The Rainbow That Never Was

This was it. Today was finally the day. Rainbow Dash could hardly contain herself as she prepared to head out to the Ponyville Stadium; it was really just some stands to the side of a field, but everyone called it a stadium.

    “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is actually happening!”  She did one last check through her bags to make sure that she had everything. Goggles? Check. Book, in case there was a wait period? Check. Enough bits to buy lunch with? Check. “Looks like that’s everything I’ll be needing.” She trotted towards the door of her home in the clouds, but stopped in her tracks. “Fluttershy. Not so check.” She winced at the realization that she’d almost forgotten her friend, the friend who she had said could sleep in. “Why in Equestria did I do that? I should’ve known I wouldn’t remember.” She put a hoof to her forehead, sighing.

    “Of all days, today just HAD to be the day that I sleep in.” Rainbow Dash was to the door in seconds, turning on the spot as she left her house and shooting towards the cottage where Fluttershy had taken up residence. She’d already been pushing it, but to get to the airfield on time now, she’d need to break some records. Fluttershy’s house was and all, but compared to everything else, it was so out of the way that it took time to reach. That was some time Rainbow didn’t have right now. Straining her wings, she pushed out an extra burst of speed, grimacing at the strain. “I’m not going to miss this chance, and I’m not going to let Fluttershy miss this chance, just because I slept in!”

    Setting an impressive pace as she flew over Ponyville, Rainbow pushed herself even harder as she closed on the Everfree Forest. dodging to the right of the main path, she skimmed over a patch of tall grass as the cottage came into view. Putting out her hooves to brace herself, she touched down, sliding across the empty yard of Fluttershy’s home. She looked sheepishly at the grass she had torn up with her landing, before deciding that there were more important things to worry about right now.

    “Fluttershy! We need to get going!” Rainbow reached a hoof up to knock on the door, but before she got the chance, the door swung open. There was Fluttershy, completely ready, and looking as confident as ever. “Wha... how are you...” Rainbow muttered breathlessly.

“I’ve been flying with you for eight years, Rainbow, I was pretty sure you wouldn’t be on time, so I got ready for when you finally did show up.” Rainbow Dash blushed, embarrassed that she had such a reputation for being late.

“Whatever, that doesn’t matter now. We’ve got something like five minutes before we’re supposed to be there, and ready. That means we need to start flying right NOW.” Without waiting for a reply, Dash took to the skies, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust on Fluttershy’s welcoming doormat.

    Fluttershy shook her head. She’d always been amazed by how well Rainbow seemed to take control of a situation, even when things were going wrong. She might not be punctual, but she was a good leader. Quickly, she pushed off the ground, flaring her wings out to catch a gust on the breezy day. She was quickly picked up, giving a few flaps to get herself going. She quickly picked up speed, gaining slightly on Rainbow Dash, who was waiting for her to catch up.

“C’mon, we’ll be late if we don’t pick up the pace!” With that, Dash was a streak off into the distance. Rainbow looked back to see that this had produced the desired effect, as Fluttershy was straining as hard as she could to catch up to Rainbow now. It almost felt cruel, knowing that Fluttershy couldn’t catch up, but if it would get them to the field faster, it was worth it. She looked forward again in time to just barely dodge a tree. “That’s it, I’ve gotta focus on what’s in front of me.” Despite this, she found herself looking back to check on Fluttershy every once in awhile, to make sure that she was still following.

At this point, the field was just coming into view. Ponies were already starting to file out onto field, many dressed in tacky jumpsuits. “Fluttershy, see that door down there?” She pointed a hoof down towards a double door on the side of one set of stands. “Just aim for that.” She shouted over her shoulder, hoping Fluttershy got the message.

Rainbow banked sharply, folding in her wings and dropping. She watched the ground carefully, opening them at the last possible second, her hooves skimming across the top of the grass. Looking ahead, she gave a flap of her wings, maintaining the altitude to make it through the fortunately open door. She landed quickly, dashing to the nearest free locker and unshouldering her bag, tossing it quickly into the metal box. She heard a rush of air and turned to see a heavily breathing Fluttershy land just a few feet from her. “Hurry up and find a locker, and get ready to go out there.” Rainbow reached into her bag, fishing out her all important flight goggles, slipping them over her head so that they hung around her neck.

“Are... are you sure we can do this?” Fluttershy asked quietly, her confidence beginning to waver.

“Fluttershy, there’s no way we can lose. The two of us are something special out there; we’re in a different league than those ponies out there.” Rainbow could see that hadn’t had the desired effect. “Look. Just trust me on this, you’ll do great out there.” She said, her voice flat and serious. At this, Fluttershy visibly stood taller, her eyes regaining some of their surety.

“Thanks... I... I really needed that.” Fluttershy said softly, before sliding her goggles down from where they rested on her forehead.

“Now, let’s get out there and kick some tail!” Rainbow had come back down from one of her serious moments, and was ready for some action. Practically Dragging fluttershy out of the smooth tiled room, she dashed out onto the field. “What’s this? Who could this last minute entrance be?” The announcer asked excitedly. “It’s the new local team, The Thunderbirds!” He drew out the last syllable, somehow multiplying the crowd’s excitement.

