Blown Away

by JwuTheHeadcase

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life
Length: 12548

Alicorn Twilight Sparkle is recruited to join the Wonderbolts Academy.

Twilight Sparkle is invited to join the Wonderbolt’s Academy and excels as always, performing magnificent tricks due to her magical talent. But will she crush her friend's best chance at living out her dream?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-02 11:03:05 UTC

Destined for Greatness

Twilight Sparkle enjoyed the view below her as she soared over Ponyville. “It really brings up a whole new fascinating perspective,” she remarked.

“Eh, you get used to it,” Rainbow Dash said, lying belly-side up on a cloud. Twilight had asked her to supervise her flight practice.

“Are you even watching?” Twilight asked, coasting in a wide turn to face Rainbow Dash’s cloud.

“Yeah, you’re doing fine,” Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly as she turned the page of her Daring Do book.

“Rainbow, I asked you to supervise me because you’re the best flier I know,” Twilight said, landing on the cloud and pulling Rainbow Dash’s book down, staring her in the eyes. “What if something goes wrong?”

“Relax, Egghead. Flying’s totally safe. As long as you’re talking to me calmly, I know you haven’t fallen to your death yet,” Rainbow Dash turned around and continued reading. “Besides, you’re not even doing anything cool, it’s just slow coasting and wide turns. When you want to show off some real moves, then I’ll watch.”

“I’m just getting the hang of things. But I’m pretty sure I could do a loop de loop if that’s too boring for you,” Twilight smiled, taking off.

Rainbow Dash put her book down. “It’s a start,” she said as she watched her friend gaining altitude, ready to flip. “Try not to dive too deep, or you’ll have a hard time pulling back up.”

But her advice reached Twilight too late. The alicorn was losing altitude fast, plummeting towards the roof of a nearby building. “Pull up!” Rainbow Dash called.

“I can’t!” Twilight shouted back. “Rainbow, help!” Rainbow Dash took off, coasting downward at breakneck speed, catching Twilight moments before collision.

“Thanks, I guess I have a lot to work on,” Twilight said, drifting about with shaky wings as Rainbow Dash released her. “I just didn’t know I’d get so dizzy.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m probably gonna have to keep a closer eye on you,” she said.

Twilight shrugged. “Why don’t we call it a day? I’ll treat you to cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner for saving my life.”

The two ponies met up with their friends at Sugarcube Corner. “So Rarity, about those outfits I designed while I was a dressmaker… Did you get rid of them all or are there any you didn’t burn? I’d like to know what I did wrong,” Applejack was saying.

“Sorry, all of them went into the bonfire,” Rarity said. “But if you’d really like to know, I still have their image burned into my corneas- Oh Twilight! How was flight training?”

“I’ve… got a long way to go,” Twilight said, sitting down at the table.

“She can do the boring stuff, but she tried to do a loop de loop and almost crashed,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Twilight Sparkle? Is that Princess Twilight Sparkle?” Mr. Cake sprang up from the counter, scrambling over with a tea set. “Would you like some biscuits? Tea? Completely free of charge, of course, your Highness.” He bowed clumsily as his wife hurried over.

“Oh, Twilight, a Princess now! How exciting!” Mrs. Cake said, placing a tray of cupcakes on the table.

“Thanks, but I’d prefer you treat me like you used to… you know, before I became a Princess. This attention kind of makes me feel uncomfortable. Just think of me as Celestia’s student and nothing else, okay?” Twilight beamed.

“You were Celestia’s student?” Mr. Cake asked. “Oh my goodness, Honey!” he said to his wife, “Twilight’s even more important than we realized!” He turned back to Twilight. “Of course, anything for you, Twilight,” he said, bowing and exiting.

“Boy… talk about awkward,” Twilight said nervously. The table was silent for a moment. Twilight shifted her weight from hoof to hoof before taking a bite out of a cupcake.

“Mr. Cake sure is crazy,” Pinkie Pie said, breaking the tension. “Of course you know we still see you as our friend, right?” She hugged Twilight.

“Wings or no wings, you’re still our lovable Egghead,” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Now about those cupcakes you owe me…” Twilight pushed the platter of cupcakes over.

“Oh, Princess Twilight?” Mr. Cake said. “Deeply sorry to interrupt, but there’s a letter for you. It looks important.” He handed a letter over before bowing and retreating. His raised posterior knocked over a vase, spilling flowers and water on the floor.

“You know you don’t have to bow, right?” Twilight Sparkle said, turning her attention back to the letter. It was rather uncommon for her to receive letters through the mail system, as most of them were sent through Spike. “From the Wonderbolts… Dear Princess Sparkle,” she read aloud. “We cordially invite you to attend the Wonderbolts Academy, the best flight school in Equestria. Here you will hone your skills and earn a chance to join the Wonderbolts. I believe you are destined for greatness and this is where you will find it. Sincerely, Spitfire. P.S. Enclosed are a couple goodies to help you make up your mind.”

Mr. Cake returned dragging a large parcel. “Almost… forgot… Twilight’s… letter… came… with… this.” He said between grunts. Twilight walked over and opened it. A flood of Wonderbolts merchandise poured out.

“No way!” Rainbow Dash said, diving into the pile of loot. “There’s an autographed Soarin action figure! And Official Wonderbolts goggles!” She jumped on a pillow with a Wonderbolts design, fishing around a cluster of packing peanuts. “And six tickets to their next show! These have been sold out for weeks!”

“I’m not sure if I should really take them up on this offer,” Twilight said. “Do you think I’m ready for the Academy? Some of the things you described seemed a little difficult.”

“Are you kidding?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Everything in the Wonderbolts Academy is easy peasy. You’ll breeze right through.”

“Well, it’s not really my style to pass up an invitation to an academy,” Twilight mused. “Alright, I’ll go. Maybe I’ll improve my flying there.” She glanced at Rainbow Dash admiring the Wonderbolts Merchandise. “Go ahead and take anything you want. Just promise that you’ll help me out some more.”

Rainbow Dash beamed. “Of course I’ll help! And this time, I promise I won’t even read while I’m doing it. You’ll have my full attention.” She said, sorting through the loot. “Oh, found your pamphlet.” She fished a paper out from under a pile of packing peanuts and handed it to Twilight. “Looks like you're in my group. Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. This is gonna be so awesome!”

The Advanced Fliers

Twilight Sparkle woke up to find her bedroom window open and Rainbow Dash prodding her head with a hoof. “Rainbow? What are you doing here?” She yawned and stretched her wings, climbing out of bed to shut the window. The sun had barely risen and the air was frigid.

“Just making sure we have time for a personal tour before you get any training done,” Rainbow Dash said. “My division is the advanced fliers so we get up early to practice.”

“Alright, let me brush my hair and get some breakfast. You have anything to eat yet?” Twilight asked, heading to her nightstand. Rainbow Dash looked at her uncomfortably.

“Uh, you might not want to eat too much. And your hair’s gonna get messed up really fast,” she said. “The first day can be a little rough for the newcomers.”

“I’m not going to show up hungry with messy hair on my first day,” Twilight replied. “I need to make a good impression.” She finished combing her hair and headed downstairs. “Spike”, she called over to a basketful of blankets. “I’m going out and won’t be back for a while. Make sure you feed Owlowiscious, okay?”

“Feed… Owl…,” Spike mumbled, turning over in his basket. “Wha… no… but I like my moustache, Rarity…” It seemed as if he were still asleep. Twilight turned to Owlowiscious’ perch.

“You remind him, alright?” She asked. The owl blinked and hooted. Twilight headed downstairs, preparing a flower petal sandwich in a matter of seconds. She then proceeded to eat it incredibly slowly as Rainbow Dash watched.

“Will you hurry up?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight chewed for a moment, then swallowed.

“I read somewhere to chew your food and eat slowly before rigorous exercise,” she explained. Rainbow Dash groaned, plopping down in a chair and pulling up a nearby Daring Do book. Two chapters later, Twilight finally finished eating her sandwich.

