Shaking the Heavens
"Good morning, sleepyheads!" Scootaloo jumped onto the bed balancing a wooden tray in her mouth. A mountain of buttered toast and poorly sliced apples were separated by what looked to be two freshly squeezed glasses of orange juice; extra pulp.
Skye groaned and slammed the pillow over his head to block out the sunlight and unwelcomed noise. Rainbow was a bit more curious and sat up with a yawn. Her mane was sticking out in every possible direction. She tried to focus her eyes on the excited filly bouncing on the bed.
"What's with the noise?" Dash rubbed her eyes and blinked.
"It's the big morning! Cloudsdale Rumble time!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "I made you both breakfast, so now you don't have to cook! Fresh toast, fresh apples, and fresh juice; all made by yours truly. Dig in!"
"Scoots, how much butter did you use on the toast?" Rainbow groaned. Her nostrils flared as she leaned closer to inspect the combination of wafting odors. "And toast is supposed to be crispy… This looks a little soggy."
"Oh? Well, I watched Sweetie Belle one morning when she made breakfast for the clubhouse, and I took notes in case I ever had to cook!"
"That explains a lot." Rainbow sighed and fell back onto her pillow. In the process she landed on Skye's outstretched wing.
"Hey!" Skye rolled off the bed and hurriedly rubbed his throbbing wing. He kissed the tip of his feathers and glared at Rainbow. "They're sensitive!"
"You were the one hogging the bed! Wings are supposed to be tucked at your side when you sleep!"
"It's a morning thing! I-I can't help it!"
"Ugh! Stallions…" Rainbow grabbed a chunk of an apple from the tray and tossed it into her mouth. Her cautious chewing steadied into a more enjoyable motion when she determined that consuming the food wouldn't kill her. "Thanks for breakfast, kid! Tastes… great!" She ruffled Scootaloo's mane. "Skye said he'll eat the rest, so just leave it on the bed." Dash hopped down and flew toward the bathroom while combing a hoof through her mane.
"Come again?" Skye's eyes quivered in terror.
"Let's see who can eat more toast! I made sure to microwave it after I put the butter on too! It practically melts in your mouth!"
Scootaloo shoveled a glob of toast in her maw and started grinding the mushy bread between her teeth. Skye gagged and covered his mouth. The covers erupted into the air as he zipped past Dash and slammed the bathroom door shut.
"Guess he can fly pretty fast when he needs to," Dash snickered.
The past few days had followed a similar formula. Rainbow Dash, Skye Shot, and Scootaloo would eat breakfast together, then Scootaloo watched Skye and Dash train in the skies above her Ponyville home, and finally, after dinner, the three ponies spent time filling in the missing pieces from their separate adventures. Scootaloo was constantly on the edge of her seat every time Skye recollected about his near death experience. The filly had certainly come to admire the stallion after hearing about what he went through in order to reunite with Rainbow Dash.
No one mentioned either of the kisses that took place a few nights ago; though the feelings were not forgotten. Rainbow Dash was now treating Skye as her equal. Whenever the word flyboy left her mouth it was usually followed by a wink or a partially hidden smile. Neither pegasus was very good at showing their feelings without some level of hesitation. Not quite the love story that would inspire a Bridleway play.
But there would be plenty of time to sort out their emotions after the Cloudsdale Rumble. For now, just being together was keeping their spirits high.
. . . . . .
A grey hoof rhythmically tapped against Rainbow's front door. The mail mare was as attentive as always; even if the letters in her bag were practically blowing out from underneath the unlatched flap.
After some unintelligible grumbling and stomping of hooves down the stairs, Rainbow pulled the door open. A sopping bath towel was loosely wrapped around her head. "Derpy, I have a mailbox for a reason. You put the mail inside the box and then fly to the next home." Dash's eyes were squinted in irritation. "Would you like me to demonstrate?!"
Derpy looked down to the puddle of water accumulating around Rainbow's hooves. "I know that, Rainbow Dash! I was just so excited to see you! Today's your big day in Cloudsdale!" She squeed and shoved her head into the mail bag.
"Which is why I can't be wasting time talking to you! I need to finish getting ready! I'm already behind because somepony was busy losing his lunch before even eating his breakfast!" She snapped her head back and watched as Skye attempted to quietly sneak up the stairs without drawing attention to himself.
"Mostly dry heaves…" Skye chuckled nervously and continued marching up to the bedroom.
