The wind rushed past his face, blowing over his outstretched wings, and carrying him higher into the sky. With a smile, he held both forelegs out in front of him, and twisted to the side to bank through a cloud. He burst through it, sending globs of white puffs in all directions. Laughing, he aimed even higher, as if intending to fly all the way to Celestia’s sun!
Suddenly, he twisted and dove in to a steep angle, heading right towards the ground far below. Picking up more speed, he forced himself faster than ever, straining his muscles to their max! He gritted his teeth, forced he eyes to remain open, and pressed on. Faster, faster, faster!!!
He could feel the air forming a barrier around his head, almost like a cone of wind. He realized this was the moment he’d always dreamed of. He was so close! Just a bit more speed….
Whumpf!!!
He fell back into his bed, the top of his skull throbbing in pain. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the feather-pillow that was hanging from the ceiling above him. His father hung that up after the first time he took off in his sleep and banged his head on the stone above. Now, after over a dozen repeated strikes, the pillow was getting a bit worn out.
“Lightning!” his mother called from below, “Are you up yet?”
Rubbing a hoof on his head, Lightning Dash sat up, and looked over the edge of his bed. It was the top bunk of a set of three, the others belonging to his two older sisters. And standing next to the stack of bunks was his mother, Feather Dust. The pink mare was looking up at him with concern.
“I’m awake, mom,” he replied. “Just hit my head again.”
She sighed. “Flying in your sleep again? Maybe we need to talk to somepony about sleep aids.”
“No, it’s alright,” he said, stretching out sore muscles. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“Please hurry. You have a big day ahead of you, remember?” She smiled, then turned and trotted out of the little cave that served as their families sleeping quarters. Looking out, he spotted his parents own bed opposite of the children’s bunks. Important day? he thought, What important-
Instantly, his memory returned. “Oh yeah!” he exclaimed, “My final Flight Test!” He leaped out of the bed, gliding down to the floor below. “This is gonna be so awesome!” With a jump, he launched himself into the air, flying through the tunnels of his family’s living quarters. He twisted around a turn, nearly scrapping his hind legs against the stone walls. “Oops!” he cried, overcorrecting and almost crashing into his oldest sister.
“Lightning!” she shouted, “Watch it!”
“Sorry!” he called back, flying through the door and out into the large communal cavern beyond. It was a huge space, one that took almost a month to carve out, he was told. Oval in shape, with glow-strips mounted to the ceiling to light up the space, the cavern was easily large enough to hold several hundred ponies gathered on the floor. At the moment, several dozen were present, some flying in and out of various smaller caves and tunnels that opened into the cavern from different heights along the walls.
Banking to his left, Lightning flew along the floor, dodging around the Pegasus ponies that were busy pulling carts of food or other supplies. Most shouted as he darted between them, but the young flyer didn’t care. He was having too much fun!
Suddenly, the far wall of the cavern was right in front of him. While concentrating on dodging the carts, he had forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings. With a yell, the young colt managed to pull up at the last second, and ended up in a backwards loop that sent him careering away from the wall…
…and right into a large pile of empty crates.
“Ugh…” Lightning muttered, crawling out from the mess. Looking himself over revealed just a few bumps and bruises, but that was all. Lease I didn’t break anything this time, he thought.
A snicker of laughter caught his attention, and he turned to see a group of colts from his class watching him. “Hey! Nice landing Lightning CRASH!” one called out, while the others howled in laughter.
“Whatever,” he said, stretching his wings. “I’m still the fastest pony in school!”
“And the best crasher!” shouted another, triggering another bout of laughter. With a scowl, Lightning brushed off a few splinters of wood from his mane. Come on, Lightning, he scolded himself, get it together! I’m gonna fail the Flight Test if I can’t control my speed!
“Hey Lightning!” called a voice, and he turned to see a brown and gold filly trotting over. “Nice landing!” she laughed.
“Very funny, Airazor,” he replied, mane brushed clean of debris. “Hey, isn’t your Flight Test today?”
“No, I’m tomorrow,” she replied. “Rumble is taking me into the Deep Canyons.” She gave him a quizzical look. “What about you?”
“Mine’s today!” he shouted. “But I don’t know who is taking me out for it yet.”
“Well, you better get going!” Airazor pointed behind him, where his mother was beckoning. “Oh, and don’t forget about our Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting later this week!” she called after him. “I heard Featherlight got her cutie mark, and she wants to tell us about it!”
“Awesome! I hope I get mine soon. Well, see ya!” Waving goodbye to his friend, he ran over to join his parents….
