Top Bolt
Pony's Log Number 624: Helping your friends is never a bad thing, the problem is when that help is actually hindering your friend's true potential...
One day at the Wonderbolt's Headquarters, Rainbow, wearing her official Wonderbolt aviator's jacket, burst open her personal locker excitedly.
"Spring training was awesome," Rainbow aloud, "but I can't wait to see my friends!" She quickly grabbed her saddle bag and closed her locker. The view zoomed out to show Misty Fly sitting nearby.
"I'm gonna catch up on some Daring Do with Twilight, help Applejack make my favorite cider," Rainbow rambled on, "Shopping with Mario and have a sleepover with Pinkie!" Misty Fly just had a bored look on her face.
"We get it," said Misty Fly, "You have a fun week planned." She then blinked, "And did you say shopping with Mario?!" Rainbow's eyes shrunk as her face turned bright red.
"Uh...uh...heh...ehh..." Rainbow stumbled, "I should pay more attention to what comes out of my mouth..." Misty Fly snickered.
"At least he brings our your girly side," said Misty Fly, "Too bad you're too cool for shopping, Crash. I'd invite you the next time me and Fleetfoot hang out."
"Uhh...I'll keep it in mind," said Rainbow sheepishly.
"Meanwhile, I'm stuck here running trials week at the Academy," said Spitfire remarked bluntly as she walked across the foreground and rolled her eyes.
"But you love yelling and blowing your whistle," Rainbow pointed out.
"Yeah. I do," said Spitfire with a smile while standing her own locker.
"Anything you want me to message to Mario when I get home, Spitfire?" Rainbow asked as she put her saddle bag on. Spitfire pondered.
"Just to take a bath cause I can smell his stench from here," Spitfire said smugly. Rainbow snickered.
"You got it," said Rainbow, "See you gals later!" Rainbow then took off so fast that her saddle bags fell off. Rainbow just chuckled sheepishly as she grabbed her bags again and took off once more. She flew off from the Wonderbolt grounds at high speed and chuckled. As she sighed, she then heard the sound of a familiar chime. She looked to see that her cutie mark was glowing. '
"Huh? Oh, the map!" said Rainbow excitedly. It was then her cutie mark produced an after image. Rainbow quickly followed the after image all the way to Twilight and Mario's castle.
Just outside the castle, Rainbow's cutie mark image floated inside and settled itself onto the map, which Twilight, Mario, Starlight, Spike, and Shenran were watching the map with interest.
(Cue favorite "world select" theme)
Current Flower Sprites: 65
Rainbow wasted no time entering the castle from an open window.
"Hey, Twilight! Mario!" said Rainbow excitedly, "So where are Mario and I going? The Crystal Mountains? Vanhoover? Here? Please say here."
"Well, the good news is we both got called by the map!" said Twilight as Starlight, Mario, Shenran, and Spike walked up to the blue Pegasus.
"Awesome!" said Rainbow, but then blinked, "Does that mean there's bad news?"
"No," said Twilight sheepishly, "but...for starters...look at Mario's cutie mark." Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion and then gasped. Mario's cutie mark was not glowing.
"Wait...Mario isn't coming with us?!" Rainbow exclaimed in shock. Shenran then gave a smug smile and showed that his cutie mark, which was glowing.
"Hey, hey, hey!" said Rainbow, "Finally got called for your first cutie map mission huh?" Shenran chuckled.
"Eeyup," said Shenran, "But I am a little nervous..."
"Don't be, you'll do great," said Twilight, "Plus you'll have me and Rainbow to help you get into the swing of things." Shenran smiled.
"That's good to know," said Shenran, "especially since we're going...mmph!" Twilight then quickly covered Shenran's mouth and smiled sheepishly. Rainbow looked at her curiously.
"That's the other bad news I'm guessing?" Rainbow asked. Twilight and the others split up to let Rainbow see the map. Shenran's cutie mark hovered above hers and Twilight's as they circled...
...the Wonderbolts Academy!
Rainbow groaned loudly.
"I was just there!" Rainbow said aloud. Shenran, Twilight, Mario, and Starlight just chuckled with each other.
"Well, you three ponies have fun," said Mario, "Starlight and I are gonna have some fun. Ready Sis?"
"Sure thing," said Starlight as she put on an engineers cap. Mario put on his own as the two ponies headed to his special room where his model trains were located.
"I've been working on the railroad, all the live long day," Mario and Starlight sang together, "I've been working on the railroad just to past the time away..." Twilight and Shenran chuckled as Spike walked off to do his own work. Rainbow just groaned.
"At least they get to stay here and have fun," Rainbow said jealously.
(Main Theme)
It didn't take long for the three ponies to arrive at the Wonderbolts Headquarters. As they flew closer, a pair of trainees did some double loop-de-loops around them.
"Ooh!" said Twilight excitedly.
"Wow," said Shenran impressively, "Wish I could fly like that."
"You're a pretty decent flyer," said Twilight, "Why didn't you join the Wonderbolts Academy?"
"I didn't have the confidence back in the day," Shenran replied, "But I still made a name for myself working with your brother. He was really cool and a good friend too." Twilight smiled happily. Rainbow then nudged Twilight's side.
"Ahem! Check it out," Rainbow whispered as she pointed toward Spitfire. She was on the runway talking to some new recruits wearing her sergeant's jacket and sunglasses. All the recruits looked intimidated as Spitfire walked in front of them. All the recruits except one, a cerulean colored stallion with a turquoise mane and tail seemed just have a smug smile on his face.
"All right newbies!" Spitfire announced in a stern tone, "Welcome to trials week for the Wonderbolt Academy! You'll be judged on your speed, strength, agility, and technique, cumulating in a final evaluation. Will it be hard? Will you cry? Maybe. Will you fly so much your wings fall off? That has only happened once." It was then a mare with sand colored fur and darker sand-greyish mane with dark pink highlights and a bow in her mane and tail looked rather frightened. Her name would later be revealed as Angel Wings.
"She's just exaggerating to make a point, right?" Angel Wings asked worried, "I mean, wings can't really fall off...can they?" Nopony gave her an answer as she bit her lower lip nervously.
"You think you've got what it takes to be an elite flyer?" Spitfire asked the group as she walked past them in the fore-ground again.
"Yes, ma'am," said the smug looking stallion.
"Yes, ma'am," said the rest of the recruits.
"Well, lemme tell you," said Spitfire as she got into the face of a small dark orange stallion, "You don't!" Spitfire then smiled smugly as Rainbow, Twilight, and Shenran hovered down from behind the yellow-orange pony. Rainbow sighed wistfully.
"I remember when she said that to me," said Rainbow Dash to Twilight and Shenran.
"And Mario said you started bawling like a baby right after," Shenran teased.
"I did not!" Rainbow remarked as Shenran chuckled. Spitfire just peeked out from behind her back with a blunt look on her face. The other recruits mumbled in amazement, except for the smug looking stallion, when they all saw Rainbow.
"You don't think Rainbow Dash is the pony whose wings fell off, do you?" Angel Wings asked.
"You'd be right," said Shenran, "But they didn't fell off from flying. They fell off because her head got so big that the rest of her body shrunk and they just molted off."
"You gonna make fun of me the whole time we're here?" Rainbow remarked as Twilight looked unamused.
"Consider it payback for the embarassing stories you told about me at your flight school reunion," Shenran said smugly before adding sternly, "I still don't know why you told everypony that I suck my hoof when I sleep!" Rainbow snickered as Twilight just smiled and rolled her eyes. The rest of the recruits chuckled and whispered some more until Spitfire blew her whistle.
"Quit your whispering and give me five hundred laps!" Spitfire ordered, "Go, go, go!" The entire group quickly took off into the sky, except for Angel Wings.
"Um, I just wanted you to know," said Angel Wings as she walked up to them, "you two are my favorite ponies in Equestria."
"Aw, only two?" Shenran remarked feeling left out. Angel Wings looked at him funny until she gasped.
"Hey! You're Shenran, the famous swordspony! You helped Princess Twilight and Prince Mario save Canterlot from the changelings years ago!" Angel Wings exclaimed, "Oh, you look very handsome!" Shenran just blushed and smiled sheepishly. Then Spitfire appeared behind the sand colored mare.
"Well, isn't that sweet?" said Spitfire before yelling, "Now get going on those laps!" Angel Wings flinched and then took off. Shenran sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Pushy as always," Shenran muttered.
"You know me, Shenny," Spitfire remarked.
"Whatever you say, Spitsy," said Shenran.
"Don't call me that!" Spitfire warned irritably.
