The Sonic Supernova
~by MonsterHunterBrony~
Special thanks to Jmozziel, Vanner, Roger Dodger and Dublio for the help they gave me when revising this fic.
It can't be! It just can't be possible!
Rainbow Dash kept mentally repeating this over and over again as she flew toward Canterlot. An hour earlier, when she was reading the recently delivered newspaper, she saw in big letters on the front page: The Wonderbolts without leader: Spitfire currently hospitalized.
Glancing at the title and the picture of her idol in a hospital bed, Rainbow Dash dropped the newspaper and rushed out of her room. She had to confirm the news with her own eyes. While the logical course of action would have been to read the whole article, Rainbow Dash was not the kind of pony to think things through. She was a mare of action, and as such, she acted on impulse instead of thinking things over.
Once she reached Canterlot, Dash realized she had no idea where the hospital was. Her eyes scanned the area, moving from one street to another, in vain.
Come on Rainbow, finding something like an hospital shouldn't be that hard! Geez, can’t they at least make something as important as a medical facility easy to spot from anywhere? Now that I think about it, that big a city should have public directions somewhere, right?
Rainbow Dash dropped her altitude to reach the streets, hovering around in search of a map. It took a while, but she managed to find one at the corner of a street packed with ponies of all ages. After taking mental notes on the location of the building, Dash turned in the general direction of the hospital and flew off at ground level. She zig-zagged between panicking ponies who could barely see the blue and rainbow blur cutting their way, then, after a moment, she rose back to the skies and dashed toward her objective.
A small grin appeared on her face when the hospital finally came into view. While it wasn’t as obvious, her worries were still gnawing at her heart.
Not slowing down to land, she touched the ground with a loud screech. What would be an awesome looking landing became anything but, thanks to a small rock that was half burrowed, popping out just enough to make one of her hooves trip on it and bringing the mass of the pegasus with it. Rainbow rolled some meters away on the ground, carrying with her dust clouds and the heavy breeze she created by flying so fast. She quickly rose back up, and did her best to remove any speck of dust on both her coat and mane, giving an embarrassed smile to the ponies looking at her with concern. She stood before the hospital door, a shiver ran down her spine. Somewhere in there, Spitfire was recovering from her injuries.
I just hope she is fine. What will happen to The Wonderbolts if she can’t fly anymore?
She took a deep breath and finally pushed the door open.
Inside, a few other ponies were waiting for their turn to see a doctor. Rainbow Dash looked for a clue that would lead her to Spitfire's room, and she quickly found what she was looking for: Soarin came out of a corridor and crossed the lobby to reach the exit. She then went the same way he came from and looked for any other clue to indicate which room was the right one. There it was, a door with a simple yet obvious sign labeled as: Please do not disturb. Hospital staff allowed only. She managed to take a peek at her idol as a nurse came out of said room.They sure went through a lot of trouble to keep her hidden from the eager public–Like herself...
Knowing full well she wouldn't be authorized to visit her idol without a proper appointment, she chose to try and sneak her way toward the door. Keeping her body as close to the floor as possible, she made her way toward it, oblivious to the fact that she drew more attention to herself than if she walked normally. She finally reached the door, took a quick glance left and right, and slowly turned the knob; she managed to open the door halfway before an angry nurse emerged from a corner and headed straight for her.
"You! This room is forbidden to the general public. Only those specifically mentioned by the patient herself are allowed to visit!"
Dash froze. Slowly, her head turned to face the nurse coming at her. She only now noticed everypony around, visitors and other patients, had their gaze locked on her. She tried to find an excuse but a soft voice intervened from inside the room itself.
"It's fine, Nurse Sweet Pill. I know her; just let it slide for now."
"But, I... Fine.” Turning to Rainbow, she added, “Next time though, can you please go to the reception counter first? We are breaching protocol right now, you’re lucky you’re friends with the patient." She huffed and went back to minding her own business. Rainbow Dash sighed with relief. Not losing a second, she entered the room and closed the door behind her.
"Sooo, how can I help you, Miss... Rainbow Dash if I recall correctly?"
"Huh, you really do remember me?"
