Spread My Wings And Fly

Rainbow wrote a letter to the Wonderbolts as soon as she arrived back at Twilight's castle. Once the alicorn had proofread it, Spike enveloped it in his flames and it was sent to the Wonderbolts via Princess Celestia. A reply came within 5 minutes; it was short and concise, but got the message across. All of the Wonderbolts' writing was like that. Will be at Princess Twilight's castle in ten minutes. Rainbow nodded and began to wait. It felt like the longest ten minutes of her life. She almost lost hope in them when there was a knock on the door and a sound of paparazzi.

Twilight let them in, and Rainbow was immediately engulfed in a group hug. Twilight laughed at them as they messed around like foals. Spitfire, Soarin, Blaze, Surprise and High Winds were hugging her and talking nearly as quickly as they could fly, so that Rainbow could only hear a few phrases.

"Woah, Rainbow!"
"Rainbow Dash!"
"So good to see you!"
"You sounded urgent."
"Why'd you call us?"
"Have you grown a new wing?!"
"I've missed you so much!"
"I'm so sorry you lost your wing!"

"Woah, woah!" Rainbow giggled. "Can't exactly hear you all when you talk like that." The group hug broke up, and Spitfire said, "We brought the bosses," nodding to a pair of pegasus stallions stood behind them. Fast Clip and Whiplash.

"Rainbow Dash," said Fast Clip. "We heard that there is a new development. I can see that you still only have one wing, so enlighten us: how do you plan to fly again?"

"I can have..." She stalled, racking her brains for the right words. "I guess you would call it a prosthetic wing. It's never been tried before, but the inventor, Doctor Whooves, has spoken to a load of other doctors, and they all seem to think that I could actually use it to fly." The five Wonderbolts cheered, then looked to Fast Clip and Whiplash.

"Can Rainbow come back if it works?" Spitfire asked eagerly.

"Interesting, Rainbow," Whiplash said, both to himself, the other pegasi and Twilight. "While it sounds risky, and there is a chance that you may not be able to fly with this prosthetic wing, I think that you would be allowed to rejoin if it does work. There is only one reason why you may not. Speed."

"If you cannot keep up with the other Wonderbolts, then you will not be the right pegasus for the role," Whiplash continued.

"However, if you can, then you may join us again, like a true Wonderbolt and friend," Soarin finished.

Rainbow had tears in her eyes. "Thank you, all of you," she told them. "And you Twilight." She and the Wonderbolts formed another group hug, but this time Twilight, Fast Clip and Whiplash joined in.

"So, how will we get enough bits to pay for this?" Rainbow asked once the group hug broke up.

"Maybe we could hold a fundraising event, and ask ponies and other creatures to donate," Twilight suggested hopefully.

"We're free in two weeks' time on Sunday," Fast Clip told them. "That's the... Fourteenth of June. That's just enough time to prepare something. Hooves crossed; Mayor Mare will agree."

Mayor Mare. They had stalled. She had grown frantic and ill-tempered over the last few months, and was now a regular visitor to Doctor Whooves's clinic. When the new Mayor was elected in August, it was likely that she would be replaced. Until then, they had to walk on eggshells around her. Still, she had little reason to turn down a fundraising event.

"Will she say no?" Rainbow questioned, panic evident in her voice.

"Hem hem," Twilight cleared her throat. "I'm a Princess. I have a higher position of authority. I will go there and tell her that there will be a fundraiser on the fourteenth of June. There is nothing that she can do to stop me. If I am killed by an insane Earth Pony mare who spends most of her time in an office and does very little exercise, let alone boxing, then Princess Celestia herself will have failed in teaching me, and shall be banished to the sun to be burned by its eternal fires in shame."

Everypony looked at her, stunned. Rainbow gasped, "You didn't say that. You did not say that. You are a rebel, Twilight Sparkle."

"I did say that, and I only said it for my friend. I would live in Tartarus for life if it could help you get your flight back. Fortunately, it won't, so I get to stay here." The princess smiled with mischievous glee.

A few hours later, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire and Soarin were in Mayor Mare's office, trying to get her to allow the fundraising event to be held. Or, at least, trying to convince her to do things the uncomplicated way. Things were not going well: Mayor Mare was already drunk, and was doing everything she could do to stop them. Of course, Twilight had not pulled out her wild card yet; that was a last-resort option.

"No. I will not allow you to hold a fundraising event," Mayor Mare slurred.

"Mayor Mare-" Spitfire began, but was cut off mid-setence.

"We are not holding a fundraising event on my granddaughter's birthday, thank you. The door is behind you. Leave me alone. I have to convince Princess Celestia that taxes need to be at least ten percent higher so that I can get a better wage. This job isn't easy, you know." Spitfire and Soarin made to leave, but Twilight and Rainbow remained seated.

"Please, Mayor," Rainbow Dash begged. "Surely you could take your granddaughter to the event? That way, you could spend some time together and help me raise some bits for my cause. Pleeaaassse?" She pulled her cute face again.

"Begging like a child is so unlike the old Rainbow Dash I used to know," the mayor spat. She pulled open a drawer under her desk, and carefully used her hooves to lift out a bottle of red wine, topping up the empty glass on the desk. She spilled a lot, and began to lap it up. The other ponies in the room recoiled at her disgusting manners.

"Ahem. Miss Mare," Twilight coughed.

"Get out, Sparkle. Clear off. Your celebrity status doesn't let you overrule me!"

"Actually, it does. As a princess of Equestria, under Equestrian law, I am allowed to overrule other ponies in positions of authority, even those who are married to other members of the Equestrian royal family. As you are a mayor, and not Princess Celestia, I am able to - and will - overrule you. I'm really sorry that it came down to this, Mayor, but my friend needs help."

The mayor groaned, "Sing Happy Birthday to my granddaughter on the day then. Her name is Silver Spoon. Now get out before I have you all thrown in the Canterlot Dungeons." Everypony except Mayor Mare left the office, and trotted out of the building.

The moment they were out, Spitfire burst into hysterical laughter, and was soon joined by the others, and Pinkie Pie, who had no idea what they were laughing about but happened to be passing at the right moment.

When the laughter died down, Pinkie asked, "So, why are we all laughing our tails off?"

"Pinkie, on the fourteenth of June, we're holding a fundraiser so that I can get a metal wing. It's never been done before, but the doctors want to try. We might need a party planner, though."

Legend says that Pinkie's scream of delight could be heard in Saddle Arabia.