What Goes Up...

by WonderDash

Rating: everyone
Tags: Wonderbolts, Main 6, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Rainbow Dash
Length: 13962

What happens to Rainbow Dash after a freak accident at a show?

[First person through Rainbow Dash's perspective]
Just another sunny morning in Cloudsdale, and everything is just as usual...

...except what comes next in the afternoon...

Nearly everypony is at the annual Wonderbolt festival, including ponies who could afford getting the ability to stand in Cloudsdale.
Everything seems to go as awesome as every year, until something goes terribly wrong, and Rainbow Dash is right in the middle of it.

Will she survive? And if she does, will she be able stand back up?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Author's note* This is my first ever fanfic that I am writing from first person, so cut me some slack, but I would also love criticism to my writing style/grammar. Criticism helps me improve as I write future chapters, and maybe future fanfics.

Published 2012-05-27 06:24:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-06-17 18:38:48 UTC

I Hate Monday Mornings...

Beep Beep Beep Beep...

*Slap*

The sun is just rising over the horizon; rays of light shinning down upon the soft earth, awakening all the inhabitants of Equestria. And soon enough, everypony is wide awake and busying themselves in their work. However, up in Cloudsdale, everything is just getting started. For one particular pony, this isn't just going to be an ordinary day.

(YAWN)

I finally manage to get myself awake after three snoozes, and I haven't fully realized what time or day it was. I crawl out of bed and manage to get myself into a nearby washroom. Looking in the mirror, I see that my rainbow mane tangled everywhere, making it seem just like a dye job gone wrong; eyes carrying dark circles as large of Twilight's mouth; wings still pretty sore from constantly turning in bed last night despite that my bed is made of clouds; my fur spattered with dust and dirt from yesterday's stunt practice. I decide to take a quick shower just to unwind myself from the effects. I never was a morning pony, but rather like those who like to stay up all night and regret it the next morning.

I turn the nozzle to hot, but instead I'm welcomed by ten seconds of pure coldness. Instantly I am wide awake, but then fall back into a light doze after the warm water starts raining down. I manage to stay awake just long enough to straighten my mane and wash my fur and feathers. It seems to take forever to get even a small speckle off of my fur coat. I almost use up a brand new bottle of shampoo and two bars of soap just to get myself remotely clean.

I slowly turn off the shower and start drying myself with a towel when something clicks in my head. Seems like I am forgetting something really really important, but I just can't make it out. That's probably the reason why I was tossing and turning last night, but I am too tired to keep thinking about it.

I stagger out of my bathroom into my bedroom. Even though I am clean, I still feel like a zombie pony wandering around not looking for brains, but for sleep. Seeing my comfortable soft bed again just tempts me to jump right back in and fall asleep, but I know better. I brisk past the hanging Best Young Flyer Award crown (because I like to look at it while in bed) and walk downstairs to my kitchen only to realize that breakfast is already laid out on the cloud table, with apples and everything. Confusing... but if it's here in my house, then it's probably for me. I can't think of anypony who could've done this, because I live about a mile above the ground and lock every door and window in my house at night. The only window I keep open is the one in my room closest to my bed. Even then that only happens when I start reading another 'Daring Do' book, although I do like to keep it open during the night on sweltering summer evenings (which I love). With a house this high up, you can always expect a gust or cool breeze to keep the house fresh. I simply can't imagine any pegasus sneaking into my room, making breakfast, and leaving through that window without waking my up. Gosh, I can't think of anypony who could do better than the last sneak-in attempt that I did, and look how well that turned out (heh).

Plopping down to sit in front the table, I very slowly grind away the oats and apples. I have no idea why the forks, spoons, and other utensils are out. Those kind of things are usually for unicorns only. Yes, handling cups and pots seems to work for me, but using my mouth to hold a fork while trying to feed myself just doesn't work.

After a slow breakfast, I am reminded that I might have work today. Please be no work. I am so tired!

I grudgingly go to look at my kitchen calender and begin to search for today's date. A while ago I started a habit of crossing out past days on the calender so that finding the present date would be easier. After scanning through tons of red Xs and notes, I come across the first not crossed out day.

Monday...

I only do weather watch on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so I'm fine for now. Taking a closer look, this particular Monday isn't just "not crossed out", it is also circled with red marker about ten times. March 10th... now what could be on this particular day...

I look at the side-notes of the calender and see huge words written in blue marker: The Annual Wonderbolt Showcase and Spectacular Demonstration.

INSTANTLY, I am electrified by my own nervous system, waking me one hundred and twenty percent. I now remember why this morning was so strange to me. Last night, everypony and pegasi rushed home to prepare for this upcoming event that was hosted by the Wonderbolts and the princesses themselves, but everypony knew that the Wonderbolts was the sole main attraction. Like always, I'm one of their biggest admirers, so I kinda went overboard when it comes to preparing for the next morning. Breakfast was all ready for the next day, house was taken care of and everything else was to go smoothly and quickly.

I was so excited and pumped with adrenaline that I simply couldn't go to sleep. To make matters worse, I set my alarm super early to be able to get up and be first in line at the actual event. Really, Luna should make the night last just a few more hours.

"OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh, it's finally here! I have been waiting three months for this day to come."

I jerk my around almost inhuma, er... inponanely..., to look at the ticking clock on the far wall.

6:32

Shoot! They start selling tickets at 6:35, and I don't want to be the last in line like every cider season. I quickly but effectively stretch my wings and dash out the door with so much force that the wind behind me is able to slam it back shut. I fly so fast that I actually end up doing a Sonic Rainboom, which rattles my cloud house to the bone and probably awoke everypony nearby, maybe even Princess Celestia herself. How rude of me to start off everypony's day with a colorful BANG, but now I simply couldn't care less. With a smug and a face of determination, I race to be first in line. No Pinkie Pie, no other random ponies from all over Equestria, just me and the ticket booth.

After what seems to be an eternal flight, I arrive at the supposed ticket booth just outside of Cloudsdale. I land on a tuff of clouds only to realize that nothing is here. Searching nearby locations and finding nothing, I start to worry. Did I oversleep a whole day? Did I get my locations wrong? Did I make wrong turn during the flight?

So many questions flying through my head...

Just when I hear a rumble that is getting louder and louder.

Best Day Ever!

I can't tell where the sudden rumbling is coming from, but from what I've been through I expect a rock avalanche or a bufallo stampede or something like that. Panicking, I turn around and start to fly home, but NO WAY! I am not going to give up on such a great opportunity when I have a distinct advantage. I simply froze on my small tuff of cloud, close my eyes and brace myself for the inevitable to rain down upon me...

The rumbling stops just when I think I am about to get flatted. I look up from my rather awkward bracing position, and see that it wasn't an avalanche or anything like that. Right in from of me stood a really bizarre machine, much like The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, but wasn't that complex or flashy. Just take away all the dials and buttons, replace the wheels with circular clouds, shorten the pipes, and add the whole Wonderbolt crew...

WONDERBOLT CREW?!?!?!?!

(Insert Fangirl Squeal Here!)

I stand there dumbfounded with eyes wide and jaw to the ground. I simply stare as the entire scene unfolds. The Wonderbolts and a few pegasi with construction helmets start to pile out of the weird machine and start to set up what looks like a really fancy ticket booth. Sure, I have met the Wonderbolts a few times myself, but seeing the entire force working together like some well-geared and well-oiled machine is simply mind boggling. And being their number one fan and admirer doesn't help my reaction a bit.

After staring at them for five minutes straight, I finally come back to my senses when Spitfire, head captain of the Wonderbolts, calls my name. I am surprised to hear that she knows my name right off the bat. The only time we've introduced ourselves was during the Grand Galloping Gala, and even then she had to deal with tons of fans and Soarin''s pie. It's most likely because I saved their lives during the Best Young Flying Competition, and once I told her my name, she probably won't forget it. But for now, I am way too excited and happy to worry about that.

In a split second I race towards the site, zigzaging myself between all the construction and materials and doing a 180-degree landing right next to Spitfire.

"Wow, really nice. Rainbow, why do you never cease to impress me?"

