Chapter Eleven: The Shadowbolts
It was a bright and sunny day in Equestria, the 'saving the world' party happened just a few days ago. And as expected it was a blast! Pinkie Pie really outdid herself that time, and she really pulled out all the stops. The pink mare wanted the party to be bigger than anything done before in Equestria. She made sure to have lots of food and games. To her delight everypony loved her party, which shouldn't have surprised her but it did. In the back of her mind she worried that her 'saving the world' party would have failed, and then nopony would have gone to anymore of her parties and then with no ponies going to her parties she wouldn't have anymore friends, and without friends what would she would have been... but luckily for her the party was a success as always.
Rainbow Dash had taken it easy the past few days and thought that today would be a perfect day to continue her training. After the half-Saiyan finished reading his book he went with her to train. She and Gohan were at the usual training spot, and the cyan pony was currently doing some push-ups with her rock filled saddlebag on. Ever since the first day of their training Rainbow had been doing it everyday. She wanted nothing more than to improve herself and become faster and stronger, and she wasn't going to stop now. What if a villain showed up and they needed somepony to fight them? Gohan wasn't going to be around forever so Rainbow took it upon herself to train and perhaps take the young Saiyan's place one day.
Speaking of the Saiyan, he was in the middle of his own intense training. Since he was part Saiyan he became stronger after recovering from an intense battle, and that fight with Bojack really did a number on him. Right now he was a Super Saiyan and fighting against an invisible opponent, although it appeared that the young Saiyan was fighting nothing. Ever since the fight with the Galaxy Soldiers he was determined to train even harder. He didn't know if any more strong opponents would show up, but that didn't really matter to him. He just wanted to make sure that if that fateful day came he would be ready.
Occasionally Rainbow Dash would look over and catch a glimpse of his training, and she was very impressed by what she saw. Seeing his training sort of served as a reminder for her to train even harder. If she really wanted to improve then she would need to step it up to his level. Both she and her friend would train for hours before taking a break, which was their normal routine.
Fluttershy promised to make them some food to eat while on breaks... well at first she was just doing it for Gohan, but when Rainbow joined the shy pony figured why not cook for her too. So once she finished preparing a snack she would fly over and bring the duo the food. And after delivering the meal she would head back home to her cottage. As much as she wanted to stay and watch for a little she couldn't, she had plenty more mouths to feed after all.
After a few more hours of intense training the Super Saiyan decided now was a good time to stop. He powered down and then walked over to the cyan mare. "You're really improving Rainbow Dash, I can tell you've been working hard."
"Thanks... but it will be a while before I'm as good as you are." She knew that it would take a longer time then she said, but she didn't let it get her down. In fact it only severed to motivate her further. "Hey Gohan can I ask you something?"
"What's up?" He questioned.
"If you have the ability to go Super Saiyan Two, why did you only go Super Saiyan when we were attacked?" At the time she wasn't really curious but looking back she wondered why. In his Super Saiyan form he struggled against the space invaders, but as a Super Saiyan Two he dominated them. Maybe it was just her, but if she were going up against strong opponents she would have gone all out from the start.
"I didn't think I would have to and..." He paused before finishing. "I didn't want you guys to see me like that."
The rainbow maned pegasus looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"
He paused again, this time taking in a deep breath. "I told you what happens when I transform and how I become a ruthless warrior, it's not something that I wanted you guys to see. This place is different than where I'm from, and you're all very nice and kind. When I came here I had no idea that I could attract danger to this planet, I thought that being a Super Saiyan would be enough but it wasn't." He let out a small sigh. "It was also because of Fluttershy, she doesn't like it when I fight or get hurt... she thinks I'm the nicest person she ever met. I didn't want her to see me unleash my hidden power, the person I become is different than the person she sees me as."
That answer was something she didn't expect, but she quickly understood why he didn't transform. "I didn't know." She replied in a nervous voice.
"It's all right." He then cocked his head to the right, sensing two powers approaching them.
"What is it?" The mare questioned. Her answer came in the form of two former acquaintances. "Gilda? Lightning Dust?" She couldn't believe it, she didn't think she would ever see either of them again, much less at the same time. Her confusion was quickly replaced by anger. Rainbow could clearly recall her last interaction with the two of them, and neither interaction ended well.
'Whoever these two are Rainbow sure doesn't seem to like them.' The Saiyan mused to himself.
"It's been a long time Dash." Gilda smirked.
"Surprised to see us?" Lightning Dust asked.
They appeared to know his friend, but the half-Saiyan needed to be sure. If they were friends than he figured he should get to know them. "Do you know these girls Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah... Gilda was my former friend from junior speedsters camp. She came here to Ponyville a while back, but I soon realized she was a big jerk." She received a scoff from the griffon. "Lightning Dust was a friend I met at the Wonderbolts Academy, she was reckless and nearly killed my friends with a tornado. She was kicked out for her actions."