In the life of a young Pegasus pony, there was no more important experience then their final Flight Test. Passing marked the moment when they were no longer considered a child, but a functional member of the community, or Enclave. Living inside the mountains, flight was an important part of survival, as it allowed them to traverse the rocky crevasses without fear of falling to their doom. The young colts and fillies were taught together in Flight School, but for their final tests, they were each paired with a mentor, who would take them outside the caves the Enclave lived in for an overnight trip, where everything they had learned was put to the test. During the trip, the mentor would constantly test the student, and upon returning, would declare them a Full Pegasus. Normally, the school would assign each student a non-family member or non-personal friend to serve as mentor, to prevent favoritism. Occasionally, however, there were acceptations to this rule…
“I’m still not convinced this is a good idea,” muttered his father, while Lightning sat between his parents. “There must be another candidate to take Lightning out for his Flight Test. One of the other teachers, perhaps?”
“I’m sorry,” replied Scootaloo, “but none of my other instructors have the flight knowledge required to properly train your son. Lightning’s potential is so high he already surpasses almost any other Pegasus in the Enclave.” The older mare grinned. “Except for one, of course.”
Lightning looked up at his father, who had let out a sigh. He glanced back and forth between his parent and the Headmaster, wondering what decision they were going to make. He knew the other teachers had trouble keeping up with him during practice, and none could match his trick-flying. So who would they get to mentor his Flight Test?
“Darling,” his mother said, reaching out to rest a hoof on his father’s shoulder, “please consider it, for Lightning’s sake. She’s the only one who can teach him how to control his abilities.”
His father sighed again. “Very well,” he conceded. “If there is no other choice…”
“There isn’t,” Scootaloo cut him off. “No question about it, she is the best, and was my own personal teacher.” Her face softened. “Look, I know the two of you haven’t gotten along for the past several years. But I still believe this is the best option for your son.”
The room was silent for a few minutes, and Lightning tried not to fidget while his father thought about it. Finally, the stallion looked back up. “All right, I’ll speak with her.”
Scootaloo smiled, and stood up. “Excellent! I’m glad to hear that, and wish you all the best.” At a prompt from his mother, Lightning rose up with his parents. They both nodded to the Headmaster, and turned to leave her office with the young colt in tow. He glanced back at Scootaloo, who winked at him. “Good luck, Lightning Dash!” she called out…
Scootaloo watched the family leave, before sitting back on the ground with a sigh. She turned to look out the window of the small shack that she used for an office. Outside, she could see other young Pegasus ponies flying laps around the large cavern that their school was built into. Her wooden shack was one of the few structures that they had built with outside materials, instead of carving out of the rocky walls. It wasn’t the same as being outdoors, but it was safer. At least in here, with the glow-strips along the ceiling lighting up the place as bright as day, they didn’t have to worry about being attacked.
Still, she worried about her students taking their flight tests. The ritual required that they and their mentors leave the safety of the Enclave for an overnight trip, sometimes deeper into the Crystal Mountains, sometimes outside into the open air. But they never flew beyond the mountain range, as the risk of capture was too great. Safety and survival were paramount.
Looking away from the window, he eyes landed upon a piece of red cloth hanging on the wall. Sewn upon it was a blue shield depicting a yellow filly. The sight of her old cape brought a smile to her face, and a sense of pride knowing that here, after all these years, her school had its own Cutie Mark Crusaders club. And how cool was it knowing that her idol’s grandson was a member of the club she helped start all those years ago? Time really has flown by, she thought, as her mind drifted into the past, when Rainbow had taken her on that camping trip to finally learn how to fly, a trip which the current Flight Test was based on. And now she ran a school that used her idol’s methods to teach other young flyers. He’ll make you proud, she thought. We’ll all make you proud…
Lightning Dash followed his parents done the tunnel leading to various living quarters that had been carved into the mountain. He knew he had to be patient, but curiosity was getting the better of him. “So, who’s going to be my mentor?” he asked, looking back and forth from each parent. “Surefire? Wind Runner? Oh, what about Cool Breeze? “
“Calm down, dear,” his mother smiled at him. “You’ll see soon enough.” They continued down the tunnel, and Lightning was starting get even more confused. This area was where the older Pegasus ponies lived, those who had retired from most flying duties in the community. Why were they going down here?
After several more minutes of walking, his father stopped at one of the wooden doors that lined the tunnel. Raising a hoof, and after hesitating for a moment, he sighed, and knocked on the door. Lightning looked around, still wondering who they were coming to visit, when he suddenly realized he’d been in this tunnel before, several times in fact. In all his confusion, he didn’t pay attention to where they really were and whose door they were at.
“No way…” he gasped, when he finally realized who they planned on asking to mentor him. As the door creaked open, his jaw fell nearly to the ground.
“Hello, mother,” his father greeted the room’s occupant, as she stepped into the doorway. “May we come in for a moment?”
“Of course,” replied Rainbow Dash, as Lightning tried not to take off in excitement, “come on in, and I’ll pour you all some ciders.”
“So,” Rainbow began, as they sat around the small room, “how is the family? Everypony doing alright?”