"You stop calling me Shenny and you've got a deal," Shenran offered smugly as Spitfire gave him a raspberry. Rainbow was stunned.
"I...thought only Mario knew Spitfire," Rainbow replied.
"Same here," Twilight added, feeling just as surprised.
"While the Wonderbolts and the Royal Guard are two separate forces of the National Defense," said Spitfire, "there are plenty annual events where are two divisions would met, such as BBQ's and charity competitions."
"Spitfire and I kept in touch thanks to our friendship with Mario," said Shenran, "and we were huge rivals during the charity competitions. She always beat me in the buckball tournaments. Yet I always beat her during singles tennis."
"Hey, I still say I twisted my ankle during that last match point!" Spitfire shot back.
"And she always denies I beat her fair and square," Shenran remarked as Spitfire playfully slapped the back of his head and stood before Twilight.
"Welcome Princess Twilight," said Spitfire before adding with a slightly annoyed tone, "you're not here to remind that Mario belongs to you again are you?" Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Not today, Spitfire," said Twilight with a smirk. Spitfire just chuckled and sighed when she saw Rainbow next to the purple alicorn.
"What are you doing back so soon?" Spitfire asked the blue Pegasus.
"Official friendship business," said Rainbow.
"Have you noticed anypony having a hard time with their friends?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Not really," Spitfire replied, "but it's not my job to worry about their relationships. I'm here to make them elite flyers."
"I thought you made an exception with the main team," Shenran remarked as Rainbow's eyes shrunk.
"What do you mean?" Spitfire asked skeptically.
"Well, I'm sure your aware of some possible romance between...mmmmmmmmmph?!" Shenran was cut off when Rainbow shoved a safety cone over his head.
"Ignore him," said Rainbow, "other than the friendship problem, he's just trying to embarrass me." Spitfire rolled her eyes.
"If you say so, Crash," said Spitfire bluntly before adding smugly, "but the whole teams knows about your crush on Soarin, except the airhead himself." Rainbow gave a strained whinny as he cheeks went deep red. Twilight put a fore-hoof over her mouth to avoid laughing. Shenran snickered as he removed the safety cone.
"Rainbow and Soarin sitting on a cloud," Shenran sing sang, "K-I-S-S-..."
POW!
A shower of stars appeared in screen as Rainbow slugged Shenran, leaving him very dizzy. Even Spitfire found it hard not to laugh as Rainbow tried to change to subject and looked up as the new recruits doing their laps in the sky and sighed.
"Adorable," said Rainbow, "They're so full of hope and competition." She watched them fly about some more, "Eh, their technique could use some work, though."
"You're right about that," Shenran remarked as he finally recovered, "The only pony I've ever seen fly technically perfect was Mario." Rainbow and Spitfire glared.
"What about yours truly?" Rainbow asked sternly.
"And me?" Spitfire asked in the same tone.
"Like I said, the only pony I've ever seen fly technically perfect was Mario," Shenran repeated smugly as Rainbow and Spitfire grunted.
"Besides the fact that my husband is better than any of you in flying," Twilight remarked before looking at Rainbow, "You should tell them. I'm sure they'd appreciate any notes from you."
"Yeah, constructive criticism can go a long way," Shenran remarked.
"Nah," Rainbow Dash remarked dismissively, "I wouldn't want to mess with their confidence."
"Since when it constructive criticism considering messing with one's confidence?" said Shenran firmly, "That's how ponies like you get good enough to be Wonderbolts."
"Shenran's right," Twilight remarked, "They'll never get better if they don't know what to work on."
"Even Spitfire needed somepony to give her feedback in order to get good enough to be captain," Shenran added, "Right Spitz?"
"First of all, Shenny, don't call my Spitz in front of the recruits," said Spitfire, "Secondly, I'm not taking sides on this issue. All I know is that I'm seeing alot of sloppy placement, crooked lines...I'm gonna have to drill them on basic technique in the classroom portion."
"Classroom portion?" Twilight said with stars in her eyes.
"Uh-oh, egghead alert," Shenran muttered as Twilight shot him a glare.
"Yeah, it's everypony's least favorite part of trail week," said Spitfire, "but it has to be done."
"Maybe we can help!" said Twilight excitedly.
"We can?" Rainbow and Shenran said in confusion.
"Absolutely!" Twilight continued, "Between your flying skills, my teaching expertise, and...uh..." Twilight just smiled sheepishly as Shenran since she didn't know what he could add to the table. Shenran took offense.
"Despite my lax nature," Shenran remarked indignantly, "I happen to be pretty good at keeping recruits in order when necessary."
"He's right about that," said Spitfire wearily. She wasn't going to mention to anypony that Shenran was the only other pony besides Mario who actually frightened her with their yelling.
"Okay, Shenran's leadership skills" said Twilight, "The recruits can learn a whole lot! Plus, once they get to know us, they'll be more comfortable coming to us with their friendship problems!"
"Sounds like a plan," said Shenran, "Even when I was second in command, my team knew they could come to me about friendship and personal problems. Having that open line of communication really helped team grow closer to each other like a family and really improve team cohesion and morale. It's somethin I've also been pushing a certain Captain to give a try."
"Great!" Spitfire remarked, making it clear she was tuning Shenran out on purpose and blew her whistle. This made all the recruits come in for a landing. The smug cerulean stallion landed first as the rest of the group smashed into each other right behind him.
"You have your work cut out for you," said Spitfire as she walked away.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Spitz," said Shenran sarcastically.
"You're welcome!" Spitfire called out before yelling, "And don't call me Spitz!" Rainbow then gave both Shenran and Twilight a glare. Both the alicorn and the Pegasus stallion just smiled sheepishly.
A few minutes, later, Twilight was carrying around various scrolls and other sheets of paper as they headed to the building where the recruit would have the classroom session. Rainbow and Shenran were right behind her.
"Thank goodness I had time to whip up a few charts on flight patterns and wing symmetry!" Twilight told the two ponies, "It's fresh in my mind from when Mario taught me how to fly!" She then showed them a diagram of a Pegasus and lowered it with a giddy smile on her face.
"This is so exciting!" Twilight added happily.
"Maybe for you," said Rainbow, "I practically fell asleep when I went through this."
"Mario told us," said Shenran, "He even blew his top because he kept having to wake you up."
"Don't remind me," said Rainbow wearily, "he also made me write "I won't fall asleep in class" five hundred times! Ugh! It took me months before I could look at a piece of chalk without remembering how awful it tasted in my mouth. So tell you what. I'll leave the teaching stuff to you, Shenran can help you out with the teaching, and I'll just make sure they stay awake!" She then grabbed an air horn.
AAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
DING!
Twilight and Shenran were left stunned and their ears were ringing painfully after Rainbow fired off the air horn at close range.
"Ow..." Shenran groaned as he rubbed his ears.
"I'm pretty sure their thirst for knowledge will keep them bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," said Twilight as she rubbed her own ears. Rainbow laughed.
"Good one, Twilight," Rainbow remarked. Shenran glared.
"You know, classroom lectures may not be popular," said Shenran, "but not everypony dismisses the chance to learn from them like you do, Dashie!" Rainbow grunted irritably.
"I just don't do well with learning in a classroom, you know that," Rainbow remarked.
"We know, you have your own way of learning," said Twilight, "now come on you two." Shenran and Rainbow both followed Twilight to the classroom door. The other recruits were already inside, waiting for them, when...
AAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
"Wake up, newbies!" Rainbow yelled as all but the smug looking stallion gasped at the sound of the air horn, "Class is in session!"
"Not really necessary, Dashie!" said Shenran, "Save it for the snoozing ponies please!"
"Fine..." Rainbow said rather reluctantly. It was then Twilight made her entrance.
"Hello, students!" said Twilight in a cheerful but professional tone, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this Shenran and Rainbow Dash!"
"But you can call us "T-Sparks", "Shredder", and "The Dashinator"!" Rainbow said sternly as she got into the recruits' faces.
"Ahem!" said Twilight sternly.
"You can stop scaring the recruits now," said Shenran in the same tone. Rainbow just laughed nervously as she hovered back beside the two ponies.
"Just kidding," said Rainbow sheepishly as Twilight recomposed herself for her lecture. Shenran stood on standby in case Twilight had any illustrations he could draw for her. Despite the extra hoof, Twilight still used the chalk with her magic to bubble quote some writing on the blackboard.
"As we're here to go over basic flying technique," Twilight began.
"UGH!" said the smug stallion dismissively.
"Who said that?!" Rainbow called out defensively. The smug looking stallion just sat lazily in his chair.
