon Nation."

Applejack frowned. "I think I've heard of him..."

"I'm sure you have," Twilight told her. "He's ruled the Griffon Nation for nearly as long as Princess Celestia has ruled Equestria."

"He's really that old?" Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy smiled at her friend. "He is. He is also said to control the winds, most specifically the west wind, of the Griffon Nation, much like Princesses Celestia and Luna control the sun and moon."

Rainbow lifted off and hovered in front of the statue's face. "So, does he control the weather too?"

"He has for as long as the Griffon Nation has existed," Overwatch answered. He indicated a staircase carved into the rock on their right. "Governor Gideon awaits us upstairs."

The stairway was very long, and broad enough for two of them to walk side by side. Sunlight streamed in from several small circular openings cut into the rock wall on their right, and a pleasant sea breeze wafted through Twilight's mane.

Pinkie suddenly shoved her head through one of the openings. "Hey, I can see the ocean!"

"We must be around the backside of the mountain then," Rarity mused.

"Uh oh," Pinkie said.

"What's 'uh oh'?" Fluttershy asked, looking at her friend with concern.

"My head's stuck."

Applejack laughed. "Hold tight, sugar cube. I'll get ya out of there lickety-split." After a few hard tugs, she frowned. "Dang girl, you really are stuck."

Twilight pointed her horn at Pinkie. "Everypony, step back."

As her horn began to glow with a magenta aura, Pinkie abruptly disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared two feet to the left. Disoriented, she stumbled, but was held steady by Rarity and Fluttershy.

Pinkie rubbed her neck and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks."

Twilight chuckled. "You're welcome, Pinkie." Glancing over at Overwatch, she saw that he was grinning as well.

Encouraged by the fact that they were amusing the ambassador, Twilight continued up the stairs.

Her friends were so great. Twilight couldn't help but marvel at how they were taking such a stressful situation and making it fun. She was so glad that they had decided to come, and she knew that this breakfast would be a breeze with them by her side.

Up ahead, Twilight saw that the staircase curved around a corner, and as she rounded it, she came to a halt in front of a thick black cloth draped over the landing.

"You can go on in," Overwatch told her. "There is no need to announce yourself. Griffons are well known for their hospitality."

"Really?" Rarity blinked. "You can just walk right into their homes?"

"Indeed." Overwatch nodded. "Griffons not only welcome guests, but are delighted to receive them. In fact, our usage of doors baffles them."

Although it didn't feel right to just enter unannounced, Twilight knew that she could trust the ambassador. She pushed the curtain aside and stepped into what appeared to be a living area.

The room was so well furnished that it was difficult to believe that they were still in a cave. A plush, woven carpet that was adorned with intricate designs covered the floor, and a large golden chandelier fitted with several candles illuminated the room nicely. Several pieces of Pony art were displayed on the wall, and in the far corner of the room stood a small stone sculpture of a Pegasus in mid-flight.

As she gazed at the room around her, Twilight's eyes fell upon a large bookshelf. Scanning the numerous books, she discovered that it was full of Pony story books, novels, and every installment of the Daring Do series.

"Ah, Princess Twilight Sparkle! Welcome to my humble home!" a loud voice spoke from behind.

Twilight turned to find a Griffon with a black feathered face smiling pleasantly. He wore a finely tailored silk shirt and pants, and a thick gold necklace from which hung a small silver shield embellished with two swords.

"Um..." Twilight hesitated, unsure what she should say. "Hello, Governor Gideon. Thank you so much for inviting us to your home."

Governor Gideon bowed deeply. "It is my pleasure, Your Majesty."

"Ooh, so comfy!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed.

With an inward groan, Twilight looked over her shoulder to find Pinkie rolling around on a padded couch.

"Pinkie!" Twilight cried, appalled. "Stop that!"

Pinkie hopped off of the couch and beamed brightly at Gideon. "I love your decor! It's so pretty!"

"Forget the decor! Your outfit is simply marvelous!" Rarity proclaimed.

"Why, thank you," Gideon replied, smiling at the two of them. He then indicated the stone archway behind him. "If you'd like to take a seat at the table, the food shall arrive shortly."

The dining room was huge, with a long table made of beautifully polished wood and surrounded by twenty chairs dominating it's center. Along the walls were more paintings, various expensive urns and vases, and a bust of Prince Zephyr. Behind the head of the table hung a large tapestry depicting the prince smiling warmly down upon a crowd of Griffons.

As Twilight paused to admire an earthenware vase with the flawless image of Princess Celestia painted upon it, Gideon stepped beside her. "If you haven't noticed yet, I hold a distinct fascination for Pony culture. Especially your art and literature."

Twilight smiled. The governor was proving to be as kind and agreeable as Overwatch. "It had crossed my mind, but I couldn't tell for certain." Watching Gideon chuckle softly at her remark, Twilight began to feel comfortable enough to lower her defenses.

Just then, a Griffon wearing golden armor and a blue cape entered the room. He studied them all with a stony gaze before silently taking a seat directly beside the head of the table.

"Ah, Ambassador Hans!" Gideon grinned. "Please meet Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess Twilight, this is Ambassador Hans. He represents the Griffon Nation."

Remaining in his seat, Ambassador Hans slightly inclined his head. "Princess."

Twilight noticed the look of outrage on Overwatch's face. Quickly, she placed her hoof on Overwatch's shoulder, and gave him a pleading look.

After holding her gaze for a moment, Overwatch pulled a chair out for her. "Please, Your Majesty. Have a seat."

Twilight smiled as she sat and allowed him to push her chair in. She was touched by his willingness to defend her honor, but was very grateful that he hadn't caused a scene over it. Overwatch took his seat beside her, and straight across from Hans. On her other side sat Rarity and Fluttershy, and across the table sat Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie.

Twilight noticed that Hans watched her friends as they seated themselves with a scowl. Slowly, he turned his head toward her. "You certainly keep an...interesting entourage."

Although she felt a stab of indignation at his words, Twilight managed to keep her tone causal. "They're not my entourage. They're my friends." She looked at each of them in turn. "The best friends anypony could ever ask for."

"Well," Hans stated, leaning back in his chair, "you do seem to have all of your bases covered."

"And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" Rarity asked heatedly.

Twilight patted her friend's leg under the table in the hopes of calming her. As she did so, she noticed Applejack catching Rarity's eye.

"Oh, just that no one can accuse her of favoring one Pony race over another since she claims to be such dear friends with ponies of all three races, and then she totes them around with her and places them on display as proof of her neutrality."

As she heard her friends begin to shout their protests, Twilight was unable to do anything more than stare at the ambassador.

Overwatch slammed his hooves against the table as he stood. "How dare you speak to the princess in such a way?!"

With a smirk, Hans crossed his talons over his chest. "Why don't you let your princess defend herself?"

At his words, Twilight's hooves began to shake as she felt her heart quicken. She had never been in a situation like this before, and didn't know how a princess was expected to react.

Should she defend her friendships, or should she just let the insult slide? Would she anger him and cause more strain on the relationship between Equestria and The Griffon Nation if she argued? Would she appear weak if she didn't defend herself? But then she noticed the smug look on Hans's face as he watched her, and a wave of anger suddenly swept away her anxiety. She would not allow him to insult her or her friends.

Twilight straightened her back and held her head high as she met Hans's gaze evenly. "The six of us were best friends long before I became a princess," Twilight replied. "I owe everything I have to them. In fact, I wouldn't even be a princess if it weren't for them."

"Ah, yes, Ambassador Overwatch mentioned that," Gideon said as he took his seat at the head of the table. "You were a simple Unicorn until just recently. You must be very gifted."

Caught off guard by the sudden compliment, Twilight stammered, "I-I don't know about gifted...I just studied very hard."

"And may I ask how your friends helped you achieve this?" Hans pressed.

"Princess Celestia sent me a book that contained a spell that Star Swirl the Bearded had started but was unable to finish." Twilight indicated the others with a sweep of her hoof. "To make a very long story short...the love of my friends gave me the inspiration that I needed to complete the spell. Without them, I don't think I would have ever finished it."

"How extraordinary," Gideon spoke softly.

"Look at the obvious pride her friends hold for her," Overwatch interjected. Turning, Twilight found that the others were all beaming at her. Overwatch glanced toward Hans. "I'd say their friendships are undeniably genuine."

"Perhaps," Hans replied as several Griffons entered the room carrying large silver platters.

Twilight stared in amazement as the servants placed platter after platter on the table. She had never seen so much food before. Not even the few royal banquets she had attended in Canterlot had presented this much.

There were steamed vegetables and fried potatoes covered in melted cheese, parfaits containing various fruits and whipped cream served in large glass goblets and stacks of waffles topped with blueberries, strawberries, and apples. An enormous platter placed in the center of the table held an impressive green bean and artichoke casserole, and smaller platters of assorted cheeses and breads were strategically placed around the table.

"I do hope that you enjoy your meal," Gideon said with a warm smile. "I instructed my chef to try his claw at Pony cuisine, but I'm afraid he hasn't a lot of practice in your culinary tastes."

"Well, it certainly looks delightful," Rarity commented as they began to fill their plates.

"I have always been fascinated with Star Swirl the Bearded," Gideon told Twilight once they had gathered their first helping. "I actually have several books that he wrote in my study. They were gifts from Princess Celestia."

"Really?" Twilight replied, perking up in her chair. "I'd love to see them."

Rainbow slowly shook her head and smirked. "We don't have time for that, Twilight. Remember?"

Twilight sighed. "You're right." She knew very well that if she entered Gideon's study and started looking at Star Swirl's books that she would spend the entire day there, and she couldn't afford to do that. As Rainbow had pointed out on the train, she still needed to practice before the competition began.

Hans studied Rainbow for a moment before turning to Twilight. "This is proving to be quite an unorthodox visit. Never before have we received word that a princess of Equestria was coming, but given no reason why." Hans cocked an eyebrow as both Gideon and Overwatch gazed at her questioningly. "Why have you come to Mt. Aerie?"

Her ears drooping, Twilight set aside the parfait that she had been about to start as her cheeks began to burn. "I'm so sorry. It never occurred to me that my presence here would be so confusing to you all."

"Please do not be sorry, my Princess." Gideon favored her with an amiable smile. "It is a pleasure having you here."

Twilight returned his smile, but then noticed Hans's impatient glare and responded, "My friend Rainbow Dash and I plan to compete in The Annual Flying Pairs Competition."

As she spoke the words, she noticed Hans's features darken.

"My granddaughter has traveled from The Griffon Nation with her father to participate in this competition," Hans told Gideon. "She is very excited. I will be most displeased if she isn't given a fair chance here because a princess of Equestria feels the need to enter."

Without warning, Rainbow was on her hooves. "Just what in the hay is that supposed to mean?"

"Easy, now," Applejack whispered as she placed her hooves on Rainbow's shoulders. "Just settle down."

"I would never expect the judges to favor me just because I'm a princess," Twilight stated as Rainbow reluctantly returned to her seat. "Rainbow entered this competition with her father when she was a filly, and has always wanted to enter it again. That is why I agreed to enter with her this year." Twilight gazed steadily at Hans. "It's as important to her as it is to your granddaughter."

"I don't know if you've noticed, Ambassador, but she isn't wearing her crown," Overwatch pointed out. "That should be proof enough that she wants everyone to be treated equally."

Twilight nodded. "Yes, I don't want to be treated like a princess. I want to be judged the same as every other Griffon and Pegasus."

Hans studied her for a moment before turning to Gideon. "I demand that you forbid Twilight from entering the competition."

"You can't do that," Overwatch objected. "The competition is all about equality."

"And that equality will be negated if we allow a princess to enter!"

"Enough!" Gideon shouted. Once the two ambassadors quieted down, he asked, "Princess Twilight, is it truly necessary that you compete?"

"It is," Twilight answered determinedly.

"And your other Pegasus friend couldn't compete in your place?" Gideon inquired as he gestured toward Fluttershy.

At his words, Fluttershy gasped and shrank back to hide behind Rarity.

"She is very timid," Twilight explained. "She doesn't like performing in front of others."

"And she's afraid of heights," Overwatch chimed in.

"I see..." Gideon tapped a clawed finger against his beak for several moments. Finally, he turned back to Hans. "When our ancestors first came to Equestria, Princess Celestia was kind enough to give them this land to live on. She also sent an ambassador to help them cope with the new customs and cultures they found themselves surrounded by. This ambassador quickly befriended their leader, and one of their favorite activities was their daily flights. Soon after, they founded The Flying Pairs Competition in the hopes of inspiring others to befriend those of different races.

"As Overwatch pointed out, this competition has always been about equality. As a result, no competitor has ever been denied admittance in the nearly three hundred years we've been hosting it. And I will not be the governor who starts such a dreadful decree."

"I see," Hans replied darkly as he rose from his chair. "I've never understood your infatuation with these ponies, but now it's becoming a problem." Abruptly, he turned and stormed out of the room.

After sharing a look with Gideon, Overwatch glanced at her and rolled his eyes. "He certainly has a flair for the dramatic, doesn't he?"

Although Twilight offered him a small smile before returning to her food, she couldn't help but worry that she had made some sort of mistake.

But what could she have done? Backing out of the competition wasn't an option; it was too important to Rainbow. She wondered if she could have handled the situation a little differently, but quickly came to realize that Hans hadn't really given her much of a chance.

"You seem upset," Overwatch observed after several long moments of silence.

Twilight shook her head. "Not really. I'm just worried about Hans." Noticing the confusion on his face, she elaborated. "I know that there is some tension between The Griffon Nation and Equestria, and I'm concerned that I may be making things worse."

Overwatch placed a hoof on her shoulder. "It is admirable that you would worry over such a thing, but please do not fret. Ambassador Hans really can't do anything."

"Ambassador Overwatch is correct," Gideon agreed. "As ambassador, Hans's responsibilities lie in trade with Equestria and ensuring that all who travel here from The Griffon Nation are treated equally."

"If I may, Your Highness," Overwatch said, "I feel that you handled yourself very well."

"Yeah, you were totally awesome, Twilight," Rainbow added.

Twilight felt her face begin to burn as the others began to voice their agreement.

Personally, she didn't feel that she was deserving of the praise. After all, she hadn't done anything more than simply answer Gideon's questions truthfully. Still, it was nice knowing that her friends, and even Overwatch and Gideon, were willing to support her.

As they finished their meal, Gideon stood and beamed at them. "Thank you, all of you, for attending this meal. It was a great pleasure meeting all of you. Especially you, Your Highness."

"Thank you for inviting us," Twilight replied. "I really enjoyed your company. I'd love to visit again." With a sudden grin, she added, "And I'd really love to get a chance to look at those Star Swirl the Bearded books."

Gideon laughed. "We will have to arrange such a visit, then!"

In the living area, Twilight found Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy admiring the flying Pegasus sculpture that she had noticed earlier.

"Please, feel free to stay and enjoy my decor as long as you like," Gideon said. "They don't get nearly as much attention as they deserve."

"This carpet is simply divine," Rarity stated as she ran a delicate hoof over the fabric. "It feels as though I'm walking on soft grass."

Twilight left Gideon and Rarity to their carpet talk and made her way toward the bookshelf where Rainbow was sitting.

"He's got every single Daring Do book," Rainbow pointed out as she drew near.

"Yeah, I noticed," Twilight replied.

The two of them studied the books in silence for a moment, and then Rainbow said, "Hey, Twi? I'm sorry that you've got to deal with so much pressure just to enter the competition with me. I know what happened in there was exactly why you hesitated to agree in the first place, and it kinda feels like it's my fault."

"None of this is your fault, Rainbow," Twilight assured her. "It's just...stupid politics."

Rainbow shrugged. "I guess." Then she flashed her a grin. "But it was really cool how you stuck up for us back there. I couldn't believe that Hans insulted our friendship like that, but you held your own." With a playful punch to her shoulder, she said, "I'm proud of ya."

Unable to help herself, Twilight returned the grin. "Thanks, Dash."

Hearing somepony approach, Twilight turned to find Overwatch smiling at the two of them.

"You should be proud of her," he told Rainbow, "she handled herself excellently." Quickly glancing behind him at Gideon, he lowered his head and whispered, "Off the record, I really hope you win the competition." With a wink, he concluded, "It would infuriate Hans to no end."

As Rainbow burst out laughing, Twilight replied. "In that case, we'll do our best."

Without warning, Hans burst into the room and loudly announced, "I will allow Twilight to enter the competition, but only under one condition."

Gideon sighed, and Twilight could clearly see the annoyance on his face. "And what would this condition be?"

Hans gazed at Twilight with a nasty sneer. "I want to join the judges on the panel."

"That's preposterous!" Overwatch exclaimed. "The judges have already been selected. There is no need for a fourth."

"On the contrary, a fourth is needed now more than ever," Hans retorted. "The judges were selected before we knew that a princess would be entering the competition. We need to be sure the panel is prepared for the pressures that will inevitably follow their decisions."

Overwatch rounded on Gideon. "This cannot be allowed!"

Gideon seemed not to hear Overwatch's outburst as he studied Hans with a frown. Finally, he asked, "And how would your presence on the panel help?"

"No matter how much the princess carries on about wanting to be treated equally, there will be those that accuse the judges of being biased. As I represent The Griffon Nation, I have no reason to show any partisanship for or against her. My presence will help to negate any accusations that her judgment is debauched."

"Yes, except that you have a granddaughter in the competition," Overwatch argued, "and you don't want to see her lose to a princess of Equestria."

"Are you suggesting that I am trying to sabotage the competition?" Hans countered.

Before Overwatch could answer, Gideon placed a claw on his chest. "Please, ambassador, remain silent." Turning his attention to Hans, he said, "I will allow you to become the fourth judge."

"But, governor! You know that—" Overwatch began.

"I told you to remain silent!" Gideon said sternly. When Overwatch bowed his head in obedience, Gideon continued. "Hans is correct. No matter how the judges rate the princess, there will be those that will take offense. Hans's presence on the panel will help support our cause of neutrality." Gideon's eyes narrowed. "That is the purpose of the competition, is it not?"

Overwatch sighed. "It is."

"Then it is settled!" Gideon announced. "Hans, I will leave it to you to discuss these changes with the judges."

"I will do so at once," Hans replied with a large grin. As he made his way toward the stairs, he paused in front of Twilight. "I will see you at the competition, Princess."

Rivals

Chapter 5

Rivals

"I don't believe this!" Rainbow hissed as Hans disappeared behind the black cloth.

Twilight poked her hard in the ribs. "Not here."

"I do hope that you are not displeased with these sudden changes, Your Highness," Gideon said. "I understand that Ambassador Hans may make things more difficult for you, but I must ensure that the panel's neutrality does not become questionable."

"No, I understand completely," Twilight replied with a large false smile. "I would hate for the judges to have to endure any criticism because of me, and placing Ambassador Hans on the panel will help prevent that."

Gideon inclined his head. "I am relieved to hear this. I admit that I was worried that you and your friends would be angry with my decision."

"Not at all." Twilight turned to her friends. "I think it's time we got going." As the others began filing down the stairs, Twilight glanced back at the governor. "Thank you very much for your hospitality. This truly was a pleasure."

"You're very welcome, Princess Twilight." Gideon bowed. "Please enjoy your stay in Mt. Aerie."

Overwatch stepped forward. "If you don't mind, Your Majesty, I'd like to see you to the lift."

"Of course."

Twilight found the others waiting for them just on the other side of the curtain. Silently, the seven of them made their way down the stairs, past the large statue of Prince Zephyr, and toward the mouth of the cave.

As soon as they stepped out onto the ledge, Applejack snorted in irritation. "It ain't right that Gideon let Hans have his way. It's not fair to the two of ya."

"I know," Twilight agreed, "but there really isn't anything we can do about it."

"Hans did have a very compelling argument," Rarity said. "And once he'd stated his demands, Gideon had no choice but to agree to them. Otherwise, he would have been blatantly supporting Twilight."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so instead he sided against her. Because, you know, that makes loads more sense."

"Gideon has not sided against you," Rarity argued. "He's just doing his job. If he supports Twilight, then the equality that the competition stands for will be jeopardized. But by supporting Hans, he's helping to reinforce that equality."

"Except that now we've got no chance of winning. How's that equality?" Rainbow demanded.

"Well, that's only if he admits that Hans will actively work against you. Which, politically, he can't do." Rarity shook her head. "I'm not saying that I'm happy with the decision, Rainbow. I'm merely stating that I find it justifiable."

"I still think it's stupid," Pinkie mumbled as she kicked a rock unhappily.

"I understand your frustration," Overwatch said, "but I can assure you that Governor Gideon will do everything in his power to keep this competition fair."

Twilight managed a small smile, but remained silent. She knew that there wasn't much that Gideon could do. Hans was a judge now, and if the Governor tried to interfere with the panel's score, he would be accused of being biased.

She glanced over at Rainbow's disheartened face and sighed. She wished that there was something that she could do. Winning this competition wasn't what Rainbow wanted. Twilight understood this, but Rainbow was still a competitive pony, and she knew that her friend wouldn't enjoy herself if they had no real prospect of victory.

"Please don't be sad." Fluttershy's voice was so soft that they could barely hear it over the breeze that blew her mane away from her face. "I know it's disappointing that you won't be able to win, but at least you'll still be competing together." She tenderly nuzzled Rainbow's cheek. "If you both go out there and do your best, then you can go home happy. Right?"

Rainbow studied Fluttershy for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly lit up. "That's it!" Taking to the air, Rainbow pulled Fluttershy into a tight hug and spun with her. "Fluttershy, you're a genius!"

Fluttershy landed awkwardly on her hooves and began to blink rapidly. "I-I try."

With a small, excited backward flip, Rainbow rounded on Twilight. "If the two of us go out there and totally blow the judges' minds, then Hans won't have a choice. He'll have to give us a high score or risk showing everypony that he's a stupid lame jerk."

"Oh, so delicately put, Rainbow," Rarity said in a sardonic tone. "I'm sure Twilight is very appreciative that you've taken into account the fact that Ambassador Overwatch is standing right next to you."

Overwatch laughed. "You don't need to worry about me. I swear on my honor that I will not repeat a single word spoken here. And as for the Princess..." Overwatch smiled and winked at Twilight. "I've already formed an opinion of her, and nothing is going to change it."

Twilight's cheeks began to glow, but before she could reply, Rainbow swooped over Overwatch's head and landed between them. "What do you think, Twilight? You ready to show them that we're the best?"

"Well...um..." Twilight hesitated. She doubted that she could perform so well that she would 'blow the minds' of anypony.

Applejack forced her way between them. "Now, hold your horses there, Rainbow," she said, casting a concerned glance at Twilight. "Remember that Twilight ain't exactly the most experienced flier."

With a dismissive wave of her hoof, Rainbow replied, "She can handle it. I trained her, after all."

"Wouldn't it be good enough if she just tried her best?" Pinkie asked as she stepped up to Twilight's side.

Rainbow flashed her a cocky grin. "We're gonna do better than our best."

"That's a dreadful amount of pressure to put on Twilight, Rainbow Dash," Rarity stated. "Perhaps you should rethink your strategy."

"Pfft, Twilight performs great under pressure." Rainbow gave Twilight an expectant look. "Don't you?"

"I suppose, but—"

"See? She's totally gonna rock it!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Now, let's go! We've got some practicing to do."

Without another word, Rainbow rocketed off.

Twilight turned around in time to see the others glancing at one another worriedly and said, "It's okay, girls. I'm going to have a talk with her. Go check out the city and have a good time, and don't worry about us." As her friends voiced their affirmation, she turned to Fluttershy. "Do you need my help crossing the lift?"

Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "No, Rainbow's right. If I want to visit the Falconers, then I need to do this on my own."

"I'll go with ya," Applejack offered. "I'd like to see how they managed to train them birds to be so useful. Maybe I can learn a few tips for some of the pests back home."

"They're not pests..." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Yo, Twilight," Rainbow called, "while we're young!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'll see you later."

"I'll be rooting for you, Princess," Overwatch said with a bow.

"Thank you, Ambassador." With a final wave, Twilight took to the air.

As she neared, Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "What took you so long, anyway?"

"I was making sure Fluttershy would be all right without us," Twilight replied, giving Rainbow a meaningful look.

"Oh..." Rainbow turned her gaze away and scratched her head. "I forgot."

"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "You tend to forget a lot when you get like this."

"When I get like what?" Rainbow asked defensively.

Twilight answered with another question. "Why did you want to enter this competition?"

"I already told you, Twilight."

"I want to hear you say it again."

"Why do you—"

"Repeat it," Twilight pressed.

Rainbow sighed. "Fine." Crossing her forelegs, she turned her back to Twilight and said, "I entered it when I was younger with my dad, and I wanted to experience it again with you because...well...you know."

"Tell me."

With a snort of irritation, Rainbow finished. "Because I've been feeling close to you. Happy now?"

"Almost." Twilight circled around Rainbow and studied her face. "So, if that's true, then what's with all of your talk about us doing better than our best?"

"I just wanna get back at Hans," Rainbow answered. "I want to win just to shove it in his face, and I know that you're good enough to do it."

"It's great to know that you believe in me so strongly, Rainbow, but I don't think that I'll do as well as you think I will."

"Of course you will," Rainbow insisted. "C'mon, Twi, I trained you. You're gonna be awesome."

Twilight shrugged. "Maybe you're right, but if I am going to be awesome, I want to do it for you. Not to get back at Hans."

Rainbow's ears drooped. "I get ya." She glanced back at the others as they climbed onto the lift. "I guess Rarity was right, huh? I am putting a lot of pressure on you."

"It's all right." Twilight smiled warmly. "I can handle it. As long as we're doing it for the right reasons."

"Right." Rainbow grinned. "Forget Hans and forget winning. Let's just go out there and have a great time."

Twilight threw her forelegs around Rainbow's neck. "Now, that's the Rainbow I know and love."

Rainbow pried herself from Twilight's grip. "Knock it off, Twilight. You're embarrassing me."

"Sorry," Twilight said with a giggle.

"Whatever." Rainbow rolled her eyes but was unable to hide her smile.

"So, should we start with corkscrews? You said on the train that I still needed some practice at them."

"Yeah, you do! They were the sloppiest I've seen in a long time." Rainbow laughed at the expression on Twilight's face. "I'm just messing with ya, Twi! They weren't that bad, and with a little more practice, they'll be perfect."

As Twilight looped away from Rainbow and prepared to make her first attempt at the problematic corkscrew, she felt a sudden surge of gratitude toward her.

It was Rainbow's nature to push herself to her limits and strive to be better than the rest, but she had chosen to give up the prospect of victory for Twilight's sake. The difficulty of reining in the desire to win for somepony with as strong a competitive spirit as Rainbow was not lost on her, and Twilight appreciated it more than words could express.

For the next half hour, Twilight trained with her friend, but then began to feel an uncomfortable pinching in her wings. Although it didn't hurt too much, she had been experiencing this particular pain on and off for the last few months, and slowly came to a halt.

"Why'd you stop?" Rainbow asked with concern.

"There's something that I've been meaning to ask you," Twilight answered. "I keep getting these odd pinching pains in my wings. It doesn't hurt much, and it usually goes away after a while, but I don't know what's causing it. I've looked through every book I have on wing ailments, but I couldn't find any mention of my symptoms."

Rainbow frowned. "Have you seen a doctor?"

Twilight shook her head. "To be honest, I'm kind of embarrassed about it. I mean, they're my wings, and yet I know so little about them." She turned away, suddenly feeling very insecure. "I just figured I was doing something wrong, like sleeping on them funny or something. I wanted to ask you what you thought it could be, but I'd always get busy doing other stuff and would end up forgetting about it."

"Is it just one wing? Have you ever fallen on it, or bent it the wrong way?"

"No, I don't think so. And it's been both wings, actually."

"You want me to take a look?" Rainbow offered.

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not!" Rainbow replied with a grin. "I may not be a doctor, but when it comes to proper wing care, I'm pretty knowledgeable."

"I know you are." Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Rainbow."

"No prob." Rainbow looked around for a moment and then began to descend. "Let's head for that river over there."

Twilight couldn't help but feel self-conscious as she followed her friend down toward the river. These wings were a part of her body, but she was now relying on Rainbow's help to discern the problem. How could she be so ignorant of her own body?

Once they landed, Rainbow went straight to the river and dipped her head into the clear water. As she watched her friend drink, Twilight felt her unease grow and began to pace in a circle around a fallen log.

"This is really bothering you," Rainbow stated suddenly. When Twilight slowed to a halt but didn't answer, she smiled. "I don't think you should worry. From what you described, it doesn't sound like anything serious."

Unsure how to explain what she was feeling, or even if she wanted to, Twilight simply nodded.

"All right," Rainbow instructed, "fully spread your wings."

Twilight did as she was told, and as Rainbow approached, she heard the Pegasus mumble, "Doesn't sound like the primaries are a problem, so maybe the secondaries..." Rainbow paused for a moment and cocked her head. "Geez, Twilight, when's the last time you preened these suckers? You've definitely got to do that before the competition begins tomorrow. It'll help your performance a lot."

"Preen?" Twilight repeated, confused.

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "You know, when you remove the old, damaged feathers so the new ones can grow in?" Gazing into Twilight's puzzled stare, Rainbow's eyes slowly widened. "You...didn't know you needed to preen, did you?"

Twilight turned away as her face began to burn. How could she have been so stupid? She knew that birds and other feathered creatures often preened. She had even seen Fluttershy doing it a couple of weeks ago. How had it not occurred to her?

"That's what's causing your pain, the wind is ripping the damaged feathers loose." Rainbow looked at her incredulously. "Oh my gosh, Twilight. You've got to preen. That's like the basics of the basics of wing care."

Twilight hung her head. "I know..."

"So, what?" Rainbow asked. "Did you forget that your wings are made up of feathers or something?"

Slowly shaking her head, Twilight poked at the dirt with her hoof. "I...guess that it's difficult for me to think of myself as an Alicorn. I mean, I'm still the same Twilight, but my body's changed, my magic's grown stronger, and everypony is treating me differently." Twilight walked over to the riverbank and stared at her shimmering reflection on the clear surface. "It's been a lot to cope with. Learning to fly, teaching myself restraint when using my magic, and dealing with the pressures of being a princess." She turned and met her friend's concerned gaze. "It's hard sometimes, you know?"