Derpy pulled her head out from the bag and placed a tightly wrapped scroll into Rainbow's hooves. "Understood! Then I leave you with your mail and an extra-big hug for good luck!" She lunged forward and squeezed Rainbow tightly against her body.
"Lemme go! Can't breathe!" Rainbow managed to choke out.
"I promise next time I'll use the mail box and let you sleep in!" Derpy released Rainbow and gave a hearty smile. Her tail swayed behind her as she trotted off to take flight for the next delivery.
"Ah, geez. How can I stay mad at her?" Rainbow took the towel into her hooves and rubbed her face dry. When the towel lowered her mane was even more of a disaster. Strands of different colors were tangled amongst one another. The blue fur on her cheeks was scruffy and in serious need of a good combing. Equestria's best flier still didn't look ready for the most dangerous competition the skies had ever seen.
. . . . . .
Skye was lying on the couch with the scroll balanced on his nose. He was under strict orders not to open the message until everypony was ready to leave. There had been enough distractions holding up the team already. Despite Scootaloo's begging and frequent attempts to snatch it from his hooves, Skye remained vigilant in his endless game of keep away.
"Okay, everypony ready? I'm comin' down!" Rainbow shouted from up the stairs.
Scootaloo made one last jump to grab the scroll, but Skye was too quick. He lifted off the couch and grabbed the scroll between his teeth. While he flew to safety, Scoots face-planted and wedged herself between the cloudy cushions.
"Too slow!" Skye teased. He clamped her tail between his hooves and pulled the filly free from the plush confines of the sofa.
"Hey! Will you two quit messing around? You're ruining my moment."
"Sorry." They both said in unison. Scootaloo made sure to stick out her tongue when Skye turned his attention to the stairwell.
Rainbow straightened a foreleg of the uniform and puffed out her chest. She slowly walked down the stairs making sure to take note of the fabric's movement and elasticity. When she reached the bottom, she flicked her mane and tail from side to side to show off every angle. Her mane was back to normal and the scruffy tufts of cheek fur were now smoothed back against her face. A hot shower and fresh combing had done wonders to transform the sleepy pegasus into the steadfast contender now strutting her looks for her adoring fans. "So, whatcha think? It is a little snug in some parts. Especially around the flank."
Skye's face was bright red as Rainbow shook her rump back and forth in discomfort. His eyes were entranced by the swaying of her hips. "L-looks great, Rainbow! You're really poured into that thing…"
"You look like a Wonderbolt!" Scootaloo beamed with excitement. She scurried over and inspected every inch of the uniform. "You two are like a real team now! I mean how many other pegasi are going to have snazzy matching uniforms?!"
"Gonna be the best team there; in style and in skill. Right, flyboy?" She fidgeted her rump once again and snickered at the embarrassed stallion.
Skye pumped a foreleg. "Got that right! Nopony else is going to come close!"
"Soooo, what's the scroll say?" Scootaloo's tiny wings fluttered as she made another pass to grab the scroll from Skye's foreleg.
"Okay, okay! I'll open it." Skye proceeded to unfasten the scroll. "Oh? It's from Spitfire." He cleared his throat and attempted to project each word for his impatient audience.
"Dear Cloudsdale Rumble participant,
As you may have noticed, a letter was sent out several days ago detailing the rules of the Cloudsdale Rumble. Due to the unexpected volume of participants I have made a last minute decision to amend the competition structure. Rather than a two-on-two battle, all teams will be simultaneously released into the arena. We were only given a single day for the competition, and the Cloudsdale Council of Traffic Control has declared that we will be in violation of air space regulations if the competition lasts any longer than the 24 hours we were allowed. I've already received complaints regarding the amount of congestion in and around the city due to the amount of interest the Rumble has garnered. I apologize for this sudden turn of events, but it's in the best interest of our city. May the wind lift your wings to victory.
Regards,
Captain Spitfire."
Skye slowly lifted his eyes up from the scribbles on the paper to Rainbow's face.
"Oh boy. That makes things a little more complicated." Rainbow said, with her teeth firmly clenched against her lip.
"Great, so instead of worrying about two ponies taking me out I have to worry about all of the ponies ganging up on me!" Skye groaned and fell back onto the couch. The scroll fell onto Scootaloo's head.
