That Awesome Pegasus with the Iridescent Mane

At Golden Oak Library, a book flies across the room before Spike catches it. Rainbow Dash speed-reads another book on flight before throwing it over her back. She then flies up to another shelf in Twilight Sparkle's library and pulls another book out. Flight Techniques Every Pegasus Should Know

‘No, not that one either, he ain’t a colt anymore. He knows all the basic stuff.’

"Don't you have anything on stunt flying Twilight?" she called out to her friend.

Twilight looks around before picking up a book.

"I'm not sure. I found this book on sky dancing, though! " she says, presenting it to Rainbow.

"Maybe learning that with Crimson would be fun?" She smiles cheerfully.

Rainbow briefly pictures herself dancing with Crimson in the air. She blushes and shakes her head.

"Gah, no! I'm trying to restore his confidence here, not embarrass him, or myself for that matter!" she says.

“Why do you need a book for stunt flying anyway? You are a great flier, Rainbow!” Twilight says while setting another book aside.

Rainbow gives a confident grin to her.

“Of course I am! I just want to have all my bases covered for Crimson’s sake.” she responds before checking another shelf.

"There's gotta be something here! Crimson said in a letter that he's coming today to start the training!"

Twilight looks back at her.

"You two have been exchanging letters?"

"Yeah, since he visited last week, it's great writing to him regularly." Says Rainbow as she looks through another book.

Twilight smirks a bit with a raised eyebrow.

"Aww, that's really sweet!" Twilight teases.

Rainbow blushes slightly again and tries to retort but ends up stuttering; Twilight giggles at Rainbow's reaction.

Twilight then spots a book and pulls it out to read the cover

"How about this one? Dives, Rolls, and Loops: A Simple Guide by Freefall, former Wonderbolt"

Rainbow quickly takes the book and starts reading it, she puts on a determined grin and looks back at Twilight.

"I can definitely work with this; thanks a lot, Twilight!" Rainbow calls out before zooming out of the library.

Twilight walks up to the spot where Rainbow Dash had just been standing, looking at her flying away with a wide smile on her face. ‘If there's anypony who can help Crimson, it's her.’

As she flies around Ponyville, looking for a spot ideal for their training, Rainbow Dash spots a tiny orange pegasus filly trying to catch her attention; she lands briefly to meet her.

“Heya Scoots, what’s up?” Rainbow greets happily.

Scootaloo grins widely at her favorite pegasus.

“Dash! I came up with an awesome trick with my scooter; it almost feels like flying! I wanna show you and hear what you think,” she excitedly replies.

“And maybe afterward, we could just hang out?” She adds softly.

Rainbow looks to the side for a bit before looking at Scootaloo with a soft smile.

“I’m really sorry, Scoots, but I can’t right now; I’m meeting up with an old friend so he and I can do some training together and I still need to find a good spot before he shows up,” she says gently.

Scootaloo droops her ears at the answer.

“Oh, okay.” she says quietly.

The tiny filly’s eyes widen suddenly as she realizes something.

“Hold on, 'he?’ Are you going to meet up with a stallion?!” She exclaims, clearly surprised.

“Uhhh, I gotta get going now, Scoots, and I promise tomorrow we can hang out!” Rainbow states quickly before flying off.

Scootaloo hangs her head in disappointment before riding off on her scooter.

The rainbow-maned Pegasus found a nice open area outside Ponyville for the training. As she waits for Crimson, Rainbow Dash looks through the book again. Despite the unnecessary, slightly bitter commentary on The Wonderbolts, ’Hehehe, wow, she has it out for Spitfire.’ This Freefall at least knew what she was talking about. Combined with Rainbow's own experience and knowledge, there was plenty of material to work with. She thinks back to last week; it took a lot of guts for Crimson to admit his struggle to her and her friends, and it seems that just admitting it lifted a weight from his wings. She knows it’s going to take more than that to get Crimson's confidence back; she closes the book and sets it aside on a tree.

It isn't a long wait before Rainbow notices Crimson approaching her from the air. He isn't in his royal courier uniform; rather, he just has a pair of simple canvas saddlebags strapped to his side. She flies up to meet him with a wide grin.

"Good Morning, Crimson!" she greets in her normal confident tone.

"Morning, Dash." he responds with a smile of his own.

"Ready for today?" Rainbow asks.

Crimson gives her a confident smile.

"Ready as I'll ever be, let's get to it."

Rainbow nods and flies with him to the middle of the small clearing.

"I'm thinking we can start with some warm-ups, and get the basic stuff down first, then we can move on to barrel rolls and so on." she explains.

"Also, Crimson," Rainbow says while giving him a small, soft smile.

"Let me know if you get overwhelmed," she says warmly.

Crimson returns her smile.

"I will, I know I can do this." he replies, grinning

Rainbow Dash grins back

"Yeah, you can, you'll do great," she answers

"Alright, let's do this!" Crimson says.