Getting my bearings straight, I look at the path that I took. A rainbow wall stands in its place that decorates the construction site. Every Wonderbolt and worker are dazed by my sudden flash of bright colors. It is certainly a pretty sight to see. But that didn't last too long. Soon enough, the wall started to fade from the place where I bolted and quickly make its way to me. Spitfire and I just stare at the fading rainbow wall until there is nothing left of my glorious act.

A long pause follows...

This is getting somewhat awkward, so I try start a conversation when Spitfire beat me to it.

"Rainbow, is that the same agility act that you did a while ago while trying to choose your pet? It seems like you have that move down to every detail."

"Aw shucks, it was nothing, and um..... wait. How did you know about that?"

"Oh, you know Twilight. She certainly has a big mouth."

"You have no idea," I say rolling my eyes.

"Twilight knows that you are trying so hard to try to join our crew, but you already know. We can only have twelve members, no more no less. She sends a lot of recommendation letters to us acknowledging every one of your mastered tricks."

"She... WHAT?!?"

"Wait, she didn't tell you?"

"Apparently no, or at least I can't remember her saying anything like that. I might have to speak to her sometime soon."

"Well good luck that, but remember. She is only trying to help you, being one of your best friend and all."

"Thanks, I keep that in mind."

"Anyway, steering to something different, I want to thank you again."

" *just wait till I get down to Ponyville and...* Wait, what? Y-you want to thank me again? For what?"

"I want to thank you for helping us wake up this morning. Last night as usual was hectic for everypony, but especially for the Wonderbolts preparing for today's event. We had to finish signing tons of fan merchandise and prepare for today's setup, which therefore led to extreme lack of sleep. If it wasn't for your Sonic Rainboom this morning, we would all still be in bed. With your help this morning, we might actually be able to set up everything on time this year."

"Your very welcome, but aren't you ponies like... super tired?"

"Doctor Whooves fixed up something to get us going for the rest of the day. The only thing we need to watch out for is that by the end of the day, we will be 'super tired' times four. I am really not looking forward to that."

"Is that bump of your head the result of my Sonic Rainboom this morning?"

"Oh, this? Kind of. Your boom made us jump so high out of bed that we've basically hit ourselves on the ceiling. And this was any ordinary soft cloud ceiling; it was one of those high quality concentrated and condensed cloud."

My ears start to droop.

"Oh wait I take that back. I should've have blamed your performance. How would you have known what could've been done? And besides, the pain actually helps us stay awake!"

Upon hearing this, my ears instantly perk up again.

"So... Um.. Spitfire, what is all this about? I know that today is THE big event, but what requires this much construction?"

"Oh, you know, setting up stands, stages, and everything that goes along with making event to run as smooth as silk. We have never had an accident at this event in equestrian history, so I don't want to break out streak."

"Wouldn't want that to happen..."

Another long pause...

"Say... Rainbow Dash? I have a favor to ask you."

"Sure, anything for the Wonderbolts!"

"A few days ago, we had an airshow over Manehattan. Everything was going according to plan until came this unexpected strong gust of wind. We were used to rough currents over the city, but this was nothing compared to any gust of wind. Our entire team was struggling to maintain formation, even I had a hard time going straight. That wasn't the case for Misty. She lost control and crashed into a skyscraper as she was trying to maintain altitude. She ended up being hospitalized. Turns out it was nothing serious, but the doctor deemed her unfit for flight because of her broken wing."

I look around at the site before me and as I count the Wonderbolts (including Spitfire), I only reach eleven and see that the light blue and white mane that Misty had is nowhere to be seen. I start to get my hopes up, but I ask first to make sure.

"So what does that have to do with me? Only one member out of twelve wouldn't hinder a six pony performance."

"That's not the case this year, today's event requires all twelve of our full effort. We can't continue without somepony to take her place."

"So Rainbow Dash, how would you like to be a Wonderbolt at today's event?"

First Come First Serve

Those words, those very words...

... are like an alicorn choir to my ears.

I almost choked on my own words when trying to say something, but I simply couldn't. All those dreams, all those efforts, this might be it!

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. I am asking to join to Wonderbolts."

I can't remember exactly what happens next, but all I can remember is jumping very high and doing loop de loops.

"Now don't too excited. Remember, this is only temporary and only for today."

"I don't care! Even if it means being a Wonderbolt for ten minutes, I can finally live my dream!"

"Well, then I guess I will have to shorten your time until this afternoon."

I give a dread look and wanted to facehoof so hard I would've knocked my head off.

"Nah, just teasing! Welcome to the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash. I'll go get your uniform."

It felt like eons after Spitfire left. So many thoughts are going through my head. My dream is finally coming true! All the effort might finally pay off.

Finally Spitfire comes back with a Wonderbolt uniform.

"This is Misty's uniform, but they should fit you. Go ahead, try it on."

She hands me a neatly folded blue Wonderbolt uniform. I take and handle it as if it is the most precious thing in the world. I carefully slip on the uniform. Surprisingly, it's extremely comfortable with the cotton and silk lining on the inside. No wonder the Wonderbolts never take it off even at formal gatherings. I find one of Misty's long light blue mane hair on the inside of the uniform. Now this may be disgusting, but to me, it's like a once-in-a-lifetime treasure. I tie it around my front right hoof because I have no where else to put it.

"Well well well! Seems a perfect fit. With that on, you do look very... dashing! Or in this case, Rainbow Dashing."

We both giggle. We continue to talk about what will happen, and what I will do during the actual event. Being the Wonderbolts's number one fan, I can describe every one of their moves and techniques, listing all the do's and don'ts.

"You certainly know your stuff, but can you actually do those things?"

"Psshhht, I got everything on the back of my hoof."

With that, I launch myself skyward, and perform one of the introduction moves, called the Scarlet Wing. Sure, it is complex with all the twists and turns, but for an athletic pegasus like me, I could have done it with my eyes closed.

"You've executed that perfectly. I could not have done better myself," Spitfire said as I floated down, wings spread apart.

"Gee, thanks. That means a lot."

With all this excitement, I just notice that the array of materials once spread out before me has now became a massive stage and launch pad, with stands, ticket booths, safety nets, and everything.

"What's with all this equipment? Its not like Wonderbolts need safety nets or weather radars. You guys can do anything!"

"Yeah... Well, as said before I want to make this event as flawless as possible, by any means necessary. I don't want to repeat what happened at the Best Young Flier Competition. Rainbow, we may be great, but we aren't perfect. Even ponies like us do have flaws. Take Misty for example. She is one of first pegasus to join the Wonderbolts, and look at what happened to her in Manehattan."

"True. I am getting a little too excited. Sorry."

"And besides, if something does go wrong, you will always be there to save us and Soarin's pie again, right?"

At this point all I can manage is a weak smile, but I continue the conversation:

"And what is the big bowl with a rod facing the sky?"

"Remember that unexpected gust of wind that occurred over Manehattan? Well, that wasn't just a 'gust' of wind, but rather a part of something huge. A storm in fact. Our weather team calls it a typhoon or a hurricane. They are really concerned about Manehattan, but even more about the storm. The hurricane has such erratic weather pattern that it's practically impossible to predict the path. Our team set up that 'dish' that tracks the hurricane's movement, just in case it decides to make an unexpected turn."

"Worst case scenario?"

"Worst case scenario is when the storm is right on top of us. On the ground, it's pretty bad. But up a few miles in the air with no good ground foundation, I can't imagine the damage that would be done to Cloudsdale. We would have to cancel the show for this year. All weather teams and authorities near Manehattan are trying their best to control it."

"Yeah. My squad leader on the weather team mentioned that there is massive storm brewing near Manehattan, but he says not to worry about it as reaching this part of Equestria is highly unlikely."

"It probably is unlikely, but we can never be too careful. Better safe than sorry."

I imagine in my head what that scenario would be. Flooded towns, lightning everywhere, even the risk of Cloudsdale getting split into a million pieces is so hard to grasp. I zone off into thought when a long BONG startles me awake. Realizing the town clock has just hit another hour, I gaze at the tower far off to see the time.

"How long have we been talking?" I asked.

"One hour and five minutes to be exact."

"So it's already 8:00? Why is nopony around? Don't they start selling tickets at 6:35?"

"We are supposed set up at 6:35, we start selling tickets at 8:00. Did you read the flyer wrong?"