Rainbow trotted over and placed a hoof on his chest. "When you fly with me you don't have to worry about anything. Now quit moping! We have a competition to win!" While Skye was trying to pull himself together, Rainbow was already spreading her wings and heading out the front door. "Let's go, Scoots! Wanna make sure you get a good seat to watch us kick some flank!"
. . . . . .
Scootaloo scanned the cloud-sculpted bleachers for an open seat. Ponies of all races were quickly finding spaces to occupy. Thanks to an agreement between Cloudsdale and Canterlot, unicorns were casting the cloud-walking spell onto earth ponies and unicorns as well as offering transport from the ground up to the arena. Any able-bodied pegasus not participating was given orders to keep an eye on the spectators to make sure nopony fell to the ground below.
The front row was surprisingly sparse. Scootaloo galloped down the springy steps and plopped her rump into a seat. She adjusted the cloud with her hooves and settled in. "This place is packed. I can see why Spitfire had to change the rules. Heh, good thing I'm down in Ponyville. I'd go crazy around all these ponies!"
"Oh, you're from Ponyville, eh?" A grey stallion, who looked to be several hundred years old, leaned closer to Scootaloo. She recoiled and pushed away his inquisitive muzzle. "I've been here ever since – well, ever since clouds were in the sky! At least, that's what it feels like."
"Oh, that's… great!" Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief as the stench of old-stallion abandoned the assault on her nostrils.
"Name's Ramblin' Rodriguez! I'm a historian of Cloudsdale and worked hoof-in-hoof with Captain Spitfire to organize the Rumble. You see those buildings out there?" Scootaloo followed the tip of his shaking hoof to the center of the arena. "Those buildings are made from clouds that we compact down into a, uh, well I s'pose it resembles what you earth-dwellers call marble. Real sturdy material. A lot of the buildings up here are constructed from that stuff. It's so strong that even an earth pony can stand on it without falling through!"
"O-kay?" Scootaloo wasn't sure what was happening but kept nodding in agreement.
"The idea'r is that if a pegasus is in a pinch they can take shelter and gather their thoughts inside one of those buildings. They're all connected though, so ya can't rest too long! A pony could strike you down from behind if you're not careful! I'm glad Spitfire listened to me and gave her stamp of approval. It wouldn't be much of a show if the sky was completely barren and there was nowhere for a pony to hide! This adds a bit of uncertainty to the battle." He stretched his wrinkled legs and nestled in place.
"Guess you're right." Scootaloo caught a glimpse of a golden flicker from the corner of her eye. "Huh?"
"You have a keen eye, youngin! That there's a magical field encased around the entire playing field! It's to protect all of us from the weather inside. A failsafe in case those pegasi get a bit too rowdy."
"It looks just like…" She stopped swinging her legs and looked down to her once broken appendage. The field her body was encased in had the exact same shimmer as the one being used for the Cloudsdale Rumble.
. . . . . .
Skye and Dash were slowly walking amongst a crowd of other contenders. Skye could barely see over the bobbing heads all around him. The smell of sweat was lingering in the air and burning his lungs. Some ponies were already having second thoughts and burying their heads into the trash cans lining the upcoming hallway. Skye covered his own muzzle and cleared his throat before once again keeping pace with Rainbow Dash.
"I'm having trouble breathing," Skye whispered. He removed himself from the marching hooves and tried to steady his breathing into a comforting rhythm.
"Don't worry. Once we're through this tunnel we'll be on our launch pad. Then it's just you, me, and the open sky!" Rainbow wrapped a wing around her nervous comrade. "It's okay to be scared. I'm here for ya."
Skye nodded and tried to swallow his fears back into his body. Before he could speak, he was interrupted by a raucous shouting approaching him.
"Skye Shot and Rainbow Dash! Very excited to see you two!" Cloudchaser hovered over Skye and grinned.
"Give him some room! He's a little stressed." Rainbow shooed away the spiky haired mare.
Cloudchaser landed and scooched closer to avoid being stampeded by the crowd. "Good thing you snatched him up before I did, Rainbow! After his time trials I was giving Skye some serious consideration as a teammate!"
"Heh. This ol' lug is all mine!" Rainbow nudged Skye and tried to break the tension inside of him.
"No worries. I wound up with Thunderlane." Cloudchaser was pushed aside and a dark grey stallion with a light blue mane forcibly introduced himself.
"Hey, Rainbow! Hey, other pony!" Thunderlane squeed.
"That's Skye Shot! He's the one who almost replaced you!" Cloudchaser corrected him.
