Chapter 198: Rainbow Falls
A couple of weeks went by after Spyro had returned from Lyoko, though it was a victory for the most part, it had it's ups and downs, most of which happened in Lyoko where Pomni had her DNA Sequence Code stolen by Xana and due to him using it to spawn his monsters in the real world and nearly succeeded in taking the Grid, but thankfully Spyro had managed to beat him. Also, Xana managed to badly damage Spyro's garage, causing serious malfunctions to many key areas of the facility and stole Ruby's weapon that had coordinates for three worlds, but he didn't have time to dwell on his failures as there was some good that came out of it all. They managed to stop Xana and keep him from knowing about the other worlds by damaging his data core and now had the coordinates for the worlds that Malefor was wanting and would begind deciphering them as soon as he got his garage back online.
In the garage, Spyro was working on restoring power to the garage, though most of the boards and circuits were fried do to the purge sequence he was forced to use inorder to keep Xana out of his systems, replacing everything he could before pulling himself out from underneath the main terminal and wiping the sweat off his brow and stood up.
"Alright AIVA, try it now." Spyro said.
"Yes sir." AIVA replied. A moment later, AIVA was restoring power into the room he was in, making him cheer as it roared to life. "The primary bay has been restored to full function sir. However, the block factory and other areas of the garage are still inoperable."
"It's a start." Spyro replied. "Can you continue witht he repairs without me?"
"Yes sir, it shouldn't be too much trouble." AIVA replied. "It will take a couple of months for me to get the garage back to one hundred percent operational status."
"Well, Rome wasn't built in a day." Spyro said. "Begin repairs immediately and focus on the hangar bay first. See if you can get me my ships back."
"Yes sir, I shall begin repairing all systems to the Hangar bay." AIVA said. "It will be the simplest repair. It will only take a week or more."
"Perfect." Spyro said, stretching. "Better go and see what the girls are up to."
He then walked out as the garage roared to life as it got started on fixing the remainder of the damage while Spyro decided to walk into town, looking to his left and seeing Applejack was teaching Yang and Ruby how to buck apples and carrying the baskets to store them in the barn for sale later on. He was walking into town to see what was happening, praying there wasn't anything going on that would require him to use his Keyblade or any of his powers, but as he saw that the town was in view, he spotted a group of ponies ahead of him, which he could make them out to be Bulk Biceps, the pegasi pony who could be Hulks long lost cousin, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, which the rainbow maned pegasi was addressing them.
"Alright ponies, listen up!" Rainbow Dash said.
"We're all ears." Fluttershy said, as Bulk Biceps was kissing his muscles.
"The Equestria Games is coming very soon and it'll take more than just muscle for us to qualify for the games!" Rainbow Dash said. "We're the aerial relay team and it's going to take everything we have to qualify for the tryouts! And we all know how I... er, I mean, Ponyville wants to qualify and make it to the games!"
"I remember." Fluttershy said. "I really, really, really, really want to qualify for you and Ponyville."
"BRING IT ON!" Bulk Biceps shouted, looking pumped.
"Hey guys." Spyro said, walking up to them.
"Oh, hey Spyro." Rainbow Dash said. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Yeah, finally got basic functions to work in my garage." Spyro said. "So what's going on here?"
"Oh, we're getting ready for the tryouts for the Aerial Relay Race that'll be taking place in the Equestria Games!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly. "I did want to include you, but unfortunately the rules said that royalty can't participate."
"Figures." Spyro said. "Being a prince has many benefits, but it also has it's drawbacks."
"Give me a P!" PInkie shouted, spooking Fluttershy as the pink party pony was dressed in a cheerleaders outfit before getting a megaphone out. "P for Ponyville!"
"P!" Bulk Biceps shouted, sending Pinkie Pie rolling backwards.
"Oh, thanks Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy said. "That was a scary, er, I mean a great cheer."
"Thanks Pinkie." Rainbow Dash said. "Just make sure you have a cheer for when you qualify for the Aerial Relay."