"Twilight, I—"

"I know I have wings, and yes, I realize that they are made up of feathers, but it didn't dawn on me that I would need to take special care of them. I wash them regularly, and scrub pretty vigorously too, but just the concept of me preening my wings seems so strange. So...foreign."

"I get ya," Rainbow said. "But it's really nothing to fret about, Twilight. Now you know what the problem is and how to fix it." Rainbow lay on her back and turned her gaze to the sky. "Go ahead and take care of your business. I don't mind waiting."

"Uh, okay," Twilight replied hesitantly as she studied her outstretched wing.

She didn't even know where to start. The entire wing just looked like a clump of ruffled feathers, and she had no idea which ones needed to be removed and which ones could stay. Trying to recall everything she had read about the preening habits of birds, Twilight studied the feathers closely, but soon sighed in frustration.

"Rainbow," Twilight began, feeling foolish, "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Would you mind helping me?"

Rainbow made a face. "I'm sorry, Twi, but this is something that you're gonna have to do on your own." When Twilight only blinked at her, she explained, "Look, you're totally cool and everything, but I'm not gonna preen your wings." She sat up and brushed her mane out of her face. "That's like a short trot away from doing each other's hair and shining each other's hooves. I'm just not into that girly stuff. Count me out."

Twilight nodded as she turned her attention back to her wings. She understood Rainbow's reluctance to help. The Pegasus had always acted finicky toward just about anything that would make her seem feminine. Twilight vividly remembered the time at the spa when Rainbow had bolted from her chair the instant that Lotus Blossom had touched her hoof. Still, Twilight was a little disappointed that Rainbow had refused to help her.

As she stared at her wing, Twilight felt her patience begin to slip away. Never in her entire life had she felt as insecure and inadequate as she did right now. She could see Rainbow watching her from out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but wonder what her friend must be thinking of her at this moment.

Finally, Twilight tilted her head toward a feather that was bent in half, gripped it in her teeth, and gave it a hard tug. Almost immediately, she yelped at the sharp pain as several droplets of blood accompanied the feather on the ground. Just as suddenly as they came, both the pain and the bleeding stopped.

Clearing her throat and casting a nervous glance at Rainbow, Twilight muttered, "Obviously, that one wasn't ready to come out yet."

"You know what?" Rainbow quickly climbed to her hooves. "I got this."

"W-what?" Twilight stammered.

"Come here," Rainbow said, gesturing her forward with a hoof. "I'll do it."

Twilight shook her head as she folded her wings. "No. I know that this sort of thing makes you uncomfortable, Dash. I'll be fine." She forced a smile. "I just need a little bit of time."

"Don't worry about me, Twilight," Rainbow pressed. "I'm cool." When Twilight opened her mouth to argue, Rainbow quickly elaborated. "This is different. You're a special case." She suddenly grinned. "Seriously, there aren't too many ponies that magically sprout wings after a spell that's never been completed before suddenly blasts them into a scorch mark on the floor."

Despite her embarrassment, Twilight chuckled at her friend's words. "I don't sound nearly as dumb when you put it like that."

Rainbow's face turned serious. "You're not dumb, Twilight. I'm sorry that I acted so insensitively. I was just surprised that you've never preened before." Her ears drooped as she scratched her head. "I couldn't even imagine what it would be like if I suddenly sprouted a horn one day. My whole life would be totally flipped upside down. I would be relying on you a lot to help me figure out how to control my magic, and you sure as heck wouldn't turn me away because you thought helping me might seem too girly."

Deeply touched, Twilight smiled broadly. "Thank you, Rainbow."

"So...you going to let me preen you or what?"

Twilight unfurled her wings. "I can't possibly say no, now."

Rainbow spent the next several minutes smoothing out Twilight's feathers, and then began to instruct her which feathers needed to be pulled. She showed her how to tell when a bent feather was damaged and when it should just be straightened out, and gave her preening tips on how to keep her primary feathers in optimum condition.

Once Rainbow had finished her instructions, Twilight began to work on her other wing. Keeping in mind everything her friend had just told her, she moved through her feathers at a moderate pace, smoothing out the salvageable feathers and removing the damaged ones.

"See?" Rainbow said as Twilight folded her wings against her side, "you caught on in no time."

"Well, it really helped that you were so informative and explained it very thoroughly."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Don't downplay this, Twilight. Yeah, I helped you, but you did a fantastic job on that wing all on your own."

"But—"

"But, nothing!" Rainbow interrupted. "You're good at everything you try, and this is the proof. That's why I was going on earlier about us blowing the judges' minds. I know you can do it!"

Not wanting to get dragged back into that topic, Twilight quickly lifted into the air. "So, should I get back to my corkscrews?"

"Nah." Rainbow shrugged as she followed her into the sky. "You were doing pretty well. I don't think you need any more practice." She drifted slowly past Twilight and scanned the forest below. "You wanna go check out the competition grounds?"

"Do you know where they are?"

"Yeah, I think I can see them from here." Rainbow started off. "C'mon!"

The two of them headed toward a clearing several miles from Mt. Aerie, and as they drew close, Rainbow suddenly swooped into a steep dive. Twilight followed without hesitation, but broke off as she neared the ground.

"This is it," Rainbow stated as Twilight spiraled to an easy landing beside her.

They were standing in a large field teeming with wildflowers of various vibrant colors. A cool breeze wafted the alluring scent of daisies and prim roses to her nose, and Twilight inhaled deeply as she watched the flowers sway as though they were enjoying a festivity all of their own.

On the far side of the field were several large wooden bleachers. Although they looked as though they could seat many spectators, Twilight couldn't imagine that they would be enough for the crowd that would surely be attending the competition.

"There's not much seating available," Twilight observed with a frown.

Rainbow cast a quick glance toward the bleachers. "That's only for the Unicorn and Earth ponies, but there's usually not too many of them. The main bulk of the crowd will be the Pegasi and Griffons. A whole weather team from Cloudsdale is sent here on the day of the competition to set up clouds for them." She lifted off the ground and swept her hoof over the field. "Just imagine, Twilight! Clouds will encircle the entire edge of this field, all of them full to bursting with cheering fans!"

"Cheering fans? As if!" a voice suddenly said from directly above them.

With a start, Twilight looked up to find someone that she hadn't seen for several years. Although she hadn't really gotten a chance to actually meet her, Twilight had seen enough to know that she didn't much like her.

"Hey, Gilda!" Rainbow smiled. "I haven't seen you in, like forever! How you been?" She held out a hoof for the Griffon to bump.

Gilda glared at Rainbow and crossed her talons over her chest. "I've been great. I made a new friend, one that is way more awesome than you could ever hope to be. And I don't have to worry about her suddenly going lame on me."

Rainbow blinked. "C'mon, G. You're not still sore about that welcoming party, are ya?"

"Of course I am!" Gilda began to grind her beak. "You let that little pink dweeb make a total fool out of me in front of that whole stupid, pathetic town, and then you chose her over me!"

Without warning, a Pegasus pony swooped over their heads and came to a halt beside Gilda.

"That seems to be the running theme with our friend here." Lightning Dust sneered. "Anypony who hangs with Rainbow ends up getting completely humiliated."

"Lightning Dust?" Rainbow said in surprise.

"What? You surprised we're friends?" Lightning Dust laughed. "I ran into Gilda here the week after you got me kicked out of the academy. It didn't take us long to realize that we both had a score to settle with you."

"Seriously?!" Rainbow snapped as her eyes narrowed. "There's nothing to settle, Lightning. You got kicked out of the academy because you were reckless, and you cared more about yourself than you did being part of a team.

"And Gilda, all that 'little pink dweeb' did was throw you an awesome welcoming party. You did the fool thing all on your own."

Lightning cocked an eyebrow at Gilda. "Isn't it amazing how everything is always somehow somepony else's fault?"

Gilda smirked. "Yeah. I wonder who's fault she thought it was when she got kicked out of flight school."

"Oh! Sick burn, dude!" Lightning held a foreleg up in the air. With a grin, Gilda balled her talon into a fist and bumped her hoof.

Noticing the flash of anger in Rainbow's eyes, Twilight quickly lifted off and positioned herself between the rivals. "That's enough, all of you. You've all said your bit, so let's just go our separate ways now."

"Who the hay are you?" Lightning demanded as she crossed her forelegs.

"My name's Twilight, and I'm Rainbow's friend and partner for the competition," Twilight answered matter-of-factly.

"That's Princess Twilight Sparkle," Rainbow said curtly. "So try showing some respect."

"Princess?" Gilda breathed before hurriedly bowing her head.

Lightning didn't move. "Never heard of ya."

"Light, she's the fourth Equestrian princess," Gilda told her. "Her inauguration was just a couple of months ago."

"Whatever." Lightning snorted in irritation. "I knew that Rainbow Dash was all talk. You can't live up to your hype. Who do you think you're fooling? Everypony is going to see that you're hiding behind your partner's title."

"I brought Twilight because she's my best friend," Rainbow retorted. "That's the only reason I brought her."

"Right," Lightning spat. "Your best friend who just happens to be a princess. How convenient."

"I'm not here as a princess," Twilight stated evenly. "I'm here as Rainbow's friend. And as to your other concerns, know that a fourth judge has been added to the panel to ensure that the judges will not be biased toward me."

Gilda, who had been studying Twilight intensely, suddenly asked, "Have we met?"

Twilight paused, unsure if Gilda was being sincere or perhaps setting her up for an insult, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Well, sort of. I was at your welcoming party in Ponyville, but we were never properly introduced."

"That's right." Gilda's eyes widened with recognition. "You were the one with that little dragon that just dug straight into my cake."

"Yeah." Twilight couldn't suppress her smile. "Spike sometimes has trouble controlling himself around sweets."

"So...what? You just grew a pair of wings overnight or something?"

"Well, it's actually a pretty long story," Twilight began. "But I—"

"She earned them through study and lots of hard work," Rainbow interrupted. "She was Princess Celestia's star student."

"Okay, so it's a short story," Twilight said. "But that's not—"

"So, in other words, she was a huge nerd," Lightning stated with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah?" Rainbow countered. "Well, this 'huge nerd' has accomplished more than you ever will!"

"Rainbow, please—"

"I would have accomplished plenty if you hadn't ran off crying to Spitfire the moment things stopped going your way," Lightning retorted.

"You nearly killed my friends with that stupid tornado!"

"That tornado was awesome. I can't help it if you weren't able to control it."

"Neither were you!"

"I could have if I'd had a better wing pony."

"I'll show you better." Rainbow raised her hooves. "Let's go!"

"Bring it!"

As Rainbow started forward, Twilight quickly restrained her with her magic. "Rainbow, calm down. This isn't like you."

"C'mon, Light, we'll beat her in the competition." Twilight glanced up to see that Gilda was restraining Lightning Dust as well. "She's paired with a freakin' newbie. Twilight hasn't been flying longer than a few months. We're totally gonna wipe the floor with them."

"Yeah, we will." Lightning grinned wickedly. "You hear that, Rainbow Dash? We're gonna humiliate you and your precious little princess tomorrow. And I won't stop until you've gotten a taste of what I felt when I was escorted out of the academy!"

Without warning, Lightning spun and rocketed away. Gilda hovered there for a moment, looking as though there was something she wanted to say, but then she turned and followed her friend out of sight.

As soon as Twilight released Rainbow from the spell, she rounded on her. "What the hay, Twilight?"

"I had to stop you," Twilight explained. "You were only going to make things worse."

"No, I was just gonna put that arrogant, featherbrained idiot in her place."

"You've got to calm down, Rainbow," Twilight urged. "You can't let them get you this upset."

Rainbow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry, Twilight."

"It's okay." Twilight smiled. "Why don't we head back to Mt. Aerie and grab a bite to eat."

"We'll eat later, Twi," Rainbow stated. "We've got some practicing to do."

The smile froze on Twilight's face. "I thought you said that we didn't need to practice anymore."

"Yeah, well, I was wrong." Rainbow gritted her teeth. "I am not gonna lose to those two. Now, c'mon!"

Twilight sighed as she watched Rainbow soar across the sky. This was not the same pony that had asked her to enter the competition two weeks ago. Her pride and desire to win were beginning to take over, and Twilight recognized that she would only get worse as long as Lightning Dust and Gilda were competing.

Taking flight and following in Rainbow's wake, Twilight began to regret her decision to enter the competition.

Falling Out

Chapter 7

Falling Out

"Welcome, Ponies and Griffons, to the Annual Flying Pairs Competition! My name is Clasko."

"And I'm Emma."

"And we'll be your commentators for the duration of the competition."

"This is going to be an exciting tournament, Clasko. We have several skilled fliers competing this year, at least two of which I've heard attended The Wonderbolt Academy, and more exciting still, for the first time in two hundred and ninety three years, an Equestrian Princess has entered the competition!"

"It is exciting, Emma, but remember that the princess has respectfully asked that we not dwell on her title, so she'll simply be Twilight for this competition."

"That's right, folks! The princess wishes to be treated no differently than the rest of us for the duration of the tournament. So, if you happen to come across her, we ask that you please respect her wishes."

"But back to the competition. As you may or may not know, this competition consists of three events that will take place over the course of two days. Event One, The Obstacle Course, will be starting in less than half an hour. One at a time, our teams will enter the course and will be judged on their agility, overall speed, and of course whether or not they can avoid the obstacles."

"And don't forget to mention that each team will be tied together, Clasko! It's imperative that the contestants work well as a team, or else this could be one brutal event."

"Event Two will be the Pairs Capture the Flag, in which teams will be randomly paired together and tasked with stealing the flag from one another. They will once again be judged on their agility, their ability to work together, and on whether or not they can acquire the flag from the opposing team."

"Finally, Event Three will be a freestyle round in which the teams will be able to show off their best moves. This is often the event that determines the victors."

"Too right, Emma! It's also the most exciting of the events. And doubly so this year. With so many experienced fliers here, I'm sure that we are in for one heck of a show tomorrow night."

Twilight turned away from the commentators and sighed.

She could feel the hundreds of eyes on her as she stood on the edge of the field among the other competitors. She knew that Gideon had meant well when he had asked the commentators to mention her, but it had just made her even more uncomfortable. Never before had she felt so out of place. All around her were excited spectators eagerly awaiting the start of the competition and determined athletes preparing to make a name for themselves. Everyone was thrilled to be here. Everyone except for her.

Twilight gazed up longingly at her friends seated on a large cloud beside Gideon and Overwatch. Forcing a smile and returning Pinkie's wave, she wished fervently that she could join them.

When Rainbow had asked her to enter this competition two weeks ago, the thought of performing in front of a crowd this large hadn't bothered her. She had stood before crowds much larger than this in Canterlot, and had even given a couple of speeches.

But things were different now.

Hans's words kept circling around her head. It was no wonder that he didn't respect her; he had spent a large portion of his life striving to reach his current position, and now he was supposed to bow to a pony who had become a princess overnight? She imagined that that would be like a slap in the face to someone as proud as Hans.

While her feats definitely deserved recognition and praise, they weren't enough to be crowned princess and put on a pedestal above her friends. She wasn't any better than them. She wasn't any better than anypony. So why had Princess Celestia chose her?

Pondering this, she stole a quick glance at Rainbow standing beside her, and found her friend was watching her.

"You cool?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm just feeling a little nervous," she lied.

"Yeah, that's pretty normal." Rainbow turned away from her. "You'll get used to it soon enough."

Twilight studied her friend for several moments. Finally, she asked, "Dash...are you still angry with me?"

"No. Well, uh..." Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. "I don't know." She shook her head. "I mean, I get what you're saying about standing up for yourself, and I feel like a really big chump for pushing you like I did, but I wish that you'd be a little bit more understanding about why I did it."

"I understand perfectly," Twilight told her. "I just wish our friendship didn't embarrass you around others."

"It's not that," Rainbow explained. "I just made it into the Wonderbolt Reserves, and I don't want them to think I'm soft. This is a huge event, and if anypony sees me acting soft here, the Wonderbolts will hear of it."

"I think the Wonderbolts have a pretty good idea of what kind of pony you are, Rainbow, and I don't think anything anypony will say can change that."

Rainbow shrugged. "Yeah...maybe."

Twilight frowned as she watched her friend turn away once more. Something had been bothering her since their last argument; a thought that had been swimming in the depths of her mind, refusing to surface. But now, as she contemplated what Rainbow had just said, she suddenly began to wonder if perhaps Rainbow had an alternate motive for bringing her to this competition.

She had just been accepted into the Wonderbolt Reserves, and now she was about to compete in The Annual Flying Pairs Competition. And as Rainbow had just stated, it was a huge event. Not only were there experienced Pegasi here, but also many skilled Griffons from both Mt. Aerie and The Griffon Nation. Twilight was sure that every major flying faction, including the Wonderbolts, had their eyes on this competition. Did Rainbow see this as a chance to impress the Wonderbolts?

Another thought suddenly struck her. She was a brand new flier about to enter this huge competition with Rainbow, who had trained her. If they won, or even just placed, it would speak volumes for Rainbow's leadership abilities. But then, she had given up the prospect of winning when they learned that Hans would be joining the judge's panel.

For the first time, Twilight truly comprehended how hard that must have been for Rainbow, and it left her to wonder why her friend hadn't mentioned it.

Joining the Wonderbolts is very important to her, I've always known that. But she's in the reserves now. She's practically already achieved her dream, so why is she still so set on proving herself? Was there still something more that she was striving for?

Her frown deepening, Twilight followed Rainbow's gaze to Nasir and Krystle. Ever since their argument, Rainbow had been watching the little Griffon, and several times, Twilight had been pretty sure that she was smiling.

Twilight's mind went back to the day the two of them were lying together on that rock. Rainbow had said that she wanted to compete with her because they were close, and it would be like it had been with her dad. Twilight harbored no doubt that Rainbow had been sincere when she had made that statement, but now something was bothering her. Something that she hadn't thought of before.

Why hadn't she come back here again with her father?

As she considered all of this, Twilight watched Krystle zip around in the air while an annoyed Nasir repeatedly hollered at her to calm down. Without warning, Krystle swooped toward her father and embraced him, giggling as she nuzzled at the feathers in his neck.

Suddenly, all of the pieces shifted into place like the last dozen books slipped into their shelves on re-shelving day.

"She's cute, isn't she," Twilight said as she moved forward to stand beside Rainbow.

Rainbow wiped her face with her hoof in an attempt to hide her smile. "Yeah, I guess."

"She reminds you of yourself when you were here last," Twilight stated with confidence.

Rainbow nodded. "I was a couple of years older, but yeah...I acted just like her." Rainbow chuckled quietly. "And my dad acted just as annoyed with me."

Studying her friend intently, Twilight switched topics. "Why do you want to join the Wonderbolts?"

Rainbow blinked. "You know why. It's been my dream since I was a little filly."

"What's the other reason, Dash? Why did you become so upset when you believed that you'd never pass the Wonderbolt's history test?" Twilight gave her a meaningful look. "It's more than just a dream, isn't it?"

Rainbow stared at her for a moment, then glanced over at Krystle before returning her gaze to Twilight. Finally, she smiled and shook her head. "I knew that you'd figure it out if I brought you here. It was the biggest reason why I almost didn't ask you."

Twilight sat down. "I promised myself that I would never ask you about your parents. I figured that if you ever wanted to talk about them, you'd say something." She laid a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand."

Rainbow gently removed her hoof and sat. "I never took my schooling very seriously. I was always sorta the class clown. I never did my homework and hardly ever studied for tests. I didn't believe that I needed to know any of it, I mean, come on, I was gonna grow up and be a Wonderbolt! All I ever wanted to do was fly and practice whatever new move I came up with the day before. Still, I always managed to get by with average scores.

"But then, I convinced my dad to compete with me here." Rainbow's ears drooped as she hung her head. "Dad still thinks it was the worst mistake he ever made. We placed third and it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. Everyone was ranting about how I was such an amazing flier for my age, and it totally went to my head.

"After that, I started to slack off at school more and more, and before long, I was skipping classes. I didn't have time for them anymore, I needed all the practice I could get if I was going to make it into the Wonderbolts. Then, during my final year of schooling, I started getting in trouble and was threatened with expulsion, and my pride took over and I quit."

"I'm guessing your parents didn't take too well to that decision," Twilight remarked.

With a short, bitter laugh, Rainbow brushed her mane out of her face. "That's the understatement of the century! Mom was really disappointed in me, and let me know it, but Dad was the real kick in the teeth. He told me that I needed to get back in school and get my education because my dream of being a Wonderbolt would never come true. When I refused, he yelled at me...told me that I'd never amount to anything. That was the last time that I ever spoke to him."

Twilight gasped. "Rainbow, I'm so sorry."

"I still remember the sting of his words. I turned and I ran away, and I never went back. I bunked up with some friends for a little while, and managed to get a job as a weather pony. They weren't too crazy about hiring a pony with no education, but once they saw how fast I could clear a sky and how I could handle anything their weather simulator could throw at me, they changed their tunes pretty quick.

"It wasn't very long after that I got transferred away from Cloudsdale. I kinda felt guilty about never saying goodbye to Mom, but I never wanted to see Dad again."

"Rainbow..." Twilight said hesitantly. "You understand that your father didn't mean it the way you took it, don't you? He just wanted you to go back to school."

"Yeah." Rainbow shrugged. "I figured that out over time, but I knew that I could never face him again. At least, not until I've become a full fledged Wonderbolt. Then I'll be able to show him what I've accomplished. I'll show him it was more than just a stupid dream."

"But Rainbow, you're ready to face him now." When Rainbow only stared at her, she continued. "You've accomplished so much already. You overcame the fact that you don't have an education. You managed to get one of the highest paying jobs that a Pegasus can get, you have your own home, and you're in the Wonderbolt Reserves! I know your parents would be very proud if they could see you now."

Rainbow sighed and kicked a rock. "You just don't understand...it's more complicated than that."

"It's perfectly understandable if you're a little afraid to face him again. After all this time, I'd be afraid too, but—"

"Afraid?" Rainbow suddenly stood and glared at Twilight. "I'm not afraid. I'd never be afraid of him." She snorted in frustration. "What do you know, anyway? You're good at everything. You've never disappointed your parents. You aced like every class you've ever been in, you got into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and even became her star pupil. Your parents must have been leaping for joy that they had you."

Twilight wanted to argue with her, to tell her that there had been times when she had disappointed her parents, but she bit her tongue. Her friend was feeling the pain of an old wound, and the last thing she wanted to do was unintentionally hurt her further.

After giving her friend several moments to calm herself, Twilight said, "I'm sorry, Rainbow. That didn't come out the way I intended. I know that you're not afraid. You're the bravest pony I've ever known."

"That's where you're wrong, Twilight," Rainbow mumbled. "If I really was brave, then I wouldn't have ran away to begin with."

Twilight watched her friend with a heavy heart as she hung her head. In all the time that she had known her, she had never seen Rainbow this despondent. It was as if she had become a different pony right before her eyes, and Twilight wasn't sure if she would be able to help.

Finally, Twilight said, "You made a mistake, Dash. You were young and you were hurting, and it took you a while to mature enough to realize that. It doesn't make you any less brave." When Rainbow only shook her head, Twilight punched her playfully in the shoulder. "Besides, what other pony out there would have kicked a dragon in the face?"

A small smile snuck its way into Rainbow's features. "Yeah, but that didn't end so well, did it?"

"It was better than over thinking it and doing nothing."

"Not really. You tried to reason with him. I just tried to brute force it." Rainbow sighed. "That seems to be all I'm good at."

"You might be a little headstrong sometimes, but I wouldn't consider it a weakness."

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "You wouldn't?"

"Nope." Twilight smiled. "It's like you said during our first training session. I act based off of this..." Twilight tapped her head with her hoof. "...and you act based off of this." She placed her hoof on Rainbow's chest. "Neither of us are wrong to do so, but both ways have their faults." Twilight removed her hoof. "So quit belittling yourself. Your strengths are no worse than mine."

"Yeah...I guess you're right." Rainbow smiled. "Thanks, Twilight."

"You're welcome." Twilight beamed as she started forward.

Rainbow quickly lifted a hoof and held her at bay. "Please, Twi...not here."

"Okay." Twilight flushed. "Sorry."

"No, don't apologize." Rainbow's tone was turning exasperated. "Just—"

"All righty, folks!" Clasko's magically enhanced voice suddenly echoed across the field. "What do you say we get this competition underway?"

"I'd say that's an excellent idea, Clasko!"

"Great! Because the weather specialists from Cloudsdale have arrived!"

Twilight looked to the opposite end of the field and spotted a half dozen Pegasi, each with a bulky squarish device strapped to their backs.

"Those are portable weather simulators," Rainbow told her. "They're nowhere near as big or as powerful as the weather simulators in The Wonderbolt Academy, but they can still create some pretty intense wind and lightning storms."

As the pegasi began spreading out over the field, a Griffon swooped down to land in front of them.

"Good luck, Your...er...um...Twilight," he said awkwardly as he gave her a slip of paper and flew toward the next team.

Bemused, Twilight watched him fly away before flipping the paper over. "It's just the number one."

"Figures." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "It means we're the first for the obstacle course."

Twilight's pulse quickened at the knowledge that she was going into the obstacle course blind. She had been expecting to closely observe the other contestants and study their methods in order to find the best route through. But now, all she would have were her poorly honed instincts and Rainbow's guidance.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "You think Hans has anything to do with this?"

"I don't think so," Twilight replied as she gazed up at the panel and watched the ambassador smile and wave at his granddaughter. "He seems honorable enough. I can't imagine him stooping so low as to use dirty tricks."

"Yeah." Rainbow shrugged. "We'll just have to go out there and give it our all."

"The weather specialists are all set," Emma's voice boomed, "and we are ready to begin the two hundred ninety third Annual Flying Pairs Competition!"

"The order the teams will enter the course has been selected at random, and the teams all have their numbers. So, without further ado, let's call team TwiDash to the field."

Twilight swallowed hard as she met Rainbow's determined gaze, and then she followed her friend into the air. As a Griffon wearing a whistle around his neck tied a length of rope to both of their forelegs, she focused on what the commentators were saying in an attempt to ease her nerves.

"I was very excited when I saw Rainbow Dash signing up earlier this morning," Clasko was saying. "I was present in Rainbow Falls for the Equestria Games tryouts, and I'll tell you now, Emma, Rainbow Dash is definitely going to be one to watch in this competition."

"It will also be interesting to see how well she performs with Twilight, who has only had her wings for a few months. Let's hope that Rainbow is as good of a coach as she is a flier."

Her heart pounding in her chest, Twilight turned to Rainbow and found a large grin on her friend's face. "You ready to show them what you can do?"

Twilight bit her lip. "I hope so..."

Without warning, the whistle shrilled and Rainbow rocketed off.

Caught off guard, Twilight rushed to keep up. As she raced behind Rainbow, her eyes turned to the rope that linked them, and nervously watched as the slack slowly grew more taunt.

I knew it. I'm only going to slow her down. Any chance she has at impressing the Wonderbolts will be ruined, and it's going to be all my fault.

Suddenly, Rainbow was right beside her. "Windstorm! Flap hard and follow—" Her words were drowned out by the sudden roar of the wind as the powerful air currents sent Twilight reeling.

Despite her best efforts, Twilight felt herself being pushed backward. Struggling with all her might, her eyes fell to the rope as it went completely taunt. Without warning, she felt an unexpected surge of determination at the thought of her friend. Rainbow needed her. She had trained vigorously for the last two weeks, and now was the time to show everyone what she could do. She would not let her friend down.

Twilight gritted her teeth, and squinting her watering eyes against the harsh wind, she flapped her wings as hard as she could. Her chest heaving, her wing joints aching, and every muscle in her body straining, she began moving forward with increasing speed. As the rope began to slacken, she felt a thrill and forced herself to flap even harder, and abruptly entered clear skies.

Gasping for breath, she glanced ahead and found Rainbow grinning ear to ear at her. Beyond Rainbow, she could see several geysers of air firing from the ground high into the sky, and further still were numerous arcs of lightning streaking through the air.

"Stay close," Rainbow said as she started toward the first of the air geysers.

Twilight eyed the geyser ahead of them apprehensively as it sprouted another huge gust of wind. Taking a deep breath and pushing all of her worries aside, she focused on staying directly behind Rainbow.

"Left!" Rainbow suddenly shouted, and then banked to the left.

With a last, strong beat of her wings, Twilight tilted her body and curved just as a blast of air fired upward; missing her by mere inches and blowing her mane away from her face.

She felt her confidence grow as she followed her friend's lead and nimbly dodged several air geysers. She was doing it! She was keeping up with Rainbow, and better still, she was performing just as well!

The first bolt of lightning flashed toward her, but she quickly ducked below its arc. As she recovered, she saw a large tuft of clouds hurtling straight at her, and hurriedly rolled to her right.

"Great job!" Rainbow called as she evaded two bolts at once.

Unable to help herself, Twilight grinned with self-gratification. She had never before felt so alive, so aware. For the first time, she understood why Rainbow enjoyed performing her stunts so much; it was euphoric.

"This is gonna be tough," she heard Rainbow say from beside her. "Swoop low and bank right when I say."

Readying herself, Twilight nodded.

"Now!" Rainbow cried, and the two of them swooped below the tuft of clouds.

But then Twilight continued to head straight for the two lightning bolts as Rainbow banked to the right.

There was a gap between the two bolts, just large enough for her to squeeze through. She had never been as good at banking and realigning herself as Rainbow, and knew that if she went straight through the obstacle, she would actually pull ahead of her friend.

Twilight smiled. Wouldn't Rainbow be surprised when she took the lead?

With a quick glance at the taunt rope, Twilight turned her body sideways and passed between the two arcs of lightning. Her ears flicked at the sound of the crackling energy and she felt the fur on her face and neck stand on end, and then she was through.

With a cry of elation, Twilight turned to beam at her friend, but was suddenly clobbered in the face by a cluster of clouds.