Thunderlane's mane was styled in a mohawk with lighter streaks of blue separating the darker chunks. He looked like a real punk. Alongside Cloudchaser, the two ponies seemed more likely to start a rock band than enter a dangerous weather competition.
"Sorry, Skye Shot. Cloudchaser never mentioned you before."
"Ugh, always blaming somepony else, Thunderlane! You need to work on your manners."
Skye felt a hoof on his shoulder and turned his head. Forecast was standing behind him. The other ponies took a step back. The foreman of the weather factory was equal to nobility in Cloudsdale. He who controlled the weather controlled the safety of Equestria.
"Mind if I have a word, Skye? In private?"
"S-sir… of course!" Skye waited for Rainbow's nod of approval. Soon his three friends were just mere numbers trudging down the dimly lit path into the arena. Skye felt his throat tighten every time he contemplated the walk from safety into the fray.
"Looks like you survived Spitfire's training," Forecast chuckled.
"You knew?" Skye jumped back and cowered. "I-I know it was against the rules! I never should have agreed to-"
"Oh, pipe down! I'm not here to scold you! You're just like Rainbow; you'll do as you please no matter what anypony says. I still remember when I caught you two in the weather facility. I should have been furious, but it was almost comforting to watch a new friendship blossoming before my very eyes."
Skye nodded and relaxed a bit. With so much tension in his body he was just waiting for his heart to stop.
"No, I'm here because I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Yes, my boy, thank you. Thank you for rekindling that spark of teamwork that we talked about when you arrived. Do you remember that night at the banquet hall? It was the first glimpse of that fire I saw in your eyes. Such determination! I never believed that you would take an event I loathed so much and turn it into a perfect example of how a pegasus should behave. When the Rumble was suggested to me I immediately passed the responsibilities on to Spitfire and the Wonderbolts. I wanted nothing to do with it. I guess you can teach an old pony a new trick or two." Forecast laughed again. He stepped forward and straightened the fabric clinging to Skye's chest. "And now look at you. You're the spitting image of everything a pegasus should be. Brave, strong, kind-hearted. You reached out to the Wonderbolts in hopes of mastering teamwork. That is the very reason I allowed you to train in my facility. I thought maybe if I stepped back and let destiny take over that the results would be worth the risk. And I was right."
"Forecast, sir, I…" Skye laughed and lowered his head. "How many times are you all going to leave me speechless?"
"Now, now, I didn't mean to embarrass you! I just thought you should hear the truth." Forecast paused and rubbed a hoof along his thin mustache. "Especially because I know the entire story between you and Chemtrail."
Skye tried to swallow, but the saliva just settled in the back of his mouth.
"I knew something was fishy about their so-called 'training exercise,' but I was too busy to look into it. It was Fleetfoot who came to me with Spitfire. They explained the entire mess. I'm… so sorry, Skye. You risked your life to stand where you are today. Rest assured those two will be terminated once this competition is over. I have no room in my factory for that kind of behavior; even if they are two of the best weather ponies we've ever had!" Forecast turned and readied to depart. "I better let you go. We'll talk more later. Best of luck."
Forecast cantered away and left Skye to digest the pep talk. There was no easy way to sort all of the feelings bottled up inside the conflicted pegasus. Then again, untangling the nerves in his body would distract Skye from the final trot into the arena.
. . . . . .
Rainbow squinted as the sun shone down onto her face. After leaving the protection of the corridor, the rays of light were an unwelcomed guest. She felt a stallion slam into her flank as she adjusted to the brightness. As he grumbled and walked past, another stallion decided to make his presence known.
"I'm surprised to see you here, Rainbow Dash. Come to admire my abilities?"
Rainbow turned and growled. "Chemtrail! No, I'm here to knock that stupid smirk off your face!"
"Really? Then I look forward to it. My goal today is to see just how many weather cadets I can ground. Somepony needs to teach these youngsters some humility. Otherwise they'll grow up and become worthless braggarts just like you." The long white strands of Chem's mane hung over his lowered face.
Rainbow chose to ignore his latter comment. "There's a big difference in teaching humility and just bullying ponies for fun!" She stomped forward and raised a hoof to his muzzle.
"Oh? I suppose it can't be helped that I have a special talent for knocking ponies out of the sky. Speaking of ponies, where's your partner? Still missing? That's such a shame." Chemtrail threw his head back and uproariously cackled.