"AND AFTER THAT, FOR WHEN WE GO BACK FOR THE EQUESTRIA GAMES!" Bulk Biceps shouted
"Not so fast there everypony!" Applejack said, coming up with a cart full of pies. "If you're gonna be good, then yer gonna be better with some of my Apple Brown Betties in ya! They're perfect!"
"P is for perfect!" Pinkie shouted, popping out of the cart
Applejack brought the cart to them, which Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy were looking at them hungrily.
"Thanks for bringing them here AJ." Spyro said, walking over and hugging her. "How you holding up? The baby giving you trouble?"
"Nah, not as much." Applejack replied as the two pegasi started eating the pastries. "Though the mornin' sickness was a pain, Ah got over it."
"Well, you may have gotten over that, but from what I heard, the cravings are what get you."
"Seriously?" Applejack asked.
"Dead serious." Spyro said.
"Alright team!" Rainbow Dash said, the two pegasi rushing to her. "Show me what you got. Bend those knees!" Both ponies bent their knees, ready to go. "Flap those wings!" Then both ponies flapped their wings, Fluttershy flapping them slowly while Bulk Biceps flapped them quickly, his wings were stunted like Scootaloo's as he flapped them. "And I want to see all four hooves off the ground on the count of three!" The two pegasi were ready to go, Rainbow Dash smiled as she saw how prepared they were. "Onetwothree!"
Both pegasi then flapped their wings as hard as they could, Fluttershy going up into the air while Bulk Biceps was straining himself to get into the air, flapping his wings as hard as he could until he reached the same height that Fluttershy was at, looking like he was struggling to stay in the air.
"Uh, is he even breathing?" Spyro asked.
"No he is not." Rainbow Dash said. "Hey Bulk Biceps, remember to breath!"
As she said that, Bulk Bicpes let out a breath of air, but his wings stopped, falling as he tried to hang on to Fluttershy by the tail and pulled her down with him, both landing on top of Rainbow Dash and dogpiling, Applejack and Spyro whincing as they saw them hit the dirt.
"P is for, um, pain?" Pinkie asked.
"Yeah, there's no way they'll qualify with Bulk Biceps on their team." Applejack said. "His Wings are as small as Scootaloo's."
"AJ!" Spyro said, surprised by what she said.
"Uh, sorry." Applejack said. "Don't know where that came from. Wait, Spyro, do you have another one of them light wing thingies that Bulk could use?"
"Sorry AJ, I only made one." Spyro replied. "And it's with Scootaloo. Besides, if I wanted to make another one, my lab and workshop is offline thanks to Xana."
"Rats!" Rainbow Dash said, getting out from the pile. "Eh, probably for the better. The officials might disqualify us for using one of Spyro's gadgets."
"Oh, didn't think of that." Applejack said.
"Hey, shouldn't we get to the train station?" Fluttershy asked. "We'll be late for the tryouts."
"Oh horse apples, you're right!" Rainbow Dash said. "We need to hurry!"
They then ran into town and heading to the train station and getting their tickets, boarding the train before it left the station to head to the tryouts, sitting with the rest of their friends as they left for the tryouts.
"Rainbow, I got a question for you." Spyro said, getting her attention. "I'm both surprised and pleased you asled Fluttershy to be apart of your relay team, but why did you ask Bulk Biceps to be apart of your team? Wasn't there anypony else you could have asked? No offense, but Bulks' not exactly a strong flier."
"Well... the thing is..." Rainbow Dash began to say, trying to come up with a good answer.
"Good luck Rainbow Dash." A mare said, turning to see a greenish blue mare with a short blonde mane with a black pegasi stallion with a light blue mane. "Sorry we couldn't fly with you in the Aerial Relay, but the Air Sprinters needed us too."
"Too bad we could only compete in one event." The stallion said. "But rules are rules."
They then walked off, leaving them alone in the cart with their friends as they left.
"Good luck!" Twilight said, waving to them. "Spyro is right, it was nice of you to be apart of a team that doesn't have the..." She then looked at Bulk Biceps wings, giving a nervous smile as she looked back at Rainbow Dash. "The strongest fliers."
"Eh, nothing nice about it." Rainbow Dash said. "I know I can pick up the slack for anypony. With me on the team, I'm sure we'll qualify. I'm sure of it."