“You hear that Fluttershy? They’re cheering for us.” She placed a hoof on the yellow pony’s shoulder. “They’re cheering for you.”

“For... me?” Fluttershy asked, acting as though the idea was a completely foreign one.

“Yeah, for you. They all can’t wait to see how much better you’ve gotten at this.” The yellow pony looked around, seeing the crowd in a new light. She was soon interrupted from her reverie by the sharp whistle of the official, as the first team was called. “Will the Supreme Swallows please take the field.” He announced through a megaphone. Three pegasi in tattered brown and black outfits walked out into the middle of the field. All the other teams, including Rainbow and Fluttershy, were led back to the locker room to wait for their turn. It was a strict policy in this kind of competition that the contestants do not see the performances of those that go before them, to keep idea theft to a minimum. In theory, it wasn’t a bad idea, but in practice, it created a lot of bored pegasi.

    Truth be told, it wasn’t the almost showing up late that was the really killer. It was the waiting. Team after team, the other ponies were called out onto the field to the roars of a modest crowd. Each team only took a few minute before they headed to the sidelines, benching themselves until the competition was over. To Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash though, it felt like hours. The wait dragged on, and each round of cheering they heard from outside slowly chipped away at their confidence. Rainbow Dash kept acting as sure as ever, mostly for Fluttershy’s sake, but she found that her own confidence was slowly beginning to wane. ‘If we have to wait much longer, one of us is going to lose our nerve...’ She thought to herself, pacing around the locker room.

    By this point, only two teams remained. Apart from the Thunderbirds, another group of five ponies was also scattered around the room. The Red Condors seemed very independent from each other, as each occupied themselves at different corners of the room. Looking around, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help be feel disappointed in their sense of comradery this close to the competition. “A team should be spending this time together... Building each other up for what they’re about to do.” She mumbled under her breath. “These ponies though....” Rainbow jumped as the official poked his head into the room.

“Condors. Hurry up and get out here.” The five ponies looked at each other, making a dash to be the first out the door. In their haste, two of them actually collided in mid-air, flapping dazedly through the door.

    Rainbow Dash sighed, laying face up on one of the benches, her front hooves dangling down to the hard floor. “Did you see the way they just acted? There’s no way they stand a chance of doing anything out there.” Fluttershy nodded in silent agreement, obviously having a resurgence of her old stage fright. “Don’t sweat this Shy, you’ll do just fine out there, like I told you earlier. You’re a great flier, you might even be better than me.” Dash wasn’t quite sure if that last bit was the truth, but what harm could it do to make her friend all that much more confident in herself.

“You.... You’re right Rainbow. I’ll do my best.” Fluttershy’s voice hardened as she regained some resolve, her shoulders moving from a hunched and shy position to a point where she stood tall and ready, if not confident.

    “That’s the attitude. You just have to believe in yourself.” Rainbow said as she placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “All you need to do is trust that you can do something, and you’ll be able to do it.” Fluttershy smiled nervously at Rainbow Dash.

“Believe... Believe... I CAN do this.” She said proudly, her nervousness starting to fade altogether.

    “Thunderbirds, you’re up next!” The official's shout came. Rainbow flashed Fluttershy a confident smile. “Let’s go knock some horseshoes off.” As Fluttershy walked up next to her, the two of them nodded at each other. Rainbow pulled her goggles up from around her neck, placing them firmly over her eyes, while Fluttershy tapped hers, letting them drop down onto her nose. With that, the two of them walked out of the doors, onto the field, and into the bright, windy day.

    There was an expectant silence from the gathered ponies, a patient air about them as the announcer introduced the final group, the Thunderbirds. The two ponies’ eyes were invisible through the glare of the sunlight off of their goggles, and compared to the other groups, their nonexistent uniforms made them seem somewhat drab and uninteresting. They were all about to be in for a big surprise.

    Rainbow gave Fluttershy a confident grin as the two of them flapped up into the air. As soon as they reached the starting altitude, ten meters off of the ground, the official blew the whistle, signaling that their time had started. The two of them looked to each other. “Remember, just like we practiced.” Rainbow Dash whispered before giving a powerful flap of her wings, she launched off from the starting position. Fluttershy inhaled deeply, calming herself, and following suit, flapping off in the opposite direction. Though nervous, she flew with all the grace that her swan feather cutie mark could afford her, pulling up as smoothly as a pegasus could ever hope for.

    The two of them curved upwards, slowly tilting backwards. Flying a large arc, the two of them flapped steadily to gain altitude, sloping up until they looked straight to the sky. They kept tilting though, continuing their circular arcs as they began to near the turning point of the circle. Time seemed to slow as the two of them passed daringly close to each other, the feathers of their wingtips brushing as they reached the top of their loop. Picking up speed, they began their downward swoop, both arcing towards their point of origin. As the two of them whizzed through the air. Speeding up, the two of them blurred past their origin, pulling their wings close to their bodies and executing a flawless corkscrew, spinning over and over again as they slowly neared the ground below.