The force of the impact snapped her head back and caused her to spin out. Coughing to clear her throat of the wispy substance, Twilight managed to regain her equilibrium and straightened herself.

"Twilight!" Rainbow exclaimed as she pounded her hard on the back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Twilight managed before doubling over and coughing again.

"We're right at the finish!" Rainbow gripped her hoof and pulled. "Let's go!"

"Wait...Dash..." Twilight said between huge gasps of air.

Rainbow snorted impatiently. "C'mon, Twi!"

Still coughing, Twilight flapped her wings when she felt her friend begin to drag her forward, and hurried their trek to the finish markers. As they crossed the two flags stuck in their small clouds, Twilight became aware of the crowd's cheering, and over it all, she could hear Pinkie yelling her praise.

"What a fantastic performance by team TwiDash!" Emma's voice echoed across the field.

"Let's see if the judges agree, Emma."

Twilight warily turned her attention to the judges as she landed. The two Griffons each held up a six, the Pegasus stallion held up a seven, and Hans held up a one.

"A one!" Emma's voice sounded surprised. "I don't agree with that at all."

"Well, Twilight did get hit by an obstacle, Emma. If any of the judges feel that she failed the course as a result, then they have the right to score accordingly."

Hanging her head, Twilight cast a sideways glance at Rainbow. "I'm sorry...that was stupid of me."

Rainbow was silent for several moments. Finally, she mumbled, "I just don't understand why you didn't trust me."

"It wasn't that," Twilight explained. "I didn't want to slow you down, and I thought that going through the lightning would be faster..."

"And you didn't notice that cluster of clouds." Rainbow finished. She scowled as she watched Twilight nod. "You should have known that I would have led you through the bolts if I thought that was the better way."

"I know..."

"You've got to trust me, Twi. I'm not gonna steer you wrong."

Clasko's blaring voice drowned out Twilight's response, and Rainbow turned away to watch the next team enter the field. Sighing as she stared at the back of her friend's head, Twilight silently chastened herself.

What could she have been thinking? Had she really thought that just because she had evaded a few obstacles that her judgment was better than Rainbow's? She knew that her senses weren't anywhere near as well developed as Rainbow's; so why hadn't she listened?

The two of them stood in silence and watched the next team traverse the course while listening to the colorful commentary of Clasko and Emma. Once the team had reached the end, received their scores, and Clasko and Emma commented on the judges' decisions, the commentators called up the third team.

Twilight began to feel marginally better as a team of sibling Griffons got blown off course and then pelted with tufts of clouds. Then better still as the following team got struck by lightning. Although she flinched as the two were zapped, Twilight couldn't help but laugh at Clasko's whimsical pun, and cheered with the rest of the crowd as the two recovered and continued on.

As team after team was foiled by the course, Twilight came to realize that they were the highest scoring team so far. But when she turned to Rainbow, her friend just averted her eyes and pretended not to notice her.

She didn't understand. This wasn't like Rainbow; they were the top team so far. Why was she still acting so unhappy?

"Up next is team...uh...Pony Princesses Are Pretty?" Emma paused until Nasir and Krystle entered the field, and then she laughed alongside most of the audience. "I guess we know which one chose the name."

"At least, I hope we know which one chose the name."

"Too right, Clasko!"

Twilight couldn't help but smile as she watched the Griffon tie the two of them together. Krystle was literally vibrating with energy and excitement.

"Woah, and Krystle just exploded toward the first obstacle the instant the whistle sounded!" Clasko announced. "I hope Nasir has what it takes to keep up with that little ball of energy."

"He looks to be doing all right to me. And here comes the windstorm."

"Oh, she's really struggling now! I hope this competition doesn't blow her away."

"Ugh...why did I take this job?"

"Quit complaining, Emma, and look! Nasir has caught Krystle's talon and is pulling her through the storm."

"And they're through. Poor little Krystle looks very disheveled, but ready to continue."

"There she goes! Rocketing off toward the next obstacle as though nothing happened back there."

"I don't look forward to her getting hit by one of those geysers. Clasko...do you think they turned the pressure down?"

"I think we're about to find...GREAT SPLITING FEATHERS! Did you see that barrel roll! She was so fast! What perfection!"

"That was amazing, especially for one so young."

"Check her out! She's navigating the obstacles like it's her normal morning routine!"

"Her father is doing pretty well too."

"Yes, yes, Emma. But look at her! Oh, that lightning bolt came awfully close!"

"And they're through! That was the quickest time any team has had so far today, Clasko."

"It was also the only flawless run of the day."

"Well, except for the windstorm. But it was still a very impressive run nonetheless."

"Apparently the judges agree, Emma! Four tens, a perfect score! They didn't even need to think about it."

"What a great start for little Krystle, the youngest competitor of the year."

As Krystle and Nasir landed at the edge of the field, Rainbow hurried over to them. A bit surprised, Twilight quickly followed.

"Those were some great moves, kid," Rainbow said, raising her hoof. Krystle giggled and slapped Rainbow's hoof, looking very pleased with herself.

Twilight smiled at Nasir. "Congratulations on the perfect score."

"Why thank you, Your..." Nasir cleared his throat. "...uh, Twilight."

"I'm sorry you got hit by those clouds," Krystle said, her wide eyes suddenly filled with genuine sadness.

Unable to help herself, Twilight smiled at the little Griffon. "It's okay. It was my own stupid fault anyway. I should've listened to Rainbow."

"Still, you deserved a higher score than a one." Nasir frowned. "I'm sorry that my father is giving you such a hard time."

Twilight shrugged. "He has his reasons, and they aren't without merit." She saw Rainbow give her a look from the corner of her eye, but whatever her friend must have thought of the comment, she kept it to herself.

Just as Nasir was about to respond, Krystle unexpected took to the air and excitedly began to flutter around his head. "Daddy, look! Pretzels! Can I have one? Please?"

"A pretzel?" Nasir repeated as he grabbed his daughter by the talon and pulled her back down to the ground. "Didn't you just have some cotton candy a little bit ago? You'll ruin your appetite before supper."

"But I'm hungry." Krystle looked up at him with large, pleading eyes. "I just worked really hard in that obstacle course. I have a huge appetite now! I can eat a pretzel and my dinner."

Nasir smiled and shook his head. "If I don't see you two again beforehand, good luck with the second event," he said, and then the two of them headed off toward the vendors.

Once they were out of earshot, Rainbow rounded on Twilight. "You don't really think you deserved that one from Hans, do you?"

Unsure if she was willing to discuss this with Rainbow right now, Twilight hesitated, and was saved from answering by Clasko's thunderous voice.

"Up next, we have team Lightning Dust!"

As Lightning Dust and Gilda made their way onto the field, Twilight heard Rainbow give a snort. "Seriously? Team Lightning Dust? She hasn't changed at all! She still thinks everything is about her. I can't believe Gilda agreed to that name."

Glancing over at her friend, Twilight found her grinding her teeth. "She's such a self-important, arrogant featherbrain!" Rainbow growled. "I can't wait to see her get blasted by one of those air geysers."

"Rainbow, that's a terrible thing to say!" Twilight exclaimed. "You've got to try and calm down."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed as the whistle shrilled and her two rivals dashed toward the windstorm. "Just look at her! This is why she got kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy! All she cares about is speed, she isn't even working with Gilda."

It was true. By the time the two of them exited the windstorm, Gilda had fallen several feet behind Lightning Dust. With the rope connecting them completely taunt, Gilda didn't have much room to maneuver as she strained to catch up with her teammate. Twilight cringed as she watched two tufts of clouds hurtling toward her, but then sighed with relief as Gilda managed a burst of speed that created just enough slack for her to deftly dodge the obstacle.

"Gilda is amazing," Rainbow stated, the affection in her voice unmistakable. "She can't keep up with Lightning, but she's too stubborn to allow herself to slow her down. And look how nimble she is, even with her restricted movement. Anypony else would be getting pelted up there." As the two of them finished the course, Rainbow kicked a rock. "I wish Lightning Dust wasn't treating her so rough."

Twilight studied her friend with a heavy heart. She wished that things could have gone differently and Rainbow and Gilda could still be friends, but she knew that as long as Gilda held onto her anger, that would never be possible.

Feeling helpless, Twilight turned her attention to the panel and saw that they had received two sevens and an eight from the judges and a six from Hans.

"Not quite the high score I was expecting for the fastest team yet," Clasko commented.

"They were fast, I'll give them that. But Gilda wasn't exactly agile. Not that she can really be blamed though."

"You got that right, Emma. It was all poor Gilda could do to keep up with her partner. That was definitely a bad judgment call on Lightning Dust's part."

Without warning, Gilda swooped low over their heads. "How about that, Dash? Completely flawless! I'll bet you wish you could say the same!" She cast a quick glance at Twilight, but swiftly looked away. "You don't stand a chance. You might as well quit now."

"You said it, Gilda!" Lightning Dust said from behind them. "Dash is so slow...if she raced a pregnant mare, she'd come in third!"

As the two of them guffawed at the crude joke, Rainbow sneered up at Lightning. "I might have been slower than you, but at least I treated my partner with respect."

"What the hay is that supposed to mean?" Lightning demanded.

"It means I didn't practically drag Twilight through the course."

"She didn't drag me!" Gilda protested. "I was pacing myself."

"Oh, quit being such a high horse," Lightning snapped. "We both know that you could never navigate that course going as fast as I was." With a nasty grin, she added, "You're just using your little princess friend as a reason to slow down."

Afraid that Rainbow was about to lose her head, Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Ignore them, Dash. They're only eight points ahead of us. We can easily catch them in the second event."

"Our lead would be a lot better if somepony hadn't 'paced' herself so much."

Although Gilda looked outraged by Lightning's statement, it was Rainbow who retorted. "The commentators straight up placed the blame on your shoulders. You knew G couldn't keep up with you, but you didn't care. Your inability to work as a team is why you scored low."

Gilda began to grind her beak. "I can keep up with Light just fine!" She moved to hover by Lightning's side. "You think you're so fast? All you do is hang out in a lame backwater town full of loser Earth ponies and Unicorns. You must feel pretty fast, if this..." She indicated Twilight. "...is all the competition you have."

Without another word, Gilda turned and rocketed off. With a smirk, Lightning gave a great flap of her wings, sending dirt and debris into their faces, before she too turned and soared away.

Suddenly, Rainbow took to the air. "C'mon Twi."

"Rainbow, wait!" Twilight called as she hurried after her.

"What?!"

"Where are we going?"

Rainbow angrily brushed her mane out of her face. "To practice. We're gonna need to be at our best to beat those two."

"But there are still teams competing," Twilight argued. "It would be rude to leave now."

"I don't care!"

"Rainbow, what's gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself at all."

"You wanna know what's gotten into me?" Rainbow's nostrils were flaring. "Fine. Not only am I losing to two of the biggest jerks that I've ever met, but my own partner doesn't trust my judgment."

"I told you that it was a stupid mistake, Dash!" She moved closer and looked her friend in the eye. "I trust you with my life."

Rainbow crossed her forelegs. "Prove it."

"Huh?" Twilight blinked.

"Do the trust fall. Now." Without waiting for her to answer, Rainbow dropped a dozen yards beneath her and held out her hooves.

Swallowing hard, Twilight gazed down at her friend's fuming visage.

She didn't know if she could do it. The fall had been so intense last time; she worried that she would fail and permanently damage her relationship with Rainbow. But she also knew that if she hesitated for too long, she would miss her chance to prove her trust.

With a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes and stopped flapping.

As before, she had the brief sensation that she was floating in the air, and then she plummeted toward the ground. Biting her lip, Twilight struggled to remind herself that Rainbow was waiting below as her mind began to scream at her to fly.

With her heart hammering in her chest, every muscle in her body tightening, and her wings unfurling seemingly on their own, she gave in to her panic.

Crying out in fear and desperation, Twilight began frantically flapping her wings. As she leveled out, she shamefully turned her gaze to Rainbow below her.

"Yeah...That's what I thought," Rainbow mumbled before turning and flying away.

A Random Encounter

Chapter 8

A Random Encounter

Twilight forced a smile as yet another group of Griffons bowed before her. She endured their admiration, and then awkwardly thanked them for their kind words before hurriedly making her way across The Den.

With a disgruntled sigh, Twilight gazed about the huge, spacious cave.

Everywhere she looked were countless Griffons and ponies entering and exiting the numerous openings carved into the rock walls as they went about their afternoon errands. Ahead, she saw a stallion carrying three crates on his back emerge from a curtain that had a pineapple painted on it, and on the far side of the cave was a Griffon couple disappearing behind a curtain that depicted flowers.

As she quickly sidestepped a very young Griffon that suddenly exploded out of a nearby entrance, she marveled at how difficult it was to avoid others in a cavern so vast.

A walk through The Den had sounded like the perfect way to calm herself; she hadn't really gotten to explore the Griffon city as much as she would have liked, but she hadn't counted on every Griffon in the whole Celestia forsaken mountain desiring to express their delight at having her visit their city. She was so sick and tired of everyone treating her like she was something special. There was nothing special about her at all. She was a failure as a princess, a pony, and especially as a friend.

Once she had arrived back at the hotel with her friends after the first event ended, Twilight had closed herself off in the bedroom. But when Applejack had hesitantly followed and tried to talk to her about Rainbow, she had snapped at her. Upon seeing the hurt expression on her friend's face, Twilight had shamefully fled the hotel. After spending an hour sitting alone on a cliff overlooking the train station and brooding, Twilight had finally decided to take a walk to clear her mind.

Now, as she saw another group of Griffons heading her way, Twilight desperately searched for a way to avoid them. Catching sight of a nearby doorway of what looked to be a restaurant, she quickly ducked inside.

Immediately, the several Griffons that had been near the curtain gasped at her entrance and hastily bowed. With another sigh, Twilight rolled her eyes as she gazed down at the backs of their heads.

Well, at least if I stay here I can get all the bowing over with and finally have some peace.

Hoping to draw as little attention to herself as possible, Twilight made her way toward a table that was partially concealed in shadows in the back corner of the room. As she passed by a table full of ponies, however, they quickly began climbing to their hooves.

"No, no, please don't interrupt your meal," Twilight pleaded. "I'm just passing by."

"Princess Twilight! So good to see you again!" exclaimed a well dressed stallion as he stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her escape.

"Oh, yes," Twilight said, eyeing the darkened table longingly. "And you as well."

The stallion frowned. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Twilight did in fact remember him; she had met him at one of Celestia's royal banquets. Although she couldn't recall his name, she knew that he was a noble of some sort, and remembered the top hat that he had worn.

"Of course I do," Twilight bluffed, trying to come up with something to say that would please him enough that she could pass. After a brief hesitation, she decided on using a Rarity tactic. "How could I possibly forget a stallion that looked as dashing as you in that marvelous hat."

The stallion beamed. "I'm so glad you liked it, Your Majesty! It was my father's and—"

"Yes, it really was nice," Twilight interrupted, forcing herself to smile when all she wanted to do was magic him into the broom closet and retreat to the shadowy corner. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd really like to get something to eat." Instantly, she realized her mistake as the stallion grinned and began to indicate an empty chair beside him. "Alone," she hastily added.

He blinked, but then bowed. "Of course, Your Highness."

It seemed to take the stallion an eternity to step out of her way and take his seat, during which Twilight could feel every pair of eyes in the restaurant peering at her. Without warning, a crazy urge to just teleport out of the building and run overcame her, but where would she go? She couldn't go back and face her friends, not right now, and she certainly didn't want to go back into The Den and endure all the residents fawning over her.

Feeling trapped and alone, Twilight reached the table and was pulling out the chair when she was startled by a voice directly behind her.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who's awkward around my own species."

Twilight whipped around to find Gilda standing before her. Surprised and a little embarrassed by the Griffon's words, she turned her gaze to the floor. "I wouldn't say that I'm awkward..."

Gilda shrugged and sat down. "You mind if I sit here?"

Twilight remained standing as she studied Gilda closely. "I suppose that depends on your intentions."

With a snort, Gilda leaned back in the chair and crossed her talons. "You've got grit. No wonder Rainbow likes you so much."

Somewhat amused by her statement, Twilight let her guard down and took her seat. Although she was still a bit leery, she didn't believe that Gilda was planning to cause any trouble.

After several moments of silence during which the two of them simply stared at one another, Twilight finally asked, "So...you aren't comfortable around other Griffons?"

"Meh." Gilda shrugged once again. "They're too nice and polite for me. And what's up with their angst over doors?" She rolled her eyes. "I'll take my privacy, thank you very much."

Unable to help herself, Twilight chuckled at Gilda's rant. "Yeah, it is a little weird."

Just then, a Griffon approached with two menus and a bright smile. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am very honored that you've chosen to have your evening meal in our humble establishment." he said with a deep bow. "My name is Gus, and I will be personally serving you tonight."

Twilight glanced at Gilda sheepishly before turning her attention back to Gus. "T-that is very kind of you," Twilight stammered as her cheeks began to burn. "But, there's no need for formalities. My name is Twilight. That will serve just fine."

"As you wish," Gus replied as he placed the menus in front of them.

"Personally serving us, huh?" Gilda scratched her head. "So, are you like the owner or something?"

"Not quite," he answered. "My father's the owner, but he often leaves me in charge."

"Well, good for you," Gilda said, sounding bored with the conversation.

Gus bowed toward Twilight. "I'll be back in a few minutes for your orders, Your Highness."

Gilda threw her talons in the air at his words, but he didn't seem to notice as he turned and headed toward another table. "Is he deaf or something?" Gilda remarked. "You just asked him to call you Twilight."

"It's okay," Twilight said, a small smile slowly creeping onto her face. "I get that a lot more often than you'd think."

"Oh, so it's common for others to go dumb around you."

Taken aback by her brazen rudeness, Twilight cast an anxious glance at Gus who was smiling and conversing with the noble that had stopped her before. "Shh, Gilda. He might hear you." She turned a frown on the Griffon. "There's no reason to be so rude."

"Well, it's true, isn't it?"

"Actually, no it isn't," Twilight lectured. "Some ponies...and Griffons bow and use our titles as a show of respect, not because they think they have to. It's not that they're being 'dumb,' it's because they aren't comfortable interacting with me without showing that respect. They feel I deserve it." She left unsaid how she felt about that particular topic.

Gilda cocked an eyebrow. "So you're cool with others flat out ignoring what you tell them?"

"I'm not going to lie, it drives me crazy sometimes." Twilight glanced over at Gus as he laughed at the noble's words. "But I always appreciate their good intentions."

Gilda shook her head and then picked up her menu. "You're weird, dude."

As Twilight began to raise her own, she noticed that Gilda had a different menu than her. A moment later, Gilda slammed her menu down with a groan, then stood and waved to get Gus's attention.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked.

Gilda gave her a meaningful look. "Isn't there always?"

Rushing to their table in a manner that was nearly comical, Gus smiled widely. "Are you ready to order?"

"No, I'm not ready to order," Gilda said in a mocking voice. "I would like a Pony menu if you don't mind."

He blinked. "Oh, I-I'm terribly sorry. I just assumed—"

"Yeah, I get it," Gilda rolled her eyes. "I'm a Griffon, so I must eat meat, right? I mean, how weird is it for a Griffon to be a vegetarian?" She crossed her talons as she glared at him.

With a fearful glance at Twilight, Gus cantered to a nearby table, grabbed a different menu, and placed it in front of Gilda. "I apologize for my negligence, Your Highness." He hastily turned and headed back toward the kitchen before Twilight could speak a word.

Gilda leaned back in her chair. "You see what I gotta put up with around here?"

Abruptly, Twilight stood and scowled at the Griffon. "I'm not comfortable sitting here anymore."

"Whatever," Gilda said with another shrug before disappearing behind the menu.

Twilight hesitated. She had expected the attitude and the shrug, but what she hadn't expected was the expression on her face. For just a moment, Gilda had looked upset, but had quickly hidden it behind the menu. It had been so brief that Twilight would have missed it if she hadn't seen Rainbow do the same sort of thing countless times over the years to hide her emotions.

Recognizing that she could have very well misjudged Gilda, Twilight asked, "You do realize that you come across as a huge jerk, don't you?"

"If you're gonna go, then go," Gilda said from behind the menu.

"But that's not the real you at all, is it?" Twilight pressed.

When Gilda merely grunted in answer, Twilight frowned as she pondered what she could say next.

She had been too harsh in her judgment, and now Gilda was guarding herself closely. Whatever chance she had to get to know her would be gone if she didn't act fast. What she needed was an opening in Gilda's defenses, something to distract her and allow her to slip in. She knew that a good shock factor was perfect for causing somepony to drop their guard, and Twilight knew just the trick.

"How many friends do you have?" Twilight suddenly asked.

Gilda's beak and eyes appeared over the top of the menu. "One. Lightning Dust." She lowered back behind the menu. "Thanks for asking."

"What if I told you that you had two?"

With a bitter laugh, Gilda let the menu fall to the table. "Oh yeah? And who would the second be? You?"

"No," Twilight answered with a sly smile. "Rainbow."

Without warning, Gilda's eyes went wide and she leaned forward. "W-what?" she stammered, but then immediately recomposed herself and turned away from Twilight with a snort. "Rainbow doesn't like me."

Having seen what she had been looking for, Twilight sat back down. "Of course she does. You two grew up together, you shared memories, and you watched each other's backs. Those sort of memories and emotions don't just go away because of one bad afternoon."

Gilda blinked. "How do you know all that?"

With a giggle, Twilight replied, "Rainbow has told me a lot of stories about the two of you."

"Really?"

Twilight nodded. "She misses you, Gilda. The way you feel when you think of Rainbow, that's exactly how she feels when she thinks of you." Watching as Gilda turned her gaze to the table and began to pick at the menu with a talon, Twilight added, "You really need to talk to her."

With a sigh, Gilda shook her head. "I'd just mess it up...like I always do." With a shrug, she leaned back in her chair. "Like you said, I'm nothing more than a huge jerk."

At that moment, Twilight noticed Gus returning and held back her reply. Rather uncomfortably, she watched him give Gilda a wide berth and come to a halt by her side.

"Have you made your decision, Your Majesty?" he asked uncertainly, casting an apprehensive glance at Gilda.

"Um..." Twilight glanced down at her menu and ordered the first item her eyes landed on. "Yes, I'll take the Stuffed Artichoke Surprise." It really would be a surprise as she hadn't even taken the time to read the description of her choice.

When he turned his gaze to Gilda, she pushed her menu toward him. "I'll take what she's having."

"As you wish." He collected the menus, and with a bow of his head to Twilight, he retreated to the kitchen.

"You see?" Gilda stated. "Look at the way he was acting toward me. He hates me." She slumped against the table. "That's how it always ends."

"But Gilda, don't you see that you're doing it to yourself?"

Gilda's eyes narrowed. "So, what? It's my fault then? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"That's it, right there," Twilight said, pointing an accusing hoof at Gilda. "See how quickly you're prepared to attack? What good has that ever done you?" Twilight crossed her forelegs and gave her a stern look. "All I've seen it do for you is cause you to leave Ponyville in shame."

For a moment, Twilight felt certain that she had gone too far, but then Gilda just shrugged yet again and said, "Whatever."

"And you can cut the act, Gilda," Twilight continued, "it isn't fooling me. I know you think that all your shrugging is showing your indifference, but to me, it just tells me how insecure you really are."

As Gilda's beak dropped open, clearly shocked by her words, Twilight pressed on. "Gus did nothing wrong. He gave you a Griffon menu because you're a Griffon. It isn't his fault that you grew up in Cloudsdale and became accustomed to a vegetarian diet. How in the wide world of Equestria could he have possibly known that? But his mistake made you feel insecure, and you didn't know how to handle it, so you lashed out. That's what you do. That's why you don't have any friends, but I know that's not who you really are."

In a voice that betrayed her stoical demeanor, Gilda stated, "You don't know me."

It was Twilight's turn to shrug. "Maybe, maybe not. But what I do know is that you miss Rainbow, and she misses you." She reached out and laid her hoof on Gilda's talon, and though she felt the Griffon tense at her touch, she didn't pull away. "And I know that if you can hold your pride and anger at bay, you and Rainbow could be friends once again."

"Hiya, Twilight!" shouted a voice from clear across the restaurant.

Surprised, Twilight turned toward the entrance and caught sight of Pinkie Pie waving at her enthusiastically.

"Right," Gilda mumbled. "Time for me to bail."

Quickly, Twilight gripped Gilda with her magic just as she was standing and held her in place. "Please," she said gently, "do yourself a favor and don't run from this."

Releasing her from the spell, Twilight sat back and watched Gilda, unsure what she would do.

After a long moment, during which she followed Pinkie's progress through the restaurant, Gilda sighed and sat back down. Casting a dark look at Twilight, she said, "I just might end up hating you for this."

Trying not to smile, Twilight replied, "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

As Pinkie pranced up to their table, she indicated the hat on her head. "Lookie at this, Twilight! I just got back from Gustav's bakery, and he gave me that special treat he promised! It's a detective's hat made of frosting! And check this out!" She held up a small pipe. "It's a candy pipe! Isn't it awesome! And it can blow soda bubbles too!" With a deep breath, she blew a large swarm of bubbles out of the pipe, causing the patrons sitting at the surrounding tables to grumble and swat at them irritably.

"You'd better put that away," Twilight advised as she gazed at the agitated patrons. Once Pinkie had complied and taken a seat beside her, she smiled. "It is pretty cool. It's quite the call back to our first meeting."

"You seem just as lame as ever," Gilda suddenly grumbled.

With a loud gasp that caused everyone in the restaurant to turn and stare at them, Pinkie pointed a hoof at Gilda. "Gilda! What are you doing here?"

"Oh," Twilight began, "we were just talking—"

"Are you here to assassinate the Princess?!" Pinkie demanded.

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed. "No, Pinkie, she—"

Before she could finish, Pinkie was up and standing behind Gilda.

"What in the hay do you think you're doing?" Gilda demanded as Pinkie shoved her hooves into her wings.

"I'm searching for weapons," Pinkie answered matter-of-factly. "Where are you hiding them?"

Without warning, Pinkie lifted the entire chair with Gilda still on it, causing the Griffon to squawk in surprise and grip the edges of her seat for dear life. Then she let the chair drop haphazardly, and moved to stand beside Twilight.

"Satisfied?" Twilight asked, biting her tongue to keep from laughing.

"Almost." Pinkie began to pull on a plastic glove. "I've got one place left to look."

"That will be enough, Pinkie," Twilight said as she tilted her horn and teleported the glove to the trashcan on the other side of the room. "Gilda and I were just talking about Rainbow Dash."

"Oh!" Pinkie's eyes went wide. "Did you tell her how Dashie misses her so so much and wishes that she would come back so that they can make up and be friends again and fly together and all that cool jazz like they used to and eat lots of cake?"

Twilight turned an amiable smile on Gilda. "You see?"

Gilda stared at Pinkie, her defenses forgotten and the emotion plain on her face. "Did she really tell you all of that?" she asked quietly.

"Yuppity yuppers!" Pinkie beamed. "Well...all of it except for the part about cake. I just threw that in there cause I really like cake!"

For the first time since Twilight had met her, Gilda actually laughed. "You're an idiot, Pinkie." She lifted a talon into the air. "But I guess you're pretty cool."

Giggling, Pinkie bumped her talon. "And you're still a grumpity mean meanie pants, but I like you anyway!"

Suddenly avoiding eye contact, Gilda spoke just above a whisper. "So, um...do you think..." She scratched her head in apparent frustration. "Would Rainbow be up for a talk?"

"Definitely," Twilight confirmed.

"But...what could I possibly say? I mean, it's been years since our fight." Gilda looked at the two of them, obviously seeking direction. "How can anything I say ever fix this?"

"You could start with an apology," Twilight suggested.

"Apologize?" Gilda repeated, her brow raised. "You really think that's all it'll take?"

Twilight nodded. "Apologies can be very powerful, especially when they come from someone like you." When Gilda just stared at her in confusion, she explained, "You're a very prideful Griffon, Gilda, and so it is difficult for you to admit that you're wrong. Rainbow knows this. Heck, she's the same way herself." With a smile, she concluded, "Rainbow will understand that difficulty, and the apology will mean even more to her as a result."

Seemingly unable to meet her gaze, Gilda fidgeted in her seat. "I don't think I can..."

"Because..." Twilight coaxed.

Gilda stared intently at her talons. "I'll just sound lame."

With a sigh, Twilight fell back in her chair. She knew that Rainbow had difficulty apologizing for the same reason. She recalled a time when she had urged her friend to tell Applejack that she was sorry after a bit of a skirmish the two of them had had, but Rainbow had fretted that Applejack would think she went soft if she apologized. In the end, Rainbow had avoided the apology, but of course, Applejack had forgiven her anyway.

Although Twilight understood the reluctance to apologize in both scenarios, she certainly didn't agree with them. She had always believed that it was important to own up to your mistakes, and that belief had become even more powerful once she had moved to Ponyville. Still, she knew that she couldn't force Gilda into an apology.

"Well," Twilight mumbled dejectedly, "it was just an idea."

Pinkie frowned as she looked back and forth between the two of them. Finally, she removed her candy hat and set it aside before leaning forward in her chair. "I don't think it matters what you say, Gilda. Rainbow really really really misses you. Back when she was training for the Equestrian Games tryouts, she mentioned you. She told me that you would be the perfect training buddy because you were such a skilled flier." Pinkie's ears suddenly drooped. "Then she said that she wished you were there, and she just looked so sad, Gilda. She tried to hide it, but it was there. I've never wanted to make somepony smile as badly as I wanted to make Rainbow smile right then, but I couldn't."

Recognizing the opportunity that Pinkie had just given her to drive her point home, Twilight sat up. "It's like I said earlier, the two of you share many precious memories. Those memories create powerful bonds that can never be broken as long as the two of you wish them to remain intact. Those bonds are still there, even now, buried deep inside of you under layers of pride and anger." Twilight smiled encouragingly. "You can find them easily enough. You've just got to do some digging."

While the two of them sat and watched Gilda struggle with an internal debate, Gus returned with their food.

