Heroism

Chapters

Zero - The Shadow Light Casts
One - All She Ever Wanted
Two - Road to the First Mistake
Three - Attributes of a Leader
Four - Downfall of a Dreamer

Zero - The Shadow Light Casts

Heroism

By: DiveBomb

I wish I could tell you that I didn’t know how it happened, I really do. But that would mean that I wasn’t the one to blame in the first place. No, I did this. I made the decisions that brought me to this place; that made me into the pony I am today. I used to have one dream and one dream only. Now that idea is nothing more than a memory of my past life, and I couldn’t go back if I tried.

Even when the moon was full and at its brightest, its pale blue light still failed to reach the darkest parts of the city. Manehatten had its fair share of finer districts and tourist attractions, but all the lights and feigned smiles couldn’t hide the more foreboding corners of the metropolis. Their existence was well-known and feared, but very seldom were they acknowledged for longer than a paranoid glance over the shoulder. The wealthy ignored them from their self-constructed pedestals while the less fortunate mulled through the dark underbelly of society. There was no law in these places; no order in which to keep the innocent safe while the guilty thrived in the darkness. Least of all was the will to purge the city of the outermost edges of its boundaries; to put a stop to the senseless acts of violence and bring justice to those who deserved it. They were the streets that the law had simply given up on, and they were growing every day, spreading across the map like a virus.

Nothing was ever silent in Manehatten, least of all in the backstreets of the island-city’s shorelines. One alleyway in particular was alight with the sound of hooves galloping on the old and withered cobblestone. Discarded trash flew on either side of a panicking earth stallion, his breath quick and haggard as he ran at full speed between two foreclosed apartment buildings. His eyes were wide and alert, constantly peeking through his long and matted bangs to cast brief glances over his shoulder. He saw nothing but the gloomy alleyway behind him, but kept running as if some sort of monster was hot on his tail. His breathing climbed in pitch as he turned a corner down another alleyway, heading north as the sound of his frightened panting filled the cold night air. Only when his lungs were on the verge of tearing did the stallion slow down to a stop, collapsing against the alleyway wall to painfully catch his breath.

The earth pony sat on his haunches, his hindlegs stretched out in front of him with his hooves unintentionally dipped into a puddle of stagnant rain water. His head dropped forward with his chin barely an inch away from his heaving chest, the rest of him shivering from the cold of the night. He had to be quiet, but his body simply couldn’t allow such a privilege after running for so long. Once he started to tame his breaths, the stallion took a moment to cast a half-lidded eye open to take in his surroundings. He lay slumped against the brick wall of the east harbor, an empty building forgotten long ago. Its only purposes those days were to provide temporary but illegal shelter to the homeless as well as house a few shady deals and meetings. It was considered a dangerous, crumbling place and was ultimately condemned.

The stallion clutched his sides as they burned like a blaze had been lit inside his muscles, nearly doubling over as it struck. His lungs felt similar, exhausted from overuse. He prayed that he had somehow outmaneuvered his pursuer, whispering incoherent words of hope to himself. However, it didn’t seem as if his prayers had been heard.

Glass shattered from a window in the opposite wall, three stories above. The stallion found his panic once again as he spotted the dark silhouette of a pony tumbling head-first through the air, raining shards of glass down upon the alley below. For the briefest of moments, the earth pony froze as he watched the shadow fall toward the ground, his dreary brain tracking everything in slow motion. In the faint lunar light, he couldn’t make out any discernible features. To him, it was his most recent and most frightening pursuer to date. The stallion wasn’t certain if it was male, female or even alive. In his wide, fearful eyes, it was only a looming phantom bent on his demise.

The specter landed as if it hadn’t just leaped from a three-story window, its knees barely buckling as it hit the ground. No sooner had its hooves impacted with the cobblestone was the quivering stallion back up and running. The earth pony bolted down the North end of the alley, ignoring the searing pains all throughout his body. His muscles screamed in protest, but his mind was focused on staying alive. His thoughts raced inside his head, fear nearly crippling his entire being. He wasn’t sure if his words of sheer panic had escaped his lips or not, but he never once looked back as he turned right and burst through an unlocked door on the rear of the East harbor. He tore through the old caution tape, and plunged into semi-darkness.

His immediate surroundings were pitch black, but far ahead was the moon’s light shining brightly through the high, foggy windows of the bay. The stallion galloped forward, nearly tripping over unseen obstacles and protrusions. His eyes almost immediately adjusted to the lack of light, for there wasn’t much more outdoors. He couldn’t see much, but what his vision took in reflected the status of the harbor. Everything that the moon illuminated was clearly left unattended for years. Cobwebs and dust coated the walls, railings and everything else in between. Nothing but a few scattered boxes and discarded trash were left inside, along with a few empty shipping containers. Darkness shrouded the high ceiling, visible from the lack of a complete floor separating the two stories. Instead, the second floor was nothing more than a large catwalk hugging the inside walls of the enormous building. There were three water gates at the front of the building, but were closed and allegedly locked tight. After a moment, he spotted a metal stairwell leading to the upper level, and bolted for the landing.

As he ascended the iron steps, he cast a glance to the door he entered through, expecting to find the specter. To his confusion and utter fright, he spotted nothing but the tattered remains of the yellow caution tape. Faster and faster he climbed, gasping for air as his head became alarmingly light and dreary. At the top of the stairwell, the stallion yelped in fright at the sight of movement to his left. He turned around the railing and galloped down the upper level, dodging opened crates and debris. Another shadow danced across the floor ahead, and the earth pony skidded to a halt, his hooves grinding against the creaking wooden catwalk. He had been certain that he ran in the opposite direction of the shadow, but now he had seen it in front of him. He whipped his head from side to side, whimpering as he spotted more signs of movement all around him. The stallion gasped at the sound of clinking chains from above, hanging precariously over the open water of the closed-off bay.

He stood there, frozen on the catwalk with his eyes quickly traversing his dark surroundings. There was no way that he could have been flanked so many times in such a short amount of time. The only theory he could think of was more than one pursuer, but that alone was an impossibility. He took a few slow, quivering steps backward, flinching violently as his flank hit the wall behind him. The shadows danced all around him, but all he could hear was the dripping of water and the clinging of chains.

“Wh-Who are you?!” the earth pony shouted into the darkness, his high-pitched voice cracking as several emotions overtook him. “What do you want from me?!”

Not a moment after he closed his mouth, the stallion screamed in terror at the sound of a low, grunting voice: “Answers.”

His cry of fear was lengthened as something cold and metallic quickly snaked itself around his right hindhoof, pulling him forcibly toward the ceiling. The world spun around him as he was flung across the length of the building by the leg, swinging dangerously through the air. The chain holding him snapped tight somewhere above, but his momentum hadn’t yet died out. The sudden tautness of the chain threw the stallion into the Eastern wall of the building, the impact forcing the wind from his lungs. After a few terrifying swings back and forth, he finally caught his breath and focused his eyes. The earth pony now hung directly over the bay, around ten yards above the water. He looked up to find himself and the chain attached to a crane of some sort, its base hidden in the shadows. His greasy mane hung loosely from his head, allowing him to completely view his captor.

It was shrouded in the stallion’s own shadow, but he could see two fearsome eyes reflecting in the ambient moonlight. It looked like a pony, but he refused to believe that a mere pony could do what it had done to catch him. The outline of a large hat with a wide, swaying brim was seen atop the specter’s head. The rest of it, however, was shrouded by what looked like a cloak. If it had any color other than black, the hanging stallion wasn’t able to make it out. He stared at it with large eyes, their pupils reduced to mere pinpricks. It took a moment for him to spot it in his upside-down position, but he saw a foreleg withdrawn from the depths of its cape, clutched around a crank next to a couple of rusted levers.

“Tell me where she is,” called the specter, its growling voice heavy and androgynous. Its words echoed throughout the interior of the abandoned ship house, resounding in the stallion’s head like the memory of a horrid nightmare.

“I don’t know who you’re-” but his reply quickly turned into another scream as he was suddenly dropped over the bay. He hit the water with a painful amount of force, his body completely submerged in the murky water. His open mouth allowed a torrent of water to flow down his throat, nearly gaining access to his lungs. He choked on the large amount of stagnant water that was forced into his body, not knowing how much time had passed before he was yanked back up by the leg. Once his head emerged from the water, the stallion gasped in a lungful of air as his thoughts raced with fear. He rose quickly, choking back another scream as the blood in his veins rushed toward his head. The chain snapped tight again, leaving him to hang even higher than before. His dwindling momentum flung him from side to side for a moment before he came to another stop, dripping wet over the bay.

“You know exactly who I’m talking about! Now where is she?!” bellowed the specter, a considerable amount of hate lacing its words.

“I-I don’t-” he started before dropping into the bay once more, this time long enough to bring him to the verge of drowning. The specter brought him back up, cranking the chain to its highest level directly underneath the ceiling. The stallion gasped for air, gagging on the water pouring from his lips. He looked down to gape fearfully at the water below, not knowing if he would even survive the impact from such a height.

“I’m only going to ask you once more,” growled the specter. “Where is Trixie Lulamoon?!”

One - All She Ever Wanted

I had never known of a darker place in my life. That was the first time I had ever questioned whether or not my deeds were still for the good. This was not who I was; this was the result of my actions and the dark world that prompted them. What I dove into crafted who I was and what I did, but never once did I blame anything or anypony but myself. That night I became almost the exact opposite of what I intended to be. I wanted to help ponies. I wanted to protect the world from those with the darkest of hearts. I knew that a crime-free utopia was nothing more than a pipe dream, but I at least wanted to make our world a little bit better.

I guess I should move on to how it all started. So let’s go back to that day, when my life was blissfully uncomplicated.

Nopony in Ponyville dared to adopt a routine like she had. For months now, she had thrown aside her late awakenings and afternoon naps, replacing them with a plethora of varying exercises. Pull-ups, wing-ups, sit-ups and a number of other sets took the majority of her free time, but still it wasn’t enough to satisfy her. Despite the torment that she put every last one of her muscles through, she was never content. She wanted to be stronger, faster and more agile than ever before. Finally, after years of training and daydreaming, the mare had her chance presented to her. It was her one and only shot at greatness, and the daredevil of Ponyville was at the top of her game. But whether it was her anxiety or natural drive, the pegasus still didn’t feel ready. The sheer pressure of the upcoming day was all but overwhelming. If she failed, then the years of tireless devotion were for naught. Nopony could have kept a solid demeanor or confident mindset through such anxiety, not even the fastest flier in Equestria. However, all of that changed one beautiful Spring morning.

As soon as her eyes cracked open, Rainbow Dash catapulted herself out of bed, throwing the covers aside haphazardly. Before she could land on the white cloud floor, the pegasus threw her wings out to begin her morning regimen of indoor agility exercises. She pulled herself upward into a series of loops like a windmill, occasionally turning her axis into a prismatic, horizontal circle. She expanded her loop, narrowly but flawlessly avoiding the violet walls and furniture of her bedroom. The challenge was now gone from the task, but the same went for a number of her drills. It was no longer about the trial; it was about mastering her craft. Her moves needed to become second hoof, subconscious even. The pegasus knew that she wouldn’t be satisfied with herself until every last one of her tricks became comparable to breathing in difficulty. She knew that she was vastly adept in the skies, but anypony could always become better at anything.

Rainbow Dash lowered her speed in the apex of her final loop, landing perfectly in a crouch on the floor. She faced her opened bedroom door, her limbs bent low. The cyan pegasus tensed her lithe muscles, as if she were pressing down on a tightly-coiled spring. Her wings stretched high toward the ceiling, their feathers twitching and reveling in the cool morning air. A wry, confident grin spread across her face, the corner of her lips baring her clenched teeth. Her magenta eyes focused on the rest of her home beyond the columned threshold of the bedroom, her brow furrowed in concentration.

With an almost challenging cry, Rainbow Dash threw all of her strength into her hindlegs and wings. The cyan pegasus bolted from her room, leaving an opaque trail of colors behind her. She rocketed through the air, a mere hoof above the floor as she masterfully traced every corner of her living room. Everything around her was nothing more than a light purple blur, dashed with the occasional blue and white. Not even the keenest of eyes could pick up a single detail of the cloud home’s furnishings at her speed. She knew the course by heart, somehow even better than that. The pegasus had even reconstructed her home several times to keep herself on the tips of her hooves. She added extra corners, walls, protrusions and even additions; anything to add even the smallest bit of challenge. It wasn’t the coziest of places beyond her bedroom, but looks weren’t at the top of her list of priorities.

The mare lapped the interior of her home three times, skidding to a halt through the columns on either side of her bedroom door. Her momentum ceased in the exact center of the floor, her wings splayed out behind her as if she were presenting them to a crowd. She stood up straight, grinning confidently as she glanced over to her left. At the end of her bed stood a small, dark green tortoise, his chin depressing a large button atop a silver stopwatch. Tank looked up to his owner with a pair of beady black eyes, wearing a small grin. Rainbow Dash trotted over to her pet, taking the stopwatch in her hoof. She grinned at the results, although unsurprised.

“Heh, two point five seconds. Looks like I shaved a little off my best time,” Rainbow boasted to herself, setting the stopwatch atop the tortoise’s shell. “And hey, you were up and ready today. Good boy.”

The mare bent her neck down to rub her cheek affectionately against Tank’s, although briefly. With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash front-flipped over her bed and landed in front of the window on the other side. She reared onto her hindlegs, opening the window to take in the light of the morning. The rising sun had cast a bright glow of reds and pinks over the clouds surrounding her house in the sky. The mare draped her forelegs over the windowsill, poking her head outside. She took a moment to revel in the light, perfect temperature of the morning, her multi-hued mane blowing carelessly to one side.