“Great, let’s go. There won’t actually be enough time for the full tour so I’m going to have to rush over a few things,” Rainbow dash said, flying out the window. Twilight smiled at her enthusiasm before calmly hanging a bookbag on her shoulder and leaving through the front door.

“It’s not really that far away, if I remember correctly,” Twilight said, catching up to her friend. “It only took us half an hour to reach it by balloon.”

“You have wings now, who needs a slow old balloon? The Academy’s right over there,” Rainbow Dash pointed at a spec in the distance. “I wake up late all the time and I’m never late for practice.”

Gliding proved to be much faster than balloon travel, and in just five minutes, the two ponies touched down at the entrance to the Wonderbolts Academy. Twilight stepped around the clouds for a moment, enjoying the feel. “These clouds are a little stickier than I remember,” she remarked.

“Yeah, they’re sturdier too, so we use them for building things,” Rainbow Dash said. “So, since last time you were here, you were attacked by a stray tornado and didn’t get a chance to see the academy, let’s take a quick look around.” She flew up to the main building.

“This is the main office where the Wonderbolts handle paperwork. Rumor has it that Spitfire sleeps in there too,” Rainbow said. Twilight took a moment to peek in a window, where she saw a Wonderbolt resting on a hammock.

“Over here are the obstacle courses. They range from butterfly to dragon and have everything in between. And there’s the high score chart for each course,” Rainbow Dash continued, gesturing. Twilight took some time to look at each one. The butterfly course had rings of basic white clouds whereas the dragon was filled with foreboding-looking storm clouds. The scoreboard was prominently displayed near the entrance of each one.

“You’re at the top of each list,” Twilight said, looking over the scoreboard.

“Oh really? I hadn’t noticed,” Rainbow Dash grinned, casually peering over Twilight’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, they’re a lot easier than they look. It looks like the first couple students are finally showing up.” A small crowd had begun forming at the office entrance. Rainbow and Twilight flew over to join them as Spitfire came out from her office.

“Good morning everypony. I see we have a new recruit. Let’s all welcome Princess Sparkle,” she regarded Twilight. Every head in the crowd turned.

“Just Twilight’s fine,” Twilight Sparkle said, blushing at the attention. Spitfire nodded and made a note in her clipboard.

“Well, then. Normally we start new fliers off at the songbird course, but I’d like to really see what you can do. The Wonderbolts could use an Alicorn like you. I’m putting you in the advanced fliers group with Rainbow Dash. You’ll be practicing for the dragon course. Courses are run every Thursday,” Spitfire said. “Will that be alright, Twilight?”

“That gives me… three days to practice. I’m confident in my abilities,” Twilight Sparkle said, wincing a little at the thought of all those thunderclouds. She was used to difficult requests by her mentors and always strived to please.

“Now that the formalities are over, let’s get to training,” Spitfire ordered. “Think we’re letting you go easy just because it’s early? Ten laps around the Academy! Let’s move, ponies!”

Twilight found herself caught in a flurry of pegasi. She took off clumsily, trying to pace herself with the slowest ponies for the first couple of laps. It was faster than she was used to, but still manageable.

“And done!” Rainbow Dash said, landing and striking a pose. Twilight was still on her second lap, and falling behind. As more and more ponies began finishing their laps, Twilight found herself to be the only one left in the sky. She finished alone, out of breath, and in last place.

“Ten minutes for the warm up…” Spitfire said. “That’s an academy record. In the wrong direction. This isn’t good, Twilight. Are you sure you’re up for the advanced fliers? We could bump you down a notch… to basic training.” She gestured over to a fenced off area, where a Wonderbolt could be seen helping wobbly young pegasi balance on clouds.

“I’m… okay. Just… getting warmed up,” Twilight panted. This was much harder than she thought it would be. Spitfire nodded.

“Okay ponies, break off into your divisions. We’ll be starting the week off easy today with some ins and outs around the track. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office,” Spitfire said, flying off towards the main building.

“C’mon, let’s move it, advanced fliers!” Rainbow Dash shouted, zooming off towards a nearby track made entirely out of clouds. A small group of ponies followed and began flying around as Rainbow Dash approached Twilight. “Ins and outs are where you drift slowly around the curved parts of the track and zoom forward on the straight parts. They’re pretty easy, so you shouldn’t have much trouble with them.”

Twilight nodded and joined the other ponies on the track. “It’s okay, Twilight, just hang in there,” she said to herself, and floated slowly around the curved portion. When she reached the straight part, she pushed forward with all of her strength, eyes closed with effort.”

“Hey, watch where you're flying with that horn,” a pony said, swerving to avoid collision.

“Sorry,” Twilight called back, stopping at the end of the track, slightly out of breath. “This isn’t so bad,” she thought to herself. “Excuse me, Rainbow? How many of these do we need to do?” she asked as Rainbow Dash floated by.

“We usually do about thirty or so. I’m on number ten,” Rainbow Dash casually replied, not showing any signs of fatigue. “Since it’s your first day, you could get away with doing twenty-five. And that’s full laps, so you’re on number… one half.” She reached the straight portion of the track and zoomed off.

Twilight blinked for a while, floating in place. “Keeping up with this advanced class is going to be a lot harder than I thought,” she said to herself.

“Will you move it already?” A pony asked behind her. “You’ve been drifting in the same spot for, like, five minutes!”

“Sorry!” Twilight said, rushing down the track. The storm clouds of the dragon course rumbled ominously in the distance.

Night School

By the time Twilight had finished her laps, the sun was low in the sky. She lay flat on her back, exhausted, admiring the alternative perspective of the sun setting from above the clouds. Rainbow Dash landed by her side.

“Finally finished?” Rainbow asked, lying next to her. Twilight nodded, transfixed by the sunset. “I take it you got through all twenty-five laps?” Twilight nodded again. Rainbow Dash followed her gaze. “If you stare at the sun too long, you’re going to go blind.”

“It’s just so beautiful. Ever since I became an alicorn, it’s like a whole new world opened up to me. I know it’s been like this for you your entire life, but you just can’t imagine how lucky I feel to be able to experience things like this… Things that no unicorn would ever see,” Twilight said. “And I have you to thank for it. Without your encouragement, I wouldn’t have gotten through my first day.”

Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, about that…” she said. “Do you REALLY want to stay here?” Twilight turned on her back to face her friend.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, “Of course I do. This place is wonderful. I can see why you like it here so much.”

Rainbow Dash turned away from Twilight’s gaze. “There’s something that you need to know, and it’s a little awkward to tell you now, but there’s really no time to waste.”

Twilight was very confused. “You’re not confessing your undying love for me or anything, are you?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You wish. Well, what I’m saying is… you need to step it up,” she said.

“Yeah, I know I need more improvement, but everypony learns at their own pace,” Twilight said. “I just got my wings three days ago… I’m not going to be an expert flier right away.”

Rainbow Dash turned back towards her friend and gestured. “You see those stormy clouds over there in the dragon course?” she asked. Twilight nodded. “Those are the clouds that you’re gonna have to fly through in three days.” The sunset had finished and the dragon course emanated an aura of foreboding against the blackened sky. “At the rate you’re going, you’re going to faceplant into the first cloud and get a faceful of lightning. At best. Ponies train for weeks, practicing on all the other courses before they even think about tackling the dragon.”

“But we don’t have weeks! We have three days!” Twilight said worriedly. “What can I do? Maybe I’m not ready for this…”

Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof, raising bits of cloud fluff into the air. “Hold it right there. Spitfire she saw something special in you to place you in the advanced fliers with me. I even see something special in you, and I have an idea. You do want to stay in the advanced fliers, right?” Twilight nodded. “And who’s the best flier in the academy?” Rainbow asked.

“You are,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. If stroking Rainbow Dash’s ego was the only way to keep her rank, then so be it.

“So, what do you say to some special one on one training after hours with the one and only Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow asked, smiling. “I’ll teach you everything I know about the course so you’ll get through easy peasy. Well, maybe not easy peasy, but with all of your feathers still intact.”

