Today’s the day of the Cloudsdale Young Fliers competition, and I’m more than ready to participate! There's no way I could possibly lose, especially not with my future on the line; if I was able to even finish in the top three, my admission to the Cloudsdale Academy for Aspiring Pegasi is guaranteed, with a full scholarship!
There's no way I'd be able to afford the school otherwise, and I desperately want to attend. Without my degree in Advanced Weather Engineering, I would lose my shot at the position I’d been promised at the weather factory.
Sitting up, I jumped down off my cloud bed and made my way over to the large mirror across the room. Reaching out with my left wing, I grabbed my mane brush off the dresser and carefully brushed my light green mane into my preferred upwards swoop. As I placed the brush back on the dresser, I reached out and grabbed my coat brush in its place.
While some stallions were fine using the same brush for their mane and coat, I couldn't. Any green strands of hair on my light blue fur would stand out too much. Standing as straight as possible, I puffed my chest out and extended my wings. Seeing as my feathers were already well preened, it didn't take long for me to smooth out the few stray feathers that broke formation.
"Storm! Shouldn't you be down by now? You don't normally leave this late!" My mother shouted from downstairs.
Rolling my eyes, I turned to my bedroom door and shouted, "Coming!" As I trotted through the doorway, it felt like I was forgetting something. Quickly turning around, I noticed my scarf hanging from the bedpost.
On the way out, I grabbed it and put it on, making sure it was snug around my neck. The scarf was a gift from my mom after I got sixth place in the competition last month, and I saw it as a sort of good luck charm. I'm sure I'll place high again this month too. I left my room once again and headed downstairs.
"Good morning Storm, I hope you're well rested for the race!" my mother chirped, "I'm sorry that your father and I couldn't make it, but I can't wait to hear about it later!"
"Ah, mom, c’mon, it's alright. I know how important this speech is for dad, and I'm sure he'll do well. Especially since you’ll be there."
It was kinda convenient that dad's speech to the weather team was today. Without my parents actually watching the race I could make a fair number of understatements about how important it is. I never told them how much was at stake on my performance, mostly so they wouldn't force me to over-prepare for it. If I told them how important it really was, they'd try and force me to prepare for days.
As I trotted out into the living room, I glanced over at the clock in the hall. 7:56 AM. Shit! Galloping towards the front door, I turned my head and looked back.
"Gotta go, I'll see you later!" I blurted out quickly.
Four minutes. I could do this. Throwing the door open, I flew out onto the streets of Cloudsdale. Wasting no time, I headed towards the Cloudsdale colosseum.
As I flew over the imposing stadium, I saw dozens of pegasi flying in to watch the race. Below, at least a hundred ponies were stretching and flying short laps in order to prepare. Circling downwards, I caught the glare of a particularly miffed elderly mare sitting behind a fold-out table labeled "Check-in".
The elderly pony glared at me. "You're cutting it close, I was just about to start packing up."
Grinning at her, I walked up to the table and checked my name off the list. A cursory glance let me know I was the last one to arrive. Well, almost the last one to arrive.
As I got on my way and the check-in booth started packing up, I heard a loud boom from above.
Looking up, I saw a pony careening towards the ground. A few other ponies gasped and scrambled out of the way. Damn, they were moving fast! Just as I was about to take off to try and stop them from crashing, the blur came to a screeching halt.
Still moving at a ludicrous speed, the pony planted their hooves and started skidding towards the check-in, kicking up clouds the whole way. The poor mare I'd spoken to moments ago stared slack-jawed as the unidentified pony came to a stop right in front of her.
Now that I was able to get a good look at them, I could see that the speeding pony had quite a striking appearance. The mare, now that I got a proper look at her, was cyan, and her short mane was striped with every color of the rainbow. Reaching out with a wing, she grabbed the clipboard and pen from the shocked check-in pony.
"Hope I'm not late!" she chimed before marking the sheet and hoofing it back to the flustered attendant.
"And I thought I was fashionably late," I muttered as she passed by. Apparently overhearing me, she stopped and spun towards me. After a second, she leaned in and gave me a sly grin.
"Nopony does ‘fashionably late’ like Rainbow Dash! So, are you competing?"
Rainbow Dash was the last name I’d seen on the list. And to think I thought I’d be the last one arriving.
"Yeah, I did pretty well last year. I hope to do just as well again," Hoping was an understatement, but I didn't feel the need to dump too much on a stranger.
