Chapters Chapter 1- Morning in Baltimare
The light emanating from Celestia’s bright sun peered over the horizon as it reflected off the star atop the Castle of Friendship just on the outskirts of Ponyville. Residents of the small Earth pony village had begun to awake and had started their morning routines. An orange Earth pony dawned her straw hat and headed into Sweet Apple Acres, A white Unicorn began to gather the materials needed for her day of filling orders inside Carousel Boutique, and a certain mulberry colored Alicorn was reorganizing her library for the umpteenth time; much to her student’s dismay. Every home, whether it be a small cottage or a large castle, began to spring alive… all except for one. A certain cloud manor right outside the town had remained dark, cold, and empty. This was no surprise to any of the ponies in Ponyville for they all knew where this specific rainbow-maned Pegasus was: Rainbow Dash was performing with the Wonderbolts as they travelled Equestria on their Stunts of the Summer Tour. All of her friends knew that this was a dream come true for her and, sure, they had less time to be together as friends, but they knew that she was doing what she loved and was happy. They all could just imagine how excited she was for today’s show.
“Crash! Wake up!” boomed Spitfire’s commanding voice through the hotel room’s door, “We are meeting in the lobby in ten and leaving in fifteen.”
“Uggggghhhh…” Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh as she rolled out of bed and staggered towards her closet. She grabbed the essentials: Flight suit and goggles, a few water bottles for the practice ahead, and a few pens in case she ran into any fans. With all these items placed within a Wonderbolts duffel bag, she entered the bathroom and flipped on the lights. The reflection that stared back wore a face of pure exhaustion. She was used to these early practices by now and usually faced them with more excitement than the other Bolts. What she wasn’t used to, however, were their travel schedule. It hadn’t dawned on her until she boarded the train after their second show in Fillydelphia just how taxing this really was. She always saw the team perform at high levels on a consistent basis, so she always thought she would ease right into it. C’mon, she was Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty and the savior of Equestria on more than one occasion, these long tours would be easier than clearing the skies in Ponyville. The expression from the mirror proved the contrary. Dash splashed water on her face and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.
Ok, I’m tired , she thought to herself, what am I saying?! I can’t be tired! Those ponies are counting on us for great show. We can’t let a little lack a sleep take that from them. With that she looked back at the mirror, nodded to herself, and grabbed of bag. She headed out the door and trotted to stairs and, in turn, the lobby.
Ok, Rainbow, put on a brave face… let’s at least not look extremely tired…”
“Jezz, Crash, you look extremely tired,” teased Fleetfoot once Dash entered the lobby.
Well, off to a great start… Rainbow thought to herself. She looked around the Mare-iot Waterfront Hotel to see the rest of the team: Rapidfire was leaning against a wall talking with Blaze, Soarin and Misty Fly were in the midst of a conversation as they ate their breakfast at one of the tables in the lobby, and standing in front of Dash were Fleetfoot and Spitfire looking at her as she stared blankly back.
“Uh, Rainbow Dash? You still with us?” asked Spitfire, cutting through the groggy haze that had taken over Dash.
“Wha- Oh, yea, yea, I’m great,” she replied, attempting and horribly failing to play off her apparent fatigue.
“Are you sure you’re not too out of it to practice?”
“Huh? Me? Ha, you must really not know me if you’re sayin- hmph!” she was cut off as she walked face first into the front desk.
“Um… Spitfire should we fly to the practice grounds or should we be walking to make sure she doesn’t get hurt?” Fleetfoot asked with a hint of sarcasm.
“Well babysitting isn’t really in the job description, but we’re probably going to need to hold her hoof to get her to practice.” replied Spitfire.
The two had a small laugh at this. Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to take it. This teasing quickly turned her sleep deprived eyes into the confident and bashful glare that she was known for.
“Like I said I’m fine,” Rainbow replied, “I’m so fine that I bet I could beat all you to the stadium.” Within the next second, both Fleetfoot’s and Spitfire’s heads snapped towards the confident mare, showcasing devilish grins.
“Whatcha wager?” Spitfire said.
“Um… well, if I win, you let me finish the show with any move I want.” Dash replied with a boastful smirk.
“Ok, and if any of us win, you’ve got to treat the whole team to dinner at any restaurant in town.” Dash pondered this. Could she afford to pay for a full team of world class athletes at some high end restaurant?