“Yes, we’re all doing fine,” his mother answered. “Both of the girls enjoy their jobs in the nursery, and I’m getting along fine with my garden.”
“Cool, cool,” Rainbow said, taking a drink of cider. Lightning noticed his father didn’t touch his glass, while his mother was only sipping hers. Himself, he had a glass of apple juice, which was already half gone. “Um,” Rainbow continued, “what brings you by today? Not that I don’t enjoy the visit,” she quickly added, “but you usually don’t just drop by randomly like this. Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing is wrong,” his mother answered. “In fact, Lightning is getting ready for his big Flight Test today.”
“Really?” she grinned at him. “That’s awesome! I’m proud of you, squirt!” Without thinking, he broke into a giggle, causing both of the mares to laugh. The poor colt just couldn’t help it. He adored his grandmother, and getting praise from her was like candy to him.
“The Test is what we wanted to talk to you about,” his father said slowly, still looking down at his glass. Rainbow frowned, watching her son. At a gesture from his wife, he continued. “There is something important we need to ask you.”
“What’s that?” Rainbow asked. “Wait! Lemme guess. You want me to recommend a mentor for him, right?” She looked up at the ceiling. “Let me think for a minute…”
“Actually, we already had one in mind,” his mother interrupted her. “It seems that Lightning’s skill level already surpasses most of the teachers at Flight School, so the Headmaster recommended somepony special to mentor him.”
“Really?” Rainbow said with surprise. “High skill levels, huh? I wonder where he got those from!” She laughed at her little joke, ignoring the annoyed look on her son’s face. After a moment, she collected herself. “Sorry. So who did Scootaloo recommend? Soarin? Clearsky?”
“She recommended you,” Lightning’s father said, sending the room into silence. Rainbow looked first at him, then at her daughter-in-law. Lightning just watched in amazement. Seeing his outspoken grandmother speechless was a new sight for young colt.
“Scootaloo believes that only you have the skills to properly train Lightning,” his mother finally replied. “He is just too fast for the other teachers. They can’t keep up, with his speed or his learning ability.”
“I see,” Rainbow quietly said, before finishing off her glass of cider. She looked over at her son. “Look, I know things haven’t been the best between us. And I don’t expect you to forgive me anytime soon, but…” she broke off for a moment, and Lightning thought he saw a bit of water in her eye. “… but if you choose me, I swear I will be the best mentor anypony’s ever had.” She smiled. “Pinkie Promise.”
That last remark caused a hint of a grin to form on his father’s face. “Mother,” he began, finally looking up at her, “will you take Lightning Dash out for his Flight Test?”
This time, Lightning knew he saw his grandmother’s eyes water. “Yes,” she replied, “I will.”
They were all gathered just outside Scootaloo’s little shack, a few dozen Pegasus ponies young and old. There were five students scheduled to leave today for their Flight tests, and their mentors were getting them prepared. Stretches, saddlebag checks, and final goodbyes to their families were all on the agenda. As she watched, Scootaloo felt her pride swelling up inside, knowing that it was her lessons that would get these youngsters through the next two days.
She wandered over to check on her most lively student. Lightning was strapping on his saddlebag, and trying to avoid the mushy attention his mother was giving him. Hugs and kisses were being given and brushed off repeatedly, as the colt tried to maintain his ‘cool’ appearance. His two sisters were just laughing, while his father simply watched the entrance to the cavern.
“Hello Lightning,” she greeted him. “Are you all set?”
The colt seemed relieved to be free of his mother’s smothering for a moment. “Yes ma’am,” he replied, standing tall with his bag strapped securely on. His oldest sister rolled her eyes, while the other snickered. “I’m just waiting for my grandmo- I mean, for my mentor.”
Nodding, Scootaloo admitted to herself that she was waiting for the same thing. The older mare had been reluctant to appear in public the past few years, and Scootaloo was looking forward to seeing her again. But she was the Headmaster of Flight School, not some young fan-filly, and had to maintain a sense of dignity. Nerding out is the last thing I need to be seen doing, she told herself.
Suddenly, the voices in the cavern seemed to hush at the same time, and all heads slowly turned to the entrance. Over the tops of the other manes, Scootaloo could see a few streaks of color slowly bob their way in her direction. Whispers from all around her could be heard; “It’s her!” “I thought she passed on already.” Why does she have a saddlebag?” “Is she mentoring somepony?” “Is she here with family?” “I can’t believe I’m meeting her!”
The small crowd slowly parted, and Rainbow Dash stepped into full view, eyes ignoring the looks around her, her posture one full of confidence. After a few moments of silence, her face softened as she approached her old friend. “I’ve come to mentor Lightning Dash.”
The wave of surprise shot through the crowd, but the legendary mare ignored it, keeping her eyes on the Headmaster. Scootaloo decided she had to break the tension, and held out a hoof to Rainbow. “I’m glad you came,” she said with a smile, “I’ve missed you, ya know.”