Not often did the restless stunt flier slow down to take a breath, but when she did, her racing mind could finally relax. Her eyes lay unfocused on the vista of the orange sun rising between a tall pair of mountains, her smug grin waning into a warm smile. Ever since the arrival of her acceptance letter, Rainbow Dash had done nothing but ready herself for the most arduous challenge of her life: the Wonderbolt tryouts. For four months the mare planned, trained and even reinvented her entire flight routine. She didn’t want to merely impress the Wonderbolts; she wanted to blow each and every last one of their minds. The moves she presented in her last competition were foal’s play compared to what she had in store. The Fantastic Filly Flash, the Buccaneer Blaze and the Super Speed Strut were once some of the pegasus’ best maneuvers, but were now thrown aside in the wake of her new techniques.

Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep reviewing her new routine over and over again for the past week, not allowing any other wayward thoughts to occupy her mind. She had it memorized, practiced and nearly mastered by this point. It hadn’t become second nature like she had hoped for it to be by now, but it was close enough to allow confidence. The pegasus climbed onto the windowsill, balancing on all four of her hooves like a cheery gargoyle. She spread her wings and threw them backward, catapulting herself out of the window and into the open skies.

Every inch of her body relished in the cool Spring breeze, instilling a seemingly permanent grin of content on the mare’s face. She let out a sharp whoohoo of pure delight, turning into a roll as she ascended above the cloud layer. Her roll turned into a sharp, precise corkscrew once she penetrated a rather thin and wispy cirrus, the world spinning around her with increasing speed. With a snap of her pale blue wings, Rainbow Dash halted her ascent high above the clouds. She hovered several hundred hooves above her lavish home, grinning widely as she took in the landscape. The rolling hills of the grassy plains looked completely flat from so high above, her position virtually level with the distant snowcapped mountains. The pegasus looked over her shoulder, spotting the entirety of Ponyville from afar. Even the larger buildings that composed the downtown district looked like a foal’s play set, the tall clock tower of the town hall rising high above the rest.

This was the day that her entire life had been built for; the day her years of hard work and absolute devotion to her dream would pay off. Contrary to the past four months, not a single fiber of her being was quivering in anxiety. Her muscles were still and her composure was unwavering. This was her day.

Rainbow Dash closed her wings, letting gravity pull her down head-first toward the ground below. The winds blew her vibrant mane and tail back, her forelegs rested at her sides. Her eyes drifted shut as she accelerated, the air roaring in her ears. Despite the rate of speed she was traveling at, her mind was at ease. In the back of her head, her years of experience were able to visualize her position in the air as she dropped. It was a dangerous mental exercise that once put her in the emergency room, but after relentless practice, her mind’s eye was nearly as sharp as her vision. The pegasus allowed a predetermined amount of time to pass before throwing her forehooves out, her wings snapping open at her sides. The cyan mare opened her bright magenta eyes, finding herself a mere couple of meters from the ground exactly as she predicted. She pulled her torso up as hard as she could, her belly grazed by the very tips of a few blades of grass. The pegasus flapped her wings again, flying level with the ground for a moment before pulling herself back upward toward the sky. Not being positioned very high above the fields, she was able to ascend to her house in a matter of seconds.

Rainbow flipped back through her bedroom window, landing expertly on all fours beside her untidy bed. She trotted over to her closet on the other side of the room, pulling the doors open one at a time with a single hoof. It wasn’t a storage room used to anywhere near its capacity, for the athletic mare only had a minimal amount of clothes. Hanging on the rack was a pair of brightly-colored dresses, worn only once and on two very special occasions. Between them hung a pale yellow and cobalt blue uniform, a pair of flight goggles slung around the high neck of the shirt. Rainbow grinned at the garment, taking it down to get dressed. She removed the hanger from the foreleg holes, throwing it aside. The mare sat on her haunches as she pulled the uniform over her head, wiggling to work herself into the tight spandex. Once she got the shirt on, she poked her wings through their respective holes as she wrapped the goggles over her head. She kept the lenses positioned above her forehead, turning around to look at herself in the mirror next to the closet.

Rainbow Dash had always thought that she looked ‘awesome’ in her cadet uniform, but never before had she taken it so seriously. The smug grin was gone from her face, replaced by a stoic, tenacious glare. Her brow was furrowed under her unkempt bangs; her eyes alight with a familiar blaze.

“I am Rainbow Dash,” she breathed to herself, her tone flat and serious. “And I will be the next Wonderbolt.”

As much as she wanted to bolt toward Cloudsdale as fast as she could, Rainbow Dash had promised to make a quick stop by Sugarcube Corner the day before. As she had expected, her friend Pinkie Pie wouldn’t let her leave town to achieve her lifelong goal before what she called a ‘good luck breakfast.’ The impatient pegasus wanted to roll her eyes at the offer and head for the city in the sky anyway, but after the years of support her friends had graciously shown her, Rainbow Dash couldn’t refuse the kind gesture. It certainly helped that her stomach had been growling at her for the past fourteen hours. It didn’t matter in the end, for she still had plenty of time before the tryouts began. The pegasus packed her saddlebags with her acceptance letter and cadet identification card before she left her cloud home. While she was still impatient, Rainbow Dash kept a moderate speed as she flew over the grassy plains, not wanting to overexert herself in any way. She headed for Ponyville, occasionally glancing in the direction of Cloudsdale.

Early mornings had never stopped ponies from walking the streets of the small town before, but today, it seemed as if there was a significant lack of hoof traffic. Rainbow Dash landed in the center of the downtown district, cocking a brow as she noticed only a few ponies occupying the streets. Even one or two of the bazaars were closed, making the cyan mare feel a little worried. She immediately shrugged it off, however, trotting at a brisk pace across the town square. She headed toward a brightly-painted, gingerbread-like shop complete with feigned icing on the edges of the roof. Rainbow had never been able to look at the sweet shop once without a silly smile playing on her lips. Whether it was the treats or her ever-jubilant friend, Sugarcube Corner always seemed to have something to raise her spirits.

She approached the shop, raising a hoof to knock on the door when she noticed something peculiar. Due to the early hour, she had expected the shop to be closed as usual, but never once were the shutters and blinds completely drawn. The pegasus couldn’t find a single window she could see through, reigniting her previous worry. She cast a couple of glances around herself, as if to find something to explain what was going on. In the silence of the empty streets, Rainbow’s ears pricked up to a soft noise coming from the interior of the shop. She pressed an ear to the door, listening intently. For a moment, the cyan mare heard nothing, but just when she was about to lift her head away, she heard somepony whispering. Rainbow furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering why somepony would be whispering.

“Will you quiet down!” the pegasus heard a male voice hiss. “We don’t wanna get caught, do we?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, an angry scowl contorting her face. The mare growled, not needing to hear another word to formulate a guess as to what could have been occurring. She quickly turned on her forelegs, lifting her tail end to deliver a well-placed kick to the door, which flew open with a resounding bang. She leaped over the threshold, peering into the semi-darkness with a challenging glare. “What’s going on in-”

Rainbow was cut off as the lights suddenly turned on, followed by a veritable explosion of color, confetti and happy faces. What appeared to be dozens of ponies leaped out from behind the furniture and counters, all cheering the same three words in perfect unison: “CONGRADULATIONS RAINBOW DASH!”

The blue mare’s eyes flew open, her entire body recoiling in utter shock. Her eyes attempted to take in the interior of the shop, but they didn’t get far before something quick and pink leaped over the small crowd. Rainbow Dash had no time to move as she was tackled to the floor by a gleeful mare. The pegasus’ vision was obscured by a veritable thicket of pink curls, the air being forced from her lungs as she was wrapped in a binding hug. Pinkie Pie lifted her from the floor, standing on her hindlegs to deliver the tightest of embraces.

“Oh Rainbow Dash, you came! I mean I knew you would since you promised you would be here, but for a second I thought you wouldn’t and that we’d never see you before you became a Wonderbolt and I was sooo sad but then you came!”

“Of c-course I came,” Rainbow managed to choke out, feeling as though her lungs were about to burst from the pressure.

“Pinkie, would ya’ let her go already?” came a familiar, accented voice. “She ain’t gonna become a Wonderbolt if ya’ suffocate her.”

With a final squeeze around her torso, the pink mare set Rainbow Dash back on her hooves, allowing her to fill her lungs with a large breath. Now able to take in her surroundings, the cyan pegasus glanced around the packed sweet shop. The first thing that caught her eye was the large banner hung on the back wall behind the counter. It read the same words that every party guest had called out to her; the letters in a bold, pink font against a sky-blue background. Several balloons with the Wonderbolts insignia floated on the edges of the room, others bearing the letters RD, presumably written with a permanent marker. Behind the smiling crowd of ponies was a long table, laid out with a veritable cornucopia of sweets, coffee and other beverages.

Rainbow Dash recognized the majority of the guests, especially the five mares that had gathered around to show their support with a tight, cheerful group hug. The pegasus couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed as everything hit her at once, momentarily unable to string a single sentence together.

“I know you said that you wouldn’t have time for a party, but we went ahead and did it anyway!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing on her hooves with glee.

“But who’s to say that we can’t celebrate this magnificent occasion anyway?” asked an opal unicorn, emphasizing her words with a dramatic wave of her hoof.

“Even if you’re only going to be here for a little bit, we wanted to try and send you off with a bright smile,” said a creamy-yellow pegasus, her quiet voice difficult to hear over the noise in the room.

“Before we can get the balloon ready to leave for Cloudsdale, of course,” concluded a light purple unicorn, looking away from the blue mare to scowl at the unconscious baby dragon draped over her back. “Spike! Would you wake up already?!”

The unicorn jostled Spike awake with a stomp of her hindhoof. The dragon shot up into a sitting position, rubbing his half-lidded eyes. “Huh, what? Oh, morning Rainbow Dash, and congrats, too! Sorry, Twilight had me up all night cleaning the library before we left today.”

Rainbow Dash merely chuckled in response, looking around her friends with a heavy, appreciative expression. She felt her heart swell with affection, feeling as though the warm smile would never leave her face. “You guys… you didn’t have to do this.”

“O’ course we did, Sugarcube,” grinned an orange earth mare, giving her a friendly hit to the shoulder. “Not everyday our best pal gets to fulfill her dream!”

“And it’s not everyday we get to celebrate it either!” Pinkie Pie agreed, producing a heavily decorated cupcake as if from nowhere. “Now you gotta eat up! You don’t wanna show your stuff on an empty tummy, do you?”

While she kept an eye on the clock, Rainbow Dash spent as much time as she could with the dozens of ponies that came to show their support. One party guest that seemed the happiest to see her was a small, orange pegasus filly. Scootaloo had arrived wearing a Wonderbolts T-shirt, in which she had hastily drawn Rainbow’s grinning face in the middle. Also in attendance were three of her fellow academy cadets: Thunderlane, Snowflake and Cloudchaser, all wearing their uniforms and saluting with proud grins. The blue mare was genuinely surprised at their willingness to show their support, for Rainbow knew that she wouldn’t be so happy in their position.

Twenty minutes into the party, Rainbow Dash had found herself standing next to the wall under a clock, giving it a glance every few seconds. She watched as everypony mingled and enjoyed the occasion amongst themselves, save for the instances when somepony trotted over to give her a personal word of congratulation. She took the time to go over her flight routine a few more times in her head, more for absolute certainty than anything.

“Now what’re ya’ doing over here all by yer lonesome?” chided Applejack, walking into Rainbow’s vision with her hoof wrapped around a cup of steaming coffee. “The day you’ve been waiting for all yer life comes ‘round, and y’ain’t got nothin’ to say about it?”

“What? Oh, hey Applejack,” the cyan pegasus grinned, rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry, I guess I’m just pretty focused right now.”

“S’alright, RD,” she answered, pausing to take a sip of her beverage. “Ah just figured you’d be doing circles in the air ‘cause o’ today.”

“I think I did enough of that when I got the acceptance letter,” Rainbow laughed.

Applejack raised her eyebrows. “So… yer not excited about today? Are ya’ nerv-”

“Of course I’m excited!” the pegasus exclaimed, throwing her hoof up in emphasis. “And I’m not nervous. This is the absolute biggest day of my life, and I need to be on the top of my game. And if I wanna do that, I gotta keep my head on straight-”

“And outta the clouds?” the farmer finished for her with a wry grin, to which Rainbow chuckled in return.

“Yeah.”

“Well whatever gets you into the Wonderbolts works, Ah guess,” Applejack concluded, taking another sip of her coffee. “Now don’t think Ah’m gettin’ all mushy or nothin’, but Ah just wanna say that we’re all mighty proud o’ ya, Rainbow. Ya’ worked yer flank off to accomplish yer dreams, and yer almost there. That ain’t somethin’ everypony can say. Just know that no matter what happens today, we’ll always be here for you, cheerin’ our heads off.”

The blue mare had a dismissive retort loaded and ready to go, but found herself losing the will to be sarcastic with every passing second of hesitation. Normally, such words would certainly raise Rainbow’s spirits, but not quite like they did at that moment. Applejack’s statement was laced with sincerity, each word carrying a divine amount of weight. The pegasus was at a loss for words, her parted lips closing as she looked down to the floor. Whether it was the day of the tryouts or something else entirely, the cyan mare felt her heart catch in her throat once again. She lifted her eyes to glance around the room full of ponies. As if on cue, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle caught her eye from across the room, all giving her a brief grin of pride, reflecting Applejack’s.