"Ponyville is very happy to have you Rainbow Dash." Twilight said.
"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome." Rainbow Dash said.
Both Spyro and Twilight just smiled at her, both laughing at how confident she was as Fluttershy struggled to get out from underneath Bulk Biceps, getting her head out from underneath as she waved a flag.
"I am so happy to be representing Ponyville." Fluttershy said, trying to get out from underneath the large stallion. "It is such an honor to try out for the games. I just hope I don't let anypony down."
"WE'LL MAKE THEN PROUD!" Bulk Biceps said excitedly.
"P is for Proud!" Pinkie shouted, spooking Bulk Biceps as he flew to the other side fot he car. "We're gonna be the best fans anypony's ever seen!"
"I can't wait to see what everypony else is wearing." Rarity said, walking over before yawning. "Even though they won't be as good as the outfits I made for the Ponyville team."
"You ok Rare?" Spyro asked, walking over. "You look tired."
"Oh, I'm fine darling." Rarity replied, yawning again. "Didn't get much sleep as I wanted to get the outfits designed for the games."
"And we'll make it to the games." Applejack said, holding up the pastry. "That is once everypony carbo loads on Apple Brown Betty's."
"I can't wait!" PInkie shouted.
"So where are the tryouts being held anyway?" Spyro asked.
"Oh, they're being held in Rainbow Falls." Rainbow Dash replied. "It's going to be awesome!"
The train continued on towards Rainbow Falls, eagerly waiting to try out for the games and after a few more minutes, they arrived at Rainbow Falls, the station being in the middle of a village that was around the pools of Rainbow Falls, ponies running around and going about their everyday lives. A little distance away, the tryouts were being held in the practice fields nearby where pegasi and other flying creatures were stretching and loosening up so their team can be ready for the race. The group was walking through the field to their spot, which everyone was watching them and whispering, all saying how amazing Rainbow Dash is as a flier as they were getting set up.
"So Rainbow, which part of the relay are you flying?" Spyro asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'm flying the last third of the relay." Rainbow Dash said confidently. "That means everypony else will need to be way ahead to beat us!"
A moment later, the sound of gunfire went off and looked up, seeing Spitfire and a couple other members of the Wonderbolts fly over head.
"The Wonderbolts!?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah, they're flying for Cloudsdale." Twilight said.
"I'm not surprised that they'll qualify." Spyro said. "They're some of the best fliers in Equestria."
"And the game is on." Spitfire said, the three of them landing in front of them.
The other two fliers witht he Wonderbolts was Soarin and Fleetfoot, both looking happy and proud to be there.
"It's nice to see some real competition." Soarin said, looking at Rainbow Dash and Spyro.
"A couple more days of practice, and we'll see you both in the air, Rainbow Dash and Spyro." Fleetfoot said. "If you're lucky."
"Yeah, unfortunately I'm not allowed to participate in this thing." Spyro said. "Otherwise I'd be more than willing to show you how we do it in Ponyville!"
"Aw, too bad." Fleetfoot said. "It would have been more fun if you could have participated. Well, catch you later."
The team then flew off to head to their area, leaving Spyro and Rainbow Dash alone as Twilight walked up to them.
"The Wonderbolts know a winner when they see one." Rainbow Dash said. "And we'll be winners as soon as we practice. Right guys!?"
"Right." Fluttershy said.
"YEAH!" Bulk Biceps shouted.
Pinkie then cheered for the team, getting a noise maker out and blowing into it to make a silly noise while Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash, giving a half hearted and nervous smile.
"And I'm with her." Twilight said. "Hooray!"
Rainbow Dash gave her a look that said she wasn't buying her cheer when they heard some cheerleaders, looking in their directions to see them.
"Give us some Clouds!" The cheerleaders said, doing their routines. "Give us some Dale! What do you get!? Cloudsdale!"
They then had some streamers and confetti shoot everywhere, everyone cheering for their routine while Rainbow Dash seemed a bit nervous.
"Oh, where do I get Pom-Poms like those!?" Pinkie asked.