    At the last second, both ponies flared out one wing, using the drag to pivot themselves back around, the other wing shooting out from their bodies to halt the turn. Bracing themselves, both ponies gave a mighty flap of their wings, launching themselves headlong at each other. Moving with blinding speed, the two of them avoided another near collision, the awareness of both ponies as to the location of their partner leaving the crowd in awed silence. The kind of coordination that these two had was something that took more than hours of practice, it took a kind of connection between teammates that only comes along once in a very long while. Even the other contestants looked on in stunned amazement.

    Quickly pulling up after passing each other, the two ponies flew straight for the sky, backs mere feet apart. Both moved to their right in unison, faking a counterclockwise rotation before doubling back. Moving counter-clockwise, the two of them began a corkscrew, flying up into the air as they revolved with grace and speed. The higher to duo flew, the tighter the corkscrew became, the beating wings of the two only inches apart, and drawing ever nearer.

    As their feathers scraped against each other, high above the stadium, Rainbow Dash opened her mouth “Remember, this next part has to be perfect, or we’ll be in serious trouble.” She reminded Fluttershy, who gave a simple nod in response to the warning. Breathing deeply, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a second, waiting until she could feel Fluttershy’s back against hers. “Now!” She gave the command, and the two of them clasped hooves, their wings folding to their sides. She could feel Fluttershy shaking, although her nervousness didn’t show. “It’s alright Fluttershy, we’ve practiced this a million times.” She consoled as they began to lose speed, the rush of wind through past their ears quieting to a soft whisper.

    The duo hung in the sky for a few seconds, and each was sure that she could hear her own heart beating in the peaceful silence. A confused murmur came up from the crowd below, the ponies being completely unsure about what to expect. “This is it.” Rainbow Dash muttered, the two of them leaning to the side in unison, flipping the formation over so that their noses pointed a path straight towards the ground below. Gravity began to work its magic as they began to plummet through the sky. They began to rotate like a giant drill, slowly at first, but picking up speed as the wind whipped by them. The two distinct figures began to blur into one, a large spinning cone that flashed yellow and blue faster than the eye could follow.

The ponies below let out a collective gasp as they saw this act of daring do, leaving the other contestants baffled. This gasp of awe quickly turned into cries of worry, as the pair continued their rotating course, getting closer to the ground and showing no signs of stopping. The two created a swirling path through the air as they reached top speed, whistling loudly as they plummeted. The two were only 50 feet from the ground; Then they were 30; Then 20; Then 15; Then 10. At the last possible second, the kicked off from each other. In a split second, the colorful drill mutated into two ponies zipping away from the point where they had been less than a second away from impacting the ground. Quickly twisting from the upside-down position they had ended up in when the kicked off, they quickly righted themselves skimming the ground before pulling a quick pivot, turning on a bit. The two of them spread their wings in such a way as to stop their backwards motion, using the air that rushed by them to slow their glide.

Both of the drifted down to the ground, still going considerably fast, a perfect four-point contact that resulted him them sliding for a good distance before they came to a stop. The crowd was silent. The Thunderbirds panted heavily. The crowd cheered. Rainbow Dash looked around, seeing all the ponies that were cheering for what THEY had just done. She looked to Fluttershy then, and saw a look of self-confidence on her face; it was the kind of confidence that came from within, not from the urging and encouragement of a friend. Before long, her eyes were drawn to the bench where the other teams were sitting. Rainbow Dash was shocked to see that a good deal of them; at least half of them; were actually cheering for her! Had they really been that impressive?

    After the cheering died down, all of the fliers returned to the locker room to cool off. The judges were still trying to ‘decide’ who’d won, but most of the crowd already had their opinion firmly in place of who the winners were. To most of them, it seemed nothing but a formality that the judges should even have to meet.

    In the locker room, the Thunderbirds were getting some congratulations, along with some dirty looks. When one of those dirty looks was coming from a stallion in pink and brown spandex though, it didn’t quite seem to have the same effect as one might expect. “You were really something out there Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash said when the two of them were in a relatively quiet corner of the room. “I mean, we really cut that last maneuver close, but-” She was cut off quite suddenly by silky voice from around the corner.

“Both of you were ‘really something’ out there.” A white unicorn stepped around the corner, and beamed at them. “I’m Rarity, Darlings, I run a fashion company that started right here in this little town.” She explained.

“Aaaaaand?” Rainbow Dash asked, impatient for this pony to get to the point.

“I’m not the real focus right now though, I’m here to talk about you two.” Rarity quickly explained. “Me and one of my close friends had decided to come back to Ponyville for a bit. See the sights again, you know the thing. When we heard that there was a flight contest going on, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to see it. We don’t have many of those out in Manehatten, so we thought we’d check one out.” She rambled. “It’d been absolutely foooooooreeeeev-”

“Yeah, yeah, forever, get to the point.” Rainbow Dash cut in, sounding a tad bit impatient.

“Oh, yes, yes, of course. In short, we saw your act out there. We’ve never seen anything that combines grace and daring in quite that way. We can tell you’re going places, and we want to be the ones to help you get there. Let us be your sponsors.”