Rainbow Dash sniffed inwardly at the appreciation and affection swelling in her heart, striving to keep her cool. She felt her lips quiver ever so slightly as they turned upward into yet another warm smile.

“You can cry if ya’ want, ya’ know,” Applejack teased, effectively damaging the moment. “Ah won’t think any less o’ ya’.”

Rainbow snorted, pulling herself together. “Pff, as if! What did I just say about keeping my focus?”

Applejack laughed aloud. “Alright, alright. Ah’m just sayin’ is all.”

The pegasus rolled her eyes, turning her glance back to the clock above her. “Welp, I should get going.”

“No problem, Sugarcube, we’ll meet ya’ there,” said Applejack, joining the pegasus as she approached the rest of her friends to exchange their temporary goodbyes.

Everypony bid her good luck and words of encouragement before she departed, waving goodbye and cheering her name. The guests stayed in the shop to resume the festivities while Rainbow’s closest friends accompanied her outside. The cyan mare swore to herself as her throat grew tight, preventing her from saying more than a few words at a time.

“We’ll get there as soon as my balloon is out of the repair shop,” Twilight reassured. “It shouldn’t be long now. We’ll get there no later than when the tryouts start, I promise.”

“Oh, and make sure you don’t fly there too fast!” Fluttershy said worriedly. “You don’t want to overexert yourself before you get there.”

“I’ll be fine, Flutters,” said Rainbow, maintaining her confident demeanor. “Thanks again for this you guys, it really meant a lot. Welp, I’ll see you all in Cloudsdale!”

Without giving any of them a chance to respond, Rainbow Dash turned on a hoof and took off at a blinding speed, her signature prismatic trail in her wake. While she wasn’t going for any personal records, the pegasus pounded her wings with a great majority of her might. She headed in the direction of the city in the sky, quickly approaching the Unicorn Range just North of Ponyville. The mountains were shorter at this end of the range, their peaks more easily accessible then their snowcapped, Northwestern counterparts.

She had hoped that the lump in her throat would disappear once she left the company of her friends, but something about Applejack’s words and their smiling faces stuck with her. Rainbow Dash had always wanted to be the best, and her goals reflected that. She was bold, even reckless at times, but never once did her friends stop supporting her. They had always been there, just as Applejack said. She had trained for years waiting for this day, but she never expected everything to hit her like it did now.

Rainbow scowled as the corners of her eyes burned, blurring her vision. She swore to herself once again as she was forced to land on a nearby mountaintop overlooking Ponyville, skidding to a halt. The blue mare fell to her haunches, burying her eyes into the crook of her foreleg. She bared her gritted teeth, loathing herself for falling into such a weakened state so easily. Her shoulders convulsed as the fur on her foreleg grew damp, her breaths coming in short, high-pitched bursts. She sat there for what felt like several minutes, her mind racing with every memory of her friends’ unwavering belief in her. It was then that the cyan pegasus realized something that changed her outlook on that day. She wasn’t doing this just for herself anymore; she was doing this for her friends.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes dry with a hoof, looking back to the small town below. Her trembling lips curled upward, her reddened eyes giving Ponyville a warm gaze. She slowly stood to her hooves, spreading her wings with pride. “Thank you...”

With that, the pegasus took off once again and headed for Cloudsdale, ready to take on the world.

Two - Road to the First Mistake

The Cloudiseum was a place Rainbow Dash knew all too well. Aside from providing location to one of her most notable accomplishments, the stadium in the sky housed a number of differing ceremonies and concerts in the world of pegasi, including several performances by the Wonderbolts themselves. The place was a hotspot for sporting events of all kinds, and today it would be the place where the newest member of Equestria’s most elite flying team would be chosen. It was a place merely regarded as a catalyst of entertainment, and nothing more. However, today was a different day, and the Cloudiseum felt like a completely different place.

The once welcoming, pearly white columns now seemed to emulate the divinity of the event, looming over the cyan pegasus like a dark castle in a horror story. The bright yellow and orange flags that flew above the stadium felt like banners celebrating the arduousness of the task ahead, billowing with a sense of intimidation in the wind. If the clouds had darkened and erupted with a bolt of lightning, it would have felt more than fitting. Rainbow Dash stood at the bottom of the long staircase leading to the entrance, staring at a large banner hung over the monolithic doors, reading the words Wonderbolt Tryouts Today in navy blue lettering. All it took was the mere sighting of the stadium to slice her previously unwavering confidence in twine. A dark, foreboding dread spread in the back of her mind, terrified at the possibility of failure.

Losing a friendly hoofball game was nothing to be worried about. It is nothing more than that; a game. One could easily pick it up again and try harder next time, and even practice to better the chances of victory. This, however, was no game. There was no practice and try harder next time, only winning or losing with zero chance of atonement. Losing wasn’t just losing here; losing was failure, a word the aerial daredevil loathed and feared more than most things in the world. It was as if the past three months of rigorous training simply hadn’t occurred. Rainbow Dash stood there, right back in the horseshoes of her past self during the Best Young Flyer Competition. Her forelegs quivered, threatening to buckle underneath the imaginary pressure created in her mind.

The pegasus took in a deep breath through her mouth, closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly through her nose. It was a trick she had previously scoffed at, thinking that it was nothing that could help a non-stop athlete like her. But after having Twilight continuously pressing the advice during her training, she finally allowed herself to try it a month ago. Rainbow wished that she had listened to her friends sooner, for the trick seemed to work wonders every time. Her heart ceased its pounding against her chest, her lungs slowing down to take in measured, relaxed breaths. The shaking in her hooves and the spasms in her muscles finally stopped as well, but still the blue mare took a moment to keep her eyes closed in mental preparation.

Despite realizing her humility, Rainbow Dash knew that she had nothing to fear. With her new flight routine, the spot on the Wonderbolts was as good as hers. Even if she took a misstep in the air, the pegasus still had one last-ditch effort to guarantee victory. She opened her eyes again, her brow furrowed with a renewed sense of determination. Without another thought, the pegasus stepped forward, ascending the wide staircase toward the front gates.

Sugarcube Corner was still alight with celebration even after the departure of the mare of honor. As everypony that would attend the tryouts prepared to leave, the party turned into more of an excuse for a social get-together than anything, which didn’t seem to bother the ponies staying behind in the slightest. Twilight and Spike had left immediately after Rainbow Dash to collect their mode of transportation to Cloudsdale while Applejack and the others waited. The orange mare had decided to occupy her impatient mind by assisting Pinkie Pie in providing the guests food and beverages while they waited. But to her displeasure, it seemed that simple tasks like preparing plates of snacks and pots of coffee required a very little amount of thought, allowing her restlessness to run free in the back of her head.

Applejack stomped her hindhoof to the floor, hoping that it would somehow cease the relentless tapping she found herself doing. In her distraction, she completely missed the mug she was trying to pour coffee into. Once she noticed herself creating a steaming puddle of liquid on the table, the mare scowled and set the pot down with her teeth. “Dagnabit!”

But before the orange mare could find something to clean up the mess, a couple of folded paper towels floated into her vision, glowing with a pale blue light. Applejack looked to her right to find Rarity cleaning the spilled coffee with her magic, an unimpressed look on her face. “You do know that beverages are traditionally enjoyed from a mug or glass of some sort, right?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Naw, Rare. Ah figured we’d throw a drinkin’ off the table race.”

The white mare cocked her head back, one wide eye twitching in disgust. “E-Excuse me?”

“That was a joke,” Applejack replied flatly, shaking the agitation from her face. “Sorry Rarity, Ah’m just a little antsy, Ah guess.”

“We all are, dear,” Rarity said after a sigh of relief. She then floated the soaked rags over to the wastebasket in the corner, dropping it in. “Forgive me, but... you seem a little more than just impatient.”

Applejack furrowed her brow, glancing down to the floor for a moment. “Maybe Ah’m just a little worried.”

Rarity blinked, surprised. “Worried? About what, darling? You were there when Twilight told us about her new routine! Now how can you worry knowing that?”

“I don’t remember her tellin’ us anything about it, really.”

“Well, no. Her and Rainbow Dash have done well to keep it a secret, but you still saw how positively overjoyed she was about it! I recall her stating quite enthusiastically and I quote, ‘Rainbow Dash didn’t just reinvent her entire routine, but she reinvented the entire art of flying.’”

“Either way, it ain’t her talent Ah’m worried about,” Applejack sighed as she subconsciously grazed a forehoof across the wooden floor, looking down to it. “It’s... it’s nothin’. Don’t let it bother you.”

Rarity gave a slight roll of her eyes as she took another step toward the farmer, lifting her chin upward with a hoof. Applejack focused her eyes, being forced to meet her friend’s gaze. The unicorn had her head tilted at a shallow angle, her eyes soft and understanding with her lips lifted in a coy grin. “Oh Applejack, when are you going to learn to open up and let your friends help you? It’s obviously a concern worth voicing.”

Applejack gave her an emotionless expression, removing Rarity’s hoof from her chin. “It ain’t nothin’,” she repeated flatly. “Look, let’s just forget about it fer now. Ah’m sure it’ll pass once we get to Cloudsdale.”

“But—” Rarity was about to reply, but was cut off as Applejack turned on a hoof and walked away through the small crowd.

“It’ll pass!” she said encouragingly as she left. Once she had crossed the room, Applejack groaned, dipping her head low with immediate guilt. The orange mare weaved through the varying clusters of guests, dodging an overly-enthusiastic Snowflake on the way. She approached the front of the sweet shop where nopony stood, walking over to the window. She sighed heavily as she looked out the window, gazing into the clear blue sky in the direction of Cloudsdale. The city was impossible to see through the buildings and mountains in the distance, but Applejack found a brief sense of solace in the act.

Nopony could have been happier for Equestria’s fastest flier than Applejack, but it didn’t quell the looming dread that had formed in the back of her mind. She knew that she should have focused her thoughts on Rainbow Dash’s accomplishment and happiness, but guilt had plagued the orange mare over her worries. This was the pegasus’ one and only dream, and today was her one and only chance to turn it into a reality. Rainbow lived for flying, and joining the Wonderbolts was the one thing that she had wanted since she was a filly. So what would happen if she didn’t make it? How would anypony cope with having the one thing they lived for taken away? It was a terrible thought, but Applejack couldn’t help but focus on it.

The farmer couldn’t think of a single instance where Rainbow’s reaction to such a thing wouldn’t be anything but catastrophic. The pegasus had indeed been able to drop her hopes of becoming a Wonderbolt during her first week at the Academy, but that was a decision she had made on her own terms, albeit over a misunderstanding. As expected, Rainbow wasn’t exactly joyous over making such a decision, and fortunately, she was never made to dwell over the idea of quitting. If she failed today, it would be a completely different situation. Applejack frowned, scowling inwardly at her own thoughts. Come on, Applejack. Don’t let yerself get all mopey ‘bout this. Rainbow wouldn’t fail; she couldn’t, s’pecially not after all that trainin’ she put herself through. She’ll make it, because… because she’s Rainbow Dash.

The tryouts were far from a highly-attended event. In fact, only a hoofful of ponies were scattered around the stands of the Cloudiseum. A few looked to be friends or family of the other two hopeful fliers. As expected, Twilight and the others were not yet seen in the stands, but Rainbow knew that they would arrive shortly.

The cyan pegasus pulled her head back through the entrance curtain of the Cloudiseum, looking back to the familiar waiting room around her. She laughed inwardly, remembering her former self curled in a nervous, quivering ball in the corner the last time she was here. She looked back at that day with a smug grin, wondering how in Equestria she could have been so distressed over something so comparatively trivial. The Best Young Flyer competition may not have been able to hold a candle to today, but the blue mare still looked back on it as one of her biggest accomplishments; a milestone on the road of her flight career.

Rainbow Dash looked around the room, casting a brief but studious glance toward the two other pegasi. They both wore navy blue and yellow cadet uniforms just as Rainbow did, but they were ponies she had failed to recognize. The first was a charcoal-gray stallion, his long golden mane feathered back on either side of his head, streaked with a vibrant shade of orange. To Rainbow’s confusion, he was laying down in the corner on his side, his eyes shut peacefully as if he were sleeping. Adorning his flank was what looked like an orange spark erupting from a flint. She cocked a brow at him, yearning to know just how anypony in their position could be sleeping at such a time.

Dash settled with rolling her eyes instead of entertaining the thought, moving on to her other opponent. This one seemed to grasp the paramount nature of the event more so than the stallion, but in a way that confused Rainbow in a small way. The mare flew in a myriad of loops and corkscrews near the ceiling, humming jubilantly to herself. She had a coat of the faintest shade of pinks, nearly fading into a light violet. Her flight goggles rested on her forehead, pressing her careless auburn bangs across her brow. She wore the most satisfied of expressions as she circled the ceiling, back-stroking through the air as if she were swimming. It was beyond difficult for Rainbow to take the happy mare seriously, let alone as a pony that could possibly stand in her way. While she had frowned at the stallion, the blue mare couldn’t help but crack a smile at the flying pegasus. Her blissful demeanor would have suggested that she had already become a Wonderbolt, different from what anypony would have expected.

The pink mare peaked a large, crystal blue eye out, glancing down to notice Rainbow Dash absentmindedly staring at her. “Hey there! Why so glum?”