"I mean," the cerulean stallion boasted, "we're here because we're amazingly awesome crazy-good flyers. We're way past the basics."
"Even if that is so," said Shenran sternly with his fore-legs crossed, "A good flyer knows how important is it to refresh themselves with the..."
"What's your name?" Rainbow demanded as flew up to the cerulean stallion's face and cutting Shenran off.
"Sky Stinger," the stallion replied, "You've, uh, never heard of me?"
"Should we have?" Shenran asked bluntly.
"He set the record for the fastest vertical acceleration rate!" said a mare that was sitting next to Sky Stinger. She had a white coat with a mane that had pastel green and lemon highlights in it, "Five hundred feet in two seconds!"
"Huh. That's pretty impressive," said Rainbow in a tone that was anything but impressed
"It's amazing," said the white mare excitedly as she threw her fore-hooves in the air.
"Maybe so," said Shenran, "If my best friend, Prince Mario, wasn't known for going one thousand feet in just three quarters of a second." The other recruits oohed impressively. Sky Stinger just smiled smugly and seem unphased by the record. Twilight then cleared her throat to get their attention.
"It is," said Twilight, "and we can talk personal records and my husband after class."
"You gotta tell us how you got so lucky, Princess Twilight!" said another mare.
"Lucky? Lucky about what?" Twilight asked.
"Getting Mario for a husband," said Angel Wings, "he's such a cutie!" The other mares cooed excitedly while the stallions just rolled their eyes, including Shenran. Twilight just looked rather annoyed, which made the girls stop cooing and just gave her apologetic smiles.
"Anyway, we can discuss flying records later," said Twilight as she looked at the white mare, "Ms...?"
"Vapor Trail," said Sky for the mare since she felt a little bashful at being called out, "She's my wingpony. I never fly without her." Vapor gave him a smile.
"But you'll have to in the solo trails," said Rainbow.
"There are..." Vapor gulped, "...solo trails?"
"Yup," said Rainbow.
"While teamwork is an important part of being a Wonderbolt," Shenran added, "You still need to show that you can manage yourself alone while in the sky. After all, being a team player also means carrying your own weight so you can contribute your best."
"He's right," Rainbow replied, "It's part of your final evaluation." Vapor seemed very nervous while Sky just scoffed.
"We'll ace that test with our wings tied behind our flanks," said Sky, "My picture will go right up there, next to yours." Sky than pointed at a picture of Rainbow, who had an over the top smile on her face, that was hanging on the wall. Shenran rolled his eyes.
"That's a mighty big claim, considering everypony here is an amazingly awesome crazy good flyer," said Rainbow sternly.
"I hope you can put your bits where your mouth is Sky Stinger," said Shenran, "It's good to be confident in yourself, but over-confidence is what will get you humiliated around here."
"I know," said Sky, completely unphased by Shenran's warning.
You're setting yoruself up for a crash and burn, mister Shenran thought. Twilight then cleared her throat again to get everypony's attention.
"Okay! Let's get back on track," Twilight called out loudly, "Now, who can tell me the best wing angle to achieve minimal air resistance?" Twilight and Shenran heard the sound of snoring and saw Rainbow had fallen asleep and everypony was staring at her. Shenran growled.
"I'll handle her," Shenran remarked as he went to grabbed the air horn.
"I'll take care of it," said Twilight bluntly as she grabbed the air horn with her magic.
AAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
"Wake up newbies!" Rainbow woke up with a start, "Class is in session!" She then looked to see Twilight and Shenran giving her disapproving looks.
"I don't get how ponies look up to you," Shenran remarked. Rainbow just chuckled uneasily at being called out. Twilight and Shenran just shared smug smiles with each other, shared a fist bump, and got back to actually teaching the class.
Once the lecture was finished, several of the recruits quickly left the classroom. Twilight and Shenran walked out of class with satisfied smiles on their faces.
"Well, there were a few hiccups, but overall, that went pretty well," said Twilight.
"True, everypony was paying attention and several asked some good questions," said Shenran, "And despite his early boasting, even Sky Stinger was behaving himself." Rainbow then hovered out of the building.
"Yeah, nopony fell asleep," said Rainbow as cricked her neck and yawned.
"Well, most of the ponies inside were paying attention and behaving," Shenran remarked as Twilight they both gave Rainbow deadpan looks.
"What?" Rainbow asked, "I'm not a student!"
"How do ponies look up to you again?" said Shenran, "Oh right, because this was how you acted when you made it into the Wonderbolts!" Shenran hovered back a bit, put on a dorky smile, and pull a rainbow wig out of nowhere and put it.
"WOO-HOO! I'm a Wonderbot!" Shenran said in a dorky smile, "I don't need my flight school diploma anymore!" Shenran began to dance and sing-song. Rainbow looked very annoyed as Twilight snickered, "I've got the smarts! I've got the smarts. I've got the S to the M- R...uhhhhhh...M-A-R-T smarts!" Twilight laughed as Rainbow gave Shenran a loud raspberry. It was then Sky, who had stayed back after class, made his presence known.
"Hey, teach!" Sky Stinger called out.
"Me, Shenran, or Twilight?" Rainbow asked before adding, "Probably Twilight."
"Grrr!" Shenran growled.
"I think you mean either me or Shenran, since he actually helped me with the lecture," Twilight remarked as Shenran smiled smugly.
"Um, uh, all three," said Sky Stinger as he walked up to them, "About the solo test. I'm actually kinda worried about it."
"Aw, that's all right," said Twilight, "We all have moments where we doubt ourselves."
"Getting into the Wonderbolts is a big deal," said Shenran, "Having a case of the jitters is perfectly normal."
"No, no, I've absolutely zero doubts about myself," Sky Stinger boasted, getting unamused looks from the three ponies, "I'm a strong flyer. Like, really, really, really strong. This isn't about me. I'm worried for Vapor." This surprised Rainbow, Shenran, and Twilight, especially considering how arrogant Sky was acting.
"Oh, well, that is very...kind of you?" said Twilight slowly.
"Tell you what," said Rainbow, "It's almost time for your freestyle training. Why don't grab her and show us what you got?"
"Yes! Prepare to be impressed!" Sky replied as he zoomed off and then came back.
"By me," Sky added before taking off again and then returning once more.
"Like I said, Vapor still needs work," said Sky and then took off for good this time, leaving Rainbow, Shenran, and Twilight most annoyed.
"Okay, two bits of thought," said Shenran, "One, I'm getting this feeling Vapor might not be the one who needs help. Two, I have this feeling Sky Stinger is all talk...reminds me of somepony I know..."
"That's not a nice thing to say about Fluttershy," Rainbow remarked with a smirk.
"I was talking about you, ya doofus!" Shenran remarked, "But in all seriousness, something doesn't feel right about those two ponies for some reason. I just don't know what..."
"I'm sure will discover the truth in good time," said Twilight hopefully, but Rainbow just looked rather worried.
A few minutes later, Sky and Vapor were flying side by side as they did a power dive and then headed upward into the skies. Twilight just watched in amazement while Shenran and Rainbow had more blunt looking faces. Rainbow was also wearing a baseball cap and had a pink towel around her neck.
"Well, he may be full of himself, but I have to admit," Twilight told Shenran and Rainbow, "Sky is an excellent flyer. He must have shot up two hundred feet!"
"But did you see Vapor Trail?" Rainbow pointed out, "Her wing was under his. I think she gave him a boost."
"Not just gave him a boost," said Shenran, "But multiple boosts to be precise."
"I guess I didn't even notice Vapor," said Twilight, "I was too busy watching Sky."
"I'm not surprised," said Shenran, "I noticed that while Sky is clearly trying to be the center of attention, Vapor is keeping a low profile to avoid being noticed. She probably doesn't want anypony finding out that's she helping Sky with his flying." It was then Sky did continuous loop-de-loops. They all noticed that Vapor was underneath him using her wings to give him a boost. Twilight gasped.
"I think you're both right!" Twilight remarked, "Vapor just created the right gust of wind that caught Sky's wing at a forty-five degree angle, propelling him into a flipping loop!" Twilight then blinked and smiled, "Somepony paid attention in class!"
"And I'm sure if Mario was here he'd tell you how he has the smartest and cutest pony in Equestria for his wife," Shenran teased. Twilight blushed and rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure you'd say the same about Fluttershy, but that's not the point here," Twilight remarked with a smirk.
"True," said Shenran, "Based on the way Sky doesn't seem to even notice her, I don't think he even knows Vapor is underneath him."