Well I guess I just won’t let that happen. “You’re on!”
Overhearing the conversation, Misty Fly interjected, “Ha! Well, it has been awhile since I’ve had a free meal.”
“Sure Soarin would love to grab some food without having to pay.” Added Fleetfoot, nudging the blue-coated stallion. Soarin gave her an annoyed look and raised a hoof as if to argue, before quickly putting it back. Dash let out a single chuckle at this. Guess he realized that fact wasn’t up for debate.
“Well if that’s settled, let’s get going then,” said Spitfire as she motioned towards the main entrance. “Hope you got plenty of Bits, Crash.”
The Wonderbolts stepped out of the hotel to take in the early Baltimare air. They all loaded their bags and equipment into a small carriage to transport them to the stadium.
“You know what, you guys can fly, I’ll take one for the team and ride with the gear,” said Rapidfire. “You know, make sure it gets there safe.” Spitfire rolled her eyes and let him go. After loading her bag into the carriage, Rainbow looked around at the surrounding buildings and landmarks. She was used to big cities especially after her many visits to Manehattan and Canterlot. This was her first time in this city, however, and since she was in such a daze after getting off the train, also the first time she was able to take in the sights. She was so caught up in looking at them, she hadn’t realized the rest of the team had begun to make their way to the stadium and towards their free meal on the town… All except for one.
“First time in Baltimare?” said Soarin.
“Yea, not usually a sight-seer,” replied Rainbow Dash, “but there’s something special in seeing or trying something new, you know.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I get it,” Soarin said, “But unless you’re looking for a bank to rob so you can pay tonight, you might want to catch up with the team.”
“Huh?! Wha-” With that, a rainbow stream of light shot towards the direction of the stadium. Soarin let a small laugh as he stretched his wings and followed the rest of the Bolts.
Rainbow Dash quickly caught up with the rest of the Bolts, who were flying at a leisurely pace due to their head start on her. Before they realized how quickly Dash was coming up behind them, she had already overtaken them, sending Fleetfoot spinning out as she passed. Within a minute, Dash was long gone and the stadium was in sight. Once she could see it, she decided to slow down and began to think which move she was going to in the show. The Sonic Rainboom was a little too cliché. What about the Buccaneer Blaze? No, the Super-Speed Strut. Maybe that new move she was thinking of. While in the midst of thought, she heard a thunderous boom. Rainbow Dash paused and looked around. Not a single cloud in the sky. Where could that have come from? Just then, a blue dot came in view and was slowly but surely getting larger. It was when she saw it was Soarin that she let a short yell made a break for the stadium, but just as she was about to make it, she was sent spinning into the turf within the stadium. When she shook off the landing she saw a hoof belonging to Soarin offering to help her up.
“How- what- yo- You caught up so fast!” Rainbow Dash said as Soarin helped her up. She noticed it was just the two of them at the stadium as the rest of the team were still on their way. The only other pony who was there was Rapidfire along with the rest of the gear; however, he was too far away to overhear their conversation and had no interest from getting up from his bench.
Soarin looked down at the mare with a grin, “Well, I really only wanted to be second place,” he said was he stretched out his tired wings, “so if you hadn’t gotten tired at the end you would have won.”
“Hey! I wasn’t tired!”
“Then why did you slow down?” he asked genuinely. Dash was reluctant to tell him that it was her ego that cost her the race.
“Well... I was so confident I had won that I began thinking of what move to close the show with…”
Soarin let out a chuckle. “The ever bold and brash Rainbow Dash!” His laughter eventually led to her laughing with him.
“Yea, I guess I could have waited. But I have so many awesome moves that picking one would have taken the whole practice.”
“Oh, really? Mind sharing some of these daring maneuvers?” Rainbow didn’t expect him to be interested in her ideas. She always knew her stunt concepts were awesome, but as still the new member to the team, she never really thought they’d listen to her, especially after what happened in Ponyville.
“Umm… well, I’ve got this one idea. It has the team making a circle around Spitfire as I spiral around the outside as we fly up into the sky, having a rainbow streak circle around the team as we go up into the clouds.’ It was obvious that Dash was getting caught up in her concept and was loving every second of it. The more she told something that had only been within her mind made it seem that it was getting closer to a reality. “Then, all of you guys would come out of the sky and create a Wonderbolt symbol which I would fly through as I do a Sonic Rainboom!” As she said this, she jumped for joy as she pictured the entire scene. When she looked down at Soarin, stood in place with widen eyes. She realized what she was doing.