"Just running a little behind." Skye sneered from inside the hallway.
Chem's eyes-widened as he struggled to focus on what surely had to be the ghostly apparition of Skye standing before him.
"I just had a heart-to-heart with Forecast that took a little longer than I expected." Skye stopped in front of Dash and pressed his muzzle against Chemtrail's. "And it turns out you're getting fired. Guess your special talent of knocking ponies from the sky isn't so special if you can't even do it properly!" Skye splayed his wings and snorted. "Better get to your cloud. I would hate for you to miss the show."
Chem's body shook in fury as he watched Skye and Dash walk away. His eyes were burning with rage. "You… How dare you speak to me like that!" He shouted and scraped a chunk of the cloud away with his hoof. "You're both going to pay dearly for your behavior! When I'm through with you there won't be a single feather left on your wings!"
"Just ignore him. He likes to talk a lot." Skye raised his head and proudly trotted alongside Dash.
"Gotta say, a stallion in uniform with this much confidence is a real turn on, flyboy."
Skye blushed and brought a wing up to cover his face.
Dash smacked her wing against his flank and laughed. "I should probably start calling you loverboy soon, eh?"
. . . . . .
A huge patch of sky had been dedicated strictly for use in the Cloudsdale Rumble. Skye felt his stomach twist as he examined the four huge grandstands packed with onlookers. Situated an equal distance apart, each group of ponies would have an ideal view of the event. Pegasus ponies had very good eyes, so following one of their favorites in the heat of the moment would be no problem. The other races would have to rely on binoculars in order to keep an eye on their preferred combatant.
Skye followed Rainbow down to the cloud they would launch from. It was a perfect circle, as if placed under them with a cookie cutter. Every fifty yards had another team of ponies ready for take-off. Neither Chem nor Force could be located. They were most likely on the far end of the arena.
Another flicker of gold rippled across the sky. Rainbow and Skye had each seen this phenomenon before.
"Hey, that looks like…"
"Wait a minute…"
They both looked at one another and blinked in confusion. The sound of hooves against the cloud's surface caused their heads to turn.
"Rainbow! I'm so glad I could catch you before the competition began!"
A purple pony was excitedly dancing in place behind Rainbow Dash. Although unlike many other ponies here she wasn't simply a pegasus. She also had a unicorn horn parting her wonderfully colored mane; a purple and rose strip split through the deep sapphire that stretched from her bangs all the way to the tip of her tail. Her cutie mark was a large pink star with white sparkles surrounding it.
"Twilight! Ohmigosh! What are you doing here?!" Rainbow squeed and ran over to hug her friend.
"An alicorn… She's-" Skye gasped and fell to the ground with his head lowered. "Princess Twilight Sparkle! Forgive my rudeness!"
"Eh, quit it. She's not snooty like that!" Rainbow facehoofed. "He can be so embarrassing sometimes…"
"So, you're the lucky stallion flying alongside Rainbow today?" Twilight walked over and leaned down to face him. "Take care of her out there, okay? She tends to get a little crazy sometimes."
Skye nodded and gulped. "Sure…"
Twilight smiled and hurried back to Rainbow. "I know there isn't much time, but you have to tell me…" Her voice became quieter as she walked further away with Rainbow.
Skye lifted himself back onto all four legs and exhaled. "Now there's royalty here? This is getting way too stressful."
"Oh, come on. You make it sound like you're not having any fun!"
Skye noticed a pony leaning against the base of the bleachers. He was covered in a black cloak. The only distinguishable feature was a horn poking out from underneath the fabric.
"You're…"
"With the Royal Guard? Yeah. I'm just here to keep an eye on the princess." A pearly white smile shone from under the cloak. "Think I was somepony else?"
Skye slowly shook his head. "No, you just sounded like somepony I knew."
"That's a relief. I was afraid maybe you forgot what my voice sounded like after all this time. After all, you were sharp enough to figure out that my magic had a hoof in the weather facility you trained in, Skye Shot."
The stranger pulled back the hood of his cloak and grinned. His icy blue eyes cut through the charcoal colored fur on his head and neck. His mane was colored of black onyx. Despite his dark colorings and foreboding appearance, this pony didn't seem to pose a threat.
"Role Play! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in Canterlot!" Skye shouted excitedly.