"No, I couldn't have. I have a flyer stuck on my refrigerator three months ago."

"Ah, that's why. Because we revised our schedule a bit later due to some 'technical issues'."
Out of nowhere, she pulls out a more recent flyer and shows it to me. I stoop down to look at the changes.

"Wow, everything did change around, a lot actually."

"Well then, shall we get started?"

"Started for wha... oh that's right! I'm supposed to man the ticket booth."

"Yup, have a good one. I see you backstage before the show starts!"

"Yes! See you later! I am really glad I got to chat with you, Spitfire."

"No problem, it's the least I can do to make it up from the Gala."

"Alright, thanks!"

My heart is exploding with excitement and eagerness. I can't wait to tell all my friends what has happened here, me ending up joining the Wonderbolts on such a big day because of sheer luck. I anticipated seeing another great show performed, but I never thought I would actually be part of the show!

I kick off into the sky and soar towards the ticket booth.

Welcoming Party

As I flew by, I see a few fellow Wonderbolts who were stationed at different places throughout the stadium. Blaze is working with the final touches on the decorations, Fleetfoot helping DJ-Pon3 set up large stereos, Silver Lining making last minute cloud adjustments, and Soarin' is, at no surprise, at the concessions stand. Even from way up here, I can see apple pie crust and filling all over his mouth.

Wait... that's apple pie! That means AJ is selling pie nearby.

My friends... How will I break it to them? How are they going to react when they see me? Will I still be their best friends?

As I continue to fly in thought, I see most of the crew looking up to me and smiling. Maybe because they think that either Spitfire found a replacement, see my rainbow mane and think the amazing Rainbow Dash has joined the crew, or maybe because their just being nice and doing a common courtesy. What they probably don't know is that I am just a temporary replacement, but I am not going to spoil it to them just yet.

I start to go through another train of thought, but I quickly snap myself awake when I nearly flew into Wave Chill.

"I am so sorry. Did I hit you?"

"Hey it's fine, don't worry about it.... Whoa! It's Rainbow Dash!"

"THE One and Only."

"Wow its been such a long time since I've met you! How have you been? Seems like your lucky day has finally arrived."

"I'm as giddy as ever! Today is certainly my lucky day. Sorry I can't stop and chat. I got to get to my booth."

"Sure, no problem! It's just good to see you. Brohoof?"

I'm not really sure what that means, but judging by his gesture, I am assuming it means a high hoof. Probably a stallion thing? Anyway, I still return the favor.

^-^ /)*(\ ^-^

I turn and fly away, hearing behind me how Wave Chill is cheering that he got a "brohoof" from Rainbow Dash. I quietly chuckle to myself.

I arrive at the ticket booth to find out that the handsome Fire Streak is stationed at the same place I am. His hair is orange with streaks of pale, and combed as usual to the good-looking suave hairstyle. He is also one of those silent types that waits for the right moment to say something hilarious. Trust me, get a conversation of three ponies and Fire Streak in it, and you will not be able to stop laughing.

Ok, dark secret moment time.
Being a mare, I've always had crushes on Wonderbolt stallions. You know, keeping my sanity straight. Being constantly around mares does take a toll on my emotional levels. Not like something serious when having a crush, but rather to keep me fresh and daydreaming. Just to make things interesting and fun, nothing more.

ANYWAY! NUFF SAID!

I fly down to my post and stand behind the counter. Fire Streak turns his head only reacting with wide eyes. He doesn't say anything immediately, but eventually he comes out in his clear deep voice.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash. Glad to see you among the best of the best."

"Hey Fire Streak. Gee, thanks!"

"So what did you do this time to impress Spitfire once more?"

"Waking you guys up."

For a second I thought I saw his eyes darting around for just a millisecond. That's when I notice that despite his combed hair, there is still a tiny visible bump on his head.

"Oh don't worry, Fire Streak. I think that seeing the entire crew having that blunder, I wouldn't be surprised if you had it as well."

And with that, I slam my head as hard as I could on a nearby banner support. It hurt! But I was expecting it. Soon enough, I could feel my small bump slowing rising.

Fire Streak stood there, half with relief and half snickering, trying so hard not to laugh.
I just stare at him, until I couldn't take it any longer. I burst out laughing, which is soon followed by Fire Streak's glorious laughter.

After a good laugh, I start talking about what happened this morning on my side. He likewise joins me describing his morning rush. During the conversation, I am blushing madly. Thankfully my uniform was still on, which covers all of my face except my eyes and nose. I couldn't tell what his emotion was, since he has a stern yet friendly face while he talks. I could still say that through all that seriousness, he is having a great time.

As we were wrapping up our conversation, I feel another rumbling. Fire Streak goes to his position next to me.

"Here they come."

I wasn't sure what he is saying, but I still somewhat brace myself. I see a dust cloud rising over the horizon.

Great, another buffalo stampede? I close my eyes behind my goggles...

I open my eyes just in time to see a whole herd of ponies rushing to Fire Streak and me. From what I can see, I was able to see not only pegasi, but also unicorns and earth ponies alike. Seems like Twilight's spell outdone itself, because now basically the entire Ponyville and Cloudsdale is stampeding on soft fluffy clouds.

As soon as everything settles, everypony start to line up for tickets. Fire Streak and I did our best to keep track of bits and tickets that are coming in and going out. While I am working, I smell the sweet aroma of apples. It just occur to me again that AJ could be along the line rolling her cart selling apples for her new farm. Multitasking with the current job and looking around for the others, I sense a pink curly mane, a purple glow, a shiny purple tail, and a familiar soft voice.

My friends...

Oh boy, should I surprise them? Should I pretend to go out back to get more tickets while Fire Streak handles them?

When the time comes I decide to do the later. Just before they reach the booth, I make an attempt to go to the back storage area. But I hesitate when heading out, thinking of what will my friends think of me. I try to keep going, but I am too late.
I hear Twilight's voice:

"Rainbow Dash, is that you?!"

It's A Little Family Reunion

Busted...

I decide to keep walking out to the back to get more tickets, the more I walk, the more their shouts became evident. I can even hear Pinkie Pie bouncing and yelling, "Oh my gosh, it's Rainbow Dash! She finally did it!"

"Rainbow Dash, now where ar' you goin'? We'd need'n some answers here."

"Come on, darling. Don't be shy. Just tell us what is going on, that's all."

I feel so guilty, but eventually I vanish from their sight through the door. Even through the closed door I can still hear their murmuring and trying to get something out of Fire Streak. Fire Streak, thankfully, wasn't going to crack that easy seeing how I reacted just now.

I decide to quickly grab a nearby box full of tickets and burst out the door again.

"See, I told you. That is Rainbow Dash! Who else could have rainbow mane?" Twilight's voice resounded.

"So? Anybody could dye their mane rainbow, including ourselves. Just look at our manes. This is nothing compared to yours." was Fire Streak's response.

Without turning his head, I could swear he looks back at me and gives me a quick wink.

"No, I'm not Rainbow Dash," I try to mimic Misty's gentle voice. "I'm Misty, I just happen to dye my hair just like her's just for the fun of it."

My friends look unconvinced.

"All right, you got me."

Instantly they all cry in unison, "RAINBOW DASH!"

They all gallop around the ticket stand and squeeze in for a group hug.

"We were so worried about you this morning," Fluttershy mutters.

"We were all ready to go to Cloudsdale, but we possibly couldn't go with you, darling. So we waited under your house for a a good seven minutes standing in the mud," Rarity complains.

"I WAS THERE TOO. USING MY PINKIE SENSES, I SENSED THAT NOTHING WAS MOVING IN YOUR HOUSE," Pinkie shouts right into my right ear.

"Which therefore meant you weren't home. I reasoned that since all you talked about was this day during the last three months, so I suggested that Rainbow already left for Cloudsdale," spoke Twilight

"Ah' wanted to stay a'bit longer, but ya' can't go agins't Twilight or Pinkie Senses." AJ gives a rather annoyed face.

"AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW? SHE WAS RIGHT! BUT NOTHING ONLY THAT, You're in fact A WONDERBOLT!" Pinkie and the rest broke into a cheer.

I manage to say something:

"Pinkie, do you mind not shouting into my right ear? I think it's starting to ring."