“I mean, it’s just a stupid idea that I thought up… nothing compared to what you guys think of.”
Soarin finally broke his silence, “That actually sounds pretty awesome!”
“Yea like I said, stupid id- wait, what?!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe that he was agreeing with him. She was always confident when around friends but now this was a Wonderbolt, one of her heroes and teammates, thinking her trick was awesome!
“I’m serious! This could be a great close to a show!”
“Really?” She couldn’t believe that her idea was actually getting so much attention, even if it was just one pony. She didn’t know what to say or do besides put on a big grin. When she noticed it, she did her best to hide from him because she didn’t want her prideful and self-assured image to be any more damaged than it already was. She didn’t do a great job of it apparently.
“I don’t know what you’re so happy about, Crash!” Spitfire landed on the turf field as the rest of the team followed suit. “Tonight, you’re leaving dinner much lighter than the rest of us!”
“Yea, really appreciate the win for the team, Soarin,” Fleetfoot said as she landed next to him, giving him a nudge.
“Ugh,” Rainbow Dash let out a low sigh. After her talk with Soarin so completely forgot the stakes in the race. Not only did she lose, which as annoying her the more she thought about it, but she was paying for her team tonight.
“Yea, thanks for that Soarin,” she said and also giving him a nudge.
“Ok, first: stop with the nudging,” Soarin said, “and second: Spitfire, I need to ask you something.” A stepped towards the Wonderbolt captain as she landed.
“Um, Ok? What’s up, Soarin?” she asked.
“I know Dash lost the race, but could you still let decide the finish of the show?”
“What?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Was he really pitching her idea to Spitfire?
“Well, what does she have in mind?” Soarin started to explain Dash’s maneuver as Rainbow stood off the side, trying to contain her excitement that her idea was being endorsed. While she attempted to let him explain it, she couldn’t help chiming in to correct him on small mistakes he made during his explanation.
“…Then, she finishes off with one of her Sonic Rainbooms.” Soanin finally finished. Spitfire looked at him and then over at Rainbow Dash. She stepped towards her looked her in the eyes.
“Alright, it’s in.” The grin on Dash’s face could reach for miles if her face allowed it as she shot in the air and began to do her infamous victory dance.
“Aw, yeah! I got a move in the Wonderbolts show! And it’s awesome! And it closes… out the show!”
“Hey!” Spitfire yelled up to the celebrating Dash, “If this new move is in, we better get to practicing it.”
“Uh… Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.” Rainbow Dash said as she descended.
“Man, this move is definitely going to work up an appetite.” Fleetfoot said as she followed the Wonderbolt captain.
Ok, maybe Soarin was right about looking for a bank…
Soarin. He was still standing there with her. She was extremely thankful towards him. He supported her stunt idea, even though the two of them weren’t very close friends, but she never would have presented her idea to the rest of the team because she wasn’t close friends with them, either. So, why did she share the move with Soarin? Why did she trust him more than the rest of the team? She didn’t know, but what she did know was that this dinner might give her a chance to become closer with the team. Maybe it won’t be that bad…
“Rainbow Dash, you ready to go?” Soarin asked.
“Yeah, let’s get practicing,” she replied. “And Soarin…”
“No need to thank me,” he said, “Just pay the bill for all my pies tonight, OK?” With that, she rolled her eyes and the two blue Pegasi went out and joined their team to prepare for their show and their debut of Dash’s move.
Chapter 2- Before the Show
After a few hours rehearsing their standard moves to ensure they all checked out and performance-ready, the Wonderbolts shifted their attention to learning this new closing stunt.
“Alright, Crash,” Said Spitfire, standing with the rest of the team, “This is your move, so it’s up to you to direct us.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Rainbow Dash displayed a confident face and demeanor, but on the inside, she was ecstatic!She wasn’t only having her own original move as a stunt in the show, but she was also leading the team for it! “Alright, here’s the plan. Spitfire, go stand in the center of the field. Everyone else, stand in a circle formation around her.” The Wonderbolts did as she asked and soon a ring of Pegasi surrounded their captain.
