Rainbow Dash reached the peak of the atmosphere. Her breath was short and her lungs were hurting No pegasus had been this high up before, but she needed to do this. Sucking in as much air as she could, she dove down towards the ground at full speed, her wings flapping as fast as she could take them. They burned with the excessive force she was putting into each flap. She stuck out her hands towards the front, trying to cut down on wind resistance. The ground was coming up fast and she had to bank before she got too close.

She got too close. She couldn't bank hard enough and she crashed right into Dusk Shine who had taken the time to relax and watch her practice her grandest trick yet. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to perform the trick since she was a filly. The cloud of dirt that surrounded the two was as large as the Library. Dash thought she'd killed the Unicorn when she felt his magic beneath her. She looked down to see him lying on his back with his hands in his pockets. He looked like a fallen statue of himself. He stared at the pegasus suspended in the air by the protective bubble he'd placed around himself at the last second.

"Heheh, sorry Dusk." she said, grinning sheepishly as he just stared back at her with the same grouchy expression on his face. The bubble popped and she came down the last few feet right on top of him.

"You need to bank sooner. Don't wait until the last second. If you don't hit the sound barrier a thousand feet above the ground, then you're in the red. There's no point in getting it a few feet from the ground because it'll be the last thing you ever do. You have to think things through, Dash. The Wonderbolts plan ahead, which is what makes them so astonishing... in some ponies' eyes anyway." he said, shoving her off. Dash sighed and placed her hands against her face.

"I've been at this for weeks and I haven't even come close to doing it. I need this to work if I'm going to impress the Wonderbolts!" she complained.

"Dash, the Sonic Rainboom is a form of Magic unique to you. Forcing the technique only makes it harder to do. You have to let it come out when you genuinely need it." he said.

"I do genuinely need it!" she argued.

"For what purpose?" he asked.

"To impress the Wonderbolts and become that much closer to obtaining my dream." she replied.

"Not good enough." he replied. Dash just slumped in the dirt.

"Then what else is there? What's more powerful than my dream?" she asked.

"Quite a bit, actually. Dreams are fragile things and break easily given the right amount of pressure. Sometimes, when you achieve your dream, it's not what you expected it to be." he replied. Dash sensed Dusk had spoken from experience.

"Did you ever have a dream?" she asked.

"Several in fact Just last night, I dreamt I was Barb having another one of her little tiffs." he replied Dash frowned at the unicorn as he made light of the situation. "Then I awoke to the sound of what I thought was the high pitched screeching of a gaggle of school fillies, but was actually them arguing. It was then I realised I'd dreamt of the argument they were having. So it was more of a nightmare now that I think about it." he said, snapping his fingers. The remnants of the dirt cloud around them blew away from the source of the snap.

"I meant di-."

"I know full well what you meant, Dash; and I'm not inclined to tell you just because you're so willing to share your dream to every pony you see for the first time. If you want to know about a dream, go ask that Scootaloo kid, she looks to you like I look to solitude; as a goal." he said, crossing his arms. Dash got up from the ground and brushed herself off.

"Dusk, I'm worried. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me to make an impression. Not only that, but the Princesses will be there, and I don't want to fail in front of them of all ponies. Even you should be able to understand that?" she was on the verge of begging for help in her own way. Dusk raised a brow at this.

"Is there anything you want more than being a Wonderbolt?" he asked Dash shook her head. "Fine, then what would you do if you had to choose between your dream, and your friends?" he asked. Dash was stunned.

"Why would I have to choose? Why should I have to choose?" she demanded. Dusk sighed and looked towards his Library window where he saw Barb and Trixie watching the entire argument. He called out to them.

"This is how lesbians should act!" he said, motioning to Dash. "Like strong independent mares who question the unfair things in life. Not Hoity Toity and a mirror!" he added, motioning to the pair.

"Why do you keep placing me in the lesbian category?" Dash complained.

"It's the hair, Dash I can't help it! If the Gay Pride committee found out about you, they'd string you up to a pole and wave you around like a flag." he said, resting his head on his hand. Dash stared at him in confusion.

"God, I hope that's not a euphemism." she said.

"For the stallions, no..." he began. "For the mares... bring protection, just in case." he replied.

"Dusk, was that the doctor I just saw leaving the Library?" Trixie asked as she stepped through the doorway with Barb.

"Yes it was." he replied simply, leaning back into his chair, holding his forehead.

"Is something wrong?" Barb asked.

"No, nothing. I just gave some blood, is all." he replied, showing the bandage on his wrist.

"Don't they usually draw blood from the arm?" Trixie asked.

"Yes, but they couldn't find a vein, and they couldn't get any blood from the left side, my body was being stingy." he said, resting his head back.

"Can I get you something to eat?" asked Barb as she headed for the kitchen.