“Well, best of luck, because I plan on winning,” she claimed with a gleam in her eyes.
Well, she seems confident. And with that little display, I’d be inclined to believe her. Ah well, I don’t need first place to get the scholarship anyways.
“Well, I hope you do well. Any particular reason for attending?”
“Nah, just attending for fun. Nothing like the wind through your feathers! So, who are you?”
“You can call me Storm.”
“So, Storm, why are you attending? Just here for the race?”
“Yeah, you could say that...” I didn’t really know her yet, so I wasn’t not going to bother explaining everything; heck, I hadn’t even told my parents why I was here.
While we were talking, all the contestants trotted to another fold-out table and collected cloth number markers. They were similar to saddlebags in their design, with a cloth strap connecting the two marked cloth pieces.
I glanced to my left and noticed the number on Rainbow Dash’s marker, 149. I grabbed my own number, 150. Arcing my head backward, I put on my race marker.
We both must’ve gotten higher numbers due to our late arrival. Shit, I forgot about that. Guess sleeping in may have not been the best idea. Eh, I’m sure it wouldn’t matter too much, right?
Before I could continue debating the merits of sleeping in late, I felt somepony nudging me. “Hey, we’ll be next to each other at the race line! Guess you’ll get to see me take the lead, huh?” Rainbow Dash chuckled.
Her eyes suddenly lit up before she leaned in with a grin. “Hey, are you interested in a little extra competition?” I raised an eyebrow. “If you can keep up with me for the first lap, I’ll buy you a cider. Buuuuuuuuut, you’ll be paying for my drink if you fall behind,”
An interesting proposal… although she did give quite the performance with her entry, I was pretty sure I could keep up with her for at least a lap. “I’m pretty sure I can keep up with you for at least a lap, Dash.”
She shot me a smug look. “We’ll see about that. I’ll see you after the race to collect!”
I watched as she began to trot away. Did she... want to go out with me? Either that or she just really likes cider. Couldn’t really blame her, the imports from Sweet Apple Acres were pretty good. Even if they were marked up.
I better get to the starting pad, they would be calling in for the lineup in around ten minutes.
Up ahead Icould see the arched entrance leading towards the racing ring. The rest of the contestants were milling about on a strip of clouds where the race would start. As I walked out to join the others, I heard somepony calling my name from nearby.
“Storm! Over here!” shouted a dark brown stallion with a silvery mane from the other end of the track. Ah, it’s Sky. I’d known him for a few years now. We met back in high school in our aeronautics class, and he’d always been so invested in his studies. He was always well-scheduled, and kept everything organized. Fortunately for me, he was more than willing to share answers for work he’d already done.
“Early as always, Sky.”
“Dude, you shouldn’t cut things so close… what would I do if you didn’t make it?”
“Relax Sky, you know me! I’m always just on schedule!” I paused. “Most of the time, anyways.”
Sky face-hoofed. “Storm, you shouldn’t mess around with these kinds of things. If you bomb out of this race, you’re done. No scholarship, no degree, no factory position. You get it?”
I bit my lip. He always knew exactly what to say to get me on edge. I sighed and looked at my hooves. “Maybe you’re right. Buuuuut, I’m here today, and I’ll try to be better from here on out. Alright?”
I hated saying that. Again. I’d had this conversation with him a dozen times. He was always so dedicated to anything he did, and I’d told him I’d do better before. Of course, not much actually changed and I continued to push everything to the absolute limit.
“I don’t want to go to school without you, so I’ll hold you to that,” Sky replied sternly. I could tell he might actually be upset if I continued to disappoint.
I looked up as I heard a loud ringing noise throughout the arena. The intercom turned on and began instructing racers to take their places.
“I’ll try to see you after the race, Sky. But, uh, I sorta made a bet with a mare I met on the way in, so I’ll see you later if I don’t get to say goodbye before heading out.”
Sky deadpanned at me and muttered under his breath, most likely about how I was casual enough to be making bets on such an important occasion.
Trotting through the crowd of pegasi, I saw Rainbow Dash near the back above her number. As expected, mine was right next to hers.
She looked over as I approached, and looked at me, brimming with confidence.
“I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into, because I reaaaaaally like my cider.”
So that’s the reason. She just really likes cider. Probably wanted me to pay for the whole tab, too. Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t going to let her outpace me.