“Ok, Crash, what’s next?” shouted out Rapidfire from the far end of the circle.
“Now, you are all going to take off with me following close behind. I’ll then begin to circle you guys in a funnel as we all fly towards the clouds.”
“Straight forward enough, captain!” shouted out Soarin.
“‘Captain?’ Ha! Yea, she wishes,” replied Spitfire with a playful connotation. The team let out a collective laugh, which is something that Dash really admired. These ponies weren’t only teammates but also close friends. It also reinforced just how normal these ponies were. Since joining the Bolts, Rainbow Dash’s idolization of them began to dwindle. She of course still highly respected them and would occasionally fangirl here and there, but it was moments like this that showed her that they were just like her, normal ponies with exciting lives. Spitfire recaptured the team’s attention. “Alright! Let’s give it a shot!”
The team shot up with great speed and created a circle of streaking smoke around Spitfire. Rainbow Dash soon followed and began to funnel around her fellow teammates. She couldn’t tell what it exactly looked like from the ground, but she knew in her mind it had to be awesome, it was her idea, after all. The team quickly approached the clouds that hung in the Baltimare sky. As the broke through the clouds, Rainbow Dash was met with clear open sky as well as the bright summer sun. The rest of the team went back through the clouds to carry out the second part of the move as she took in the sight as it dawned on her just how magnificent this move would be. When the Rainboom went off, not only would it blow away the Wonderbolt symbol away in glorious fashion, but she would also clear the sky of clouds. This would mean the light would amplify the rainbow explosion even more so. She couldn’t wait. She quickly turned back towards the canvas of clouds as she approached the speed of sound. Just as she broke through the veil that covered the city, the Sonic Rainboom shot her towards the ground. She pulled up to avoid an unscheduled meeting with the turf and as she did, she looked back at epicenter. The scene was incredible. The Wonderbolt logo was engulfed in a beautiful spectrum of light that spanned the entire stadium, completely illuminating it with an arrangement of greens, reds, and so on. Dash was filled with emotion; the stunt was just as amazing as she envisioned it and seeing it as a reality only made it better. Soarin was right: it was a great way to end a show.
The rest of the Wonderbolts stood on the turf looking up at the finale to their newest addition to their arsenal of moves. Awestruck faces looked up at the rainbow ring that spread out across the sky and whispers of approval came from every member. Spitfire looked up at the impressive display and also nodded in approval.
“Told ya it was cool,” Soarin said with a smirk on his face.
“I never said it wasn’t,” she replied, “Alright, Bolts, good job all around. It looks li-“
“That was incredible! Wahoo!” Dash landed next to the Wonderbolt captain began to congratulate her fellow Bolts. “Great job, everyone! It looked awesome! I mean, I knew it would, but that right there was a real showstopper!”
“Well, glad we could be of service,” said Fleetfoot.
“Yea, it was a fine move if I do say so myself,” said Rapidfire with a sarcastic bow.
Soarin stepped towards Rainbow Dash, “Thank finish was phenomenal! Really Dash, you should be proud of this. It’s going to blow the roof off the place!”
Dash raised an eyebrow. “You do know there is no roof right?”
“Uh… Well, I guess you have a head start?”
Dash rolled her eyes and chuckled, “But, really, thanks for helping out with getting the idea through.”
“No need to thank me. This was all you. Really, the only person who deserves any credit is you.”
Dash rubbed the back of her head and put on a big grin, “Well…”
“You two done?” Spitfire waited there the whole time to get back to addressing the team, “You are? Good. Back to business.” She turned to the rest of the team. “As I saying, it looks like we are sticking with Crash’s idea for today. I would ask if anyone objects, but the consensus seems to be positive.” Looked over a clipboard that was sitting on the bench besides her. “It looks like everything was covered for the show, I think we’re done practicing for today. Hit the showers and get ready for the performance. Crash, can I talk to you?”
The two pegasi stepped off the side as the rest of the team headed towards the tunnel that led to the locker room. When they were alone, Spitfire turned to Rainbow Dash.
“I really have to hand it to you, Crash, that idea of yours was pretty solid. Really wish I had thought of it myself."
Rainbow Dash took this as her captain’s own unique way of praising her move. “Uh… Thanks? But why did you want to speak with me privately?”