"You're right, Shenran," said Rainbow, "Sky obviously has no idea he's not actually amazingly awesome."
"And Vapor's so busy making her friend look good, she's not focused on her own flying at all," Twilight added as Rainbow and Shenran nodded in agreement. Then Twilight gasped, "This must be our friendship problem! And there's only one thing to do!"
"Fix it without telling them/Tell them the truth," said Rainbow and Twilight respectively at the same time. Then they both gasped in shock. Shenran just sighed loudly.
"Houston, we have a problem," Shenran remarked. Twilight and Rainbow quickly recovered from their shock.
"You don't want to tell them?" said Twilight to Rainbow as Sky and Vapor continued to fly about.
"Of course not!" said Rainbow, " Flying is thirty percent skill and seventy percent confidence! You don't mess with a flyer's confidence!"
"Rainbow, those ratios are all off," said Shenran, "Even in the cadet academy, the Pegasi were taught that flying was thirty percent power, fifteen percent skill, fifty-five percent inner power and will!" Shenran then blinked and face-hooved himself, "and...I still proved your claim about flying being mostly self-confidence was right..."
"Ha! See?" Rainbow said smugly.
"But you can't improve if you don't think you have to!" Twilight pointed out, "Besides, Vapor's been keeping a pretty big secret from Sky, and that could lead to trouble!"
"I have to agree," said Shenran, "While I agree you can't fly well without confidence, it's no good having a high confidence if it's based on a lie. If that lie is left unchecked and you don't come clean about, it's gonna set you up for a BIG fall! And that fall could permanently damage a pony's confidence for life!"
"Oh please!" said Rainbow dismissively, "Name one pony who's confidence has been permanently damaged because their self-confidence was based on a lie."
"Mario," said Shenran and Twilight in deadpan tone. Rainbow blinked.
"Okay...good example...but I still say this isn't the same thing!" said Rainbow, "I still say Sky doesn't need to know."
"Now that I think about it, we can't protect Sky from the truth forever," said Twilight, "Better he finds out now than during his solo evaluation where he could completely humiliate himself in front of Spitfire!"
"Yeah, but if we tell them they've been holding each other back, that could be trouble too!" Rainbow said in her defense.
"As far as we've seen, the only pony holding back is Vapor," said Shenran, "She's the only pony hiding any true potential and she's letting Sky build a false sense of confidence about his flying. And she's encouraging it too! True friends don't lie to each other, Dashie. The truth might hurt, but if we do something now rather than later, we can minimize the damage!" Twilight nodded in agreement.
"A better idea would be to make sure there's no damage at all!" Rainbow protested. It was then Sky landed back on the airstrip.
"Ah, I nailed that flipping loop," Sky boasted as he took the towel around Rainbow's back, "I'm actually surprised you're still here. Thought I blew you away." Twilight, Shenran, and Rainbow just gave Sky indignant look.
"Oh, we were blown away alright," said Shenran. Rainbow quickly shushed him as Sky tossed the towel behind him. The towel then smacked Vapor in the face and made her fall onto her back hard. It was then Spitfire appeared.
"Come on, Vapor Tail!" Spitfire yelled as she hovered above the white pony, "You're gonna have to build up your endurance if you want a shot at the Academy! Wonderbolts don't get winded!" She then looked up and saw Angel Wings giving a very light kick to a nearby cloud, "Angel Wings, you call that cloud-busting?! That cloud barely knew you were there!" Shenran watched the scene with a blunt face, Twilight just watched with a plain face, and Rainbow just watched with a smug smile on her face. Spitfire hovered up to them.
"I love my job," Spitfire bragged.
"Maybe a little too much," Shenran remarked, "Ya big bully."
"Oh, like you didn't yell when you were in command, Shenny boy!" Spitfire protested.
"Only when necessary," said Shenran, "You seem to yell just for the fun of it."
"WELL I LIKE YELLING SO DEAL WITH IT!" Spitfire screamed into his face, making him wince painfully as he covered his ears and glared at her. Spitfire just smirked and flew away, feeling very pleased with herself.
"We'll keep working, and who knows?" said Sky as he turned to face Vapor, "One day, you might come close to being almost as good as me."
"Ugh, if he does make it into the Wonderbolts, they should nickname him Male Rainbow," Shenran whispered to Twilight, who giggled.
"I heard that!" Rainbow retorted indignantly. Whether Sky was being encouraging or condescending was debatable, Vapor seemed to take Sky's words for the former.
"Oh, I don't think so," said Vapor modestly, "You were voted Stratusburg's most promising flyer! I was voted best sneeze!" Vapor then gave a cute sneeze.
"You do have a really great sneeze," said Sky.
"Was he flirting with her just now?" Shenran asked aloud, but Twilight and Rainbow said nothing.
"Thanks, Sky," Vapor replied, "but I don't think I can sneeze my way into the Academy." She then sighed, "I'm pretty beat. I'm gonna hit the showers." Vapor then walked sadly away.
"You have to help her," said Sky worriedly.
"Actually, she's not the one-" Twilight was then cut of as Rainbow covered her mouth.
"Will do!" Rainbow replied as she pushed Twilight away.
"Well do what we can to help her out," Shenran replied before following Rainbow and Twilight. Twilight finally pulled Rainbow's fore-hooves off her mouth.
"Why'd you-" Twilight tried to ask.
"Easy, Twilight," said Shenran, "I believe Sky should know the truth as well, but for now. I think it would be best to talk to Vapor first. Maybe we can find out why she's helping him in secret and help her find her own confidence."
"That's...actually a good idea," said Twilight, "even if I had told Sky what had happened, Vapor could easily deny it. We need to get her to come clean about this first."
"No, we simply need to focus on helping her find her confidence and leave this issue-"
"Okay, you're time for talking is up!" Shenran interrupted as he used a fore-hoof to cover Rainbow's mouth, "Let's go find Vapor, Twilight!" The purple alicorn nodded in agreement as they headed toward the main compound and Shenran made sure to keep Rainbow's mouth shut.
"YOW!"
Until...Rainbow bit his fore-hoof hard to make the stallion let go.
Once, inside the locker room, Vapor was just opening her locker when Twilight and Rainbow walked in.
"Hey, you great," said Rainbow, "You're a really strong flyer. Right, Shen...Shenran! Where are you?" Rainbow then peeked down the hallway they had come from. Shenran was still outside the doorway.
"Isn't the area she's in for fillies only?" Shenran remarked timidly from off screen.
"The locker rooms are for both fillies and colts," Rainbow pointed, "you can come in here."
"Oh...heh...okay," said Shenran sheepishly as he walked inside so Vapor could see him.
"Getting back on track, don't you think Vapor Trail is a strong flyer?" Rainbow asked Shenran.
"Of course, she's a very strong flyer," Shenran replied slowly, but honestly.
"Uh, me?" said Vapor, trying to play dumb despite the fact no other recruits were there.
"Vapor Trail, we know what you've been doing," said Twilight as Rainbow covered her mouth once more with a fore-hoof.
"You might have been able to hide it from the others, but..." Shenran was then cut off as well when Rainbow used her other fore-hoof to cover his mouth.
"You've been doing great!" said Rainbow. Twilight and Shenran both groaned and shot the blue Pegasus a dirty look. The former used her magic to pry Rainbow's fore-hoof off her mouth. Shenran used his left wing to get Rainbow's other fore-hoof off of his mouth.
"You've been helping Sky!" Twilight and Shenran said together. Vapor Trail winced and began to sweat heavily.
"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about!" Vapor lied, "Sky doesn't need anypony's help. He's amazing!" Twilight and Shenran both nudged Rainbow to the white Pegasus the truth. Rainbow rolled her eyes and huffed.
"Not without you," said Rainbow firmly, "and it's gonna be pretty obvious during the solo trials when he can't get enough air to do a flipping loop."
"Oh, no!" said Vapor in a panicking tone as a red dynamic background appeared behind her, "I can't let that happen!" The dynamic background then disappeared once she realized what had come out of her mouth, "I mean, ah, uh...Aw, sugarcubes!" Vapor then face-hooved herself. Shenran's stern look softened as he walked up to her.
"Calm down, Vapor Trail," said Shenran gently, "It's obvious that you're not trying to hurt Sky or make him look bad. Are you?" Vapor Trail's eyes shrunk in shock.
"No, of course not, I would never do that to him!" said Vapor Trail in a sad but firm tone, "I care alot about Sky. I always have..."
"Why are you doing this for him?" Twilight asked curiously. Vapor then sighed, realizing that she should probably explain herself.