The training begins with Crimson and Rainbow Dash flying through the basics. She offers some tips along the way. Once they've covered the fundamentals, Rainbow demonstrates barrel rolls, performing a few in front of Crimson. He does his best to follow her lead. As Rainbow watches him, she notices he's still overcorrecting, but he’s making progress. They start working on barrel rolls together, developing a rhythm as they roll and weave around each other. Crimson hesitates for a beat and pulls away, concerned he might collide with Rainbow.

“Crimson, you’re not going to crash into me! Stop worrying, bro!” She shouts with a grin.

“But I can see that we're improving! Keep up the good work!” Rainbow cheers on as a follow-up.

Rainbow loops around to where she can see Crimson; he's still doing his rolls. They're slower, but he's speeding up.

"You're doing great! Now try some looping!" she shouts out.

After giving him a brief moment to gather his focus, she took off, her wings propelling her forward as she zipped in his direction. With a swift, practiced motion, she soared above him, tracing a graceful loop in the air. Crimson nods, and he quickly begins a loop. Rainbow does a double loop, and he mirrors it; she keeps repeating until they are practically flying in sync. Rainbow grins at Crimson and, with playful energy, flies a figure-eight pattern in excitement,

‘He's getting better!’

“Since we’re matching each other already, let's do some synchronized flying, just keep following my lead.” Rainbow shouts with a grin.

With that, the mare starts climbing altitude once more, and Crimson is right behind her. Rainbow performs a couple of simple moves first, such as a spin and a quick loop; Crimson follows suit, though he closes the loop sooner than Rainbow. After a few more loops and some turns, Rainbow becomes more pleased with Crimson’s progress.

After the synchronized flying is done, Crimson and Rainbow catch up while just flying together. Crimson shares his experiences of joining the Royal Couriers. At the same time, Rainbow talks about her time at the Wonderbolts Academy, her journey to becoming a reserve member of the Wonderbolts, and her close friendship with Scootaloo.

"I can't believe you are in the Wonderbolts Reserve; that's so awesome!" Crimson exclaims.

Rainbow Dash revels in the praise and smirks smugly.

"Yeah, it’s pretty awesome; I'll become a full member in no time." she says boastfully.

“And that Pegasus filly you said you took under your wing, Scootaloo, right? She sounds awesome with how perseverant she is!” Crimson says with a smile.

“You bet she is!!” Rainbow says excitedly.

As they gain altitude for another loop, she glances at him. She wants to ask about the mare Crimson was with during the accident. Rainbow isn't the nosy type, but she feels very curious about it. ‘When he’s ready, he’ll tell you the whole story.’ She decides to ask something else.

"So Stride, how many royal couriers are there? I can't imagine Princess Celestia needs that many." she inquires.

"Not counting the Marshals or the prospects, there are now nine of us, split into three teams; a marshal leads each team," Crimson responds.

"What do you mean by 'now nine of us'?" Rainbow asks.

"Previously, there were only six couriers: The Applewood Station and The Manehattan Station. However, since the reappearance of the Crystal Empire, a station was set up for them; the Crystal Pegasi they got as couriers are crazy good; they have been breaking all kinds of records." Crimson Stride explains as they weave around each other.

Rainbow Dash takes another glance at Crimson as they finish a roll.

"So who's in your station?" she asks.

"There's Marshal Cobalt Swift, who's also my uncle on my dad's side, despite his rough looks, he's very jovial and kind, and there's Wayward, she is very cheeky but also very sweet, and there’s Backtrail, very laid back but very reliable," Crimson says while the pair do another loop.

Crimson sighs as he recalls his colleagues.

"How they can put up with me is incredible, especially with how much slack Wayward has to pick up from me because of my flying skills," he says quietly.

"Hey, you aren't so bad, you've been doing pretty good so far!" Rainbow says with a grin

Crimson smiles back.

A group of ponies has started watching Crimson Stride, and Rainbow Dash do their training. They are Rainbow's friends: Twilight Sparkle with Spike by her, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. The group looked in awe as the two pegasi flew together in rhythm.

“That’s some slick flying; he’s keeping up with Rainbow!” Spike exclaims

"Whoa, yeah! Stride's really gettin' it," Applejack marvels.

"Why, they look as if they are dancing in the air!" Rarity says in a dreamy tone.

"And they both look like they are enjoying flying together again," Fluttershy states softly.

Pinkie Pie bounces up and down excitedly.

"I'm seeing major sparkage up there too! They're having sooo much fun! This is the best!" she exclaims.

Twilight Sparkle smiled widely; she admittedly didn't know Crimson Stride that well back when she lived in Canterlot; he was always more one of Shining Armor's friends, but even she knew back then Crimson was a great flier while he was in the Canterlot Academy. However, that accident changed him. She and her brother barely saw him after that, and then one day, Crimson's family left Canterlot without a word. But now he was on the road to recovery with the help of one of her best friends, Rainbow Dash.