Spreading my wings, I began to tense up in anticipation. This race really was one of the most important things I’d do in my entire life. Sky was right, I really couldn’t mess this up.
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
“GO!”
A loud crack could be heard throughout the arena mere moments before I shot off from the platform. Making some headway, I begin to pull forwards, my experience clearly paying off as I shot towards the front. Looking back, I could see that Sky wasn’t all too far behind. However, I couldn’t see Dash behind me...
I snapped my head forward and looked at the few pegasi ahead of me. I had managed to make it into what I could assume was the top ten, but one pony caught my eye. Rainbow was already in the front of the group and was still gaining ground. A few other pegasi tried to keep up with her, buteventually fell back.
I glanced over to Sky again. He was keeping a steady pace. We both needed to get within the top thirty in order to meet the requirements for our scholarship. However, it would be pretty humiliating to confront Dash having been so far behind...
I could do this, no sweat. I began to flap my wings faster than I knew I should if I wanted to pace myself, and began to get closer to Dash’s position. I quickly began to pass the other racers until I found myself just behind her.
As I pushed myself and squinted my eyes to avoid the blustering winds, I could swear I saw Rainbow look back and grin at me every now and then. How was she able to keep up this speed so casually?
“You know, I’m kind of impressed, Storm!” Rainbow Dash shouted above the roar of the wind. “I really didn’t expect you to keep up this well! But I’m still expecting that cider later!”
I didn’t have the breath to give a response. I could only watch in bewilderment as Rainbow began to slowly pull ahead of me. I wasn’t slowing down, so she must be getting faster.
I could hardly believe my eyes as a cone of air began to form around her. Streams of color began to appear in a spiraling pattern began to form. I only had a split second to react as Dash began to move rapidly, and the cone burst outwards and sent me flailing towards the side of the track.
Already stiff from exerting myself to keep up, I felt my eyes widen in terror as the stands rapidly approached me-
Ohhh, my head. Shit. The race! I quickly began to try and struggle to my hooves. Before I could get very far I felt somepony pushing me back down. I looked up to see a young mare dressed in a medical uniform standing beside me.
“Woah there, settle down! You hit the ground pretty hard.”
“Ma’am, please! I need to get back to the race!”
“Oh. I’m sorry to say, but the last participant passed the finish line a few minutes ago.”
My heart fell as the weight of the situation began to sink in. Oh Celestia, I rarely buck up this bad. I should have listened to Sky. Why didn’t I listen to Sky?
I pressed my hooves over my eyes and drew a shaky breath. How in Tartarus was I going to explain this? I’d already told my parents I secured the scholarship, and there were definitely no qualifying races to pad out my record in time. I’m screwed. I’m completely screwed.
“Uh, ma’am? When am I able to be dismissed?”
The medical pony looked at her clipboard.
“Well, our unicorn staff already scanned you. You were lucky you only got a concussion from your crash! If you had hit anything else, it could have been much worse.”
I got up and started walking towards the exit of the makeshift medical area.
“Sir? Sir! Remember to stay awake and-” I continued walking out the door until I couldn’t hear her calling for me anymore. I already knew how to handle a concussion, and I definitely wasn’t in the mood to listen.
I continued to trudge along the streets of Cloudsdale, not bothering to fly home. Although my parents were most likely still gone, I really didn’t want to go home yet. I could hardly get over this myself, and I was not going to risk facing anypony before I figured out this… this mess. I sat outside of a random cafe to think.
Rainbow Dash. That bucking pegasus. It was like she knew exactly what she was doing, knocking me out of the sky like that! Why in Celestia’s name did she do that!? Rainbow Dash… that name sounds familiar. Something I read in the paper in regards to the whole Crystal Empire fiasco I think... But I hardly read the paper, so what did I know?
I heard somepony approaching where I was sitting, presumably to try and take my order. A rather bored-looking mare in a cafe uniform walked up to the table I was sitting at, notepad in hoof.
I quickly spoke up before she could say anything. “Sorry for the false alarm. I just... I need to sit down and think for a bit.”
The mare gives me a blank look, before letting out a sigh. “Alright, just move along soon. The boss doesn’t like ponies loitering, got it?”
As I stood up to leave, I stopped to ask her a question. Maybe she’d also heard of this “Rainbow Dash” before. “Hey, do you know anything about somepony called Rainbow Dash? I think I remember her from some news outlet or something...”