"It started when we were kids," Vapor Trail began, "You have to understand...
Flashback
The scene changed to show young Sky Stinger, hovering about the backyard of his house with both his mother, father, and what looked to be several other ponies younger and older than him.
"...Sky grew up with alot of siblings," Vapor narrated, "It was tough. He was always trying to get his parents' attention." As Vapor spoke, young Sky Stinger was trying to get a ball that was being tossed about by his parents and siblings, but nopony would let him have a chance to catch and toss it, leaving him feeling left out.
"I was an only child," Vapor continued, "who hated all the attention I got from mine."
Young Vapor was just watching Young Sky from a nearby lone cloud.
"Vapor Trail!" said Twirly Whirly, her mother, "Where are you? Do you need a snack? Do you wanna do homework?"
"Or we can just spend some time together!" said Steer Straight, her father, "All day is never enough!" The two parents held each other close and smiled. Young Vapor just sighed and looked very annoyed. She quietly went back to watching Young Sky.
"Mom, Dad, I'm here!" Young Sky called out, "Look, look, look-look-look, hey! Mom, Dad, can you see?" He then tried to do a trick, but was failing to do so. Young Vapor then hovered quietly behind Young Sky and used her wings to blew a small gust at him. The gust of wind was just enough to allow Young Sky to do his loop. Young Sky was surprised that he had completed his trick, but saw that his parents had taken no notice. Young Sky just sighed sadly.
"Whoa, that was amazing!" said Young Vapor as she made herself known to Young Sky. Young Sky smiled, shook her hoof, and the two young ponies flew off together.
"Flying together gave us both what we wanted!" Vapor Trail continued to narrate as the flashback showed them now older and wearing aviator goggles as they flew side by side.
End Flashback
"But I never told Sky how much I was helping him," Vapor explained with Twilight, Shenran, and Rainbow gathered around her, "It started with a small boost here or a little gust there, but I didn't think my help could actually hurt his chances." Vapor turned away and lowered her head in shame.
"I understand," said Twilight, "But now you're both in trouble."
"You need to work on your tricks," said Rainbow, "and Sky needs to be able to fly without you or he won't be able to make it."
"Indeed," said Shenran, "I know you meant well, Vapor, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to help your friend, but you've helped him so much that you've given him a false sense of confidence. He believes he can do things that he clearly won't be able to without your help and once he figured that out, it could really shake his confidence. Any chance of getting into the Wonderbolt's Academy will be shot!"
"Oh, but he has to!" said Vapor in desperation, "Flying with the Wonderbolts has been Sky's dream ever since he was a colt!"
"What about you?" said Twilight.
"Is being a Wonderbolt your dream as well?" Shenran asked.
"I...I guess I haven't thought about it," said Vapor honestly, "I just want to be with my best friend."
"Starting with telling Sky the truth," said Twilight.
"Agreed," said Shenran.
"No, you can't," Vapor pleaded, "Sky will be crushed! And without his confidence, he won't fly well." Twilight and Shenran just sighed as Rainbow gave them both an "I told ya so" look.
"Do you really think she should keep lying to him?" Shenran remarked to the blue Pegasus.
"Let her come clean about that after the final evaluations," said Rainbow, "If we can get Sky ready for the solos on his own, then he won't need to know about Vapor's help and keep his confidence intact. We can help deal with the friendship damage later!" Shenran and Twilight just looked at each other and sighed.
"Then I guess we'll give Dash's method a shot," said Twilight with much reluctance in his tone as Shenran nodded in agreement.
"Yes! Hah-hah! I love being right!" Rainbow gloated as she hovered into the air.
"We said we would try this your way," said Shenran, "We never said anything about you being right." Rainbow blinked and then snorted.
"You're not setting me up to fail are you?" Rainbow asked skeptically.
"No, just showing that we're keeping an open mind," said Shenran, "After all, you're only asking we delay the truth for now, not keep it secret, correct?"
"Of course," said Rainbow.
"Then we're hoping things work out then," Shenran replied outright.
"Great," said Rainbow and then looked at Vapor, "Okay, here's what we do. Sky needs to build his strength. Air drills, wing lifts, all that boring methodical stuff."
"Hey, never mock physical training!" said Shenran offensively, "Remember that I am a personal body builder for Fluttershy."
"My bad," said Rainbow in a rather dismissive tone.
"Either way, sounds like my cup of oats," said Twilight, "And Shenran can help you with Vapor."
"Wait, Shenran can't fly like a Wonderbolt," Rainbow remarked. Twilight and Shenran chuckled.
"As I said before, my issue is performing around others," said Shenran, "But when it comes to my flying technique. I've got a few skills. If you'll have my help that is, you do have a habit of taking over when it comes to coaching." Rainbow groaned.
"I promise I won't take over the training," said Rainbow, "If you can prove that you have the skills, Shenny!" Shenran smirked.
"Bring it on!" said Shenran with determination.
"Okay then..." said Vapor, unsure of what to think of a former royal guard helping with her training, "But how will we get Sky to do that? He doesn't think he needs practice."
"Ah, yes," said Shenran, "We do need to take care of that while keeping his confidence intact."
"We'll just tell Sky that he should practice with Twilight so you won't feel so self-conscious about getting special training from Shenran and me," said Rainbow as she pulled Vapor closer to herself with a fore-leg.
"With you? Really?" said Vapor in amazement, "You'd do that for me?"
"Hah," said Rainbow, "You say that like it's not gonna be a blast."
"Yeah, Vapor," Shenran added as he walked up to the two mares, "You'll get to see firsthand how I can make Rainbow look dumb without trying!"
"Hardy-har-har!" said Rainbow sarcastically as Vapor giggled to herself.
As some montage music began to play in the background, Twilight had Sky inside of the classroom as she began giving him another lecture. She then noticed that Sky was slouching on his chair with his eyes open. At least it looked that way until she used her magic to remove a mask that had his eyes painted on it. Sky immediately woke up and saw that Twilight was glaring at him. Twilight then used her magic to shove a book into Sky's face, which made him wince as he held the book to read and follow along with Twilight's lecture.
Outside, Rainbow was giving a live demonstration of her flying techniques, while Vapor and Shenran both watched. They were both wearing a cadet's uniform, which the latter was forced to wear one but was glad they had a spare uniform for him to wear. Once the demonstration was done, Rainbow gestured for Shenran to try doing the same techniques. Shenran did...and he did so near-perfectly. Rainbow was surprised and Vapor clapped for the Pegasus stallion. Shenran smiled and gestured for Vapor to try. Vapor bravely tried to do the move, while she managed to do so, she couldn't control her momentum and ended up crashing into a nearby cloud. Rainbow and Shenran both just smiled sheepishly.
Back with Twilight and Sky, Sky was also wearing his cadet uniform as they hovered in the air. Twilight had also put blood pressure pads around Sky's fore-legs and stomach while she took some notes on a clipboard. Once she had finished her notes, Twilight instructed Sky to fly through some rings. Sky cockily charged for the rings.
"Whoa...Ah!" Sky yelped and smacked the bottom of the first ring and bounced through each ring in succession. Twilight just winced at the sight and quickly wrote down some more notes onto her clipboard.
Back with Rainbow, Shenran, and Vapor, Rainbow quickly zoomed around a large cloud to shape it into her head. Shenran then whispered something to Vapor, which was something along the lines of the cloud being the true size of Rainbow's head. Vapor snickered. Rainbow cleared her throat indignantly and pointed for Shenran to show his skills. Shenran smirked with determination as he zoomed over to a cloud, quickly flew around it and shaped it into Fluttershy's head and added a heart above it. Vapor awed since Shenran had told her about the fact he was married. Rainbow just rolled her eyes and gestured for Vapor to try some cloud shaping of her own. Vapor was able to shape the cloud easily, but surprised Rainbow and Shenran by shaping it into Sky's head. Shenran then gave her a smirk and reminded her about his own cloud. Vapor blushed heavily and looked away shyly. Rainbow just pondered at the cloud and Vapor's blushing and shrugged. Shenran smiled, finding the possibly of Vapor having a little crush on Sky rather cute.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Sky were at a special machine that produced gusts of wind. Twilight put a small droplet of a special mixture into the machine to create a tiny gust. The gust pushed Sky back a bit but he managed to recover and stood ready for a bigger gust. Twilight gave him a bigger gust by dropping a drinking glass's worth of the mixture into the machine. The gust was so strong that Sky was literally blown away in just a couple of seconds. Twilight just rolled her eyes at the results and jotted down some more notes.