Rainbow blinked in confusion before displaying a confident grin. “Glum? Are you kidding me? I’m ready to take my spot on the Wonderbolts! How could I be glum?”

“Well, you’ve just been standing there with your head through that curtain since we got here. You look tense,” said the pegasus above, her quirky voice lower than most mares’, although not lacking in the enthusiasm department. “You should loosen up! Get in the air and stretch your wings, warm up before your performance! You don’t want to go out there with stiff joints, do you?”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head, tracing the circling mare with her eyes in suspicion. “Uhm... you do realize that we’re opponents here, right? Why are you trying to give me advice?”

“Would you rather I was mean?” asked the pink mare, ending her back stroke with a flip, landing delicately on her hooves in front of Rainbow. The cyan mare was surprised at her height, for it wasn’t often that Rainbow Dash was taller than another pony her age. The blue-eyed pegasus held out her hoof, wearing a kind smile. “Name’s Airheart. Good to meet ya’!”

Rainbow couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of suspicion rise in the back of her head, but found no harm in a friendly greeting. She allowed Airheart to shake her hoof, to which she seemed a little too enthusiastic about. “Um, you too. I’m Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, I know that,” Airheart smiled, twirling around a forehoof. “I mean, who doesn’t know who you are? I would’ve been shocked if I didn’t see the only pony able to do a Sonic Rainboom here! Seriously, you’re like a legend.”

Now the blue mare was nothing short of clueless. “Heh, well, I guess you could say that,” she replied smugly, brushing a proud hoof against her chest. “But lemme ask you something: you are here to try out for the Wonderbolts, right?”

“Of course!”

“And you want to make it, right?”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Then what’s with the flattery and helpfulness? Are you trying to psyche me out or something?” Rainbow demanded, the theory coming to her as she spoke. She pointed an accusing hoof, to which the pink mare’s eyebrows shot up.

“Wh-What? Oh no, of course not,” Airheart laughed. “I just wanna make sure everypony does their best! Wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

Rainbow stared at the mare, whom offered nothing but an innocent smile in return. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with a pang of guilt. “Alright, sorry. I’m just not used to opponents being nice, I guess.”

“Well, if I said that I was your opponent, that would suggest that I thought I had a chance against you in the first place,” the other pegasus said, throwing Rainbow off guard once again. She cocked her head back, her face contorted with confusion.

“Then what are you even doing here?” she asked cautiously. “I mean, you said that you knew I’d be here, so why even come if you didn’t think you could get the spot on the team?”

“Then that would be giving up, now wouldn’t it?” Airheart asked, her smile unwavering. “Okay, so the odds are stacked against me, but what kind of pony would I be if I just walked away at the mere sight of you? Nah, I’m still gonna go out there and do my best. I mean really, it’s an honor in itself just to be here and to fly against you.”

Rainbow Dash felt the knot of suspicion loosen in her chest, her hardened expression lightening into a small smile. For a moment, she had the urge to scold the mare for taking her spot from somepony that truly honored it. But after hearing Airheart’s reasoning, Rainbow’s feelings changed. “Well, that’s pretty cool, I guess. So hey...” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper and moving her head toward the pink mare. She pointed a covert hoof toward the slumbering stallion. “Who’s that guy?”

“Oh, that’s Flintlock,” Airheart whispered back. “He only told me his name, nothing else. Not the talkative type, I guess.”

Rainbow furrowed her brow, turning her head away from the other mare to cast a sidelong glance toward Flintlock. “Kind of a bad time to be sleeping.”

“I’m not sleeping,” grumbled the stallion, the sudden sound of his deep, rumbling voice causing Rainbow and Airheart to flinch. He kept his eyes closed as he continued. “We all have our own ways to prepare for a performance. I, for one, choose to rest and save my energy. Is that a sufficient enough answer for you?”

“Hmph, somepony doesn’t sound too happy to be here,” Rainbow chided, scowling out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh, I’m overjoyed to be here,” Flintlock said as he slowly rose to his hooves, opening his blazing orange eyes. He looked Rainbow Dash over with an emotionless face, his demeanor completely apathetic. He took a brief moment to stretch his limbs, groaning with satisfaction. “I’m just not one to treat opponents with any sort of care. Considering your previous conversation, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise to you, Miss Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow smirked, glaring into the tall stallion’s fiery orange eyes. “Good, then it’s gonna be much more satisfying when I blow you away.”

“Hehe, guys, maybe we should just get along and wish each other luck instead,” said Airheart nervously, trotting to the sidelines of their back and forth.

Flintlock ignored her, slowly approaching the cyan mare with a challenging look on his face. Rainbow Dash gave him her most smug grin, tilting her head condescendingly. He stopped once only a hoof or so separated them, looking down to the mare in front of him. “You probably think your little Sonic Rainboom will simply guarantee you a spot on the team, don’t you?”

“If I depended on just one little trick to get on the Wonderbolts, then I wouldn’t be ready to fly here today,” Rainbow countered. The dark gray stallion’s steely eyes flickered at the word she emphasized, only broadening Dash’s cocky grin. She had already dealt with her share of nerves in the past, and she wasn’t about to allow some cocky stallion to shake her confidence.

The gray pegasus snorted, wearing a self-assured grin of his own. “Well then, I do hope that you can back that smug grin of yours up. Wouldn’t want the Academy favorite embarrassing herself too badly, now would we?”

“Are you two fillies done yet?” came a raspy, familiar voice. Rainbow and Flintlock turned their heads to find a bright yellow pegasus mare, glaring at them through a pair of tinted aviator sunglasses. She stood tall near the door, emanating a sense of unquestionable dominance in the room. The mare wore a dark blue buttoned shirt over a white collared one with a black tie. Her uniform was highly-decorated, bearing a slew of medals and patches. Her mane and tail were two shades of burning orange, blown back as if her scalp had caught flame. She approached the three pegasi, who turned on quick hooves to stand straight. They saluted her on instinct, having done so for the better part of a year under her supervision.

Spitfire stood in front of them, raising a hoof to slide her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. She stared daggers at Flintlock and Rainbow Dash, acting as if Airheart simply didn’t exist. “A veteran Wonderbolt is turning in her flight suit after a twelve-year career and one of you three will be lucky enough to take her place! Now do her and yourselves a favor and show some respect!”

“Yes, Ma’am! Sorry Ma’am!” Rainbow and Flintlock replied loudly. Dash berated herself for being so impulsive with her confidence, for this wasn’t the best way to begin the tryouts.

The captain of the Wonderbolts looked between the three of them, pushing her glasses back up to veil her piercing eyes. “I hope that you’re all ready for this. Getting you that three month notice wasn’t exactly a popular idea amongst the team. We had to go without a Wonderbolt for two performances because of that. However, I felt it necessary to make sure that you three could bring your A-game today. I better not be disappointed when I see your performances out there.”

“You won’t be, Ma’am!” the three recited without a trace of doubt. Rainbow Dash made sure that her voice carried over Airheart and Flintlock’s, thankfully without an embarrassing crack.

“Good,” said Spitfire with a satisfied smirk. “This is the first time in six years that we’ve held tryouts for our ranks, so make sure you bring your all. We’ll be starting in a few minutes. Get yourselves ready.”

Without another word, the captain exited the room, closing the door behind her. Rainbow Dash covertly exhaled the breath that she had been holding, careful not to let the stoic Flintlock notice. To her relief, the gray stallion turned to his right and walked over to the other side of the room, not giving her another glance. To her left, Airheart didn’t seem to mind anypony hearing her sigh of relief. The pale pink mare wiped her brow with a hoof, her previous smile returning.

“Boy, I’m sure glad that’s over,” she said. “I know I shouldn’t be, but that mare has always kinda scared me a little. But I guess being that way only lets the bravest of ponies become Wonderbolts.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow answered, barely able to acknowledge Airheart’s words. She stared at the door Spitfire had left through, her mind focused on one thing and one thing only: winning. “Let’s get out there.”

“Alright! That’s the spirit, let’s go and show them what we’ve got!” Airheart cheered, pumping a cheerful hoof into the air. Flintlock merely nodded stoically, walking in Rainbow Dash’s wake toward the entrance curtain. Airheart hovered beside her, humming jubilantly to herself and bobbing her head to the tune. As if to harmonize with her song, drums had started to beat within Rainbow’s heart, thudding against her chest with such prominence that she could have sworn it was real. She cast no thought toward the prowess of her opponents, but focused on the skill she had finely tuned over the past three months. With that thought alone, Rainbow Dash was able to approach the curtain and throw it open with a hoof, grinning like mad at the sight before her.

Author's Note

Airheart is actually the placeholder name for a background pony that appeared in two episodes of the show. I liked her design enough to write a story starring her. She was simple but still adorable in her own little way. But unfortunately due to time constraints, I decided to dump the project and have her make a cameo appearance in Heroism instead.

Three - Attributes of a Leader

The main stage of the Cloudiseum was simple, yet paramount. A vast expanse of flat, white cloud stood below the surrounding stands, free of any disturbances or imperfections. The stage was often reformed to accommodate the stadium’s numerous events, whether it was for a derby or a concert. Sometimes, the stage was even taken away. Today, the stage was left alone as a flat, blank slate, completely devoid of any equipment or alteration to the clouds. Having no preconceived notions of the preliminary stages of the tryouts, Rainbow Dash was pleasantly surprised at the sight. The only sizable uncertainty in her mind had been completely diminished, allowing the right corner of her mouth to rise dramatically.

While Rainbow Dash was well versed in nearly all aspects of flying, her prowess never truly showed itself until she was in the open skies. Her skill was a wild beast, one that needed to roam unencumbered by boundaries or limitations. She had no quarrels with set courses or accuracy exercises, but that didn’t stop her from finding them unnecessary or mundane at this point in her flight career. Judging by the Cloudiseum’s lack of adaptation to the tryouts, the Wonderbolts seemed to be on the same page. Rainbow had grown tired of loops and laps in the Academy, and it was nice to see that her opinion had been shared. Freedom was the blue mare’s greatest ally, and it looked as though they were about to spend a lot of time together.

She looked to her left, finding that Airheart had decided to land and walk alongside her opponents. The pink mare’s attention looked to be divided between every metaphorical corner of the circular stadium, her large blue eyes traversing the stands and the skies, her joyous smile never faltering. Not wanting to look toward him directly, Rainbow Dash peaked at Flintlock out of the corner of her eye. The disinterested expression remained on his face, his orange eyes locked on the key focal point of the Cloudiseum’s architecture. Rainbow traced his gaze toward the other end of the arena, where the main stands stood prominent among the rest. Under the outstretched wings of a tall alicorn statue stood the opened curtains of a columned dais, where three pegasi waited.

Standing behind a long podium was Spitfire, glaring down at the three hopeful flyers as they crossed the cloud field. She had her head held high, her eyes invisible but undoubtedly fierce behind her tinted aviators. Despite her short height, her presence effortlessly undermined the tall stallion standing to her left. Rainbow Dash immediately recognized his relaxed and undeniably handsome face. His navy blue jacket was far less decorated than his captain’s, but didn’t fail to display his high rank in the team. Soarin had a coat of the faintest of blues, a few shades lighter than Rainbow’s. The stallion’s windswept mane and tail, however, were on the exact opposite end of the spectrum of blue, nearly fading into black. His pistachio-colored eyes were half-lidded, his lopsided grin giving the cadets a sense of reassurance.

On Spitfire’s other side was the mare whose departure from the team had made this entire event possible. She had a coat of faint gold, nearly white in some lights. Her mane and tail contrasted heavily against her fur, bearing two shades of vibrant aquamarine. Her hair was thick and combed back, resembling a healthy lion’s lustrous mane in shape and style. She had warm blue eyes, like small, deep pools of ocean water. Misty Fly nodded happily toward the three approaching pegasi, who all returned the favor with respect and gratitude. She may never have been of a high rank on the team, but Dash knew her to be one of the most amazing flyers ever to wear a Wonderbolts uniform. She would indeed be missed, but on the other hoof, Rainbow Dash was tired of being a fan.

When they reached the center of the arena, Rainbow’s eye was caught by the frantic waving of a pink earth mare high in the stands. She looked up to find her five closest friends, all wearing bright smiles and waving proudly. Dash watched with slight trepidation as Pinkie Pie jumped onto the safety rail in front of their seat, standing on her hindhooves as she bellowed over the stadium, “YOU CAN DO IT RAINBOW DASH!”

Everypony whipped their heads around to glare at Pinkie Pie, including a very cross Spitfire. “Hey! One more word and you’re out of here!”

The earth pony was pulled back to her seat by Rarity and Applejack, both throwing a hoof over Pinkie’s mouth. They smiled bashfully down to Rainbow, whom smirked with a roll of her eyes. I told you, Pinkie.

“I see where you get your undeserved confidence from,” Flintlock murmured out of the corner of his mouth. His tone wasn’t supportive as the words would have suggested, but patronizing instead. Rainbow wanted nothing more than to retort with a sharpened jibe, but decided against it. She needed to keep her cool now more than ever.

“Now if we can move this right along without any more distractions, I would greatly appreciate it,” Spitfire noted with a sense of hostility. Misty, however, kept her mouth behind a hoof, giggling at Pinkie Pie’s antics. The yellow mare cocked an eyebrow at her, shaking her head with the ghost of a smile. “The Wonderbolts have a performance in Fillydelphia in exactly one month, so one of you will be selected today to join us there. This afternoon, that pony will be awarded his or her flight suit and will be immediately escorted to Wonderbolt Headquarters for entrance processing. Take this as your last warning: once you’re on the team, there’s no turning back. Being a Wonderbolt is a commitment; one that demands every last bit of you. If any of you can’t take that, then spread your wings and fly back home before we waste any more time on you.”

