"It's just one step after the other, see?" said Soarin' as he stepped on moving stepping stones on the academy's pond.
"Right, I got this." But once she stepped on the stone, she slipped right off. "Whoa!" she cried as she fell into the water.
"It's harder than it looks; you have to muster every urge not to fly."
She tittered as she got out and shook off the water, "Right! Easy peasy…"
"Let's try something else in the meantime to strengthen those unused reflexes in your legs." Then, he moved her to a set of monkey bars and asked, "Think you can get across without flying?"
"Hey, yeah!" But once she put her hooves on the bars and tried going a few over, she slipped, "Whoa!" she shouted as she dropped down and landed on her glute, "Ow…" she groaned as she rubbed it.
"Maybe it's time to come to terms that you never have once had not to do anything without your wings."
She sighed, "It's true… Flying is what I live for; I didn't have to do anything without my wings."
"Until now… but don't worry. You're not the first rookie who had to deal with this problem. I had it, too."
"You did?"
"Sure did; I love flying and I thought these were pointless exercises too until I found out that flying is not always the right answer to everything I do."
"How can I get better, Coach?"
"The only way we know how to: practice. Every morning, I want you to do sit-ups, then work at the monkey bars, do some long jumps, and then the stones. By then, I think you'll be ready for the challenge I have planned for you."
"A challenge?! Awesome! What is it?"
"See that flag pole?"
"The academy flag pole? What about it?"
"You are going to have to climb up there and grab the flag. Think you can handle that?"
"You know it!"
"Let us start then."
A montage happened with Rainbow waking up at dawn and doing the training that consisted of sit-ups, monkey bars, long jumps, and stepping stones. With each passing day, she got better.
Rainbow fell to Soarin's feet, panting after doing a set of stones, "How am I doing…Coach?"
"I think you're ready."
"Yes!" she flew up in excitement, only to realize what she did, "Oops…" she blushed as she got back down.
In mere moments, they were at the flag pole Rainbow braced herself as Soarin' watched on. On the side, Twilight and Flash were watching as well as the figure who had been watching Rainbow and Soarin' in the last week.
Caballeron asked impatiently, "Why have we waited this long? We could have struck anytime we wanted."
"Yes, but then chances are we would have been stopped all too easily. I know what Soarin' has planned next if she passes this test; by then, it will be the perfect time to strike! And this mare is a threat to my comeback. No one will pay attention to me if they're too busy looking at her! Just give it a couple more days, and then you may do as you please…"
"You can do it, Rainbow!" cheered Twilight.
"Hey! I'm trying to concentrate!"
"Sorry!"
Rainbow readied herself by putting her hooves around the pole, and then used her legs to kick up. She seemed to be doing it, but it was still hard for her to get up to the top as sweat rolled down her forehead.
Twilight said under her breath, "Come on, Rainbow…"
At last, Rainbow reached the top and grabbed the flag with her teeth! The three ponies cheered. She slid down the pole and presented Soarin' with the flag.
"Way to go, Dashie! I knew you could do it."
"Hey, what can I say? I had an awesome coach." Both turned their heads to blush.
Twilight ran up to hug her, "I'm so proud of you!"
"Twi… You promised…"
"I know, but I thought you needed the moral support."
"Well, thanks… I guess I did need a close friend nearby… That was one slippery flag pole!"
"Really?" said Soarin', "Hm, remind me to tell Spitfire to stop cleaning that thing so much, but everything's got to be spic and span at the academy." he sighed.
"You don't seem so thrilled with that…" noticed Rainbow.
"Sometimes things get a little too… boot camp around here. I wish Spitfire and Fleetfoot would have a little fun every once and while like you; you like to take things easy."
"I don't have to do if you don't want me to be."
"Are you kidding?! I would have you court-martialed if you stopped being fun!"
"Heh! Good one! Uh… that was a joke, right?" she slightly cringed.
"Of course it was! But I like your balance… knowing when to have fun and when to be serious… I thought I was the only one who did that…" They stared into each other eyes for a moment until Twilight waved her hoof in front of them.
"Uh, guys? We're still here."
Both snapped out of it and shook their heads.
"Right," Soarin' put on his commanding voice, "You did good today, Dash. Hit the showers, have some dinner, and then go straight to bed. I got a new exercise for you first thing in the morning!"
She saluted him, "Yes, Sir!"
He saluted to dismiss her, and once she had gone, he whispered to Twilight.
"Uh, you won't point this out to Spitfire, will you?"
"Don't worry… your secret is safe with us." she winked as Flash gave a nod.
"Thanks… You're… a friend of Dash's, aren't you?"
"Sure am. Oops… Maybe you shouldn't have known that…"
"Well, I actually kind of knew before you became a princess because I remember her going with you during that run-in with the Gala a few years back. You were also with her at the wedding party of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor. And legend has it you two are bearers of the famous Elements of Harmony."
"We're not so much as bearers anymore, but we still represent an Element. Rainbow is the Element of Loyalty, so I can tell you right now that whatever mission you assign to her, she will see it to the end."
"I already had seen that… I know she will not disappoint us…"
"Well, I better go check on the rest of the recruits. So far, I'm glad that everything's going so well with Rainbow Dash." She went off with Flash.
"Me, too…" Soarin' said under his breath.
Rainbow tossed and turned in the bed. Feeling conflicted, she kept telling herself, "Get a grip! I don't care what you felt in that field! You are not crushing on a Wonderbolt, let alone your mentor!" She slapped herself, "It'll never work and you know it."