“You’d do that for me?” Twilight asked. “That sounds wonderful! When can we start?”

“Actually, that’s what I returned to the academy for. Everypony else went home hours ago. We’re starting right now,” Rainbow Dash said, pulling Twilight up.

“Right… now?” Twilight’s hooves were still shaking from the previous exercise.

“If you want to catch any amount of sleep tonight, we can’t do it any later,” Rainbow said, tugging on her front leg impatiently. “C’mon, let’s get over to the butterfly course.”

They made their way over to the easiest course, where Rainbow Dash pulled out a stopwatch. “I’ll time you as you make your way through, but don’t let the timer distract you. The numbers don’t really mean anything, so we won’t have a use for them…yet. Just make sure to give it your all.”

“Okay…” Twilight said nervously, shivering as a cool night breeze swept across her sweat-soaked mane. Rainbow Dash flew upwards, kicking a hole in the clouds so that moonlight illuminated the butterfly course.

“On your mark… get set… GO!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Twilight took off, flying as fast as she could. Despite being the easiest course, the butterfly course was harder than she had anticipated. “Look out on your right!” Rainbow Dash shouted as Twilight swerved to avoid a cloud pillar. “Pull up!” she called as Twilight approached a large solid-looking wall. “Last stretch, give it your all!” The last stretch consisted of a wide turn weaving in between archways of cloud and a long way to the finish line. “and… Time!” Rainbow Dash cheered.

If Twilight was tired before, she was exhausted now. Her body was completely drained of energy and she felt like throwing up. “Ugh…” she groaned, collapsing flat on a cloud.

“Hey, what are you doing? Get up, you’re not done yet!” Rainbow Dash yelled in her ear. “Oh alright, take a five minute break, and we’re doing it again, ten seconds faster!”

“But I thought you said the time wouldn’t be used for anything and to give it my all!” Twilight protested, muffled with her face in the cloud.

“I said it wouldn’t be used for anything YET. And do you want to improve or not?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Okay, that’s long enough, time to go again!” And so Rainbow Dash’s relentless training continued through two more repetitions before she was satisfied with the results.

“Well you’re still slow, but you’re improving,” Rainbow said. “Your time was four minutes twenty seconds the first time and we got it down to four minutes twelve seconds Twilight? Are you okay?” When there was no response, she turned to the patch of cloud where Twilight had planted herself earlier, but she wasn’t there. “Twilight?”

Twilight Sparkle was by the high scores board. “One minute four seconds,” she read, tears flowing down her cheeks. “By Rainbow Dash, on her first try…Rainbow, what am I going to do? I’m going to be demoted, aren’t I?”

Rainbow Dash flew over and comforted her. “Hey there, egghead. Do you trust me or not?” Twilight nodded, nuzzling her face into Rainbow Dash’s wing. “When I say I’m going to train you to fly the dragon course, do you believe me?” Twilight nodded again. “Well then, I’m going to train you to be able to fly the dragon course. Go home and get some rest. You’ll need it. Oh and meet me here again, same time tomorrow.” Rainbow Dash patted Twilight’s head and flew off.

A Dizzy Day

Twilight Sparkle couldn’t move from her bed. She blinked, struggled, and managed to budge herself an inch, instantly regretting it as pain shot through her body. “Ow…” she moaned, raising herself out of bed little by little. “Ow, ow…ow...” Ripples of pain coursed through her body as she stretched her wings.

Spike woke up. “What’s wrong, Twilight?” He asked, concerned. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?” He examined her wings. “Are you okay?” Twilight nodded, wincing as she moved her neck.

“I’m just a little sore. Rainbow Dash had me do some extra training…” Twilight trailed off as Spike ran over to her side and began massaging her wings. “Ow! Careful, Spike!”

“Will you relax already?” Spike grumbled. “It’ll get better soon, so you can leave for training and I can get back to sleep.” Twilight fought against the instinct to brace for pain and allowed her body to relax. Little by little, the soreness faded to a tolerable degree.

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said. “That helped a lot. How did you get so good at wingrubs?” Spike shrugged and headed back to his basket. Twilight went downstairs to get some breakfast as Rainbow Dash walked in through the front door.

“Are you ready to go yet?” Rainbow asked. “I gave you more time today so you could get all the boring stuff out of the way.” Twilight stared back at her, mid-bite with a mouthful of sandwich. Rainbow groaned. “Nevermind… I’ll just go read or something.” She pulled up her book from yesterday and started reading.

Twilight took even longer this time. Rainbow Dash said. “What’s taking so long?”

“Sorry, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I’m kind of sore from yesterday and it hurts to chew.”

“Sore? We don’t have time to be sore! Why not just ask Spike to give you a wingrub?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean he only charges five bits and he’s pretty good at it.”

“That actually explains a lot,” Twilight said. “Anyway, I’m ready to go now.” Twilight put her empty plate in the sink and exited through the front door, flying towards the academy. Rainbow Dash placed her book down and rushed off after her.

“You don’t have to pick me up every day if it’s that much of a hassle, you know,” Twilight said, drifting on a current. Despite Spike’s help, she still felt stiff.

“Are you kidding? Who knows how long you’d take if I weren’t there to bother you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Just think of me as your personal trainer.” She rushed forward. “C’mon, slowpoke, we’re gonna be late.” Twilight groaned, urging her sore wings to flap just a little faster.

Landing at the Academy, Twilight and Rainbow Dash noticed an air of discontent among the pegasi as they waited for Spitfire. “Dizzitron day?” Rainbow asked, nudging a nearby pegasus. He nodded glumly.

“What’s a Dizzitron?” Twilight asked Rainbow Dash softly, just as Spitfire arrived.

Spitfire addressed the crowd, “Good morning recruits! Today you will be tested on the Dizzitron. As for those of you who do not know what a Dizzitron is,” Rainbow Dash glanced at Twilight and smirked, “you’ll find out soon enough. Split off into your groups and head over to your stations.”

Twilight found Rainbow Dash amongst the flock of pegasi and followed her to what looked like a giant hypnotism device. “We strap you in, give it a whirl, and see how long it takes for you to right yourself. I can start you off on the lowest setting.” Rainbow Dash explained while setting up the device.

“I think I’d rather watch a demonstration first,” Twilight said, glancing nervously at the menacing contraption.

“Suit yourself,” Rainbow Dash said. “Dizzitron’s ready! So who’s first?” she called to the group of advanced fliers.

A light tan pegasus stepped forward. “Might as well get it over with,” he grumbled as Rainbow Dash helped him into the device. Without so much of a warning, Rainbow hit the switch and the machine began spinning with intense force. Twilight could only imagine how terrible the pegasus, now a light tan smear on a haywire carousel of red and white, felt.

“Alright, launching!” Rainbow Dash shouted, slamming the handle down of the contraption down hard. The pegasus shot out of the machine like a rocket, spiraling out of control. A short while later, he righted himself and landed nearby. “Fifteen seconds, not bad,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now who’s next?”

And so the crowd of anxious pegasi thinned out, slowly replacing itself with a crowd of tired, dizzy pegasi until only Twilight was left. “Oh, haha, is it my turn already?” she asked nervously.

“Look,” Rainbow Dash said. “If you can’t beat the Dizzitron, how do you expect to pass the Dragon course in two days? You can do this. Besides, it’s impossible to fail. All you need to do is eventually right yourself and land. Nopony’s going to keep spiraling out of control forever.” She helped Twilight into the Dizzitron and started fiddling with the controls. “Alright now, I just set it to the lowest setting. Ready when you are. And today, please.”

Twilight gulped audibly. “Ready,” she said in a small voice. The machine started up, accelerating quickly. Twilight groaned as she saw the world spinning before her eyes, feeling a strong G force tugging at her cheeks, her mane, and her tail. It was frightening, but oddly relaxing. And dizzy. Very dizzy.

