The next morning, Rainbow Dash and Thunderbolt awoke to the rising of the sun. Rainbow Dash didn't have weather duty that day, Sunday was her day off, and the other pegasi handled it. As such, she got up rather leisurely, as did Thunderbolt. "So," asked Rainbow as she sat up in bed, "What do you wanna do today, Thunder?" "Dunno, how about you, 'Bow?" asked Thunderbolt. Rainbow's stomach growled. "Well, I think my stomach just answered for me," said Rainbow, "Wanna get breakfast?" "Nice idea," said Thunderbolt, "Let's fly there."

When the two reached the restaurant, a little place where you would eat outside, they finally landed. "A table for two, please," said Rainbow, wrapping a hoof around Thunderbolt so the waiter knew who it was. "Yes, ma'am," he said, "Right this way." They arrived at a table and the waiter said, "May I take your order?" "Yes," said Rainbow, having come there often for breakfast on Sundays, "I'll have the buttermilk pancakes, a short stack, no butter on them, please." "Your usual, in short, Miss Dash?" asked the waiter. "Yes, sir!" exclaimed Rainbow, licking her lips. "I'll have the same thing exactly," said Thunderbolt. "And I assume the usual drink as well for both of you, miss?" asked the waiter. "Yep!" Rainbow said. "Okay, your drinks will be here shortly, your food will be out as soon as it's ready," said the waiter, levitating his pad and paper back into his pocket and trotting off.

"What is your usual drink?" asked Thunderbolt. "I like sour stuff," said Rainbow, "So I basically get lemonade without the sugar." "Incredibly lemony water, in short?" asked Thunderbolt. "Pretty much," replied Rainbow. The drinks were brought and levitated over to the table, they were a light yellow color. They had a special stash of rainbow colored bendy straws they used just for Rainbow Dash. Since they'd ordered the same thing, the waiter had put one of those straws in each of their glasses. To top it off, they'd stuck a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass. "Cool," said Thunderbolt, "Thanks." Rainbow took a sip of her drink and licked her lips. Thunderbolt took a sip of his and flinched. He managed to swallow the incredibly sour drink and said, "I'd ask what was in it, but I already know. Ugh…" he shivered slightly as he continued, "What does this kill?" "This is much blander than they usually make it for me, actually," Rainbow pointed out, picking up the lemon slices from both glasses and squishing every last drop of lemon juice into her glass, "Oh, and in answer to your question..." Then she glugged at least half the glass down. "Cowardice," Rainbow finished.

"That's good stuff," said Rainbow. "I… still don't know how you… manage to drink that," said Thunderbolt, drinking it only by the drop. Rainbow giggled. "Your food," said the waiter, levitating over two plates of pancakes and two syrup containers. Rainbow opened her container and poured it onto her pancakes. The she took one off the top of the stack and started cutting it up into bits, eating each piece separately and getting syrup everywhere. Thunderbolt suppressed an urge to laugh as he mockingly did the same thing. "What's that saying?" said Thunderbolt. "Which one?" asked Rainbow. "I remember," said Thunderbolt, syrup dripping down his face, "It went like this: 'A good friend never lets their friend do something stupid… alone.' I like that quote." Smacking her lips as she ate more of her pancakes, Rainbow nodded and said, "Me too." Though it sounded slurred because of all the pancakes in her mouth.

"Are you two done?" asked the waiter when he came over a bit later. "Thanks, yes," said Rainbow, syrup all over her face, the table, her forelock, the silverware, the vase… "Eleven bits," said the waiter. "Kay," said Thunderbolt, putting in the money. "I brought some too, you know," said Rainbow. "Keep it," said Thunderbolt, he placed an extra two bits on the counter as well, then said to the waiter, "This'll pay for the cleanup." Rainbow giggled and said, "Come on, Thunder. I wanna go do some flying and stuff now." "Nice idea," said Thunderbolt. Then the two took off. "What a cute couple," the waiter muttered to himself as he went about cleaning up all the syrup everywhere.

Meanwhile, Thunderbolt and Rainbow Dash where long out of earshot. They were on the outskirts of Ponyville where they were stretching out for some practice. "No avalanches this time?" asked Thunderbolt, recounting the events that occurred. "No avalanches," Rainbow said, "Just rainbooms. I'm gonna do it today." "You've always been able to do it," said Thunderbolt, "You just need some more oomph." "Is that even a word?" asked Rainbow. "Who cares?" said Thunderbolt.

"You ready?" asked Thunderbolt. "I think so," said Rainbow. "Please don't be nervous," said Thunderbolt, "I get nervous when you're nervous." "Yeah," said Rainbow, a determined look creeping onto her face, "Okay. I'm ready." "That's the Rainbow Dash I know!" exclaimed Thunderbolt, stomping his hooves happily, "Now get up there and give me a sonic rainboom!" Rainbow saluted and said, "I'm on it!" She flew up real high in the air.

~Now, let's change main characters for a sec, because this next part is best described from Rainbow's point of view…

Rainbow flew up into the sky, blowing away the fear and doubt and leaving her usual, hard shell of determination and coolness. However, there was one thing she held onto while she blew off everything else. One thing that she kept. Since the first time she'd seen him, she thought this hardworking pegasus was kinda cute… but once she got to know him, it was even more so. He didn't seem to return her feelings, though. But inside her own head, inside the safety of her own consciousness, she held onto that feeling. She stopped, several hundred feet up, where Ponyville was but a speck, and she hovered there. "This one's for you, Thunder," she said to herself, nopony else was that high up or even high enough to be within earshot. Then she started descending, flying downwards more and more, faster and faster.

Rainbow flapped her burning wings as much as she could, they felt as if they were on fire. But she pushed on, holding onto that feeling. Extending her hooves, pressing them together, pushing her face into her forehooves, keeping her wings perfectly timed, Rainbow continued with pristine form. Her heartbeat rung in her ears, for more reasons than simply that she was working hard. She felt the wind in her mane and across her face and it felt GOOD. She felt a stretching sensation, as if she was taffy in a taffy puller. That feeling was familiar, feeling it again was like seeing an old friend you hadn't seen in a long time, and it felt GREAT. But most importantly, at least to Rainbow at that very moment, more important than the rainboom or her reputation or flying… was love. And it felt AWESOME.

~And now we will slowly inch back to our usual character view…

There was a rainboom, and coming out of said rainboom with a rainbow-colored trail behind her, a gigantic grin on her face, there was Rainbow Dash. From Rainbow's point of view, she was finished with her goal and was now trying to impress Thunderbolt. From Thunderbolt's point of view, she was bloody well succeeding. The rainbow (dash) arced over all of Ponyville, drawing a beautiful trail over the small town. Then she slowed down enough for her trail to stop and she flew all the way back to the other end where Thunderbolt was waiting for her. "That. Was. Awesome!" exclaimed Thunderbolt. "I thought as much!" said Rainbow, holding out a hoof. "See?" said Thunderbolt, hoof-bumping her, "I knew you could do it!" "I have you to thank for it," said Rainbow, smiling. Actually, the whole world seemed to be smiling on those two.