Rainbow Falls
Pony's Log Number 410: One would think that when it comes to supporting your friends and wanting to be a winner that the choice would be obvious, but throw in the opportunity to be on the dream team, you've got complications...
Somewhere just outside Ponyville, Rainbow has gathered Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps for an important meeting.
"Alright, ponies, listen up!" said Rainbow.
"We're all ears," said Fluttershy, "Right, Bulk Biceps?" The muscular Pegasus was busy flexing his fore-legs and kissing the muscles.
"Nuh-uh! I'm all muscles!" Bulk replied with a grunt and did some handstand squats, "YEAH!" Bulks voice was so strong that it made Fluttershy's mane blow about like the wind.
"I like your attitude, Bulk Biceps," said Rainbow as she paced about in front of the two Pegasi, "but it's gonna take more than muscles and Yeah!s to get us into the Equestria Games! We are the Aerial Relay team, and it's up to the three of us to make sure that we qualify at the tryouts. And do I need to remind you how much I-" As she hovered about, Rainbow quickly realized how selfish it would sound saying she hated losing and, with a sheepish smile, quickly corrected herself.
"...I mean, Ponyville, heh-wants to qualify and make it to the Games?" Rainbow finished.
"I remember," said Fluttershy, "I really, really, really want to qualify for you and Ponyville."
"Bring it on!" Bulk Biceps yelled and snorted aggressively. It was then Pinkie appeared wearing pompoms on her fore-hooves, a yellow and pink cheerleader top with a purple cheerleader skirt, and a large yellow ribbon in her mane and tail.
"Give me a "P" for "Ponyville"!" Pinkie said as she shook her pompom in Fluttershy's face, making the yellow Pegasus yelp.
"P, Ponyville!" Pinkie shouted through a megaphone, making Fluttershy squat down from the loud shouting.
"P!" Bulk Biceps shouted, sending Pinkie flying away a short distance. Fluttershy then walked up to Pinkie as the pink pony recovered.
"Oh, thanks, Pinkie Pie," said Fluttershy, "that was a scary-" Fluttershy quickly corrected herself when Pinkie looked a little hurt, "I mean, great cheer." Pinkie smiled and Fluttershy laughed nervously.
"Just make sure you have one ready for when we qualify for the Aerial Relay," Rainbow reminded Pinkie.
"And after that, for when we win gold medals in the Equestria Games!" Bulk chanted as he flexed his fore-legs.
"Not so fast," said a voice. It was then Applejack arrived pulling a wagon loaded with some baked goods, "If you're gonna be good, you're gonna be better with some of my apple brown bettys in ya. They're perfect."
""P" is for "perfect"!" Pinkie shouted as she popped out of the wagon as Bulk and Fluttershy enjoyed the treats. Rainbow just face hoofed herself.
"Alright team!" said Rainbow as she called the two Pegasi over to her, "Show me what you got! Put some bend into those knees! Flap those wings!" Fluttershy then bent her knees and Bulk began to flap his tiny wings.
"I want to see all four hooves off the ground on the count of three!" said Rainbow as she hovered before them. She then smirked before saying very quickly, "One two three!" Fluttershy and Bulk both struggled to get off the ground. The former didn't need long to find her hover but Bulk was straining as he tried to gain altitude.
"Don't forget to breathe while you're up there!" Rainbow called out. However, when Bulk tried to exhale, but lost all his flying momentum. As he tried to grab something to stay airborne, he ended up grabbing Fluttershy and dragging her down with him. Then they both crash landed right on top of Rainbow.
""P" is for, uhh..."pain"?" Pinkie said sheepishly as Rainbow just sighed to herself.
(Main Theme)
The train was now making its way to Rainbow Falls, which was the location for ponies wishing to qualify for the Equestria Games events. Rainbow was sitting next to Twilight on the train with Bulk sitting across from them when two pegasi appeared.
"Good luck, Rainbow Dash!" said a pony named Helia, "Sorry we couldn't fly with you on the Aerial Relay, but the air sprinters needed us too."
"Too bad we can only compete in one event," said Thunderlane with a sigh, "But rules, are rules."
"Tell me about it," said a dreary voice. The two Pegasi noticed Mario was sitting across from the group just looking out of the window.
"Must be frustrating not being able to complete," said Helia, "Even I know Mario never quit."
"Same here," said Thunderlane, "Mario used to be known as the Flying Unicorn back in the day. This is actually the first year they've lifted the ban on unicorns from the race track. Just not sure he could still try out because he's an alicorn now."
"Alicorns have never been allowed to compete in the Equestria Games," said Twilight, "Probably because they would have an unfair advantage."
"I'd still say they could enter certain events like track and keep things fair," said Helia, "You don't need magic to run. Plus they've always had the rule that if you use your wings or any magic that it's an automatic disqualification."
"I'd sure love to see Mario speed down the racetrack again," said Thunderlane.
"So would I," Mario remarked, though he kept his back against them.
"Hey, Mario," said Thunderlane, "If anypony starts giving you a hard time out there, we've got your back." Helia nodded in agreement.
"We'll pass the word onto our friends too," Helia added. Mario turned around to give them a soft smile. Helia and Thunderlane took their leave.
"Good luck!" Twilight shouted to the others before turning to Rainbow Dash, "It was nice of you to be part of the team that doesn't have...uh...the strongest...flyers."
"Nothing nice about it," said Rainbow, "I know that I can pick up the slack for anypony. With me on the team, we'll qualify. I'm sure of it." Twilight smirked but discreetly rolled her eyes.
"Ponyville is very lucky to have you," said Twilight.
"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome," Rainbow bragged as Mario rolled his eyes. It was then a familiar yellow Pegasus appeared beside Bulk. The muscular Pegasus had taken up most of the seat and Fluttershy was straining and gasping since she had literally no space for herself on the seat.
"I'm so proud to be representing Ponyville," Fluttershy said in a strained tone and waving a flag, "Oh, it's such an honor to even try out for the Games. I just hope I don't let anypony down."
"We'll make them proud!" Bulk replied with a smile.
""P" is for "proud"!" Pinkie shouted, knocking Bulk right out of his chair. It wasn't long before a now flattened Mario came floating over to the group. A clear sign of where Bulk had landed when Pinkie knocked him away.
"Momma mia..." Mario groaned as he floated between the two seats.
"Look Twilight!" said Fluttershy, "You're own personal seat cover!"
"Very funny!" Mario remarked before Twilight used her magic to set the flattened alicorn on her seat and sat on his back. Mario just growled annoyingly as the other mares snickered.
"Anyway," said Pinkie as she stood between the two back to back seats, "We're gonna be the best fans anypony has ever seen!"
"Ooh. Can't wait to see what everypony else is wearing," said Rarity as she appeared behind the pink pony, "even though I am absolutely sure they won't be better than the Ponyville uniforms I'm designing for the Equestria Games!"
"Just remember to prioritize function over fashion," said Mario, "No good looking fabulous when your uniform is hindering your performance."
"Yes, yes of course," said Rarity dismissively, "but do cheer up darling. None of us like seeing you look so glum."
"Just have a lot on my mind," said Mario when he suddenly managed to get out of being flat, but Twilight still continued to sit on his back, "This my first time going back to Rainbow Falls since the whole incident all those years ago."
"You'll be just fine, Big Brother!" said Applejack, "Your Sister's got your back." Mario gave a smile. The group now knew about Mario and Applejack being siblings. While they were shocked at first, they were very supportive about it as well as happy that Mario had found who his real family was.
"Still amazes me that you and Mario are related," said Rarity to the orange pony, "I can't believe I didn't see the resemblance."
"None of us did," said Fluttershy, "but at least Mario found his real family and he's got Granny Smith, and three siblings now!"
"Too bad he'll never know his parents," said Rainbow.