"Please. Something fatty too, I'd eat a chicken if I could digest it." he said. Trixie followed Barb into the kitchen.

"Something's not right. I've noticed since he moved to Ponyville that his condition has gradually been diminishing. He's not as... strong-minded as he used to be." said Barb.

"I thought it was just me, but you're right. He seems more... Irritable yet less aggressive than before." Trixie replied, showing Barb that she was worried.

"Well we can't confront him about it. He'll never tell under pain of death. We have to wait until he's ready to tell us." said Barb, sighing as she placed a hay sandwich on a plate for Dusk. "Take that out to him would you? I'm going to do another round." she said, handing Trixie the plate. Trixie took it and brought it out to Dusk, but he was already gone.

Cloudsdale stadium was bustling with ponies as competitors and guests alike prepared for the amazing shows they would undoubtedly see this day. Dusk had given Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie the opportunity to watch their friend's performance from the sidelines using the cloud-walking spell, a spell unknown to most unicorns. The five sat on the front lines, watching and waiting for Rainbow Dash to emerge.

"It's strange, I could have sworn she was number two." Rarity began. "Yet twelve have already passed us by. We're up to number thirteen now." she said.

"Rarity, do any of our eyes look cloudy at all?" Dusk asked. Rarity examined her friends' eyes.

"No."

"That's because we're not blind. Rainbow Dash was supposed to be number two, but she's obviously been switching the numbers around, trying to buy time in order to hype herself up." Dusk said, leaning back in his seat. With Rarity shamed, the five sat back and watched the show with differing levels of excitement. Pinkie found each performance more entertaining than the other, Fluttershy watched with quiet enjoyment, Rarity marvelled at the beautiful displays of technique and precision. Applejack silently praised each performer, commenting on a select few stunts that caught her attention. Dusk as one could imagine, crossed one leg over the other, grabbed Applejack's hat and placed it over his head to block out the sunlight as he went to have a quick nap. While Applejack was displeased at the notion of having her hat away from her head during the day, she'd caught on to Dusk's failing condition in the way that he'd cast his spell. Usually, he'd snap his fingers and channel the magic through them, but he seemed sore that morning and used his horn instead.

"This one's gotta be Rainbow Dash, there were only sixteen contestants." Rarity piped up.

"Obviously. She's too proud to lose her nerve." Dusk murmured under Applejack's hat. Sure enough, the rainbow maned pegasus emerged with false determination Those that didn't know her personally would never have known that she had a tinge of self-doubt in her heart. With great speed and ease, she managed to make it through the first few obstacles perfectly, but the last one broke that record. She crashed into a cloud, earning gasps from the audience. Dusk lifted the brim of AJ's hat to look at the now hyperventilating pegasus.

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to do next. her entire routine had been stumped by that last obstacle. Without thinking, she began to rise towards the sun. She flapped as hard as she could. She didn't want to be seen by anypony at that moment. Her resolve was absolute. She'd ignore Dusk's advice about safety. If she didn't impress the Wonderbolts with the Sonic Rainboom, then she had no reason to go on.

Dusk sensed something in Rainbow that drove him to action. He stood up from his seat and passed Applejack her hat back.

"Dusk, what are you doing?" Pinkie asked as the lavender stallion turned around to face his comrades.

"A leap of faith." he replied before pushing out from the edge of the cloud. The girls screamed as their friend just leaped onto the stadium and fell towards the ground. Dusk had his back to the ground. He looked up at the sun. Rainbow Dash was still climbing. He then saw the Wonderbolts leaping into action. They were about to catch him when he called out to them.

"NO!" he yelled. Spitfire and the others looked confused, even behind those goggles. "It's alright. S'all part of the act." he assured them. As the wonderbolts broke off from their rescue attempt, Dusk reached out to Rainbow Dash through his magic.

"Rainbow Dash."

Dash heard her friend's voice ring through her head, a soft and calm voice that didn't seem to belong to Dusk at all. She looked back down to see Dusk was absent from his seat and the other girls looking down towards the ground. She realised what had happened. She abandoned her performance and shot straight down towards the ground. She was going fast, faster than she thought she would have. Within a matter of seconds, she'd reached the stadium. Her friends and the other ponies watching were a blur as their eyes followed her down towards the ground. She saw the Wonderbolts ascent back to the stadium. Why they hadn't bothered to save him, she didn't know. She'd ask Dusk about that afterward.

She quickly began to wonder if she'd even be able to ask Dusk anything after she saw how far she was from him. She straightened her body, stretching every muscle she could. She could feel the wind pushing against her hands, forcing her back, but she endured. Her friend was in danger. She was mere meters away from him. He held out his hand, pointing a finger towards her. As she saw it, her entire world went black and she couldn't even feel herself moving, she couldn't see herself falling.

"Do you want to use the Sonic Rainboom?" Dusk's voice echoed through her mind as if they were in a hall.

