Rainbow Pie

The mid-morning sun shone out of a clear sky over the broad flat plains. In what had become a familiar routine, Rainbow Dash was stretching forward, her wings flaring out behind her, making sure her muscles were good and limber before starting her practice. Pinkie, meanwhile, sat on a nearby wooden fence, kicking her legs idly and humming happily to herself.

It had been two months now since the letter. A few days after the party, Dash had packed up and headed out west to train. Pinkie, naturally, had come with her. And so it came about that they were here - an old abandoned outpost 15 miles west of Appleosa. Dash had chosen this place for a few reasons: there were no distractions, for one. Also, she wanted to keep her new stunt a secret. Since she knew her first Sonic Rainboom had been visible from Ponyville all the way to Manehattan, she decided the remote location was in order.

Finishing her stretches, Dash breathed in the crisp fall air. It was time. For the past two months, she had practiced the two elements - the familiar Sonic Rainboom and the new 'Streamer Spiral' - along with her other stunts. The hardest part had been overcoming the natural dizziness that came with high-speed spiraling. Now, with the competition only one month away, it was time to combine them and unleash Equestria's first ever 'Twisted Rainboom'.

Pinkie, seeing Dash was ready to start, hopped off the fence and trotted over. "Kiss for luck!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Dash, and planting her lips firmly against the blue pony's.

Dash returned the kiss, holding the embrace for a moment. As the kiss ended she lightly gripped Pinkie's shoulders in her hooves and looked in her eyes, her face turning serious. The near-disaster at the flying competition two years ago, combined now with her new relationship with Pinkie, had made her increasingly aware of her own mortality. She was well aware that there was always a chance, especially with a new stunt involving such high speed, that something could go terribly wrong. "Pinkie. Look, I just... This is gonna be really dangerous. If something goes wrong, just... just know that I'll always love you."

"Aww. I love you, too, Dashie.", her own expression turning serious for just a brief moment, then quickly returning to its usual perkiness. "But nothing's gonna go wrong, cause you're the bestest flyer ever! Now get up there and do your thing, Dashie!"

Needing no further encourgement, Dash took to the sky. She went far higher than she would for an ordinary Rainboom, since she would have to transfer some of the momemtum into the spinning motion once she leveled off. Finally, reaching the right height, she looked down. Far, far below, she could see a tiny pink speck bouncing about wildly. She smiled, then set her face in a determined mask. She would do this!

Dash began her descent, picking up speed as she flew towards the ground at an angle just shy of being straight on. Soon she felt the familiar tug of g-forces, feeling for all the world like her hide was about to be ripped straight off her body. Finally, at what she judged to be nearly 20 feet from the ground, she adjusted her wings slightly, leveling off, still accelerating. So far, so good she thought, Here we go, then. She tilted her wings slightly in opposite directions and began to spin. Straight past a madly cheering Pinkie she went, still accelerating and spinning faster and faster. She had both front hooves extended now. Just... a little... more.

BOOM! The citizens of Appleoosa looked toward the horizon, expecting another arcing rainbow to appear. However, a different sight greeted their eyes. Large, bright, multi-colored spirals ascended into the sky flowing upwards like party streamers. Braeburn looked on in astonishment. 'Well, I'll be...' he marveled, 'that little filly actually did it!' Ordinarially, he would have rushed off to write to Applejack about the event, but Dash and Pinkie had previously had Silverstar call a town meeting, and sworn everypony to secrecy.

BOOM! Little Strongheart and several other nearby buffalo paused in their gathering of berries to look at the wonderous sight. She smiled. Rainbow Dash had found her again several weeks ago and told her she would be practing stunts in the area. She had even see the booming rainbows several times before. But this sight was new and even more spectacular. She wondered what other amazing things the blue pony could do.

BOOM! Pinkie jumped up and down and proceeded to do cartwheels. "YAY! RAINBOW STREAMERS! YOU DID IT, DASHIE!"

BOOM! Dash felt the familiar jolt as she went supersonic. Mentally she counted off in her head. When she reached 10, she adjusted her wings, gradually righting her spin, and then slowing and finally touching down. She turned around and watched the spiraling rainbows spread upwards and outwards. "YES!", she shouted, giving a hoofpump, "I am soooo gonna win!"

BOOM! From a bluff some distance away, Celestia and Luna watched that colorful show. "Amazing! 'Tia, mine sister, dids't thou see that?"

Celestia smiled. The attempts to bring her sister's archaic speech up to date were still a work in progress. "Indeed I did, Luna. It would appear that the Element of Loyalty is almost certain to win the upcoming contest. I only hope the fame does not go too much to her head."

But, even immortal Princess-Goddesses cannot forsee the future...