"I do hope that you enjoy your meal, Your Majesty," he said as he placed their plates on the table. "I prepared it myself." He smiled at Pinkie. "And is there anything I can get for you, Ma'am?"

"No, thanks." Pinkie grinned. "I've already had enough to eat."

"At Gustav's bakery?" Twilight inquired with a frown. "Pinkie, did you at least eat one thing that could be considered even remotely healthy?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes and turned to Gus. "Sometimes, Twilight here is a big ole royal pain in the rump."

Gilda unexpectedly burst into a fit of laughter as Gus tried rather unsuccessfully to keep a straight face. Twilight, who was giggling herself, said, "Thank you very much, Gus. I'm sure the food will be great."

As he bowed and started to turn away, Gilda suddenly reached out and caught his shoulder. "Hold up a sec."

Bemused, Twilight gently set the cup she had just levitated back down and gazed uncertainly at Gilda's furrowed brow. She had no idea what Gilda was about to say, and fervently hoped it wouldn't be something that she'd have to apologize for.

"I...uh..." Gilda began to squirm in her seat. "I just wanted..." She covered her face with her talons. "Dang, this is so hard!"

"Should I come back?" Gus asked with a quizzical glance at Twilight.

"I'm sorry, all right?" Gilda blurted out. Her eyes darting between the three shocked faces before her, she hurried on. "I know you didn't know that I grew up in Cloudsdale, and you didn't mean anything when you gave me a Griffon menu. I shouldn't have acted like I did." She swallowed hard. "Okay?"

Gus smiled. "Of course! I knew that you couldn't be all that bad if the princess counted you as a friend."

"They're not friends yet," Pinkie chimed in. "They just met."

"Oh?"

"It's true," Twilight admitted, throwing an angry look at Pinkie. "We only just met this evening." Favoring Gilda with a smile, she added, "But I definitely wouldn't mind meeting with her again."

"Well," he said as he turned his gaze on a flustered Gilda, "you must be something quite special to receive such high praise from the princess in so short of time." He suddenly winked. "And so very pretty too."

As Gilda's cheeks began to glow, Twilight was forced to raise her cup to her mouth to hide her smile.

Gus turned to Twilight and bowed his head. "Your Majesty, would it be inappropriate if I were to ask to show your new friend around our marvelous city?"

"Not at all," Twilight quickly agreed. "In fact, I think that's a great idea."

"And what do you think?" he asked Gilda.

"Uh..." Gilda glanced at Twilight and Pinkie, and seeing them both smiling and nodding, said, "S-sure. Sounds good...I guess."

"Excellent." He grinned. "And afterward, there's this perfect ledge that overlooks the sea and—"

"Don't press your luck, Bub," Gilda growled.

Twilight snorted into her cup of water as Gus stared at Gilda dubiously, but then he smiled. "Of course. My apologies." Stepping back, he bowed deeply. "If that is all, then I will leave you to your meal."

"Wow, Gilda, you've really changed," Pinkie commented as Gus walked away. Cocking her head, she asked, "What did Twilight do to you?"

Twilight scowled. "What do you mean, 'what did I do to her?' I didn't do anything."

Gilda pointed at Gus. "I was rude to him cause he gave me a Griffon menu, and Twilight went all tough love on me."

Pinkie made a face. "Eww...I hate it when she does that."

"Hey!" Twilight exclaimed indignantly.

Gilda rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. She sounded just like my mom."

Although she felt a bit slighted by their words, Twilight found that she was unable to suppress a chuckle as she watched the two of them laugh at her expense. It was really nice to see Gilda and Pinkie hitting it off so well, and Twilight couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment at having taken part in such a wonderful turn of events.

Feeling better than she had all day, Twilight took a bite out of her artichoke as Gilda queried about Pinkie's hat and pipe. For the rest of the meal, they recounted their hilarious misadventure on the train, and laughed together at the irony that three of their closest friends had turned out to be the culprits.

As they were finishing their meal, Pinkie suddenly frowned. "Would it be too awkward if I asked where Lightning Dust is?"

A dark shadow seemed to fall over Gilda's face. "She...had different plans."

Twilight leaned forward. "You two fought, didn't you?"

With a loud sigh, Gilda nodded. "She's a good friend, I guess, but sometimes, she just so..."

"Selfish?" Pinkie offered.

"Yeah. That sums her up pretty well."

"Well, I guess that explains why you were here." Twilight smiled. "I have to admit, I wasn't sure what to think when you approached me."

Pinkie cocked an eyebrow. "Why did you approach Twilight, anyway?"

"I...uh..." Gilda hesitated for a moment. "I guess I just wanted to know what you were like." She looked down and started tapping her talons on the table. "I mean, Rainbow chose you guys over me, I figured I must've missed something. But now, it makes perfect sense. You two are way better friends to Rainbow than I ever was, and she totally deserves you." She cast a quick glance at Twilight before returning her gaze to the table and began to pick at a scratch that she had made on its surface. "It really meant a lot, what you said about me to Gus...and if you were serious...I'd like to hang out again too. With both of you."

Without warning, Pinkie leaped from her chair and enveloped Gilda in a huge hug. "We'd love to! Right, Twilight?"

"Absolutely," Twilight agreed.

"We should probably get out of here," Pinkie stated as she released Gilda. "It's about time for Gilda's date."

"It isn't a date," Gilda hissed.

Twilight laughed. "We really should get back to the others." Twilight stood up and turned to Gilda. "Try to keep your anger in check. Gus seems very nice, so anything he may say that makes you feel insecure will be unintentional."

Gilda leaned back in her chair and crossed her talons. "Okay, Mom. Stop yelling at me." As Pinkie began to laugh, a grin slowly spread across Gilda's face.

"All right, Gilda," Twilight said with a smile and wave. "We'll see you at Event Two tomorrow."

Returning her wave, Gilda promised, "I'll try to make Light go a bit easier on Dash."

"That would be great," Twilight replied. "You two have really been getting under her skin."

Gilda frowned and nodded, but said nothing.

"I never would have thought that Gilda could be so likeable," Pinkie commented as they crossed the restaurant, smiled at the door Griffon as he bowed and pulled the curtain aside for them, and stepped back out into The Den.

"Yeah, she really surprised me too," Twilight said. "I didn't know what to think when she first sat at my table."

"So..." Pinkie hesitated for a moment. "You feeling better about everything?"

"I don't know," Twilight answered. "It was nice to just get away and have a good time, and it felt really great seeing you and Gilda bond, but I'm still upset about Rainbow."

"What happened today, anyway?" Pinkie asked. "We were watching the competition and Fluttershy suddenly noticed Rainbow flying away." Her ears suddenly drooped. "It seemed like you two were getting along so well."

Twilight shook her head. "She's gotten it into her head that I don't trust her, and then I tried a trust fall and failed."

"Oh...the trust fall again..."

Twilight skidded to a halt. "You know about the trust fall?"

Pinkie nodded. "Rainbow mentioned it like a week ago, but I Pinkie Promised not to tell you anything she said."

It felt as though her heart stopped. "Really? I didn't think the first one bothered her that much." Twilight sat back on her haunches and hung her head. "She hid it so well."

Without warning, Pinkie pulled her into a tight hug. Fighting back tears, Twilight returned the embrace. "I'm failing her, Pinkie," Twilight said shakily. "How can I call myself her friend if I can't prove that I trust her?"

"You'll find a way," Pinkie whispered in her ear. "You always do."

As Pinkie released her, Twilight blinked rapidly and cleared her throat. "Have you seen Rainbow?"

"Yeah, she got back a little after you left. She and Fluttershy went for a flight together, so she's in good hooves."

Thankful that she had kept herself from crying and further worrying Pinkie, Twilight took a deep breath. "That's good to hear. Let's get back to the hotel."

They trotted on in silence for several minutes until Pinkie finally spoke up. "Hey, Twilight?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you throw a party in outer space?"

Twilight blinked at the bizarre question. "Uh..." She quickly tried to recall everything that she had read about space, but then shook her head. "I don't know."

"You planet," Pinkie answered with a small smile.

Twilight simply stared at her friend for a moment, and then began to giggle. "Planet...nice." Still smiling, she asked, "Where did that come from?"

"I just really wanted to see you smile," Pinkie replied.

Suddenly, Twilight's sight went watery, and she nuzzled her friend affectionately. "No matter how upset I am, I'll always smile if you're around, Pinkie."

Pinkie beamed as they reached the lavender curtain that draped the entrance to the hotel, and then greeted the door Griffon that pulled it aside for them by name before leading the way inside. Doing her best to ignore the hotel staff that bowed as she passed, Twilight followed Pinkie through the large, extravagantly decorated lobby and down the corridor to their room.

"Oh, Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed as they pushed through the curtain. "Are you feeling any better?"

Twilight shrugged. "I suppose."

Applejack quickly stepped forward. "Twilight, I just wanted to apologize to ya for how I acted earlier." She lowered her head and fidgeted with her hat. "I knew that you were upset bout Rainbow, and it was a mite inconsiderate of me to try and ask ya bout it."

"Applejack, you have nothing to be sorry about," Twilight assured her. "You were just trying to be a good friend. I had no right to snap at you like I did." Turning her gaze to the floor, she mumbled, "I haven't been a very great friend these last few days..."

"Twilight, darling," Rarity began, "you're a wonderful friend. We all—"

"I'd like to go to bed now," Twilight interrupted, and then hurriedly retreated to the bedroom.

Thoroughly miserable, Twilight climbed into her bed. Lying on her back atop the covers, she stared up at the stalactites far above as dark thoughts began to swirl inside her head.

She couldn't take it anymore. The city and everyone she came near bowing to her, the competition and all the stress that competing was causing her, the arguments with her friends and all the hurt expressions she had seen on their faces; she just wanted to leave and never look back.

But she knew that she couldn't do that. This competition was important to Rainbow, and not just because she wanted to relive an old emotional experience she had once shared with her father, but also because this was taking her a big step forward in preparing herself to face her parents. Rainbow needed this, and she needed her. If Twilight couldn't prove her friendship with the trust fall, then she would prove it by seeing this competition through to the end; no matter how miserable it made her. She owed Rainbow that much.

After what seemed like hours, she heard the others approaching the bedroom and closed her eyes. Twilight remained perfectly still as she listened to Rarity ask if she was asleep and Pinkie confirming that she was, and then they blew out the candles and wished each other pleasant dreams.

Opening her eyes to the near perfect darkness of the cave, Twilight listened to her friends' breathing slow as they drifted off to sleep. She rolled onto her side and adjusted her wings in an attempt to get comfortable, but her thoughts continued to nag her mind.

She had just rolled onto her stomach and sighed into her pillow when she heard the wisp of the curtain moving.

"Yeah, they're all asleep," Fluttershy whispered.

"Cool," Rainbow whispered back. "I gotta get to sleep myself, or I won't ever be able to beat those two featherbrains."

The two of them climbed into bed and silence was restored to the room. But after a little while, Twilight heard somepony get out of bed and tread lightly toward her.

Once again, she closed her eyes and concentrated on regulating her breathing. She didn't know which of her friends was checking on her, but she wasn't in the mood to talk about her feelings anymore.

Without warning, a hoof gently caressed her mane, causing Twilight to start. A moment later, she heard Fluttershy's soft voice.

"I think you may be awake," she said sweetly, "but I understand if you don't want to talk. I just wanted to say that you shouldn't feel guilty about the trust fall. I know how scary it is when you're falling, how your whole body tenses up and fear seizes your mind. It's an awful experience, and I can imagine that it would've been even worse for you." She tenderly stroked Twilight's mane for a moment before concluding. "We all love you, Twilight. Even Rainbow. She told me so earlier, so you just remember that and get some rest." She suddenly felt a light kiss on her temple. "Sweet dreams."

As Fluttershy climbed back into bed, Twilight realized that she was smiling. Hot tears ran down her face as her heart swelled with emotion.

This was why she loved her friends so fiercely. They were so dedicated to her, and would do anything to make her feel better. And now it was her turn.

She would gladly throw herself from the top of this mountain if it would somehow make Rainbow happy, and tomorrow, she was going to do whatever it took to prove it to her.

With Fluttershy's kind words echoing in her mind, Twilight finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Event Two

Chapter 9

Event Two

Slowly opening her eyes, Twilight lay on her back in the cool, dimly lit cave and stared up at the sunlight splaying across the stalactites far above. After a moment, she became aware of the voices of her friends drifting in through the thick curtain that draped the doorway. With a yawn, she climbed to her hooves as Pinkie's laughter echoed off the rock walls.

With a great stretch, she smiled as she scanned the empty beds around her. Recalling Fluttershy's words, Twilight pushed through the curtain and emerged from the bedroom, prepared and determined to face whatever challenges the day may bring.

"Good mornin', sugar cube," Applejack greeted as she flipped several pancakes in their pan. "I sure am glad to see ya lookin' so chipper."

"It's hard to stay miserable when I'm in the company of such great friends," Twilight replied as she joined the others at the table. As she neared Fluttershy, she reared up and nuzzled her affectionately. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Fluttershy beamed at the acknowledgment of her message, and Twilight had to stifle a laugh when she noticed the quizzical look Rainbow gave the two of them.

Applejack grinned as she carried a plate stacked high with pancakes to their table. "Well, our friendships may have done a bang up job, but I guarantee that these here apple cinnamon stuffed pancakes are gonna seal the deal."

"They certainly sound delicious," Twilight commented as she gazed at them hungrily.

"And smell delicious," Fluttershy added.

"And taste delicious!" Pinkie's voice was muffled as she shoved an entire pancake into her mouth.

"Pinkie!" Applejack exclaimed. "You'll taste them more proper like if ya slow down." She shook her head and adjusted her hat. "I tells ya, sometimes it amazes me how fast that pony can scarf down food. Once at the farm, she literally shoveled down an entire barrel of apples in less than a minute."

Rarity rolled her eyes at Twilight. "Oh, I do hate it when ponies use the word 'literally' incorrectly."

"No," Applejack retorted. "I meant literally. I had to go buy me a new shovel after she was done."

Rainbow burst out laughing. "That's our Pinkie!"

Pinkie grinned with pride as she snatched another pancake from the stack.

Twilight giggled. "We'd better get started before Pinkie finishes."

As the six friends shared their breakfast, Twilight periodically stole quick glances at Rainbow. She was relieved to see her friend smiling and joining in the laughter, but it soon became apparent that Rainbow was intentionally avoiding her gaze.

Twilight sighed. She figured that Rainbow would still be angry with her, but she had been hoping that Fluttershy might have helped ease the tension a little. She wasn't looking forward to competing in Event Two while Rainbow was still sullen.

After they were finished, and Pinkie was done with the leftovers, Twilight offered to help Applejack with the dishes.

"I clean, you dry?" Applejack asked as Twilight levitated the cups and plates into the sink.

"Sounds good." Twilight smiled.

The two of them worked for several moments in silence before Twilight said, "I'm sorry I got so overemotional on you yesterday."

"Don't ya worry your pretty little head bout it," Applejack replied with a wink. "I know that Rainbow hasn't been makin' things easy on ya."

Twilight shook her head. "It really isn't her fault."

Applejack set the cloth down and watched Twilight concentrate on wiping a cup for a long moment. Finally, she asked, "What happened between the two of ya, exactly?"

For just a second, Twilight hesitated, but upon seeing the concern etched on her friend's face, she told her about the trust fall.

"Hmm..." Applejack resumed her scrubbing. "What Rainbow don't understand is that you ain't got the Pegasus mentality. You're used to walkin' on solid ground, not zippin' round them clouds." She shrugged. "Honestly, y'all take me up that high and tell me to jump, and I don't care if Rainbow is there to catch me or not, there had better be somethin' mighty scary behind me or I ain't jumpin'. I got my hooves square on the ground, and that's where I'm gonna keep them."

"Yeah...I guess..."

Applejack nudged her flank with a hind leg. "You're bein' too hard on yourself, sugar cube. Fallin' is a right scary thing for us wingless ponies, and it's somethin' that you're gonna have to get used to, wings or no."

Twilight frowned. What Applejack said made sense; maybe she was being too hard on herself. Falling certainly was scary, and she was sure that Rainbow understood that. Perhaps Rainbow just needed more time before warming back up to her.

"So Pinkie and I were talkin' last night," Applejack said as she passed Twilight the last dish. "And I just wanted to say that it was a mighty fine thing ya did, befriendin' Gilda like that."

"That's really kind of you, A.J., but I didn't do anything special," Twilight replied. "Gilda was the one who approached me."

"But you listened," Applejack insisted. "You made a conscious effort to get through her defenses and learn who she really was. Don't discredit what ya did last night, there ain't too many ponies who would've tried as hard as you did." She tipped her hat. "It's times like these that I'm honored to be your friend. And the best thing bout it is, you do this sorta thing so darn often."

Twilight found that she was at a loss for words as her cheeks began to glow. She knew that her friends were proud of her, but it felt great to be reminded.

Her heart swelling with joy, Twilight beamed at her friend. "Thanks, Applejack. You always seem to know just what to say."

"Shoot, I don't know bout all that." Applejack drained the sink and wiped her hooves dry. "But I sure am glad to help."

As the two of them passed through the curtain and entered the living area, Rainbow quickly climbed to her hooves. "You guys ready to head out?"

"Eeyup," Applejack answered.

"Great!" Rainbow lifted the curtain and stepped aside as the others exited. "They should be pairing the teams for Event Two pretty soon, and I can't wait to see who we're gonna be up against."

"Oh, I hope you don't have to compete against Krystle," Fluttershy said as they entered The Den. "I would hate to cheer against her."

Rainbow took to the air and did a flip. "I hope we get paired with Lightning Dust! I'd love to put that arrogant jerk in her place once and for all!"

Twilight swallowed hard at Rainbow's words. She harbored no doubt that they would lose if they were paired with Lightning Dust and Gilda; she would be completely outclassed, and Rainbow would have to face them on her own.

As they reached the small group of lifts that would take them to the entrance of the city, the crowd of Griffons and ponies slowly parted for them. Twilight kept her eyes forward on the awaiting guards as everyone around her lowered to a bow.

Once Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity were on the lift, Twilight took to the air with Rainbow and Fluttershy, and followed from above.

"Are you doing all right, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm getting more comfortable with flying up here."

"Ya'll shoulda seen her the other day," Applejack hollered from the lift. "She was soarin' all around with them falcons without a care in the world."

Fluttershy blushed profusely. "They were so much fun to fly with that I forgot I was high up on a mountain."

"I knew you could do it, Fluttershy!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Princess Twilight!" someone suddenly shouted from behind.

Turning, she found Krystle rocketing toward her, an enormous grin on her face and her eyes sparkling with delight. Behind her came Nasir, who already looked harried as he struggled to keep up.

"Krystle, you can't always rush around. There are other Griffons and ponies flying here." Nasir bowed to Twilight. "Good morning, Princess."

"Good morning, Nasir." Twilight grinned. "And good morning to you as well, Krystle."

"Aren't you excited about Event Two?" Krystle asked breathlessly. "Wouldn't it be awesome if we got paired with you? I think that would be so much fun!"

Twilight couldn't help but smile. "That would be kinda fun, wouldn't it?"

"Then we'd see what you're really made of," Rainbow agreed.

A devilish grin suddenly spread across Krystle's face. "How about I show you right now? You wanna race?"

Rainbow's ears flattened at the challenge. "Oh, you are so on!"

"Hold on, Krystle," Nasir began. "What did I just say about rushing..."

"Onetwothreego!" Krystle shouted all in one breath, and then she raced off with Rainbow in tow.

"...around," Nasir finished with a sigh.

Twilight laughed. "It's okay, Nasir. Rainbow will keep her out of trouble."

"I just wish she'd calm down," he said with a shake of his head.

"I know it's frustrating when she doesn't listen," Fluttershy spoke sweetly. "But it's plain to everypony that she is a very well-mannered and disciplined child."

"Thank you." Nasir beamed with pride. "Yes, she is typically very well behaved. She's just overly excited about this competition." He glanced at Twilight, "And meeting a princess."

"Meeting you two has been a delight for me as well," Twilight said with a bright smile.

"Would you like to head down to the competition grounds together?" Nasir asked. "I'm sure that's where Krystle will lead your friend."

"Um..." Twilight cast a glance at Fluttershy, and seeing her smile and wave her on, nodded. "Sure."

She watched as Fluttershy swooped down and joined the others as they were getting off the lift. A moment later, they began to wave, and she heard Rarity call, "Good luck to the both of you!"

The two of them waved in return, and then started an easy downward spiral toward the base of the mountain.

As they soared over the treetops, Twilight asked, "Is this the first time that Krystle and you have come to Equestria?"

"It's Krystle's first time, yes," Nasir answered. "But I've come here twice before, although I admit that I've never been beyond Mt. Aerie. Still, I always enjoy my visits here. It really isn't that much different than home, and I've met several interesting Ponies, such as Ambassador Overwatch."

Twilight grinned. "I'm glad to hear that."

Nasir turned his gaze toward the mountain behind them. "It was very kind of your Princess Celestia to allow the Griffons here to keep their customs and traditions." He returned her smile. "I was so shocked the first time I visited Gideon's home and saw that statue of Prince Zephyr. I couldn't believe that she allowed them to build it."

"Yes, Princess Celestia has always been a very benevolent ruler. She's also the most kind and giving pony you will ever meet."

"It's very difficult for me to believe that she could be any more affable and charming than yourself," Nasir said with a wink.

Twilight's eyes widened. "I...um...wow." She rubbed a foreleg with her hoof as she tried to find an adequate response. "T-thank you, Nasir. I'm flattered."

"You seem surprised," he stated. "Do you not see yourself an amiable pony?"

She shook her head. "It's not that. It's just...well..."

Twilight hesitated. Should she really be revealing how unfit she felt as a princess to Nasir? He was from the Griffon Nation; would Equestria appear weak if one of the princess were unhappy with their role?

But after gazing into his kind eyes for several moments, she decided that she could trust him. "I just don't think I deserve my title. I mean, I would never have earned it if not for the help of my friends." She hung her head. "I'm not comfortable with wearing the crown and having ponies bow to me while my friends get nothing."

"And your friends? How do they feel about this?"

"Oh, they're ecstatic for me, especially Rarity." Twilight smiled at the thought of Rarity's obvious reverence of her crown. "And they constant tell me how proud they are of me."

"I see." Nasir tapped his beak with a claw for a moment. "The thing is, nobody can get very far without the help of another. I know my father gave you his spiel about how long and hard he worked to get where he is, but the truth is, he wouldn't have made it nearly as far without the help of a couple close friends of his." He cocked an eyebrow. "And since you were just recently crowned princess, I'd wager that there have been times when your Princess Celestia has needed to call upon you for help?"

"Well...yeah. Several times, in fact."

"So, myself, my father, and even your Princess Celestia have all needed help from their friends from time to time. What makes us so different from you? If we've accepted help from our friends, then why shouldn't you?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, think about it," Nasir advised. Suddenly he grinned and began to wave. "There they are."

Twilight turned to see Krystle and Rainbow on the ground. As they drew near, Krystle began hopping up and down.

"Guess what, guess what!" Krystle cried. "I beat Rainbow! I won!"

"You did?!" Nasir replied with exaggerated enthusiasm. "But she's so fast! That's amazing!"

Without warning, Krystle jetted into the air and began to zigzag wildly as she recounted the intense race. As Nasir oohed and aahed at the most thrilling parts of her tale, Twilight trotted over to Rainbow.

"You definitely made her day." Twilight smiled. "It was nice of you to let her win."

Rainbow scratched her head and turned away. "Yeah, well, the kid is fast, and she had such a look of determination on her face, you know? It kinda reminded me of Scoots when she attempts one of her jumps, and I didn't want to see her lose."

"Yo, Dash," cried a voice from directly above. Glancing up, they found Lightning Dust smirking down at them. "Did I hear that Griffon right? Did you seriously lose to that little pipsqueak?" She snickered. "I knew you weren't anything special."

Rainbow's ears flattened. "No. I didn't—" Hastily, Twilight smacked Rainbow in the back of the head with her wing. "Ow, Twilight, what the hay?"

Wordlessly, Twilight gestured with her head at Krystle, who was still hovering above and staring at them.

"Um...I mean...yeah, Krystle beat me," Rainbow said. "She's an incredible flier."

"Whatever." Lightning rolled her eyes. "You're pathetic."

Just as Rainbow was opening her mouth to speak, Gilda swooped in beside Lightning. Looking at the two of them, she asked, "What's up?"

Lightning snorted. "Rainbow here just lost a race to that little Griffon."

"Really?" Gilda said with obvious surprise. She glanced down at Rainbow and saw her grinding her teeth. "Uh, Light? Don't you think that maybe Rainbow didn't..."

Twilight caught Gilda's eye and quickly shook her head, then pointed at Krystle while pretending to scratch her ear.

"Uh, she...didn't expect her to be such a great flier," Gilda quickly corrected. "It's easy to underestimate someone so small, you know?"

A dark look passed over Lightning's face. "Why are you suddenly making up excuses for her?"

"She's not, Lightning," Rainbow retorted. "She's just pointing out the obvious. That's plain to everypony here, except for you." Her eyes narrowed. "That's why you'd never make a good Wonderbolt."

"And you would?" Lightning clenched her jaw. "At least I didn't lose to a six year old!"

"Hey!" Krystle interjected indignantly. "I'm eight!"

"Krystle has awesome skills," Rainbow said, "and I'd bet every bit I've got that she's gonna kick your tail in this competition."

Lightning laughed. "You're kidding, right? There's no way I'd ever lose to that stinking little brat!"

Twilight stepped forward and glared at Lightning. "You need to stop this. Now." She indicated Krystle, who had landed and was hugging her father's foreleg. "You're upsetting her."

"So?"

"Light, quit being an idiot," Gilda suddenly interrupted. "She's a princess, and you're belittling a kid right in front of her."

This seemed to give Lightning pause. She gazed at Twilight, and then Krystle before returning her attention to Gilda. Finally, she turned away and mumbled, "Let's go."

As Lightning flew away, Gilda cast a quick glance at all of them. "Sorry," she said, rubbing the back of her neck and smiling sheepishly before hastily following Lightning to the other side of the field.

Twilight trotted over to Krystle and knelt down. "Are you okay?"

Krystle nodded, but then turned her eyes to the ground. "Why is she so mean?"

Twilight frowned as she tried to find the best way to explain it. "She's an angry pony, and it makes her do things that she regrets later."

"Oh!" Krystle's eyes lit up. "I get it! Like when Daddy put me in the corner because I yelled at Mommy, and I got mad and threw my stuffed bear at his head." She cast a quick glance up at Nasir. "I regretted that later."

With a laugh, Twilight ruffled the feathers on her head. "Yes, that is exactly what Lightning Dust is doing."

She watched for a moment as Krystle hugged Nasir, then made her way back to Rainbow.

"Can you believe those two?" Rainbow asked as she returned. "What a couple of jerks."

"Gilda didn't seem all that bad," Twilight pointed out. "I think she may be warming back up to you."

"What are you talking about, Twilight?" Rainbow demanded. "Didn't you hear her yesterday? She straight up insulted you."

"She was just lashing out," Twilight explained. "You made her feel insecure when you said that she couldn't keep up with Lightning Dust, and she attacked because that's the only way she knows to hide her emotions."

Rainbow blinked. "How in the hay could you possibly know that?"

"Uh...I..." Twilight hesitated. She didn't want to keep her dinner with Gilda a secret, but she knew that revealing it right now would start a nasty fight. Still, she had never kept anything from Rainbow before, and wasn't too keen about doing so now.

"Hello?" Rainbow rapped her on the head with a hoof. "Equestria to Twilight. Are ya there?"

Using her wing to knock Rainbow's hoof away, Twilight rubbed her head. "Sorry, I'm just a little distracted."

"Really?" Rainbow sat back on her haunches and crossed her forelegs. "I hadn't noticed."

Just then, Twilight noticed Clasko and Emma emerge from the trees and soar over the field. Grateful to change the subject, she said, "Look, it must be time to pair the teams."

"Everyone, please gather around," Clasko called out as the two of them landed in the center of the field. As the teams moved closer, he waved a piece of parchment in the air. "Emma and I will be calling team names. Names I call will head to the right side of the field, and teams Emma call will go to the left side. Any questions?"

Twilight began to fidget as Clasko and Emma started calling out team names. She dreaded being paired with Lightning Dust; dreaded seeing the look on Rainbow's face when they lost to her, and having to watch her endure her rival's jeers. Her anxiety grew as she witnessed Lightning sneer at Rainbow as she and Gilda made their way to the right side of the field.

"Team Twidash," Emma announced.

Twilight's ear flicked at the sound of their name, but then she breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that she was heading to the opposite side than Lightning.

She followed Rainbow to the left and came to a stop beside Nasir. Watching as the final teams were sorted, she said, "Perhaps we will be paired together."

"If so, I hope you'll go easy on me." Nasir smiled. "I saw how you navigated those air geysers, and I honestly don't think I could keep up."

Twilight chuckled. "I'd be more worried about Krystle embarrassing me."

Glancing around Nasir, she found Krystle standing on Rainbow's back, giggling at something the Pegasus had just said. The two of them seemed to have forged a special bond at some point. She wasn't sure if it was the race, or if Rainbow was finally forgetting her worries over her reputation, but it brought a sense of serenity to Twilight seeing her friend like this.

Without warning, the shrill of a whistle cut through the silence. Turning toward the sound, Twilight found the officiating Griffon standing in the center of the field, a small wooden box in his talons.

Facing them, he said, "All of your team names have been placed in this box." He indicated the teams on the right. "The other teams will take turns drawing the names. Once your name has been drawn, you are to meet with your rival team in the center of the field."

Twilight's breath caught in her throat as her eyes snapped over to Lightning Dust and Gilda. A knot of dread tightened in her stomach as she realized that they were only fifth in line to draw a name.

As each team drew a name, Twilight silently prayed that they would draw team Twidash, but each time she was disappointed as the official moved down the line at an alarming speed. When he stopped in front of the team right before Lightning and Gilda, Twilight closed her eyes and bit her lip, and when she heard the official call another name, she exhaled heavily and hung her head.