"Rainbow!" Twilight said sternly as the others glared at her. They all knew Mario was very sensitive about the subject of their parents. He still found it hard not to cry whenever he thought about them.
"It's okay," said Mario, fighting the fact he was trying not cry, "besides, we're getting off topic here. I do hope the team qualifies for the Games."
"And we will make it to the Games once everypony carbo-loads on my brown apple bettys," said Applejack as she showed her treats.
"I can't wait!" Pinkie screamed excitedly. It was then the train approached a mountain town where liquid rainbow colored water would cascade down waterfalls and into streams, hence the name of the location, Rainbow Falls. The train made it's way across a stone bridge before reaching the station at the end of the line.
It wasn't long before the group had exited the train and headed to a large area were ponies where chattering and exercising as they got themselves ready for the tryouts. There were even a few griffons there as well that were trying out to qualify as well. Mario looked around nervously for a bit as they entered the field. But once he saw that no pony was trying to heckle or call attention to him. He felt much better.
"See, told ya all that worry was just in your head!" Rainbow remarked, who was leading the group across the field, as Mario just smiled in agreement.
"There's Rainbow Dash!" a pony named Mane Moon shouted, making Mario jump, "She's an awesome flyer!"
"I heard that she's flying the last third of the relay," said another pony named Orange Swirl, "which means everypony else is gonna have to be way ahead to beat her!" As the group was setting up the tarp for their team, a distant sonic boom was heard and three familiar Pegasi appeared in the sky. Rainbow and Mario smiled when she saw the familiar Pegasi enter the sky.
"Oh, the Wonderbolts!" said Mane Moon.
"I hear they're flying for Cloudsdale," said a pony named Sprinkle Medley.
"Then Cloudsdale will definitely qualify," said Orange Swirl, "They're the best flyers ever!" It was then the three flyers landed before Rainbow and Mario.
"Hey, you actually made it, buddy!" said Spitfire, "I was wondering if you'd show up." Mario just smiled before he and Spitfire shared their special hoofshake that finished with them shaking tails.
"You have no idea how jealous I am of you right now!" Mario remarked in a playful but honest tone.
"Aw, cheer up, buddy," said Spitfire, "You don't need to be in the Equestria Games to show you're the fastest pony alive! By the way, how's those wings of yours holding up? You keeping up with those exercises I told ya to do every day?"
"Of course," said Mario as he gave his wings a flap, "I could probably keep up with you now."
"Well, aren't we cocky?" said Spitfire, "Care to prove yourself newbie?" Mario smirked.
"We'll see who's the newbie after we're finished! Let's fly!" Mario remarked in a cocky tone as he and Spitfire took off. Spitfire didn't hold back on the techniques, doing various flips, turns, and some advanced tricks. Mario was able to keep up with all of them without any difficulty. Spitfire was most impressed as was the rest of her team. The rest of the Mane seven cheered with Bulk giving one of his famous YEAH!s. Fleetfoot was stunned as Spitfire and Mario made their landing.
"You've...got...skills..." said Fleetfoot in shock.
"That was awesome, Mario!" said Soarin, "You've gotten really good with your wings."
"Thanks Soarin," said Mario, "I had a great teacher." Spitfire just chuckled before turning to Rainbow.
"And the game is on!" said Spitfire excitedly.
"Hah, nice to see there's some real competition here!" said Soarin.
"Two more days of practice," said Fleetfoot as she walked up to Rainbow, "Then we'll see you in the air, Rainbow Dash! If you're lucky!" Fleetfoot then walked away as the rest of the Wonderbolt team followed. Rainbow sighed to herself.
"The Wonderbolts know a winner when they see one," said Rainbow as Twilight approached, "and we'll be winners just as soon as we practice! Right team?"
"Right," said Fluttershy in her soft tone.
"YEAH!" said Bulk in his loud and brash tone.
"Hooray!" said Pinkie as she tossed some confetti and blew a noise maker. Twilight then looked worried before she noticed Rainbow nearby.
"And, um, I'm with her! Hooray!" said Twilight. It was then Pinkie noticed two more cheerleaders not too far away.
"Give us some clouds! Give us some dale! And what do you get? Cloudsdale! Woo-hoo!" the two Pegasi cheerleaders chanted. Pinkie gasped excitedly.
"Where can I get pompoms like those?!" Pinkie wondered as she stood between Twilight and Fluttershy.
"Mario, you are gonna help me get this team into shape right?" Rainbow asked, "Uhh, Mario?" Rainbow turned to see Mario looking a short distance away. There before him was the race track where several ponies were practicing doing laps for the qualifying race. Mario then saw himself as a teenage pony, smiling happily as he raced down the track.
"Mario? MARIO!" Rainbow shouted, snapping the alicorn prince out of his thoughts, "are you going to help out or not?"
"Of...of course," Mario stuttered, "s-s-sorry. Let's go!" Mario then headed up the group to get started as Rainbow followed behind him. Twilight, however, had taken notice of why Mario looked so distracted.
"I wonder what it was like seeing him race," said Twilight. If there was ever a time she regretted skipping his races to study, it was now.
A little later Mario had gotten himself a sports cap and whistle so he could be the coach of the team. Even though it was pretty clear Rainbow had taken charge.
"So, do I need to remind you of what our goal is here?" Rainbow asked as she hovered before her two teammates.
"Uh, maybe?" Bulk asked nervously.
"Win Rainbow a date with Soarin," Mario said aloud.
"Yeah!...I mean...NO! Mario!" Rainbow spluttered as her cheeks turned pink and Mario snickered to himself. The rest of the girls didn't resist snickering either.
"You two would be cute together," Fluttershy remarked.
"GRR!" Rainbow growled before quickly recomposing herself, "We want to qualify! We need to be one of the first four teams to cross the finish line! Bulk Biceps, you're our first flyer, so let me see you flap it!" Bulk began to grunt as he tried to hover into air. He was then knocked out of the sky when one of Applejack's bettys hit him in the face. Rainbow and Mario saw Applejack toss another treat into the air with her tail.
"What the?" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Why'd you do that, Sis?" Mario asked.
"Sorry!" said Applejack, "Got the idea from them, but..." Applejack pointed over to two Pegasi wearing chef's hats, named Rainbowshine and Sprinkle Medley, as they tossed treat after treat over to Spitfire and Fleetfoot as they practiced their flying.
"Hooves down! Cakes up!" said Rainbowshine and Sprinkle Medley together as they launched the treats into the air as the two Wonderbolts munched on them.
"...It looks like they got better aim," said Applejack.
"Oy ye," said Mario as he and Rainbow got back to work with the team.
"Okay, passing of the baton need to be seamless," said Rainbow to Bulk, who was currently holding the baton, which was a worn down horseshoe, "You shouldn't miss a beat or drop a hair in altitude! And whatever you do, don't let go of it!" It was then Fluttershy hovered over to Bulk.
"Are you really, really, really sure you're ready?" said Fluttershy, "I mean, I don't want to take it if you're not super sure."
"Ready!" said Bulk as he handed the horseshoe to Fluttershy, but she then fumbled with it and dropped it. Rarity used her magic to pick it up.
"Ponyville could so much better," said Rarity as she walked off with the horseshoe, "I'll be back with a freshly painted one in no time!"
"We were using that!" Rainbow yelled, "And it's not like anypony else has color-coordinated horseshoes or anything!" It was then Rainbow saw Spitfire and Fleetfoot exchange a color-coordinated horseshoe and flew off.
"I guess some ponies do," said Rainbow with a sigh.
"Some ponies do what?" Twilight asked as she walked up to Rainbow and Mario hovered beside the two mares.
"Have a better chance of qualifying and going to the Equestria Games than others," Rainbow added as she sighed and walked away again. Twilight and Mario just watched her with worried looks on their faces. Mario then flew over to the blue Pegasus.