She seemed to stop and think it over for a few seconds. Her eyes suddenly lit up as she opened her mouth.
“Yeah, some couple came through earlier today. They were talking about some race at some stadium, and this ‘Rainbow Dash’ won by a mile with a Sonic Rainboom, or so they said! Would ya think o’ that,” the server chuckled, “A sonic rainboom! What a sight that must’ve been! Anything else you want, sir?”
“Uh, I... no, that’ll be all.”
What a showoff! She knew she’d win that bet before she even made it, and a sonic rainboom was totally overkill! And in the process, she essentially killed my career! Maybe she even wanted to make me crash on purpose, she even waited for me to get close...
I felt my blood boiling with rage. If I’m being honest with myself, I’m sure it was a mistake, but that does not quell the anger rising in me. I still don’t want to see her anytime soon.
I took a moment to calm myself. I had already met all the other requirements for the scholarship. There were like, ten races I had to place high in. This one was just the last I needed to qualify. Maybe I’ll be able to convince someone in administration to help me out.
Standing up, I spread my wings and took off from the cafe patio. Campus administration is only a short flight from here. If I’m quick, I’ll be there before the results of the race get there.
A few minutes later, I found myself standing in the school’s main office. I could see a few ponies workingat their desks, but the majority of the staff seemed to be out for the day. As I approached reception, the stallion sitting there looked up at me.
“Hey, uhm,” I tugged on my scarf a bit, sweating nervously, “I was hoping you could help me out with something? It’s, uh… related to the High Fliers scholarship.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And what do you need?”
Keep it cool. “I’m currently attempting to apply for the program, and already participated in all the required races, but I kinda… had an unfortunate accident.”
“Well, if you placed well in all the required races you shouldn’t have any problem. If your issue is related to the documents, I’m sure we can-”
I cut him off. “Well, you see, the thing is, I… didn’t place high enough in one of the races.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about that. The last race that fit into the proper criteria was today.”
I leaned onto the desk and held my head in my hooves. “I only failed because another racer caused me to crash. Are you sure there’s nothing you can do?”
“That’d be illegal,” he claimed, giving me a disapproving look. “There’s a lot of money tied up in this scholarship. Besides, I’m sure everything will work itself out. Maybe take a year off?”
“Are you absolutely sure there’s no alternatives? Please, sir, my entire life may be riding on this!”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. There really is nothing I can do.”
I looked down to my hooves. “Sorry for asking, I’ll just go.”
I began to head towards the exit. Stupid administration. Stupid Rainbow Dash. I couldn’t confront my parents like this. I really needed to find something, and fast.
Take a year off, he suggested. Pfft. As if that would even put a dent in the admission fees! All expenses included, I’d imagine the academy would cost nearly 200,000 bits! Totally not doable on minimum wage.
And besides, the only reason I wanted to go to the damn school was because I had a position at the Cloudsdale Weather Factory guaranteed for me. It wasn’t like my dream job or anything, but it was a pretty prestigious position to have. And it was stolen from me!
I’m still screwed though, and I needed to find another alternative. Begging with administration clearly wasn’t going to work. Sky might know what to do. He always has backup plans and… stuff.
Stepping out of the office, I took off once more. Sky’s house is near mine, which is pretty convenient right now. My parents will be home soon, and while they wouldn’t be immediately suspicious if I wasn’t there that wouldn’t last forever.
I landed on Sky’s porch and quickly knocked my hoof on his door. Please be home, please be home, please be home!
Hoofsteps. I let out a sigh of relief. At least something could go right today, in some tiny way.
The door swung open, and sky looked at me with a bit of apprehension. “Please tell me the reason I didn’t catch you after the race wasn’t because you screwed this up.”
I groaned. “It was not[i/] my fault. I would have been totally fine if somepony didn’t knock me out of the race.”
“Storm,” Sky banged his head against the door frame, punctuating each word “You. Lost. This. Opportunity. Over a petty bet.”
“Even if I sped up I’d still have been able to place well enough! She actually caused me to crash!”
Sky looked at me doubtfully. “Well, I saw her on the podium. First place. Meaning she wasn’t disqualified.”
“Okay, so maybe she didn’t actually touch me. She did some kind of Sonic Rainboom, or something! The shockwaves completely threw me off.”
“When you mentioned you were betting on the race, you didn’t tell me you chose to race the fastest pegasus in Equestria[i/]!”