“Well, you know me,” Rainbow replied with a grin, “always too busy to slow down.” She looked towards her grandson. “Right squirt?”
“Right!” the colt shouted, while Scootaloo and the others laughed. She noticed that Rainbow had her own saddlebag strapped on and ready to go. “You’re sure you are up to this?”
Rainbow gave her a quizzical look. “A bit late for that, isn’t it?” she asked, before turning to wrap a leg over Lightning’s back. “Come on, Lightning! We’ve got a big adventure ahead of us!”
The colt’s grin couldn’t get any bigger then that moment and Scootaloo decided that now was the time. “Alright Everypony!” she called to get their attention. Mentors at their sides, the five students stepped forward. “This is a big day for you all. I’ve taught you all that I can, and now it’s up to you. All I can say is keep focused, remember what you’ve learned, listen to your mentors,” she winked at Lightning, “and most importantly: remember to have fun!”
Lightning followed his grandmother through the tunnels, as she led him away from the main living areas. “Where are we going, Nana Rainbow?” he asked, looking around. This was a tunnel he had never been allowed into before, and he had no idea where it led to.
“You’ll see,” she told him. “And this is your Flight Test, remember? So, can you do me a favor, don’t call me ‘Nana’, alright?” She glanced back at him with a wink. “Just call me Rainbow Dash, or Rainbow. Ok?”
“Um, ok,” he replied, as they continued on. He thought it would be weird, but if that’s what she wanted…. He had to listen to his mentor, right?
A few minutes more, and they came to a larger space, about twice the size of his family’s home. At the far end was a large stone door, with a pair of armored guards standing at each side. As the two of them approached, the guards turned and, rearing up, used their forelegs to push open the doors, leading to…
…another tunnel.
“Uh, where ARE we going?” he asked again, totally confused, and getting a laugh from Rainbow.
“Up, of course,” she answered. “But first, test Number one: Keep up with me!” And with a jump that surprised even the guards, the older mare launched herself forward into the air, and flew off through the doors and down the tunnel. It took Lightning a moment to come out of his mental shock, before he was airborne and right behind her.
The tunnel was surprisingly short, and after only five minutes of flying, the two Pegasus ponies erupted out into the open air, with nothing above them but a blue sky, dotted by the occasional cloud.
“Wow!” shouted Lightning, as he came to a stop in midair. His father had taken him outside the cave before, but always at ground level just outside of a cave entrance; never open flying like this. He could feel the wind against his face, taste the dampness of the air…
“Lightning!” came a shout, knocking him back to the here and now. “Up here!” craning his head, he saw Rainbow above him, also hovering, legs crossed. “I’m waiting!”
“Sorry!” he shouted in reply, and flew up to join her. “I was just, I mean it was just…”
“Bit overwhelming, eh squirt?” she laughed. “No problem. Guess I should have warned you first, but I got a bit excited. It’s been a long time since I’ve really stretched these old wings!” She looked around, and grinned at a distant sight. “So, for your second test: how fast can you go?” She pointed, and he noticed the puffy cloud in the distance. “Race you!” And with that, she was off, leaving a trail of rainbow colors in her wake.
“Hey! No fair!” he called after her, and rearing up, he launched himself after her, leaving his own trail of purple-maroon color behind him. Front legs outstretched, he pushed himself to fly faster, trying to chase down his grandmother. This is AWESOME!, his mind screamed out, as the wind flew past his face, blowing his mane around. Even better then I imagined! He kept pushing, faster and faster, the cloud getting closer and closer.
Suddenly, the trail of colors he was following vanished from view, and he nearly panicked. Where did she go? He thought, his head on a swivel as he looked all around. Did she change direction? Is this another test? Then, a speck of color behind him, and Lightning realized the amazing truth. I’m faster! I’m really faster! This is the best day of my life….
The wind was blowing her mane, and lifting her wings, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t be happier. It had been years since she had flown like this, and being up in the sky again was making her feel thirty years younger. I have missed flying so much, she realized, having been cooped up in those caves for so long. She felt bad for her grandson, and the other young Pegasus ponies. Unless things change, they’ll never know what it’s like to live in the sky…
Suddenly, a gust of air swept past her, nearly causing her to lose her concentration. “What in Celestia?” she shouted, while regaining her orientation. Once again facing the cloud she was heading for, she noticed a new trail of purple and maroon colors in front of her. “No way,” she muttered, taking off again in Lightning’s wake. “He actually caught up with me! Man, I must REALLY be out of practice!” But personal bravado aside, deep down she was full of pride. If anypony was going to out-fly her, who better than her own grandson?
The cloud was coming up fast, and she had but a moment to think it reminded her of the puffy clouds that always formed around Ponyville, before she burst through it and came to a stop. Lighting was hovering there, waiting for her.
“I won!” he shouted, the biggest grin on his face. “I won!”