Twilight barely heard a very faint “Launching!” and then she was hurtling through the air at breakneck speed. She struggled to right herself, but was too disoriented to do so. Which way was up? Where was the sun shining? She closed her eyes for a good five seconds and opened them, blinking lazily. As her vision finally came into focus, she realized what she was staring at. It was a tree, growing closer and closer at an alarming rate.

Twilight braced for impact, expecting sharp splinters of pain and leaves in places where she didn’t want leaves in (Namely, everywhere). The collision never happened. As Twilight hurtled to her doom, her horn lit up instinctively and showered her in its magic, righting her spiraling body, slowing her speed to a safe, lazy, crawl, and positioning her properly for flight.

Rainbow Dash flew up beside her. “You had me worried for a bit there,” she said. “But what was that at the end? Some sort of new flight magic you studied?”

Twilight blinked, still shocked by the event. “I don’t know. It just kind of…came to me.”

Rainbow Dash smiled, grabbing her friend by the shoulder and helping her back up to the Academy. “I think I might have an idea for your night training.”

Every Part of the Alicorn

A warm rush of air brushed past Twilight’s mane. She sat still on her hindlegs, calming her mind, focusing on the sensation of the cloud on which she rested. It was a soft, sticky cloud, damp, but firm. “Like how I felt after going home yesterday covered in sweat,” Twilight thought to herself. Her tail swished, gently brushing the cloud aside.

“You ready yet?” Rainbow Dash asked, poking Twilight’s head. “When I asked you to take a small break to get your magic ready, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Twilight lazily stretched and opened her eyes, blinking slowly a few times. “You can’t just rush a mind into a state of concentration, you know. But I’m ready now. What’s first?”

Rainbow grinned. “You’re going on the Dragon Course. Oh, and we’re already here. I moved the cloud you were on while you were asleep.”

“What! I can’t go on the Dragon Course already! I just barely passed the Butterfly Course yesterday!” Twilight said, staring worriedly at the ominous storm clouds that lay ahead. The dragon shaped course loomed angrily before her, dark against the fading crimson glow of the setting sun.

“Who’s the trainer here?” Rainbow asked. “We only have two days left, so it looks like we’re going to have to advance a little faster than I planned at first. Besides, we have a secret weapon.” Twilight blinked confusedly. “Your horn, duh!” Rainbow Dash said.

“But I didn’t even know what I was doing back there!” Twilight said, “I don’t know any flight spells. I don’t even think there are any flight spells!”

“Flight spells, schmight spells. You know what I saw back there? I saw an alicorn who was plummeting to her death save herself with magic. And now that same alicorn is telling me it was based on instinct alone. You may not see it, but I do. You’ve got the stuff it takes. And if it takes the life threatening Dragon Course to bring it out, then so be it.” Rainbow Dash said. “Now let’s get started before the sun sets completely. You don’t want to do your first run in the dark, do you?” She shoved Twilight off the cloud.

Twilight righted herself quickly and headed forward slowly. “Life threatening?” she called back.

“That was only twice! You’ll be fine!” Rainbow Dash called back. Twilight really hoped she was joking as she passed through the entrance.

Thunder boomed directly beside her as Twilight narrowly avoided an angry arc of lightning. “Rainbow, I think this is a little too dangerous!” Twilight shouted above the roar of the storm clouds.

“Calm down, you’re doing fine!” Rainbow Dash called back. Twilight flitted in between the rows of storm clouds, avoiding the lightning with an odd combination of luck and reflex. Her wings felt heavy, a little too heavy, soaked in a mixture of sweat and rain. She pushed onwards.

The next area was, oddly enough, completely free of storm clouds. Only a couple massive white clouds appeared to block her path. “Maybe they’re giving me a break,” Twilight muttered, flying slowly past the white cloud. As she passed, she felt an odd tugging on her right wing. The clouds were slowly but surely moving in a very particular pattern. Was that… a cyclone?

Twilight struggled, pinned between the massive cloud and the previously hidden cyclone. The cyclone grew closer and the cloud sped up. Twilight pressed herself against the cloud and pushed, fighting against the howling wind. Flap. The cyclone had sucked the rain right out of her wings. Flap. She felt the cloud give a little, but not nearly enough. Flap. She would be in deep trouble in the next couple seconds.

“Rainbow Dash! Help me!” She screamed as the strength vanished from her wings and the cyclone sucked her in. She burrowed into the cloud, hoping against hope that it would cushion her from whatever injuries she might sustain from being flung out of a cyclone, but the cloud was already being rapidly torn apart.

As Twilight spiraled out of control, a familiar sensation welled up deep within her and a shot of magic blasted out of her horn. Something had changed, but what? The world was still spinning. She was still dizzy. Wait, was the spinning slowing? The howling of the wind died down and Twilight was left resting on a spinning fragment of cloud, slowly coming to a halt. She reoriented herself and kept going.

It looked like there was one obstacle left. This last obstacle sure didn’t try and deceive her like the last one. One look at it made Twilight’s stomach reel. A massive cone of spiraling storm clouds lay before her, with the finish line at the top. Twilight took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and headed in.

It was a frightening cacophony of thundering barks, howling wind, and bright flashes as arcs of lightning reached towards Twilight, threatening to knock her out of the sky. She struggled, fighting against the wind that buffeted her from all directions, barely avoiding the lightning and cringing from the deafening thunder.

Twilight’s strength was running low. Maybe magic would help. She released herself to the mercy of the winds for a moment, letting the tiredness leave her body as she concentrated on the experience of the dizzitron. “Focus, Twilight. You’re spiraling out of control. Your back’s against the wall. Remember that feeling. You can do it. You can make flight magic.”

A familiar warmth welled up from within. “Yes,” Twilight whispered. “This is it…” She felt calm and excited, worried and proud as the spell built up in her horn. It felt just like the other instances, only this time, she was in complete control.

But just as the spell was about to leave her body, just before she could steady her flight and zoom through the cone of howling storms, just before Rainbow Dash’s warning reached her ears… just before all of that happened, Twilight Sparkle was struck by lightning.

Storm Clouds

When Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes, everything was still dark. “Rainbow Dash? Are you there? I can’t see!” she called, flailing with her hooves. Her foreleg brushed against something soft.

“Hang on, Egghead, try not to move. And calm down… you’re not blind. The sun set and the sky just clouded over. We’re on the ground now, so you can’t roll off and fall again,” Rainbow Dash could be heard from her left.

“Will I be okay?” Twilight asked. She didn’t feel any major injuries, aside from some minor aches and pains.

“Hold on for a bit, I’ll get us some moonlight. I didn’t really have time to see how bad it was when I was rushing to catch you,” Rainbow said. A couple seconds later, Twilight could hear some distant thudding noises as the sky cleared up. The moonlight revealed a dark black scorch mark on Twilight’s left side.

“Wow, that’s a nasty burn. Well, you aren’t bleeding, so that’s good,” Rainbow said, returning. “Can you stand up?” Twilight slowly stood with wobbly feet and nodded. “Good, can you spread your wings for me?” Twilight flapped her wings a couple of times. “Well, then. I guess you’re okay. I’m not going to put you through anything else tonight after what you’ve been through. Why don’t you let me fly you home, just in case anything acts up?”

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight said, “that would help a lot.” She took off and began slowly flying her way back as Rainbow Dash rushed ahead of her.

“Take it easy now,” Rainbow Dash said, keeping a close eye on Twilight’s wobbly flight pattern as they made their way slowly across the sky. “Maybe we should walk.”

“No I’m fine, besides if there’s something wrong with my wing, better we find it out here than on the Dragon Course again,” Twilight said. Her burn throbbed against the chilly night air.

A full hour later, they reached Twilight’s library. “You’ll be okay for the rest of the night, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. “And can you make sure you treat that burn? And…cover it up?”

“Don’t worry about it, I have Spike here. I’ll get plenty of rest and see you tomorrow,” Twilight smiled tiredly. “Why are you acting like this, anyway?”

Rainbow Dash shifted her weight back and forth uncomfortably. “Two things: One, which is probably the most important, we’re not supposed to… use the courses. Because ponies might get hurt… and that just happened, so please make sure you cover it up.”