"Everything all right, Twi?" Rainbow asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Twilight didn't answer as she saw the official hold the box up for Lightning. She watched Lightning reach into the box and pull out a small piece of parchment, and swallowed hard when she saw her smirk and pass it to Gilda.

Gilda showed no emotion as she looked at the small paper, and then she passed it to the official.

Unable to handle the suspense any longer, it was all Twilight could do to prevent herself from teleporting the parchment to her so she could read it. As the official turned the paper in his talon, her body tensed up and her wings fully extended without her even noticing.

"Be us. Be us," she heard Rainbow whisper from beside her.

"Team Lightning Dust will face team..." he trailed off as a breeze snatched the parchment from his grip. He hastily bent and scooped the paper from the ground and unfolded it.

"Team...Pony Princesses Are Pretty."

Mistakes and Regrets

Chapter 10

Mistakes and Regrets

"Dang it!" Rainbow growled with a stomp of her hoof. "I really wanted it to be us."

Suddenly realizing that she was holding her breath, Twilight released it as a wave of relief washed over her. She turned to Nasir and found him watching Lightning with an unreadable expression.

"Keep a close eye on Lightning Dust," Twilight advised him. "She's got something to prove here, and it may cause her to become reckless."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said as he started forward. "Thank you for your concern, Princess."

"Make sure you show them who the awesomest Griffon in this competition is," Rainbow told Krystle as she hopped off of her back. "Make sure you don't hold anything back."

"I won't." Krystle grinned. "I'm gonna kick their tails!"

Rainbow bumped the little Griffon's fist. "Yeah, you are!"

Although she was smiling at the exchange between Rainbow and Krystle, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious as Nasir shook Gilda's talon. She was very grateful that she wasn't going to compete against Lightning Dust directly, but wished that someone other than Krystle were taking her place.

"Do you think they'll do all right?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow gave a firm nod. "They'll do great."

Twilight turned her attention back to the official and saw him approach a stallion and Griffon standing together. She instantly recognized them; they were the only interspecies team in the competition other than Lightning and Gilda, and they had also had one of the worst scores coming out of the obstacle course.

The stallion reached into the box and unfolded the parchment, and immediately broke into a grin. Showing the paper to his partner, he cried, "Check it out! We get to face Rainbow Dash!"

The Griffon rolled her eyes as the stallion hopped around and then reared up, kicking his forelegs excitedly. Bemused, the official stared at him a moment before announcing, "Team Cloudburst will face team Twidash."

Twilight giggled. "It looks like we're being paired with a fan of yours."

Looking very pleased with herself, Rainbow held her head high and thrust out her chest before leading the way to the center of the field.

The stallion galloped toward them. "Rainbow Dash, I'm your biggest fan!"

"Oh, yeah?" Rainbow replied with a self-satisfied grin.

He nodded enthusiastically. "I was at that Best Young Flier Competition, and saw you perform the Sonic Rainboom! It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in my entire life!"

"It is pretty awesome, isn't it?" She flicked her tail. "And I'm the only pony that can do it."

"Are you going to perform it again later tonight for Event Three?" he asked, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"Nah." Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively. "It's not something I can do with a partner, and besides, I want to prove that I've got other moves." Her ears flattened as she crouched low to the ground. "I'm more than just a one trick pony."

"You sure are!" he eagerly agreed. "I saw you at Rainbow Falls flying with the Wonderbolts! You're great at everything you do!" He suddenly smiled sheepishly. "And you always look great doing it too."

The Griffon, who had been hanging back and looking annoyed, harrumphed loudly and crossed her talons at this statement. His eyes going wide, the stallion whipped around. "Adele, honey, you know I only have eyes for you."

"Uh huh," Adele replied as she turned away.

"Oh, don't be like this, sweetie," he pleaded. "You know I have a thing for her, but it's different than what I feel for you."

Rainbow leaned close to Twilight's ear. "I wonder how much more hoof he can fit into his mouth."

Twilight had to cover her mouth to stifle her laugh.

Just then, the official called the last team name, and then asked them to return to the sidelines. As they reached the edge of the field, Twilight glanced back and found Adele quietly giggling at whatever the stallion was whispering into her ear, and then she nuzzled him before nibbling at his ear affectionately.

"Ah, a smooth talker I see," Rainbow said with a devilish grin.

Twilight turned to Adele as the stallion blushed. "So, you're Adele, and he is..."

"Cloudgazer," he answered with a quick glance at her before turning back to Rainbow. Then he gasped and looked at her again. "Princess Twilight!" He hastily bowed.

Adele began to laugh. "Seriously, Cloudy? It took you this long to notice the princess?"

"He was too distracted by this sleek body," Rainbow said mockingly as she posed and threw her head back exactly the way Rarity did when she noticed a stallion watching her. Twilight snorted as she fought to keep herself from laughing, and noticed that Rainbow was having trouble keeping a straight face. She quickly covered it by making a duck face.

Cloudgazer stammered for a moment, and then cried out in surprise as Adele smacked him in the back of the head. This made Rainbow laugh so hard that she fell over, and caused Twilight to double over laughing as well.

Without warning, Krystle dove out of the sky and landed on Rainbow's chest. "What happened? What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Rainbow answered as she quickly composed herself.

Nasir stepped up and lifted Krystle off of Rainbow. "How many times have I told you not to jump on someone while they're lying down?" He set her back on the ground. "You could really hurt someone that way."

"It's cool," Rainbow said as she climbed to her hooves. "It didn't hurt or anything."

Suddenly, an incredibly loud voice yelled, "Team Twidash rules! Wooo!"

Twilight looked in the direction of the voice and saw Pinkie jumping up and down on her hind legs and waving wildly. With a bright smile, she waved back, and then grimaced as Pinkie collided with Rarity and they both crashed to the ground.

"Ouch," Rainbow said.

"Hey, wasn't she in the Best Young Flier Competition too?" Cloudgazer asked, watching Rarity as she stood back up. "She's the one you saved with your Sonic Rainboom, right?"

"What, you got a thing for her too?" Adele growled.

Rainbow burst out laughing as Cloudgazer stammered, "N-no."

"Looks like the crowd is arriving," Nasir stated, pointing up at the treetops where the first group of Griffons soared into view.

Over the next hour, they talked and watched as the crowds slowly filled the bleachers and the clouds overhead. During this time, Twilight stole several glances over at Gilda, and saw that she was looking at Rainbow almost every time. Somehow, she needed to find a way to get those two together. Getting Rainbow alone would be easy, but how could she get Gilda away from Lightning long enough for them to talk?

Finally, the judges arrived, accompanied by Gideon and Overwatch.

Twilight watched Gideon and Overwatch greet her friends, then a Unicorn trotted over and cast the cloudwalking spell on them as a group of Pegasi lowered a platform of clouds for them to climb onto. They then raised it high into the air and placed it next to Overwatch's cloud.

"Grandpa!" she heard Krystle shout from atop Rainbow's back. Glancing up, Twilight saw the glint of Hans's armor as he smiled and waved at his granddaughter.

"Testing, testing. One, two, three," Clasko's voice boomed over the field.

Twilight turned her attention to the commentators and saw a Unicorn pressing his horn against Emma's throat. A moment later, she repeated the test, and finding her voice satisfactory, she and Clasko took to the air and landed on their cloud.

"All righty, folks," Clasko announced. "Event Two will be beginning shortly. The teams have already been matched up, and we are waiting for the okay from the judges to begin."

"Actually, it looks like they were waiting for us," Emma said. "So let's get Event Two under way."

Thunderous applause erupted from all around them as the spectators cheered for their favorite teams. Everywhere Twilight looked she saw ponies and Griffons waving flags and banners of all sorts, while several children held up masks of Celestia, Luna, and even Prince Zephyr to their faces.

Once the crowd started to quiet down, Clasko's voice once again reverberated across the field. "In this event, the teams will attempt to take the flags that are strapped to their opponents. They will have five minutes to succeed, and then the teams will switch."

"But the teams will be judged on more than whether or not they are able to attain the flags, Clasko," Emma added. "The judges will also be watching for agility and teamwork."

"That's right, but capturing the flags certainly won't hurt their chances of winning."

"No, it definitely won't," Emma agreed. "So now, let's get the first two teams ready to go."

As the teams that Clasko called took to the air and allowed the official to strap on the flags, Rainbow stooped low to allow Krystle to leap from her back, and then leaned in close to Twilight's ear. "Here's the plan: when we have the flags, just keep moving. I'll watch your back and make sure they don't catch you. Got it?" When Twilight nodded, she continued, "When they have the flags, do your best to chase them toward me. I'll handle it from there."

"Sounds good to me," Twilight replied, but then her eyes fell upon Gilda. "Dash...would you be willing to give Gilda another chance?"

Rainbow suddenly drew away and gave her a scandalous look. "What is with you about Gilda today?"

Twilight lowered her gaze and dug at the soft dirt with a hoof. "Well, I just kind of feel sorry for her. I mean, she lost you as a friend, and Lightning Dust isn't exactly being the best friend to her right now." She risked a glance at Rainbow's suspicious frown. "And I've noticed that she's been looking over here a lot."

"What?" Rainbow spun toward Gilda, who quickly lowered her gaze to the ground. "Yeah, she is watching me." She stared at her for a moment, then glanced back at Twilight. "You think she's up to something?"

With a shake of her head, Twilight said, "No, I think she just misses you, Dash."

"I don't think so, Twilight." Rainbow sighed. "I think she hates me."

"You can't know that for sure unless you try talking to her."

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "It's been years since that welcoming party. If she still wanted to be friends, then she would have come back to Ponyville by now."

"But Dash, Gilda is just like you," Twilight pressed. "How many times have you told me that while you were recounting stories? You've always had difficulties apologizing, so why can't the same be true for Gilda?" When Rainbow didn't answer, Twilight quickly suggested, "What if I talked to Lightning Dust and distracted her? Then the two of you could talk privately for a few minutes. Don't you want her back as a friend?"

For a long moment, Rainbow studied Gilda with an almost sad expression, and Twilight's heart quickened as she became convinced that she would agree to her plan. But then her features hardened and she turned away. "No, she's made her decision. She's Lightning's friend now, and honestly, I think the two of them deserve each other."

"Rainbow, I really think—"

"Enough, Twilight," Rainbow snapped, her ears flattening against her head. "I don't know what your problem is, but knock it off." She snorted and stomped a hoof. "I'm not talking to her. Now drop it."

Twilight's ears drooped as she shrunk away. "Okay..."

Never before had Twilight felt so frustrated. She had actually managed to draw Gilda out from her shell, and now Rainbow, the pony who had spent the last couple of years telling her that she wished they could be friends again, was brazenly refusing to speak to her. The whole situation was enough to make her want to snatch Rainbow up with her magic and shake the egotistical mare until she agreed to think rationally.

For the next half hour, Twilight watched the other teams compete and listened to the colorful commentary of Clasko and Emma, all the while trying to get her anger under control. But it wasn't until she heard them call team Pony Princesses Are Pretty to the field that she was able to forget her frustration.

As Krystle glided onto the field alongside her father, Twilight couldn't help but worry that Lightning would prove to be too intense for the little Griffon. Racked with guilt over her previous wish that anybody but her face Lightning in this event, Twilight felt a sudden intense desire to take Krystle's place.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Twilight asked as she studied Krystle's small frame.

"Who, Krystle?" Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively. "Of course. She's undeniably, unquestionably awesome! She's gonna make those two wish that they had been paired against us instead."

Twilight couldn't help but crack a grin at her friend's words. "She's that good, huh?"

Rainbow nodded as she watched the official tie a flag to Krystle's talon. "If Gilda and Lightning fly with the same lack of teamwork as they did in the obstacle course, and I'm sure they will, then Krystle and Nasir have this in the bag."

This made Twilight feel considerably better. Rainbow was hardly ever wrong when she assessed the abilities of other athletes, and to Twilight's knowledge, she had never failed to accurately predict the outcome of every Wonderbolt event she had ever gone to. Still, a small amount of doubt lingered. Rainbow may be an expert at this sort of thing, but Twilight knew that her emotions were playing a large role in her prediction. Silently, she wished the best of luck to the little Griffon.

Once the official was finished securing a flag to Nasir's talon, he rose high above them with a single powerful flap of his wings and blew his whistle.

"And they're off!" Clasko's magically enhanced voice echoed.

"Wow, Lightning Dust wasted no time going after those flags, Clasko! She was across the field in the blink of an eye."

"Yes, but Krystle and her father are proving to be much too agile for a straight on attack. They are practically dancing around her."

"Oh, but Gilda almost had one. What an impressive save by Nasir!"

Rainbow had been right, Twilight realized. There was no organization to Lightning and Gilda's attacks at all. Lightning was simply rushing them and flailing about almost randomly. It was clear that she had expected her speed to be the deciding factor. Gilda, on the other hoof, had a bit of a strategy; she kept swooping down and charging them from below.

Twilight shook her head. If only Lightning would coordinate her attempts with Gilda's, she would succeed in distracting them while Gilda snatched the flags.

Just then, she saw Lightning rush Krystle, but Nasir quickly grabbed his daughter by the talons and launched her straight up into the sky. He then used his momentum to perform a back flip that carried him right over Lightning's head.

"What an incredible display of agility from Nasir! This is becoming—" Emma's excited voice suddenly cut off in a loud gasp.

As Krystle was positioning herself by her father, Lightning unceremoniously rammed her and sent her sprawling into Nasir. As he fumbled to catch her, Lightning stretched out her neck and tore his flag free, and flew away with it held triumphantly over her head as the crowd began to boo loudly.

"What unsportsmarelike conduct!" Clasko exclaimed. "I've never seen such behavior in all my years—"

"There's nothing in the rulebook against it, Clasko," Emma interrupted. "It's just the risk a young contestant must take if they're going to compete."

"Still, that was completely uncalled for, Emma."

"I agree wholeheartedly. Let's hope that there will be an update to the rules of the competition following this incident."

"If I get my hooves on Lightning Dust, I'm gonna ram her head against a tree," Rainbow growled.

"I'd let Nasir handle that," Twilight said as Nasir threw Lightning such a scathing look that Gilda slowly drew away.

Suddenly, the shrill of a whistle sounded over the field.

"And that's the end of round one," Clasko announced. "Team Lightning Dust managed to acquire one of the two flags, and now team Pony Princesses Are Pretty...boy what a name, will try to capture the flags."

"I'm sure Nasir is all too eager to go on the offensive after that stunt Lightning Dust just pulled. Those two had better watch out."

"Indeed. But Gilda doesn't look very happy with her partner at the moment either. They seem to be in a bit of a spat."

Twilight was relieved to see that Nasir was ignoring Lightning and was speaking quietly to Krystle. She understood how a father's rage over what had just transpired could easily get him into trouble, and was grateful that he was above something so foolish.

"And round two is about to begin," Emma stated as the official finished tying the flag to Gilda and rose into the air.

A moment later, the whistle shrilled and the two teams were off.

"It looks like Lightning Dust has a lot to answer for," Clasko said. "Both Nasir and Krystle are ignoring Gilda and going straight for her."

"But can they catch her? Lightning is one seriously fast pony."

"They can if they work together, Emma."

"Too right, Clasko, and it looks like Lightning is in trouble, but here comes Gilda to help."

"Oh, what an excellent save by Gilda! She got there just in the nick of time and was able to deflect Krystle's grab."

"Wait, Nasir just nabbed her flag!" Emma cried. "He knew exactly what Gilda was going to do and took advantage of her opening. Well played!"

Krystle did a couple of quick flips as the crowd erupted in applause, and then turned her attention to Lightning Dust, who was already rocketing away.

"There goes Lightning across the field with Nasir in hot pursuit. She's fast, but predictable, and I think he's already catching on to her little game, Clasko."

As Lightning climbed higher and began to double back across the field, Nasir suddenly shot forward with an unexpected burst of speed and cut her off.

Swooping directly into her path, he expanded his wings completely, causing her to come to a hard stop. Then, without warning, Krystle zipped out from below, snatching the flag and dashing right past her ear.

The whistle shrilled, marking the end of the round while Lightning simply hovered in place, still trying to comprehend what had happened. With an angry shout that was drowned out by the thunderous applause, she turned and landed on the other side of the field.

Clasko's voice rang over the field. "What a spectacular end to an electrifying performance!"

"Let's see what the judges thought of team Lightning Dust."

Twilight glanced up at the judges panel as both Griffons each held up a three, the Pegasus a two, and Hans held up a one.

"Ouch. The judges did not like them at all."

"I certainly can't blame them, Clasko. They only managed to capture one flag, didn't fly well as a team, and that disgraceful assault on little Krystle is hard to look past."

"Too right, Emma. Now, let's see what they thought of team Pony...ah...P.P.A.P."

The judges each held up an eight, and a beaming Hans held up a ten.

"Now that's a score!" Clasko's voice boomed. "And that puts them well ahead of any other team so far."

Rainbow took to the air and scooped Krystle up and spun her around. "That was so awesome!" she cried. "Lightning Dust didn't even know what hit her!"

Krystle grinned widely as they landed, and then broke loose of Rainbow and slapped her wing against her father's.

"Great work, honey," Nasir said, smiling as brightly as his daughter.

"Those were some pretty awesome moves, kid!" Everyone turned to find Gilda standing behind them. She smiled at Krystle. "I'm impressed."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Gilda?"

Gilda's smile faltered as she made eye contact with Rainbow, but then she glanced back at Krystle. "I just wanted to congratulate these two." She cleared her throat self-consciously. "They were amazing out there."

"Thanks!" Krystle hopped forward. "I like you, you're nowhere near as mean as that other pony."

Turning her gaze to the ground and scratching the back of her head, Gilda mumbled, "Yeah...sorry about that."

Nasir stepped up and held out a talon. After a moment's hesitation, Gilda gripped it and he smiled. "Thank you for the kind words." He tightened his hold, causing her eyes to widen. "And let your friend know if she ever touches my daughter again, I'll deal with her personally."

"I will," she promised as he released her. Warily turning her attention to Rainbow, she said, "So, Dash, I was—"

"Whatever you're going to say, I don't wanna hear it," Rainbow interrupted, crossing her forelegs tightly against her chest.

"Rainbow, just give her a chance," Twilight pleaded.

"No." Rainbow crouched low to the ground and dug at the dirt with a hoof. "She had her chance. She chose to be a big jerk to my friends, completely ignore me for years, and then suddenly show up and tell me everything is my fault." Looking like she may charge Gilda at any moment, Rainbow snorted. "I've got nothing to say to her."

Twilight was about to argue, but saw Gilda shake her head. "It's okay. She's right, I deserve this."

Helplessly, Twilight watched Gilda walk away as the next pair of teams entered the field. For several long awkward moments, they stood quietly, trying not to look at one another as the commentators' voices echoed all around them.

Finally, Krystle shouted, "Seventy four!"

Rainbow blinked. "Huh?"

"That's how many points me and daddy have! Seventy four!"

Rainbow grinned. "That's really good. You might even win this thing."

Krystle gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Then Rainbow's features turned determined. "But I'm planning on catching up to you in this event, so you better bring your A game for Event Three, or this competition is gonna be mine!"

"Bring it on!" Krystle cried before erupting in laughter.

Watching Rainbow laugh with Krystle, Twilight sadly turned her gaze toward Gilda. She and Lightning Dust were sitting next to one another, but both were avoiding the other's gaze. She just looked so unhappy; Twilight wished that there was something, anything, that she could do for her.

"Next up is team Cloudburst facing team Twidash," she heard Emma announce.

Tearing her eyes away from her new friend, Twilight took to the air with the others.

"Oh, wow. We are so going to get owned by Rainbow Dash," Cloudgazer said to Adele. "It's going to be awesome!"

Adele laughed. "You're such a dork."

Rainbow playfully punched Cloudgazer in the shoulder. "I promise I won't embarrass you too badly."

Cloudgazer winked. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about when you're beaten by the best."

Adele caught Twilight's gaze and rolled her eyes. "He's going to enjoy this way too much. I'll probably never hear the end of it."

Despite her worry for Gilda, Twilight couldn't help but smile. She needed to focus on what was happening now, and to do her best to have fun. She was here primarily for Rainbow, and she would have to wait until Event Two was over before figuring out how to redeem Gilda.

"Good luck," she called to Adele as she and Cloudgazer headed toward the official.

"You ready?" Rainbow asked as they watched the official tie the flags on their opponents.

Twilight nodded. "I think so."

Honestly, she didn't feel nearly as anxious as she did before the obstacle course. She supposed experiencing the worst by taking that tuft of clouds to the face in front of thousands of spectators had cured her. After all, there wasn't a whole lot that could happen now that would equal her previous embarrassment.

A moment later, the official rose into the air and raised the whistle to his beak.

"Here we go," Rainbow said. The whistle shrilled and she exploded forward. "Remember the plan," she called over her shoulder.

Seeing that Rainbow was rocketing straight toward them, Cloudgazer and Adele split apart. Twilight swooped upward to chase Adele as Rainbow went into a steep dive after Cloudgazer.

Eyes squinted in concentration as the wind whipped almost painfully through her mane, Twilight fixed her sight on the tip of Adele's tail, just as Rainbow had taught her to. Clearing her mind the way she did when about to use a spell, Twilight allowed the entire world to fall away. She no longer heard the voices of the commentators, saw the cheering crowd, or felt the wind tearing through her mane. Nothing existed except for the tail.

With her body rigid, tense, and ready to react, and adrenaline pumping through her veins, Twilight shot forward with surprising speed. Suddenly, she found the tail only mere inches ahead, and with a victorious grin, forced herself to fly even faster to close the distance. Without warning, the tail abruptly banked away from her, but she swiftly veered after it.

Twilight shifted her gaze from the tail and caught sight of the flag flapping in the wind on Adele's talon. Gritting her teeth, she flapped her wings even harder as she arched herself up and positioned herself above the Griffon.

Just then, Cloudgazer flashed by with Rainbow right behind him, causing Adele to squawk in surprise and slow. Recognizing her chance, Twilight swooped down, cutting off the startled Griffon and snatching the flag as she soared passed.

Turning in the air and holding the flag up triumphantly, Twilight saw Adele laughing and clapping. Then the two of them raced across the field toward Rainbow and Cloudgazer.

Twilight flew straight at Cloudgazer, but slightly higher to force him to slope downward into Rainbow's path. Unfortunately, just as Rainbow was about to grab the flag, Adele burst between them and caused both Rainbow and Cloudgazer to spin out.

Rainbow recovered more quickly and swooped toward the still tumbling Cloudgazer, but Adele was swiftly moving to his aid. Clenching her jaw and bracing for the impact, Twilight collided with the Griffon, effectively blocking her and allowing Rainbow to snag Cloudgazer's flag.

The shrill of the whistle marking the end of the round was closely followed by the roaring applause.

Rainbow hoof bumped Twilight, and then turned and hugged Cloudgazer. "Those were some pretty awesome moves."

Cloudgazer blushed. "That's nice of you, but I know you had two chances to grab the flag and didn't."

With a grin and a wink, Rainbow replied, "I did promise not to embarrass you too badly." She bumped his hoof. "But still, you had some nice moves."

Beaming brightly, Cloudgazer followed Adele to the other side of the field while the official began to strap the flag to Twilight's foreleg.

"You were really great, Twilight," Rainbow said. "You looked like a pro when you grabbed Adele's flag."

Twilight smiled sheepishly. "I never would have managed it if you hadn't steered Cloudgazer into her path."

Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe, but those were some awesome reflexes you showed. I'm proud of ya."

"Thanks," Twilight said as the official finished tying the flag to Rainbow's foreleg and rose into the air.

When the whistle sounded, Twilight stayed back while Rainbow rushed recklessly toward the opposing team. Surprised, the two of them broke apart as she streaked by, twisting as she reached them so that Cloudgazer's hoof found nothing but bare leg.

Suddenly, Twilight noticed Adele was racing straight for her. "Time for some payback," she cried.

She waited until Adele was right on top of her, and then simply stopped flapping. She plummeted toward the ground as Adele grabbed a talonful of empty air, and then quickly leveled out and shot across the field.

With Adele in hot pursuit, Twilight soared toward Rainbow.

Despite her best effort, she could feel Adele gaining on her. Glancing back, she found that she was coming up right beside her. Her eyes widened as Adele began to reach for the flag, but then Rainbow swooped by and slapped the Griffon in the face with her tail. Catching sight of Cloudgazer hurtling toward her, Twilight performed a barrel roll, barely clearing his reach and leaving him to crash into Adele.

"Nice one!" Rainbow exclaimed as she and Twilight slapped their wings together. Then she started toward the other side of the field. "Stick close."

Following just behind her friend, Twilight looked over her shoulder to find that Cloudgazer and Adele had recovered and were heading straight toward her. Noticing that both were staring at her intensely, she realized that they must have determined that she was the weakest link, and meant to concentrate all effort on capturing her flag.

She desperately tried to think of a strategy as the two fanned out behind her. It wouldn't matter if she swooped up or down, or banked left or right, one of them would be there to swipe her flag. Just as she began to lose hope, Rainbow came to a sudden halt, and then propelled herself backward. Her back struck Cloudgazer in the chest, and the two of them plummeted toward the ground below.

Twilight turned her attention to Adele and saw her rushing forward. She quickly looped upward, watching the Griffon snatching at the spot she had occupied just seconds ago, and then came down on her back. Pushing off with all four hooves, she shoved Adele downward with a startled squawk as she lifted higher into the sky.

Far below, Twilight caught sight of Rainbow rocketing across the field with Cloudgazer trailing hopelessly behind her. Then she saw Adele barreling towards her and braced herself for her next maneuver, but was surprised by the shrill of a whistle.

"And that's the end of round two," Clasko boomed. "What a stupendous performance by these two teams! I wish we could watch them go at it for the rest of the morning!"

Emma laughed. "I don't think they could keep up that kind of furious flying that long."

"Hey, speak for yourself!" Twilight heard Rainbow shout from near the ground, eliciting a laugh from not only the commentators but from most of the spectators as well.

"Um, Princess?" Twilight turned around to find Adele smiling sheepishly. "I just wanted to say that I'm glad I met you. I knew the princesses were nice and all, but I wasn't expecting one to be so...cool."

Twilight giggled as she felt her cheeks begin to burn. "Well...thank you very much."

"Thanks for the great experience," Adele said with a deep bow, and then she dove toward Cloudgazer.

"Let's see what the judges thought of team Cloudburst's performance," Clasko stated as Twilight headed toward Rainbow.

"A six, two sevens, and an eight," Emma read off. "Not bad."

"Not bad at all, seeing as how they were completely outclassed. They certainly showed some spirit and determination."

"That they did, Clasko, and apparently the judges greatly appreciated it."

"And now for team Twidash."

Twilight turned expectantly to the judges and watched the Griffons hold up an eight and a nine, the Pegasus hold up a nine, and then her gaze shifted to Hans. He hesitated as he studied her with an unreadable expression, and then, with a thin smile, he held up a nine.

"Wow!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Thirty five points! That's the best score of the morning, Emma!"

"And they definitely deserve it, Clasko! That was not only the most exciting performance of the morning, it was also the best display of teamwork so far."

"All right!" Rainbow cried as she hugged Twilight fiercely and spun her around. "That's fifty five points total! Lightning's only got thirty seven! We're gonna beat them, Twilight!"

"Awesome!" Twilight forced the enthusiasm into her voice. She was happy that they did so well, and even more so that Hans had scored her so high, but she couldn't stop thinking about how sad Gilda had looked earlier.

"So, how did you end up on Hans's good side?" Rainbow asked.

"Actually, I think it's because of her," Twilight answered, indicating Krystle, who was yelling their names and jumping up and down on her father's back.

Rainbow shrugged. "I guess. Anyway, if Hans is going to score us fairly, then we just might be able to win this thing."

"Yeah, you will!" Cloudgazer agreed excitedly from behind them. "You two were amazing up there!" He began to trot in place. "I can't believe I competed head to head with Rainbow Dash! My friends are never going to believe this!"

"Oh, wonderful," Twilight mumbled as she saw Lightning and Gilda heading their way. "Here comes Lightning, Dash."

Rainbow's brow furrowed as she turned and watched their approach. "What now, Lightning? You here to make excuses for why you're losing?" Her eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh, wait, I got one...because you suck!"

"Rainbow Dash! That's—" Twilight began her reprimand, but was cut off by Rainbow's hoof pressing firmly over her mouth.

She stumbled back and stared at Rainbow incredulously as a hot flash of anger coiled tightly inside her chest. With her ears laid flat against her head, Twilight prepared to berate her hotheaded friend, but before she could react, Lightning lunged forward and butted heads with Rainbow.

"I suck! Look at you! You only pulled ahead because you got paired with a couple of half-cocked flight school rejects!"

Unblinking, Rainbow met Lightning's eyes with an intensity of her own as she pushed back. "No, I pulled ahead because you got your tail kicked by an eight year old!"

With a bright flash of light, both mares were thrown backward. As they hit the ground with loud grunts, Twilight stepped between them. "Enough. Both of you."

"You'll never beat me, Dash," Lightning spat as she climbed back to her hooves. "I'm in a league all of my own. You can't even compare!"

"Yes, she can," Cloudgazer suddenly interjected. "Rainbow's a Wonderbolt now, she can take anypony in this competition."

As everyone present turned and looked at him, Cloudgazer blushed and shrank back. "Uh...my cousin works at the Wonderbolt Recruitment Office..." he mumbled.

Gilda's eyes grew wide as she looked at Rainbow. "Oh my gosh, Dash, you made it? You actually made it?!"

Holding her head high and thrusting out her chest, Rainbow shot them a cocky grin. "Of course I did. Was there ever any doubt?"

Twilight quickly turned her attention to Lightning Dust and found her glaring at Rainbow, her nostrils flaring as she ground her teeth. Without warning, she leaped forward and violently shoved Gilda aside.

"I was the best recruit the Wonderbolt Academy had ever received," Lightning snarled. "Not you. Me. I pushed myself to the limits, I broke academy records, and Spitfire made you my wingpony." She shoved an accusatory hoof into Rainbow's chest. "But you threw me under the wagon, and took the credit for my achievements. I should be a Wonderbolt by now, but you stole it from me!"