High in the sky above the airstrip, Rainbow, Shenran, and Vapor sat on a cloud together with a pair of goggles resting on top of their heads. They quickly put the goggles on and did a triple power dive at the airstrip and gracefully pulled up into the air without losing any momentum. Rainbow then flew back to the airstrip for a landing and came to quick stop. Shenran, who was flying behind her, managed to do the same. Vapor, who was flying behind Shenran, attempted to come in for a landing as well. She skipped a bit, flipped over, but landed squarely on all four hooves and came to a complete stop.
"Nice recovery flip, Vapor," said Shenran impressive.
"I agree," said Rainbow, "You were awesome!"
"Really?" said Vapor, "Thanks! I can't believe I was able to keep up!" Rainbow and Shenran both smiled at her.
"That's the first nice thing I've heard you say about yourself," said Rainbow. Vapor just gave a modest smile.
"Hey, can we switch now?" said an irritated voice as Sky stomped up to them, "I want to do tricks with Rainbow Dash and Shenran!" Twilight then stomped up behind the cerulean stallion with a stern looking face.
"You can't!" Vapor blurted out, but then tried to change her words, "I mean, uh, you're already so good at the fancy stuff!" Rainbow had glared at Vapor for nearly speaking up about the truth and then smiled when she went for the recovery. Shenran had given Vapor a curious look and then rolled her eyes and when she backed out from being honest.
"Heh," said Sky, "And the basic stuff..." Twilight then showed him the clipboard with notes about all his...failures, but Sky pretended not to notice, "You're right, I don't need to practice at all."
"Um, maybe, Sky, you should..." Vapor said sheepishly.
"I'm already the best and everypony's gonna know it when I'm asked to join the Academy tomorrow," Sky boasted.
"But not if you don't practice...!" Vapor retorted nervously.
"Heh, I wouldn't be surprised if they asked me to become a Wonderbolt straight out of the trails," Sky bragged, "Boom, dream achieved." Vapor started to panic as Shenran hovered up to him.
"You know, Sky," said Shenran, "Vapor really seems to care alot about you. She's only suggesting practice because she's simply look out for you." Shenran gave her a wink, which made Vapor smile, hoping Sky would see sense. But the fact he was still smiling so arrogantly was a good clue that he didn't."
"If she really cared, she wouldn't be asking me to waste my time practicing!" Sky snapped. Shenran took offense, but just smirked to hide his true feelings.
"Okay, Mr. Awesome!" Shenran said, "Then let's get started and see what you can do. Just be warned that what we're about to show is some of the toughest and most dangerous tricks the Wonderbolts can do. Any mistakes here could break your wings off completely! I'd be afraid if I were you." Rainbow gave Shenran a skeptical look since she didn't understand what he was trying to do. Twilight was smirking, since she easily figured out what Shenran was doing. Vapor was just in a state of panic. She was trembling, sweating, and biting her fore-hoof. Sky just scoffed.
"Bring it on," said Sky. Shenran just chuckled.
"Okay then," said Shenran as he got ready to take off. Vapor couldn't stay quiet any longer.
"Sky, you're not as good as your think you are!" Vapor squealed and gasped and she put a fore-hoof to her mouth. Rainbow just bit her lower lip in shock and horror. Twilight had an over the top smile on her face. Shenran chuckled.
"All according to plan," Shenran whispered as he stood beside Twilight.
"You set her up to snitch didn't you?" Rainbow said in a harsh whisper as Shenran gave her a raspberry. Sky, however, did find anything about what Vapor said funny.
"What did you say?" Sky asked in a very dark and defensive tone. Vapor just sighed and walked up to him.
"Sky, I want you to get in as much as anypony, and you're amazing, but..." Vapor sighed as Twilight and Shenran smiled, but Rainbow had a worried look on her face.
"But what?" Sky demanded.
"I've been...helping you," Vapor confessed sadly. Sky immediately scoffed at her.
"Puh-lease!" said Sky, "I don't need your help!"
"Oh really?" Shenran asked firmly, "Care to put your bits where your big mouth is?"
"Just watch!" Sky replied, accepting Shenran's challenge. Sky then attempted to a loop and take off into the sky. He managed to do the loop, but as he went upward, his momentum immediately died out. Sky tried hard, but he couldn't regain momentum and landed on his stomach with a hard plop in exhaustion.
"Gyuh..." Rainbow winced.
"Ooooooo...that's gotta hurt..." Shenran cringed in agreement. Sky struggled to regain his breath as Vapor went to offer him a hoof, but Sky angrily swatted it away.
"How can you do this to me?" Sky asked angrily as he looked at Vapor and the others, "Did you all know?" Vapor looked at Twilight, Shenran, and Rainbow before slowly nodding.
"In all respect," said Shenran, "We didn't want to upset your confidence, but at the same time...we knew Vapor was keeping this a secret and needed to be honest with you. She is your best friend after all and she cares about you." Vapor nodded in agreement, but Sky snorted.
"Oh, great," Sky snapped, "So everypony knows I'm a joke. Was this your plan the whole time? To embarrass me? All because, according the Shenran, you care about me?"
"What? No!" Vapor protested, feeling hurt, "Don't you know me at all?"
"I guess not, since it took me thing long to find out you're a terrible wing pony," Sky said angrily. Vapor gasped.
"I can't believe you!" said Vapor.
"I know you're upset, Sky," said Shenran, trying to defend the mare, "And you have every right to be angry, but... she was never trying to hurt you...not intentionally."
"So what? She still did by lying to me!" Sky yelled before turning to Vapor, "I can't believe I was ever your friend!" Sky then took off in a hurry as Vapor sadly watched him fly away. Twilight and Rainbow watched Sky disappear with sad faces.
"Thank a lot," said Vapor, feeling too hurt to sound as angry and went to fly off.
"Vapor, hold on!" said Shenran, "I know Sky was a little harsh, but you did lie to him and you needed to be honest with him. Just give him time and things will settle down okay. We'll do what we can to make sure you're both ready for the Academy."
"Whatever...I don't care anymore," said Vapor before she flew around Shenran and took off.
"Vapor! Come back!" Shenran called out and then sighed.
"Guess I just don't have that magic touch Mario has when it comes to making ponies open up," said Shenran sadly.
"I wouldn't say that," said Twilight as she hovered up to him and Rainbow just stayed respectfully silent, "You did everything right from what I saw. They just need some time to cool down."
"And then what?" Shenran asked curiously, even Rainbow had a curious look on her face. Twilight's hopeful smile flipped over.
"I don't know," said Twilight quietly, leaving both her friends feeling very worried.
The next day, Angel Wings was now strapped to the infamous Dizzitron. She spun round and round until she was launched into the air so she could attempt her spin-out recovery. The other recruits were standing in line waiting for their turn as Shenran, Rainbow, and Twilight walked up.
"Do you think they're still mad?" Rainbow asked worriedly.
"Let's have a look," said Shenran as they searched the line of recruits for their two ponies. They found Sky was at the front of the line and Vapor was at the very back. Sky turned to give Vapor the stink eye and snubbed her. Vapor just looked away and rolled her eyes, but only did so half-heartedly.
"Yeah, they're still mad," said Rainbow.
"Sky is at least, but I think Vapor is just feeling hurt," said Shenran, "Sky did say some harsh things after all." Twilight just sighed.
"This is all my fault," said Twilight, "If we'd just done things your way, maybe we could have avoided this whole mess."
"No, it's my fault," said Rainbow, "It hit me when I was watching Sky train with you. He wasn't even trying!"
"So in the end," said Shenran, "Sky's self-confidence came from a lie because he thought he could do things so effortlessly. Then when he tried to fly in the same manner on his own, he failed in all of his training tests. Plus Sky did have a right to know that Vapor was helping him. I still believe that it was better he found out now when he attempted his final examination where he really could have damaged his self-confidence beyond repair."
"You do have a point," said Rainbow, "but I'm still worried just how much it might have hurt his confidence." Shenran hummed as they watched Sky get into the Dizzitron and it quickly started spinning round and round. Vapor just looked away indignantly as the other recruits stupidly watched him spin around. Sky's lips flapped from the momentum and was then launched. No effort was made to even recover and he landed back first and upside down into the safety net in the distance.
"Oh, no," said Rainbow worriedly, "He's lost his confidence."
"Oh boy..." Shenran remarked in the same concerned tone.
"Do you want to tell me why one of my most promising students is flying like a balloon with a hole in it?!" Spitfire demanded as she walked up to the three ponies. Sky then hovered across the fore-ground looking very depressed.