"Right, sorry! You know what this calls for? A PARTY!" And with that she pulls out the party cannon out of nowhere, and starts firing that thing.

Behind me I hear a soft "Ahem".

"Sorry girls. I got to get back to work. I will fill in the details later once I am done with my job."

"We understand. Come on, ponies. Lets go!" Twilight says.

And with that they leave as soon as they came in, going about their separate ways in Cloudsdale. Rarity and Twilight goes to check out what to wear during the event. I couldn't understand why because this isn't a formal event, just a casual Wonderbolt show. But knowing Rarity, there is always a formal side to everything. Pinkie bounces off to wherever her imagination takes her, which is most likely preparing a secret party for congratulating me to the Wonderbolts. AJ goes back to her cart to finish off what she began.I have no idea where Fluttershy went. She is as always quiet as a mouse. Did she go to look for animals? No, because up in Cloudsdale there aren't any animals. Did she go with Pinkie to help with the party? No, because I would've seen her if she did. Did she join the medic team if anything goes wrong? Probably... I start getting back to work when Fire Streak speaks.

"What about their tickets? They didn't paid yet."

"Don't worry, it's on me," I take out ten bits out of my own stash and put it in the box.

"You girls have such a great friendship bond. I'm jealous. I never had good friends that take care of each other like that."

"That's what friends do. We look out for each other."

I start telling him all the adventures that we had since Twilight came to town, and all our missions and encounters with Princess Celestia. It is quite a mouthful, because Fire Streak started to ask a bunch of questions after each story. It is awkward at the very beginning, but after a good five minutes, I start getting used to answering his questions.

"So it turns out it was you girls saving Equestria from Discord using the elements of harmony once more? I've never known you had that much potential inside of you."

"Yeah, I kinda get that a lot from a lot of ponies. Thanks... friend. Brohoof?" I raise my right hoof up high.

Oddly enough he reacts the same way I did when Wave Chill did that. So apparently it's just something with Wave Chill or that Fire Streak wasn't in THAT group of stallions. Either way, he also returned the favor. For once, I actually see his genuine smile. I feel pretty good for myself.

The same customer behind the is getting slightly more annoyed. "A-HEM."

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for the delay. Here, take this ticket for free for your time," I give push a small golden ticket over the counter. The customer is somewhat pleased by the offer and gladly takes the ticket. Fire Streak gives me an awry look.

"Come on, Fire Streak. It's only two bits. And besides, if you were in his hooves waiting for his ticket for fifteen minutes, what would you feel and do?"

"I would just stand there for fifteen minutes," he said mockingly.

"Ha ha, very funny. If you're team is THAT low on cash (which I highly doubt), then I will also take care of that."

"No, it's fine. I completely understand now," he says as he stops me from dropping the bits.

We both smile at the same time. But with the never ending parallel lines of all three kinds of ponies, I think it is better to get back to work.

Imagine standing in a flashy ticket post with a handsome stallion, unceasingly handing out tickets and putting the exchanged bits into the money box. Now multiply that by two hours. If I am doing this all by myself, I would have dropped dead after fifteen minutes. Not only you have to do this repetitive task, but also answer simple questions like what information is listed on the tickets, or what time will the Wonderbolts be performing. Without Fire Streak's knowledge, I would have stood there unable to answer every one of their questions. Trying doing that for everything single pony in the region.

Finally, after about two hours, the line starts to diminish. After the last pony has taken the tickets, I want to collapse on the spot of weariness. I'm not exhausted, but rather glad that was over with. Making sure we got everypony in line, we start to close booth. It's about time anyway. As we are cleaning up, Spitfire flies down to give us reminder.

"Great job, guys. I'm here to remind you that the show doesn't start until this afternoon. Be at the backstage at 2:00 sharp. Other than that you are free to go wherever you want. Just be ready when you come back."

She darts away without giving us time to ask any questions.

"Sorry, Rainbow. I need to attend my brother Lightning Streak's fifteenth's anniversary since joining the Wonderbolts. Maybe next time we can hang out?"

"That's alright. I need to talk to my friends anyway. See you backstage."

"Goodbye."

He flies off towards Cloudsdale. In the meantime, I look at the clock once more and see that's eleven. I have three hours to spend with my friends.

Three hours...

...Where Dreams And Wonders Come True...

Maybe I should go look for my friends. But how? They could be anywhere. Ponyville is big enough, but Cloudsdale? How am I going to find six ponies when there is literally multiple layers of of city to go through?

Oh well, at least I have three hours.

By now entire Cloudsdale is buzzing about this afternoon. All different ponies running back and forth, hotels and inns stock full of outsiders, and the weather factory must be getting a lot of visitors. I hope they don't almost ruin winter again, because I don't want to have to deal with Miss Mayor complaining about how "every Winter Wrap-up is always late for spring" and a serious drought. Seriously, is there Celestia enforced rule that Spring must come on a certain day, no soon no later? It's ridiculous. Why do we have to interfere when nature can awake my itself?

I become furious at the mayor for just a second.

Then again, the new visitors probably won't have physical wings anyway...

"Come on, Rainbow Dash. Focus, you've got a big day ahead of you. Stop being such an introvert and go find your friends!"
I mutter under my breath.

I start walking down the fluffy sidewalk, thinking about possible locations for where they are located. I was thinking about the weather factory, so why not start there?

As I trot down the street, I notice that I'm getting many looks from other ponies. Some are smiling, some are staring, some are cheering, some are clopping their hooves. For a while, I have no idea what was going on. Then I realize that I still have my Wonderbolt uniform on. Wearing this seems to attract all the attention of every pony I pass. I even sign a little filly's Wonderbolt doll. Even though the doll is Soarin' and not me, I am happy to do it anyway. More and more ponies look out into the streets and wish me good luck this afternoon. Raising my head high and proud, I continue walking in triumph.

So this is what's like to be a Wonderbolt.

For the first few moments everything is perfect, but then things start to get a little out of hand. More and more ponies want my signature on basically anywhere they can think of. I am happy to do it, but staying in one spot for more than five minutes signing stuff isn't going to aid my search for my friends. I continue to walk faster, but soon a whole crowd starts to form around me, barely allowing me room to walk. I have to push my way through the crowd. When that isn't enough, I resort to flying to the weather factory. Thank Celestia Twilight's spell is the 'ability to stand on clouds' spell and not the 'temporary wings spell'.

As I get closer to the weather factory, I have to fly lower because I want to dodge the lightning clouds that it is making. Don't want to show up at the event all frayed and fried. Eventually I am forced to land because the sky is getting too condense with lightning. Here, there is no difference than before.

Apparently my "fans" followed me all the way here, and were just waiting for me to come down. I gallop to the factory as fast I can. That's when I notice the large metals doors coming down from the top. They're closing the gates! No turning back now. I break out into a sprint gallop and slide under the gates just in time for the metal door to slam shut behind me. I'm glad I still had my uniform, because the guards were turning their heads to look at me. Seeing a Wonderbolt, they just resumed their posts. Employees everywhere have a look of shock and unbelief on their faces. Huffing and puffing, I turn to my astonished audience to address them.

"Huff - - Sorry for - - the disturbance. - - First time - - on the crew."

Their faces turn to a face of understanding and resume their work. I'm surprised that no visitors are here. Maybe they are closing for the day just for the upcoming afternoon.

I start looking for my friends, or even better the manager. Stopping to catch my breath, I finally observe my surroundings. When I was filly, I have always been amazing at how the weather factory is organized. Everything so colorful and beautiful, it simply blew my little filly's mind. There is no difference in me nowadays.

The weather factory is massive on the outside, but even more so on the inside. The sky-blue ceiling is up so high and beautifully decorated with clouds that you can never tell that there is a ceiling. All different types of machines whir and crank as they create different types of clouds. The machines are all connected to a huge water supply by pipe. The supply is still rather full from my organized tornado water transfer not too long ago. In the winter chamber, pegasi are working nonstop on creating every unique snowflake hoof-made. I still have no idea how they do it by every winter. The spherical observatory at the highest point of the factory is still standing there. I remember that part was first piece of the factory to be constructed. The courtyard is where the rainbow fountain is located. As I search for my friends all but in vain, I decide to go there to look.