A nasty sneer crept onto her face as her eyes gleamed maliciously. "I'll bet daddy would be so proud."

Her words made Twilight's heart stop. She spun despairingly toward Rainbow, and found her friend's eyes wide with horror as her face slowly drained of color.

How could Lightning possibly know about Rainbow's parents? They hadn't known each other long enough, and Rainbow would never have told her something that personal. It didn't make any sense. Unless...

Realization struck Twilight like a runaway carriage. With an inward groan, she glanced over at Gilda. The Griffon was looking at Rainbow as if she expected to be assaulted at any moment and was slowly backing away.

"Oh no," Twilight moaned as she covered her eyes with her hooves.

"You told her about my parents, G?" Rainbow spoke barely above a whisper. "I...I trusted you. You're the only one I've ever told...you were supposed to keep that private."

Gilda looked as though she were about to collapse. Gazing down at her talons, she said, "It was back when I first met Light. She was feeling down about the academy, and I started bashing you to make her feel better. Then we started going back and forth with it, and it just kinda came out." She shook her head, and in a voice brimming with sorrow, concluded, "I'm sorry."

Rainbow's features suddenly relaxed. "No, it's cool, Gilda," she said in a perfectly even tone, "you only completely betrayed my trust. I'm glad to learn that our childhood together meant absolutely nothing to you."

Twilight stepped back. She had never feared Rainbow before, but she honestly had no idea what she was going to do. She prepared to cast a spell to keep Rainbow in check if needed, but then thought better of it. As angry as her friend was right now, Twilight worried that she might hurt herself if she was restrained by magic.

Gilda started forward. "Look, Dash, I understand if you hate—"

Without even the slightest indication that she was about to do it, Rainbow punched Gilda square in the beak. The Griffon's head snapped to the side, she stumbled, and then collapsed in a heap.

Rainbow then turned a scathing glare at Lightning, who immediately backed away. It was clear from the expression on Lightning's face that she knew she had gone too far. For the first time since Twilight had met her, she was completely speechless.

After a few moments that felt like an eternity to Twilight, Rainbow took to the air and flew back toward Mt. Aerie.

Biting back her own anger, Twilight asked, "Do you really think your father would be any more proud?" She took to the air as Lightning hung her head, and then chased after Rainbow.

As soon as she caught sight of Rainbow in the distance, she teleported herself right beside her. Ignoring her friend's shocked expression, she gripped her by the hooves and teleported them down to the ground.

She steadied Rainbow as the Pegasus stumbled on the uneven terrain that was suddenly beneath them. "Sorry, Rainbow, but I want to talk to you."

After shaking her head, Rainbow's determined gaze found hers. "We don't have time for that, Twilight. I want to practice the routine we have planned for Event Three."

"But we've been practicing that for the last week," Twilight argued. "You said it was perfect back in Ponyville."

Rainbow huffed and rubbed her temple. "Look, Twilight, I just want to be sure that we don't lose to those two. I want to go out there tonight and get a perfect score, and prove to Lightning and everypony else that I do deserve to be a Wonderbolt."

Twilight blinked. "What do you mean 'prove that you deserve to be a Wonderbolt'? Rainbow, everypony knows that you deserve to be a Wonderbolt, you've got nothing more to prove."

"That's easy for you to say," Rainbow scoffed. "Look at yourself. You're a flapping princess for Pony's sake!" She began clapping. "Congratulations, Twilight! Everypony is proud of you, even Princess Celestia."

Feeling the sting of indignation, Twilight suppressed her rage. "Dash, I know that you're upset right now, but that's no reason to attack me."

"You're tiers above me, Twilight," Rainbow continued with no sign that she had even heard her. "I could never hope to reach you. You completed all your studies, and you earned your wings and your crown.

"But look at me...I couldn't even pass the Wonderbolt history test on my own. I had to rely on you. How can I call myself a Wonderbolt if I couldn't even make it there on my own?" Rainbow snorted. "And you thought I was ready to face Dad."

Although Rainbow's words were infuriating her, Twilight recognized her plight all too well. She reminded herself that her friend was hurting right now, and was suffering from the same doubts that had been plaguing her the last several days.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Twilight said, "Okay, Rainbow, I'm sorry. If you want to practice our routine, then we'll practice."

"Thank you," Rainbow replied sarcastically before rolling her eyes and taking to the air.

Twilight growled and stomped a hoof into the ground, but lifted off and followed.

Hopefully, Rainbow would calm down once they started flying together. Twilight didn't know how much longer she could—

Suddenly, Twilight cried out in pain as her wing clipped a thick branch. Pain shot through her entire wing, and she fell several yards before catching herself. She tried to spiral down gently, but with another cry, she fell the remaining distance to the ground.

Gingerly, she tried to fold the wing, but when she felt the pain intensify, she immediately stopped. What had she done to it? How badly was it hurt? How could she have been so careless? Slowly climbing to her hooves and holding the wing out awkwardly, Twilight glanced up to find Rainbow hovering above with her forelegs crossed.

"You done?"

"I just hurt my wing," Twilight began. "I don't know how—"

"I saw it happen," Rainbow interrupted, waving a hoof dismissively. "I think you'll be okay. Now, c'mon, we need to get practicing."

Something snapped inside of her, and white hot anger surged forth. She felt it burn her cheeks as her vision began to shake, and felt it tighten in her chest as her muscles tensed up.

"You don't even care, do you?!" Twilight snapped. "I just got hurt, and all you care about is this stupid competition! I'm so sick of your attitude, of your need to win, of the way you've been treating me!"

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "What did I do that—"

"You covered my mouth when we were talking to Lightning. You actually covered my mouth with your hoof! Who do you think you are?!"

"You hold me in place all the time with your magic," Rainbow retorted, throwing her hooves up in the air. "Why is that okay?"

"Because I do it to prevent you from doing something you'll regret later!" Twilight yelled. "Because you don't ever stop to think about anything!"

"And I did it to stop you from being little Miss Highhorse and embarrassing me in front of Lightning."

Twilight pressed a hoof against her own chest. "You don't think that embarrassed me? Do you even realize what that must have looked like to anypony watching? The princess was speaking, and her friend just clamps her mouth shut?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Your Highness," Rainbow said with an exaggerated bow.

Grinding her teeth, Twilight felt herself begin to shake. "I've never asked to be treated any differently now that I'm a princess, but I do expect to be treated with the same respect that anypony else deserves."

"You wanna talk about respect now?" Rainbow sneered. "Fine, then respect me. Your wing is fine, I just told you that, so why don't you trust me? You haven't trusted me about anything for the last couple of weeks!"

"Why should I trust you?" Twilight growled. "You said you wanted to enter this competition because we were close friends, but it turns out all you wanted to do was impress the Wonderbolts." She shifted her weight, and another sharp stab of pain from her wing made her gnash her teeth. "You were just using me to better yourself!"

Rainbow's eyes went wide. "No, I wasn't! I mean, yeah, I was kinda hoping that we would do well and the Wonderbolts would hear about it, but I only wanted to come here with you."

Twilight lowered her head. "I don't believe you."

"Well...fine!" Rainbow shouted. "If you're not gonna trust me, then I don't want to fly with you!"

"Great!" Twilight spat venomously. "Because I quit."

For a split second, Rainbow's face fell, but then it was covered by a mask of rage. "Whatever you want, Your Majesty!" She then whirled around and rocketed out of sight.

With a scream of rage, Twilight gripped the offending branch with her magic, and viciously snapping it off, she flung it to the ground with enough force that it splintered upon contact.

Twilight spun around and started off toward Mt. Aerie. She was getting on the train and heading back to Ponyville tonight, and she didn't care if any of her friends were with her or not.

Confessions

Chapter 11

Confessions

As she continued down the path toward Mt. Aerie, her injured wing fully extended and bouncing awkwardly as she walked, Twilight fumed over the things Rainbow had said.

She had been shocked by Rainbow's rage; never before had she seen her friend lose herself like that. Her desire to beat Lightning Dust had transformed her into a near identical clone of her rival, and as long as Rainbow remained that pony, Twilight wanted nothing to do with her.

But worse still had been Rainbow's complete disregard for her injury. Twilight glanced back at her wing as she felt another twinge. She had no idea how badly she had hurt it, and a new surge of anger rose within her as she remembered Rainbow's reaction. How could she have acted so indifferently?

She sighed. The train should arrive in Ponyville early in the morning, and if her wing was still hurting then, she would visit the spa. Fluttershy had once told her that there was an excellent masseuse there that specialized in wing therapy.

"Twilight!"

Upon hearing her name called from a distance, Twilight turned around, careful not to move too quickly lest she cause further injury to her wing. Finding nopony behind her, she frowned, but then raised her gaze to the sky.

Far above, she spotted Gilda gliding toward her, waving a talon to get her attention. Twilight returned the wave and sat, wondering what more damage the Griffon could possibly cause. It wasn't that she was angry with Gilda, although she did wish the Griffon would have kept Rainbow's secret from Lightning, but the entire situation the three of them had found themselves in was infinitely frustrating to her.

As Gilda reached Twilight, she began to fly slow circles overhead. "Do you know where Dash is?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I don't know, and I don't care."

"What?" Gilda landed directly in front of her. "What do you mean 'I don't care'? How could you not care? Didn't you see how upset she was?"

"Maybe because she's a huge jerk?" Twilight sidestepped Gilda and continued down the path.

Quickly taking to the air and landing in front of her again, Gilda said, "I was a huge jerk too, but you gave me another chance."

This brought Twilight pause. Gilda made a good point; if she had deserved a second chance, then didn't Rainbow? After everything they had done together, all the great things they had accomplished, was she really willing to just throw it all away?

But then she remembered Rainbow trying to coax her back into the air, and her blatant disregard for her injury, and the anger coiled inside her chest reawoke.

"This is different," she muttered as she tried to push past Gilda.

"Is it?" Gilda asked as she blocked Twilight's escape. "You're angry right now, Twilight, and trust me, I know what that can do to your judgment." Seeing that Twilight was about to retort, she quickly added, "I just don't want you to make the same mistake I did."

Twilight blinked. "The same...mistake?"

"I spent the last couple of years regretting what I did in Ponyville," Gilda admitted, turning her gaze to the dirt path. "In just one afternoon, I lost my best friend. But she was more than even that, she had become a part of me. I hadn't even realized it until she was gone, but suddenly, I felt so empty. I thought about going back to Ponyville and talking to her, a lot, but I always talked myself out of it. I believed that she wouldn't want to see me again. I know now that I was just letting my fears get the best of me.

"And then I met Lightning Dust. She was so much like Dash, I just had to be her friend." Gilda chuckled humorlessly. "That's when my hatred for Dash began. Hanging out with Light, it became really easy to place all the blame on Dash, and it wasn't long before I believed that she had been the one who betrayed me. From then on, my anger toward her grew and grew, and when I finally met her again, I was convinced that I had something to settle."

Without warning, Gilda reared up and gripped Twilight's shoulders, and she was surprised to find that the feathers around the Griffon's eyes were wet. "If you don't make up with her now, you'll regret it later. And by then, it could be too late."

Twilight swallowed hard as thousands of memories began flashing through her mind. Was her relationship with Rainbow really going to end over a stupid tree branch? She knew she owed her friend more than that.

With a heavy sigh, Twilight nodded. "You're right, Gilda. I suppose I should try to find Rainbow, and at least try for some measure of damage control."

"Now that's the reaction I was hoping to get from you." Gilda smiled and then leaped into the air. "Let's go find Dash!"

Twilight sat back on her haunches. "I can't..."

Gilda skidded to a halt and looked back at her incredulously. "What do you mean? You just agreed to go look for her."

"No, I mean I can't fly." Twilight indicated her wing. "I hurt my wing."

"Oh no." Gilda quickly landed. "How'd you do it? Is it okay?"

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know. I clipped it on a branch. It hurts when I try to fold it, or when I flap."

"Ouch." Gilda grimaced. Then, after a brief hesitation, she said, "I could take a look at it, if...uh, you don't mind."

"That would be great," Twilight said with a self-conscious smile. "I'm really worried about it, I have no idea how much damage I've done." As she watched Gilda move closer and inspect her wing, Twilight couldn't help but say in a resentful tone, "Rainbow didn't even care. All she cared about was getting me back into the sky again."

"Yeah," Gilda nodded. "That's what I think you should do too."

With a start, Twilight backpedaled away from Gilda. "Wait, what?"

"You bruised it pretty good," Gilda said, "but there isn't any real damage."

"No damage?" Twilight repeated. "Then why does it hurt so badly when I move it?"

"Our wings are very sensitive," Gilda explained. "Even the smallest bumps and scraps can be really painful. Haven't you ever banged them on something before, or even rolled over on one?"

"Oh yes," Twilight affirmed, "I've laid on them awkwardly many times. And I banged one on a doorframe once."

"And what did you do after?" Gilda asked. "Did you walk around with it fully extended like you are now?"

"No, I flex them," Twilight answered. "A few flaps usually help ease the pain."

"Right, and this is the same sort of thing," Gilda said. "It hurts way more than you're used to, but if you get up there and start flying, the pain should get easier to bear pretty quick. But if you keep babying it like you are now, it's gonna keep hurting longer."

"Really? I thought I'd hurt it worse than that. So...then maybe Rainbow wasn't being insensitive..." Twilight's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth with her hoof. "Oh my gosh, she knew! She was giving me the best advice she could, and I didn't trust her. I'm such an idiot!" She turned an imploring gaze toward Gilda. "I've got to find her! I've got to tell her I'm sorry!"

"Then, let's go!" Gilda cried as she lifted off once more.

Resolutely, Twilight extended her other wing, and with several hard flaps, lifted into the sky. Immediately, the pain in her wing intensified, but with a newfound determination, she kept flapping.

As Twilight bit her lip against the pain and struggled to gain altitude, Gilda swooped down and took her hooves. "It hurts a lot, I know, but it's cool. Flap it off, just flap it off."

The pain slowly began to ease off as Twilight continued to ascend until it was nothing more than a dull ache. This confirmation of what Gilda had said upset her greatly, and further fueled her desire to find Rainbow.

"You cool?" Gilda asked.

"Yeah." As soon as Gilda released her hooves, Twilight threw her forelegs around the Griffon's neck. "Thank you for coming after me. You saved me from making the worst mistake of my life."

She felt her friend stiffen against her embrace, but slowly relax until finally, she returned the hug. "Thank you for the second chance, Princess."

For some reason, Gilda's choice to use the word 'Princess' just seemed to fit, and for the first time, Twilight felt a stirring of pride from the title.

Once Gilda pulled away, Twilight stated, "Let's head back toward the competition grounds. If we don't find her by then, we can split up and search."

"Right."

Ignoring the ache in her wing, Twilight followed Gilda back toward the competition grounds. As they flew, she scanned the forest below, as well as the numerous clouds in the sky above, watching closely for a glimpse of the telltale rainbow hued mane.

Gilda nudged her. "Look, it's Krystle's dad."

Twilight turned her gaze straight ahead, and spotted Nasir racing toward them. He slowed as he neared. "Are you looking for Rainbow?"

"Yes," Twilight responded eagerly. "Do you know where she is?"

Nasir turned and pointed to a clearing in the trees off in the distance. "She's at the lake with Krystle." He patted her shoulder. "Go get your friend back, Princess."

"Thank you, Nasir," Twilight said as she started off.

Her injured wing all but forgotten, Twilight outpaced Gilda as her desire to reach Rainbow enveloped all other thoughts. She had no idea what she was going to say, or what she could do to make up for her past actions, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she be there for her friend.

As they drew closer to the lake, Twilight caught sight of Rainbow sitting on the bank, facing away from them. Directly beside her sat Krystle, and as she watched, the little Griffon skipped a stone across the surface of the lake.

Suddenly, Gilda surprised Twilight by going into an early dive, but she quickly followed suit. They landed in a clearing several yards away, and without a word, Gilda began to lead the way through the brush.

"Why did we land back here?" Twilight asked.

"I don't think it's a good idea for Dash to see me right now. She's pretty angry with me." She offered a small smile as she tentatively raised a talon to her face. "And my beak still hurts."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "Then why were you even out looking for her in the first place?"

Gilda shrugged. "I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."

A small smile crept onto her face at the Griffon's words, but quickly died as she reached the tree line. Standing motionless, she watched Rainbow's slump form lift a rock and skip it across the water as a subdued Krystle readied her next one.

"That was a good one," Rainbow said in a voice that brimmed with sadness as she watched Krystle's rock bounce toward the center of the lake.

Krystle remained silent as Rainbow selected another rock, but just as she was about to throw it, the little Griffon asked, "How did you get so good at this?"

Rainbow paused with her foreleg cocked, then let the rock drop with a sigh. "I used to do this with my dad."

Krystle perked up. "Really?" But then she tilted her head. "Wait, didn't you just say that you don't like skipping stones?"

"I never liked it." Rainbow hung her head and poked at the small pile of rocks beside her. "My dad was head weather pony of the southern region of Equestria, so he was away a lot, and didn't have much time for me. But once every month, on the third weekend, we would go get mane cuts together. Then he would take me wherever I wanted to go for lunch, and then we would head down to the lake and skip stones. I don't know why he liked it so much, but I never had the heart to tell him. It was our time together, and even though I hated skipping stones, when I was with him it was my favorite thing in the world."

"Does your daddy have time for you now?" Krystle asked.

Twilight heard Rainbow sniff. "No. I haven't talked to him in a really long time."

"How come?"

"Because I'm stupid. Because I push ponies that care about me away."

"Like Princess Twilight?"

"Yeah," Rainbow spoke in a shaky breath. "To me, Twilight is more than a friend, more than a princess even. Twilight's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've learned so much about myself in the time I've spent with her. It's because of her that I'm in the Wonderbolt Reserves, and it's because of her that I've finally decided to go back and face Dad.

"But I let my need to win ruin everything. I wanted to beat Gilda and Lightning Dust so badly that I...I lost myself. And I yelled at Twilight and treated her like garbage." Rainbow suddenly growled and kicked the pile of stones, sending them skittering across the bank. "Why am I always so stupid?"

Twilight took a deep breath and wiped her eyes before stepping forward. "The last thing I'd ever call you is stupid, Rainbow Dash."

With a start, Rainbow whipped around. "Twilight!"

In her haste to reach her, Rainbow stumbled on the rocks that she had piled and nearly went facedown into the dirt. Somehow managing to keep her balance, Rainbow raced forward and embraced her. "I'm so sorry, Twi. For everything. I've been such a lousy friend."

Twilight squeezed her tight. "I know you are, Dash. And I haven't been the best of friends myself." She released her friend and stepped back. "I tried flying, and you were right. My wing is fine. I-I should have trusted you. I'm sorry."

"How could you have trusted me with the way I was acting?" Rainbow shook her head. "I didn't stop to think about how new your wings are to you, or how scary it must have been to feel that kind of pain. Actually, I haven't really been thinking much at all lately. I've just been...reacting." Her ears drooped as she met Twilight's gaze. "And you've taken the brunt of it."

"Rainbow, it's—"

"Hold up a sec, Twilight. I've got something to say, something I've been wanting to say since I told you about my parents. The problem is, it's ridiculously sappy." Rainbow offered a small smile. "And you know me. Give me a minute too long to think about it, and I'll find a reason to not say it.

"The truth is...I really look up to you, Twilight. You're everything I want to be." Rainbow sat back on her haunches, her eyes roaming everywhere except for Twilight's. "At the Wonderbolt Academy, Spitfire said I was a leader, but you're tiers above me. You led us against Discord, and even saved us all from his powers, you found the crystal heart and made the decision to send it with Spike to save the Crystal Empire, and you were even brave enough to give up the elements to save the Tree of Harmony. I know I wouldn't have been brave enough to make that decision.

"The only reason I made lead pony in the academy was because I turned in Lightning Dust, and ever since then, I've wondered if I would have achieved it if she hadn't been there." She shook her head. "And I didn't know. But I do know that I would never have passed that Wonderbolt's history test without you. So I started to ask myself, do I even deserve to be a Wonderbolt? And again, I didn't know."

Rainbow finally met her gaze. "And then I overheard a couple of Griffons talking about this competition while we were at Rainbow Falls. I'd forgotten about this competition, and hearing about it again made me think of how much I missed Dad, which made me think of how close I was feeling with you. Then it suddenly hit me, you know? You were still a novice flier, and not very confident in your abilities. It was perfect! I could take you under my wing and coach you, teach you everything I know and turn you into a flying ace. I would lead you in the competition, and if I succeeded, then I would finally know that I did deserve my place as lead pony at the academy...and maybe even deserve to be a Wonderbolt."

Twilight scratched her head. "So then...you didn't bring me here to impress the Wonderbolts?"

"Like I said a little bit ago, it'd be really cool if we did well and they heard about it, but no, that's not why I brought you here. I came here to prove to myself that I can be a leader, but I think you know how that turned out." Rainbow hung her head as her entire body seemed to slump. "I never intended to put so much pressure on you, and I didn't come here to win. Honest. I let Lightning and Gilda get to me, and I lost sight of what was important. So...I guess I got my answer now. I'm not cut out for leadership.

"Still...I learned a lot about myself here, and not all of it was bad. I'm ready to go back to Dad. I may not be the success that I've always fantasized I'd be when facing him, but I know that you were right when you said that he'd be proud." Without warning, she took Twilight's hoof in her own. "I really owe you big time for this, Twilight, and I'll do anything to make it up to you. Just name it, and it's done."

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight paused as the Pegasus's sentiment caused a lump to form in her throat. "You're not the only one at fault here. I've made a lot of mistakes, more than I even knew.

"I just assumed that you were here to prove yourself to the Wonderbolts. That you weren't happy with being in the reserves and that you wanted to wait until you were a full-fledged Wonderbolt so you could prove your father wrong. That was foolish of me." She turned her gaze away, suddenly finding it difficult to meet Rainbow's eyes. "I also haven't been as understanding and supportive as I should have been. I knew how upset Lightning and Gilda were making you, and I knew that your competitive spirit was getting away from you, but instead of simply sitting down and talking to you about it, I let my frustrations get the better of me. I guess...I lost sight of what was important too, and I'm sorry."

Rainbow hugged her tightly as she began to cry. "I love you, Twilight."

Smiling through her tears, Twilight said, "I love you too, Dash."

Hearing a sniffle from beside them, they both turned to find Krystle wiping her eyes.

"Aww...come here, squirt," Rainbow said as she scooped Krystle up and embraced her.

Suddenly remembering Gilda, Twilight cleared her throat. "Umm...so Rainbow, I've got a confession to make."

Rainbow looked at her over Krystle's head. "What's up?"

"Yesterday, after our fight, I sort of had dinner with Gilda."

"Really?" Rainbow replied, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "It wasn't intentional. I just ducked into a restaurant to get away from everyone bowing to me, and she just happened to be there. She approached me and we talked, and then Pinkie showed up because you know her, she always seems to know where you're at. Anyway, the two of them made up for what happened in Ponyville, and well...I consider her a friend now."

Rainbow frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Twilight lowered her gaze to the ground. "I was afraid you would be angry if you found out. I know I shouldn't have kept it from you...I guess you can just add it to my pile of mistakes."

"Well, seeing as how I've lost my head more in the last three days than I have in the last three months, I totally understand why you didn't want to tell me." Rainbow playfully punched her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Twilight. It's cool."

Twilight offered a small smile. "I'm very glad to hear that."

"So, that's why you were so pushy about me talking to Gilda, huh? I was wondering about that. You seemed so upset when I refused." A slow smile formed on Rainbow's face as she contemplated what she had just learned. "If it's that important to you, then maybe I will talk to her."

Twilight shuffled nervously. "There's one more thing."

Rainbow made a face. "Oh, please Celestia, don't tell me you befriended Lightning too."

This made Twilight laugh. "No, I think that would be well beyond me." With a glance at the brush behind her, she turned serious. "I was so mad at you, Dash, that I was on my way to the train station. But someone talked some sense into me and made me realize how much you meant to me. They made me see what a huge mistake it would have been to leave."

Rainbow looked as though the air had just been knocked out of her. "You...you were leaving? Oh my gosh, Twilight, I had no idea I'd hurt you that badly. If you would have left...I would never have forgiven myself."

Twilight had to struggle to talk around the lump in her throat. "Honestly, Rainbow, if I had left, I probably wouldn't have forgiven myself either."

"So...who stopped you?" Rainbow asked. "Was it Nasir? He knew how upset I was. I think that's why he sent Krystle with me."

"No, Dash, it was Gilda, and she's here now." As Rainbow gasped in surprise, Twilight waved toward the brush and Gilda emerged.

"Hey, Dash," Gilda said hesitantly.

"H-hi...G..."

For a long moment, neither of them would look at the other, but then Rainbow took a step forward. "So...does your beak still hurt?"

Gilda kept her gaze determinedly focused on the ground. "A little."

"Good." Rainbow nodded curtly, but then her ears drooped. "But I appreciate you being there for Twilight since, you know...I wasn't."

"No prob," Gilda replied quietly.

Scratching the back of her neck and sparing a quick glance at Twilight, Gilda finally met Rainbow's gaze. "I'm really sorry I told Light about your parents, Dash. At the time, I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I-I know that's not a good enough excuse, that I still should have kept your secret, but that's all I've got. If you want to hate me for it, I don't blame you, but there's something I need to say. It's something I've wanted to say for a long time.

"I'm sorry, Dash. I'm sorry for the way I treated your friends back in Ponyville, for leaving like I did and never coming back, and I'm especially sorry that I let Lightning convince me that everything was your fault. It was just so much easier to hate you than to face the pain of losing you." Gilda smiled humorlessly. "I guess I'm the one who turned out to be queen lame-o."

"Yeah, I guess so," Rainbow mumbled.

Gilda sighed heavily, and slowly nodding her head, she began to turn away.

"But then," Rainbow continued, "I've been pretty lame recently myself." She totted over and raised her hoof. "And you know what they say about Pegasi of a feather."

Beaming, Gilda bumped her hoof. "Thanks, Dash."

"Don't thank me," Rainbow retorted. "Thank Twilight and Pinkie. If they count you as a friend, then so do I." Her ears laid back and her eyes narrowed. "But if you want us to be the way we used to be, then you need to make up with Fluttershy. She's really sensitive, and the way you screamed at her really upset her. A lot. She's probably gonna be terrified of you, so you'd better be patient."

"Okay..." Gilda swallowed hard. "Uh, which one is Fluttershy?"

Rainbow scowled. "The one in the marketplace that was leading a line of ducks."

"Ugh." Lowering her head, Gilda covered her eyes. "I forgot about her. Is it even possible to apologize for something so mean?"

"It is with Fluttershy," Rainbow replied matter-of-factly. "If you can manage that, then I'll forgive you for everything."

"Consider it done," Gilda said. Then she grasped Rainbow's hoof, and they both turned sideways and slapped wings. Suddenly, they laughed and hugged fiercely.

"It's really great to have you back, G," Rainbow sniffed.

"You too, Dash," Gilda whispered.

"So, Twilight," Rainbow said as she released Gilda. "You ready to go get the others and head back home?"

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed. "You want to go back home? What about Event Three?"

"Pfft, Event Three, Shmee. I don't need this stupid contest anymore. I've got the most totally awesome friends anypony could ever ask for, and if I deserve to be with you, then I definitely deserve to be a Wonderbolt." She tilted her head toward Krystle. "Besides, team Pony Princesses are Pretty have this in the bag."

Krystle giggled. "I think I want to change my team name now."

"Oh, really?" Rainbow blinked. "To what?"

"Dads Rule!" Krystle cried with a bright smile.

Rainbow laughed. "That's an awesome name!"

"Rainbow, are you sure about this?" Twilight asked with concern.

Waving a hoof dismissively, Rainbow answered, "I know now that I'm Wonderbolt material, and I'm finally ready to face Dad." She grinned and nudged her with a foreleg. "And who knows, if I keep hanging out with you, maybe I will be up to snuff as a leader someday. What more is there?"

Rainbow's words resonated deeply in Twilight's mind, and her thoughts immediately turned to what Nasir had told her earlier that day. He had said that everyone, even Hans and Princess Celestia, sometimes needed to be held up by their friends. He and Rainbow were right. Twilight now understood that Celestia had chosen her to be princess, not because she was deemed better than the others, but because the others loved her so adamantly.

The true value of a pony isn't by their deeds, but by how much they are loved. Because when a pony is loved, they become something greater than what they could ever be on their own. And if they allow that love to blossom, and are careful to never devalue it, then they can never fail. Twilight knew then why she had ascended while Star Swirl the Bearded hadn't. She had an open heart that accepted all of her friends' love, and treasured it for its true worth, and that in turn had completed his unfinished spell. Now she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she deserved her title. Her friends had raised her to the crown, and thanks to them, she would never fall.

Feeling happier than she had since arriving at Mt. Aerie, Twilight smiled. "Okay, Rainbow. Let's go home."

"Actually, you might wanna stay, Dash," Gilda suddenly spoke up.

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, but," she glanced over at Twilight, "you're a princess, so I don't really feel bad telling you.

"Remember Gus? The guy you suckered me into spending the evening with? Well, he told me that he's received two reservations from the Wonderbolts, Spitfire and Soarin. Apparently, they're gonna make a surprise appearance tonight to watch Event Three."

Twilight and Rainbow looked at one another, and she saw the excitement dancing in her friend's eyes. With a wide grin, she said, "I kind of like the idea of showing the Wonderbolts just how well you trained me, Rainbow Dash."

"Are you sure, Twilight?" Rainbow looked a little worried. "Because you don't have to do this."

"I know." Twilight stepped forward and nuzzled her affectionately. "That's why I want to."

With an excited laugh, Rainbow blasted into the air and performed a couple of advanced aerial maneuvers that made Twilight dizzy just watching. "We are totally going to blow their minds, Twilight! I didn't want to say anything back in Ponyville cause I didn't want to make you overconfident, but you've got our routine down pat! You're gonna look as good as me out there, Twi!"