"Listen Rainbow," said Mario, "I get that this team isn't exactly...skilled...for this type of event. But with some hard work and motivation, we can get them ready to perform their best. We just need to help them focused on their strengths and help them work on their weaknesses and they'll be ready to go. Take it from me, any team that can work well together has been shown do the impossible!" Rainbow then narrowed her eyes in determination.
"You're right," said Rainbow, "we can do this! We just need to get the team motivated and inspire them somehow. And I just might have an idea how." Rainbow then took off before Mario could ask what her idea was. It wasn't long before Rainbow had guided Mario, Fluttershy, and Bulk over to where the Wonderbolts has set up their tent. Some pegasi were guiding Fleetfoot as she flew above while Spitfire was getting a back message.
"Watch and learn," said Rainbow as she had the team look up, "The Cloudsdales are Wonderbolts, and Wonderbolts are the best flyers there are. And my personal heroes. So, maybe you can learn something." Rainbow didn't hesitate to give the group a stern glare as Soarin continued to fly up above them, making the sounds of a jet engine as he flew around.
"Please learn something?" Rainbow pleaded as she got between Fluttershy and Bulk. Mario just looked at Rainbow worried before sighing to himself.
"This isn't what I had in mind for motivation and inspiration," Mario muttered.
"C'mon, Soarin, pick up the pace!" Fleetfoot shouted as Soarin continued to fly about, "You can do better than that!"
"I sure hope so," said Spitfire as she continued to enjoy her back message. Mario just rolled his eyes, even he knew Spitfire like to push ponies to their limits. It was reminding him of his days when he was recuperating from his accident.
"Practice, practice, yay, practice!" said the Cloudsdale cheerleaders. Soarin just smiled as he looked at the cheerleaders. Then there was trouble. Soarin wasn't watching where he was flying and clipped his wing on the side of a ring as he flew through it at high speed.
"Whoa!" Soarin cried out as he was sent into tailspin, sounding like a plane about to come in for a crash landing, "Whooaaaa!" Spitfire and Fleetfoot gasped. So did everypony else nearby when they saw Soarin falling.
"Aaaaah! Help!" Soaring called out. Just before he hit the ground.
"Gotcha!" Rainbow called out as she grabbed Soarin just in time. Soarin held on to Rainbow as she brought him safety to the ground. Everypony, Wonderbolts included, cheered.
"Awe-some!" said Fleetfoot.
"As good as any Wonderbolt!" said Spitfire.
"Nice job there, Rainbow!" said Mario as the two shared a hoof-bump.
"Oh, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy as she walked up to her, "I'm just so proud of you. You scooped Soarin out of the sky and brought him down to the ground and now, now he's okay. At least I hope he's okay." Fluttershy turned around just as Rainbow gave her an annoyed glare.
"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah, Soarin," said Mario with concern as he stood on the other side of the Wonderbolt, "Your wing looks pretty banged up." Soarin winced as he checked his wing.
"Uh, my wing hurts," Soarin replied, leaving Spitfire and Fleetfoot stunned, "But I-I'm sure it'll be okay by the competition." It was then the wailing of an emergency siren was heard as a hospital wagon rolled up. Soarin climbed into it before turning to Rainbow Dash.
"You're the best, Rainbow Dash," said Soarin with a groan.
"Ah, it was nothin'," said Rainbow sheepishly before adding in her cocky tone, "but, if you feel like talking about how great I am, don't let me stop you!" Soarin said nothing as the hospital wagon pulled him away. Mario just face-hoofed himself.
"You're not gonna get a date with him saying stuff like that," said Mario to Rainbow under his breath, getting a dirty look from the cyan Pegasus.
""P" is for Rainbow Dash!" Bulk shouted, making Mario lean away and Rainbow to squat down to the ground.
"Um, "Rainbow Dash" actually starts with an "R"," Fluttershy whispered to him.
"Never mind!" Bulk shouted again as Mario rolled his eyes and Spitfire and Soarin just gave him funny looks. Then Spitfire got a sly smile on her face.
"Hey, buddy," said Spitfire casually to Mario, "think you can check on Soarin for a bit and make sure he's alright? I'd go myself but...he doesn't hang around with too many stallions if you get my drift."
"Welcome to my world," Mario remarked, but he did find her tone rather suspicious, "alright, buddy. Rainbow, I'm gonna go see how Soarin is doing. I'll be back as soon as I can." Rainbow then nodded as Mario walked away and headed toward the medical center.
"Tough break to lose a teammate right before the tryouts," said Rainbow. It was then Spitfire and Fleetfoot stared and smirked at each other as they put on their sunshades.
"You know, you grew up in Cloudsdale," said Fleetfoot.
"So that means you could fly with us," said Spitfire.
"Fly?" said Rainbow stunned.
"Uh, we mean practice," said Fleetfoot, "You could practice with us until Soarin's better."
"What do you say?" said Spitfire, "Wanna be our third?"
"Uh, I don't know," said Rainbow, "My team really needs me to be at my best in order to qualify. Don't wanna be too worn out by the time the race comes around." As Rainbow spoke, she noticed Bulk was just flexing his chest muscles while Fluttershy giggled at the sight.
"We put you through some pretty intense workouts at the Wonderbolt Academy and you handled those just fine," Spitfire pointed out, "And let's not forget that Lieutenant Mario had the routine exercises even harder for you too."
"Heh, I did kick some major tail at the Academy..." said Rainbow, "but I don't know how my teammates will feel about me practicing with the competition."
"Who says they need to know?" said Fleetfoot slyly, "Think about it, Rainbow Dash! This is your chance to fly with the winners!" Rainbow then looked at the finish line rainbow ring above her and then her team and then at the finish line a second time.
"Alright, I'll do it," said Rainbow.
"Wise decision, Rainbow Dash," said Spitfire with a chuckle as Rainbow followed them from behind, but worriedly looked back at the team one more time. Little did she knew that Mario hadn't gone to the medical center right away and had been listening in on the conversation. He knew Spitfire was up to something when she sent him away and was more than upset to see that he was right.
"And here I thought you had grown up, buddy," Mario muttered bitterly to himself before heading to see Soarin for real.
Early the next morning as the sun peaked high into the sky, Twilight had stepped outside of the villa where the ponies were staying for the tryouts. She had decided to take a walk around the fields while they were still quiet before everypony arrived to start training. She had just arrived near the racetrack when she noticed her husband was standing along the area where the starting line was located. She had received a note from him when she woke up that he had gone for a run, but she hadn't expected to find him just standing around. Twilight kept quiet as she slowly approached the racetrack, hoping Mario wouldn't see her. She then noticed something in particular on Mario's head.
"What are you doing with those old racing goggles?" Twilight wondered curiously. Mario just continued to rub a fore-hoof against the ground as he looked down the track for a moment. he just seemed to be staring down the track and not moving.
"Come on, honey,' Twilight whispered, "Run! Go for it!" As if Mario had heard her, he then took a deep breath as he put the goggles over his eyes.
"What's going on here?" said a voice, which happened to be Pinkie's as Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Bulk appeared behind her.
"SHH!" Twilight hushed sternly as Mario made his horn glow and a little fanfare was played.
"Racers, on your marks!" said a voice from his horn as Mario squatted down.
"Get set! GO!" the voice from Mario's horn. As soon as Mario heard the word "GO!" Mario took off down the track. While he was alone, the other ponies noticed that Mario seemed to be weaving about, as if he were surrounded by ponies.
"What is he doing?" said Applejack confused in a shushed tone at Mario's behavior.