While completing a figure-eight loop with Rainbow Dash, Crimson Stride notices that Rainbow's friends are spectating the training he and she are doing together. A tinge of nervousness washes over him, but one glance at Rainbow makes the nerves dissipate. He flew over Rainbow's friends and waved at them, ‘They are my friends too now. I'm not flying solo anymore.’

Crimson Stride returns to flying at Rainbow's side; she looks back at him with a confident smile.

"Let's try one more thing then we can take a break with our friends," she calls out to him.

"Sounds good! What ya got in mind?" He calls back
Rainbow gives a friendly smirk

"If you are up for it, let's do a diving loop!" she shouts as she climbs altitude.

Crimson hesitates for a moment, but a determined expression appears on his face. ‘I am not going to disappoint her again.’

"Yeah, I'm ready, let's do it!" he shouts as he follows Rainbow's lead.

They fly higher and higher until all of Ponyville comes into view. Rainbow Dash stops climbing, folds her wings slightly, and starts diving, and Crimson Stride follows after her. He feels the wind rush past him, his heart beating fast but not in anxiety-induced terror; instead, it is an exciting feeling he hasn't felt in forever. It was the same feeling he had when he saw Rainbow pull off that amazing sonic rainboom during Summer Flight Camp all those years ago. Crimson feels a sense of dread wash over him, but he pushes through, ‘Not this time,’ he continues following Rainbow. As the two get closer to the ground, they level off and start pulling up. Crimson feels the drag as he pulls out of the dive, and he then notices Rainbow is already pulling into the loop. They pass by, and their eyes meet; she's smiling, Crimson smiles back as he does his loop, and the two Pegasi land together. Crimson starts panting, but not from anxiety but from simple exhaustion.

Rainbow Dash was panting a little as well. She turned to meet Crimson Stride's gaze. The dive was a bit more intense than she intended for Crimson, but she couldn't help but feel proud. He didn't lose control again.

"How's that for a first lesson?" she asks playfully.

Crimson simply returns her grin while Rainbow's friends gather around the pair.

"That was amazing, Darling. Bravo!" Rarity exclaims.

"Yeah, and you didn't have a weird freakout midair either!!" Pinkie Pie says while up close to Crimson's face.

Applejack elbows Pinkie Pie in the flank, and the Pink mare gets the message and backs away from Crimson Stride with a friendly, apologetic smile; Crimson returns it with a slight chuckle.

“It was some mighty fine flying there, Crimson Stride,” Applejack adds with a warm smile.

Fluttershy walks up to Crimson and gives him an encouraging smile

"You did great today, Crimson," she says kindly

"Thank you, Fluttershy," he replies softly

Twilight Sparkle approaches Rainbow Dash and Crimson Stride

"That was some wonderful flying, Crimson!" she says, grinning

"How are you feeling?" She adds

Crimson Stride pauses before responding

"Better than I have in a while, thanks to Dash here," he says with a grin while looking at Rainbow.

Rainbow gives a playful bow, and Twilight giggles at her friend.

‘They are getting along quite well too.’

Applejack looks at the two pegasi with a cheerful smile as she picks up a picnic basket.

"I figured all that fancy flying would give y'all an appetite, so I made lunch," she cheerfully says while gesturing with the basket and looking at Crimson’s amber eyes with a smile.

Rainbow Dash and Crimson Stride share a grin.

"Thanks, AJ!" she shouts

"Yeah, thank you, Applejack," he says politely

They open up the basket, and they begin enjoying the food with the group of friends.

"The picnic is nice; you sure did a great job, AJ," Twilight said after swallowing down another bite of the sandwich she was holding.

Applejack smiles, and she nods.

"Shucks, thank ya," she responds.

Rainbow glances at Crimson, who is now being somewhat forcefully served an abundance of baked goods by both Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She laughs a bit to herself, 'It's nice seeing him be more relaxed around us.’ As she watches Pinkie Pie offer another cupcake and Applejack offer another slice of apple pie to Crimson, Rainbow notices Twilight approaching her.

"You are doing well with Crimson, Rainbow," Twilight said, giving her a soft smile.

Rainbow Dash gives her friend a smirk as she picks up another apple tart.

"Told ya I'd be a great teacher!" Rainbow replies with that smirk.

Twilight playfully rolls her eyes at Rainbow's bragging.

After the lunch break and their friends leaving to continue their day, Rainbow and Crimson continue their training without further incident. Rainbow admires Crimson's quick progress, but they still have a ways to go. Crimson is still overthinking some of the stunts instead of just letting his natural flight instincts take over, but he's improving, and he will get there with her support.

As the day winds down and their training session ends, Crimson Strides bids Rainbow goodbye and flies out of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash feels proud of herself but also a little sad that the training with her friend ended for the day, but she shakes it off and finds herself smiling as she sees Crimson pull off a loop on his own before disappearing behind a mountain.

***