The two former friends of the mare looked over at the strange creature. After looking him over for a few moments they couldn't help but giggle. "So this is your new friend Rainbow Dash?" Gilda chuckled.
"Yeah this is Gohan, and he is a much better friend than you two!" The cyan pegasus yelled.
The griffon looked over the Saiyan and then laughed. "Of course you would be friends with another flightless creature."
"Hey he is not flightless! What are you two doing here anyway?!" Rainbow asked, trying her hardest to suppress the urge to fight her former friends.
The teal pegasus walked up to her former partner at the academy. "We came here to invite you to our new group." She told the mare.
Rainbow stared at her puzzled. "What new group?"
"Gilda and I formed a new team, one that will be superior to the Wonderbolts!" Lightning Dust exclaimed.
"It's called the Shadowbolts." The griffon added with a smirk.
It had been several weeks after Lightning Dust had been kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy, and she was still angry about that whole situation. Why did she have to get kicked out? Sure she was ambitious, but Lightning didn't think that was a big deal. Perhaps using a tornado to clear the clouds was a bit reckless, at least nopony got hurt by it... okay, some ponies almost got hurt but they didn't. Her life long dream of becoming a Wonderbolt was ruined, and now she had nothing.
She was currently letting off some steam by flying around Equestria. "I still can't believe they kicked me out, it's all Rainbow Dash's fault! If I ever find her I'm gonna..."
"Excuse me?"
The pegasus stopped and turned around to see a griffon floating near her.
"But did you just say Rainbow Dash?"
Lightning Dust nodded. "Do you know her?"
"Yeah, she was my friend from back in the day... until her stupid friends took her away from me!" The griffon yelled to the sky. She was still a little upset that she lost her friend, even if she didn't show it to anypony. If only that stupid Pinkie Pie hadn't gotten in the way, if it wasn't for that party none of that would have happened.
"So... you're angry with her too?" She received a nod. "What's your name?"
"Gilda," She held out her claw. "and yours?"
The teal pony wrapped her hoof around the griffon's claw. "I'm Lightning Dust."
"So how do you know Rainbow Dash?" Gilda asked.
That question made the mare angry, she didn't want to think about her or the academy. "She and I were in the Wonderbolts academy together, we were partners and dominated the other students. After I used a tornado to clear the clouds she told on me. Rainbow got to stay while I got kicked out." She explained with bitterness in her voice.
Gilda could sympathize with Lightning Dust, that seemed really unfair. Why did she have to get kicked out, if anything the pegasus should have been praised for her actions. "And now you want revenge on her?"
Lightning Dust paused, that was a good question. Yes, she was angry at Rainbow Dash for getting her kicked out, but she was also just angry for getting kicked out in the first place. "I don't know, maybe I'm still mad at her."
The griffon raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?"
"Perhaps it was kind of my fault for creating a tornado, but that didn't mean they had to kick me out!" She defended.
It was then that an idea came into Gilda's head. "So you're mad at the Wonderbolts?" She received a nod. "Maybe we should form our own team, one that can be better than the Wonderbolts!" She exclaimed.
"You and I should form a team?"
Gilda face-clawed. "Duh, it only makes sense for us to make a team." It was a simple plan, the two of them make the team and then find somepony else to join. There should have been no confusion about that.
The only thing Lightning did was laugh. "Okay, you can fly but there's no way you can be faster than a Wonderbolt." She stated.
"I'm faster than anyone in Equestria!"
"Prove it!" Lightning Dust challenged.
Without saying a word the two began flying through the air, both flying a very fast speeds. The griffon and pony soared through the skies with incredible speed, neither one seemed to be faster than the other. They looped around clouds, cliffs, and whatever else was in their flight paths. Even after flying at maximum speed the two were pretty much even. The inclusion of more obstacles didn't help settle who was faster either. After several minutes of flying they stopped.
"It seems you're pretty fast." The orange maned pegasus admired.
"So are you."
"I guess we would make a good team after all." Lightning noted.
Gilda smirked. "You accept my offer?"
"Yes I do, and together we will be the fastest group of flyers in Equestria!" The two laughed and then flew off into the distance. The only thing left to do now was work a few more things out. Once they had everything done then they would show everypony who was the fastest!
"After that we realized that we would need another member, and decided to ask you to join." Gilda explained.
This was still a little confusing to Rainbow Dash, why would they want her on their team? It sounded like they still hated her. While she couldn't really blame them for that she was still curious. "But why me? I didn't think you girls liked me anymore."
They both looked towards each other and then smirked. "We also decided that it would be good to put the past behind us, if we want to be a team then we have to work together." The mare explained.