Role pointed to the arena with two flicks of his head and snickered. "Just keeping an eye on that. Making sure this field keeps the lovely citizens of Cloudsdale safe. Managing a spell this large is no sweat now. Listen to me. I make it sound like I learned all of this on my own!" Role grabbed the cloak in his teeth and tossed it to the side, revealing his cutie mark: a golden colored bar separated by several notches. Some pieces of the bar were filled in with a lighter shade of gold. "I can mainly thank Blueprint. Without her I would have never pushed myself so hard! It also helps that Twilight is an impeccable teacher as well. These mares are really giving us a run for our money, my friend." Role smacked Skye in the shoulder and laughed.
"Fillies and Gentlecolts! Please stand for the Cloudsdale Anthem!" A voice boomed across the sky.
Twilight turned her head upward to the crowd and smiled at a small purple dragon trying to cover his face. "At least this time Spike won't be gracing us with his rendition of the anthem! I better get to my seat. Good luck, Rainbow! I can't wait to see you two in action!" She leaned closer and made sure to whisper so that only Dash could hear. "And keep me posted on the action after you two win!"
Rainbow blushed and pushed Twilight away. "Whoa, Twi! Stop right there!" Twilight laughed as the red in Rainbow's cheeks soon matched the strip of red in her mane.
"I read in a book that an inappropriate joke is a great way to break the tension before a difficult trial! No hard feelings I hope!"
Role's horn illuminated as he covered himself once again with the cloak. "Ya know, I thought it would be cool to fling it off, but now it's all damp from the cloud moisture… Ah well. My fault if I get sick. Good luck, Skye! We'll talk again soon!"
"Wait! Before you go," Skye pleaded. "I need to know… why you left us."
Role pulled the hood over his head to cover his face. "There's something really nasty coming to Equestria. Canterlot was the only place I could go for training. Don't worry, I'll explain everything soon. When this is over, I'll send for you and Chase. I know he's probably gone nuts since I left home."
"Role, I don't understa-"
Twilight grabbed Role's cloak in her teeth and tugged. "We have to go! We'll get in big trouble if we're caught down here when they take off!"
"Well, excuse me, princess!" Role moved his hood back and winked at Skye. "Knock 'em dead, buddy. See ya in Canterlot."
Twilight and Role Play scrambled up the stairs to their seats. Dash motioned for Skye to take his place next to her.
The anthem began and everypony placed a hoof against their chest. The words and music swirled through Skye's brain like dirty water flowing down a drain.
Time was up.
There was no backing out now. The countdown had started. Only ten seconds separated Team Sky Dash from a hoard of vicious pegasi.
"10!"
"This is it, flyboy. You ready?"
"Not really."
"9!"
Rainbow grabbed his hoof with her own and held on tight. "How about now?"
"Uh, not really." Skye repeated trying to suppress his smile.
"8!"
"If you're feeling well enough to joke around then you're fine!" Rainbow nuzzled against his face. "Whatever happens, I'm just glad to have ya back."
"7!"
Skye and Dash lowered their bodies. Both ponies tightened the straps of their goggles. With a loud whoosh of the air, their wings were fully splayed for takeoff.
"6!"
Scootaloo pushed the rambling pony away once again. "Be quiet! I don't care about when you invented thunderstorms! It's about to start! Wait… You didn't invent thunderstorms!"
"5!"
Twilight leaned over to Role. "Was your friend happy to see you?"
Role smiled and nodded his cloaked head. "Yeah. But I'm sure after this is over he's going to come looking for me. Guess I can't keep hiding away forever…"
"4!"
"Good," Twilight smiled. "But I hope your friends aren't as much trouble as you are. Princess Celestia was hesitant in giving you this assignment."
"3!"
"But how many other ponies can create a magical field like this?"
"Probably my brother," Twilight said blankly. "He did protect all of Canterlot once."
"Good point. But I think I can show him a thing or two." Role grinned and rubbed his hooves together. "Being a dark mage is a wonderful thing!"
"Ugh! Don't let anypony hear you!" Twilight elbowed the maniacally laughing unicorn. "Dark Magic is still forbidden in Equestria!"
"2!"
"This competition is ours for the taking, flyboy. We own this sky." Rainbow fidgeted in place.
"1!"
"Then let's show these ponies the real meaning of teamwork, Dash!"
They both nodded as loud bang sounded.
"All ponies cleared for takeoff! Let the Cloudsdale Rumble begin!"
/) To be Continued (\