It was my turn to be skeptical now. “Fastest? I mean, come on. She was pretty fast, but really?”
“Rainbow Dash. National hero? Element of Harmony? Every bucking day I regret giving you those papers more and more…” Sky shook his head, pressing a hoof to his forehead.
“Listen, Sky. It doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is that I seriously need your help right now.”
“Basically, you need me to get you out of the grave you’ve been digging.”
“I told you it wasn’t my fault!” Mostly.
“Storm, I’m past the point of caring by now. Just.. come inside and I’ll see if there’s anything I can do.”
I followed Sky deeper into his home towards the living room and sat down on the cloud sofa. Sky sat on the other end so he was facing me, courtesy of the furniture’s “L” shape.
“So what miracle do you want me to perform now, Storm? Do you want me to go beg administration, find a loophole that somehow conveniently solves your problem? We both know those only work about half the time.”
“I already tried that first one, actually.” I said, scratching the back of my head.
“Typical. And seeing as you’re here, it didn’t go so well, did it?”
“They said they weren’t willing to let this one slide. But you said there was a loophole, right?”
“I asked if you wanted me to try and find a loophole. And no, there isn’t one. It’s the first thing I looked for when I learned about the scholarship. It would’ve been pretty nice to put a little less effort into working towards a school I’ll be attending alone now.”
Of course Sky would look for workarounds right away. I should have known better, seeing as he typically brings the shortcuts to me if there are any. As much as it hurts, I need to put the scholarship behind me if I want to avoid the immediate fallout from my parents.
“I already told my parents about the scholarship. They don’t know that today's race was tied to it, so if you have any way to help me out of this I’d be seriously in your debt.”
“Bold of you to assume you’re not in my debt already, if not from everything else I’ve done, then at least from how much you’ve let me down here.”
“Skyyyy. Please, dude. I’m sorry I messed everything up. Just help me think of something!”
Sky let out an exasperated sigh. “Alright, but this conversation isn’t over. Tell me all the details I’d need to know to keep your parents in the dark.”
I thought it over for a few seconds. “Well, they already expect me to be heading out for school. I need somewhere to stay before school starts so I don’t raise suspicions. Other than that, keeping up my cover story would be nice.”
Sky put a hoof to his chin. “Well, I would say you could attend another cheaper school. But you did chose to bomb out of your Equish classes. I told you that it would come back to bite you!”
I would normally argue with Sky that grammar rules were stupid, but now wasn’t the time. “Got any other ideas?”
“Well, you could try and come clean. While I’m not going to listen to your excuses, you could risk it and try your luck with your parents.”
I frantically shook my head back and forth. “My dad would kill me! There is no way he’d approve of me taking a year off, especially after I warmed him up to the idea of me going to some big fancy school! Maybe I could just stay with you, you’re moving to your rental so-”
Sky raised a hoof and looked away. “No. No. I am not letting you laze about my rental all day, while I attend classes like a productive member of society.”
“Sky, please! I don’t have any other choice. What if I had some kind of full-time job? It’ll be like I’m not even there!”
“And what kind of job are you going to take? We both know you aren’t going to put up with some minimum wage nine to five.”
I looked over to the mantle of Sky’s fireplace. Among some other ornaments and decorations, was a small golden statue portraying a lighting bolt adorned with wings.
I recognized the statue as the Wonderbolt’s insignia. “What about the Wonderbolts? I like flying, and I’m sure it couldn’t be too much harder than what I’m already capable of.”
Sky still seemed unsure. “I suppose that might work. You did keep up with the physical requirements for the scholarships, today not included.”
“How about this. If I drop out of the Wonderbolts, or for whatever reason it doesn’t work out, I’ll come clean and tell my parents.” I didn’t want to make that agreement, but it was the only thing I could think of that might get him onboard with the idea.
Sky fell back into the couch, defeated. “Fine. Fine. But I’m holding you to this, and we are going to have some serious issues if you let me down. Again.”
I shot up and flapped my wings a bit. The crisis had been averted, at least for now. “Thank you thank you thank you! You’re a real lifesaver dude. I’m sure you won’t regret this!”
Sky pressed his hooves over his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here so I can start regretting it already.”
This plan was perfect! Flying was one of my passions, joining the Wonderbolts would be a total breeze! It might even be pretty fun, too. And unlike Sky, I was absolutely certain that nothing could make me regret this decision.