Gohan had been listening intently to their tale, wondering what they were planning. He was more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but he was unsure of their true intentions, due to what his friend had said.
"So how did you come up with the name anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We needed something that sounded cool and tough, and after several hours we came up with Shadowbolts." The teal pony explained.
'Why does that name sound familiar?' The rainbow maned pegasus thought to herself.
"What do you say, are you in?" Gilda questioned.
Rainbow looked back and forth between them, it still seemed odd to her. "And what makes you think I'll join you, especially after what you guys did to me and my friends!"
"Look, I'm sorry for what I said about your friends. I'm sure they aren't as bad as I thought... even... P-pinkie Pie." Gilda apologized, nearly retching at the mention of Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow was shocked. She never thought her former friend would ever apologize. "You apologize?"
The griffon nodded.
Lightning Dust walked up to her former partner. "I'm also sorry, it was wrong of me to use a tornado to clear away the clouds. I could have hurt your friends and I didn't want that to happen." She explained.
The half-Saiyan then spoke up. "But I thought that you were angry with Rainbow Dash for getting you kicked out of the academy?" He asked.
Lightning and Gilda started laughing. "After we formed the group we realized that we needed another member, and when we decided to ask Rainbow Dash we thought she would still be angry with us. Then we realized that she had a good reason to be mad at us, so we decided to bury the hatchet with her and apologize." The teal mare explained.
The cyan pegasus scratched the back of her head. "I don't know..."
"Come on Dash, we need you on our team. The Shadowbolts could be even better than the Wonderbolts, all we need is a chance to show them what we've got!" Gilda exclaimed, hoping to sway her friend into joining.
This was quite the conflict for Rainbow Dash. On the one hoof maybe this new team could be successful, and maybe someday they could beat the Wonderbolts. Nut on the other hoof she did have a chance to be on the Wonderbolts, the same team she's been trying to join for years. Could she really throw her dreams away for the sake of joining a team with her friends?
Realizing she might need time to think Gilda reached into Lightning's saddle bag and took out a map. "Take this, it has the location of our training ground on it. Come find us when you make a decision." She handed her former friend the map. With that the Shadowbolts took off with high speeds.
Now that she was alone Rainbow could have a chance to think, she still didn't know what to do. She figured she would ask her friend for his input, he seemed like he would know what to do. "What should I do Gohan? I'm having a hard time trusting them, especially after all they did... but maybe we could be an unstoppable team."
"I think you should give them a chance." He said with confidence.
She raised an eyebrow. "I feel like I should give them another chance, but what if it doesn't work out and I can never join the Wonderbolts?!" That was her biggest fear, not being able to become a Wonderbolt. It was her life long dream to join them, and she came closer with each day. There was a chance she could make it, but what if she didn't become one. Maybe this invitation to the Shadowbolts was fate, and perhaps she should make amends with her former friends.
It seemed that this decision was going to be difficult, so the half-Saiyan needed to help her see the situation clearly. "What's more important, your dream or making amends with former friends?"
That hit Rainbow like the back of an alien pirate's hand. He made a great point. If she chose her dream, that would only make her seem selfish. Yet at the same time there was a reason she wasn't friends with either of them anymore. After a little more contemplation she made a decision. "I know what my answer is, thanks Gohan."
"No problem." He smiled.
"I should get going, do you want to come with me?"
He gave her a nod and the two took off.
Gilda and Lightning Dust had resumed their training. Even if Rainbow didn't join they were still determined to be the fastest flyers in Equestria. Not a moment later they saw their former friend and her new friend heading their way. "Looks like he can fly after all." The teal pony noted.
The pegasus and the Saiyan landed right in front of the two ladies.
"So Rainbow Dash... do you have an answer?" Gilda asked hesitantly.
The rainbow maned pony sighed. "When you first asked me to join I thought it was a joke, but then you apologized to me for what you did... and maybe I owe you girls one too." She received shocked looks. "Gilda, you were a jerk and told me my friends were lame, but I think it was because you never really had friends besides me." The mare saw the griffon glance around nervously, most likely because she didn't want to admit that Rainbow was right. "Lightning Dust, you nearly killed my friends, but it was just because you wanted to be a Wonderbolt so badly. Anypony could have done what you did, and I'm sorry that you got kicked out."
She nodded, signaling that she accepted her apology. "What's your answer?" The teal pegasus questioned.
"...I'll join you."
Both of their faces lit up.
"I want to make amends with you and become friends, and this team is a great place to start." She quickly found herself being hugged by her new teammates. The mare merely smiled as she returned the embrace.
Gohan smiled, he was happy that Rainbow Dash decided to join them. He thought it would be good for her to apologize and help her friends. And who knows maybe this team would be a great one.