"Who wants to race back to the competition grounds?" Krystle challenged.

"Bring it on, squirt!" Rainbow cried as she landed directly beside the little Griffon.

"I'm game," Gilda agreed with a grin.

Twilight laughed as she watched the three of them. "Only if I get a head start."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever." Suddenly she gave her a scandalous look. "But no magic this time!"

"Don't be a sore loser!" she called as she took to the air and flew as fast as she could; the pain in her wing all but gone.

Moments later, the others were rocketing past her, and the four of them laughed all the way back to the grounds.

Everything is Awesome

Chapter 12

Everything is Awesome

"Good evening, Ponies and Griffons, and welcome to Event Three, the third and final round of The Annual Flying Pairs Competition!"

"And what a round it's going to be, Clasko! We've seen some superb flying so far, and with nothing to hold the contestants back, I'm sure we are about to be treated to one heck of a show."

"Oh, of that I have no doubt, Emma. There are several teams that I am really looking forward to. Team TwiDash being at the top of the list, and team Lightning Dust should be interesting. Even if they fail once again to perform as a team, I'm sure with their skills, they'll still be very entertaining. And then there's team Pony Prin—"

"Actually, Clasko, that reminds me. Little Krystle approached officials not long ago and requested to change her team's name..."

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"...and since there is nothing in the rules prohibiting it, mainly because no one's ever done it before, they were only too happy to comply. So, for this final round, team Pony Princesses are Pretty will instead be known as team Dads Rule."

"That's adorable."

Raising her gaze a little further down field, Twilight spotted Krystle hugging her father tightly as the audience awed and applauded. The two of them beamed as they turned in a small circle and waved at the crowd.

"That kid's something else, isn't she?" Gilda commented from behind her.

"You'd better believe it," Rainbow replied. "How else would she be beating both of our teams?"

Gilda grinned. "You've got a point there."

"Gilda! What in the hay are you doing over here?" They turned around to find Lightning hovering several feet off the ground. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I'm talking to Rainbow and Twilight," Gilda said evenly. "Is that a problem?"

Lightning simply stared at her for a moment, then shook her head before turning her attention to Rainbow. "You doing all right?"

Rainbow exchanged a look with Twilight. "Yeah...why?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you're cool," Lightning stated. "Bringing up your dad like that was a low blow, I'll admit that, and I don't want you to be upset."

Cocking her eyebrow, Rainbow asked, "What do you care?"

"Honestly, I don't." Lightning shrugged. "I just want to be sure that you're at your best when I beat you. That way, there can be no doubt in our minds who the better pony is."

"And what about the part where you want to humiliate me? You know, like I humiliated you when I got you kicked out of the academy?"

With a quick glance at Twilight, Lightning said, "Yeah, well, maybe I'll leave that part out."

Rainbow snorted. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm more than ready to kick your tail all the way back to Cloudsdale."

"We'll see." Lightning smirked. "After tonight, everypony is gonna know which of us truly belongs in the Wonderbolts."

"Yeah they will," Rainbow agreed with a curt nod.

"You just think you're so bad," Lightning said as she rose higher into the air. "I can't wait to see you lose." With a small flip, she rocketed off toward the opposite side of the field.

"Um, guys..." Gilda spoke hesitantly, "she probably needs to talk to me about some stuff. So, I'll see you after the round?"

"If not, we'll come find you before we board the train tomorrow," Twilight assured her with a warm smile.

Returning the smile, Gilda lifted off and headed toward Lightning.

"Are you okay, Dash?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow flashed her a grin. "You bet. I know better than to let her get under my skin again."

"And if we lose to her?" Twilight pressed, voicing her lingering concern.

"We won't." Rainbow shrugged. "But if we did, I'd be cool with it. As long as I don't have to deal with her rubbing it in my face too much."

"If she becomes a spoil sport and tries anything like that, I'll teleport her back to the hotel," Twilight promised.

Rainbow laughed. "That would be epic! Can you imagine the look on her face when she suddenly finds herself talking to a stone wall!"

"I wonder how long it would take her to realize what happened." Twilight snickered.

Suddenly, Clasko's voice boomed over the field. "And now, if we can have everyone's attention, we've got a bit of a surprise for you. Just arriving from Cloudsdale, we present to you...the Wonderbolts!"

At that exact moment, Spitfire and Soarin came blazing into sight. They hovered above the field, smiling and waving at the crowd, and then launched into a series of stunts that left Twilight's jaw hanging.

"Whoa, Twi! Did you see that?!" Rainbow cried excitedly. "That is a very hard trick to pull off. You and your partner have to have complete trust in each other before you even attempt it. That's like the elite of the elite moves!"

Twilight sighed as her old regret resurfaced. She was glad that the two of them had made up, but she still hadn't found a way to prove to Rainbow that she trusted her. She would happily place her very life in her friend's hooves without hesitation, and wanted more than anything in the world to show her that.

"Let's hear it for the Wonderbolts, everyone!" Emma cried.

As the crowd roared madly, Spitfire and Soarin crossed the field and sat on a cloud that had been placed right next to Gideon's.

"The contestants are eager, the judges are set, and the order of the teams have been determined."

"And as soon as Clasko is finished with the theatrics, we can get this round started."

"Oh, come on, Emma. It's the final round. I'm just trying to add a bit of flair."

"Why don't we leave that to the competitors?" Emma chuckled as Clasko sat back in the cloud and grumbled, and then called the first team out onto the field.

"Hey, Twi," Rainbow said as the team began their performance. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Of course," Twilight replied without taking her eyes off of the two fliers.

"I was wondering if...uh..." Twilight glanced over at Rainbow when she paused and frowned as she scratched her head uncertainly.

Suddenly concerned, she asked, "What is it, Dash?"

Rainbow hesitated for a moment longer, and then blurted out, "Would you come to Cloudsdale with me to visit my parents?"

A warm smile spread across Twilight's face. "Yeah. I think I would like that." She studied her friend closely. "Why did you have so much trouble asking that?"

Rainbow grinned sheepishly. "Well, with everything I've put you through here, it kinda felt wrong to ask you for something else."

Rolling her eyes, Twilight said, "Would you stop acting like you were the only one that messed up." She poked Rainbow in the chest with a hoof. "You know I would do anything for you, and meeting your parents will be fun."

Rainbow started forward, but then faltered. She looked at the spectators all around them, then at the Wonderbolts seated up on their cloud before turning her gaze back to Twilight. Then she shrugged.

"Oh, what the hay." She hugged Twilight tightly. "I don't care who sees me."

Touched by Rainbow's affection, Twilight returned the embrace. Unfortunately, the warmth she felt within didn't last long before it was smothered by her guilt.

I've got to find a way to prove my trust to her.

Just then they heard Clasko call team Lightning Dust, and Rainbow quickly pulled away to watch Gilda and Lightning enter the field.

As the two of them flew toward the center of the field, Gilda caught Twilight's eye and smiled. Returning the smile, she leaned toward Rainbow. "I've really got mixed feelings about this."

Rainbow frowned. "Same here. I want to see Lightning fail miserably, but that would mean Gilda failing too."

High above the field, Lightning seemed to be saying something, Gilda nodded, and then held out a fist for Lightning to bump. With a small sideways roll, Gilda lined herself up perfectly with her partner, and then they both nodded to the official.

"There's the whistle, and they're off, and my, oh my are they fast!"

"But Lightning is sticking close to Gilda, Emma. It looks like we're finally going to see some teamwork from these two."

"Look at how in sync they are, and at those speeds! This is incredible!"

"Oh, wow!" Clasko exclaimed as the crowd began to cheer. "That would have required pinpoint accuracy! Unbelievable!"

Twilight glanced over at Rainbow and found her grinning ear to ear. "It looks like she's having a good time up there."

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed. "I'm glad Lightning is finally working with her."

"I wonder what made her change?"

"I dunno. Maybe it's her drive to beat me." Rainbow shrugged. "But they're gonna get a high score. We better be at the top of our game."

"Thanks to their low score last round, they should be easy to beat even if they get a perfect score here," Twilight pointed out. "At least, as long as I don't mess up."

Rainbow snorted. "Since when does Twilight Sparkle ever fail?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, but was unable to keep the smile from her face. The confidence Rainbow had in her felt great, and as she looked into those bright, intense eyes, Twilight knew she would succeed.

The shrill of the whistle brought Twilight's attention back to the field.

"What a fantastic performance by team Lightning Dust," Clasko announced once the crowd had quieted down enough for him to be heard. "Let's go to the judges."

"Four tens! A perfect score!"

"And definitely well deserved. That puts them in first place with seventy seven points total."

"Sweet!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Krystle will have no problem beating them, and we only need twenty three points for second. And Gilda should still take third."

Twilight nodded. "I'm glad she'll place. She's put in a lot of work for it."

"Yeah," Rainbow replied. "And notice that Lightning isn't coming over here to gloat. She must have finally figured out the math and knows we're gonna take the lead from her."

With a giggle, Twilight nudged Rainbow. "Be nice."

"What?" Rainbow grinned. "It's not like I'm calling her stupid or anything. Just that she probably has trouble counting."

Laughing, Twilight turned her attention to the team currently on the field. Once they had finished and were scored, Clasko called for team Dads Rule.

She waved as Nasir and Krystle entered the field, and beside her, Rainbow yelled, "Show them what you're made of, squirt!"

Flittering around her father excitedly, Krystle returned the wave. "Will do!"

"All set?" the official asked once the two of them had reached the center of the field.

With a nod from Nasir, the whistle shrilled.

"What a promising start, these two are just so graceful."

"They really are, Emma. It almost seems like a sort of dance, doesn't it?"

Sitting back on her haunches, Twilight smiled as the two of them continued their routine. She oohed and awed with the rest of the spectators at the perfectly coordinated routine.

But then, as Krystle performed a back flip and swooped forward toward Nasir, she cut up too sharply and slammed her head into his face. Dazed, Nasir raised his talons to his face and lost some of his altitude as Krystle plummeted toward the ground.

"Oh, she's falling!" Clasko shouted. "Someone, catch her!"

Twilight's heart stopped as her eyes tracked Krystle's descent, but then, with a hard shake of his head, Nasir went into a steep dive and snatched the little Griffon out of the air. He held her tightly as the rescue ponies rushed to their aid, but a moment later, Krystle lifted away on her own and began waving with a sheepish grin as the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

"She appears to be fine," Emma stated, "but per the rules she will need to be checked by the physician."

"Which, unfortunately, means that team Dads Rule will be disqualified from this round."

"Still, they have seventy four points, and are still well ahead of most teams, Clasko. With any luck, they'll keep second place."

Without a word, Rainbow raced off toward Krystle, and Twilight quickly followed suit. As they arrived, Rainbow asked, "Is she all right? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Krystle said, then paused while the doctor shined a light into her eyes. "My head hurts a little though."

"She just got too excited," Nasir explained, the ugly discoloration of a black eye already distinguishing itself from his feathers. "She came at me faster than I was expecting, and I didn't have time to react."

Krystle sniffed as she approached them. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"It's okay, sweetheart," Nasir assured her with a warm smile and a gentle pat on the head. "It was an accident. These things happen sometimes."

As Nasir stepped away for his checkup, Krystle wiped her eyes and turned to Rainbow. "I'm sorry I didn't win, Rainbow."

Rainbow scooted her forward with a wing and embraced her tightly. "Krystle, all because I wanted you to win doesn't mean that you had to."

"Rainbow's right," Twilight chimed in. "We know you did your best, and we are both very proud of you."

"Really?" When they both nodded, Krystle beamed. "You're the coolest Pony I've ever met," she said as she squeezed Rainbow's neck, causing the Pegasus's eyes to bulge. Then she unexpected leaped from Rainbow and threw her talons around Twilight. "And you're the coolest Princess in the whole world!"

With a grunt, Twilight stumbled, but managing to keep her balance, she hugged Krystle back. "You're pretty cool yourself."

They all turned to the judges as the shrill of a whistle marked the end of a team's performance. After holding up his card, Hans glanced down at them just as Nasir was returning. He held a thumb up in the air, and Hans smiled and sat back in his cloud.

"You want to get some cotton candy?" he asked, laying a talon on Krystle's back.

Krystle's eyes went wide. "Yeah!"

Nasir looked at them. "You two want anything?"

After they both declined, Nasir and Krystle headed off toward the vendors. Once they were out of earshot, Twilight asked, "You think they'll still place?"

Rainbow shook her head. "We'll beat them for sure...but I don't think anypony else will."

"Well...third place isn't bad," Twilight said, a bit dejectedly. "Especially for someone her age."

"Yeah..."

Each lost in their own thoughts, the two of them sat and watched team Cloudburst enter the field.

Although they were far from graceful, Cloudgazer and Adele really seemed to be having the time of their lives out there. Despite her disappointment for Krystle, Twilight found herself grinning as the two of them crashed into each other and just started laughing. It was clear that winning was the furthest thing in either of their minds.

After team Cloudburst, a pair of sibling Griffons took to the field, and Twilight's heart slowly sank as they put on a terrific show. Her ears drooped as she watched the judges score the team, and even though Hans scored them two points lower than the other judges, they still ended up with a total of seventy five points.

"They just put Krystle down to third place," Rainbow muttered. "So...if we beat Lightning, then she won't even place."

"Do you want to call it off?" Twilight suggested. "I did bruise my wing pretty good, I could use that as an excuse."

Rainbow shook her head. "The Wonderbolts are here, I can't just quit without a good reason. How would that make me look?"

"Well, thankfully we're the last team to perform," Twilight said, "so we still have some time to think of something."

But as each of the remaining teams performed, Twilight fell deeper and deeper into despair. There was no way out of their predicament. Either they performed well for the Wonderbolts and Krystle wouldn't place, or they purposefully did poorly. She knew that both outcomes would disappoint Rainbow, and there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it.

Seemingly in no time, Clasko was calling them out onto the field.

"Well...did you think of anything?" Rainbow asked.

"Sorry, Dash. I can't come up with anything."

Rainbow sighed and nodded. "I'll just have a talk with her once this is over. Still, I wish she could have done better."

Twilight desperately tried to think of something she could do as they approached the center of the field, but was distracted by someone shouting at them. Glancing below them, she spotted Cloudgazer hopping around wildly. "Go team TwiDash! You're gonna win this thing!"

She thought of Cloudgazer and Adele as they collided with each other, and how they hadn't been concerned with winning. They were just there for one another, that was all that mattered to them.

Suddenly, Twilight gasped. "Rainbow, I have a plan."

"Really?" Rainbow perked up. "What is it?"

"Are you ready?" the official called.

"Just follow the routine," Twilight told her hastily, "and watch me closely when we split apart."

As Rainbow nodded her understanding, Twilight waved to the official and he blew his whistle.

Twilight flew the routine exactly the way she had practiced; Rainbow was beneath her with her back angled toward the ground and close enough to touch. Slowly, they began to rotate until Twilight was the one with her back facing the ground. She smiled as she remembered her fear the first time they tried this maneuver, and the number of times she had crashed into Rainbow before she finally got it right. Seeing Rainbow return her smile, her own widened.

They touched all four hooves together, and pushing off one another, they back flipped and returned with all four hooves touching once again. They did this several more times, then broke away and sped off toward opposite ends of the field. As Twilight climbed higher, she quickly took in the positions of the rescue ponies and the Wonderbolts, and moved further down the field from them. It would not do to have any of them reach her first.

Turning her attention to Rainbow, she saw that she had reached the peak of her climb. Twilight had already broken the routine, and she could see her friend's confusion as she continued to climb higher. Twilight made a show of twirling as she ascended, wanting to fool the spectators into thinking this was still their routine. Finally deciding that she was high enough, she met Rainbow's gaze, held it, and then closed her eyes and stopped flapping.

As before, there was a surreal moment when she felt as if she were floating, and then she was plummeting toward the earth at terrifying speeds. This time the roaring of the wind in her ears was accompanied by the screams of the spectators.

"Something is wrong with the princess!" Clasko's voice was filled with horror. "She appears to be unconscious."

Twilight bit her lip as she struggled to suppress her panic.

"The rescue ponies are too far away!"

With her heart hammering, every muscle in her body tensing, and the overwhelming sensation of loss of control enveloping her thoughts, Twilight's mind screamed at her to fly.

"Here come the Wonderbolts! But I don't think they're going to make it in time!"

Her fear once again overpowering her, Twilight opened her eyes with a gasp and spread her wings, but then she heard Rainbow's words: To me, Twilight is more than a friend, more than a princess even. Twilight's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Recalling the love of her friend, Twilight smiled and closed her eyes. Her body relaxed and her wings folded as she reminded herself that she trusted Rainbow.

"Clasko! Look at Rainbow! What is that around her?!"

"It's like...a-a cone of air..."

Suddenly, Twilight was no longer falling, and she opened her eyes to see Rainbow's beaming face mere inches away. Seconds later, the entire field erupted in wild applause as the two of them hugged.

"She did it! Rainbow Dash caught Princess Twilight!"

"That was amazing, Clasko! I've never even heard of a Pegasus flying that fast!"

"And did you see that cone, Emma? I think we very nearly saw the fabled Sonic Rainboom!"

As Spitfire and Soarin reached them, Twilight looked around the field.

There wasn't a single spectator still seated; everywhere she looked were ponies and Griffons jumping around, hollering and clapping. The judges were all hovering above their panel, Clasko and Emma were several yards away from their cloud, and even Overwatch and Gideon had left their seats.

"Great save, Dash!" Soarin exclaimed with a slap on her back.

Spitfire nodded her approval. "Somehow, you manage to impress every time we see you."

Then the rescue ponies arrived. "Princess, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Twilight answered slowly. "I just got dizzy and passed out."

One of the rescue ponies turned to the other two. "Get her to the physician as quickly as you can."

Each stallion grabbed one of her forelegs and gently lowered her to the ground and toward a cot that the physician was hurriedly setting up.

"What a spectacular rescue by Rainbow Dash, that was easily the most amazing thing we've seen at the competition this year! And definitely the most amazing thing this Griffon has ever seen."

"Too right, Clasko! But...it pains me greatly to have to say this, but as Twilight cannot finish the round, team TwiDash must be disqualified." As the crowd began to boo, Emma held up her talons. "Sorry, folks. That's always been the rule."

"Still, they may not have placed, Emma, but they certainly are winners in my book."

"No doubt! I only hope I can manage to meet Rainbow before she leaves and shake her hoof."

As Twilight lay on the cot, the physician asked, "How are you feeling, Your Highness?"

"Okay, now," she replied. "I just got a bit woozy up there. Maybe I simply haven't had enough to drink?"

He rubbed his beak for a moment. "That's plausible. Flying as hard as you were can put a lot of stress on your body, and if you were dehydrated, it could have caused you to black out momentarily. Let me get you some water."

Once he was out of earshot, Rainbow lowered her head to Twilight's ear. "If you ever do anything that crazy again, I'm gonna kick your rump so hard that you won't be able to sit for a week."

Twilight giggled. "It wasn't crazy, Dash. I knew you'd catch me."

Rainbow glared at her. "Yeah, I knew I'd catch you too, but it still scared the life outta me." Then her face broke out in a grin. "But I know you did it for me, and it's totally awesome that you finally pulled it off. Thanks, Twilight."

Suddenly, Fluttershy was hovering directly over them. "Are you all right, Twilight?" Once Twilight assured her she was,
Fluttershy asked, "Was that the trust fall?"

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged surprised looks, and then started to laugh.

"Yes, Fluttershy," Twilight answered. "It was the trust fall."

Fluttershy beamed, and then dropped onto the cot and hugged Twilight. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you for conquering your fears!" Releasing her and taking back to the air, she said, "I'll let the others know you're okay." Then she raced off.

"I should of known she'd figure it out," Rainbow said.

The physician returned with a pitcher of water, and after allowing her to take a long drink, he examined her.

Blinking from having his light shining in her eyes, Twilight heard Clasko's voice announcing that team Lightning Dust were the victors. Lightning shouted out as the crowd began to applaud, and lifting into the air, she pumped her hooves in the air and did a couple of flips. Gilda simply smiled and waved, but quickly turned her gaze toward Twilight.

"Well...I'm stumped," the physician said. "You don't seem dehydrated, and you're as healthy as a horse." He tapped a claw to his temple. "I suppose it could have been any combination of things. I'd suggest you take it easy for a while, Princess."

"I will," Twilight promised him. "Thank you very much, sir."

"I wish to speak with the princess," spoke a voice from behind the physician. Twilight looked up to find Hans standing only a few yards away.

"I am just about finished with her examination, Ambassador, and then you may talk," the physician replied.

Hans straightened. "I will speak with her now." He narrowed his eyes at the physician. "Alone."

"Of...of course, sir," the physician bowed his head and flew away.

Rainbow stepped in front of Twilight and glared at Hans defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere."

A thin smile crept across the proud Griffon's features. "I was just as loyal to Prince Zephyr, and like you, he was more to me than just a prince." He turned his gaze to Twilight. "I have led enough troops into battle to know when a soldier is faking an ailment. I wish to know why you did this."

It was Twilight's turn to smile. "I trust Rainbow with my life, but since she and I started training together, I haven't been able to complete a trust fall. It was really bothering her...and it was bothering me too. I felt like my inability to overcome my fear made me a failure as a friend." She turned her smile on Rainbow. "But this time, as I looked at you as we flew, I knew I would succeed because I know that you will never fail me, Dash."

Rainbow's cheeks began to turn red as she scratched her head self-consciously. "Wow...I, uh...really?"

"Really."

Suddenly, Rainbow perked up. "That's right! You've got nothing to worry about with me around. I'm always there for my friends."

"And what of team Lightning Dust?" Hans inquired. "My son tells me you share quite the rivalry with them."

"I wanted to prove to myself that I deserved my place in the Wonderbolt Reserves," Rainbow explained, "but I let my pride and ego get the best of me." She shook her head. "At some point, I fooled myself into believing that the best way to prove it was to beat them, and I lost sight of what was most important there for a little while." Then she beamed at Twilight. "But as usual, Twilight was there to set me straight."

"But if you had continued your performance, you would have easily won," Hans pressed. "Couldn't you have proven your trust in your friend some other time?"

Twilight exchanged looks with Rainbow. "I guess...the time just felt right."

Hans studied her closely. "And I suppose it had nothing at all to do with what happened to Krystle."

Twilight chuckled. "We can't get anything past you, can we?"

"No. You can't," Hans replied evenly.

"We just wanted to make sure Krystle placed," Rainbow said. "She's a great flier and worked way too hard to come in fourth."

"So, when she was dropped to third, we knew that we couldn't beat team Lightning Dust," Twilight added.

Hans stared at them for a long moment. Finally, he asked, "Why were you reluctant to tell me this?"

"Well..." Twilight hesitated. "I was just worried that—"

"We didn't think you'd buy it," Rainbow interrupted.

His features still unreadable, Hans nodded. "I find it inconceivable that a commoner can become a princess literally overnight and be a competent ruler. And yet, here you are." He waved a talon toward Rainbow. "If your friend is any indication, then it is clear that you give much of yourself to others. You are kind, caring, and selfless." Without warning, Hans bowed deeply. "It has been an honor and a privilege to have met you, and I offer my most humblest apologies for my earlier actions."

Twilight beamed. "I can't tell you how much that means coming from you." Climbing to her hooves, she waited for him to straighten and then held out her hoof. "I hope that we can look past this and be friends."

Hans shook her hoof and smiled. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Hey, it looks like they're getting ready to start the medal ceremony," Rainbow said.

"Well, we certainly don't want to miss that," Hans stated as he took to the air and headed toward the other judges.

As they started walking toward the center of the field, Rainbow gave Twilight an expectant grin. "So, how's it feel to have won Hans over?"

"Incredible!" Twilight exclaimed, unable to keep the bounce out of her step. "I can't believe he came around. He was so set against me!"

"Of course he came around," Rainbow remarked, "you're Princess Twilight Sparkle!" She suddenly stopped and rounded on Twilight, and taking her hoof in her own, she said, "I know that being a princess has been rough for you, and that it kinda scares you, not knowing your destiny and all, but I have no doubt that whatever it is, you're totally gonna rock it."

Twilight threw her legs around Rainbow's neck. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash."

"No prob." After a moment, Rainbow cleared her throat. "Um, if you don't let go of me soon, we're gonna miss the medal ceremony."

They made their way to where the rest of the contestants were standing in the center of the field just as Gideon was approaching the pedestal. Stepping up to Nasir and Krystle on the third place platform, Gideon grinned as he slipped the bronze medal over Nasir's head, and then turned to Krystle. The little Griffon was fidgeting so much from excitement that Gideon actually missed on his first attempt to place the medal around her neck, but she managed to still herself for his second try. Her eyes sparkling with delight, Krystle raised the medal and stared at it for a moment before holding it up for her father to see as the crowd began to cheer.

As they looked at the happiness etched onto Krystle's face, Rainbow threw a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders and drew her close. "We did good, Twi."

Twilight couldn't stop grinning as she watched the little Griffon hopping up and down on the platform. "Yeah."

They applauded with everyone else when the sibling Griffons were awarded the silver medals, and then Gideon moved on to Lightning Dust and Gilda. Once the gold medal was placed around Lightning's neck, she held her head high, thrust out her chest, and gave the crowd a cocky grin.

"Ugh," Rainbow muttered, "please tell me I don't look like that when I win."

"You used to," Twilight replied, "but you've learned humility since then."

"This sucks," Rainbow whispered as Lightning's gaze swept over them. They watched Gilda accept her medal and smile, and as the crowd cheered once again, she straightened, looking very proud of herself. "Well," Rainbow corrected herself, "maybe it isn't all bad."

As the spectators and other contestants started forward to congratulate the three teams, Gilda leaped into the air and glided toward them.

"You okay, Twilight?" Gilda asked as she landed.

Twilight smiled. "I'm fine. Congratulations on your victory."

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed. "You looked really good out there."

"Not as good as you." Gilda punched Rainbow's shoulder. "That was an awesome save up there."

"Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow turned in time to be struck in the chest by Krystle as she flung her talons around her, causing the Pegasus to stumble with a grunt. "I got a medal, Rainbow! It's the first medal I've ever gotten! Look! Look!"

Nasir approached Twilight as Rainbow examined Krystle's medal and offered her his talon. As she shook it, he whispered, "Thank you, princess."

Twilight beamed. "You're welcome." Her smile widened as she watched Krystle hop up on Rainbow's back.

"I got one piece of advice for ya, squirt," Rainbow said, looking over her shoulder at the little Griffon. "Always listen to your dad." She turned and gazed at Nasir. "You might not always think he's right, and someday he could say or do something that might really upset you, but you've got to remember that he will always want what's best for you. He'll always love you."

"I'll remember." Krystle launched herself off of Rainbow's back and landed on her father's. "Promise!"

Twilight stepped forward. "You okay, Dash?"

"Yeah." Rainbow sniffed. "I'm great, actually."

Without warning, Lightning was suddenly hovering over them. "There you are, Gilda. What are you doing over here with these losers?" She smirked at Rainbow. "I guess bringing your princess friend didn't work out so well for ya, huh?"

Lightning turned back to Gilda. "Let's go. I wanna try and find the Wonderbolts."

Gilda's eyes narrowed. "No."

Lightning blinked. "No? What do you mean?"

"I mean no. I'm not going anywhere." Gilda crossed her talons. "Rainbow and Twilight are my friends, and they are not losers."

"Since when?!" Lightning demanded. "You don't even know Twilight, and you hate Rainbow."

Gilda shook her head. "No, you hate Rainbow. I just went with it because it was easier. But now that I'm with her again, I remember why she's so special to me."

Her face transforming into a mask of rage, Lightning asked, "So...what? You're choosing them over me? This stupid arrogant fraud and her little princess friend?"

"Yeah." Gilda nodded firmly. "If you're gonna make me choose, I choose them."

The anger seemed to melt off of Lightning's face, and she dropped the few feet to the ground. "I-I don't understand...I beat Rainbow Dash. I won. Why don't you want to be my friend?" Suddenly, her features turned determined. "I won! I'm the best!"

Gilda studied Lightning for a long moment, then threw a talon over Twilight and Rainbow's shoulders. "Well, if that's true, then I guess these two are better than the best."

At her words, the fight seemed to drain from Lightning, and she turned and silently walked away.

"Is she going to be all right?" Twilight asked.

"Probably." Gilda shrugged. "She's been such a huge jerk this entire competition, maybe it'd be better if we weren't friends anymore."

"Except..." Twilight pressed.

"Except..." Gilda sighed. "Except she really isn't that bad. Running into Rainbow here made her go a little crazy, but I learned from you two that I shouldn't hold that against her. I'd be happy to forgive her, but if she's gonna force me to choose, I'll pick Rainbow any day."

"Maybe you could...OW!" Rainbow had unexpectedly poked her in the ribs. As Twilight turned toward her friend, Rainbow wordlessly pointed across the field.

The Wonderbolts had just landed and were talking to Lightning. Spitfire shook Lightning's hoof, and Lightning perked up and smiled with evident pride. Then Lightning said something that caused Spitfire to cock an eyebrow, and replacing her shades, the Wonderbolt captain replied, then she and Soarin abruptly flew away. Lightning simply stood there and watched them leave. Slowly pulling her medal over her head, she threw it to the ground before turning and trotting away.

Rainbow immediately began waving her hoof to get Spitfire's attention, and the captain soon changed course and landed next to them.

"What's up, Dash?"

"What was that all about?" Rainbow inquired.

Spitfire snorted. "We were over there congratulating her on her victory, and she asked if I still stood by my decision to remove her from the Wonderbolts."

"So, Spitfire told her that she does, that it takes a lot more than simply winning a competition to be a Wonderbolt." Soarin's brow furrowed. "She'll never make it with that kind of arrogance."

Twilight saw Rainbow's face fall and gently touched her shoulder. "Rainbow...what's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Rainbow launched into the air and flew away.

"Where's she going?" Soarin asked.

Twilight lifted off and turned to Spitfire. "Will you come with us?"