“Because I wanted to know why you didn’t bring the idea up earlier, and if you weren’t going to tell us about this move, I doubted you’d say the reason for secrecy in front of everyone.”
“Oh… Uh, you see…” This was the last thing Rainbow Dash expected and wasn’t sure how to answer it. She didn’t want to lie about it but she also didn’t want to make it awkward between her and the rest of the team by saying she felt nervous about expressing her ideas around them. “I guess I was just… afraid of bringing it up. I mean last time I tried a stunt, I ended up covered in cotton candy and ruining the show.”
Spitfire just raised an eyebrow and grinned. “That’s really it?” she let out a brief laugh, “Crash, this is completely different. This is something that involves the entire team and it wasn’t some in-the-moment discussion made by a certain newbie. This has thought in it and, to be honest, it’s fantastic. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas with your friends, because we will at the very least listen to it. Just know we will never judge you on them, though.”
Rainbow Dash took this in. She had been in attendance to a number of Twilight’s friendship rants, but coming from Spitfire made it somewhat different.
“Thanks, Spitfire, that’s definitely good to know going forward.”
“No problem, Rainbow Dash. Now, go get ready for the show.” The two pegasi, captain and newbie, made their way to the locker room together.
In the locker room, Rainbow Dash was met by teammates with encouraging words as they praised her for her idea.
“It really was impressive,” said Blaze.
“The crowd’s going to love it," said Misty Fly.
“It was pretty cool, Crash,” said Fleetfoot.
“Thanks, everypony,” replied Dash, “but really you all were a part of that awesomeness, too. So, pat yourselves on the back before you break mine.” She turned to leave the locker room and as she did she ran into Soarin.
“Oh! Sorry Soarin.” She said.
‘No problem. So you ready?”
“You bet! This show is going to be amazing!” she replied
“Well, yeah it is, but I wasn’t talking about the show.” Soarin said
‘What were you talking about then?” Dash said, visibly confused.
“The amount of people that are going to be begging for an autograph! After that stunt, there are going to be lines of fans just for you.”
“Oh c’mon! It’s not that good.” It’s totally that good! “Besides, I’ve already got my own fan club in Ponyville so it won’t be anything new.”
Soarin looked at her, wide-eyed. “You’re serious…”
“I’ll explain it some other time.”
“Anyway, it’s definitely going to be better than the one in Ponyville.” He said with a smirk.
“I don’t know, that really was a showstopper in every sense.” She replied. The two shared a laugh together before starting again.
“Where were you going, anyway?” Soarin asked.
“Oh, I was just going to go outside, look at the skyline from the top of the stadium.” She replied.
Well, I’ll join you, make sure you don’t fall.”
She rolled her eyes, “Fine, let’s go.”
The two flew to the highest point of the stadium and overlooked the entire city of Baltimare. The sun was reaching about high noon so the show was starting in about an hour and a half. The two pegasi sat down.
“View’s not half bad.” Soarin said.
“It’s nice, but nothing compared to some of the other cities.” Dash replied.
“Yea, staying the Canterlot Castle gives some nice scenery.”
“I was actually thinking more of the castle in the Crystal Empire, but I guess you’re right.”
“Right, being the Element of Loyality must have its perks.” He said with a grin.
“Yea, it’s pretty sweet. I only wish one of those perks was that I didn’t have to fight deadly creatures every other day.”
"I bet! I've heard some stories about your adventures."
"Let me tell you that the truth is probably be weirder than any story. I mean have you seen a bugbear before?!" The two began to laugh once again.
“Another perk should be allowing you to beat me in a race.” Soarin said through the laughs.
“Please! I could totally beat you.” Dash said wearing a face of confidence.
“That’s not what my win-lost record against you says,” said with a mocking grin. Rainbow leaned in a pushed him off the stadium. “Wo-Woah!” He fell out of sight. Dash, however, didn’t seem impressed.
“I know you have wings…”
“Soarin floated back up, “What? Was it not convincing enough?”
She smiled, “Good thing you’re a Wonderbolt and not an actor. Besides, I’ve saved your flank once, I could do it again.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that. I’m heading down, you coming?”
“Nah,” she replied, I’ll be down soon, though.”
“Alright,” he said, “This was fun, Dash. We’ll have to talk more at dinner.”
‘”Dinner…” she had just remembered the reason that she was going to be broke by the end of the night.