"Of course I do. I don't think anyone would forget about the pegasus who performed the sonic rainboom. Oh, also maybe the fact you saved my life helped a bit."
Rainbow blushed. "I gotta admit, I probably was super awesome that day. As for my visit, well, I wanted to see for myself if it was true that the leader of the Wonderbolts really was injured. I mean, I can hardly believe it. What happened exactly? Who is responsible? Trust me if I find out who it is, they will know that you don't mess with the Wonderbolts and go unpunished!"
Spitfire smirked, slightly amused. "Oh, is that so? Then, by your logic, I should be punished by you, is that right?"
"Wait, no! I meant whoever injured you of course!"
"Rainbow, I’m the only one responsible for this accident. I made a mistake while practicing, and I failed to regain control before I hit the ground. It happens to all the Wonderbolts at some point or another. I tried a trick requiring to be very close to ground level, and I kinda underestimated my speed. Long story short, I crashed and it resulted in these two babies getting sprained,” Spitfire said as she revealed her bandaged wings.
“Wait, let me get this straight. You’re trying to tell me you messed up?”
“I’m not trying to, I admit it. Did you think we were infallible? Even the princesses make mistakes sometimes. I mean, I don't think I need to tell you the story of Nightmare Moon, right? To live means to learn from your mistakes. Success only comes after you hit a wall at some point in your life, nothing is granted without working hard for it."
Spitfire made a small gesture, beckoning her fellow pegasus to her side. When Rainbow Dash got close enough, Spitfire asked a simple, yet complicated question.
"I know this seems out of the blue, but I need to ask you something: What would it mean to you if you became a Wonderbolt? While there is no wrong answer, I'm curious to hear yours."
Dash’s eyes grew wide in surprise. She never gave any real thought to that question before. She had admired the Wonderbolts for as long as she could remember. She always worked hard to become a part of the team, but she never thought about why.
"Well, I guess it means to be the best, strongest and fastest flyer around. And of course to be known all around the world," she replied but wondered, is that really all it means to me? Do I really only want the attention it brings?
"I see. Right now I’m not allowed to fly, but the nurse told me that I can use my wings again by next week. You know what? There’s something I’d like to show you. What would you say if I came over to your place when I’m ready to fly again?”
"Wh—wh—what? You, Spitfire, leader of the Wonderbolts, at my place? Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! I can't believe it! Should I prepare something? Or maybe you just want to hang out somewhere? I—"
The yellow pegasus stifled a laugh. "Now, calm down missy. You will know in due time; but don't worry, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy what I have planned."
What felt like Rainbow's longest week ever finally came to an end. Today was the day Spitfire would come. She couldn't stand still as she waited for her idol to show up; she paced back and forth, only stopping to dust off a corner or replace one of her house decorations, before nervously walking around again. Spitfire had something to tell her. Something she couldn’t say back at the hospital. Maybe she wanted to tell her in private?. Was it what she thought it would be? A sudden knock on the door brought her back to reality. Not waiting a second, she hurried to the lobby, quickly passed a hoof in her mane to make sure she was presentable, and opened the door to greet her visitor.
"Hi there Spitfire, had a nice trip?" she asked with a grin so wide it would allow Spitfire to see her reflection in her teeth.
"Yep, my wings are still a little sore, but nothing that can stop me. I hope you’re ready to fly because we’re on our way to a place beyond Canterlot. The location is a surprise though, so don't ask about it until we get there, deal?"
"Alright, I’m ready whenever you are!"
A quick double check to make sure the door was locked and they were off. Rainbow was barely able to contain her joy as she flew side by side with her idol.
This is going to be the best day ever! she thought as she was holding back a fanfilly squeal.
Even with sore wings, Spitfire managed to set up a pretty fast cruising speed. Dash actually had to make some effort to keep up with her, not that she wasn’t able to match the speed itself, but her wings flap either made her go too fast, or too slow. Only after a few minutes of flight did she manage to find the right flapping balance to move at the same pace as her idol. After a moment, Spitfire got a bit closer to Rainbow.
"So, is there anything you wanted to know about the Wonderbolts? We still a while to go before we reach our destination, so I guess it would be a good idea to chit chat a bit."