"Isn't that how you fly all the time?" Shenran remarked, but got glares from Twilight, Rainbow, and Spitfire. The yellow-orange Pegasus growled at Shenran.
"Sorry, Mario didn't take kindly to being told he smelled and told me to sass you back at least one while I was here," said Shenran before clearing his throat, "Anyway...all jokes aside, the reason for Sky's performance slump is..."
"Something that's, uh, a long story, but we'll fix it," said Rainbow, cutting Shenran off.
"Yes, you will," said Spitfire as she blew her whistle at Rainbow from close range. Rainbow fell onto her stomach, using her fore-hooves to cover her ears. Spitfire then stomped off. Shenran then walked up to the blue Pegasus
"Before you ask why I cut you off..." said Rainbow.
"I actually get it," said Shenran as he helped Rainbow get back on her hooves, "Spitfire isn't the pony to fix this mess anyway. She's only sympathetic when she feels like it."
"Mario would say otherwise," said Twilight, "But I think that only might apply to main teammates only."
"It's true," said Rainbow and groaned sadly, "We really messed up, huh?"
"Maybe so," said Shenran, "but just like Mario, I'm not giving up on those two ponies. There's gotta be a way to help mend their friendship and get them to realize their full Wonderbolt potential." Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully and then smiled.
"I have a plan," said Twilight, which made Shenran and Rainbow smiled hopefully.
Later that day, Sky was alone trying to do some basic exercises, but he wasn't making much progress and was only straining himself out. He eventually plopped to the ground with his fore-hooves clutched to his face. Twilight and Shenran both approached him.
"Hey, Sky," said Twilight, "I thought I might find you here."
"Well, apparently, I need a lot of practice," said Sky, "Guess I'm not the natural I thought I was."
"Afraid not," said Shenran bluntly.
"No, you're not," Twilight added in the same tone.
"Thanks," said Sky sarcastically, "Good pep talk from the both of you." Shenran and Twilight just smiled. They both had more to say.
"I wasn't a natural at friendship," Twilight told the cerulean stallion, "But with some practice and help from my husband and my friends, I got better, and now I'm the princess of friendship."
"So you're saying I can be the...Princess of Flying?" Sky asked, his tone emphasizing that he wasn't trying to be sarcastic.
"Not exactly," said Shenran, "But I wasn't naturally good at being a leader. When I first entered the royal academy, I got pushed around alot because I was really shy. But with practice and help from my friends at the time, I found my inner strength to stand up for myself and show what I can do. That's how I became second in command to the Royal Guard and become a...highly skilled...swordspony."
"Highly skilled?" Twilight remarked with a smirk, "You're a master swordspony and you know it."
"But I never got officially declared one," Shenran remarked.
"Well, as Princess, I officially declare you Sir Shenran, a master swordspony," said Twilight, "You've been way over due." Shenran just chuckled as Sky sighed and rolled his eyes.
"What's your point?" Sky asked huffily.
"The point, Sky," said Shenran, "is that we weren't naturally talented in what we do best. We had to work hard to become masters, or princess in Twilight's case. This means if you work hard, you can become a really good flyer. It all depends on how much you want to achieve your dream. If you're willing to work hard, we can help you. But if you rather give up on yourself, there's the exit." Shenran used a spare wing to show the way to leave the Wonderbolts grounds. Twilight was rather surprised by Shenran's bluntness, but found it reasonable and didn't protest it. Sky just looked in the direction Shenran was pointing and then narrowed his eyes.
"I'll give it my best shot," said Sky with determination.
"Good," said Shenran, "Now follow us for the first step of your training." He then gave Twilight a wink. Twilight then smiled as they led Sky to their already determined rendezvous point.
Elsewhere, Rainbow had managed to find Vapor, who was just sulking sadly on a lone cloud. Rainbow wasted no time flying up to her.
"You know, you're really good," Rainbow told a rather dejected pony, "You're lead pony material."
"Hm. That's sweet of you, but no," said Vapor sadly, "But I couldn't handle all the attention."
"But you'll never become a Wonderbolt if you're too afraid to shine," Rainbow pointed out, "That is what you want, right?"
"Well, not at first," Vapor answered honestly, "I just wanted to be with Sky. But learning to do all those fun tricks with you and Shenran? It made me realize this is something I want for myself!"
"I was hoping you'd say that," said Rainbow, "Come with me." Vapor wasted no time following Rainbow to the rendezvous point.
Ironically, both groups landed in the middle of a grassy field at roughly the same time. Twilight, Sky, and Shenran landed first with Rainbow and Vapor landing just a couple of seconds after. Sky wasted no time giving Vapor a death glare.
"What's she doing here?" Sky asked defensively.
"Easy there, cadet," said Shenran, "Just hear us out and you'll get your answer."
"Sky, Vapor was never trying to steal your spotlight," said Rainbow, "She thought she was helping you."
"When you were little," said Shenran, "Sky saw how much you wanted to stand out. So she started helping you in secret so you could do just that. But she realizes now that she was overdoing it because you weren't relying on your own natural abilities to fly on your own She cares alot about you, wants you to fulfill your dream, and she's very sorry for lying to you. She even said the only reason she joined the recruits was to be with you. That's real loyalty right there. And that's saying something since one of my best friends if the Element of Loyalty." Sky just said nothing as Vapor gave him a sad look, but blushed when Shenran said she cared about him.
"It's all true, Sky," said Vapor, "While I do admit that after training with Rainbow that I do want to be a Wonderbolt, I don't want to get into the Academy if it means it will come between us. I want you there with me. Just like we've always been there for each other. I don't want to leave you behind." While Sky stayed silent, his facial expression softened considerably.
"In the end," said Shenran as Rainbow pushed Vapor closer to Sky, "Vapor wasn't having any issues flying. She was holding back because she wanted you to have all attention."
"And Vapor shouldn't have been so content to take a back seat," said Twilight as she pushed Sky closer to Vapor, "real friends push each other to succeed and don't expect the other to hold back for their sake." Twilight then blinked, "Fun fact: My husband thought he had to do the same for me just so I would like him...Heh-heh...He soon learned that there's plenty for me to like about him without him having to prove himself to me." Twilight blushed as Shenran chuckled at her expense.
"Enough of this romance mush," said Rainbow said annoyingly.
"Why? Sky and Vapor would be cute together," said Shenran remarked, "Fluttershy and I, even Twilight and Mario, started as best friends and found out later as time went that we were meant for each other. After all, being a couple doesn't means you're not best friends anymore. It just means your friendship is really, really special." Sky and Vapor suddenly felt rather awkward being near each other as their cheeks turned dark pink. Neither pony could look each other in the eye. And neither was willing to confirm or deny if they saw something beyond friendship with each other.
"Just ignore that," Rainbow told the Sky and Vapor as she stood between, "Now, you can either stay mad, or help each other and become two of the greatest flyers the Wonderbolt Academy has ever seen!" There was a brief silence before Rainbow added in a pleading tone, "Please pick the second option. I don't want Spitfire made at me." Rainbow then flew upward. Sky just gave Vapor a glare. Vapor just looked sadly away. Sky then gave her a smile and offered a hoof to shake. Vapor smiled excitedly and pounded him playfully for a hug. She then gave him a quick peck on the cheek, making Sky's eyes bug out and his cheeks turn pink once again. Vapor just giggled to herself. Rainbow, Twilight, and Shenran just smiled at the group, though Rainbow rolled her eyes at Vapor's little kiss and Twilight and Shenran awed. The three ponies quickly shared a high hoof together.
That evening, the two ponies quickly got to work. Sky and Vapor got back into the cadet uniforms as Twilight prepared the wind making machine once again. Shenran stood nearly for any necessary assistance. Sky gave Twilight a nod that he was ready. Twilight then dumped the mixture into the machine, which created another very strong gust. Sky struggled to fly against the wind.
"You got this, Sky!" Vapor shouted. Sky heard his best friend despite the howling wind and pushed himself harder. With much effort, Sky was able to fly against the gust. Twilight and Shenran nodded in approval.
Once they were done, Shenran brought Sky and Vapor to Rainbow, who was high in the skies as she had Vapor try out her side spin trick once again. Vapor made her attempt, but was still having trouble regaining control of her momentum and crashed into a nearby cloud. Rainbow, Shenran, and Sky all winced. Sky pondered for a moment before getting an idea.
"Focus on the cloud you spin!" Sky told Vapor as he hovered up to her, "It'll help you fly straight when you come out of it."