“Hey, don’t be getting any ideas. A lot of people put trust in those banks.” With that, Soarin began to fly away.
“I’m not that desperate, Soarin!” she shouted down. Once he was out of sight, she quickly made her way to the closest bank. “I need to make a withdraw.”
Chapter 3- Meeting the Fans
“Fillies and gentlecolts, please give a warm Baltimare welcome to the Wonderbolts!”
The crowd that filled the seats of the stadium began to cheer and stomp their hooves as the Wonderbolts flew down from the sky and landed in the middle of the field. They all stood with a confidence that immediately showed the audience that they were in for a masterclass of technical flying and death-defying stunts. As the attendance continue to show approval of the athletes before them, Spitfire looked at her teammates and with nothing more than a simple nod, they all shot back into the air and began their performance. They began with the standard affair, tricks that they had done so many times they couldn’t possible gotten it wrong. The crowd continued to clap and cheer as the moves began to become much more exciting. They continued their flawless display and as they all landed once again, they took a bow as if to signal the end of the performance, but they had one last trick that a certain pony couldn’t wait to show off. Rainbow Dash looked over to Soarin, who was bowing besides her.
“Alright, Dash, show them what you got,” Soarin said.
“Hope you’re ready for a standing ovation,” she said with a grin on her face. With that they executed their stellar closer and it went just as well as it did in practice. Rainbow Dash landed besides her fellow Wonderbolts and looked around her as she took in the roaring response to her move. Unable to hide her grin, Soarin raised an eyebrow and put on a smirk.
“Better than Ponyville,” he mouthed to her. She responded with a silent gaze. He quickly put on a nervous grin, “Sorry.” When she looked back at the rest of the team, she noticed that they had stepped back a couple of yards and soon realized Soarin had as well. Spitfire motioned her forward, for she knew that this was Rainbow Dash’s moment and she deserved it. Dash stepped forward and bowed against the onslaught of praise and admiration that the Baltimare patrons were heaping upon her. She continued to thank the crowd as the booming voice came over the PA system.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, once again, the Wonderbolts!”
With this final sendoff, the team began to head to the locker room, waving goodbye to their amazing audience. Once they were out of sight, Rainbow Dash began to giddily flap her wings let out a short and quick laugh.
“That. Was…”
“Awesome? Incredible? Awe-inspiring? Am I getting close?” Soarin said as he walked past.
"Yeah, just about all the above, but I also would have accepted amazing."
“Alright," Spitfire said as she walked by, "if you two can stop flirting for just a minute, we still got to meet some fans.”
“Yes ma’am,” Rainbow replied. Flirting? Yea, that’ll be the day.
The Bolts entered the locker room and changed out of their performance attire and began to pack up their gear to get ready to go back to the hotel. Dash quickly grabbed the pens she had stored with her stuff and began to distribute them to the rest of her team. When it was all said and done, they made their way to the exit. Spitfire led her team towards their cab and into the hooves of a barrage of fans. Autographs and photos being demanded from every which way, much more than an average pony could handle, but the Wonderbolts and become accustom to this, as too did Rainbow Dash long before she was on the team, thinking back to an incident that ended up with her friends becoming a masked vigilante. She laughed off this memory as she began to make her way through the crowd, signing and taking as many photos as she could as steady approach her team’s taxi. After about twenty pictures, it looked like she was about to make it through the mob, she heard something shockingly familiar.
“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!” A high pitched voice rung out from the crowd of euphoric fans as a small filly Pegasus with a light beige coat and red mane along with a single streak of cyan in it and a Wonderbolts cap rest on her head. She ran towards the Wonderbolt with a pen and poster tucked in her wings. When finally reaching the red rope separating her from her idols, she had to stop to catch her breath.
“Ra- Rainbow Dash!” said the young filly “I’m a huge fan! I-I travelled all the way… from Manehattan to see you!” The little pony tried to put sentences together but constantly fumbled over her words due to her excitement. A soft smile came across Rainbow Dash’s face as she thought back to how similarly she reacted to seeing her idols and that now she was in their position.
“Ca- Can I get a picture with you?! An- And an Autograph?!”
She let out a small chuckle. “Of course!” Rainbow Dash took her pen and signed the Wonderbolts hat and poster, then posed with her for a photo. The young filly was filled with excitement.