A little while later, everyone was finishing setting up as Rainbow Dash flew over to her team to address them and give them a pep talk about the relay.
"Alright team, need I remind you of what our goal is here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Uh, maybe?" Bulk Biceps asked.
"We need to qualify for the Equestria Games." Rainbow Dash said. "We must be one of the four teams to cross the finish line first. Bulk Biceps, you'll be the first flier, so let me see you fly!"
Bulk Biceps then started to flapp his wings, slowly going up and flying as fast he could while showing off his muscles, but one of Applejacks pasteries went up and smacked him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, so Rainbow Dash went over to see what happened and avoided getting hit herself and looked down at her with a scowl.
"Sorry, kinda got the idea from them." Applejack said, pointing to another team who was working with the Wonderbolts and launching their own pastries into the air, which Spitfire and Fleetfoot got the pasteries, eating them on the fly. "But it seems they got better aim than I do."
"I admit, it's actually a good idea." Rainbow Dash said. "See if you can practice a bit more on it. As for you two, the aim of the relay is to pass the baton, whoch it needs to be seamless. Try not to miss a wing beat or a hair in altitude. And above all, don't drop the baton, no matter what."
She then gave the baton to Bulk Biceps, who seemed a little nervous as Fluttershy flew up to her team.
"You sure you're really, really, really ready?" Fluttershy asked, seeing how nervous Bulk Biceps was as he was shaking. "I mean, I don't want to take it from you if you're not ready."
"Ready!?" Bulk Biceps shouted.
The two extended their forelegs and Bulk Biceps passed the baton to Fluttershy without a problem, but a moment later, Fluttershy started to fumble the baton and it fell to the ground right in front of Rarity, who used her magic to pick it up.
"Oh, Ponyville can do so much better." Rarity said, trotting off. "I'll be back with a freshly painted one in no time."
"We were using that!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Besides, it's not like anypony else has color coordinated horse shoes!" However, a moment later, she looked over to the Wonderbolts and they had a yellow and cyan colored horseshoe, loosing her confidence as she levtated down to the ground, kicking a stone in defeat. "I guess some ponies do."
"Some ponies do what?" Twilight asked.
"I guess I have a better chance of qualifying and going to the Equestria Games than others." Rainbow Dash said, walking away with her team.
"Is she going to be ok?" Twilight asked.
"What do your instincts say Twilight?" Spyro asked.
"Well, I know she's tough and confident." Twilight replied. "But I think she's starting to feel like her chances of succeeding are going away. She feels... worried."
"Good." Spyro said. "You're ability to use the Force is getting stronger. We'll focus on your powers when we get back to Ponyville. For now, I'm going to check on Rainbow Dash and make sure she doesn't do anything dumb." He then walked away and went to his friends, but the world then paused and he looked back at the audience with a look that said he already knew something was going to happen. "And by dumb, I mean something that might get her into trouble."
The world then unpaused itself and he ran after his friends to make sure nothing happened to them. Elsewhere, near the Wonderbolts station where the members of the Wonderbolts were either relaxing or out practicing, weaving through the horseshoe shaped hooves.
"Watch and learn you guys." Rainbow Dash said. "The Cloudsdales are Wonderbolts and the Wonderbolts are the best fliers that are around. And they're my personal heroes, so maybe you guys can learn something from them." She then turned away from them as Spyro walked over, looking up and watching the Wonderbolts. "Please learn something."
Spyro then looked up and saw that Soarin was flying around through the rainbow colored hoops that were in the air while Spitfire was getting a massage while Fleetfoot was watching him fly around in a trainers uniform, but he could sense that they didn't have much confidence in their team mate as he closed his eyes and listened in on what they were saying.
"Come on Soarin, in up the pace!" Fleetfoot exclaimed. "You're better than that!"
"He better be." Spitfire said. "We need all the speed we can get to qualify."
"So they doubt their teammate." Spyro said to himself, opening his eyes. "Not much of a team if you doubt one another. The teams only strong as their trust in one another."
"Practice, practice, yeah!" The cheerleaders said, doing a routine.