"I think he's fighting to keep his position," said Pinkie in her own whisper, "that way when he gets the final stretch he can go full throttle." Twilight gave Pinkie a funny look, wondering how she had even figured that out, but as the purple alicorn watched Mario. She could see that Mario was doing just that. At first she was also surprised that Mario wasn't running as fast as he did during his more casual runs, but then realized that Mario was just pacing himself enough so that he was just in front of the pack. She took note that Mario was also slowly increasing his speed as he ran through his first turn and then increased his speed even more as he entered the second turn. Once he reached the long straight away, he increased his speed a little more before it seemed that his speed had capped as he entered turn three. Once Mario entered the final turn, Mario began to pour down on the speed, rapidly accelerating until his hoofs looked like a pinwheel as he zoomed across the finish line and skidded to a stop, creating a dust could around himself. As the dust settled, Mario just smiled contently and took a long deep breath. He was just soaking in the moment, completely unaware that Twilight and the others were approaching him.
"Wow..." said Twilight as she approached, making Mario jump as he noticed the group standing before him, all of them smiling, "That was amazing!" Mario then surprised them and started to cry. Twilight looked concerned.
"Sweetheart?" she asked gently, "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry honey, but I hate it!" Mario sobbed, "I hate not being able to complete! I'd give anything to race in the Equestria Games more time! I still have what it takes...but I'll never get to show it..." Mario cried harder as Twilight just hugged him close.
"Calm down, sweetie," said Twilight gently, "Just come down. It's going to be okay." The rest of the group, gathered around to comfort Mario, even Bulk didn't resist joining. Once Mario had cried himself out, he was able to recompose himself and get to work on helping the team train for the tryouts, especially since Rainbow had mysteriously disappeared.
As some training montage music was heard, Rainbow was seen with Fleetfoot. The former was hovering before an obstacle in which the rings they had to fly through swayed from side to side while the latter hovered above the rings. Rainbow looked at the horseshoe in her fore-legs and smirked before she easily maneuvered through the rings and passed the horseshoe to Fleetfoot.
"Awesome!" said Fleetfoot before she flew off.
"Whinny, ponies, whinny!" the cheerleader ponies chanted, "Fly on, fly on, fly on!" Rainbow just smiled and flew off the catch up with Fleetfoot. Rainbow didn't even notice that she had zoomed right past Twilight, who was startled by the sudden rush of wind but didn't notice that it was Rainbow that had passed by.
Back with the team, Bulk was still having trouble staying in the air. As he tried to go through a ring, he ended up getting stuck in it upside down.
"Momma mia..." said Mario to himself. He was still trying to figure out a way for Bulk to get himself through the rings without breaking them.
"Come on, Bulk Biceps," said Rainbow, "You can do it!" Fluttershy then hovered over to him.
"Um...I'm ready to take the horseshoe, if you want me to," Fluttershy told Bulk, as the muscular Pegasus reached out to give Fluttershy the horseshoe. Then the ring Bulk was stuck in recoiled, causing him and Fluttershy to scream as they were sent crashing into the side of the mountain. Bulk recovered out of the indention his body made from impact while Fluttershy was found securely between his shoulder blade muscles, frazzled but unharmed. Mario was indignant.
"Okay, seriously?" Mario grumbled as he hovered over to them, "You get spared becoming flattened like a pancake and I wasn't!"
"Simple," said Fluttershy, "I'm a lady and you're a..."
"If you finish that sentence, you're gonna get it!" Mario warned as Fluttershy stuck her tongue out at him.
"Nnnngh..."Rainbow groaned as she put a fore-hoof to her head.
Later, Rainbow was back with Spitfire and Fleetfoot doing some wing push-ups. Each mare had a pony standing on their backs as they did them. Soon Rainbow and Mario were having Fluttershy and Bulk do wing push-ups of their own. Mario was aghast when he saw Fluttershy couldn't even do one wing push up anymore.
"What happened, Flutters?!" Mario asked in shock, "Where's my eye of the manticore that did 110 push-ups for me when training for the tornado?"
"I...I didn't keep up with my training afterward," said Fluttershy, her voice straining as she struggled to do her wing push-ups. Mario groaned, knowing he was going to have to rebuild Fluttershy's muscles from the ground up. Don't even ask about Bulk. His wings were so tiny that the best he could do was stretch his wings up and down while laying on the ground on his stomach. Wing push-ups for him were literally impossible.
"You, uh, keep doing your wing-ups," said Rainbow, "I'm just gonna get some, uh, water." Rainbow then took off as Twilight watched the blue Pegasus take off with a suspicious look on her face. Mario just growled inwardly. He knew where Rainbow was really going, but he had a team to get ready for the tryouts to bother chasing after her.
Rainbow was currently flying alongside Spitfire and Fleetfoot with a feeding sack tied around their necks and each of them were wearing sunglasses. The three Pegasi took turns between eating the contents of their sacks and flying side by side in sync.
Back on the ground, Applejack was feeding Fluttershy and Bulk with more of the apple brown betties as Mario just sat with them on a blue picnic cloth. Fluttershy just ate her one treat daintily. Bulk then grabbed all but one betty and stuffed them into his mouth, which made Applejack, Mario, and Fluttershy laugh. He then offered the last betty to Rainbow, who had a noticeable potbelly before politely declining it. Mario took notice.
"What happened to you?" Mario asked, "You look..."
"If you say I'm fat, I'm gonna..." Rainbow warned.
"I was gonna say waterlogged," Mario finished irritably, "You always taught me that drinking too much water too quickly can make you sick. Now what's going on here?"
"Uhh...oh! Time to use the little fillies room! See ya!" Rainbow said before taking off a high speed.
"Rainbow, get back here!" Mario yelled, but was left unheard.
Once Rainbow had returned with the Wonderbolts, they had all put on Wonderbolt trademark goggles over their eyes. It was then the Wonderbolts' personal pit crew got to work. The ponies got to work cleaning their goggles, shining their hooves, even blow drying their tails, and then used measuring tape to create the three ponies special uniforms that they would wear for the tryouts. These uniforms were grayish-blue with light gray lining and curls designs around the neck with zigzags near the hooves. The three stood proudly together, ready for anything.
For the Ponyville Team, Rarity was hard at work on the uniforms, which were definitely something...unique.
"Yeah!" said Bulk as he laughed and Fluttershy giggled as well. He and Fluttershy were now wearing a light blue and pink cloak with flowers in their mane. Fluttershy had flower hooflets and Bulk had fuzzy hooflets. Rarity just smiled at her work as she wore her work glasses and held some cloth with a fore-leg.
"Too much?" Rarity asked as Mario just looked dumbfounded. Once again, his advice had been ignored. Rainbow just stared and smiled sheepishly. Mario recovered as he shook his head and crossed his fore-legs.
"We're in trouble," Mario muttered in a worried tone when he turned to see that Rainbow had disappeared.
"Alright, that it!" said Mario angrily to himself, "I'm working my tail off trying to get this team ready for tomorrow and Rainbow keeps having playtime with the Wonderbolts!"
"Rainbow is having playtime with the Wonderbolts?!" Twilight exclaimed since she had walked up to Mario while he had letting off some steam. Mario snorted as he hovered over to his wife.
"Come on, honey," said Mario, "I'll explain along the way." Twilight just followed, but decided to hover alongside of him and held a fore-hoof.
"I love you," said Twilight sweetly. Mario couldn't help but smile.
"Love you, too," said Mario, "I'm sorry I've been so moody today. I was hoping to find something to take my mind off of...this morning...but Rainbow constantly bailing on us isn't helping me feel better."
"I understand," said Twilight, "let's get to the bottom of things." Mario nodded, giving his wife a cheek kiss before they went to catch up with Rainbow.
The Wonderbolts had just finished another practice session as Rainbow waved goodbye, wearing her Wonderbolts training uniform. She quickly ducked behind a tree, removed the uniform, and then snuck off toward a nearby pond for a drink of water. It was then Mario and Twilight approached the blue Pegasus.