“Thank you so much! I can’t wait to tell my friends I met you!” As she said this, a Pegasus mare approached the two. The filly turned to her with gleeful smile. “Mom, look! I got a picture and she signed my hat!”
“That’s fantastic! I guess the trip was worth it, then?”
“Definitely!” she said as she ran up and hugged her.
“It’s really cool that you took your daughter all the way from Manehattan to see us.” Rainbow Dash said to the mother.
“Well, we missed you when the tour stopped in the city, and this one wouldn’t stop saying how much she wanted to see you.”
“Well, I am pretty awesome…”
“Always so professional, Dash,” Soarin said as he approached his fellow teammate.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Rainbow Dash with a sarcastic tone, which Soarin responded with a similar tone.
“Oh, nothing at all...”
“Mom! That’s Soarin Skies! Oh. My. Gosh!”
“Hey, there nice to meet you.” Soarin said to the two fans, “I hate to be the one that does this, but it’s time for us to get going.”
“Oh, no worries, we understand,” said the mother, “great show today.”
“Yeah! It was awesome!” said the young filly.
“Thanks,” said Rainbow Dash, “it was very nice to meet you two. See ya around, kid.”
“Bye!” The two parties began to part ways, but the smile on Soarin’s face.
“What are you grinning about?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“What? You didn’t see yourself talking to a mirror? That filly was the spitting image of you!” Soarin said as he broke out in a hardy laugh.
“What are you talking about?” She said rolling her eyes.
“Really? ‘oh my gosh, oh my gosh!’” he said putting on his best Rainbow Dash impression, “You said that so many times at the Young Flier’s Competition I would have sworn it was the only words you knew.”
Dash playfully shoved him, “Yeah, well, remember that I was saying that after I saved the entire team from certain doom.”
“You’re not going to let us live that down, are you?” Soarin said.
“Eventually… maybe… probably not.” The two Pegasus shared a laugh when Rainbow Dash heard something hit the ground followed by a short grunt. She turned around to see the filly on the ground.
“You alright, kid?” she called out.
“Yea, just great…” she replied with a shaky voice. Rainbow Dash watched as the she flapped her wings and failed to get more than a few feet off the ground, “Just gotta… try… a little…” she fell to the ground once again, then it clicked.
She can't fly...
She couldn’t have been much younger than Scootaloo, in fact, she might have been a year older, and yet she still was confined to the ground. This really got to her as she thought about how hard her adoptive sister worked to try and fly. Rainbow Dash trotted over and helped the filly up.
“Thanks,” she said.
Rainbow Dash placed the Wonderbolts that had fallen off back on her head. “Hey, kid,” she said, “what’s your name?”
“Slipstream.” The filly said.
“Ok, listen Slipstream,” Rainbow Dash said, “it might not be my place to say, but I wanted to tell you that no matter how impossible it might seem, don’t give up on your dreams, work hard and you’ll make it. I know someone around your age that is going through the same, but she never quits, and I wanted to make sure you did the same.””
Slipstream knew what she was referring to, it was embarrassing that she was like this in front of her, one of the few ponies she idolized, but after hearing this she put on a huge smile and gave the Wonderbolt a hug. She stood up and walked back over to her mother.
“Thank you,” she said, “That meant a lot to her.”
“It’s no problem,” Rainbow said, “I know someone around her age that has the same issue. Just wanted to let her know that she’s not alone."
“I make sure she knows that each day. Again, thank you.”
The two Wonderbolts continued to make their way towards their carriage. As they walked and waved to the crowd around them.
“That was great what you did back there,” Soarin said as the two approached the carriage.
“It was nothing,” Dash said, “Just something I had to say.”
“Still, it was very kind. It’s something that that filly won’t forget,” the two Bolts stopped at the carriage, Rainbow Dash looked at Soarin and smiled.
“Thanks,” she said, “but let’s not dwell on it. Today’s been great! Let’s keep it that way!” The two opened the door to see Rapidfire sitting in there with all the bags.
“What? Somepony has to watch them.” Soarin and Dash shared a look, shook their heads, and placed there bags in the carriage. They then went over to join the rest of the team, and once everyone was accounted for, Spitfire thanked the ponies in attendance as they all shot into the air.