“Yep, you beat me fair and square,” Rainbow agreed. Though I’ll be sure to make it harder for you next time! “Come on, I need a rest,” she told him, and lowered herself to land on the could they just passed through.
Lighting followed suit, surprise and delight on his face. “Awesome!” he said, as he came to a rest on the cloud next to her. “It’s really soft! And fluffy!”
“Let me guess; you’ve never been on a cloud before, have you?” she asked him.
“No, but I’ve heard the others talk about them,” he replied. “Is it true that the Pegasus ponies in the past moved them around to control the weather and such?”
“You’ve got it!” she answered, and held a hoof up to her chest. “In fact, I was in charge of weather control for the whole town of Ponyville!”
“Wow!” he looked up at her, eyes full of wonder. Rainbow grinned, having missed being admired like that. “Was that during your time as one of the Elements of Harmony?”
“Of course,” she replied. Lightning had grown up hearing her stories about the adventures she and her friends had been on. Back before the invasion of Equestria drove the Pegasus ponies into the mountain caves. “But this isn’t time for stories. You’ve got more flying to do!” Getting up, she stretched out her aching muscles. I hate getting old! “Come on, I’ll show you how to control you turns and flips better.”
“Ok!” Lightning agreed, and in unison the two of them took off into the sky, leaving behind trails of color…
Lightning collapsed onto the pile of leaves, more tired than he had ever been in his life. It had been a long day of grueling flight, but completely worth it. Rainbow Dash had pushed him to his limits but he also has learned so much. After a few lessons from her, he had much better control of his turning, diving, stopping, and even more maneuvers he had never heard of before. She even showed him how to move clouds around, setting them up to make obstacle courses in the sky for him to fly around. Crashing into fluffy clouds was much more fun than banging off wooden crates or rocky walls.
And speaking of Rainbow, she was worn out herself. The older mare new she had limits, and had limited her own aggressive flying, spending most of the time just hovering or standing on a small cloud supervising him. But as she tended to their little camp fire, Rainbow had to admit to herself that her age was the one thing (besides her grandson) that had caught up to her.
She reached into her saddlebag, and pulled out a small bottle. “Here squirt,” she said, tossing it to him. “Try this out!”
“What is it?” he asked, pulling out the stopper. It smelled like apples and spice.
“Your reward for all the hard work today,” she told him, pulling out an identical bottle for herself. “Just don’t tell you father, ok?”
“Cider!” he shouted, after taking a taste. “But, mother says I’m too young…”
“Our little secret,” she winked at him, but still held up a hoof in warning. “Just this once, alright?”
“Alright!” He took a small sip, smiled, and then a larger drink.
“Careful, don’t drink it all at once,” she warned. “Save it for the whole evening.” Using a stick, she poked at the fire.
“Gran-“ he started, but her look stopped him. “I mean, Rainbow,” he corrected, “I was wondering. How come you and dad don’t get along?”
The question caught her off guard, and she stared into the fire for a few minutes, leaving the colt thinking he had said something wrong. But after a short time, she sighed.
“You father… your father and I have our… differences,” she began. “You see, he never knew his father, and well, growing up that was hard on him.” Both of their eyes watched the flames as the wood crackled. “And, well, I guess you could say I made some, mistakes as a mother over the years.” She looked up at him. “But that’s something you should talk to your parents about, ok?”
“Ok,” he said, looking back down, a bit disappointed. Rainbow decided that she had to change the subject, and get his mind off whatever was bothering him.
“Hey! Did I ever tell you about the first time I met the Wonderbolts?” she asked. When he shook his head no, she continued. “Well, I was entering into the Best Young Flyer competition, and the prize was to spend a day with them. Now, THAT was incentive!” Lightning had moved over to listen, and she wrapped a leg over his shoulders. “You should’ve seen it! I spent weeks before practicing the Sonic Rainboom so I could perform it in front of the Wonderbolts!”
“The Sonic Rainboom?” he asked. “But I thought that was just a story? Nopony has ever done it!”
“Who told you that?” Rainbow asked, a bit of anger in her voice.
“The other kids,” he said. “and some of the teachers. Silver Wings said the stories are an exad, exagg, uh…”
“Exaggeration?” she corrected him. Lightning nodded, causing her to sigh. “Well, let me set the record straight. Not only is it possible, but you’re looking at the only Pegasus who’s been able to do it!"
“You?! How?!”
She laughed. “You see, Rarity was wearing this weird costume, and using fancy wings Twilight magic’ed up for her. She was flying a bit too high trying to show off, and the wings….”
Lightning listened with full attention, as the fire crackled on, stars in the sky above them lighting up the night sky….
Feather Dust stepped outside the cave, where her husband was watching the night sky. “Darling, are you going to come in?” she asked. “It’s almost time for bed.”
“In a minute,” he replied, eyes never leaving the dark sky. She stepped up to lean against him, and he responded by wrapping a leg over her shoulder. “I just hope Mother keeps him out of trouble.”