"I do!" she called out. Dusk's form, frozen in time suddenly shot towards her, his finger touching her outstretched hand.

"To impress the Wonderbolts, or to save your friend?" his voice echoed in response. Dash then understood the question Dusk had asked the previous day. She'd thought that she had to choose between being a Wonderbolt and losing her friends, or being a friend and losing her dream. But it wasn't that. It was simply a matter of why she needed the Rainboom, for the flashy show that impressed the Wonderbolts, or for the speed required to catch her friend and save his life.

"I want to save my friend, I need to save my friend. I wouldn't be who I am without my friends, and you... you give me the freedom to learn the things I need to know to be a better pony as well as flyer." she said. Dusk nodded, his frozen form receding back to its previous place.

"Your dream requires a level of loyalty which you will learn alongside me, Rainbow Dash. You are loyal, but that is not enough. You need to understand that Dreams can be made as easily as a snap of the fingers, but Friends are unique. There may be similarities, but there will never be another pony like you or me, or Pinkie Pie, or Rarity, Fluttershy or Applejack." Dash began to break out of the darkness which held the two and she could feel the wind again. It was as if Dusk had pulled them out of time and space to have this conversation and they were slowly seeping back into reality. Dash's resolve was stronger than ever. She'd do the Sonic Rainboom or die trying, all in order to save her friend who had faith in her.

Dusk smiled as he saw the air begin to bend around Rainbow Dash. He reached both arms out to her as if to say 'come on, you'll succeed with me'. The air began to give and give and give. The space around Dash warped slightly and with a thunderous sound and a flurry of colour, she burst through the sound barrier. A circular wave of colour radiated outward in rainbow that stunned all who saw it.

As they were quickly approaching the ground, Dash grabbed hold of Dusk in a tight embrace and began to arc upward. She could feel him holding her in return. She admitted, it felt nice to have him embracing her.

"Well done." she heard him say over the sound of the air rushing past. She smiled as she squeezed Dusk tightly and flew back up towards the stadium. She went past it and flew directly over, creating a strong rainbow overhead for all to see.

That night, Rainbow Dash returned home after a day spent with her idols, the Wonderbolts. She was practically swooning through the door like a lovestruck filly. She'd had the best day. But it had to come to an end, as all good things did. She lit the lantern in her living room and turned around to see Dusk sitting in a cloud chair with one leg crossed over the other and his hands clasped together. Dash was startled to say the least.

"Geez, Dusk. What the hell?" she asked, not entirely disturbed by the fact that he'd broken into her home.

"Forgive me, I don't want to seem like a stalker or anything," he began.

"Too late there, pal." Dash chimed in. Dusk smirked and sighed in amusement.

"I'm here for two reasons, primarily to avoid Barb and Trixie as I think they're worried about my latest doctor's appointment even though I specifically said I was just getting a blood test." he said. Dash chuckled and placed her new scarf (a gift from Spitfire) on her coat rack beside her Winter Wrap-up vest.

"And the second?" she asked.

Dusk took the liberty of uncrossing his legs and standing up, closing the distance between them as he spoke. "While there's no doubt in my mind that you're overly proud of your achievement, given your upbringing, I doubt you've had many an encounter where somepony else was proud of you. So the other reason I came was to tell you how Proud I am of you and what you've achieved." he said. Dash was stunned. Dusk never took pride in anything or anyone. Even his apprentice's achievements were met with little more than an approving nod or statement. This was a big deal for Rainbow Dash. She looked up at him.

"You're... proud of me?" she asked, her throat beginning to lock.

"Yes." Dusk replied simply. Rainbow Dash placed her hand to her mouth as she felt tears of joy welling up. Dusk was right when he noted very few had ever been proud of her. The last pony to do so had been her father before he died.

"I'd best be going now." he said, heading for the door. As he opened it, without a thought, Dash grabbed Dusk's arm and pulled him back. Dusk was ever so elegantly flung around where he stopped to meet Rainbow Dash's lips with his own. He was stunned for a moment, but as he felt her need for this, he reciprocated and pulled her closer. Dash shut the door before the two of them began to move into the next room, Dash's bedroom.

Dash was gently thrown onto her back on the bed, stripped down to her underwear with shirtless Dusk kneeling over her on all fours. Both of them were breathing heavily in anticipation for the following event. Just as Dash thought her day couldn't get any better, than her night brought along a thrilling climax. She could see a faint glint of red in both of Dusk's eyes as he eyed her like a predator eyed its prey. She called him on it.

"Your eyes... there's a hunger to them. They don't belong to Dusk Shine." she said. Dusk just reached down and kissed her one more time.

"I don't plan on acting like Dusk Shine tonight." he said, reaching one hand down to her bra. He ripped it off like an animal and Dash grinned in response. She hadn't realised until this moment that she'd wanted this to happen ever since she'd met him. He was a bad boy, of that there was no doubt.

