THIS STORY IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THUY TRANG, THE ORIGINAL YELLOW RANGER. REST IN PEACE, AND MY THE POWER PROTECT YOU.
WONDERBOLT TRAINING
RAINBOW FALLS – ONCE AGAIN THE TRAINING SITE FOR THE AERIAL TEAM KNOWN as the Wonderbolts. This part of the mountainside, adorned with the rivers flowing from Canterlot, had been the Wonderbolt training ground since the days of Commander Firefly. The area itself got the name thanks to the near-constant rainbows that criss-crossed the area.
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She couldn't help how nervous she was. She'd already kicked tail at the Wonderbolt Academy – even though she ended up getting her fellow trainee Lightning Dust kicked out thanks to the latter's rash actions with a tornado – and aced the Wonderbolts Reserve entrance exam, with a little help from her friends, of course. She nearly ended up getting kicked out herself because a veteran Wonderbolt tried to frame her for a crime she didn't commit, and even though she were now an official member of the Wonderbolts, she couldn't help but feel trepidation. After all, the Wonderbolts she was training with were veterans; Rainbow Dash may have defeated physical gods and fought in alien wars and traveled to other worlds, but Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot were the top three Pegasi on the team.
She used the calmness technique that Twilight had taught her – taking a long, deep breath and slowly letting it out. Twilight had first learned the technique from Cadance, when the Crystal Empire was selected to host the Equestria Games. It had seemed to work for Twilight, and it had even seemed to work for Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle, but for Rainbow Dash, it wasn't. She'd never been so nervous in her entire life.
Someone put a hoof on her shoulder, startling her.
"Yikes!"
"Whoa, Rainbow. Calm down," Twilight said. "I've never seen you so nervous before."
"Neither have I," Rainbow Dash said. "Geez. It's bad enough I don't know who I'm going to be sparring against, but just knowing that I'm going up against one of the WONDERBOLTS!"
"And why should that bother you?" Applejack asked; all of her friends had accompanied her for this event. "You've done much more than any Wonderbolt."
"I must agree with Applejack on this one," Rarity added. "We all have."
"You guys just don't understand. These are the top fliers in all of Equestria!"
"And you're the toppest of top fliers," Pinkie Pie chirped.
"Pinkie's right," Fluttershy said. "I've never seen anypony better than you in the skies."
Rainbow Dash took another deep breath, finally calming herself down. "You know what, you guys? I think you're right. I'm getting worked up over nothing. What have the Wonderbolts done other than put on air shows and get smacked around by a rampaging dragon? They haven't fought in alien wars or gone to other worlds."
"Uh oh," Twilight whispered to Rarity. "Maybe we shouldn't have said all those things. We were just stroking her ego."
"I can already hear her boasts now," Rarity said.
"I don't know who I'm going to be sparring against," Rainbow Dash said. "But it doesn't matter. Because I know that whoever it is can't beat me! I know that I'm going to win!"
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Here we go again."
Rainbow Dash began to sing, loud enough that everyone in the area could hear her – which was exactly what she wanted.
I know the deaI know their sound
I know their feel
Well, I know the end
And all I say is all I ever have to say,
I know the sign
So I am right and I am real,
I know exactly how it feels
She flew up into the air, projecting her voice as loud as she could, catching the attention of anypony who hadn't noticed her. She wanted them to know what she was saying; wanted them to know that they had no chance of success against her.
I will win
I won't stop until I get them
I will win
"Rainbow, I think you're letting all the confidence go to your head," Rarity said.
"Give me a break, Rare," Rainbow Dash said. "Me? Let my confidence go to my head? You're pulling my leg."
I know the thrill
I know their feel
I know their call
Well, I know the time
And all I have to do is all I ever do,
Well I know the game
'Cause I am right and I am real
I know exactly how it feels
Some ponies had begun cheering; it was no secret that Rainbow Dash tended to project her confidence onto everypony else, making them feel confident themselves.
'Cause I...will win
I won't stop until I get them
I will win
She swooped down to the judges' table and scooped up the megaphone. "You hear me, Wonderbolts? I'm gonna kick your tails today! You don't stand a bucking chance!"
"That's the spirit," Spitfire said. "See, everypony? That's the kind of attitude I like to see."