The two Wonderbolts exchanged looks, then they both grinned. "I think we owe Rainbow that much," Spitfire said.

As the three of them pursued Rainbow, Twilight tried to make sense of her friend's sudden change.

Lightning had gotten cocky, and Spitfire had set her straight. Why had that upset Rainbow so much? She had no idea why Rainbow was going after Lightning, but with what had just happened, Twilight doubted that this was a good time for a chat.

"Hey, Lightning, hold up!" Twilight heard Rainbow yell from further ahead. A few moments later, Twilight caught sight of Lightning walking the path that led back to Mt. Aerie.

"Go away, Rainbow," Lightning called over her shoulder without looking back.

Rainbow landed. "I just wanna talk for a sec."

Lightning stopped. With her back to all of them, she demanded, "What more could you possibly want? You've taken away my lifelong dream of being a Wonderbolt, and now you've taken my best friend." She whipped around. "What more could you..."

She trailed off as she saw Twilight and the Wonderbolts hovering behind Rainbow. Instantly, the anger on her face was replaced by confusion as she hastily wiped the tears from her face. "What..." she turned back to Rainbow. "What do you want?"

Without looking away from Lightning, Rainbow said, "Spitfire, ma'am, I know I'm only in the reserves, but I'd like to make a special request."

Spitfire crossed her forelegs. "Oh, yeah?"

"I request that you give Lightning Dust another chance."

As Lightning's mouth dropped open, Spitfire shook her head. "Not happening."

Rainbow nodded knowingly. "Right, because she's reckless and unable to work as a team." She studied her rival for a moment. "But what if she changed?"

"She won't."

"But she already has!" Rainbow rounded on Spitfire. "She's finally learned what it means to have a friend. To be part of a team. Look at her routine. She flew perfectly with Gilda. That was what she lacked at the academy!"

Frowning, Spitfire removed her shades but remained silent.

"Sure, the recklessness needs some improving, but I know she's changed." Rainbow turned to Twilight. "You saw her when Gilda chose us, she was devastated. That wasn't the same Lightning that was my lead pony."

Twilight glanced at Spitfire and noted worriedly that she still seemed unconvinced. "Rainbow, are you sure about this? You're taking a really big risk."

"Yeah, Twi. I'm sure."

Suddenly, Gilda swooped down and landed beside Rainbow. Stepping forward, she held out a claw to Lightning. "You dropped this."

Hesitantly, she held out her hoof, and Gilda handed her the gold medal. As Lightning stared at it with trepidation, Gilda said, "I don't hate you, Light. I'm not even mad. But I can't give up what I have with Rainbow for you." She threw a talon around Rainbow's shoulders and pulled her close. "I was an idiot for letting Rainbow go, and I won't make that mistake again."

Lightning swallowed hard and nodded.

Gilda released Rainbow. "But I'd be just as big an idiot if I let you go, Light. We've had some great times these last couple of years, and I don't wanna lose that." Gilda gently took the medal from her hoof and slipped it over Lightning's head. "You're not the best, Light. At least, not yet. But to me, you'll always be a winner."

"T-thanks," Lightning spoke softly, blinking rapidly.

"So..." Gilda placed a talon on Lightning's shoulder. "Can you be my friend, knowing that I'm friends with Rainbow?"

Instead of answering, Lightning lunged forward and hugged Gilda, eliciting a startled squawk from the Griffon. Smiling, Gilda returned the embrace.

Leaping into the air, Rainbow began gesturing excitedly at the two of them. "You see? The Lightning from the academy was nothing like this!"

Spitfire chewed on the earpiece of her shades as she contemplated Rainbow's words. Finally, she asked, "And what if she doesn't work out?"

"I'll take full responsibility for her," Soarin suddenly spoke up.

Spitfire's shades fell to the ground. "Really?" She blinked. "You sure about that?"

"If Rainbow Dash is sure, then yeah." Soarin saluted Rainbow. "She's saved me from falling twice, and once even rescued my apple pie." He grinned. "I trust her judgment, and I'll stand by her request."

With a chuckle and a shake of her head, Spitfire glanced at Rainbow. "You really are something else. I'm glad you made the reserves." As Rainbow beamed, Spitfire landed in front of Lightning. "This year's new recruits start the academy the same date and time as before. If you're even one minute late, I'll send your sorry rump right back home."

Lightning straightened and saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

Spitfire's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to be watching you like a hawk, cadet. If you so much as sneeze the wrong way, you'll be out of the academy before you even know what happened." She shoved her muzzle in Lightning's face. "Think you can handle that?"

With a grin, Lightning answered, "Yes, ma'am."

"All right." Spitfire nodded curtly. "I'll write you in when we get back." She jabbed Lightning in the chest with her hoof. "You'd better not make me regret this."

Without another word, Spitfire launched into the air, and the two Wonderbolts soared away.

Once they were gone, Lightning rounded on Rainbow. "Why did you do that?"

"I've spent my entire life wanting to join the Wonderbolts," Rainbow explained. "I couldn't imagine missing my chance because of a stupid mistake. You've changed, and I think you deserve another chance."

Lightning glared at Rainbow for a long moment. Finally, she growled, "I hope you don't think this is going to make me like you."

Rainbow smirked. "I'm not doing this so you'll like me. I'm doing it so that someday, when I'm a permanent member of the Wonderbolts, I'll have an awesome rival that will drive me to push my limits."

"You'd better push your limits," Lightning said as her ears flattened and she crouched low to the ground. "Or else I'm gonna put you to shame every time."

Rainbow crouched low as well, but she wore a grin. "And I'll look forward to watching you try."

Suddenly, Gilda was between them, and she pulled them both close against her. "And I guess I'll be the one keeping you two in check."

Lightning and Rainbow glared at each other for a moment, and then both smiled and hugged Gilda back.

Her vision blurring, Twilight stepped forward. "I know this has nothing to do with me...but I love you girls!" She leaped forward and wrapped her forelegs around all three of them.

The four of them stood there for a long moment before finally breaking apart.

"So, I hear there's an awesome party in The Den every year after the competition," Lightning said to Gilda. "You game?"

"You bet!" As Lightning took to the sky, Gilda turned to Rainbow. "See ya around?"

"You'd better believe it." Rainbow grasped Gilda's talon, and then they turned sideways and clapped their wings. Smiling as she watched her friend fly away, Rainbow shouted, "Hey, G! I'm going to start visiting Cloudsdale more often now, so I'll look you up!"

Gilda gave her a thumbs up, and then flew out of sight.

"That was a great thing you did," Twilight said, her heart swelling with pride. "I'm so proud of you."

"Well, like I said, she deserves another chance." Rainbow flashed her a grin. "Besides, being a member of the Wonderbolts will be so much more interesting with her around."

Twilight laughed. "Gilda was right, you really are better than the best!"

Rainbow blushed. "Well, I learned it all from you." She lifted into the air. "You wanna race back to the others?"

"Do I have a chance?"

Rainbow contemplated for a moment, then nodded. "I might even let you win this one."

Without another word, Twilight jetted into the sky. Moments later, Rainbow was right beside her. "Hey, you think it'd be all right if I invited Krystle to Ponyville? I think she'd love it, and I really want her to meet Scoots."

"I'm sure Nasir would love that idea," Twilight agreed.

Rainbow beamed. "I know we hit a lot of bumps here, but this turned out to be a pretty awesome visit, huh?"

"Yeah." Twilight turned her gaze toward Mt. Aerie looming to their left. As the sun began to set, the alpenglow bathed the top half of the mountain in a rosy light, and Twilight marveled at the beautiful sight as she sighed deeply.

Yes, everything was indeed awesome.

Reunion

Chapter 13

Reunion

Rainbow lowered her shaking hoof and took a deep breath.

"You can do this, Dash," Twilight said softly as she laid a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"I know I can." Rainbow smiled. "I've got you with me."

Again, she raised a trembling hoof to the door, but hesitated. After a long moment, she pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Mom, Dad?" Rainbow called. "I'm home."

There was a loud clattering from the next room, and then a rainbow hued stallion rushed into sight. He paused in the doorway and simply stared at his daughter.

"Hey, Dad." Rainbow turned her gaze to the floor and rubbed her foreleg with a hoof. "Sorry I never write."

With a cry that could have been either a laugh or a sob, her father rushed forward and embraced her. "Rainbow, honey, I'm so sorry for what I said."

"It's cool, Dad," Rainbow replied in a voice that broke with emotion. "I know you just wanted what was best for me."

Twilight glanced toward the other room and found a mare standing in the doorway, a hoof over her mouth as tears ran down her face.

"Hi, Mom." Rainbow reared up and spread her forelegs. "I've really missed you."

Sobbing hysterically, her mother raced across the room and clutched her tightly. "My filly is back!" she cried. "My little filly is back!"

"Mom," Rainbow groaned. "I'm not a filly anymore."

"No, you're not," her mother sniffed. "You're so grown up now. And so pretty." She wiped her eyes. "Do you have a coltfriend?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "No, I don't have a coltfriend." She grinned at the two of them. "But I did bring a very good friend."

For the first time, Rainbow's parents looked at Twilight. "Hi," she said, smiling sheepishly.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" they cried in unison and hurriedly dropped to a bow.

"Just Twilight will do." Twilight smiled as they raised back to their hooves. "While I'm here, I'm simply Rainbow's close friend."

Rainbow turned toward her dad. "So I skipped my mane cut this month." She ran a hoof through her hair. "And it's getting a little long."

Her father beamed. "That's great! I was planning on getting mine done today."

With a chuckle, Rainbow said. "I know."

"And after, do you—"

"Yes," Rainbow interrupted, grinning broadly. "I want to do all of it." She glanced at her mother. "I figured me and Twilight would stay the weekend...if you don't mind, that is."

"Of...of course not!" Her mother began to trot in place excitedly. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like! Both of you!"

Her father threw a foreleg over Rainbow's shoulders. "We were just getting ready to have your mother's homemade waffles. Would you like to join us?"

Rainbow's eyes sparkled with delight. "Heck yes! I've missed Mom's waffles!"

Twilight smiled as she watched the two of them disappear into the next room, and then laughed as she heard Rainbow say, "So Dad, guess who made it into the Wonderbolt Reserves."

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."

–Mother Teresa

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!

What Truly Matters

Chapter 6

What Truly Matters

"Honestly, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said as they walked along the path leading to the competition grounds, "I don't know how in tarnation you can eat all them sweets without havin' your teeth rotted clean through."

"Good dental hygiene," Pinkie answered as she shoved an entire éclair into her mouth.

"Forget her teeth!" Rarity exclaimed. "I am positively envious that she can eat all of that and not gain a single pound." She gazed at the chocolate covered pastry in her friend's hoof for a moment before turning away. "I'm afraid I'll gain five pounds just looking at it."

"It's because she's so active," Twilight said with amusement. "She probably needs all those calories just to keep her body functioning correctly."

Fluttershy giggled. "They do smell delicious though."

"You want one, Fluttershy?" Pinkie offered.

"Well...if you don't mind."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Fluttershy, if she'd mind, do ya think she would have offered?" When Fluttershy lowered her eyes to the ground uncertainly, Applejack placed a hoof under her chin and raised her head. "Just say yes, sugar cube."

With a sheepish smile, Fluttershy glanced at Pinkie. "Yes, please."

"Catch!" Pinkie cried as she launched the pastry at a startled Fluttershy.

Fluttershy quickly reared up and caught the éclair in her hooves. "Thank you," she said softly as she took a small bite. "Mmm, it is delicious."

"Mighty impressive reflexes ya got there, Fluttershy," Applejack stated.

Twilight caught the treat that Pinkie tossed her way with her magic and smiled as Fluttershy began to blush profusely. Taking a bite, she said, "You're right, Fluttershy. These are delicious."

"Gustav's really outdone himself this time!" Applejack heartily agreed as she chewed her own.

"I know, right!" Pinkie replied with a huge grin. "I'm going back to his bakery this afternoon for more. And he promised to have a special treat for me!"

"He certainly was pleasantly surprised to find us in his shop," Rarity told Twilight. "He asked about you as well. You really should pay him a visit before we return home."

Without warning, Pinkie suddenly shouted, "Hey, Rare! Think fast!"

Rarity stumbled backward with a startled cry and caught the éclair with her magic mere inches from her face. "Pinkie Pie! Do you have any idea how long it would take me to get this goop out of my hair?"

"Hey, guys! Did I miss anything?" Rainbow called as she swooped down to hover directly above them.

"Just some amazin' éclairs," Applejack answered.

Pinkie reared up and gripped an éclair with both hooves. "Go long, Dashie!"

"You got it!"

Rainbow flipped over and jetted several yards away as Pinkie hurled the pastry high into the air. With a spectacular roll, Rainbow caught the treat and took a huge bite while her friends below cheered.

"I got us registered," Rainbow said as she landed lightly beside Twilight. "We're team TwiDash."

Applejack snorted. "How creative. Did ya come up with that all on your own?"

"It is a bit lacking in the imagination department," Rarity added.

As Rainbow scowled and started to turn away, Fluttershy stepped forward. "I think it's cute."

Rainbow grimaced. "I wasn't going for cute."

"Well, let's just be grateful that she didn't go with Rainbow Light," Rarity said.

"Oh!" Pinkie began jumping up and down. "What about Rainbow Brite?"

Simultaneously, the group of friends shuddered and voiced their distaste.

Applejack adjusted her hat. "Y'all know what? I reckon TwiDash ain't so bad after all."

"I think it's a great name, Dash." Twilight smiled.

"Whatever," Rainbow replied, shifting her hooves and eyeing the others. "Let's just get going, a lot of the other competitors are already there."

Without warning, they heard a loud belch behind them, and quickly turning around, they found Rarity standing very still with a hoof covering her mouth and a mortified expression on her face.

"Pardon me," Rarity said in a meek voice.

Twilight and the others erupted in laughter as Rarity hurriedly wiped the chocolate from her face with a small, pink handkerchief, and although she tried her best to look indignant, she soon joined in their mirth.

For the next half hour, the six friends continued their trek to the competition grounds, talking and laughing as they went. As they walked, Twilight stole several glances at Rainbow, and was relieved to see her smiling so much.

After their encounter with Gilda and Lightning Dust, Rainbow had been furious, and their practice had suffered for it. Every time that Twilight had attempted a maneuver, Rainbow had stopped her and corrected her for errors that she hadn't been mentioning before. Even her back flips, which Rainbow had declared were perfect back in Ponyville, were no longer measuring up to her new standards.

Equally frustrating for Twilight was her friend's sudden one-track mind. Once Twilight had begun practicing, she had felt a tremendous difference in her wings; the pain was completely gone, and the way the air flowed through her feathers had felt wonderful. She had also found that she could climb higher and fly faster with less effort. All of these changes had thrilled her, but when she had brought them to Rainbow's attention, she had simply shrugged and urged her to keep practicing.

By the time that they had joined the others in their room, Twilight had been so angry with Rainbow that she had gone to bed early just to get away from the incensed Pegasus. She had woken and eaten breakfast without a single word to her friend, and when Rainbow had suggested that she fly ahead and get them registered for the competition early, Twilight hadn't offered any opposition.

But as she watched Rainbow laughing with her friends now, Twilight began to feel ashamed of her anger.

She still remembered how undignified she had felt when Trixie had returned to Ponyville blaming her for all of her recent hardships. Rainbow had every right to be mad, and Twilight realized that she should have been more sympathetic toward her instead of getting angry when she had turned her frustration on her.

"Looks like we're here," Applejack announced as they stepped out of the trees and onto the sunlit clearing.

Several small groups of ponies and Griffons were spread sporadically across the field, while overhead, several Pegasi were busy placing large, fluffy clouds around the outer edge of the field. On the far side of the field, high in the air opposite of the bleachers, were several weather ponies at work forming an enormous cloud into what appeared to be a table.

"That's gonna be the judging panel," Rainbow told her.

"Really?" Twilight replied. "I would have thought that they'd be judging from the ground."

Rainbow shook her head. "It's easier to spot mistakes in wing strokes and maneuvers when you're near the same altitude. That's why I was always in the sky with you during your training."

"Wing strokes?" Applejack repeated. "Are the judges really gonna be worryin' bout how y'all flap your wings?"

"I dunno," Rainbow said with a shrug. "I really don't remember too much about the judging, other than how they were all raving about how great I was for my age." She straightened her back, raised her head, and gave them all a self-satisfied smile. "That was when I first realized that my dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt could actually come true."

Suddenly, Twilight felt something tugging at her wing. Glancing down, she found a little Griffon staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Well, hello there, little one." Twilight smiled.

"Are you a princess?" she asked, her face aglow with wonder and excitement.

"I am." Twilight nodded. "My name is—"

"She is a princess!" The little Griffon began to jump up and down enthusiastically. "Look, Daddy! A real live Equestrian Princess!"

Just then, a Griffon rushed forward and hurriedly pulled the child away. Once she was behind him, he quickly dropped to a bow. "I'm very sorry for the intrusion, Your Highness."

"Please," Twilight said as others around the field began to take notice of her, "there's no need for formalities." She favored him with an amiable smile as he straightened. "And there's no need to apologize."

"See?" the little Griffon said from behind her father. "She's nice."

"That doesn't matter," he scolded. "You should show proper respect when you approach an Equestrian Princess. You would never tug on Prince Zephyr's wing, would you?"

The little Griffon rose up, landed on her father's back, and made a face. "But Prince Zephyr is a dumb old boy. Princesses are nice and pretty. Like Princess...um..." She cocked her head. "What was your name again?"

Twilight laughed. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. And what's your name?"

"Krystle," she answered, beaming brightly.

"And I'm Nasir," her father said. "It is a delight to meet you, Princess Twilight Sparkle. We've traveled from The Griffon Nation to—"

"We rode on a boat!" Krystle exclaimed excitedly. "It was super awesome! I've never seen so much water!"

"We traveled here to enter The Annual Flying Pairs Competition," Nasir finished. "We've heard stories of the competition and Krystle has always wanted to enter, and now that she is older, I thought that it'd be fun."

Krystle hopped off of Nasir's back. "I also always wanted to meet an Equestrian Princess! Daddy said that we probably wouldn't see one, but he was wrong." She stuck her tongue out at him. "See? You're not always right."

Nasir rolled his eyes. "I never said that I'm always right. I said that you should always mind me."

With a devilish grin, Krystle leaned in closer to Twilight and whispered, "He doesn't like it when he's wrong."

"I heard that," Nasir stated as Twilight and Krystle began to giggle.

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laugh. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you as well." She indicated the others. "And these are my best friends."

After Twilight finished introducing her friends, Krystle studied them for a moment and then asked, "Are any of you going to enter the tournament?"

"Me and Twilight here are entering," Rainbow stated, throwing her foreleg around Twilight's neck. "We're team TwiDash.

"That's a silly name," Krystle giggled, causing Applejack to burst out laughing.

As Rainbow threw Applejack a scathing look, Nasir turned to Twilight. "Wouldn't it be unfair to the other contestants to have a princess participating?"

Although Twilight could see that Nasir meant no ill will by the question, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that the subject had come up again. "I'm not here as a princess, I'm here as a pony who wants to compete with her best friend. I want to be judged by my flying skills, not my stature."

"Do you think that will be possible?"

Twilight sighed. "I don't know...I hope so."

Rarity stepped forward. "If it's any consolation to you, Governor Gideon has added a fourth judge to the panel to ensure Mt. Aerie's neutrality."

"Ah. That is very pleasing to hear." He smiled and held out his talon. "In that case, I look forward to competing with you."

"Thank you, Nasir," Twilight said with relief as she lifted her hoof and allowed him to grasp and shake it.

"Grandpa!" Krystle suddenly shouted and then dashed away.

Startled, Twilight turned around to find Hans, his golden armor glistening in the early morning light, beaming brightly as he caught Krystle and spun her in the air before hugging her tightly.

"You're getting so big!" Hans exclaimed. "How old are you now?"

"Ten!" Krystle squeaked.

Hans cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Well..." Krystle looked at the ground and kicked a rock. "Actually I'm eight." Then she perked up. "But I'm almost ten!"

Hans laughed and ruffled the feathers on her head. "You'll be there before you know it. Now, where's your father..." He trailed off as he caught sight of Twilight, and immediately straightened his stance and held his head up higher.

"Look, Grandpa!" Krystle pointed at Twilight and began to jump up and down. "It's an Equestrian Princess!"

Hans turned his back to Twilight. "I know, sweetie, I met her yesterday."

"Isn't she pretty?"

"Well, uh..." Hans glanced over at Twilight, then quickly looked away. "Yes, I suppose..."

"And she's nice too!"

"She does seem nice. But—"

"And she wants to enter the competition!" Krystle frowned. "But Daddy thinks she won't be treated like everyone else because she's a princess."

"Your father is absolutely right, sweetie. You see—"

"But she told Daddy that she doesn't want to be treated differently."

"Well, the problem is—"

"I think it's wrong to treat her differently just because she's a princess." Krystle looked up at him expectantly. "Don't you think it's wrong too?"

"But sweetie, wouldn't you be sad if you lost to her just because she's a princess?"

"I guess..."

"And the other contestants would be sad too."

"But I wouldn't be sad for long because I got to come here and see you!"

"Awww," Twilight heard Fluttershy say as Krystle hugged her grandfather around the neck.

"She is just so precious," Rarity said.

"I guess now we know why Hans was givin' Twilight such a hard time over enterin' the competition." Applejack grimaced as she realized that Nasir was still standing right next to her. "Ah, I mean...uh...oh shoot."

Nasir smiled at Applejack before turning to Twilight. "However he may have wronged you, I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive him. Hans absolutely adores Krystle. She is everything to him, and he knows how excited she was about this competition. I'm sure that whatever he has done, it was in Krystle's best interest."

Twilight glanced back at Hans and found him beaming with pride as Krystle began to perform a couple of basic flips in the air. As he applauded and cheered her on, Twilight found it difficult to believe that this was the same Griffon that had been so rude to her the day before.

"I'll admit that I was angry with the way he treated us," Twilight said. "It was wrong of him to act the way he did, but now that I've met Krystle and seen what she means to him, I can't stay angry with him."

"My father is a very proud Griffon," Nasir explained. "He is old fashioned, very strict, and set in his ways, but he is ultimately good. I have no doubt that, if the two of you can come to an understanding, you would become good friends."

Suddenly, Krystle dashed toward them with a huge grin. "Daddy, the cotton candy vendor is setting up over there! Grandpa gave me money! Let's go get some!"

"All right, honey, in just a second," Nasir replied.

Hans approached and held out his talon. "It's great to see you, son."

"You too, dad," Nasir said as he grasped his father's claw. "I've missed you."

"Come on, come on, come on!" Krystle urged as she took to the air and began zigzagging impatiently.

Hans chuckled. "You'd better go get her what she wants. I'll see you tonight, Nasir."

Nasir nodded, and taking his daughter's talon, led her toward the vendor on the far side of the field.

Once they were a good distance away, Hans turned a scathing look on Twilight. "It was very low of you to try and use my granddaughter against me as you did."

Stunned by the accusation, Twilight took a step back and tried to gather her thoughts, but before she could retort, Rainbow was suddenly standing in front of her.

"Now, hold it right there, buddy," Rainbow barked. "How could she have possibly known who your granddaughter was?"

Applejack lowered her head. "Maybe if ya stopped makin' all these crazy accusations and just tried to get to know Twilight, you might like her."

"That's enough, girls," Twilight said before turning her attention back to Hans. "It's clear that Krystle is very precious to you, and I know that you want to make sure that she has a fair chance of winning. That is perfectly understandable, as is your anger toward me, but I hope that we will be able to find a way passed this and come to respect one another."

Hans's eyes narrowed. "You're asking for my respect? You don't ask for respect, you earn it." He stepped closer to Applejack and looked her straight in the eyes. "You want me to get to know her? Why? Is she only likeable after you've befriended her?"

Applejack gritted her teeth as she glared back at him, but said nothing. After a moment, Hans turned his gaze back to Twilight. "I don't know what the Governor and Overwatch see in you, but I'll tell you what I see. I see a common Unicorn that managed to become Princess Celestia's pet, and rode coattails to the throne."

"Coattails?!" Pinkie brayed.

Hans rounded on Pinkie. "Did her brother not marry into royalty?"

"That's got nothing to do with it." Rainbow snorted, her ears flat against her head as her hoof began stomping the ground. "She earned her crown through lots of study and hard work."

"Hard work, you say?" Hans puffed out his chest and beat a clawed fist against his golden breastplate. "I didn't achieve the rank of Grand Admiral of The Griffon Nation's Air Forces by sitting around with my beak in a book. I proved myself time and time again on the battlefield and rose through the ranks." He raised his head high and stared down his beak at Twilight. "Twenty years it took me to attain that stature. Twenty years. And when the wild bird clans of the north threatened, I was by Prince Zephyr's side, and together we quelled their thirst for conquest. I earned my title through blood, sweat, and dedication." Hans smirked at Rainbow. "Hard work, indeed."

"Princess Twilight has accomplished many great deeds," Rarity stated with a scowl. "She defeated Discord, restored the Crystal Empire, and saved the Tree of Harmony to name just a few."

"Yes." Hans rolled his eyes. "And I've heard the stories that Griffons tell of Prince Zephyr. And as great and powerful as he is, he isn't nearly as great and powerful as the stories claim. I'm sure the same is true for Twilight." He turned his back to them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some judges I need to speak with."

Unsure of what to say, Twilight simply stared as Hans took to the air.

Could Hans possibly be right? What had she done that was so great that she deserved her title? Sure, she had accomplished the tasks that Rarity had mentioned, but Star Swirl the Bearded had accomplished feats just as difficult, and he was never made a prince.

"Don't you listen to him none, Twilight," Applejack said. "He has no idea what he's talkin' bout. We all saw ya complete that spell and what happened after. We all know that you earned your place."

Twilight hung her head. "I'm not so sure..."

"But what about all those things Rarity just said?" Pinkie asked. "And Princess Celestia is the one that sent you that book. She believes that you deserve it."

"Princess Celestia has always been especially fond of me." Twilight shook her head. "How do we know that her fondness hasn't caused her to make a mistake?"

The others exchanged worried looks but remained silent; none of them knowing what to say to their friend. As she watched them struggle to find a way to help her, Twilight remembered what she had told Hans the day before.

I owe everything I have to them. In fact, I wouldn't even be a princess if it weren't for them.

They were the reason she'd made it this far. All of her past accomplishments were due to their love and dedication to her. Why had she ascended to an Alicorn while they remained the same? Why had she received a crown and title in place of them? What kind of princess could only face her trials if her friends were by her side?

Finally, Rainbow stepped forward. "Look, we can't answer that right now, but you know what? I don't need an answer." She poked Twilight in the chest. "I know that you totally deserve it. But even if Celestia did make a mistake, you still prove on a day to day basis that you deserve it."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"It's in the strength you show every day," Rainbow replied. "The way you deal with how differently ponies treat you now, your determination to learn to fly, but most importantly of all, it's the way you always put everypony ahead of yourself." Rainbow flashed her a grin. "Now, I don't know too much about royalty, but that's gotta count for something."

Maybe Rainbow was right. Even if her becoming a princess had been a mistake, she could still prove herself worthy through hard work and dedication.

Not wanting her friends to worry about her anymore, Twilight smiled and nuzzled Rainbow. "Thanks, Rainbow."

Rainbow nuzzled her back. "Anytime."

Without warning, a voice from above shouted, "Why don't you two get a room?"

Twilight looked up to find Lightning Dust making kissy faces at the two of them. Before she could react, Rainbow roughly shoved her away and yelled up at Lightning, "Why don't you mind your own business?"

Caught off guard, Twilight stumbled but managed to keep her balance as she heard Lightning say, "Wow, I get doing whatever it takes to win, but isn't that going a bit too far?"

"Shut up!" Rainbow shouted.

Lightning laughed as she flipped around and soared to the far end of the field.

"Don't listen to her, Rainbow," Twilight said as she placed a hoof on her shoulder. "She has no idea what it's like to have such a close friend."

Rainbow brushed off her hoof and turned away. "Whatever."

Anger flashed through Twilight as she glared at the back of her friend's head. She understood why Rainbow felt so humiliated, but didn't care. Her friend's words had meant a lot, and she had thought that they were sharing something special. How could Rainbow let Lightning Dust ruin such a moment so easily?

"You're going to have to make a choice, Dash," Twilight finally said, struggling to keep her voice even. "If we're going to compete today, then you need to decide which is more important; our friendship or your reputation."

"Seriously?!" Rainbow rounded on her. "So, I'm the bad guy now, huh?"

"Well...you sure aren't acting like my friend."

Rainbow's ears flattened against her head. "What the hay do you mean by that?"

Her ears flattening as well, Twilight lowered her head. "It means that I won't stand for being shoved to the curb the moment our friendship embarrasses you."

"Fine!" Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane in frustration. "I'm sorry I pushed you, all right? But what was I supposed to do? You heard Lightning Dust. The last thing I need is to have her running around telling everypony that I'm being mushy with the princess."

"What does that matter?" Twilight demanded. "We're best friends! Of course we're going to act sentimental toward one another from time to time."

"It matters a lot," Rainbow retorted. "I'm in the Wonderbolt Reserves now. Ponies are going to start hearing about me, and my reputation is going to be more important now than it ever has before."

Twilight had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from saying something that she would regret later. She was so sick and tired of hearing about how Rainbow was in the Wonderbolt Reserves and how important she thought her stupid reputation was, and she was sick and tired of her friend's selfishness.

"All right." Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll accept your apology for now, but if we get out there and you do something like that again, I'm finished."

"You'd quit?" Rainbow blinked. "You wouldn't."

"I'll stand up for myself, Rainbow Dash, and if quitting is the only way to get through to you, then yes, I will."

She turned and walked away, leaving Rainbow to think on her words. She felt absolutely miserable for having told her that she'd quit, but it was the only thing she could think of that would sink into that mare's thick skull.

Twilight frowned up at the sky as Gilda rocketed by overhead. As long as those two were competing, Rainbow wasn't going to be herself. She just hoped that her friend could discern what was truly important to her before she let her pride ruin the competition.