However, as they did the routine, Soarin got distracted as he pulled his goggled off his eyes, watching the cheerleaders, but as he looked back, he ended up hitting the ring, his wing catching on the hoop and caused him to fall to the ground while everyone was watching, falling and nearly hitting the ground, but Rainbow Dash acted quickly and caught him before the injured pony could hit the ground, landing carefully and allowed Soaring to hop off, waving his wing to see how bad it was and winced in pain while everyone was cheering for her.
"Well done RD." Spyro said. "That's a pretty nice save."
"As good as any Wonderbolt." Spitfire said.
"Oh Rainbow Dash, I'm so proud of you." Fluttershy said. "You managed to scoop Soarin out of the sky before he could hit the ground, bringing him to safety. And now he's alright."
"Mostly." Spyro said, examining his wing. "He clipped his wing and hurt it pretty badly."
"But will it be alright by the competition!?" Soarin asked.
"Well, it all depends on how badly you hit it." Spyro replied, seeing the wing. "Thankfully it's only a little sprained, so you should be back in the air within a couple of days at the most."
"A couple of days!?" Spitfire shouted.
"Don't worry, he'll be back in time for the competition." Spyro said as a medical cart came by. "He just needs to rest his wing and he'll be as good as new."
Soarin then climbed up onto the cart and laid down, smiling at Rainbow Dash and Spyro as he got on.
"Thanks Rainbow Dash." Soarin said. "You're the best."
"Aw, it was nothing." Rainbow Dash replied. "But if you ever do want to talk about how awesome I am, don't let me stop you."
"YEAH, RAINBOW DASH!" Bulk biceps shouted, spooking her.
"Tough break to loose a teammate before the tryouts." Rainbow Dash said. "Well, hopefully he'll get better soon."
However, the two pegasi looked at one another, smiling as they nodded before putting their glasses back on.
"You know, we could use your help." Fleetfoot said.
"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You originally grew up in Cloudsdale, so you could fly for us." Spitfire said.
"Er, she means practice." Fleetfoot said, saving them. "She means you could practice with us until Soarin get's better."
"So, what do you say?" Spitfire asked. "Would you like to be our third?"
Rainbow Dash was surprised that they wanted her to be apart of their team, looking to her team and seeing Bulk Biceps flexxing his muscles while her friends were busying themselves with setting everything up or getting ready, but she noticed Spyro was helping, but also his ears were turning, listening in on the conversation.
"Uh, I don't know." Rainbow Dash said. "My team needs me to be in top shape in order to qualify for the games. Don't want to be too worn out when the tryouts happen."
"We put you through some serious workouts back at the Wonderbolts academy and you came out pretty well." Spitfire replied.
"Heh, well, Guess I did kick some major tail at the academy." Rainbow Dash said, looking back and seeing that Spyro was giving her a warning look. "Eh, but I don't know how my team will feel with me practicing woth the competition."
"And who says they need to know?" Fleetfoot asked, looking to the field. "This is basically your chance to fly with the winners."
Rainbow Dash was looking to the racing field, seeing that there were teams that were already practicing for the race, looking back to her team and seeing that Bulk Biceps was still flexing his muscles while Fluttershy was conversing with a butterfly, starting to have second thoughts about her team while Spyro was listening in on the conversation, not liking where it was going when another pony came up to him.
"Excuse me your highness." The pony said, getting his attention. "The princess would like for you to oversee try outs for the new event that will be in the games this year."
"Alright, I'll be there." Spyro said, looking back and seeing that Rainbow Dash was walking away with the Wonderbolts and already knew she was going to practice with them, wanting to go after her, but knew it would be pointless and went with the official.
Elsewhere near an arena, Spyro was approaching it and saw that there were a lot of ponies and mythical creatures of other species standing there, awaiting to try out for the Struggle event, chatting with one another as Spyro went in through another entry way, walking with the official until he came to the arena itself, with many more participants coming in to see what the event was all about while Spyro waited in the entry way, seeing another official wearing a red and white jacket getting some of the things needed for the matches.
"Spyro?" A voice said, looking to his right and seeing Mandy, Ducky, and Jade walking to him.
"Mandy?" Spyro asked. "Ducky? Jade? What are you girls doing here?"