Sadly, they were not. However, I do manage to bump into the head manager. Here, we call him Mr. Weather, sometimes The WeatherPony when he's outside the factory.

"Whoa, a Wonderbolt! Never see you guys around here often. How can I help you?"

"I am looking for five ponies. Two unicorns, two earth ponies, and one pegasus. Have they been around here?"

"As a matter in fact, yes. They just left through the second exit just as we were closing the main entrance. If you are trying to get to them, I overheard them talking about going to the Grand Mansion."

"Ok, thanks."

"No problem. Anything for a Wonderbolt."

The moment that he turns around, I bolt for the second exit. Being on over a hundred tours of the weather factory since I was a filly, I know the entire layout of the factory. At the exit, the sky is clear of any thunderclouds, so I am free to just fly from the start. Just when I thought I know where I am going, it suddenly occurs to me that I have no idea where in Cloudsdale is the Grand Mansion. Must be a new installment or some rich pony's house. Well, if it's THE Grand Mansion, then it probably won't be hard to spot.

A distant BONG...

I realize that is already twelve. I spent a whole forty-five minutes wandering in the weather factory. Now I've only got two hours to find my friends.

Two hours...

Surprise!

Ok, here we go.

I take a deep breath and push the double metal doors open. Thankfully, nopony else is here, so I'm free to step outside.

Taking this time to stretch my wings, I plan ahead for the long flight awaiting for me. Who knows how quickly I will be able to find the place? I don't want to land anywhere in Cloudsdale because there's always a chance for an angry mob and I don't want to waste any more time dealing with it.

I kick off into the sky with all my strength and start scanning Cloudsdale from above. The air up here is very thin, so it's hard to breath while up here. Cloudsdale is pretty high up, but higher than that is called the "zone", where only professional pegasus are able to handle the air. Any normal pegasus will not last more than five minutes before losing consciousness and fall to their demise. Even if a pegasus can handle it, it is really a strain on the body to conserve oxygen while flying up so high. Being constantly flying around and practicing tricks back at home enables me to fly so up high, so I can handle the condition. Even then, I can feel my own lungs just screaming for usable air, but my objective is more important than present comfort. You can even say my friends are more important than the air I breathe.

Seeing Cloudsdale from a bird's eye view is really a first. The entire city is sitting on a near perfect circle cloud with all different types of shapes that represent each building's roof. Ponies down there look like nothing but ants squirming around, all bustling around in their own business. The stadium where the event will be taking place looks like a bit that can clink in my hooves.

I start doing falcon scans, circling around Cloudsdale looking for its prey. It takes a while to spot anything grand or unusual with all the colossal towers looking over Cloudsdale. After about the fifth circle, I spot an unusually large roof of a building on the edge of the town. It is beautifully decorated with lights, so I decide that must be the Grand Mansion.

I aim for that house and start diving downwards. As soon as I resume a gliding position, I hear a crackle of electricity and the air starting to bend around me. Realizing what is going on, I quickly fold my wings in and reach out my hooves in a superpony position. Instantly, I am jerked forward and accelerate at lightning speeds in just a matter of seconds. All I notice is the acceleration, but I didn't know that I've just performed a sonic rainboom until I spread out my wings to decelerate. As I'm slowing down, I notice colors on the top of my eye and look up. The rainbow shockwave spread horizontally across the sky with beauty unlike anything before, this time with ten times the vividness and twice the array of colors. It isn't just a collage of six color strips lined up side by side, but with all the obscure colors in between each major color in a perfect blend transition between each color. I stare it for fifteen seconds before I flinch at a times infinity intense BOOM that hits my ear like a carriage accident. Not only can I hear the sound, but can also see the sound shockwave pass over me and span out towards Cloudsdale. Apparently, I went fast enough to beat the speed of sound not only by just a few seconds, but FIFTEEN ENTIRE SECONDS! I've must have gone at least Mach 15 or something. Twilight always argued that anything above Mach 10 is impossible.

Well, I've just done the impossible.

Still descending, I still see the visible rainbow shockwave that keeps going in all directions. It even reaches Canterlot and continues as far as the horizon and keeps going. I have no idea why this rainboom is so special, maybe because performing it in near ozone layer made it have different qualities and properties, but who knows?

As soon as everything calms down, I release my wings and land on a small cloud. Turns out, I am right about this building being the mansion. Finally recovering from body shock, I turn my head to observe my surroundings.

Now I know why Mr. Weather this the Grand Mansion.

This place isn't just grand, it is MASSIVE times ENORMOUS. The yard around the house is basically the size of any small town (take Ponyville for instance). The cloud yard is dotted with complex hedge designs and massive statues. It even has its own labyrinth, which is nothing compared to the one next to Canterlot Castle where we faced Discord. The entire property is fenced in by a personal force field similar to of Shining Armor's, but transparent-white instead of pink. I look up at where I descended and see a circular hole from which I was able to come in, but now it's closing itself off. Guess I am expected or something?

The mansion 's height can compare to the my house's, but more square, firm and ten times more wider. The outside is decorated with anything a Canterlot pony can imagine: diamond light bulbs, gold-trimmed fences, opal windows, you name it!

If Rarity was here, she would faint just at the sight of this.

From where I'm standing, the path from my position to the mansion lights up with fluorescent clouds. I hesitate at first, but with nowhere else to go, I follow the tempting path, up the stairs, and to the front door. There, I am welcomed by two royal pegasus guards. Assuming I am on the list, I walk right up to them and attempt to open the door.

But my eyes are flashed with white feathers and I fall backwards.

"Hey, what's the big deal?!"

"Sorry, you're not welcomed here."

"Not welcomed? Then what's with all the 'letting me in with the force field' and the path lighting?"

"Our orders were to test those specific things. It is just a coincidence that you were able to come in."

"Some coincidence..."

"Now, would you please go back from where you came from? I will open the gates and passage through the force field." He turns and pulls a lever that I didn't notice before.

"Fine..."

As I am going down the sapphire stairs, I hear my name called.

"Rainbow Dash! I don't know why, but our master wants to speak with you inside."

"Great, what did I do now? Ruin the prefect pattern of clouds on the yard?"

"No, something else. She wishes to see you inside, IMMEDIATELY."

She?

I walk back up the stairs and the guards push open the doors. Inside, it is completely pitch black with absolutely no lighting at all. As soon I'm fully inside the mansion, the guards slam the door shut behind me.

"What is the meaning of this?! Let me out!"

I slam and pound the front door, but it is no use. It is locked, from the inside? What will happen now? Kidnapping? Torture? Shipped off to some unknown land?

I can't even see my own hooves that are right in front of me...

Panic...

Just when I am about to loose it, I am blinded by sudden bright lights. I literally would've leaped out of my uniform if it wasn't zipped up.

"SURPRISE!"

It's A Much Bigger Family Reunion

If this was the jumping contest for the ponylympics, I would have set a world record...

Probably my sub-consciousness took over, but next thing I know I'm facing the ceiling hanging on a crystal chandelier. For a moment I am so scared and surprised that my heart pounds on my chest to break out of my uniform...

Silence...

I start turn my head to see how high up I am, and more importantly, how am I supposed to get down? I'm not a cat that can twist their body upright while falling, and my wings are basically glued to my sides from shock.

Craning my head, my eyes tell me that I'm almost ten high. This is nothing scary for a wannabe Wonderbolt, but how am I supposed to turn upright from an upside-down position?

Well, I need to try. Can't stay up here forever while my friends wait for me to come down.

Slowly, I release my arm and fall...

First, I need to get into an upright position. I try flapping my wings, but since I'm upside down, flapping then only accelerates me downwards.

Where's poison joke when you need it...

With only half way through the fall left, I try something I've never done before. I flap only my right wing. This time, it works and turns me to a normal flying position. With the ground just seconds away, I instantly spread my left wing out and brace for impact.

I felt nothing...

...I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead-I'm dead-I'm dead-I'm dead-I'm dead-I'm dead-I'm dead...

I crack my eyes open to see that I'm alive and well, but I'm basically suspended in mid-air without doing anything. I start to get worried, but I notice that a colorful glow is enveloping my body. It isn't a solid color like a unicorn's magic, but like segments of differently brightly colored glow that outlines my body. Before me was not only my friends, but also every unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony that I've met or even remotely seen. It is quite a sight. Every unicorn's horn is glowing with corresponding colors to each and every unicorn.