"Can I expect some strange sexy magic stuff to happen?" she asked. Dusk grinned at her.

"If you're lucky, I'll give you the horn." he mused. Dash just barked a single laugh before she felt Dusk's fingers tracing the edge of her panties.

"Have you ever done this before?" she asked him.

"A few times. The mares in the Royal guard had a habit of... convincing me to spend the night with them." he replied. Dash was thankful that he told her the truth.

"Well then maybe you can show me how it's done?" she teased, taking his hand and making him pull away at her final garment.

Dusk looked down at the naked cerulean virgin beneath him. At that moment, he didn't care about friendship or his work. He just wanted Dash all to himself. He surrendered to his baser instincts and shut off his brain. He felt himself throbbing for release as Rainbow Dash locked her eyes to his own and pulled at his zipper. His penis fell through the slit in his underwear and jeans and smacked Dash's belly. She began to shiver with anticipation as she felt it harden and slide down to position itself before her heated nethers.

"I'm ready." she said. Dusk's eyes glowed with anticipation as like a battering ram, his head struck Dash's hot, tight and welcoming sex. Like a foal with a present, he tore into her without a moment's hesitation. Dash was in pain, but it felt so good. She wanted more from him. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him further in, ignoring the pain that his length brought her. Dusk didn't hold back. He pushed himself in as far as he could go and Dash couldn't help but scream in pain as his head pushed through her cervix. She could feel herself bleeding, but it only served to slick his member and her insides, allowing for easier access, and the sounds made turned them both on more and more.

After twenty minutes, they were still at it. Dusk had used his magic to sprout a pair or arms from his shoulders to suspend him above Dash while his real hands were being used to rub Dash's Breasts. But Still she wanted more, she needed more. She was going to get all she could out of what was easily the best day of her life. She took one of Dusk's hands and proceeded to suck on his index finger. Shen she thought it was wet enough, she then brought his hand down to where he was pleasing her and rested his fingertip against her anus.

Dusk knew where this was going and he didn't hesitate to comply with her demand. Dash couldn't help but moan positive feedback as she was penetrated and pleasured entirely. A further ten minutes on and Dusk decided to show her how good he was with magic. He used it to twist his tail around until it was as solid as his penis. Using his magic to guide said tail, he added more magic to open a path through Dash's anus. She screamed in delight as the tough hair did wonders Dusk's fingers just couldn't.

"Oh, Dusk, I'm gonna cum, I'm gonna cum!" she started to say. Dusk abandoned all else but the use of his penis as he picked up the pace and intensity with which he moved. Dash threw her arms out to the sides and dug into the cloud as she felt herself approaching the climax. With another burst of magic, Dusk found himself filling Dash's womb at the same time She'd reached her orgasm. Dash stifled a scream as she felt her partner fill her up. The sensation was beyond words for the both of them. Dash felt as though she'd lost her stomach freefalling for the first time, whereas Dusk felt as though all his problems had been evacuated through his penis along with the semen.

The two of them stayed where they were for a moment, panting. Their minds were numb. It felt too good to pull out, but they knew it would feel even better when he did. Reluctantly, Dusk slid his tired member out of Dash's deflowered sex. The release felt fantastic. A pool of white flowed out from inside of her and it was a sight to behold. Against Dash's fur, it was like watching a new kind of birth of a cloud in the blue sky. The white cloud of ejaculate became diluted as Dash's blood turned it pink.

"Thank you." Dash said with heavy eyes. The animalistic glint in Dusk's eyes had vanished and he was his old self again. He leaned down and kissed Dash before using his magic to isolate the semen and remove it from the bed. He then grabbed Dash's covers and tucked her in. By then, she was out like a light.

Dusk stood over her with a ball of bloody semen hovering in his magic aura. With a quick spell, he teleported the ball over the Eastern lake. He then leant over Dash again, placed a hand over her head, brushing back her mane and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back in her sleep and moaned happily. He reluctantly broke the kiss and smiled.

"You're welcome." His timing was perfect. His cloud-walking spell wore off a single second after he'd spoken and he fell through the cloud. He only fell a few feet before he teleported himself back to his Library, landing with a slightly loud thud in the middle of the living room. Barb and Trixie had huddled by the fire in a romantic setting when Dusk had arrived.

"Shit!" the pair let out as they spun around to confront the intruder. Dusk looked at them giving him evil glares.

"There's the look of a pair of lesibans. Angry at every male that passes by." Dusk said before casually wandering off to his bedroom to sleep.

"Night girls." he called out. Barb and Trixie were left to wonder just what the hell had happened.

Author's Note

I had this song in mind when I wrote this chapter.

Note: The underlined phrase: I'll give you the horn. Is a joke. The Horn is an old British term for an Erection.