"It's not easy practicing with two teams, is it?" said Twilight, making Rainbow do a spit-take.
"You...know?" Rainbow asked worried, "Does anypony else?"
"No," said Twilight, "They're too busy practicing to wonder why you keep disappearing."
"Plus I actually heard Spitfire asking if you wanted to practice with them," Mario added, "Still can't believe she would do something like this...especially after..."
"Well, I've seen the other teams practicing and we're still gonna qualify," said Rainbow, ignoring Mario's remark about Spitfire, "I can fly fast enough to make up the distance."
"It just seems like one of the teams you're practicing with needs a little more help than the other one," said Twilight.
"And you're not even trying to help me figure out a way to help this team make your leg of the race as easy as possible," said Mario, "There's a fine line between being confident and biting off more than you can fly, Dashie. I need your help getting the team into shape so they can give their best!"
"But it's so much more fun working out with the winners...than...um...the non-winners," Rainbow protested.
"Dashie," said Mario slowly before shouting angrily, "This race is NOT. ABOUT. YOU!" Rainbow flinched.
"I know that!" Rainbow shot back, "And you're worrying too much. Ponyville will still qualify."
"Not if you keep..."
"Rainbow Dash, you got a minute?" Spitfire called out, interrupting Mario, with Fleetfoot standing beside her.
"Uh, sure," Rainbow headed over to the two Wonderbolts as Twilight and Mario watched. Rainbow felt a chill as Mario gave her a stern glare.
"You could really be an asset to our team, so..." Fleetfoot began, "we want you to join the Cloudsdale team. Permanently." Rainbow gasped excitedly and tapped her fore-hooves together.
"It looks like Soarin's wing won't heal in time for the trails," Spitfire added, "We want you to fly with us."
"Of course, this means you won't be able to fly for Ponyville, but let's face it," Fleetfoot remarked, "Even with you on the team, their chances of qualifying for the Games-" It was then Fluttershy tried passing the horseshoe to Bulk.
"Ow!" Bulk yelped when Fluttershy accidentally tossed the horseshoe into Bulk's face.
"...are pretty slim," Fleetfoot finished as Mario growled at her. Bulk then whimpered and then stomped off before Fluttershy could apologize.
"So what's it gonna be?" Spitfire asked as she and Fleetfoot smirked.
"Well, I..." said Rainbow, unsure about what to say as Mario and Twilight gave her glares and skeptical looks.
"Take some time to think about it," said Spitfire as she and Fleetfoot flew off. Though the later took notice of the death glare Mario gave her as she flew away, but chose to ignore it. Rainbow excitedly flew over to Twilight and Mario.
"They want me to fly with them!" Rainbow Dash excitedly before landing and reclining on her back, "It's like a dream come true!"
"For you maybe," Mario remarked bitterly.
"If you fly for Cloudsdale, Pinkie Pie won't have anypony to cheer for," Twilight reminded Rainbow, "Rarity's uniforms will never be seen. And Applejack will have slaved over those apple brown bettys for nothing. And my husband will have find a replacement and train them to take your place in less than a day." Twilight and Mario couldn't tell, but as they spoke, Rainbow made a face that showed that she was feeling more and more guilty.
"Oh, but I really wanna fly with the best team!" Rainbow pleaded as she got up and hovered before them, "What would you do?" Mario just sighed and looked away.
"You need to decide who's more important to you," said Mario, "The Wonderbolts...or the team you said you were going to help qualify for the Games." He then walked away without another word.
"He's right," said Twilight, "I think this is a decision you have to make on your own. The race is tomorrow, so you better make it soon." Rainbow just sat on the ground with her head low. Once again, she had been given the opportunity of a lifetime, but the cost would mean turning her back against her team and her friends. Unlike her confrontation with the Shadowbolts, Rainbow didn't have a clear answer on what she should do.
The next morning, Mario was running laps around the track just to release some of the stress he had been feeling all day yesterday. It hadn't helped that Rainbow still hadn't made her decision. Mario was forced to work with the team alone and had to spend most of the evening searching for a backup Pegasus, but more on that later. Mario was just running about and keeping to himself when he heard a familiar voice.
"Just can't let go of the past can't ya?" said Spitfire. She had seen Mario racing about. Mario rolled his eyes as he skidded to a stop.
"Look who's talking," Mario said irritably, "You're the one who's stuck in the past." Spitfire knew what Mario was talking about, but chose to play dumb.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Spitfire retorted, "I'm not the one trying to relive his glory days in his head."
"I'm talking about Soarin!" Mario snapped, "I went to see him last night. He told me that his wing wasn't injured anymore!"
"Well, I just saw him this morning and he told me his wing was hurting him again," Spitfire answered, "Look, buddy. I appreciate that you're looking out for him and such. But I'm the captain of the Wonderbolts and I say he's not healthy enough for the tryouts!"
"More like he's not healthy enough to help you win!" Mario retorted. Spitfire blinked before turning away.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Spitfire said bluntly.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Mario yelled.
"I did what was best for the team! And what was best for Rainbow!" Spitfire yelled back.
"No," said Mario sternly, "You did what was best for yourself. I thought you were past being so selfish. Guess I was mistaken!"
"You used to be selfish yourself back in your glory days!" Spitfire snapped.
"At least I learned to grow up!" Mario shot back before he flew off in one direction as Spitfire just snorted and flew off to get back to Fleetfoot.
Later that morning, Spitfire and Fleetfoot were busy testing out their wing power while Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps were lifting weights. Mario was just managing the team as best as he could while working on their...backup. Bulk was managing a 6200 pound dumbbell while Fluttershy...was lifting a bunch of flowers. It was then an exaggerated groan was heard. The rest of the Mane seven, Bulk, the two Wonderbolts, and even several other bystander ponies turned to see that the groan was coming from Rainbow. She was sitting in a wheelchair, her wings were bandaged up as well as her neck, head, and all four of her hooves.
"Woe is me! Oooh!" Rainbow groaned dramatically.
"You've gotta be kidding me..." Mario said in exasperation as Twilight glared as well. The other ponies looked concerned as Fluttershy approached the injured Pegasus.
"What happened?" Fluttershy asked.
"Urgh, I've hurt my hoof..." Rainbow groaned. Pinkie, now wearing a rainbow wig that had pigtails with just her cheerleader skirt and megaphone around her neck, and Rarity gasped. Twilight and Mario just glared.
"All of them?" Spitfire asked.
"I, uh, tripped on a-a foam hoof and landed on a..." Rainbow explained sheepishly before the rest of her words became just mumbled gibberish, "pokey stick coming out of the ground..."
"If I get my hooves on that..." Pinkie growled as she mumbled some gibberish, "it'll be in big trouble!"
"Pinkie, watch your language!" Mario scolded.
"I only speak child-appropriate unintelligible gibberish!" Pinkie shouted, earning an eye roll from Mario.
"There is no way I can fly now," said Rainbow dramatically.
"Do you think you'll be better by tryouts?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. Rainbow groaned in an exaggerated manner as she leaned over the side of the chair.
"I'll be lucky if I ever fly again!" said Rainbow sadly.
"Oh give me a break," Mario muttered as Twilight stood beside him and roll her eyes. Everypony else seemed to believe her.
"I just need a little rest," Rainbow wearily as Fluttershy helped her sit up in her wheelchair.
"Oh, don't you worry, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy, "We'll take care of you...or, at least, somepony will. Like a medic or-or a doctor, or a nurse." Rainbow's eyes nearly popped out as Fluttershy rolled her over to the medical center. It wasn't long before Rainbow's hooves were tied up into some straps with an EKG monitor beeping near her hospital bed. Twilight and Mario both examined the monitor before looking at Rainbow.
"So, the medic pony isn't sure what's wrong with you," said Twilight skeptically.