"So what do we do first?" The rainbow maned mare asked.
"First I think we need a uniform, all the best teams have one." Gilda explained, receiving nods of agreement. "So... does anypony know somepony who can make us uniforms?"
Luckily for her two teammates Rainbow knew just the pony. "My friend Rarity can make us some uniforms, she's great with fabric."
"Awesome, but we'll also need a trainer." The teal pony said.
A smile came upon Rainbow's face, she knew the perfect guy for the job. "Gohan will be our trainer." She received very skeptical looks. "He's training me and I'm improving with each day, and I think with his help we can be an unstoppable team!"
"Well, alright then." The griffon said, not really having any other ideas.
"I'll do it, only if you make amends to Rainbow's friends."
Both Gilda and Lightning gulped.
"I think it would be great if you all could make up and become friends." He thought it was a good idea, it was sort of like what happened with Trixie the other day. He told Twilight to give her another chance and now they can become friends. So why not have the Shadowbolts do the same thing.
Neither of them thought about Rainbow's friends, but as long as they were making amends they might as well apologize to the others as well. This new team was pretty much a fresh start, and they might as well start with everypony they had wronged. "Alright... we'll do it." They said in unison
Rainbow Dash and the young Saiyan cheered, there was hope for this rookie team yet. The four of them took off for Ponyville and made it there in no time, thanks to their collective speed. The group then headed for the library, home to one Twilight Sparkle. Once at the library the Saiyan knocked on the door.
A few seconds later the purple alicorn answered the door. "Hello Rainbow Dash and Gohan, what brings you here?"
"Can you bring the rest of our friends here, we need to have a talk." The cyan pony stated.
Twilight caught sight of Gilda and Lightning Dust, she nodded as they entered the library. The purple alicorn left the house in order to gather her friends. A few minutes later she walked through the door with her friends in tow.
Everypony was confused by why they were called to the library. Once they caught sight of Gilda and Lightning Dust they gasped, it had been a while since they have seen those two. Fluttershy hid behind Twilight while Pinkie was glaring at Gilda. "What is she doing here?!" The party pony asked as she pointed at the griffon.
"Listen girls, there's something I have to tell you." Rainbow noticed them exchange confused glances before settling their gazes upon her. "Gilda and Lightning Dust want to apologize for what they did to you."
"Yeah, I'm sorry for what I said about you girls, and I'm sorry that I yelled at you Fluttershy." Gilda walked up to the shy pony, and held out her claw in apology.
Fluttershy hesitated but when she looked at Gilda she knew it was for real, the eyes of the griffon were apologetic and not deceitful. "Um... t-that's okay G-Gilda."
Gilda then turned towards the pink mare. "And I'm sorry I insulted you Pinkie." Her apology to the pony was a bit more forced. She still found the mare extremely annoying, but she had to suck it up and apologize. 'Whatever it takes to form this team!' She told herself.
Pinkie relaxed her glare, if Fluttershy could forgive her than so could she. "Aw that's okay Gilda, we can all be a grumpy pants sometimes." She smiled brightly.
The griffon chuckled weakly, it would take time to get used to Pinkie.
Lightning Dust cleared her throat. "I'm also sorry that I nearly killed you all with a tornado, it was wrong of me and I hope you can forgive me."
"I think we can put the past behind us." Twilight said as a smile came upon her face. The whole thing with Trixie the other day taught them all a lesson, it's good to give somepony a second chance.
"Thanks girls, I know it must have been hard for you to forgive my teammates." The cyan mare said.
"Teammates?!" They all shouted in unison.
The Shadowbolts nodded. "Yep, Gilda and Lightning Dust formed a team called the Shadowbolts. They invited me to join and apologized for what they did in the past. Gohan said he would be our trainer but only if they apologized to you girls."
"I figured that it would be great for you all to get along, especially if the three of them are forming a team." The half-Saiyan explained.
Everypony smiled brightly in response. That was a nice thing of him to do, and at this point they shouldn't have expected any less from him.
"Oh and we're gonna need some uniforms if you wanted to help us out with that Rarity?" Rainbow asked.
Rarity smiled brightly. "Of course dear, oh I have just the thing for you to wear."
As soon as they got their uniforms the Shadowbolts would be complete. And it would only be a matter of time before all of Equestria knew their name!
Well guys that was the revised chapter, and it differed from the original. In the original chapter Rainbow Dash turned down the offer and Gilda and Lightning Dust tried to kill her. I didn't really like the chapter, I felt it was rushed and pointless if I have the Shadowbolts come and go just like that. By having her join it shows that Rainbow would give up her dreams for her friends, and it also means that the Shadowbolts will possibly return for another chapter(or at least be mentioned). That's all for now so be sure to R and R!
FutureShock