"Well, I was wondering, when was the Wonderbolt team originally formed? I know you are the successor of those who used to lead it when I was still a filly, but I never bothered to find out when they started performing."
"Oh, you chose a nice question my friend. Where should I start? Well, the team was formed about fifty years ago by a pegasus duo. While I don't know everything about their story, I know they first formed the team the very same day they performed one of the most impressive stunts ever seen in Equestrian skies. Their names were Lightspeed and Sonic Boom. From what I saw of them when I was a lot younger, their flying skills are still unmatched by any pegasi until now. Have you ever heard the legend of the Sonic Nova?"
"While I never had a chance to hear it, I remember some teachers at the flight school comparing my first sonic rainboom to something. Back then, I didn't know what they were talking about, but from what I gathered, my stunt seemed to be somewhat linked to an old story." Then a sudden realization dawned upon Dash. "Wait a second, don't tell me there are other pegasi who can break the sound barrier like I did."
"You seem to be catching on," replied Spitfire with a smirk. "Yep, there are other pegasi who can perform that stunt, and they are the first two known pegasi to manage it. The sonic boom was named after the first one to perform it, Sonic Boom himself. As for Lightspeed, her version of the stunt was called the Sonic Lightboom. It’s similar to your rainboom, but instead of creating a multicolored halo, it produced a blinding white ring of light. When they first broke the sound wall, somepony noticed their shockwaves weren't expanding at the same speed, and it gave them an idea. They combined both sonic booms by flying one behind the other. With the slowest halo on the front, they managed to time the rupture of the sound barrier in such a way that both halos started from the same point. When the fastest one collided with the slowest, the sonic nova was born. The legend says they performed it during the night, and when they pulled it off, the light that spread in the sky made all of Equestria as bright as the day."
"Wow, I can't believe something that awesome isn't public knowledge. I always thought I was the fastest to ever live, how come I never heard of these ponies?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, they chose to ban the stunt. Apparently the destructive potential of the sonic nova is not something to be trifled with, so they tried to make sure that nopony else would try and replicate it. While at the time they were the only one to be able to perform sonic booms, they thought it would be too risky to let amateur ponies attempt it on their own and they never performed it ever again. But this is something I want to change, I want the ponies of the current generation to experience the thrill of seeing the best flight stunt ever made, and I will do it no matter the cost. As the current leader of the Wonderbolts, I’ll make sure that the legend of the Sonic Nova will not die that easily."
Rainbow Dash was in awe. Not only was she spending the day with the pony she admired, but she was let in on secrets that had never left the Wonderbolts's mouth before. In her excitement, she didn't notice the change in decor as they started flying above a rocky plain. Spitfire pointed at a large canyon in the distance, indicating their destination. Spitfire dived inside it, landing on the bottom, with Dash following close behind.
"Here we are, the Wonder Canyon," Spitfire said.
"The what now?" Rainbow asked, awestruck. Multiple circles adorned the walls. Rainbow Dash looked up at the top of the canyon where the sunlight pierced through, and saw how each pattern started from one side of the gorge and made a long thick line along the walls until they ended on the other side. She took a few steps forward. When she reached the first circle, a loud humming sound reached her ears; the pattern itself emitted that sound. The second circle was made of a blinding white light, slowly pulsing as if it were alive. Every new circle she came accross was unique in it’s color or form. Some were colorful, others had special textures and some even seemed to move a little. Spitfire followed Dash without a word, simply smiling and letting the blue pegasus bask in the beauty of the canyon. After a few minutes, Dash arrived at a circle completely made out of flames— a raging inferno that clung to the rocky walls. She came to a stop and turned around to face Spitfire.
"What exactly is this place? All of this seems way too weird to be natural."
"Well, the Wonder Canyon is something special indeed; the mineral that composes its walls is called imitatium. It is a special metal that can absorb magic and then indefinitely reproduce it. This natural gorge is completely coated with it. The canyon is also a sacred place to the Wonderbolts. After all, we all started here."
Rainbow Dash thought she was missing something. In front of her, stood a clue to an important revelation. There was something her brain was trying to tell her, and then she realized what it was. She glanced at the burning circle behind her, then back at Spitfire.
These circles, these carvings on the wall, they remind me of—
Her eyes were as wide as saucer as she muttered.