Twilight nodded. “Unauthorized training… Probably should’ve guessed. Oh well, don’t worry, I’ve had to cover up worse. What’s the other thing?”

“It’s kind of a long story and you need some rest,” Rainbow Dash said, avoiding Twilight’s gaze and beginning to take off. Twilight stopped her by standing on her tail. “Oh fine… But if you tell anypony else… I swear…”

“My lips are sealed,” Twilight said. “Now let’s hear it.”

“Earlier today, when I put you on the Dragon Course,” Rainbow said. “I thought for sure that you could do it. I really did. And with each obstacle you passed, I felt more and more certain that I was right. I was all ready to celebrate with you when you would have passed, too.” She brought out a cupcake from her bag. “And then…” Rainbow Dash blinked noticeably for some reason, averting her gaze, “when you got hit… I couldn’t help but think it was all because of me.”

“Well, in a way, it was kind of…” Twilight trailed off. “Rainbow, are you crying?”

“Do you have any idea how horrible it feels to know that you hurt one of your friends? What if it had crippled you? Killed you? It would have been entirely my fault. I never should have put you in there,” Rainbow blubbered. Twilight patted her friend on the shoulder with a wing.

“It was your fault… but I forgive you,” Twilight said, “and I was the one who was struck by lightning, so stop beating yourself up.” She wrapped Rainbow Dash up in a full wing hug, being careful not to touch her scorch mark. “You know, despite being almost killed, I actually feel pretty lucky.”

Rainbow Dash stopped sobbing for a moment. “Lucky?”

“I have a friend like you who believes in me, takes risks for me, and saves my life on a regular basis,” Twilight smiled. “You really are the Element of Loyalty.”

The praise seemed to heal Rainbow Dash’s pride a little and she stood up straighter, backing out of the hug. “Yeah, well… remember to get your injury treated,” she said, flying off into the night sky.

“Deep down, she’s just a big softie,” Twilight said, turning her head back into the library, “okay, she’s gone, you can come out and help me now.”

Spike came rushing out with a first aid kit. “Thank god, who knows what she would’ve done to me if I walked in on her crying?” He tended to Twilight’s side. Twilight barely had time to grit her teeth as Spike spread what felt like liquid fire all over her burn.

“It’s some of Zecora’s medicine,” he explained. “She gave it to me in case anything ever happened. I guess this qualifies as ‘anything’.” As the burning sensation faded, the pain dulled to a gentle numbness. “And here, I guess you’ll need this.” Spike brought out a book on disguise magic.

“What would I do without you, Spike?” Twilight said, as she found the spell she needed and charged up her horn. The burn mark quickly faded until it was no longer distinguishable from the rest of her coat.

“Moan in pain on the floor as you applied foul-smelling medicine to yourself and looked for a specific book in an entire library?” Spike suggested, heading upstairs, presumably to sleep.

“Yes, thank you, Spike,” Twilight responded, rolling her eyes and heading up after him. She would enjoy this well-deserved rest.

Precipice of Disaster

Twilight could feel the cool wind in her mane as she nimbly avoided the clouds of the Dragon Course. Her fellow students cheered her on from down below. Rainclouds were of no trouble. Twisters were a walk in the park. The last obstacle, the towering pillar of thunder, seemed to cooperate with her efforts, leading her through.

“Congratulations, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash met her at the finish line. “I knew you could do it. I think you were even faster than my best time!” Thump. An odd noise could be heard, coming from nowhere in particular. Spitfire headed over.

“I guess you could handle it after all. Good work, Cadet,” she glanced at her clipboard. “Huh. Another academy record.” Thump.

“Thanks! Do either of you hear that?” Twilight asked, puzzled. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to answer, but was drowned out by another loud thump. “Wait… what?” Twilight asked, looking around. The white clouds that they had been standing on had turned dark gray. The academy was nowhere to be found.

“What just happened?” she asked, turning back towards Rainbow and Spitfire. They were nowhere to be found. Thump. Her side began to itch furiously.

As Twilight turned to inspect her side, the sun began to go down, quickly changing the sky from blue to red. A large smiling face made of rainclouds formed in the sky above her, one she recognized immediately. “Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked. Thump. There was that noise again.

The face frowned and opened its mouth, but all Twilight could hear was the howling of the wind. Thump. Bang. A loud clap of thunder startled her. The winds began to shake her back and forth against her will. The princess began shouting, “Twilight, wake up! You’re going to be late!”

Twilight Sparkle groggily opened her eyes as her mind returned to reality. “Wha… Rainbow?” Rainbow Dash was shaking her back and forth. Behind her were shards of broken glass. “Did you break in?”

“Sorry. I was tapping on the window forever, and I guess the last one was a little too forceful. What did you lock your window for, anyway?” Rainbow asked. “Anyway, Spitfire starts training in about five minutes, so you better hoof it. That burn get any better?” She pulled Twilight out of her sheets and stared at her side. The wound had already begun to heal.

“It’s fine, Rainbow… You don’t have to worry so much. Wait. Did you say… five minutes?” Twilight eyes widened. “But… but… I don’t have time to brush my hair. Or eat breakfast. Or...”

“Let’s GO,” Rainbow Dash dragged Twilight out of the window and they flew into the air. Twilight winced as her side throbbed painfully.

They arrived just seconds before Spitfire emerged from her office. “Good morning, everypony. Tomorrow is your chance to show us what you’re made of, so today will be recovery. Take it easy and perform your best tomorrow. Just one lap of the butterfly course for each of you. Two for the experienced fliers.” The ponies broke off into the groups and headed towards the course.

“First!” Rainbow Dash called, rushing through the starting line. She had finished her two laps before Twilight even reached the course. “Well I guess I’m done for the day,” Rainbow said.

“Showoff,” Twilight grinned, and headed into the butterfly course, taking it slow. Her wound didn’t hurt too much and she was able to fly normally, clearing the first and second obstacles with no problem. Now all that was left was a straight stretch to the finish and…

A pegasus rushing forward collided with Twilight, brushing her concealed wound. “Sorry!” he called, then stopped and turned around. “Are you okay, Princess Twilight?”

“I’m… fine…” Twilight said through gritted teeth. She had curled up her legs in pain, shuddering. Her side throbbed again before returning to normal. Finishing the lap, she headed off to take a rest.

“Stopping after just one?” Spitfire asked, approaching Twilight. Twilight instinctively covered her side with her wing and regretted it as the pain returned.

“Yeah, I’m just a little winded,” Twilight said, smiling sheepishly. As she turned away, Spitfire poked her in the side. Twilight fell down, writhing in pain on the floor of the cloud. “Ow…” she moaned.

“Rainbow Dash! What is this?” Spitfire asked. Rainbow flew down to join them, wincing at Twilight’s pain.

“I, uh…I don’t know?” Rainbow Dash offered.

“It’s just a stomach ache. I didn’t have time to get breakfast this morning and it hurt,” Twilight explained. With a stroke of luck, her stomach rumbled.

Spitfire nodded. “Oh alright, I guess I just mistook it for something else.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash collectively let out a sigh of relief. “Take care of yourself, Twilight,” she pressed an energy bar into Twilight’s hoof before taking off.

Twilight munched on the energy bar hungrily as Rainbow Dash examined her side. “You really did a good job of hiding it,” Rainbow said. “But it doesn’t look like you’ll heal up soon enough for the Dragon Course. Maybe you should call in sick.”

Twilight swallowed and turned to face her. “No way am I ever calling in sick when I’m not actually sick. I’ve never called in sick before. Not even when I was sick! I can’t miss a day of school, especially not one as important as this!”

“You’re that determined, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Determined or crazy,” she thought to herself. “Okay then. I have one last thing for you tonight. We’re going to try the Dragon again. But this time, I’m going through it with you. Anything happens, I’ll be right there by your side.”

Twilight nodded, finishing her energy bar. “I’m going to go do another run of the Butterfly. Maybe with a bit of luck, we can still get through this.”