"Uh-huh," Vapor replied as she tried her flying trick again. This time she had much better control over her spin and momentum. As a result, she was able to come out of her spin flawlessly. Sky then raised his fore-hooves for her as Vapor flew over to him and they shared a high-hoof together. Shenran and Rainbow were very impressed.
Then it was time for their final examinations. Spitfire held a clipboard with one of her wings so she could take notes on each cadet. She then hovered over to where Vapor and Sky were and pointed at Sky to go first. Sky respectfully saluted as he took off into the sky. Thanks to all that training, Sky had problem weaving between the vertical poles. Twilight, Shenran, Rainbow, Vapor, and the rest of the recruits watched him fly in amazement. Vapor couldn't help but cheer. Sky then zoomed through some rings, then through a tube that was positioned at a ninety degree angle, and finally headed toward the runway to come in for a very technically clean landing. Spitfire just said nothing and wrote some notes before having the next recruit go next.
Now, it was Vapor turn to show what she could do. Vapor quickly zoomed through the sky, doing her side spin tricks as she flew about.
"Woo, yeah!" Sky shouted, earning himself a glare from Spitfire. Sky just laughed sheepishly but still kept smiling to support his best friend. Twilight, Rainbow, and Shenran were also watching Vapor as well, but kept their cheers quiet for the time being as Vapor went to shape a cloud and came in for a nice smooth landing. Spitfire wrote down some notes, looked up to see that Vapor had shaped the cloud into her head, and then wrote down further notes.
Finally, both Sky and Vapor put on their goggles as they took off and mirrored each other as they flew into the sky at the same time. Twilight, Rainbow, and Shenran all cheered from the bleachers. Spitfire and the rest of the staff ponies kept deadpan looks on their faces, especially Spitfire since she was watching their form and technique very closely. Once the two ponies were finished, they flew in for a landing and came to a complete stop right in front of each other and smiled. Vapor and Sky then blinked and looked to see Twilight, Rainbow, Shenran, and the rest of the recruits were cheering loudly for them. Vapor and Sky both stood with serious faces as Spitfire sternly walked up to them. It was then, Spitfire smiled.
"Congratulations! You both made it into the Wonderbolt Academy!" Spitfire announced and put a pair of golden wings into each other their uniforms. Vapor was so happy she gave Sky another tackle hug, which he happily accepted. Then he quickly pecked her cheek for good measure. Vapor sat up and blushed as Sky just looked away innocently. Vapor smirked before slapping his shoulder and gave him another long hug. Spitfire just watched the two ponies as Twilight, Rainbow, and Shenran walked up to her. But before they could...
Three Flower Sprites appeared and hovered above Twilight, Shenran, and Rainbow.
"Know the dance, Shenny?" Rainbow asked him in a teasing tone.
"In my sleep," said Shenran as they all jumped up to collect the Flower Sprites.
(Cue "You got a Flower Sprite" fanfare)
A single Flower Sprite floated down before Shenran, Twilight, and Rainbow respectively. They stood on their hind legs as they grabbed one Flower Sprite each, twirled once, and then held their collected Flower Sprite into the air.
"Oh yeah!" the three ponies shouted as the Flower Sprites hovered above them.
"Uh, question," said Rainbow, "Mario usually holds onto the Flower Sprites after we collect them and do our dance. So where are they..." Rainbow soon got her answer as they entered Twilight's body for safekeeping. Twilight giggled as she felt their power inside her body.
"Guess that answers that question," said Shenran in surprise, but was a little disappointed he didn't get to hold onto the Flower Sprites. It was then Spitfire approached.
"Whatever you did, it worked," said Spitfire to the three ponies behind her, "They still have a lot of potential. Who knows? They might be even better than you, Crash." Rainbow laughed.
"Okay, let's not get carried away," said Rainbow before muttering, "I already have one pony who's clearly better than me after all." It was then Angel Wings walked up to Vapor and Sky.
"Um, I just wanted you to know, you two are my new favorite ponies in all of Equestria," Angel Wings told them.
"Hey!" Rainbow yelled jealously, "I heard that!" Shenran laughed.
"Looks like you're now officially last year's model, Dashie," Shenran teased. Both Spitfire and Twilight tried not to laugh.
"Not funny, Shenran," said Rainbow, "I can fly with the best of the best after all."
"True," said Shenran, "I didn't mean to say you were shut down, but there's always going to be a pony who's better than you." Rainbow just sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing inwardly Shenran was right but refused to admit it. Angel Wings just looked rather insecure as she flew off.
"I can't believe we did it!" Vapor said to Sky.
"You were great!" Sky replied, "Even though you can out-fly me, you can be my wingpony anytime."
"Aw," Vapor chuckled, "and you can be mine." Shenran beamed since he could hear their conversation.
"I expect wedding invitations when you two finally decide to take that step!" Shenran called out. Sky and Vapor blushed.
"We're just best friends, Shenran!" Sky retorted, "And that's all we're gonna..."
SMOOCH!
Vapor then gave Sky a fast kiss on the lips, making him go mute and blush heavily before she flew off.
"Catch me if you can!" Vapor called out. Sky then recovered and smirked.
"You better hide if you know what's good for ya!" Sky retorted playfully and took off after her. Twilight, Rainbow, and Shenran chuckled as they watched Sky take off after Vapor and Spitfire walked away. It was then they heard a chime and found that their cutie marks were glowing. Shenran was the most excited to see the glow on his flank.
"And that, Shenran," said Twilight, "means your first Friendship mission was a success!" Shenran hopped up and down excitedly before the three ponies shared a hoof bump together. Then they finally headed off the Wonderbolt grounds for home.
A few hours later, the front doors of Twilight and Mario's castle opened. Twilight and Shenran walked into the main foyer. Rainbow hovered in and creaked her spine to stretch a bit as she threw her saddle bags into the floor. Mario was there waiting for them.
"Welcome home," said Mario as he gave his wife a hug and kiss, then looked at Shenran, "I trust you're first cutie map mission went well."
"Yeah, with a few bumps along the way," Shenran replied honestly.
"That's normal for any cutie mark mission," said Mario as Twilight transferred the three collected Flower Sprites into Mario's body.
"True, but phew," said Twilight as she wiped her brow, "It's good to be home."
"Indeed," said Shenran as he sat down and released a long breath. Rainbow sighed as well.
"You're telling me," said Rainbow, "Now we can finally catch up with some Daring Do, and I can make cider with Applejack.."
"Our little shopping session in Canterlot," Mario remarked.
"That was supposed to be secret!" Rainbow whined.
"Rainbow, we all know," said Twilight, "I was there when you asked my husband about going shopping together. You only told Mario not to tell anypony, not me." Rainbow just groaned as her cheeks turned bright pink. Shenran snickered.
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!
Just then there was a knock on the front door.
"Fluttershy! Come to me, my sweetheart!" Shenran called out with a huge smile on his face.
"Chill out, lover boy," said Mario with a smirk, "You don't even know if that's even her!" Shenran snorted and blushed as Twilight giggled and went to open the door. To their surprise, it wasn't Fluttershy, but Misty Fly.
"Misty?" Mario remarked in surprise.
"Dash! I've been looking all over you!" Misty Fly said urgently, "Wonderbolt Emergency! We got to get back to HQ!" Rainbow's jaw hit the floor.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Rainbow exclaimed, "I was just there!" Rainbow then sighed and plopped onto the floor with a long sigh.
"A Wonderbolt's work is never done," Shenran remarked. There was a short silence as Twilight, Mario, and Misty Fly looked at each other and then laughed.
Guess Rainbow was gonna learn the hard way that when you're part of the Wonderbolts.
There's no such thing as guaranteed vacation time.
Though Mario had to wonder...
Why didn't Spitfire just come after Rainbow when she, Shenran, and his wife were making their way home? They did just leave HQ not too long ago.
Guess the world will never know.
And there you have it! Shenran's first cutie map mission. I hate to say it but the next couple of chapters are going to be very light on Mario content for obvious reasons. But that just means that I'm letting Shenran have his chance in the spotlight. I hope there are alot of Shenran fans are there who are okay with this. Mario will be back for the intermission chapter. I can't say much about what it will be about, but it's definitely something some fans have said they want to see...
Kudos if you enjoyed Shenran parodying a Homer Simpson joke!
I couldn't resist egging a little romance between Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail. They would make a cute Wonderbolt couple if the show had actually bothered to develop it.
And once again, we are at the dawn of another season finale. I've already confirmed that Shenran will be joining team Starlight. But there will be one MORE pony who will be joining the team as well. Who could it be?
Fine out...next time!
Peace Pony Fans!