"A sonic flameboom... That is your mark, isn't it?"
"Congratulations, we have a winner!" Spitfire said with a chuckle. "Indeed, this is my mark, and every Wonderbolt who joins the team leaves their mark in here, the imitatium forever imprinting them upon itself. The very first requirement to become a Wonderbolt is to perform your own version of the sonic boom after all. You remember the story I told you about the team's founders? Well, they ended up discovering other pegasi able to break the sound barrier, and they turned their duo into a bigger group in an attempt to keep them all under watch so they wouldn't attempt to make a new sonic nova. This is how the Wonderbolts became the large team they are now." Spitfire signaled Rainbow to follow her again as she took flight and went outside the canyon, now flying back toward Canterlot.
"What I don't understand is why the Wonderbolts keep so many secrets. You already told me why the Sonic Nova was a legend, but what about the canyon? It’s worthy of being part of Equestria's seven wonders, if you ask me."
"Well, as I said earlier, the canyon is a sacred ground for the Wonderbolts, and we fear that if the public knows of the large quantity of imitatium found here we might be flooded by rogue excavators trying to mine it and destroy this place. The mineral is rare, and depending on who uses it, it has properties many greedy ponies would do anything to get their hooves on. That is why the only ponies allowed to visit the canyon are members of the Wonderbolts." After that statement Spitfire gave an sly smile to her friend.
"Wait.. You don't mean..." Rainbow felt her heart skip a beat, her excitement reaching a whole new level.
"Yes Dash, you are a candidate for the team. We have kept a close watch on you in the past months following the Best Young Fliers competition. And we have been discussing it for a while now. We believe you can become a great Wonderbolt. However, you aren't ready yet. While your flying abilities are better than most pegasus, your lack of discipline is something you have to work on. I asked Ponyville’s weather brigade for background check on you and I know you need improvement on some key aspects. If you are to join us, you have to learn to work in a team, and slacking off is not something we take lightly. You understand, don't you?"
Rainbow gulped a bit. She knew full well that Spitfire was referring to every time she would procrastinate instead of fulfilling her weather duty. "I... I do. But I don't know how to improve this aspect of me. I mean, I’ve always worked alone, and the only partner I’ve ever had ditched me because she couldn't accept my new friends."
"This is where one of our tradition comes in. For as long as the team existed we always made new member additions in pairs, to represent how the group was originally formed by two ponies who taught each other how to improve their skills. All of us did the same: I trained with Soarin, Arrowhead trained with Sound Wave, the list goes on. While we have the authority to choose who is a potential new member, it is that future member's responsibility to find a partner. I believe it is the best way for somepony to learn teamwork and improve their discipline. Rainbow Dash, you will be able to join us after you find somepony to be your equal. Help that pegasus to become as good as you are, and then you may become part of the team. I’m sure there’s somepony you know who would love to be your partner. If not, I can always introduce you to my little sister. She can't fly yet, but I believe you would be able to teach her how to do so. You see this house over there? It’s my place, and it just so happens that she came to visit me this weekend, so if you want to meet her, now would be a good opportunity. Whether you decide to take her under your wing or not, the choice is yours." Both pegasi landed in front of the house and stood in front of the door, before opening it and calling out, “Hey sis, I’m home! There's a friend that I want you to meet.”
“Coming!” replied a little voice Rainbow thought was very familiar.
Dash was barely able to think anymore. In the short time that had passed with her idol, she was entrusted with secrets she would struggle to keep forever. And even though she was happy to officially be told she had the potential to join the team, she wasn't sure how to take the last bit of information she received. Then, a spark flashed in her mind. She knew what to say after all. It only seemed right now, maybe it was meant to be this way.
"Actually, I think I know somepony I want to take under my wing. She has been around me for so long, yet I always ignored her. That isn’t how a Wonderbolt should act. I don’t mind at least saying hi to her, but I am sorry for your little sister; I know who will be my partner," she said with confidence.
"And may I know the name of the lucky pegasus?"
"Her name is Scootaloo. The little filly looks up to me the same way I do to you. I think this is the right decision."