Follow Suit

As the sun began to set, spreading a marvelous red-orange hue across the sky, Twilight stared into the mouth of the Dragon Course. “Maybe this was a bad idea…” she thought to herself. The thunder clouds rumbled back, as if in agreement.

Rainbow Dash landed beside her. “I think everypony’s gone now. It’s a little earlier than your usual time, but it would be a good idea to get us a little more daylight. This course wasn’t built for two, and we’ll need to coordinate if we want to pass through together.”

“So basically what you’re saying is… it’s more dangerous to go together?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. “You do remember I’m injured, right?”

Rainbow shrugged. “It’s not so much more dangerous as it is much harder, so we’ll go one after the other. It should be safer. If you get struck again, I’ll be right there to catch you.” She stretched her wings. “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Twilight muttered. “Let’s go.” The pair took off, flying through the starting line and plunging into the maze of rainclouds. Rainbow Dash dodged left and right, passing through easily, avoiding lightning like the experienced flier she was. She flew to the end and waited for Twilight to follow.

Twilight flinched at the sound of the thunder, recounting her previous experience. She took a deep breath, charging forward with all of her might. A tendril of lightning burst from a nearby cloud, a hand of pure energy clawing at her hoof. She swerved to avoid it, only to find herself on a collision course with one of the largest rainclouds in the course.

“Twilight, watch out!” Rainbow Dash said, preparing to turn back and help her friend.

“No, its okay, I can do it,” Twilight shouted at her. She wasn’t about to accept a handicap on the very first obstacle, especially not after she had cleared it the first time alone. Closing her eyes, she formed an elastic bubble of energy around her body, bouncing off the large storm cloud towards the end of the field.

“You’re going a little fast,” Rainbow Dash called as Twilight came closer. Twilight dispelled the bubble, flapping hard in the opposite direction and just barely managing to get her speed under control. Her side throbbed from the effort, and she hovered unmoving in the air for a while, waiting for the pain to fade.

“Great work, Egghead! I’ll see you past the next part. Here’s a tip: if you fly on the bare outer edge of the twister, you can use its wind to boost you to the third obstacle, cutting your time down by a good ten seconds. Though… that’s probably not what we’re trying to do today, since just getting through would be an improvement,” Rainbow said. “Oh, and the twisters are a little hard to see, so you’ll have to gauge their positions from the clouds.” She headed off towards the second obstacle, nimbly weaving between the large clouds, riding what seemed like an invisible current smoothly through to the end.

Twilight paused for a moment, taking in her surroundings. It was time to put that brain of hers to work. She wouldn’t get caught again like she did last time… she would need every drop of magic she could spare for the last obstacle, and that meant not wasting any where it wasn’t needed. Examining the large clouds of the twister portion, she planned a safe and simple flight path for her through the deceptively dangerous cloud pattern.

She took off, soaring gently, feeling the current tug on her wings. Instead of resisting this time, Twilight allowed it to overcome her, slingshotting her body towards another current, and another, dodging between clouds as Rainbow Dash did and making it through with little effort.

“That was great! You have the cloud-sense of a pegasus,” Rainbow said. Twilight’s smile from the compliment slowly faded as the last obstacle came into view, the cyclone of thunder storms.

“They call this part the Dragon’s Tail. It looks a lot scarier than it actually is. Maybe it’ll help you to know that the whole thing is just a bunch of wind and water,” Rainbow Dash said, noticing Twilight’s worry.

“And lightning,” Twilight said, looking to her injured side.

“That too,” Rainbow said softly. She stared at the twister for a while. “You know, maybe you should go first this time. If you get struck down, I’ll be right there to catch you.”

Twilight nodded. “It would be nice to have a safety net,” she said, steeling her nerves. “Alright, I’m going in.”

Twilight flew up to the edge of the Dragon’s Tail, thinking back to her last experience. She would prepare the spell beforehand this time, outside of the reach of the lightning. Charging up her horn, she readied her wings for flight.

But the feeling wouldn’t come. She couldn’t bring out the specific feeling she had when she was in trouble, that energy that was so different from normal spells: the energy that enabled her to cast flight magic.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to her side.

“Nothing,” Twilight said, “I’ll just be going in then.” It looked as if she would have to wing it.

Upon entering the cyclone, Twilight was immediately buffeted by the wind and rain from all directions. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed as she struggled her way up.

“Think about the last one! Don’t fight it, flow with it!” Rainbow Dash shouted to her above the noise. “It’s a series of circular currents; take them one at a time!”

“Surprisingly technical advice from a pony like Rainbow,” Twilight thought. She stopped to reconsider her flight path, and took off, allowing the current to barely touch her, riding it in a circle.

“Now don’t flap your wings. The current will carry you. Angle them so it carries you up to the next one. Watch out!” Rainbow yelled. Twilight swerved to avoid a shock of lightning that had come up in front of her.

She stopped flapping her wings, letting the current move her along like Rainbow described. It was a lot easier than she thought. Looking up, she saw a gap in the lightning, an opportunity for her to move up. When the right time came, she angled her wings, catching the current to pull her up a level in a smooth transition.

“You’re doing great! Keep it up!” Rainbow cheered from below. Focusing on dodging the lightning, Twilight managed to move up two more rings. There were only three left, then a narrow opening.

“Alright, you’ve gone far enough, I can go in after you,” shouted Rainbow Dash from down below. She quickly flew upwards, riding the currents with ease.

Twilight looked up at the exit, a patch of red-orange sky against the storm, so tantalizingly close. It was time to move. She dodged another bolt, advanced another level, repeating her previous tactic. She did it once more, and there was only one ring left. She was so close, and still had most of her magic left.

Pushing forward, Twilight Sparkle cleared the last ring, emerging from the Dragon Course tired, wet, and out of breath. All of the rain had washed away the paint that hid her injury. “You did it! You okay up there?” Rainbow Dash shouted from inside the cyclone. “I’ll be right up, I’m so proud of you!”

As Twilight took notice of her surroundings, recovering from her rigorous experience, she grew speechless. For standing in front of her was Spitfire the Wonderbolt.

Consequences

A thousand different thoughts, none of them good, raced through Twilight’s mind as she stared at Spitfire. Was she in trouble? Should she warn Rainbow Dash not to come up? Why wasn’t Spitfire saying anything? Spitfire stood silent, unmoving, staring straight at Twilight with an odd gaze. It wasn’t as harsh of a look as Twilight would have expected, rather a calculating, yet disappointed look… with a hint of something else.

“What’s up, Twilight? You haven’t said a thing since you finished…” Rainbow Dash said, trailing off as she noticed Spitfire. “Oh.” Her shoulders sank as she landed next to Twilight, preparing herself for the angry lecture that was sure to come.

“I am extremely disappointed in you, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire said, pacing back and forth. “Not only have you been using the courses without my permission, but you brought a new flier onto the most dangerous one and had her run through it unsupervised.”

“But I…” Rainbow Dash started.

“Not only did you bring her onto the course unsupervised, but she sustained an injury from lightning which you deliberately hid from me. How long do you think I’ve been flying? Don’t you think I know a lightning burn when I see one?” Spitfire demanded. Rainbow Dash seemed to grow smaller with each line she heard, cowering into a ball.

“As for you,” Spitfire turned to Twilight, softening her gaze. “I’m sorry…”

“Wait, what?” Twilight and Rainbow Dash simultaneously asked.

“I’m sorry for the recklessness of your flying partner. Had she gone to me first and asked for permission to use the courses, I would have granted it. I’m sorry that I couldn’t have been there to prevent your injury and guide you through a proper training. It was due to her foolishness that you were harmed,” Spitfire said as Rainbow Dash turned away. Twilight recognized that look. The tears would be coming soon.

“She was only trying to help. Rainbow Dash is a great flier,” Twilight said, defending her friend. “Besides, I went with her willingly, you can’t pin it all on her!” Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up.