Spitfire paused to slide her sunglasses up over her forehead, her keen eyes glaring down at them. Rainbow knew exactly what she was doing, and she was ready for it. She kept her composure, her stance unwavering and her eyes locked on the yellow mare above. She was right; the Wonderbolts weren’t just about putting on a uniform and performing tricks to fill a stadium; it was a lifestyle that required a vast amount of time and effort. But Rainbow Dash had already known that. She had been warned on several occasions during her time at the academy, and she was sure that Airheart and Flintlock had too. Even long before her status as a cadet, Rainbow knew what being a Wonderbolt would cost. She would be away from her friends and Ponyville for several months at a time, pushing her limits everyday to better herself in the skies. If she ever questioned her decision on the matter, Rainbow Dash would never have applied to the academy.

The blue mare cast a glance under Flintlock’s muzzle, smirking toward her friends in the high stands to the right. They all nodded with the brightest of smiles, their expressions emanating their happiness for her. Rainbow Dash looked back to Spitfire, whom seemed to be content with her analysis.

“Good,” said the captain simply. “Now as you three were told in your acceptance letters, there will be three preliminary tests and a freestyle display. The tests, above all else, will tell us about your speed, grace and agility. You will be judged based on your performance in accordance to not only the main points of the tests, but also on your expertise and ability to handle yourselves in the unknown. There’s a reason you weren’t given the details, cadets. We’ll end the tryouts with the freestyle display, where you will show us your own personally-crafted routine. We wanna see just how hard you’ve been training, and how creative you’ve become with your own skills.”

Rainbow Dash laughed inwardly, unable to wait for the last portion of the event. She had no feelings for the preliminary tests, for she was always unrivaled during the numerous exercises in the academy. However, that didn’t stop her from considering her opponents’ prowess. For all she knew, Flintlock or even Airheart were vastly more graceful and agile than she was. There was even a possibility of them having a more impressive routine than her. The only thing she could be certain of was her superior speed. Rainbow Dash would be surprised to meet another pony that could break the sound barrier, let alone perform a Sonic Rainboom.

“One last thing before we move on,” the yellow pegasus announced, catching everypony’s attention. Her previous tone seemed facetious compared to the demeanor she wore at that moment. Her next words carried weight beyond anything Rainbow Dash had ever heard before, and it aroused a cold lick of fear to graze along her spine. “Soarin, Misty and I will be picking apart every last move you will make today. You are about to be judged with much more objectivity and even cruelty than you ever have been before. Remember one thing: this will more than likely be the only shot you’ll ever get in the next decade to become a Wonderbolt, maybe even longer. Make. It. Count.”

Rainbow felt a cold block of ice drop into the pit of her stomach. She knew full and well that this may as well have been her only shot to become a Wonderbolt, but the sheer power of the thought had never truly resonated with her until Spitfire spoke the words. Once a pony received their flight suit, they did everything they could to hold onto it. No pegasus in the history of the team left or found themselves kicked off sooner than the majority of a decade. It may not have been a lifetime to wait to try again, but it certainly was to Rainbow Dash. It was now or never in her mind, for no other option was up to par. Come on, Dash. Don’t think about it. These two got nothing on you. You’re the best, and you’re gonna show ‘em all.

“Now one month isn’t a whole lotta time to prepare a new Wonderbolt for their first show, so let’s get this started already.”

“Ooooohhh, this is so exciting!” Pinkie Pie squeaked behind her hooves, practically quivering with glee. “I can’t believe Spitfire allowed us all to come and watch! I mean these seats aren’t quite as fluffy and comfy as some of the others here, but they definitely have the best view!”

“Oh yes, we’ll have to send the Wonderbolts a thank you card for letting us break the guest limit,” said Fluttershy, her voice barely heard over Spitfire’s opening speech.

“Are you kidding me? We gotta send them a giant thank you cupcake basket—No! A giant thank you cake!” Pinkie exclaimed, her volume nearly earning her another scolding from the captain below. Rarity threw her hoof over the mare’s mouth again out of reflex, but apparently Spitfire hadn’t heard them. “Oh! Sorry...”

Applejack let out a sigh of relief, her anxiety getting the best of her. With Rarity sitting on the other side of Pinkie Pie to the right, the farmer had to force herself to calm down on her own. She closed her eyes, taking in a long, slow breath through her nose. She did everything she could to not let it show, but apparently Applejack was more shallow than she thought. When her eyelids drifted open, the orange mare jumped in fright at the sight of Fluttershy’s wide aquamarine eyes staring worriedly into hers.

“Woah, uh... hey, Fluttershy. Somethin’ wrong?” the farmer sputtered, wearing a guilty smile.

“Oh! Well, I’m fine. But... I’m sorry if I’m being intrusive, but you just seem a little... um, restless,” the yellow mare spoke softly, wincing at her last word as if it was insulting.

Applejack froze, mentally cursing at herself. “Wh-What? Naw, everything’s just dandy!” she replied, thinking of a way to dodge the matter outright. The farmer leaned forward, catching Twilight’s eye on the other side of Fluttershy. “Hey Twi, Ah’ve been a mite curious about somethin’.”
“Oh? What about?” she asked with a pleasant smile, leaning forward to converse with Applejack.

“Well, ya’ know how ya’ said there was a certain trick that Rainbow never got ‘round to gettin’ right? Ah’ve kinda been wondering just what that trick was. Ah mean, if RD couldn’t pull it off, then it must’a been quite a doozy.”

Applejack subconsciously flicked her gaze toward the stage below, finding Rarity staring cautiously at her out of the corner of her eye. The orange mare ignored it as she looked back to Twilight.

“Oooh, yeah! I forgot about that!” Pinkie chimed in. “So what was it, Twilight?”

The purple mare hesitated, putting a hoof to her chin in contemplation. “Well, I did promise Rainbow Dash that her routine would be kept a secret until she showed it today, but... I guess since it’s not going to be a part of her routine for the Wonderbolts, then technically I can talk about it.”

“Are you sure?” asked Fluttershy. “We wouldn’t want to force it out of you.”

“No, I think it’s alright,” Twilight said reassuringly with a curt nod of her head. Everypony leaned forward, listening intently. “Well as you all know, Rainbow came to me a while back looking for some books about the more technical aspects of flying. She wanted to see what she could do to better her routine. One thing led to another and I started helping her form a completely new skill set with my knowledge of physics. One of the biggest things she wanted to know about was the science of the Sonic Rainboom, and just how it worked.”

“Why would she care about that?” asked Applejack, quirking a brow. “She ain’t exactly one to learn about things like science and what have ya’.”

“Well, it was something that would eventually improve her skills in the field of flight, so this was actually an exception,” Twilight answered before continuing her story. She looked to grow visibly excited over what Applejack expected to be a highly in-depth explanation. “Anyway, I gladly accepted, especially since it would improve her knowledge of physics. You see, when something flies through the air, it creates pressure waves that—”

“Twilight,” Applejack interrupted in a dry tone. “Ah got a feelin’ yer about to go on a big ol’ sciency tangent that none o’ us are gonna understand. Do me a favor and make it simple, please.”

“Um... okay, how do I put this and still get the point across... Oh!” Twilight started, perking up with delight. “Alright, so you know that white V-shaped thing that forms in front of Rainbow when she’s going really fast? That’s actually a shock wave created by the pressure she’s creating. It’s called a Mach cone, and it occurs when a flying object breaks the sound barrier. So when Rainbow takes it a step further and performs a Sonic Rainboom, the pressure that’s created is massive. Rainbow was pretty interested in that. She asked me what would happen if multiple Rainbooms occurred right next to each other. Well, since she’s the only pony to ever be able to fly fast enough to create one, nopony knows. My theory is that if two or three Rainbooms happened right next to each other, then the opposing pressure waves could result in an enormous shock wave of some sort. But without being able to test it, there was no conclusive evidence proving whether or not I was right.”

“Pardon me dear, but how does that work into this trick you two have been hiding?” asked Rarity, just as interested now as Applejack was.

“Don’t worry, I’m getting to that. All of this explanation is necessary, I assure you,” the purple unicorn answered simply. “Unfortunately, we would have needed two pegasi capable of creating a Sonic Rainboom to try it. Well, that’s what I thought, at least. Rainbow actually came up with a plausible way of doing it herself. Her idea was performing one Rainboom, then turning right around quick enough to create a second just after the first, right next to the first. It certainly wasn’t the worst idea in the world, but at the same time it sounded pretty much impossible.”

“Why’s that?” asked the farmer.

“Because both the visible and invisible shock waves of a Sonic Rainboom spread outward and lose energy very quickly. By my calculations, the window of opportunity would be less than half of a second. Now under normal circumstances, since she’s already travelling at supersonic speeds, time wouldn’t be that big of an issue. But since she’s travelling that fast in the first place, nopony could turn right around and fly in the opposite direction like she would need to, especially with such a small window. Obviously, the two of us were very curious about this and wanted to try it anyway. But at the same time, I didn’t think going into a field and just going for it was such a good idea. Being in the middle of all of that opposing air pressure is dangerous, and I wanted to wait and plan a safe course of action before the experiment. But you all know Rainbow; she had an idea and she wouldn’t wait one more second before she tried it.”

That arose a memory in Applejack’s mind. “Hold on a second. Last month when Rainbow was helpin’ me in the orchard, Ah think Ah saw her use her wings maybe once that whole day. She was hurt, wasn’t she?”

Twilight blinked, clearly surprised at the farmer’s deduction. “Oh, that must have been after we tried the stunt.”

“What? Did she crash?” Fluttershy chimed in with heavy concern, her forehooves over her mouth.

“I’ll explain,” said Twilight, making a calming gesture with a hoof. “We went to the fields north of Ponyville, right at the bottom of the Unicorn Range. It’s pretty far from town, with nopony around for miles. So I figured it was a great place to practice. I was able to convince Rainbow to start slow; to try some preliminary experiments before moving on to the real thing. We started out gauging how sharp of a turn she could make during high-supersonic flight, or the speed she travels after a Sonic Rainboom, to put it simply. Not only would she have to make a one-hundred and eighty degree turn while flying that fast, but it would have to be nearly just after she created the shock wave. Needless to say, the first few tries made the goal seem impossible. But after a while, she was able to tighten her trajectory until she was able to do it. Now I’ve seen some pretty astonishing things in my life, but I thought for sure that this wasn’t going to work. By the end of that day, Rainbow did the impossible again. She found a way to slow down, turn around and create another Rainboom right next to the first one before the shock wave died out.”

Applejack’s eyes flew open, her jaw hanging limply. She wouldn’t have been surprised to hear about such a thing happening if Twilight hadn’t spent the time to explain the science of the trick. Somehow the farmer was able to understand every word of Twilight’s veritable lecture, and it only increased the intensity of her shock.

“There was actually a small burst of light from the opposing prismatic shock waves, and the pressure was large enough to throw Rainbow into the side of a mountain. Luckily she walked away with just a sprained wing and nothing more, so I guess that’s why she might have restricted the use of her wings,” explained Twilight, quelling everypony’s worries. “Overall what she did was incredible in itself. Well, in terms of physics. Rainbow knew how impressive it was on paper, but to anypony that didn’t understand the math, it didn’t exactly look difficult or spectacular. She asked what would happen if a third Rainboom was included in the stunt, assuming she could be fast and agile enough to perform three of them and still escape the shock waves. We waited a week for her wing to heal before we tried it again. She was able to escape the shock wave after the second Rainboom, but in order to create the third one where the first two were, she had to fly headlong into the opposing pressures. It was... less than successful.”

“So I assume she wasn’t able to accomplish the stunt before the tryouts, considering you said it was removed from her routine,” said Rarity.

Twilight nodded. “To tell you the truth, I’m fairly certain that she won’t ever be able to do it. The sheer amount of air pressure she’s facing is more than the pony body can handle. I’ve done the math over and over again, and I can’t find a conclusion that proves she can do it. The sad truth of it is that it’s just impossible.”

“Well that is disappointing,” Rarity noted sincerely. “It does sound like a truly spectacular maneuver.”

“Did RD ever come up with a name for it?” asked Applejack, purely out of curiosity.

“Well the small burst of white light came from the two prismatic shock waves as a result of every last color shining as one,” Twilight started up again. “I figured that the addition of a third Sonic Rainboom would result in a high-intensity flash of light, kind of like a dying star. I brought this up to Rainbow Dash and she liked the comparison enough to name the stunt after it.”

“Well come on now, tell us!” Pinkie demanded, jittering with impatience. “I bet it’s something super creative and super cool-sounding!”

“The only part Rainbow specifically said that she wanted secret about the stunt was the name until she could do it,” said the unicorn with a sense of sorrow. “But considering the physics and the math, I think it’s never going to be more than just a theory.”

“Uh... Twilight? You did tell Rainbow not to try that trick today, right?” Applejack inquired, the worry coming back to her. “She might know how dangerous it is, but after knowin’ that mare as long as Ah have, it wouldn’t exactly surprise me if she tried it anyway.”

“What? Oh no, no, no. She agreed that her new routine was sufficient enough to win her spot on the Wonderbolts, and I would be shocked if it wasn’t,” said the purple mare reassuringly, absolutely certain that she was right. Her confident demeanor lasted for the better part of two seconds before Twilight’s eyes flicked between her hooves and the cyan mare below. Her expression slowly fell, her smile turning into an uncertain frown. “Well maybe... No, she won’t. She wouldn’t... right?”