They're all saving me ... in unison.

As soon as my hooves touch the marble floor, the glow vanishes. I gaze up to see how far I've fallen. From down here, it seems a lot higher than what it looked like up there. Nopony could've survived a fall like that without a break from terminal velocity. Well, nopony except for Pinkie Pie, but that's Pinkie Pie.

"Gee, thanks everypony. I guess I owe my life to you guys."

"Owe nothing, by friend."

From out of the massive crowd, the almighty Princess Celestia steps forward. Instinctively I bend to the floor bowing.

"Oh please, Rainbow Dash. I will have none of that. After all, this is your surprise party."

I hesitate to stand upright, but with a majestic sun god looming over you, it's kind of hard to think straight.

"All for me your highness?"

"THAT'S RIGHT, RAINBOW DASH. I PERSONALLY MADE ALL THIS JUST FOR YOU!" yells Pinkie Pie.

With only Celestia's warm smile, I stand up straight and start to look around. I was not kidding before when every single pony I've met or even seen are here: Princess Luna, the Flim Flam brothers, the cutie mark Crusaders, Mr. and Mrs. Armor, Zecora, the Wonderbolts, even Derpy, they're all here! The only ones not here are Gilda, Trixie, and obviously Discord. The decorations inside are simply outstanding and intense. With the mansion stock full of everything to keep a party going, it is almost like another dream come true.

The next thing I hear from Celestia will literally blow me away.

"Yo DJ-Pon3, let's get this party started!"

(gasping and silence)

"What? Everypony needs to take a break once every thousand years. Royalty are still ponies with feelings you know."

Vinyl Scratch pulls out a record from one of the panels and plays one of my favorite songs: The Feeling of Flight. Whenever I hear that song, my heart always melts away. The song isn't rock, but electronically majestic and awesome while also fast-paced and inspiring. With occasional lyrics, I can always imagine soaring above the earth with dignity and pride.

As soon as the music started, everypony starts to do whatever Pinkie Pie has set up, which depends on each pony. There's apple-bobbing, pin tail on the mare, dance floors, foods, everything to keep this party far from boring.

It takes awhile, but soon I finally regroup with my friends.

"Pinkie Pie, you've done it again. Every party you throw always seems to be perfect, but to me, this is far beyond perfect."

"You're Very Welcome Rainbow Dash!"

"No, I mean it. This is all I can ask for. This day truly means so much to me." I can almost feel a tear of joy coming out.

"Aw, looks like someone needs a group hug," Twilight says.

They all gather around me and give me a big group hug, and this time, I return the favor. I finally tell them my whole side of the story, which they listened eagerly. Everything about this morning, recruitment to the Wonderbolts, Fire Streak, the weather factory, everything.

"Well ain't you a darn lucky pony, you got ya' dream job, like, lickety split?"

"Yeah, too bad it is only for today, but anything is fine by me."

"You sure? You're always just dreaming about join the Wonderbolts," Rarity remarks.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I lied. I wanted to join the Wonderbolts for all my life, but never wanted to lose my friends as well. If that ever happens when I get to keep both, then my life would be perfect. Today is that day, but only for today, which saddens me right to the bone.

"Y-you ok? Rainbow Dash? Is something bothering you?" Fluttershy interrupts my train of thought.

"Oh, its nothing at all Fluttershy."

"Ok then."

"Rainbow Dash, while you were coming here, you performed something amazing out in the sky. Do you have any idea what it was?" Twilight asks.

"Just another Sonic Rainboom."

"No, I think it was more than JUST a Sonic Rainboom. You've performed the supposed mythical Sonic Rainboom before multiple times, but not a few moments you performed something much more legendary called the Sonic Rainblast or Sonic Rainbomb. Only legendary pegasi are able to pull it off in ancient days before Discord's reign of terror. Discord was still frozen, that's for sure. But the damage has been done. Discord took away something from pegasi that couldn't be found for a long time. Not even I can explain what it was, but I was taken away for sure. All three tribes weren't the same after that day. You were able to repeat their steps, which means that 'something' has returned inside of you."

"Guess I'm legendary now?"

"Quite possibly, we'll see this afternoon," Twilight finishes with a grin.

The rest of the afternoon went by so quickly that the two hours seems to last only two minutes. The talking, the laughing, the dancing, the eating, everypony is having a blast, even the Princesses are enjoying herself. I still have to get Princess Luna later for what happened at Nightmare Night.

Soon, however, two o'clock came closer and closer. Slowly everypony drained out of the mansion and left for the stadium. The only ponies that stayed behind were me, my friends, and rest of the Wonderbolt crew.

"Good luck, Rainbow Dash," Rarity says.

"Yes, Good Luck! Hope You Do Well!" Pinkie shouts.

"Thanks guys."

And with that my friends also leave for the stadium.

I turn around to face the Wonderbolts.

"What now?"

"You know what. It's showtime!" Soarin' cheers.

"Last one to the backstage is a rotten apple!" Spitfire yells.

Instantly the crew zooms past me out the door. I literally spun around in a circle from their sudden speed.

"Hey, no fair!"

With a feeling of sheer determination, I pull down my goggles and kick off the front porch to chase them down.

Calm Before The Storm

I underestimated how fast the Wonderbolts can go when being competitive. Even when they only had two seconds ahead of me when they started, it takes about five minutes to catch to the last Wonderbolt. I'm not trying to go my fastest. Just fast enough to gain some air, but not fast enough the perform another Sonic Rainboom. I definitely don't want to overdo my signature move, because then ponies might not be as appreciative when I do one in the act.

As I finally catch up to the rest, I notice that they've already formed their usual double triangle formation, one triangle consisting of six Wonderbolts, immediately followed by another triangle of six Wonderbolts. I see an empty spot on the front triangle's nose, which I assume is my position.

"Rainbow Dash. Come fly next to me!" Spitfire shouts. With all the wind and noise, it is almost impossible to hear somepony talk.

I descend into the position and adjust my speed to be consistent with the rest of the crew.

"Hey Spitfire, is this the position I will be in when the ev..."

I nearly fly directly into a cloud column. Barely, just barely, I am able to swerve around the column. Thankfully the Wonderbolt behind me saw it coming and dodged the column as well. I need to be a lot more careful if I am going to stay with the Wonderbolts.

I do realize, however, that the Wonderbolts are talking the long route to the stadium. Maybe this is a warm-up course around the city? More like a workout already. It's not fair they don't have a speed limit, while I technically do.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash. It will be. I want you to be next to me side by side during our show."

"Really? That's awesome!"

As we fly on, I notice that this 'warm-up' course seems very similar. I didn't need to think far before I realize that this course is almost exactly like the routine I've performed at the Best Young Flier Competition. Seeing the Wonderbolts doing this course with me, maybe they are going easy on me knowing that I have done this exercise many times.

Knowing the path so well, my mind kicks in to do the rest. Every movement of my body is pure muscle memory, having practiced this course a hundred times. We go through the course two times without the part of trying to perform a Sonic Rainboom.

These times, I actually don't mess up...

"Alright every Wonderbolt, that's for warm-up. Let's head to the backstage."

"Alright!"

"Hoo-Rah!"

"WOOT!"

All the Wonderbolt stallions continue to hoot and holler behind me as we turn towards the stadium, still maintaining formation. The mares are simply amused or indifferent. Either way, soon it will be showtime.

As we get closer, I notice a sudden change of wind. Before it was a light breeze that blew in one direction, but now it's getting stronger and more random by the second. The crew feels the difference as well, but we still keep a rigid formation. For any Wonderbolt, one must be extremely resourceful and decisive when it comes down to this kind of situation. Any sort of mistake, and the whole team could come crumbling down with me.

By the time we get to the stadium, the wind is blowing quite a bit. It isn't enough to impede our performance, but rather a really big annoyance. I turn my head to the left and see Spitfire trying so hard not to look worried. I start to say something when I just stop myself. I knew what she is thinking, hoping that these gusts aren't what she thinks they are.