“She’ll do fine,” Feather tried to assure him. “They both will, you’ll see. They will fly back tomorrow afternoon, and Lightning will never let us hear the end of his ‘Great adventure with Rainbow Dash’.”
He finally looked down to her, a smile forming on his face. “You’re right. I should relax. It’s just…”
“I’m worried too,” she told him. “But we have to trust them. Come on, let’s get something warm to drink.” He allowed her to lead him back into the caves, casting one last glance at the night sky. I’m proud of you, he thought out to them, of both of you. Come home safe…
The crowd was cheering, thousands of ponies calling out his name, waiting for the big moment. He took his position atop the podium and hunched down, ready to jump at any moment. A glance to the side where his parents, sisters, and grandmothers were watching him, waiting for him to make his move…
He jumped, launching into the sky, legs outstretched, a trail of purple-maroon colors behind him. Higher and higher he went, until he could barely make out the stadium below. He paused for a moment, and then aimed back down the way he came, picking up speed. Faster and faster….
“Lighting!” called a voice, seemingly from above. Ignoring it, he continued down, wind blowing his mane and tail around.
“Lightning! Lightning!” the voice called again. “Wake up! Lightning…”
His eyes fluttered open, discovering himself laying in a leaf pile on the forest floor. “What,” he muttered, “I was in the Young Flyers- umpf!“
“Shush!” Rainbow Dash covered his mouth with a hoof. “Keep still!” He froze, coming full awake. His grandmother appeared to be watching the sky, as if waiting for something. Her ears were up and alert. “There!”
His own ears perked up, and he finally heard it. A faint whine in the distance, seemingly growing louder as if it was approaching them. Rainbow froze, trying to contain the panic that Lightning was picking up on. The whine grew even louder, and seemed to be almost on top of them…
Suddenly, he realized it was getting softer, fading into the distance. “Good,” Rainbow said, visibly relaxing a bit, “They’ve past us.”
“Who have past us?” he asked her, but she didn’t answer, just held him still and continued to listen. It was a full five minutes before she released him, and looked around again, like she was planning something.
“Alright, Test time is over,” she said, “We’re going home right now.”
“But what about-“ he began, but she held out a hoof. “Ok.” He started packing up his bag, but she stopped him.
“No, the bags will slow us down, and we’ll need all our speed to get back.”
Lightning was getting nervous now. He had never seen ANYPONY this worried or panicked before, not even his own father.
“Lightning,” Rainbow looked at him, “I need you to listen to me, and follow all of my orders without question. This is going to be dangerous, but I promise I’ll get us both home safe and sound.” She held out her hoof.
With a smile, he bumped his own hoof against hers. “I trust you, Rainbow Dash!”
She wrapped him up in a big hug. “Thanks squirt. Now, let’s get going!” Together, they took off into the sky, trails of color behind them, heading back towards the mountains in the distance. Lighting stayed close to his grandmother, following her lead through the air, watching the forest rushing past them below.
Then, he heard the whine in the distance. “Come on!” yelled Rainbow, as she pushed herself faster. With a flap of his wings, Lightning kept her pace, listening as the whine seemed to grow closer. Knowing it was a risk, yet unable to help himself, he glanced back behind them.
There it was, this ugly green and brown wedge-shaped thing, spikes poking out from both its top and bottom. He had never seen such a thing before and nearly froze up in wonderment. But a shout from in front of him caught his attention.
“Hurry!” his grandmother called to him, “Before they can lock on us!” She started flying a zigzag pattern, and he did his best to match her and stay close. On one zag, the corner of his eye caught sight of the wedge for just a moment, and he saw the tips of the top spikes glowing orange. He had just a moment to wonder about it, when suddenly-
KZZZEEERTTT!!!!
-a bolt of orange energy flew past him, sizzling the air and sending a wave of heat over his face.
“Break right!” Rainbow called, and he banked with her in an almost ninety degree turn. The whine followed them, and another glance revealed the wedge also turning, but not as sharply as they had. We can turn faster than it can, he realized. But the advantage only lasted a minute, as it quickly corrected its course, and was on them once again.
KZZZEEERTTT!!!!
Another blast of energy, this time flying right between him and Rainbow Dash, so close he swore it singed his tail. Two more blasts flashed past, both off to his side away from them. Ha! They can’t get us, he laughed in his mind, while following Rainbow in another zigzag run. More orange blasts….
“Break left!” Once again, he kept right with her as they turned the other direction. And once again, the wedge slowly followed. He looked around, trying to figure out which way they should go…
“Lightning!” Rainbow called out to him, her voice becoming hard to hear over the wind and the whine coming from the wedge. “Immelmare turn! On three!”