Unwilling to wait another second, Spitfire motioned to Soarin with a hoof. The lax stallion nodded, rolling his neck and wing joints a few times. He leaped over the long podium and glided down to the cloud field below, landing expertly in front of the three cadets. They saluted him in perfect unison, to which the tall stallion offered another lopsided grin before returning the gesture.

“Alright cadets, you three wanna be Wonderbolts, right?” he asked, his relaxed tone rising in volume at the last word.

Rainbow Dash and Airheart both cocked an eyebrow, answering the question a second apart from each other and Flintlock. “Yes, sir!”

“And you’ll do what it takes to surpass each other in order to get it, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good, ‘cause you three are gonna work together for this first test,” Soarin grinned cruelly, starting to pace in front of them. A small part of Rainbow grimaced over the thought of working with Flintlock. “Now we know you’re all good flyers by yourselves, and you’ve performed your share of simple cooperative exercises. But you’ve never had to keep formation behind a highly-trained Wonderbolt that’s trying to shake you off his tail, have you?”

Rainbow Dash blinked, a momentary flash of bewilderment on her face. From the dais behind the pale blue stallion, Spitfire and Misty watched closely, as if to judge their physical reactions to Soarin’s words. Despite the severely low odds of her facial expressions being a part of the test, Rainbow erased every last trace of emotion from her face. Unnecessary precaution had never exactly been a prime factor in her life, but the mare wasn’t about to let anything ruin her day.

“I’ll take that stunned silence as a ‘buck, no.’ Well good! It’s always a great idea to try new things, you know,” Soarin continued, his voice loud and jubilant. Rainbow’s right ear twitched at the sound of teeth grinding. She spotted Flintlock’s face in her peripheral vision, a dark corner of her mind cackling maniacally at the annoyed look in his eye. “So here’s the rundown, and I don’t wanna hear a single question afterward. You all remember the three basic formations for a trio of flyers, right? Right. Well you three are gonna keep up with me in perfect synchronization for a duration of one-hundred and twenty seconds. Easy, huh? Well not so fast, newbies. Here’s the catch: not only am I gonna try and lose you cadets, but I’m going to be calling out one of the three basic formations at random. When you hear one, get into that positioning as quickly and smoothly as possible.”

Being prepared was something that Rainbow had prided herself in doing before a performance, in more ways than one. However, working cooperatively with two other pegasi aiming for the same spot on the Wonderbolts was not something she could have foreseen. She couldn’t think of a single issue following Soarin’s moves by herself, but alongside Flintlock and Airheart was a completely different situation. But she didn’t have time to formulate a game plan, for the blue stallion had already snapped his flight goggles to his eyes as he spread his wide, powerful wings.

“We’re starting off with the tally formation. Ready, go!”

With the briefest of warnings, the Wonderbolt drove his wings down and catapulted into the sky before anypony could so much as blink. A thundering roar accompanied his ascent from the sudden burst of speed, casting a gust of air to nearly topple Airheart’s small frame.

“Horseapples!” the pink mare exclaimed over the wind, throwing her goggles over her wide blue eyes.

While Airheart fought to restore her composure, Flintlock and Rainbow Dash took to the air themselves in pursuit of the rising Wonderbolt. The blue mare threw her forehooves in front of her, ascending rapidly into the sky. Flintlock kept pace right beside her, his gray wings pounding at his sides. The stallion had a large frame, one that bore quite a few rippling, toned muscles. While his wings were aptly proportioned to the rest of his heavy form, he lacked the lithe, streamlined body that Rainbow Dash had. His sharp eyes were squinted behind his goggles, his nostrils flaring with short, yet trained breaths. The cyan pegasus watched him briefly out of the corner of her eye, scowling inwardly. Flintlock looked to be at his highest speed already, and Rainbow had barely reached a fraction of her own.

Thankfully, Airheart only took a moment to join them, taking the open position between Rainbow and Flintlock to neatly form a lateral configuration of flyers. They ascended as one, rising past the orange and yellow banners dotting the uppermost edges of the Cloudiseum. Up above, Soarin stopped in midair, waiting patiently with his forelegs crossed. Rainbow swore to herself, wishing that her current accomplices could at least hold a candle to her potential velocity. They needed to go faster, and Rainbow wanted nothing more than to break away from Flintlock and Airheart and catch up with Soarin. However, doing so would break formation. For now, Dash needed to take a breath and slow her racing mind down and focus on their configuration.

But then again, academy cadets had always been taught to push their limits, and Rainbow wasn’t about to be out-flown for anything. “Come on, you two! Don’t give him the chance to rest!”

“Oh, you’re the leader here now?” Flintlock called back over the wind, his scornful tone grazing along Rainbow’s patience like a coarse stone.

The blue mare gritted her teeth, mentally punching the stallion in the jaw. She could have argued with him for several minutes over the matter, but time was an enormous factor. “Are you telling me that I’m the only one that can keep up with this guy?”

Something in Flintlock’s orange eye sparked at the jibe. His brow furrowed in concentration, the corner of his mouth curling to bare his gritted teeth. Rainbow watched his wings slow down a beat or two, signalling his preparation to take off. She braced herself, attempting to gauge his upcoming launch. Airheart seemed to notice it as well, her eyes flicking between his and Dash’s wings. Rainbow was impressed, hoping the pink mare could estimate her partners’ speed and keep formation.

Once they got within range of Soarin, he quickly rolled over once in the air and bolted across the sky, calling out over his shoulder: “Triad!”

The trio of pegasi arched out of their vertical trajectory, leveling their bodies high over the Cloudiseum. As soon as the Wonderbolt’s command reached their ears, Rainbow Dash turned herself into a roll, throwing her wings out to balance herself a few hooves over the other two cadets. She left enough room for their wings to beat unencumbered, but close enough to keep a tight and impressive formation. Her eyes caught the gray stallion at just the right second below and to the right, his large wings a mere second from catapulting him through the air. Rainbow grinned like mad, desperate to unleash even a portion of her unrivaled wingpower. Up ahead, Soarin was already spreading the gap between himself and the cadets, his black tie billowing in the wind over his right shoulder.

“Let’s do this! Go!” Rainbow Dash bellowed, throwing her wings back with a large portion of her might. The familiar rush of wind and glee spread down her body like wildfire as she rocketed through the air. But even through her adrenaline, she still kept one eye on Soarin and the other on the two pegasi directly below her. They matched her burst of speed, keeping perfect form as they accelerated cooperatively over the stadium. It took a moment for her to spot the bright, translucent trail of orange and yellow behind Flintlock, growing more and more visible as he accelerated. They gained speed much quicker than expected, and soon the Wonderbolt was only a few lengths in front of them.

Soarin flashed them a cocky grin right before suddenly dropping out of the sky. Rainbow must have blinked, for the maneuver had completely evaded her field of vision. She pushed herself a few inches forward, leading Flintlock and Airheart into a sharp dive. Her eyes found the pale blue stallion again, his forelegs held casually at his sides and his wings closed. Even with their refined speed, Soarin was still toying with them. Rainbow wouldn’t take more than a second to catch up with him by herself, but with two pegasi of only above average speed flying with her, she was heavily restricted.

Rainbow Dash took in a cautious breath through her nose, careful not to have the high winds forced into her lungs. This was only the first test, and she was already allowing her desire for speed get the better of her. They never needed to catch Soarin; they needed to display their ability to work together under challenging situations. As long as the Wonderbolt didn’t lose them, the cadets were free to prove their grace and symmetry.

“Let’s show them what formation flying looks like!” Dash yelled as she leaned to the left, signalling her partners to follow with a gesture of her hoof. Airheart nodded, a determined grin spreading across her face. Flintlock merely gave a short shake of his head, a grunt barely heard over the wind. Rainbow led the other two pegasi into a downward spiral, their triangular formation plummeting toward the Cloudiseum after Soarin. The world spun around the three cadets as they consecutively tightened and widened their corkscrew. Rainbow’s ears picked up a few scattered gasps and sounds of awe from the stands below, specifically Pinkie Pie’s distinctive high-pitched cry of joy. Below them, Soarin blew past the top of the stadium, diving toward its center at terminal velocity. Rainbow Dash, Flintlock and Airheart kept their distance from him, waiting for the stallion to make a move. Faster and faster he fell, rapidly approaching the stage.

Just like the last turn, Soarin pulled up at the last second, nearly grazing the flat expanse of cloud surrounded by the Cloudiseum’s high walls. “Arrowhead!” he called out as the trio of pegasi followed him into a large loop. They pursued the Wonderbolt, flawlessly turning out of the Triad and into the shape of an arrow. Rainbow led her partners in the lateral form of their last configuration, peaking behind herself to make sure they were in line. It seemed she hadn’t given either of them enough credit, for they were matching every last one of her moves without a single mistake. A small part of her subconscious worried about this, wondering what else they were capable of in the air.

“Tally!” Soarin yelled as they reached the first quarter of the loop, to which they complied effortlessly. Rainbow simply slowed herself down, allowing her comrades to flank both of her sides. But as they reached the apex of the curve, the blue stallion ahead called out for the Triad again, mere seconds after the Tally. Rainbow Dash rolled toward the ground, the cadets upside-down as they reached the third quarter of the loop.

Soarin continued to lead the trio of pegasi into what felt like a never-ending series of arches and spirals, calling out commands with only seconds separating them. At first his flying had been relaxed, his maneuvers peaceful and carefree as if he were enjoying a vacation in the sky. But as each trial passed in the seemingly endless two minutes, the Wonderbolt started to prove his worth. He flew faster, forcing Rainbow to push her partners’ limits even further. As if the increase in speed wasn’t enough, Soarin kept his high velocity in every turn, never slowing down once. It was growing more and more difficult for three pegasi flying in an ever-changing formation to keep pace with him.

Rainbow Dash counted down the last twenty seconds of the test, pleading for the end to arrive before Flintlock or Airheart lost the ability to continue. They looked to be exhausted; their eyes squinted with concentration and their wings slowing down with fatigue. Luckily, Soarin seemed to be content with the Triad formation they were currently pursuing him in. Once Dash reached the number eleven in her mind, the blue stallion directed them into a wide, downward spiral toward the center of the Cloudiseum once again. The cadets had lost the energy to show off with rolls and advanced maneuvers between configuration changes and stunts, for their only focus was now on simply meeting the required time limit. Rainbow kept one eye on both of her fellow cadets as they flew toward the stadium, each passing second slower than the last. If any of them fell out of formation for even a fraction of a second, they would all suffer the consequences.

10... 9... Rainbow counted down in her head. She looked ahead to Soarin, thankful to find him committed to the downward spiral. It seemed as if this was the home stretch; the last line of flight that would push their limits of endurance. Rainbow Dash was confident in herself to complete the test, but her withering hopes for her teammates all but died out once Airheart caught her eye.

The pink mare had looked to be doing everything she could to keep pace with Rainbow Dash’s lead, but it seemed as if the pressure was about to break her. Her place in the formation was faltering, her beating wings losing speed with every fraction of a second. A pained grimace contorted her face, her outstretched forelegs shaking violently. Rainbow considered slowing down for her benefit, but doing so would surely lose their place behind Soarin.

“Come on, Airheart! We’re almost there!” the blue mare yelled over the high winds.

“I-I can’t hold it!” she called back, her voice strained with effort.

Rainbow grit her teeth, watching her with intense scrutiny. It never took long for Dash to analyze a flyer. Even with the limited amount of time she had known Airheart, she could tell that she was no quitter in her element. The pink mare wasn’t giving up because it was too hard, but her body was an entirely different matter. There was something in her large blue eyes that was breaking on a level much deeper than her fatigue.

“Let her go, Dash!” came Flintlock’s deep voice. “Don’t let us be dragged down to her level!”

Despite the fact that every word he spoke defied and even insulted her morality, Rainbow Dash had no time to retort. Wave after wave of air pressure rocked Airheart’s petite frame, until one final gust devoured the last few drops of her energy. With a high-pitched yelp, the small pegasus was torn from the group, her flailing body rocketing down toward the stands. Her momentum sent her into a collision course that would prove to be nothing more than one thing: fatal.

“Airheart!”

Rainbow Dash threw everything to the wind and broke formation, launching herself away from Flintlock and in the direction of Airheart. She tumbled at breakneck speeds through the air, inciting a chorus of gasps and cries of terror from the scattered spectators. The blue pegasus beat her wings as hard as she could, dread flooding her veins as Airheart grew closer to the solid lower walls of the stands. The cyan mare watched the air pressure accumulate in front of her, forming a thin white veil. She closed the gap as quick as she could, pressing cautiously against the sound barrier without breaking it. As the pink mare rapidly approached the wall, Dash gave her wings a final pound before executing her maneuver.

The blue mare reached her comrade, throwing her forelegs around Airheart’s torso. She gripped the small pegasus, rolling over in the air as she braced herself for impact. Rainbow’s hindhooves hit the vertical wall with a resounding thud, her legs buckling to absorb the massive shock. Her knees lit up with a sharp, immediate pain. She grimaced, one eye peaking open to find Airheart cradled safely in her forelegs; one hoof supporting her hindlegs and the other holding her torso. In the brief second before gravity overtook Dash, she flashed the wide-eyed mare a lopsided grin.