"Care to explain, Dashie?" Mario asked in the same tone.
"Everything!" Rainbow moaned as rest of the Mane seven minus Fluttershy were in the room with her, "Absolutely everything."
"This'll cure everythin' that ails you!" said Applejack as she shoved one of her apple brown bettys into Rainbow's mouth.
"Thank you," said Rainbow with her mouth full before swallowing, "I couldn't have done that on my own!" Twilight and Mario sighed in annoyance.
"Nothing says "get better" like a little medical pizazz!" said Rarity, "Silk slings and a glitter bandage?" Rarity used her magic to pull put a purple cloth and tied it around one of Rainbow's bandaged hooves.
"That might help," said Rainbow feebly. It was then the door opened as Fluttershy and Bulk walked inside. Well, the latter tried to but got stuck in the doorway due to his muscles.
"And how is our patient doing?" Fluttershy asked as Bulk neighed and finally got through the door.
"I've been better," said Rainbow.
"We just wanted to let you know that we're so sorry you're hurt," Fluttershy explained, "but you shouldn't worry a bit about not being able to be in the tryouts. We'll be alright. We even have a replacement. Mario found her at the last minute and she's been working hard to be ready as our third member." Everypony turned toward the door. There outside the entrance was Muffins, who waved a Ponyville flag in her fore-hoof. Rainbow just looked at her skeptically as Mario just gave her a smile and a wave.
"We're so, so sorry that you can't complete," Fluttershy continued, "We all know how much you love to fly. And we promise-"
"Cross our hearts!" Bulk shouted, making Muffins drop her flag in the background.
"...That if we qualify and make it to the Equestria Games and all win gold medals," Fluttershy said happily, "you can have ours, because we know how much a gold medal means to you." If Rainbow wasn't feeling guilty for her lies, she was certainly feeling a tug at her heartstrings after what Fluttershy had said.
"Thanks..." said Rainbow sadly. Twilight then cleared her throat.
"I think Rainbow Dash might need to rest some more," said Twilight with a smirk as Mario smirked as well and nodded in agreement. The others just chatted and walked away.
"Don't forget your bettys!" Applejack said as she and the rest of the ponies minus Twilight and Mario left the room. The royal couple then approached Rainbow.
"You know," said Twilight, "choosing not to choose isn't really a decision."
"She's right Dashie," said Mario, "You're just letting two teams down instead of one." Rainbow just said nothing as the royal couple left the room. It was then the curtain divider was moved to reveal Soarin, who was sitting in his own bed with his wing still bandaged.
"You sure have nice friends," said Soarin, "Nopony's been by to visit me. Eh, probably too busy practicing, I guess."
"I thought Mario stopped by?" Rainbow asked.
"Oh, yeah, he has," said Soarin, "it's so cool after all his years he got his dream girl to fall in love and marry him. I remember when he used to talk about Twilight non-stop. There was this one time Spitfire got so agitated that she stuffed an entire raincloud in his mouth. It was hilarious, especially when the excess water was squirting out of his nose and ears." Rainbow snickered.
"Yeah, Mario is a lucky guy," said Rainbow, "well, hopefully your wing will be better soon."
"Oh, it's fine," said Soarin, "I-I'm just keeping it warm in case my team wants me back."
"What do you mean, "wants you back"?" Rainbow asked curiously, "Spitfire and Fleetfoot told me that you were too injured to fly!"
"And they told me that they were worried I wouldn't be one hundred percent by the tryouts," said Soarin, "so they were going with somepony else!"
"That somepony was me!" Rainbow exclaimed before adding sheepishly, "Until, uh, well, until I got hurt that is."
"So," said Soarin, "Guess I understand how Mario felt when it happened to him." Rainbow blinked in shock.
"Wait, what?!" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know if he ever told you, Rainbow Dash," said Soarin, "But the whole reason Mario had his accident was because of Spitfire."
"He told me," Rainbow replied, "Spitfire was the one who bashed into him as he accelerated, causing him to crash and break both his hind legs."
"Spitfire has always had a this competitive streak to her," said Soarin, "I remember how aggressive and determined she would get sometimes when she first joined the academy. Sometimes her over-competitive nature would drive her to accomplish great things. Other times...her determination would cause her to make...questionable decisions that got her into trouble." He wasn't going to mention all those times Spitfire had actually failed to make the team because of such actions. Only he and Mario would ever know about that.
"I see," said Rainbow quietly.
"It's a bad habit that Spitfire has always struggled with," said Soarin, "She sometimes get so determined to win that she'll do anything to make sure that she has the advantage. Such as convincing the entire track team to turn against Mario so Spitfire could take him out."
"Or convince you to sit out so I could take your place," Rainbow concluded and then asked, "How did Spitfire convince the entire track team to turn on Mario? I know his ego irritated them all, but..."
"Exactly," Soaring replied, "She took advantage of their resentment of Mario and lied to them. She said the coach was planning on making the track team a one-pony team because Mario won all the time. She said the coach didn't think he needed so many racers on the team now that he had the "Flying Unicorn". So during that fateful race, she convinced the other racers to pin Mario to the side of the track so that he would have to pass Spitfire as he accelerated for the final sprint. And Mario fell right into her trap."
"And paid the price for it," Rainbow remarked sadly.
"Pretty much," said Soarin, "Ever since she became Captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire has always focused on the importance of being a good team player and looking out for her fellow Wonderbolts. But sometimes her will to win makes her lose sight of that. Guess nopony's perfect, but still...I never thought Spitfire would actually brush me aside for her own desire to win..." Soarin sighed to himself as he pulled the blanket on himself and turned away.
"So I guess we're all out of luck," said Soarin, "Cloudsdale won't qualify without three fliers, and Ponyville won't qualify without you. Too bad." Rainbow just sat quietly in her hospital bed when suddenly a beam of sunlight shone though a pitcher of water, creating a rainbow light that shinned on the Ponyville flag Muffins had dropped and left behind. It was then a rainbow shinned through Rainbow's eyes. She then realized what she had to do and got out of the bed. She quickly headed to Soarin.
"Rainbow Dash-?" Soarin exclaimed in shock.
"No time to explain," said Rainbow firmly as she removed Soarin's cast, "Just come with me." Soarin just stared for a moment as Rainbow walked out of the room and soon followed her from a short distance away.
Back outside the fields, the rest of the Mane seven, Bulk, and Muffins were gathered in a circle looking rather glum.
"Even with Rainbow Dash's replacement," said Twilight, "I don't think we're gonna qualify. No offense." Muffins just shrugged her shoulders as Fluttershy and Bulk looked sad. Mario sighed in defeat. It wasn't that Muffins wasn't capable, at least according to him, but Mario didn't have enough time to train her so she wouldn't just crash into the rings because of her eye condition.
"I should've never bothered coming back here," said Mario sadly.
"No, sweetie," said Twilight, "I'm so proud of you!"
"For what?" said Mario, "I couldn't even prepare a team for the tryouts. I made a fool of myself crying over the past! I...I couldn't even help Rainbow..." Twilight just nuzzled him for comfort.
"Because despite all your bad memories, you came back," said Twilight, "I know it was hard and what happened with Rainbow certainly didn't help you make better memories. But the important thing is that you are here with us now." Mario smiled and gave his wife a cheek kiss.
"You did all you could, big brother," said Applejack, "You had no idea Rainbow would injure herself. Guess it just wasn't mean to be this time around. There's always next time."
"You're right," said Mario, "I may not have helped create a winning team for the Games, but I was glad to be here to help and support all my friends. Guess I do walk away a winner after all." The group smiled, except for Pinkie, who was still fuming.
"Gah!" said Pinkie angrily as she pulled off her Rainbow wig and tossed at the ground in front of her, "What am I gonna do with all these now?!" Pinkie pointed her fore-leg pointed to a tall stack of pompoms.