“She is one of our most experienced fliers, but she isn’t a certified instructor yet and she didn’t follow proper protocol,” Spitfire said, glaring at Rainbow Dash. “Although… I must say I’m impressed.”

“What?” Twilight and Rainbow Dash simultaneously asked again.

“You flew for the first time less than a week ago,” Spitfire said. By now the sun had set and the moon lit up the course in ghostly silver light. “And today, I just watched you pass our most difficult course, a feat that many other pegasi who have flown all their lives couldn’t accomplish with months of training. That’s really something, I’m not denying it.” She paused for a moment in thought. “Alright, consider yourself lucky to have such a good friend, Rainbow Dash. Can’t say I’d feel the same way about a friend who leads me into a lightning storm. There will be consequences, of course, but I’ll take it easy on you.” Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight and smiled thankfully. Twilight nodded back silently, returning the smile.

“First of all, neither of you will be running the Dragon Course, or ANY course for that matter, for the next two weeks. One of you is in no condition for rigorous training, and the other one is going to have to take that as part of her punishment,” Spitfire said. Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief. She hadn’t been looking forward to another run of the Dragon Course anyway.

“Rainbow Dash… For using resources without permission and irresponsible handling of a new recruit, I’m demoting you to a regular advanced flier for two weeks. I will lead the advanced flier group in your stead,” Spitfire continued, “Trust me, it could be a lot worse.” Rainbow Dash nodded sadly.

“Twilight Sparkle… I see now that I was wrong to put you in the advanced fliers. You clearly weren’t ready for the tasks at hand, and it pushed you too hard too fast. Believe it or not, I can sense when a flier is overwhelmed. I’m going to put you in the intermediate flying group, two levels below the advanced fliers, headed by Skyward Storm. By now you’d probably be around his level if you were at full strength. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to get back up there with Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire said. Twilight nodded, thinking that these punishments were probably going to end up doing her some good.

“Alright, that’s it then. What are you two still doing here? Being on a course after hours without explicit permission is against the rules. Scram, you two. I’ll have some errands for you to run tomorrow while everypony else shows off their progress on the obstacle courses,” Spitfire dismissed them.

As they flew back towards Ponyville, Rainbow Dash bumped Twilight on the shoulder. “Hey, thanks for standing up for me. I don’t know what Spitfire would have said if she blamed it all on me.”

“You risked everything to help me. I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Twilight beamed. “Did you see it by the way? On Spitfire’s face?”

“I wasn’t really looking at her face. Why? Was there something hanging out of her nose?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight frowned.

“No, I meant her half-smile. She was smiling behind that stern look. Like she was proud of you, and didn’t really want to punish you,” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash’s face lit up.

“Well of course she was proud of me. No amateur flier would be able to fly through the Dragon Course within a week of enrollment in the academy without my help,” Rainbow said, seeming to forget her sadness at her demotion.

“I just hope nopony beats your time on the Dragon Course this week,” Twilight said, thinking it would be a good idea to boost Rainbow Dash’s ego just a little bit more.

“Ha! Beat me? They’d need more than my two weeks’ break to do that! They’d be lucky to catch up in two months!” Rainbow bragged. Twilight gingerly grabbed her friend in a hug, making sure to avoid contact with her injured side, and the two friends laughed, spiraling gently in a line across the night sky.

Pretty soon, they had reached Twilight’s home. “So anyway, what do you suppose Spitfire meant by errands?” Twilight asked.

“Beats me,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “she never had anypony do that before. Then again, nopony has ever broken so many records… I mean rules… before. My guess is it’s nothing too bad, but I’d still get a lot of rest. At least you don’t need to hide your injury. Anyway, I’m going to head off now. Night, Egghead.”

“Yeah, I guess. See you tomorrow,” Twilight said as Rainbow Dash turned and flew away.

Laundry Duty

“You want us to what?” Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. Spitfire rolled her eyes and pointed Rainbow’s face towards the laundry room.

“You heard what I said. I’m going to go supervise the obstacle courses. When I get back, you better be finished,” Spitfire replied, walking out the door. Twilight emerged from the laundry room with a hamper full of dirty Wonderbolt uniforms.

“Might as well get started,” Twilight said, taking the clothes outside. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, grabbing a pile of laundry and following her out. “Mind helping me with the first batch? I’m still kind of new to this,” Twilight said.

“Okay, I’m only going to show you this once, so watch closely. First, you lay all the outfits flat out on the cloud. Make sure it’s a white, solid cloud. You don’t want to use those wispy ones,” Rainbow Dash took some time to spread the clothes out as Twilight nodded.

“Now bring a storm cloud over and jump on it lightly,” Rainbow said, pulling over a nearby storm cloud. She bounced up and down on top of it, causing a heavy downpour over the clothes.

“Last, we dry them off with some wind,” Rainbow Dash said, pushing the storm cloud away so the sun could shine on the laundry. She began flapping her wings at a very fast pace. A current blew over the clothes, drying them in the sunlight. The clothes looked much cleaner now. “Got it? Good. I’ll go get another batch.”

Twilight laid the clothes out on a nearby cloud, taking care to spread them flat. She flew off to get a raincloud, then stopped and turned back to the clothes. “Darn it…” she muttered as she returned to the cloud, spreading the clothes out so that they were equal distance apart from each other. She took another look at the cloud and began to beat on the sides, shaping it into a perfect circle.

“What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked, dumping a pile of clothes on Twilight’s cloud and ruining her organization. Twilight winced.

“Sorry, force of habit,” she said as Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’ll go get the raincloud then.” She selected a smaller raincloud and pushed it over, casting a shadow over the dirty laundry.

“Whoa there, careful!” Rainbow Dash said, pushing the cloud away. “That one’s got some lightning in it.” She kicked it with her hind legs and a bolt of lightning came out, vaporizing a nearby cloud and making Twilight jump. “There, now you can use it,” she said as she pushed it back in place above the laundry.

Twilight stepped gingerly on the storm cloud. Her hooves sank into the cold, wet material, sending a chill up her spine. She started to jump up and down, frowning as nothing came out. “Use more force,” Rainbow Dash called over her shoulder, tending to her own pile of laundry. Twilight’s frown deepened as she stomped harder and harder on the cloud to no effect.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out, missing Twilight’s tail by a hair and causing her to jump in surprise. Her injured side burned as adrenaline coursed through her body and her horn activated on its own, firing a bright purple beam of light into the center of the small storm cloud.

The cloud turned white as a torrent of water gushed out, nearly washing the laundry away. “That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anypony do that before!” She pulled up a nearby storm cloud. “Do it again!”

Twilight struggled, focusing on her horn, but all she could do was move the cloud around with her standard telekinesis. “Sorry, I think it was an accident,” Twilight said. “The lightning kind of startled me.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, turning back to her laundry. “Oh okay then, that’s alright. Hey why don’t you go stomp out the rain on the storm cloud above my clothes? I’ll take care of drying the pile you drenched, since you’re probably too injured to blow dry them properly.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash to give up so easily. “Sure, I’ll go do that then,” she said, flying over to the storm cloud. It was a much larger one than the one she had chosen. She daintily positioned herself above it, ready to step down when…

BANG! A bolt of lightning struck directly behind her, barely missing the tips of her wings. Twilight’s horn lit up, firing a bolt of energy into the sky, where it was absorbed by several rainclouds. She turned around to see Rainbow Dash with another storm cloud, presumably the one that had caused the lightning bolt.

“Rainbow!” she said angrily. “Why did you do that?”

“Being in danger activates your flight magic,” Rainbow Dash said, grinning widely. “I’m sure with enough training, you’ll learn to control it on your own. But for now…” She bucked the stormcloud she was carrying, destroying it and sending a bolt of lightning down next to Twilight.

Twilight squeaked and ducked as her horn lit up again, deflecting the lightning bolt into a nearby storm cloud. “See?” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight’s legs were shaking.