Rainbow kicked weakly off the wall, rolling once in the air before landing on the cloud floor of the stadium ten hooves below. She crouched her hindlegs low, attempting to lessen the pain in her knees as much as she could. The stands may have only held a hoofful of ponies, but every last one of them roared with applause, stomping and clapping their hooves to show their approval. Rainbow Dash lowered the pegasus to her hooves, wincing as she did.

“R-Rainbow! What did you do?!” Airheart exclaimed in shock. Dash’s eyebrows flew up, her lips parted in confusion. “You were so close to finishing the test! Why would you put your score in jeopardy for me?”

“Wh-What?” Rainbow stammered, her brain still racing with adrenaline. “You were in danger! Did you think I was gonna let you crash?”

“Why wouldn’t you? You said it yourself: I’m your opponent, remember?”

“Not during that test, you weren’t!” Rainbow retorted, throwing a hoof toward the sky. “You were on my team up there, and I don’t let my teammates get hurt if I can help it. Yeah, we’re flying against each other today, but for that test we were partners.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Rainbow Dash and Airheart whipped their heads around to find Spitfire and Soarin landing to the right, both wearing proud smiles. In the background, Flintlock was spotted hovering high in the air over the center of the arena, his forelegs crossed and his face expressionless. The captain of the Wonderbolts approached the cyan pegasus, giving her a nod of approval before turning her gaze to Airheart. “You okay, Airheart?”

“Y-Yes, Ma’am,” the shorter cadet answered between breaths.

“Glad to hear it. Now let’s move on to the next test,” Spitfire replied, turning around to face the judges’ podium on the opposing side of the stage. But before she and Soarin took off into the air, the yellow pegasus turned her head at a shallow angle, looking to Rainbow Dash out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, and Dash... good work.”

Four - Downfall of a Dreamer

Rainbow Dash’s spirits soared at the captain’s words, a proud smile curling her lips as Spitfire and Soarin flew off to return to the judges’ podium. As they departed, Airheart quickly turned her blue eyes back to her savior, her expression torn between several different emotions. She took a moment to catch her breath, her gaze softening into something more appreciative.

“Oh thank Celestia,” she exhaled. “I thought for sure that Spitfire was gonna dock points from you.”

“Hey, she can’t be mad at me for saving your life,” Rainbow smirked.

“Y-Yeah... yeah you did, didn’t you?” Airheart realized aloud. She pushed her goggles back up to her forehead, pressing her auburn bangs against her brow. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep—”

Dash pressed a hoof to Airheart’s mouth, effectively silencing her. “Hey, the test is over. Don’t apologize to your competitors. It’s a sign of weakness.”

With that, the cyan pegasus spread her wings and flew toward the center of the stage. Airheart hesitated for a moment before following her. Rainbow flexed her hindlegs as she flew, stretching the muscles in hope to shake the throbbing in her knees. While her legs weren’t going to be used nearly as much as her wings, Dash prayed that the pain wouldn’t cause her to falter in the air. The pink mare caught up with her, watching her kick her legs with a guilty look on her face. Rainbow didn’t look back, but ahead toward the center stage.

They landed in their previous spots, Flintlock taking position next to Rainbow Dash once again. She had her eyes on his mouth, hoping that he dared not to open it. But when her hooves made contact with the cloud, a surprisingly sharp sting in her knees forced a grimace to her face.

The stallion didn’t miss a beat. “Price of being the hero, I gue—”

“Shut your mouth, already,” Rainbow snapped out of the corner of her mouth, lacking a wittier retort. Fortunately for her, Spitfire started before the gray stallion could utter a comeback.

“Alright cadets, let’s move on to the next test. Hopefully we can get through the rest of the tryouts without any more drama. Can we do that?”

“Yes Ma’am!” the three called back. Rainbow’s eyes subconsciously drifted to her left, finding Airheart’s head an inch or so lower than it was before. It was hard to tell against her dull pink coat, but a shade of red had appeared over her cheeks. The blue mare would have felt a small bout of sympathy for Airheart if her knees weren’t throbbing with every small movement. She let out a short breath through her nose, forcing the pain from her mind.

“Glad to hear it,” Spitfire replied from the enclosed dais above, her expression emotionless.

Before she continued, Rainbow Dash noticed something. The captain mentioned at the beginning of the tryouts that they would be tested on their speed, grace and agility, but neglected to announce what the first test represented. At first, Rainbow had guessed that the three attributes of flying would be tested individually, considering the similar number of preliminary trials. However, chasing Soarin while keeping perfect formation and speed tested all three at once. Dash took a moment to inwardly pat herself on the back for figuring Spitfire’s intentions out so soon. If the first round went like that, then the other two would have to follow suit to be consistent and fair. Rainbow made a mental note to keep her deduction in mind. And they said a dropout wouldn’t make it anywhere in life.

The remaining two events of the tryouts had certainly increased in difficulty, and just as Rainbow Dash had predicted, they both pushed the cadets’ speed, grace and agility. However, that wasn’t where they stopped. The second trial tested their endurance as well, to which even the cyan mare found to be strenuous. They were required to follow Spitfire herself in a series of high-speed laps above the Cloudiseum. Under normal circumstances, the test wouldn’t have made anypony fatigued in the slightest, but the captain was inventive. Rainbow Dash, Airheart and Flintlock fought for the lead behind Spitfire as high above the stadium as they could fly. Not only were they flying at nearly subsonic speeds for the better part of twenty minutes, but they were racing near the edge of oxygen’s reach.

At such altitudes, Rainbow’s intermediate skills and maneuvers were of zero assistance. She had seen nearly every Wonderbolt show in Equestria, and not one of them included high-altitude flight. At the edge of the stratosphere, she was untrained and completely out of her element. Her lungs burned from start to finish, and fatigue had become much more of an issue than under normal circumstances. Airheart proved to be even worse during the test, for she nearly lost consciousness several times. Rainbow found it arduous to keep an eye on the pink mare during the event like before, regardless of their opposing positions. She cursed her compassion, wondering how in Equestria such a veritable novice could have been given a chance to become a Wonderbolt. Flintlock, however, seemed to have little to no difficulty performing at high altitude. While he had been panting with much more oxygen down below, the gray stallion seemed to thrive up above.

The final test had been led by Misty Fly herself, the very pony whose position on the team the three cadets were attempting to fill. It began no longer than two minutes after the second event, further pushing the limits of their endurance. Fortunately for the cadets, Misty’s trial was at a pace much slower than Soarin’s or Spitfire’s. But on the other hoof, it was something that nopony could have expected in the wake of the previous tests. If she was known for anything, the golden Wonderbolt was known for her unparalleled grace and beauty in the sky. She was a master of dazzling crowds by adding her own personal flair to the simplest of aerial acrobatics, and today she wanted to see what the cadets could do in the same field.

Unlike before, Rainbow, Airheart and Flintlock were tested individually. They were required to perform a series of tricks and maneuvers that appeared simple. However, they were to do so not only as Misty did, but exactly as she did. Every arch, loop and dive needed to be performed in the very same way as the Wonderbolt. There had been a saying among the Wonderbolt fanbase: there were backflips, and then there were Misty Fly backflips. In the air, she could turn the mundane into the magificent with the simple addition of a back arch or a tail flare. Misty not only demonstrated this, but made the cadets copy her moves exactly, with no room for error. Flintlock proved to be worse than useless in this facet of flying, giving Rainbow Dash plenty of room to grab the Wonderbolts’ attention. It wasn’t particularly her favorite form of stunt flying, but it was a skill she respected enough to practice. However, her competence paled in comparison to Airheart’s mastery.

Rainbow Dash had been certain that the third trial was hers, and she never expected a pony she thought to be incompetent to steal the show. Completely deviating from her previous failures, the pink mare showed that she was no stranger to the art of grace. Airheart was like a figure skater and a ballerina combined in the skies, and not only that, but she also displayed a wealth of confidence. Watching her fly was almost like viewing one of Misty’s solo performances. Rainbow couldn’t find it in herself to be jealous or angry at the mare as she observed her moves. Every last flip, roll and turn was masterfully executed, doing more than impressing the blue mare. Dash nearly felt herself in awe as if she were watching a true Wonderbolt, and she was fairly certain that she spotted the same feeling in Flintlock behind his stoic demeanor.

In fact, Flintlock had been surprisingly quiet after the last two trials. He gave no sarcastic jibes or condescending utterances, but maintained a straight, unreadable expression for the remainder of the tryouts. A small part of Rainbow wished to think that he was starting to respect his two opponents, but she immediately brushed the thought aside, keeping the narcissistic pony out of her mind.

“Well, that was certainly… something,” Spitfire announced, her word and annunciation choices sparking interest in Dash’s head. Her last word was completely unreadable. It was neither positive, nor negative, further displaying her wish to keep her thoughts of the tryouts behind an opaque veil. Rainbow Dash was never one to be considered perceptive, but when the situation involved something she was vastly interested in, she was nothing but. “Alright cadets, get yourselves in the waiting room and take five. Soarin will be in momentarily to collect you three individually for your freestyles. Dismissed!”

Rainbow Dash did all she could to hold back a long groan of relief, striving to keep a cool demeanor under Spitfire’s watch. She led Airheart and Flintlock to the other side of the vast cloud stage, walking at a slow pace to dull the persistent throbbing in her knees. As they approached the opening in the stadium’s interior wall, Airheart trotted beside the cyan pegasus to the right, wearing an alarmed expression.

“Oh no, you’re still hurt, aren’t you?” she asked with deep concern. “Dash, I’m really sorry.”

“What’d I say about apologizing to your opponents?” Rainbow retorted, although not with a single touch of scorn. She gave her a ghost of a smirk, to which she hoped the pink mare would spot. Without looking for the answer, the chromatic pegasus shot a glance to her left, spotting Flintlock at her side staring determinedly ahead. “Hey.”

The gray stallion didn’t reply, nor did he allow his gaze to falter. But still he showed his acknowledgment with the shallowest of nods.

“During that second test,” Rainbow started, her voice stern. She paused, looking back to the hallway ahead of them. “You did good up there.”

As she expected, Flintlock didn’t reply with words, but with a sharp snort. Regardless, it didn’t matter to the mare. She had overcome rivalry and displayed her capacity for sportsmareship. The stallion could react however he wanted.

Without another word, the trio of pegasi exited the stage and walked down a short, curved hallway, finding themselves returning to the waiting room moments later. Flintlock immediately reclaimed his spot on the floor near the threshold, laying back down on his stomach and closing his eyes peacefully. In the wake of the preliminary tests, Rainbow and Airheart took advantage of the plush seating arrangements they had previously ignored. The cyan mare plopped herself down on her haunches, leaning back into a comfortable violet sofa. She found an ottoman nearby, pulling it over with a hindhoof to rest her tired legs upon. Dash groaned in relief while Airheart floated over, delicately landing aside her with a bright smile.

“You were amazing out there!” she practically exclaimed, pricking Rainbow’s ears up in fright. “I mean, nopony would have expected any less of you, but it was really something else seeing you fly up close like that!”

“Hey, you weren’t too bad yourself,” Dash replied sincerely, her voice haggard but encouraging.

The blue mare quelled her snicker as a tinge of red shaded Airheart’s pale pink cheeks. “What? I was terrible during those tests. If Soarin comes in here and doesn’t just kick me out right now, I’ll be shocked.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, attempting to devise a way to raise Airheart’s spirits without displaying too much compassion. “Don’t sell yourself short. You don’t see me downplaying how I fly, do you?”

Before Airheart could respond, the door opened, and Soarin walked through. His lax grin turned into something a little more mischievous as he scanned the room, looking at the three cadets individually. “Take five” had always meant at least a five minute break, but Rainbow had only sat down for nothing close to a moment or two. It seemed as if Spitfire wanted to see if she would ask for the remainder of her break. Yet another test that she wasn’t going to fail.

Despite the fact that Rainbow knew what he was doing, the purposeful hesitation still unnerved her. After a moment, the Wonderbolt smirked, turning his pistachio eyes to Rainbow Dash. “You’re up first, Dash. Let’s go.”

The cyan mare took in a deep breath, taking a long blink before snapping up to her hooves. The pressure in her chest doubled as her moment approached. She had not expected to go first. Nevertheless, the daredevil of Ponyville kept her posture inside and out, following Soarin out the door.

“Dash.”

Rainbow froze on the spot, the gruff, low voice surprising her. She turned her head slightly, catching sight of Flintlock raising his head to look at her. He showed no emotion on his face, and yet said, “Good luck.”

The mare felt her lips part, her eyes squinting slightly. He didn’t say it with scorn nor sarcasm, but with undeniable sincerity. Dash replied with a curt nod and a smile before exiting the room.

Rainbow followed the Wonderbolt with a spring in her step, emerging into the hallway she had walked through only moments ago. The second the mare shut the door behind her and walked behind Soarin, he began to speak in an undertone.

“The captain would kill me if she knew I said this,” the stallion murmured. Rainbow caught up with him, walking beside the Wonderbolt with her ears pricked up. “But we’ve been pretty darned ansy to see your freestyle. Spitfire included.”

Dash squinted slightly, peering at Soarin out of the corner of her eye with a quirk of her brow. “Nice try, buddy,” she smirked. “But I’m not falling for any tricks today.”

Soarin chuckled as they turned the corner of the hall, the daylight shining on them more with every step. “I actually like that answer more than the one I was expecting. Good luck out there, Dash.”