In her own room, Twilight tossed and turned over her feelings for Flash Sentry. "Why should I feel this way? Oh… I wish Princess Celestia had made me learn about affections as well as friendship. Maybe that's what Cadence had to learn… Ugh, now I really wish Shining Armor and Cadence had told me how they courted while she was a princess and he was a captain of the royal guard! Did she ask him out or did he have the guts to ask her out?! I should ask him out, but what if he feels he can't, because he's just a guard as I am a princess. He might feel inferior to me…"
Soarin' felt restless, so he had to get up and open up his mini fridge in the room. He got out a piece of apple pie; he always needed to eat if something was on his mind that he couldn't get rid of so easily. "Just a few more training sessions… then when she's a Wonderbolt herself, you can ask her out… There's no rule that Wonderbolts can't date other team members. It'll seem weird now because she's my trainee as I'm her coach, but once she's promoted, bingo!" Then, he stuffed his face with the pie.
Flash couldn't sleep either and ended up pacing the floor. For the few days he's known Princess Twilight Sparkle, she was everything he could ever want in a special some pony, but how could he ask her out? They were here strictly on business. She had a job to do and it was his duty to make sure no harm came to her. How did Prince Shining Armor do it when he courted Princess Cadence, who was now his wife, and how could he do the same for Twilight? Maybe if they were alone and not in the world of politics so much, maybe that could work. He would have to think of something tomorrow and went back to bed.
"Today, we're going to try something completely different from when you weren't flying."
"Like what?"
"When you're a Wonderbolt, you're being part of a team. We almost lost sight of that when we were at Rainbow Falls, remember?"
"Sure." she slightly blushed.
"And I can't thank you enough for that, by the way. But yes, being part of the team is just as important as the flying. For this exercise," he pointed to a chain handcuff nearby, "we need to wear the chain together in order to become one pony. This is the best way for enhancing the teamwork that needs to be done in the Wonderbolts."
"Cool!"
"Ready to try it?"
"You mean… you and me? Wearing the chain?"
"Yeah, why? What's wrong?" he turned his full attention to her. While that happened, the chain handcuff got quickly switched with another chain handcuff.
"It's just… nothing, nothing at all. I'm ready, Sir."
"Okay, if you're sure…" He got the chain and put it on their hind legs, "It's just a simple exercise; we have to work together to get somewhere. It could take a few days."
"I'll do whatever you say."
"Alright, we'll start working on walking first, because it'll be hard to take off and fly. We'll just keep bumping into each other and it'll take years of practice to fly in sync when being so close to each other. Follow my lead; take it one step at a time."
"Hey! Just like the stepping stones!"
"Of course! You didn't think I was actually training you just for that flag pole challenge?"
"Well… it did seem like it at the time…"
"Ah, no worries. Now, just keep it slow."
"Really?"
"Afraid so, or else…" he sped up a little; thus, they both fell down, "Like that."
"Gotcha…" her face muffled through the dirt.
They kept walking a few times, but kept falling over a lot, too. Thunder Blast and Caballeron were watching from a distance and felt amused.
"Enough of the laughter." said Caballeron, "When can the boys and I go steal the Wings of Valor?"
"Just when they get enough ponies to know something is wrong…"
That came sooner than they thought when Soarin' said, "Whew! I think we got as far as we can. We'll try again tomorrow." He reached the chain to unlock it, but then… "Uh-oh…"
"What do you mean, uh-oh?"
"I can't get them off!"
"What?! Let me try!" She did, but the result was the same, "It's stuck!"
Both gave a face of panic and shouted, "Help! Help!"
The villains laughed to their plea.
"Here come the reinforcements… I suggest you get going now…"
"I thank you for your help, but what are you going to do now?"
"Oh, don't worry… I got plans…" he eyed Soarin' and Rainbow.
"Alright, boys. You know what to do…"
Twilight blasted on the chain, "It's no use! It has a spell-rebound spell!"
"Was it supposed to do that?" Rainbow asked Soarin'.
"No way! All of the chain cuffs are breakable!"
Spitfire took off her glasses and said, "Looks you two are chained together until we can get this thing off of you. I've already sent Fleetfoot to find any spare key to unlock that lock. In the meantime, I can't have you two sleeping in the same quarters; you're going to have to take some time off away from the academy."
"Will this affect my training, Ma'am?"
"No, since you're at the point of training with an officer and with both of you taking temporary leave, you'll be fine."
"Before we resort to that," said Twilight, "I do have some books with me that could still help me get the chain off. If I can't find a solution in ten minutes, then assume I got nothing and Rainbow and Soarin' would have to leave."
"A wise decision, princess. We'll wait right here." said Spitfire.
She rushed into the building with Flash right behind her. She was about to head to her room when she stopped in her tracks and quickly hid.
"What are you-" Flash started, but she pulled him into the hiding place and hushing him. He saw what she was looking at: a stallion with a golden skull as a cutie mark and three other stallions were moving out of Spitfire's office.
"Dr. Caballeron!" Twilight whispered in his ear.
"You know him?"
"Yes, but there's no time to explain. We need to see what he's up to!"
"But what about Rainbow Dash and Soarin'?"
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to help them out… If Dr. Caballeron is here, that can only mean trouble! Go back and tell them what happened and where I've gone."
"What! With all due respect, Your Highness, but I have to protect you. Where you go, I go. That's the rule and I intend to follow it through."
"Flash! This isn't the time!"
"Never the less, I stand by my decision… Besides… I'd never forgive myself if something awful happened to you… Please… Twilight… Let me come with you…"
She went pink and finally gave a nod before they followed Caballeron.