Less than a second later the sound of small hooves suddenly sped up and Spitfire barely dodged some kind of orange bullet coming from inside her home. The small orange blur quickly jumped at Rainbow Dash's neck, hugging her as hard as she could.
"Scootaloo?! What the hay are you doing here?!" asked an astonished Rainbow Dash.
Spitfire smirked and said, "Rainbow Dash, say hello to my little sister."
"Wait, what?! You are Spitfire's sister and you never told me?!"
The orange filly smiled in a fashion that would make Pinky Pie jealous. "Well duh! I didn't want to influence you! All I wanted was to make you notice me or simply be my friend on my own. I know you would have jumped on the occasion right away if you knew about my family. That’s why I thought I should wait until you chose to be my friend on your own before telling you!" She turned to face her big sister. "Thanks sis! I'm so grateful you let me stay here until you two came back!"
Spitfire simply nodded and winked at the filly.
"Wait a second, something doesn't make sense here," said Rainbow Dash. "You are Spitfire's sister, yet you look up to me? While I like the attention, I don't understand why you chose me over her."
"Well, for... As long as I can remember, Spitfire was always at the top— and trust me even the most impressive stunts get old when you see them practiced hundreds of times. When I first saw you though, I saw something new. I saw somepony who was doing stuff I never had the chance to see before. I mean, it’s like... err...”
“Rainbow, what my sister is trying to say is that it’s more interesting to cheer for somepony trying their best to reach the top than one who is already there. Think of the comic books that you probably read when you were younger; which one kept your attention? Those with a hero who had to overcome hard challenges with all they had? Or those whose hero could wipe the floor with every villain as if nothing could stand in their way? I’m pretty sure it was the former, am I right?”
Dash simply nodded in agreement as she took a glance at the filly firmly attached to her. That is when she realized something. "Spitfire, remember when you asked me what it meant for me to be a Wonderbolt? Well, I want to change my answer."
"I'm listening."
"While it is true that a Wonderbolt is at the top, I come to realize that there is something even greater that comes with it. By being a Wonderbolt, I want to become a beacon, a beacon of hope for all young flyers. Whenever I felt down, I cheered myself up by looking up to you guys, and right now, I think it is safe to say I just gave hope to little Scootaloo here. I want to inspire the future generations of flyers to move forward, to fly faster and higher than ever. This is my answer. A Wonderbolt is a light that guides other ponies toward self improvement."
Spitfire's eyes opened wide in amazement. "Wow, that's actually deep. Well, I hope you are ready to work your flank off, because you won't become that light by goofing around! I will keep a close eye on you two, and I want results!" she added with a smile.
"Yes ma’am!" replied both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo.
Epilogue
Years passed, too many to remember, but sometime later was a day when history would witness the greatest stunt ever performed. Somewhere above ponyville, which was the location the team chose to perform their greatest feat, ten wonderbolts lined up on a platform. They were the best members of the team, and they were ready to give their all to make history. Rainbow Dash approached Scootaloo. Through many years of training and teamwork, the two were no longer mentor and apprentice, but equals.
"It is time,Scoots."
"And I'm ready as I'll ever be, Dash!"
All at once, the group of pegasi took a step forward and jumped. Then, as they fell, they all started to position themselves in a line pattern, the order of each pegasus determined by the speed at which their sonic boom expanded: the slowest first, and the fastest last. After a few seconds, Soarin finally managed to break the sound barrier, followed by Arrow Head, Soundwave, Spitfire, Buzzer, Shimmerwing, Rainbow Dash, Barrel Roll, Windy and Scootaloo as the tail of the line. Everypony looking at the skies that day were left speechless. At that moment, in the Equestrian skies, ponies of all ages and nationalities witnessed the birth of a new legend, one that would surpass the legend of the Sonic Nova. The whole world witnessed the Sonic Supernova as all of the Equestrian skies became covered by a spectrum of innumerable colors. Contrary to what some would expect, the stunt didn’t seem to be ready to disappear yet, the nova lighting the skies for many hours before the heavens took back their own colors. It was not going to just fade away like the original nova. It was going to make its presence known to all the ponies of the world, inspiring the new generation of flyers to one day realize their dreams to reach the top, just like Spitfire and Rainbow Dash had dreamed.