Rainbow Dash kept singing into the megaphone.
'Cause I am right and I am real
I know exactly how it feels
'Cause I...will win
I won't stop until I get them
I will win
I will win
I won't stop until I get them
I will win!
Twilight smacked a hoof against her face; sometimes she wondered why the even bothered encouraging Rainbow Dash. She always went and did stunts like this, flaunting herself and showing off when she didn't have to. And it usually ended up with Rainbow Dash's confidence taking a massive hit. And when Rainbow Dash's confidence went down, she became…unpredictable. Sometimes she became upset and secluded herself, other times she got angry and at one point she even beat somepony to the point of them needing to spend a month in Ponyville General just to recover.
Please don't let her put somepony in the hospital, please don't let her put somepony in the hospital.
"You can put the megaphone down, Rainbow Dash," Spitfire said. "Your sparring partner today will be…Soarin!"
"Soarin?"
"All right!" Soarin cried. "Let's go, Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow Dash liked Soarin; he was always smiling and so full of energy – he was like a colt in a stallion's body. His energy, like Rainbow Dash's confidence, was almost contagious. Every time she saw him, she just felt like smiling and going for a flight, flying as fast as she could, any activity she could get into.
But fighting against him, even if it were just a sparring match for a training exercise? She wasn't sure if she could.
Soarin hovered in the air. "What're you waiting for, Rainbow Dash?" he asked. "Let's do this thing. Or are you too chicken?"
Something clicked inside of Rainbow Dash. She glared at Soarin. "What did you call me, motherbucker?"
"You heard me."
Rainbow Dash flared her wings and scraped at the ground. "That's it, pal. You're going down!" She flew up at Soarin, who quickly moved out of the way. "Get back here, you!"
"Can't catch me, slowpoke!"
"I'll show you slow!" She sped up, catching up to Soarin in less than a second and slamming into him, sending him tumbling to the ground. He flared his wings, slowing his fall.
Rainbow Dash slammed into him again, knocking him down. "How'd that feel, you son of a mare?" She charged at Soarin.
Soarin rushed to meet her charge. They slammed into each other, their heads pushing against the other, their hooves digging into the ground for traction. Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings; she wanted to bring Soarin down – she wanted to win.
Yet she was still smiling, as was Soarin.
"I think I underestimated you," Soarin said. "Took all your feats for granted, you know."
"Yeah? Well, don't think that means I'm going to go soft on you now," Rainbow Dash said. She pushed forward, throwing Soarin back. "Face it, Soarin – YOU'RE the one who's gone soft."
"Well excuse me for not being a chosen savior of Equestria." He took to the air again.
Rainbow Dash followed. "I'm not done with you yet!"
"Rainbow, back off a little bit!" Twilight called after her. "You might actually hurt Soarin!"
"I don't think she heard you, Twi," Applejack said. "Either that or she just don't care."
Rainbow Dash and Soarin collided in the air. Soarin smacked Rainbow Dash in the face with his front hooves. Rainbow Dash responded by slamming her hoof directly into his muzzle – hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to shatter bone.
They slammed into the ground, Rainbow Dash standing triumphantly on top of Soarin.
"Oh yeah! Oh yeah! I kicked your flank! Oh yeah! I'm cool! I win! Oh yeah!"
"Okay, okay, get off of me," Soarin said. He pushed Rainbow Dash off of him and stood up, his four legs shaking with adrenaline. "Like I said, I underestimated you. Don't know why – probably because you're just a reserve. But you sure do know how to fight."
"What did you expect? I've fought wars, taken down gods, been to other worlds – did you really think I'd be a pushover?"
The two Pegasi scraped at the ground again; they were getting ready to charge.
Spitfire stepped in between them and blew her whistle. "Okay, ponies, I think that's enough. You both did good. Take a breather."
"Good. That means I can finish my pie," Soarin said as he trotted over to the Wonderbolts' waiting area.
Rainbow Dash trotted over to her friends. "Heh. He stood no chance."
"You might want to be careful about being too overconfident, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "That could get you into some serious trouble one day."
Rainbow Dash waved a dismissive hoof at the lavender alicorn. "Give me a break, Twilight. What trouble could a little confidence get me into?"
Twilight simply raised an eyebrow.