As the Wonderbolts made their way back to their hotel, the team reminisced over the day’s work, either completing each other the synergy of the Wonderbolts team seemed to be at an all-time high.
“Well, another day, another crowd in roaring applause,” Fleetfoot said as caught up with Rainbow Dash.
“Yea, I wonder what their favorite part was,” She said, confidently placing her hooves behind her head as she looked up to sky.
Fleetfoot shook her head, “Hey, Spitfire,” she called forward, “I think if we let Crash pick another move, her ego make her float away.”
“You can’t say it wasn’t awesome,” Dash said to her.
“She’s got you there,” said Misty Fly as she went by, “Remember what happened when you first suggested a move?”
Fleetfoot suddenly froze, “Hey, don’t go there.”
“Oh Celestia,” Spitfire said, “That was an absolute travesty.”
“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Fleetfoot said, obviously embarrassed.
“Woah, woah, woah,” Rainbow Das said as she flew in front of the team to stop them, “Fleetfoot tried to get a move in a show and it didn’t make it.”
“Yeah,” Soarin said, giving a sly grin to Fleetfoot, “she really owned up to the name ‘Flatfoot.’”
“No way!” Rainbow Dash said as she broke out in laughter, “You’ve got to tell me about it!”
“Fine,” Fleetfoot said, “you’ll hear the whole story at dinner.”
“That is fine by me.”
The team finally return to the Mare-iot Hotel to see Rapidfire sitting on the curb with all the bags and equipment simply laid out next to him in an unorganized pile. When they all landed, they unanimously shook their heads.
“Wow, great effort taking care of the bags,” said Blaze.
“Come on,” Rapidfire said, “You can’t expect me to carry all these bags in, I could pull something.”
“How Pegasus as lazy as you got into the Wonderbolts, I’ll never know,” Spitfire said sarcastically as she picked up her bag and made her way into the hotel.
“You hired me!”
“Alright, Bolts,” Spitfire said, “due to the stipulations of our little race earlier, we are having a feast tonight. All on our gracious benefactor, Rainbow Crash!”
The team began to deliver very hyperbolic claps and cheers as Rainbow Dash simply rolled her eyes.
“How kind of you, Dash,” Soarin said.
Rainbow’s eyes shot open, “Oh, please, Soarin! Race right now! Double or Nothing!”
Soarin shrugged, “I wouldn’t want to embarrass you twice in one day.”
“Sorry Crash, a bet is a bet,” Spitfire said, “Time for you to pay your dues.” She turned back to the rest of her team. “Wonderbolts! Head back to your rooms and get ready. We are meeting back her in one hour sharp!”
“Yes, ma’am!” said the team in unison. With that, they all broke away and headed back to their rooms.
Dash laid on the bed for a good fifteen minutes before getting up to see what she could wear. She looked through her suitcase for something to wear.
Should I be more formal or casual? We have a reputation to uphold so it might be a good idea to wear something semi-decent…
She continued to go through everything until she came across an outfit that stood out from the others. It was very similar to the one that she wore to the Grand Galloping Gala, but with much less fanfare. It was simply a dress with a rainbow pattern and was something that Rarity insisted she brought with her.
“Oh. Please, darling! You must have at least one piece of formal attire in your repertoire,” Rainbow Dash said in her best impression of her fashionista friend. She laughed as she remember how much she ensured Rarity she wouldn’t need it, but now she was glad she was talked into taking it. She put on the dress and looked in the mirror. It was nice, just what she needed for tonight. Once she was ready she gathered up all of her bits and headed down to the lobby.
Rainbow Dash was met by the rest of her team, who were also dressed for the occasion.
“Wow, Crash, you clean up well,” Misty Fly said.
“Eh, you know, girl of many talents,” Rainbow Dash replied. Soarin entered the hall shortly after. He wore a black dress jacket with a white undershirt and red tie.
“Not bad, Soarin,” Dash said, “If any fans don’t recognize you, they’ll still be plenty of mares hanging off of you.”
“Was that a compliment? I thought I’d never see the day,” Soarin said, with a overblown shocked expression.
“Well, don’t expect many more,” Dash said. With that, the Wonderbolts took off towards the southern city light to begin their night on the town.
Chapter 4- Out on the Town
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Chapter 6- A Breeze Through Town
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Chapter 7- Facing Their Feelings
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.