"Uh, what were you gonna do with them before?" Applejack asked curiously but didn't receive an answer.
"Maybe my Equestria Games uniforms will still be in style next year," said Rarity with a sigh as she looked at her outfit, "I mean, I am pretty fashion forward." Rarity then dumped the outfit over Twilight, who immediately pulled it off and noticed a familiar cyan Pegasus stomping by with a stern look on her face.
"Is that Rainbow Dash...walking?" Twilight exclaimed as Soarin was walking right behind the cyan Pegasus. Rainbow then looked over to the group.
"Mario! Come on! We need to talk to Spitfire!" Rainbow said sternly. Mario blinked before smirking himself.
"Right away!" said Mario as he caught up with Rainbow as they walked side by side with the same stern look on their faces. Spitfire was drinking some water from a water bottle when she noticed Rainbow approaching. She was so shocked that she dropped the water bottle from her mouth. Fleetfoot lowered her shades in disbelief. Spitfire was also a little nervous since she noticed Soarin sitting nearby and Mario giving her a stern glare. The rest of the group just watched everything from a short distance away.
"Does this mean you're feeling better?" Fleetfoot asked Rainbow.
"I-I feel great, because...I was never hurt in the first place," said Rainbow as she removed all the bandages. Everyone watching gasped.
"I faked my injury so that I wouldn't have to choose between flying for Ponyville or Cloudsdale," Rainbow explained, "I wanted to fly with you both, and the decision was too hard!"
"Oh, Rainbow Dash, you don't have to choose us," said Fluttershy, "I know you love to win, and you should go with the team that surely will."
"I know now who I should've been loyal to," said Rainbow firmly.
"Good choice," said Spitfire with a smirk as she ignored Mario's glare, "Always stick with the winners." Mario chuckled.
"And Rainbow and I know who the real winners are," said Mario. Rainbow nodded.
"Ponyville," said Rainbow, stunning both Spitfire and Fleetfoot, "Because it's not just where I live, but it's where my friends are. The ponies who care about me, whether I can help them win a race or not." Rainbow and Mario then walked over to the group, who cheered as the two ponies joined the group.
"Are you sure that's the right decision?" Spitfire asked. She and Fleetfoot were stunned by her decision.
"Spitfire, let me tell you something that you once told me when I was banned from competition," said Mario, "No matter how many medals and trophies you win. At the end of the day, all you really have is nothing but round pieces of metal and some empty cups." Spitfire and Fleetfoot just looked at him with blank faces.
"Wuh?" said Fleetfoot in disbelief.
"You lied to me about Soarin's wing just so you could get a better flyer!" said Rainbow as she got into their face, she then showed Soarin who glared with his fore-arms crossed, "You maybe a winning team, but you're not the kind of team I wanna be part of it. Especially when that winning team is willing to go so far to have somepony set aside, or in Mario's case, end his right to race just because they want to win!" While Spitfire kept a blank expression on her face, deep down, she was feeling ashamed. It was taking all her strength to stay professional in front of Rainbow.
"There is more to competition than just winning, Spitfire and Fleetfoot," said Mario, "When you remain loyal to your friends, whether you win or lose, you'll always feel like a winner."Suddenly a bright flash of light appeared nearby. Mario and Rainbow turned their heads to see before them...a red Power Heart! The rest of the Mane seven smiled excitedly.
"Come on, Dashie!" said Mario as Rainbow excitedly got along side of him and they jumped at the heart.
(Cue "You got a Power Heart" theme)
"Ooh...yeah! Ha-ha-ha!" said Mario as he and Rainbow floated around the power heart.
"Awesome!" Rainbow said excitedly. They floated around the heart before Mario tipped it into the air.
"AW YEAH!" Mario and Rainbow shouted before they both landed on their hooves and the heart entered into Mario's body for safekeeping. Their friends cheered as Spitfire and Fleetfoot, even Soarin, look stunned at what had just happened. Spitfire then lowered her sunglasses.
"Huh, Rainbow Dash," said Spitfire slowly, "you are something. Saw it at the Academy, seeing it again here. We could learn a lot from a competitor like you."
"I think we already have," said Fleetfoot as Spitfire headed over to Soarin.
"Ready to fly?" she asked.
"Really?" Soarin replied excitedly.
"Never should've lied and tried to replace you to begin with," said Spitfire with a smile on her face. Soarin gasped.
"Go Cloudsdale!" Soarin called out as he flew high into the sky. Spitfire and Fleetfoot flew after him.
"Come on, Ponyville relay team!" said Rainbow as she hovered before the group, "We've got a race to get ready for!"
"YEAH!" Bulk shouted as he and Fluttershy followed. The rest of the group soon followed the team.
"Hey Twilight!" somepony shouted as the purple alicorn turned to see Spitfire had returned.
"What's up?" Twilight asked curiously.
"I've been thinking," said Spitfire, "What if we..." Spitfire then whispered her idea to Twilight. Her eyes widened at the idea as she pulled away.
"Do you really think..." Twilight asked her worried.
"I don't see any harm in trying," said Spitfire. Twilight just smiled. She and Spitfire had something to take care of before the tryouts.
Soon it was time for the Aerial Relay team to do their qualifier race. The Wonderbolts had just finished their routine as Fleetfoot crossed the rainbow ring marking the finish line. She and Spitfire shared a hoof bump. The Official smiled to say that Cloudsdale had qualified. Then another click was heard so Ponyville could now start their run.
"Come on, Ponyville!" Soarin shouted from above, "You can do it!" Down below, Bulk was moving at a slow but steady face as he snaked his muscular body through the ring and passed the horseshoe to Fluttershy. Fluttershy nearly dropped it before she took off. Bulk just wheezed before letting himself plop to the ground. Fluttershy moved as fast as her wings could take her, which was a fairly decent speed.
"Go, Fluttershy! Woo-hoo!" Twilight called out, wearing her own cheerleader outfit, rainbow wig, and pompoms.
"You got this, Flutters! You got this!" Mario called out, wearing his coaching outfit and waving his own pompoms. Fluttershy pushed her speed to the limit and then extended a shaky fore-hoof to Rainbow, who then took off as high speed through the final section of the relay.
"Qualify, Ponyville! Qualify, Ponyville!" the Cloudsdale cheerleaders shouted as they stood in position so Pinkie could stand on one of their fore-hooves.
"Woo-hoo! Go, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie shouted as she tossed some confetti while standing on her hind legs. Rainbow zoomed through the course as fast as she could, but time was running out.
"Come on, Dashie! Come on!" Mario said as he and the others watched anxiously. He did take notice that Applejack ate one of her bettys as she watched. Rainbow pushed herself hard as she finally crossed the finish line. The Official stopped the clock, showing that Rainbow had just made it.
"Ponyville qualifies!" the Official announced. The group cheered as Fluttershy and Bulk hugged Rainbow excitedly. Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly and even the three Wonderbolts gave them a cheer. The Ponyville team just smiled as they hovered to the ground.
"Great job everypony!" said Mario as he wiped his brow, "That was good teamwork out there!"
"Come on, honey!" said Twilight as she grabbed his left fore-leg.
"We gotta hurry!" Spitfire added as she grabbed Mario's right fore-leg and the two girls hovered Mario over to the racetrack.
"Wait, why..." said Mario before he saw where they were taking him and sighed, "I guess I could support the ponies trying to qualify."
"Oh, you're doing more than that," said Twilight as Rarity walked over and presented Mario with his very own dark red and apple red track suit and a brand new pair of racing goggles. Mario soon put two and two together, but he was stunned.
"Are...are you saying..." Mario said in shock.
"If there is anything I regret more than anything," said Spitfire, "it was the fact that you got banned from ever competing again because of that accident."