“Got it!” he shouted back, taking just a moment to remember the aerobatic maneuver she wanted him to do. He prepared himself…
“ONE!” Another pair of energy bolts blazed around them…
“TWO!” The wedge was getting closer, so close the whine coming from it was almost deafening…
“THREE!” He pulled up, looping back over the direction they just flew, ending up upside down. He corrected his orientation (another trick she taught him the day before), and pushed himself as fast as he could in the new direction. To his amazement, Rainbow was still just in front of him, the two ponies having kept their little formation throughout the entire loop. He looked around, having lost sight of the flying wedge…
THERE! He found it, now behind and below them, struggling to make its own turn to the left in an attempt to bank around and resume the chase. But the two ponies’ quick maneuver had bought them precious seconds, and Rainbow intended to use them.
“Lighting!” she called out, “Up! Into the clouds!” He followed as she headed up towards a thinker cloud cluster. Higher and higher… and with a burst of white fluff, they were through.
Rainbow quickly cut back her speed, and Lightning shot past her before coming to a stop himself. She waved him over to her, and they came to rest upon the cloud itself.
“Now… what?” he said, panting a bit trying to catch his breath, adrenaline rushing through his body. Rainbow was peaking over the edge, seemingly watching the wedge thing below them. It was a minute before she replied to him.
“Now, we wait,” she said, still watching. “It’s flying circles under the clouds, looking for us.” She looked at him, face all serious. “Or, waiting for us.”
“What… is it?” he asked, still a bit short of breath, and trying to hide his nervousness.
Rainbow frowned. “Something I hoped you would never see,” she finally replied. “It’s called an Attack Flyer, and it’s super dangerous.”
“Huh? What’s an ‘attack flyer’?” he asked, “and why’s it chasing us?”
The older mare sighed, and stretched out her sore wings. All this activity was wearing her out. “Because, the ones that control it are the ones who conquered Equestria years ago,” she explained. “They’re the reason we live in the mountain caves now, instead of in the sky.” Her eyes appeared heavy, and Lightning was afraid to ask anything else.
Suddenly, the whine noise returned, but from a different direction. Rainbow looked over the edge of the cloud again, and her ears instantly flattened.
“What is it?” he asked.
She slowly turned around. “There are two of them now.”
He could feel her tension over the air. Rainbow was responsible for him, and he could tell she was really worried. He tried to hide it, but the colt was getting pretty scared himself.
“Alright,” she finally broke the silence. “We’re not far from the mountains. Maybe if we…” she broke off, then pointed into the distance. “Hey squirt! See that canyon down there?”
He looked out, following the direction she was pointing. There was a canyon, just barely visible, that seemed to run back towards the mountain range. “That one?” he asked.
“Yup,” she replied. “I’ve got an idea. If we fly down as fast as we can, and make it into the canyon, we can lose them in the twists and turns, and follow it all the way back home!” She stood up to her full height, a mischievous grin on her face. “Wadya say? Shall we make it your final test?”
Lightning jumped up. “Awesome!” he shouted. “Let’s do it!”
“Alright, get ready!” They assumed starting positions on the cloud edge, almost like ready for a race. “Remember,” she told him, “you need to go as fast as you possible can. If we time it right, we can make it to the canyon while the Flyers are facing the wrong way.” Her eyes watched the pair of wedge-shaped craft flying opposite circles below them. “Get ready!” Lightning tensed his muscles. The craft banked, their paths heading away from the canyon…
“NOW!!!”
He launched himself off the cloud, wings working hard to pick up speed, in a sharp forty degree dive down towards the distant canyon. A quick glance to the side revealed Rainbow Dash right alongside. She gave him a wink, then legs outstretched, pulled slightly ahead. Straining himself, the colt matched her speed, once again keeping pace with the older mare.
Side by side, they raced towards their goal in the distance, ground rushing by far below. The air blew past his face with more force than ever before. He pushed faster… faster…
The telltale whine was back, but he didn’t dare look behind, focusing everything on his goal. Picking up more speed, he forced himself faster than ever, straining his muscles to their max! He gritted his teeth, forced he eyes to remain open, and pressed on. Suddenly, he could feel the air forming a barrier around his head, almost like a cone of wind. Wait, he thought, I’ve felt this before! But where-
He never finished the thought. The cone of air tightened, and what felt like a jolt of energy flashed before him. Tears flew from his eyes, and he felt the air streamlining his body. Energy crackled around him. Faster… faster… faster!!!
BOOM!!!!
In a blast of rainbow colors, Lightning’s body launched, jumping forward at double the speed he was going, and sending out a ring of color in all directions. He could feel the energy coursing all around him, returning strength to his muscles and energizing his wings. With a streak of sparkling purple-maroon color trailing behind him, he flew down towards the canyon at a tremendous rate…
“PULL UP!!!”