“Stop it, Rainbow!” she said as she brushed the bits of cloud off of herself. “What if you hit me?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve been doing this for long enough that I know how to aim,” Rainbow Dash said. “Remember last Nightmare Night?” she asked. Twilight glared at her. “Besides, look how pretty those are!” Rainbow Dash pointed at the clouds Twilight had accidentally struck. They had turned a soft violet color and glowed faintly.

“I don’t care! Just stop it!” Twilight shouted, stomping a hoof. The purple clouds spun around and fired lightning. “Huh?” she turned around, noticing the clouds.

“Wow...Could you do that again?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Sure, I’ll do that again,” Twilight said, smiling evilly. She pointed a hoof at Rainbow Dash. The clouds glided over and fired their lightning, striking directly beside her as Rainbow yelped.

“Hey, what’s all the fuss about? That laundry better be done!” Spitfire shouted as she came over. Twilight shook her head, clearing her thoughts. The storm clouds returned to their normal gray state.

“Sorry, just a couple stray bolts left in the clouds,” Rainbow said. “We’re almost done.” She waited until Spitfire’s back was turned, and whispered to Twilight. “If you still want to practice with me, we could meet at my house.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright, but nothing illegal this time, promise?”

Rainbow sighed. “Really, Twilight? You’re really doing this?” Twilight stared at her. “Oh alright! Fine, I promise.”

Cloud Control

With their errands finished, Twilight and Rainbow Dash left the academy, heading towards Rainbow’s house. As she watched the clouds drift past her, Twilight’s thoughts drifted back to her childhood.

“Bunnies,” she whispered, causing Rainbow Dash to turn.

“Huh?” Rainbow asked.

“My brother and I… we used to sit down on a large, grassy hill and stare into the sky. They always looked so small so far away, like bunnies. Later I learned they were just dust and water…” Twilight said. “It’s kind of silly, I know. The world just seems so magical when you’re young, and then…”

“You’re still young. And the world is very magical,” Rainbow replied. “It doesn’t matter what you know about it, the world still hasn’t changed. Just the way you look at it.”

“That’s… actually pretty insightful, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, smiling.

“What? Is that a tone of surprise? I’m not an airhead you know,” Rainbow said, coasting further ahead. Twilight sighed, trailing behind in silence for the rest of the flight.

They reached Rainbow Dash’s home, landing gently on the roof. “Alright,” Rainbow said, “now that you’re no longer with my group, you’ll be getting a lot of easier workouts. This might make you think that it’s a good time to relax, but you’ll actually want to work even harder now, or your body will get used to being soft. I know your side hurts, but hang in there, it’s only for one month more.”

“One month until what?” Twilight asked, puzzled.

“One month until the Wondershow, the annual Wonderbolts performance that includes every one of their students performing their best tricks!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Like a piano recital,” Twilight nodded. Rainbow Dash gave her a weird look.

“Uh, yeah, whatever. Normally, they kick off the show with a brand new stunt, but this year, they’re letting their best student be the opening act!” she said. “And we all know who that is.”

“Congratulations then,” Twilight said. “So all I need to do is learn an impressive trick? There’s nothing else to it?”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll be able to pull off anything as cool as a sonic rainboom, but we’ll work on something so you can wow the audience and look good,” Rainbow said. “which is why we’re here.” She pointed to the clouds around the roof of her home. “You have something no other pegasus has. A horn.”

“Umm, yeah. I think I’d know that, considering I was born with it,” Twilight said.

“You’re the only one of us who can move clouds without touching or blowing on them,” Rainbow said. “We’re going to work on that. I’m not too used to magic, though, so I don’t think I can be of much help in that. I do know a thing or two about clouds, though. These clouds over here” –she flew over and pulled a big puffy cloud towards Twilight- “are very soft, have almost no rain in them, but are still very damp. This makes them very good for shaping.”

Twilight flew over, sticking her hoof into the sticky wet material. “It’s kind of like clay, but really light,” she said. “I’m not much of the artistic type, but…” she poked and prodded the cloud, sculpting it into an animal shape.

“Is that Spitfire? No, it’s me? Fluttershy? You got the wings wrong, there… wait, those aren’t wings. Applejack?” Rainbow guessed as Twilight worked.

“It’s supposed to be a bunny rabbit,” she said, embarrassed. The finished result was in the crude shape of a bear with very large ears.

“Oh, you could just straighten the ears then… they’re not supposed to be pointed. And the tail is more fluffly… just a little…” Rainbow said, taking her turn at the cloud.

“That looks perfect!” Twilight beamed. “Much better than my attempt.”

“Well, I’ve been working with clouds for longer,” Rainbow said. “Anyway, let’s start with basics. Move the cloud sideways with your magic.” Twilight nodded as the bunny shape slid forward slowly, encased in a purple aura.

“Hey, that’s unicorn magic!” Rainbow said. “I know you can do that. What happened to cloud magic?”

“I… guess it only works sometimes,” Twilight said. Rainbow sighed and took off, returning with a storm cloud. “Rainbow, what are you doing? Oh no…” A flash of lightning shot out, leaving a scorch mark near Twilight’s tail.

Twilight squeaked as her wings opened up and flapped instinctively, raising her into the air. “No more, please… I think I can do it. Let me try again…” she whispered, closing her eyes and willing the bunny cloud to move. The same purple aura began to cover the cloud.

Rainbow Dash groaned. “This isn’t that kind of magic, Twilight!” she said, stomping on the storm cloud again. Another jolt of lightning caused Twilight to yelp.

“Please, stop. I can’t focus when you’re doing that!” Twilight said.

“You didn’t have to focus the last time you used it, it just happened when you got scared of lightning!” Rainbow said. “I’m just helping you be scared again!”

“Just wait! It’s different this time, I just don’t know… wait. Please just wait…” Twilight pleaded. Rainbow Dash kicked away the storm cloud.

“Fine…” she said, rolling her eyes. “But if I see your unicorn magic on that cloud again…”

Twilight breathed in the warm afternoon air, taking note of her surroundings. The sun was not yet close to setting and beat down on her mane as a cold breeze coursed through her coat. “I am a pegasus, not a unicorn right now. I just want to use pegasus magic. I need to move that cloud,” she said to herself softly, staring at the bunny. It didn’t budge. “Why won’t you just move?” Twilight asked the cloud. “Please? Just move a tiny bit?”

As if it understood her, the cloud teetered in the air. “Rainbow! Did you see that! I moved it this time, without magic!” Twilight said. “And without being startled!”

“Might’ve been the wind. You didn’t move it very much…” Rainbow said, yawning.

“No wait, I think I get it now!” Twilight exclaimed, turning the bunny cloud so that it faced her and staring into its blank eyes. In a matter of seconds, the bunny cloud extended its hindlegs and bounded across Rainbow Dash’s roof.

“Whoa!” Rainbow said. “So what’s the secret?”

“All this time I was trying to move the clouds. I was used to the unicorn spells that took an object and placed it somewhere else. This time… it’s different. These clouds are… kind of alive, at least, that’s how I imagine them. I just talked to this one like it was a bunny and hoped for it to move, and it did. With a little help from my magic, of course,” Twilight said. “I felt it all, too… the bunny’s powerful hindlegs, the feeling of a free spirit in the wind…”

“You’re starting to creep me out, Twilight. It’s just a cloud. And yeah, you do move them,” Rainbow said.

“No! I mean it's like what you said before... nothing's really changed, I just see it in a different point of view. Look!” Twilight flew behind Rainbow Dash and took the storm cloud, staring at it intently. The cloud formed itself to the shape of a unicorn filly, landing on Rainbow Dash’s roof and reading a book.

“A book? Is that you, Egghead?” Rainbow asked.

“It… might be. So far the only two clouds I’ve controlled were related to my memories, actually. They’re just so much a part of me that they’re the easiest to recreate,” Twilight said. She relaxed her wings, landing on the roof. Cloud Twilight and the cloud bunny returned to their original unhindered forms. “That does get a little tiring though.”

“Well, we’ve made progress today. By the end of this week, we’ll have a small family of bunnies hopping across the sky,” Rainbow said. “And I think you’ll have your act for the Wondershow.