"So Spitfire and I pulled a few strings and got you cleared to try out for your most famous race," said Twilight, "the 1.25 mile dash." Mario just blinked for a moment as he felt his eyes water. He gave Twilight a hug and then gave one to Spitfire, who then shoved him off a second later.
"Alright, enough of the mush," said Spitfire annoyingly, "Go get ready!" Mario hugged Spitfire again at her expense before taking off to get dressed for the race. The rest of the group found themselves a spot where they could watch the qualifying race. The race itself was roughly one and a third laps around a large oval track. While placing first wasn't necessary, Mario would still need a good time to qualify. Since Mario was a last minute entry, he was put on the outside lane, which most racers would know is the worst position you can be in race like this.
"I hope Mario can shake off the rust," said Rainbow, "It's been years since he's raced after all."
"Oh, he's been doing runs in secret around the track," said Twilight, "Just to stay loose and such. Oh! This is so exciting! Good luck honey!" Mario smiled as he took his position, now wearing his new track suit that had his wings inside of it and goggles over his eyes. He also had a special ring around his horn to prohibit his use of any magic. He knew he'd never cheat, but he wanted to take all precautions to show his speed was pure talent and not magic. Some of the other ponies were shocked to see Mario there for the race, but said nothing.
(Cue favorite race start montage)
"Racers, take your marks!" said the Official as the fifteen ponies hunched forward, "Get set..." The group then waited anxiously as Mario did his best to focus.
"GO!" The official announced as the racers took off down the track.
(Cue your favorite racing montage, Olympic or Mario Kart)
Mario had to admit that he was certainly feeling the rust from not racing for so long. Mostly because he hadn't expected the group to have such a fast pace in the beginning, leaving Mario stuck along the side of the group of ponies near the back.
"You can do it!"
"Yee-haw!"
"Go Mario go! Woo-hoo!"
"Go Mario! Go Mario!"
"YEAH!" the group cheered as Mario raced down the straight away. He could hear the cheers of all his friends and began to focus on what he needed to do. As they entered the first and second turns, Mario slowly but surely began to push himself so he could get into position. As they entered the second straight away, Mario had managed to get closer to the middle of the pack from the outside. Then as they made their way down the straight away. Mario was slowly nearing the front of the pack!
"He's doing it! He's doing it! Wooo-hoooo!" Pinkie cheered.
"Let's go Mario! Let's go! Let's go Mario! Let's go!" The Cloudsdale cheerleaders chanted, having decided to team up with Pinkie to cheer for the alicorn prince. As he entered the third turn, Mario was able to finally scoot himself at the front of the pack. The other racers did their best to try and overtake him, but it was no good. By the time Mario had entered the fourth turn, Mario had gotten right into optimal position. This was the moment when he would go...full throttle!
"Here he goes! Here he goes!" Rainbow cheered.
"Put those hooves to the dirt Mario!" Soarin called out. Mario then slowly pulled away from the pack and then began to accelerate at high speed, causing his hoofs to create a pin-wheel, as he charged for the finish line, leaving the rest of the ponies toiling far behind. Mario then slowly brought himself to a stop as he entered the first turn. The Official was busy using a special camera known as a Magi-cam. It was created to make sure that unicorn ponies didn't use their magic during the race. Any violation would result in an automatic disqualification. Mario knew that he didn't use any magic to win, but it always made him nervous waiting for the official results. The rest of the group was waiting anxiously as well as Mario headed over to the group. Twilight wasted no time giving him a hug and kiss.
"You did such a great job, sweetie," she whispered, "no matter what, you're winner to me." Mario smiled as he removed his glasses. It was then the adjusting of the megaphone was heard nearby.
"Ponyville Qualifies!" The Official announced.
"Yeah-ha-ha!" Mario cheered excitedly as everypony else put him on their shoulders as they cheered for him. Mario couldn't believe it. He was going back to the Equestria Games as a racer!
Later on, the crowds were gathered around as the ponies who qualified were awarded their commemorative ribbons. Mario had already received his ribbon and a huge kiss from his wife in front of everypony. The teams for the Aerial Relay Team were given their commemorative ribbons. As Rainbow was admiring her ribbon, somepony tapped Rainbow with a fore-hoof. Spitfire appeared to give Rainbow her a gold Wonderbolt pin. Rainbow smiled as Spitfire gave the cyan Pegasus a smile and nod in reply. Then the three Wonderbolts took off into the sky. Fluttershy and Rainbow exchanged smiles with each other.
"YEAH!" Bulk shouted happily.
"Yeah!" said the rest of the Mane Seven before they ran up to the podium to gather for a picture. Twilight wrapped one fore-leg around Rainbow as she wrapped the other around her husband.
"Woo-hoo!" Pinkie shouted as she jumped at Bulk. It was then the photographer pony went to take the picture.
"Equestria Games, here we come!" Twilight shouted.
"Wa-HOO!" Mario shouted as Muffins made a last minute jumped into the picture from behind the group. Then the picture was taken.
Back in Ponyville, Rainbow was later seen inside of the Library as she wrote her journal entry. The group picture they had taken had been placed right above her entry.
"Oh, I can't deny it," Rainbow wrote in the journal, "I love to win! But if I ever gotta choose between winning and being loyal to her friends. I'm always gonna choose my friends. 'Cause as much as love winning, I love them waaaay more." As Rainbow was writing her journal entry, Mario was standing beside her. Outside, Twilight was chasing Pinkie about in what seemed like a game of tag. Pinkie had tried once to get Rainbow's attention, but then took off when Twilight got too close. Mario chuckled to himself as Rainbow handed him the quill.
"Go on," said Rainbow, "Gotta say how we found that power heart." Mario hummed to himself as he wrote his little summary. Rainbow removed her qualifier medal and hung it against the podium where the journal was resting on. She then surprised Mario by giving him a hug.
"You're awesome, Mario," said Rainbow, "I hope you know that."
"I do," said Mario, "I still can't believe that I'll get to redeem myself at the Games. I just hope I can deal with all the..."
"You will," said Rainbow, "Anypony who dares to say that you don't belong there will have to answer to me." Mario smiled.
"I'm glad I have such loyal and supportive friends," said Mario. Rainbow smiled.
"So...are you and Spitfire cool?" Rainbow asked worried. Mario nodded.
"Yeah, she apologized for everything," said Mario, "and I apologized for getting so angry over it. I forgave Spitfire for her dirty tricks against me years ago. It's not her fault I got banned. I only got angry because of what she did to Soarin. Spitfire may be Captain of the Wonderbolts, but she far from perfect. We'll always be good friends. Besides, I'm used to dealing with ponies who get a little too over-competitive for their own good."
"You're talking about me aren't you?" Rainbow said bluntly.
"You and Applejack," said Mario before whispering, "But you didn't hear about the second pony from me!" Rainbow snickered and Mario chuckled.
"Come on, bro," said Rainbow, "Uh...you don't mind that I still call you that, despite that you and Applejack..." Mario put a fore-hoof to her mouth.
"You guys are all my family," said Mario, "The fact I'm related to Applejack only means that I found who I'm related to. But Twilight is my wife and you five are all my sisters." Rainbow smiled as they finally made their way out of the library. As they made their exit, a rainbow flashed across Rainbow's gold Wonderbolt pin.
This was a tough chapter to write. Mostly because I had a tough time making sure Mario didn't just come off as a drama queen and I wanted to show that Spitfire's deceitful nature was just one of her character flaws and not just some random behavior that made her look bad.
The idea of having Mario qualify was actually a last minute idea, but it gave me some content I can use for when I finally get to the Equestria Games.
And Mario got his third power heart!
Okay, so here's the deal. The title for next chapter says that the focus will be on three characters. This means Mario will have very little appearance.
Don't blame me, blame the draconequus!
Peace Pony Fans!