By the time we got the stadium, it is jam-packed with ponies from everywhere that I could think of. Even now, the line for admission is still incredibly large. I think those workers down there have their work cut out for them. The stadium itself looks totally different when I left a few hours earlier. Rows and rows of seats designed to seat every pony in Equestria surrounds a circular central platform, which is curtained off 360 degrees. Of course, there isn't a roof at all because our act needs as much space as possible.

Spitfire directs us to fly under the stadium to prevent anypony from seeing us. I guess she wants to save the grand entrance for later. Once we arrive at the backstage entrance, the Wonderbolts break formation and land on a platform near the backstage double doors. The ponies behind me rush through doors, taking me with them. Inside, I expect a tight squeeze, but no. For a backstage, this place is really roomy. From one wall to the opposing wall, it is the size of AJ's barn before I took it down. It has all sorts of items sprawled all over the floor as far as to the corners of the room, from hoof-held mirrors to shades, from family pictures to punching bags. I attempt to get to the other side of the room through a sea of random stuff, but I need to watch where I step, or else I could step on something precious to one of the Wonderbolts.

There is a bunch of scrambling of items as the crew tries to put things away. I can see Spitfire embarrassed by the mess. I guess because they want to make a good impression on me. Trust me, they already have ever since I saw my very first Wonderbolt show as a filly.

"Don't worry guys. This is nothing compared to my room."

Everypony gave out a huge sigh of relief. I have no idea why they are fretting over such a trivial thing.

"Heh, sorry Rainbow Dash. We didn't want you to think we're slobs. Life as a Wonderbolt is pretty hectic, in case you haven't noticed today," says Fleetfoot.

"I already have. Trust me. No matter what happens, I will always be your number one fan. Besides, like a fan of flying, who else can I go to when you guys are only official flight performance team that exists?"

They all respond with smile, but continue to clean up at a more relaxed pace. Guess being their number one fan and saving some of their key members means a lot to them, maybe even more than from me to them.

Finally everything is reorganized, and we gather around Spitfire for further instructions and final preparations.

"Alright every Wonderbolt, listen up. We all know today is a very important day. I just want to go over the show routine in order one last time. First we start off with the Scarlet Wing, then the Blue Phoenix, followed up by..."

I already knew all the stuff pretty handily, so I used this opportunity to sneak out to the stage to peek through the curtains. It isn't hard to step away when there are eleven almost identically looking Wonderbolts with crazy hair to pay attention to.

From behind the curtains, I see a massive crowd of ponies which almost seems like a sea of diverse colors if I'm not looking closely enough, making the platform feel like a circular boat in the sea of colors. I scan the crowd for my friends, but in this crowd, it is almost impossible. Failing to find them, I look into a few of the expensive dinner-rooms aligned neatly next to each other that encircles on the rim of the stadium. All the rooms are filled with rich ponies that could afford such luxury at such an event. The very middle box right above the main entrance is reserved for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Squinting to see further into the box, I see my friends sitting around Celestia. Guess being my friends and close ties with Celestia automatically means free upgrade to the highest VIP (very important pony) box.

Finding what I was looking for, I turn back to the group. Surprisingly, Spitfire is still rambling about the routine.

"... and finally we will have Rainbow Dash to perform a Sonic Rainboom as the grand finale. That about covers it, so any last minute questions?"

Only my hoof goes up.

"Spitfire, could I perform something similar at the end, but on a much grander scale? It's performed exactly like the Rainboom, but with a slight twist. If I succeed, it'll be something beyond your wildest sights. And besides, this is my only night to shine with you guys."

"As leader of the Wonderbolts, I 100% trust you. I give you special permission to break off during The Shockwave to perform whatever you are going to do."

"Thanks, Spitfire."

"Any more questions? No? Then let's get goi..."

A loud slam of a door interrupts Spitfire as a blue pegasus pony rushes in with a clipboard in his mouth. He had on one the best horrified faces that I've ever seen despite his massive shades and headset.

"This is bad! Really bad!" he hollers.

"What is it, Madden?"

"The storm... The hurricane... it's coming this way!"

The Big Bang

Shock and despair spread across the Wonderbolts like wildfire. The entire scene of organized Wonderbolts quickly turns into one of Discord's chaotic mind schemes. Ponies fume with fury, writhe with pure confusion, or simply frown.

"Are you SURE, Madden?"

"Our weather ponies are never wrong in the past. Why would they joke about this right now?"

"This is bad, REALLY bad! How much time do we have before it reaches us?"

"In about fifteen minutes the first portion of the storm will hit Ponyville, then Cloudsdale after another fifteen minutes."

"Twenty minutes..."

Spitfire closes her eyes to focus on the extremely important decision that she is going to make. The rest of the Wonderbolts silence themselves to listen to Spitfire's decision...

It seems to take eons before Spitfire finally says something.

"I'm afraid we are going have to..."

I gulp down a hard swallow.

"...continue with the show."

"WHAT!?!?" as all the Wonderbolts, including me, gasp in unison.

"You heard me. We are going to perform regardless of the storm. This day is one of the most important days that all of you have spent countless hours to prepare. I don't want to waste all of your time and effort just because a wind storm got in our way."

Murmurs and whispers spread through the crew, some with happiness, surprise, and especially worry.

"And Rainbow Dash..." she says as she turns towards me. "You have been looking forward for this day for a really long time, as long as you and I can remember. I know this day means so much to you, and cancelling it right before it starts must be painful for you."

"Oh, Spitfire. It's not a big deal."

"Stop trying to be humble, Rainbow. You know what I mean. Having a dream come true and then broken in the middle of it, what pony can withstand that pain?"
...
...
...
...
...She's right. At that moment, the realization of Spitfire's thoughtful decision makes me want to praise Spitfire as much as I do with Celestia.

"Spitfire, I-I don't know what to say... Thank you."

"Anything for you, Rainbow Dash."

She turns to address everypony else.

"ALRIGHT. We've got a lot on our hooves, but I still want this show to be accident-free. Every move needs to be performed with 120% more than what we have done already. Just a puff of wind isn't going to slow us down. Am I right?"

"Yes!"

"AM I RIGHT!?"

"YEAH!"

"NOW LET'S ROLL!"

"HOO-RAH!"

Wow. Inspiring. I never knew she is a good speaker.

All of us snap down our goggles and hop onto a metal platform. Our formation on this is just like the double triangle formation we flew to get here. I can hear Madden's muffled voice announcing the intro in a loud vibrant voice.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts. Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved Princess Celestia and Prince Luna!"

There rose a loud roaring and cheer. I assume that Celestia and Luna have taken their place in the VIP box...next to my friends...

"And without further ado, I would like...

The platform we are standing on starts to rise and a trapdoor opens above us, letting down bright beams of daylight.

"...to present..."

Ok, Rainbow Dash, you got this. Focus."

"The Wonderbolts!"

As soon as the platform stops rising and the curtains surrounding us instantly draw back behind us, Spitfire and I take off in a lightning start, followed by the other ten Wonderbolts.

We perform our entrance move by flying straight and curve up as we reach the edge of the stadium. As we ascend, the front triangle splits off to a slight right and forms a straight line. The other triangle does the same but to the slight left. The lines keep ascending when the front Wonderbolts of each line stop and we clump into a ball. With a strong push, each ball of Wonderbolts explode with sparkle and light in a form of a firework, the same firework they performed at the Best Young Flier Competition.

But we didn't stop there. Ironically at the competition, the Wonderbolts would fly down and take their judging seats. Now it's rather the entire Equestria that is judging the Wonderbolts right now.

By this time, our suits start to kick in and gives off that smoke effect regular Wonderbolts have when they fly. Every Wonderbolt has that thick cloud of smoke trailing behind them, except me. I did not have a smoke trail like the others, but instead a rainbow trail similar to the one I got when I performed my first Rainboom as a filly.

I don't know what the ponies down there were thinking, seeing an odd rainbow trail among a field of smoke.

The next thing we do is perform the Scarlet Wing, which consists of many barrel rolls and inverted loop-de-loops. In the middle of my second loop, I feel a strong push on my left flank. I waver a bit, but quickly adjust myself to get back into position.

"Keep formation!" Spitfire shouts.

I guess I'm not the only pony struggling against the wind, but I am too focused to look behind me. The wind has gotten two times stronger than when we flew here.