Before Rainbow could say another word, Soarin unfurled his wings and flew out of the hall, taking his place across the Cloudiseum next to Spitfire a moment later. The mare shook her head with a smirk, not giving Soarin’s words any thought. She crossed the threshold onto the flat expanse of cloud at a brisk, proud trot, keeping her daring grin all the while. Once she reached the center of the stage, Spitfire, Soarin and Misty Fly looked down to her, the captain’s gaze just as piercing as ever. The yellow mare removed her sunglasses, tucking them into the pocket of her uniform. “You have two minutes to show us why you think you’re Wonderbolt material, cadet, and not a second more. Your starting point is on the cloud behind you. The clock starts ticking the second you leave it. Do you understand?”

Rainbow Dash pushed her goggles down over her eyes with a confident grin. Even through the lenses, she could have sworn she spotted a smile play on the captain’s lips.

“Good. Now get up there so we can begin.”

The cyan mare turned around and took to the air, finding the small cloud Spitfire mentioned at the other end of the arena, floating just above the yellow and orange banners atop the Cloudiseum’s high walls. As she ascended toward the starting point, Rainbow couldn’t help but grin inwardly at her luck. Beginning high in the air like this went perfectly with her new routine. She landed delicately atop the small cloud, facing toward the enclosed dais where Spitfire watched intently. The mare held her wings high and proud, as if to display them for the ponies below. The sky was clear and as blue as could be, offering zero hindrance for her performance.

Rainbow Dash never took a deep breath, closed her eyes or even blinked before starting, not wanting to give anxiety any opportunity to take control. The prismatic mare leaned forward, tucking her wings in and closing her eyes as gravity took over. She fell from the cloud headfirst, picking up speed faster and faster with her forelegs held casually at her sides. With every meter of descent, a group of muscles relaxed under the cool wind whistling through her mane and ruffling her feathers. While her limbs loosened, her mind kept itself focused on her visualization of the world around her. Judging by the height of the starting point from the Cloudiseum’s stage, she would reach terminal velocity just before making impact with the flat cloud below.

Two seconds went by after her performance began, and the mare’s ears barely heard a chorus of fearful gasps through the rushing wind. Her mind’s eye watched as the stage grew closer and closer, until she felt her acceleration cease altogether.

Rainbow’s eyes flew open behind her goggles, her wings snapping open at her sides. In the same instance, the mare threw her forelegs in front of herself and pulled upward with all of her might. Everypony in the stands roared with glee as Rainbow Dash soared inches over the stage, a prismatic trail marking her trajectory vividly behind her. She circled the interior walls of the arena, ascending rapidly in a wide coil. Dash accelerated, tightening her rising spiral with every pass until she pushed over the top of the arena. As she reached the center of her spiral, Rainbow pounded her wings, accelerating near her limit straight into the skies above. The white veil of air pressure only had a brief moment of visibility in front of the pegasus before she shattered the sound barrier.

The blue mare shot straight upward, a flash of light and an explosion of sound detonating behind her. Not a half a second passed before the prismatic shockwave of a Sonic Rainboom roared to life, expanding mere hooves above the banners of the Cloudiseum. Rainbow Dash slowed her acceleration; turning over high above the stadium and catapulting herself back down toward the center of the shockwave. She picked up speed at an alarming rate, gravity assisting in her descent. Her translucent trail brightened as she gained velocity, becoming increasingly bright and vivid. Once her body approached the epicenter of the first Rainboom, the pegasus pounded her wings and turned into a tight roll. Buck it, let’s start this off with a bang. Phase One: Galactic Rainboom.

Rainbow Dash corkscrewed through the center of the dying Rainboom at hypersonic speeds, a second shockwave erupting in the aftermath of the first. The world spun around her as she spiraled toward the center of the arena, every color of her vivid trail wrapping around each other like a chromatic braid. Up above, her Sonic Rainboom didn’t expand as a ring, but swirled toward its center as a result of her high-velocity roll. Every vibrant pigment blended together like a collection of differently-hued dyes draining down a funnel, the remnants of the first shockwave surrounding her creation. She threw her wings straight out to her sides, ending her corkscrew outright. On the edges of her vision, Dash spotted the dropped jaws of everypony watching, her heart soaring when she caught sight of Spitfire’s priceless expression.

Changing the order of her routine stages was a decision made completely in her need to start things off with monumental flair. She had two more phases to go, and one of them was supposed to be her opening maneuver. After a quick moment of pondering, the pegasus decided upon her new succession of stunts.

Gravity pulled the mare toward the cloud stage below, plummeting headfirst passed the small crowd of astonished faces. She spread her wings, every feather tasting the air for any trace of an air current. Her grin brightened when her nerves found nothing but the still air she was falling through. This was truly her day.

There wasn’t a single word in the Equestrian language that could truly describe Rainbow Dash’s performance. The words “awe-inspiring” and “magnificent” immediately came to mind, even before Rarity had uttered them breathlessly beside the farmer. But somehow nothing seemed to capture Rainbow’s aerial prowess. Since the pegasus began, Applejack’s jaw had never once closed. Her brain refused to allow even a single blink, fearful of missing something. Like everypony else from Ponyville, Applejack knew well of the pegasus’ skill, but what she was witnessing was something on a whole other level.

Being born without wings, the orange mare knew not of the true significance of what Rainbow was doing, but with Fluttershy sitting on the edge of her seat to the left, Applejack was starting to grasp the idea. The yellow pegasus kept her hooves over her mouth during the entire performance, aquamarine eyes wide with shock and awe. With every dive and trick, the mare would gasp or whimper with fright. It didn’t take a Wonderbolt to fully appreciate Dash’s new routine. All the while, Twilight watched her meticulously, whispering the names of Rainbow’s stunts right before she performed them.

“She changed the order... why would she do that?” Twilight murmured to herself, her voice barely heard over the resounding crash of the spiraling Rainboom overhead. “It’s supposed to be the Orbiter, then the Galactic Rainboom before the finishing move.”

The unicorn didn’t speak with fear or concern, but with pure curiosity. Nevertheless, it aroused a sense of dread within Applejack’s heart again. The farmer’s eyes constantly flicked between Rainbow and Twilight, watching for any negative change in her expression.

Rainbow Dash laughed aloud in triumph as she pulled to the left, rocketing towards the western side of the arena. She took a turn sharper than most pegasi could make at such a speed, rolling over in the air and leveling herself over the main stage. Without missing a beat in her flow, the cyan daredevil drove her wings back as hard as her small frame would allow, catapulting her around the inner walls of the stadium in a constant left turn. She took in a short breath through her nose, preparing her body for the extraordinary amount of pressure it was about to endure. Dash stuck close to the stands, picking up speed with every flap of her nimble wings. She drove her trajectory upward a few hooves, tucking her limbs close to her body as she announced her next move to the imaginary crowd in her mind: Phase Two: Chromatic Orbiter.

Holding her breath, Rainbow Dash dove her head forward, the rest of her body following suit into a series of high-velocity somersaults. The Cloudiseum rolled and tumbled around the pegasus as she circled the interior of the arena, keeping herself as close as she could to the stands. She kept her path level, rolling through the air like the wheel of a speeding caravan. While her eyes remained closed, her mental visualization ran on overdrive, keeping her physical flight pattern aligned with the one in her mind. After months of practicing the move under Twilight’s supervision, the Orbiter was as second-nature as a Sonic Rainboom. Her cognitive vision was nearly twenty-twenty at this point, and she could never thank herself enough for practicing such a technique.

The pegasus rolled through the air in the form of a chromatic pinball, encircling the interior of the Cloudiseum, inches away from the stands. After a few laps around the arena, Rainbow tilted her axis to the left, putting her body under more gravitation force than even the most insane of amusement park rides. Regardless of the pressure, the mare doubled her speed once her imaginary orbit went into a vertical axis. Her lungs were starting to burn from lack oxygen, having not been allowed a single breath since the beginning of the maneuver. Just a few more revolutions, RD. You can do it!

During practice, the Orbiter would have been done by now. But after seeing her captain’s awestruck face in the wake of her first move, every last trick needed to be on the same level, if not better. If she needed to change the order of her routine, fine. If she needed to add a few more laps to the Orbiter, no problem. If she needed to risk everything to guarantee her spot on the Wonderbolts, then so be it.

Rainbow made one final loop in the middle of the stadium, this one as fast as she could to hurl herself straight into the air. The pegasus shot into the sky assisted by nothing but pure momentum, somersaulting away from the Cloudiseum at breakneck speeds. Dash threw out her wings, slowing her tumble until she was ascending headfirst into the air. Her lungs tingled in pleasure as they were filled to capacity with a single, heavy breath. She cast a glance back down toward the arena, finding her multi-hued trail only beginning to fade away. Nearly every lap and revolution was marked down below, forming what looked like a giant, paling wireframe ball. But what caught Rainbow’s attention the most was something that threatened to turn the limited contents in her stomach.

She spotted three diagonal rings offset from her path, staggered among the paths of her imaginary orbit. A block of ice the size of a hoof dropped in the pit of Rainbow’s stomach, her magenta irises constricting beyond their limit. She had performed the Orbiter countless times; flawed at first but perfection had soon followed. But she had faltered. It was as plain as day, illustrated down below by her radiant trail for all to not only see, but to glare upon and fully digest. Her routine was supposed to be perfect, and not one iota of a flaw was acceptable.

Rainbow Dash swore under her breath. She threw her forehooves outward, her brow furrowing with determination. The pegasus threw all of her strength into her wings, ascending higher and higher above the stadium until it was no larger than a coffee mug. She needed as much room as she could if she was going to fix this. Joining the Wonderbolts wasn’t just a dream; it was her life, and she was not about to let that go.

The air grew thin as Rainbow Dash rose high above the cloud layer, her wings beating relentlessly at her sides. On the edges of her vision, the horizon was no longer a flat line, but slightly curved from her high vantage point. The Unicorn Range was in full view from here, the city of Canterlot hanging precariously on the side of the country’s highest peak. Once her breaths grew short and she was satisfied with her altitude, the mare stilled her wings, closing her eyes and leaning back. Gravity pulled her down headfirst, her body gracefully turning over in a slow backflip before falling toward the Cloudiseum once again.

Once she achieved terminal velocity, Rainbow opened her wings, driving them back with her forehooves outstretched. “You’re gonna fix this Dash,” she spoke loudly to herself over the wind. “You’re the best, and not even Twilight’s stupid math is gonna hold you back.”

The mare plummeted toward the stadium, the translucent sheen of a mach cone forming in front of her. “You’ve trained your whole life for this, and you’re not gonna let one mess-up keep you from your dream.”

With a flash of light, an entanglement of multi-hued bolts of pure energy flared in front of her, zapping around the blue mare’s supersonic form. “Let’s do this!”

The muscles behind Applejack’s eyes were exhausted from watching Rainbow’s spinning form circle around the arena like a subsonic bowling ball. As impressive as it was, the mare was thankful when Dash shot herself into the sky. However, Twilight did not seem so relieved.

“She messed it up!” the unicorn hissed between her teeth, effectively grabbing everypony’s attention. When the four of them gave her worried, inquisitive looks, Twilight covertly pointed to the fading chromatic trail that Rainbow left behind.

“What do you mean, dear? I don’t— oh!” Rarity gasped, throwing a hoof over her mouth. Applejack followed her gaze to find three of the many rings that formed the pegasus’ trajectory jagged and out of place, completely deviating from the majority of the stunt. The farmer’s awestruck expression snapped into something much more dreadful at the sight.

“Ah thought ya’ said she perfected her new routine!” Applejack whispered heatedly around Fluttershy, staring daggers at Twilight.

“She did! I don’t know what happened but... wait, what is she doing?” the purple unicorn trailed off, looking back into the sky.

Up above, Rainbow Dash was soaring straight into the sky, her prismatic trail as bright as a torch at the end of a sunset. Applejack expected to watch her immediately dive into another trick, but the pegasus kept driving upward, her blue form shrinking to the size of an ant. Everypony was forced to squint their eyes, barely witnessing Dash slow her ascent before turning over high in the air. As she rocketed back down, the orange mare caught sight of Twilight’s expression out of the corner of her eye.

The unicorn’s face had paled considerably, her pupils mere pinpricks under her heightened brow. Her lips were parted, forming a horrified look of realization. Applejack’s heart rate rose yet again, trepidation tightening her throat. “What is it, Twilight? What’s she doin’?”

“Oh! Is she gonna do some sorta really cool super move?!” Pinkie chimed in, completely missing the pressure of the moment.

“She couldn’t be...” Twilight muttered breathlessly, her ears drooping low to the sides of her head. “Oh no...”

Look, I won’t lie to you. I made a whole lot of mistakes in my life, but none of them were as big as the one I was about to make. You think putting on the mask was the worst move I’ve made? Not by a long shot. I was scared to death over not making the Wonderbolts, and I was willing to risk everything to make my dream come true. But I had no idea that one little misstep would change my life forever...

...I was so stupid...

Everything happened in a fraction of a second, but to her, it felt like the better half of a minute. Rainbow Dash took a shallow turn to the left, her burst of acceleration rewarded with the enormous crash of a Sonic Rainboom roaring to life behind her.

“Sonic...”

She wasted no time before taking a sharp turn to the right, making a loop until she was ascending back up toward the newborn shockwave. Dash pushed upward, leaving behind another Rainboom to erupt perpendicular to the first with their epicenters perfectly aligned.

“...Super...”

Her heart pounded against her chest as a flash of pure, white light appeared in the center of the two shockwaves, only giving her one tenth of a second to finish the maneuver. In one sharp, hypersonic move, Rainbow Dash rose above her creation, soaring downward into the intensifying sphere of light.

“NOVA!”