Without thinking, he started pulling out of the dive, flying right between the canyon walls. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a quick flash of light appear on his side, but the sight of his grandmother flying next to him sent his face into the biggest grin he’d ever had. I did it! his mind shouted. I did a Sonic Rainboom! We both did Sonic Rainbooms! “This is so AWESOME!” he screamed, as the two ponies flew down the canyons, the danger lurking above momentarily forgotten.
“Lightning!” Rainbow called out. She was pointing ahead of them, towards a break in the canyon wall that led to another branch. “Down there! It will take us back home!”
“OK!” he shouted back, following her in a sharp bank to the right. Leaving their pursuers far behind, the two ponies vanished into the distance….
Scootaloo was relaxing in her shack, going over the list of students waiting to take their own tests, when a cry went out outside.
“Lightning!” somepony called out, “You’re back!” She dropped her clipboard and ran outside to see what the commotion was about.
All the other students were crowded together, watching as Rainbow and Lightning flew around the cavern, banking around to bleed off speed before coming to a perfect synchronous landing right in front of the Headmaster. The others cheered, stomping hoofs on the rocky ground, while the grandmother-grandson pair stood tall and proud. Scootaloo couldn’t help but admire the two of them. He really is just like her, she thought, before stepping up to greet them.
“Welcome back,” she said, “though I wasn’t expecting you until this evening.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Something go wrong?”
“Well,” Rainbow began, looking down and rubbing a hoof on the back of her neck, “you could say that. We ran into a couple of Attack Flyers, so I decided to call the test short.”
Scootaloo’s mane stood on end. “Attack Flyers?!” she shouted. “Where were you? What were you doing?” A wave of anger flashed over her. “Rainbow, if you endangered my student for some adventure-“
“Hey! It’s alright!” Lighting spoke up. “They surprised us while we were camping! It wasn’t my grandmot… I mean Rainbow’s fault!” At the determined look on his face, Scootaloo found herself backing down, and the colt took that as a sign to continue. “She knew right what to do, and we were able to outfly them!” He took off, mimicking the maneuvers they had used while describing it to the others.
“It was sooo awesome! We through them off using quick turns and zigzags which the slower Flyers couldn’t match! Then, using an Immelmare Loop, we changed direction so fast, they lost us, and we flew up into the clouds!” The chorus of ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ egged him to continue. “But the best part was when we left the clouds to fly down into his canyon, see, and-”
“Lightning Dash!” called a voice from behind them. All heads turned to the cavern entrance, where his parents had just arrived. They galloped over to join the group. “Are you alright?” he mother asked, wrapping her front legs around him.
“I’m fine, mom,” he answered, trying to pull out from her grasp. “We just had to come home early, that’s all.” He finally pulled free, and shook his mane, trying to regain his ‘cool’ demeanor.
“Mother,” his father was asking Rainbow, “why did you return so soon? What happened?”
“Nothing,” she replied, “Lightning just passed all my tests with ‘flying colors’!” She laughed at the lame joke, sending a chorus of groans around the room. Scootaloo opened her mouth to say something, but a quick warning look from Rainbow stopped her. I guess I’ll let the family handle it, she thought, I mean, they made it back safe and sound. No reason to upset them right now…
Lightning Dash could barely contain his excitement. Here he was, having just returned from an adventure better than anything he could have imagined. And the best part was he was with Rainbow Dash, the legendary Pegasus who was one of the Elements of Harmony! As he enjoyed being admired by his friends, he couldn’t think this day could get any better.
He was wrong.
“Hey! What’s that?” his friend Airazor asked, pointing a hoof at his flank. The other students instantly surrounded him, trying to see what the commotion was about. He craned his neck around…
“No way,” he muttered, eyes wide open in amazement. “No way!” But there it was, plain as day. Three maroon lightning bolts, one above another, with the middle one twice the size of the others. Another round of ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ went around the group as a stray memory flashed into his mind.
Flying down from the double Rainboom, he saw a flash of light on his side, but Rainbow flying next to him had distracted him from it. Now, he realized what he had seen. That’s when it must have appeared! When I pulled off the Sonic Rainboom! A wide grin crossed over his face, and he turned to look at Rainbow Dash. Just like her, he thought, jumping into her hoofs. Rainbow was startled for a moment, but returned his hug with equal force.
“Thank you!” he whispered to her.
“Anytime, squirt!” she whispered back, giving him one last squeeze before they released each other.
“Congratulations, Lightning Dash!” said Scootaloo as his family surrounded him, “on both completing your Flight Test, and getting your cutie mark!” All the ponies cheered, while his friends all shared brohoofs with him. “So, tell us what your talent is.”
“My talent?” he laughed, before jumping into the air. “That’s easy!” He took off, flying circles around the cavern, maroon and purple lines trailing behind. After flying a few laps, he came to a landing on top of Scootaloo’s shack.
“I’m faster than fast, quicker than quick!” He bumped a hoof to his chest. “I’m Lightning Dash, the greatest flyer in Equestria!”