The storm is coming...

Just ten more acts...

We still manage to keep going. As we progress through the acts, the wind gets stronger. It almost seems to get stronger times whatever the act we've finish.

By the time of act nine, the wind basically throws us around like dodge balls. It blows so hard that it is practically impossible to fly straight. It is also hard to avoid every thundercloud that got into our way, or else it would fry a Wonderbolt. We simply can't afford losing anypony when its so close to the finale.

Act ten finally arrives, where I perform my Sonic Rainboom, or my revised version: the Sonic Rainblast. After the Wonderbolts make a u-turn during act nine, I keep soaring higher and higher, dodging all thunderclouds and whatnot, until I am literally above the storm. Up here, it's so peaceful that it's hardly believable that there is a massive storm right below my hooves.

With a slow deep breath, I aim downwards and cut right through the clouds. My sheer velocity protects me from the thunderclouds, so I just ram right through them.

Soon, I hear that familiar crackle and resume my superpony position. The air around me starts bends and my body flattens to a 15 degree angle.

Ka-BOOM

Just as I feel the sudden acceleration hit me, my eyes are blinded by some sort of bright flash despite the goggles on my face. Sheer electricity courses through me and shatters my nervous system and muscles just as I zoom downwards at mach 15 speeds. Thunderclaps and lights disorientates me as I lose control.

I couldn't feel my own body...

... and I'm falling to my death.

The Fall

I've always been taught about the dangers of lightning. Everypony knows how dangerous it can be when struck by it. I never really imagined what it would feel like, because those ponies who were struck by lightning never made it out of the hospital doors.

F

A

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The whole world seems to melt around me. Colors and shapes darken by the second as my life flashes before my eyes. All in all, the sheer pain coursing through me is too much for even me to bear. After my last futile effort to stay awake, my vision burrs and blackens into a sleep without dreams.

F

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.

Suddenly, everything stops... the pain, the howling winds, the rain... all stops in an instant.

Strangely, I can still feel my body, but every time my brain tries to command my body to move, my body refuses to respond. My vision is a complete blinding light enveloping my entire peripheral vision, almost like looking at the sun without my shades.

I can hear voices... very quiet whispers...

Am I in some sort pony afterlife? What happens now? Was ... all this ... just a ... dream?

I want to cry, but I simply couldn't.

The voices in my head very gradually get louder and louder, but more muffled. To a point I could just barely make out the words being said, but the fragments of words doesn't make any sense.

My vision slowly dims down to a manageable light and my ears release a small *pop* before my vision returns to me entirely. What I see next completely caught me off guard. Instead of Cloudsdale, I am on a small grassy patch in what seems to be a massive forest.

All I can do look around with my eyes. My limbs still refuses to cooperate with me, even if it means trying to move hoof they won't budge. Despite the pain rushing back to me, I can only give a long moan.

"oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww."

The voices I heard before now are clear enough to me to understand what they are saying.

"...she's alive...there is still a chance..."

"...but we need to get her out of here NOW..."

*Flash*

"...we can't. She's too injured right now. Even the smallest movement could damage her body..."

"...but in 'dis typhoon smack dab in the Everfree Forest?...not to mention them creepn' monsters crawln' about..."

*Thunder clasp*

"...gee, I hadn't noticed...it's just that I don't want to put her and the others in danger. The electricity in her is still live, so even touching her could result in a fatal shock..."

"...what about magic?...we can just float her to the hospital..."

"...that is a possibility, but like I said we can't risk permanently damaging her body..."

*Flash*

"...what about teleportation?..."

"...that is probably the better choice...Twiley, I need you to go to Ponyville hospital and prepare a place for her...when I send her away, you better be there to catch her and very gently put her into a bed...Pinkie Pie and Applejack, I know you girls can run fast...I need you to find the rest of our search party and tell them where Rainbow Dash has landed...Fluttershy, because of your medical experience, I need you and Rarity to go with Twilight...once you arrive at town, there are herbs and medicine that need to be found around town...I need you two to work together with Nurse Redheart to form an ailment...Fluttershy should know what those ingredients are..."

"...yes...sir..."

"...any questions?...no?...then let's move..."

"...YES SIR, Shining Armor..."

*Thunder clasp*

The howling winds and the roaring thunder remind me of my pain. Instantly it becomes unbearable again, and I fall into a coma.
"...hang in there, Rainbow Dash..."

Being in a coma sure isn't easy. It isn't like falling asleep, but almost like forced sleep or hypnosis. In my remaining subconsciousness, I am trapped in a dark void that envelopes my entire body. Its gripping essence forms around me and starts to constrict tighter and tighter. To a point it is so tight that I could feel my very life being squeezed out of me. With a final effort to escape, I let out the loudest shrill that could escape my throat.

..."GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"...

"...gaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

I instantly jolt upright. Cold sweat emerge onto my mane and fur as breathing all of a sudden becomes so hard...

...what a nightmare...

Taking the moment to calm down, I come to what remains my senses to scan my surroundings. It seems like I'm at the Ponnyville hospital... again. Even the room and bed seems familiar. This must be the same room the day I got into that flying accident (and the day I became an egghead, which I more or less regret). Then again, all the rooms in the hospital are practically the same.

Besides the room, I also notice quite an audience around me when I awoke from my nightmare. Of coarse Doctor Stable and all my friends are here, but also a few other notable ponies as well, such as Shining Armor, Spitfire, and even Princess Celestia. Besides the crowded room, there are all sorts of different medical equipment and machinery in the room, most of which are in some way attached to me. My front right hoof is attached to an IV, my wings are held firmly in place sticking out to the sides, my head and front left hoof wore a metal ring attached with wires to a machine nearby wiring and making all sorts of weird noises, my back right hoof is held up in a splint suspended by a wire from the ceiling, and my right flank is injected by what seems to be a much larger IV, but attached to a machine with a tank filled with pale liquid.

After a bunch of looks, wide eyes, and an awkward pause, I try to say something...

"...ohhh... my head..."

"YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Everypony shouts in unision, followed by a lot of sighing of relief.

"We were so worried you didn't make it, Rainbow Dash... You were out for a good five hours."

"... ugh ... what happened?"

"You were struck by lightning while performing your 'revised' Sonic Rainboom. We saw you fall to the ground, and we tried to save you. But you were going so fast and the wind pushing us around, we couldn't reach you before heavy clouds rolled in and we lost sight of you crash into forest."

"We saw the whole thing. I immediately called my Royal Search and Rescue Pony Party to find you as fast we as the sun and moon would let us."

"And We Did Find You! Thanks To My Pinkie Senses!"

"We thought ya' were a gonner fur gud' by the time we gotten' there. Shining Armor reassured us dar' was still time."

"It was my brother who organized the rescue and getting you here. He saved your life!"

"Thanks, Twiley. It is my job to protect and aid those most in need, anyway."

"Now, now, everypony. We don't want to tell her everything."

"Why? What's wrong, Doc?"

"You see, when you were brought here, you were teaming with live electricity. It certainly was a shock (no pun intended), as something this serious almost never occurs. Those metal rings on you slowly channel the electricity out of you to that machine that stabilizes the electricity. When you fell, you smashed through a lot of foliage before landing really hard on your back right hoof. The injecting on your flank gives you the required doses of medicine Fluttershy to ease any pain that you might have. You're very lucky you have a lot of friends who got her over in a jiffy. You're lucky you're even alive, able to talk, AND have retained your memory."

"Wow, thanks girls. I guess I owe my life to you all."

"You're very welcome. It's the least we can do."

"Unfortunately..."

The very moment he said that everypony fell silent.

"Unfortunately WHAT?"

"Unfortunately, the damage was already done. I am not so sure about your brain able to interpret things, so I don't want to overload your cortex."

"I can think and hear fine, Doc."

"Good, that's what I was hoping to hear. You're wings, however, are a different story."

"My wings? What about them? They seem fine to me."

"That is where the lightning struck you. Because they received the blunt of the lighting, they suffered major neural damage. If you haven't already noticed, you shouldn't be able to feel them."

I try to make an effort to move them, but they just stay in their spread out position.

"I am very sorry, Rainbow Dash. I truly am, but judging from your wing's condition..."

"NO MORE FLYING FOREVER?!"