"We came here to participate int he games." Ducky replied. "We wanted to have some fun while in we're stuck in this place."
"Plus, when we heard about this Struggle event, I knew it had to be something we needed to tryout for." Jade said. "I tried to get Yang and Ruby to come along, but they were stuck working on the farm."
"Eh, just as well." Spyro said. "I saw their abilities and they would have an unfair advantage. In this event, no powers are allowed, except for the unicorns magic to hold onto their weapons, no other kinds of magic is allowed or wings for that matter."
"Huh, thanks for the inside information bud." Mandy said.
"Your highness." An official said, walking to him. "We're about ready."
"Alright, thanks for letting em know." Spyro said as he left and looked to his friends. "You guys better get back with the other participants if you want to hear the rules and how the game will be played."
"Sure thing." Jade said. "See you on the stage."
The three of them then returned to the group of participants that was wanting to try out for the Struggle event while Spyro took in a deep breath as he went to the stage, heading to the back of it as another official walked up to the microphone, tapping it to get everyone's attention.
"Alright everypoy, can I have your attention please?" The offical asked, getting their attention. "I know you're all excited for the games and for this new event that the princess is planning on bringing into the games. This event was suggested by our local prince, who is with us today to explain the rules of the game and how it goes." The crowd then started to whisper, surprised to hear that Spyro was there at the tryouts to explain how Struggle would go. "And now, without further ado, I present to you the Prince of Light and Darkness himself, Spyro VanVickle!"
As he said it, clouds of dark mist appeared out from underneath the stage and moved up, spooking the official as he backed away, but then a stream of light shot out, flying high into the air and shining out to dispel the dark mist, the light hitting the stage as Spyro came out of it, smiling to everyone as they all gazed at him.
"Thanks for the introduction bud." Spyro said as he bowed to him. "Now allow me to take over from here." He then looked to everyone who was eagerly awaiting to hear how the event would go, Spyro's horns glowing gold before turning purple as dark clouds appeared above them, moving down behind him to create a couple of projections of ponies, one blue and the other red, each holding a practice sword. "Struggle is straight forward. The aim of the game is to have the most orbs at the end of sixty seconds."
"Sixty seconds?" A griffon asked. "That's not very long."
"These rounds aren't meant to last long at all." Spyro responded as several colored orbs appeared. "How do I get these orbs you might ask. Well it's simple." The orbs were then absorbed by each pony, each orb going to the color of the projection. "You get them from your opponent. The aim of the game is to hit your opponent to make them drop their orbs. Each player will have one hundred orbs. You can either collect the most orbs and wait for time to run out, or you can knock your opponent out or out of the ring. Whoever wins moves on to the next round. However, seeing as some of the participants we have are unicorns or those with wings, there will be restrictions."
"What kind of restrictions?" A unicorn asked.
"Well, for starters, unicorns are only allowed to use their magic to hold their weapon, no other magic is allowed." Spyro replied. "No teleportation, no shields, nothing else than that. As for those with wings, you're not allowed to fly during your match unless you're against another flier. If any of you break these rules, you're disqualified and out of the games."
"Huh, who knew this guy was such a stiff." A griffon said, making others laugh.
"Laugh it up ladies and gents." Spyro said. "Laught it up. But remember, whoever wins has a chance to face me and have a chance at being called the King, or Queen, of Struggle, having bragging rights for a whole year."
"Wait, seriously!?" Another griffon asked.
"Heh, well then, what are we waiting for?" Another griffon asked. "Let's get this shindig started!"
"Glad to see how enthusiastic you are lads." Spyro said as the clouds disappeared. "In these tryouts, we'll have what I call 'Elimination rounds.' Which it means you'll be fighting one another in these tryouts to see who will be going onto the games. The winners will go to the games, the loosers will be going home with bruises."
"BRING IT ON!" A minotaur shouted, flexing his muscles.
"Well then, let the games begin." Spyro said.
Spyro then went over to an elevated section of the arena to watch the matches to see who would be going on, watching each of the matches to make sure that everyone there was abiding by the rules, which he did catch a few cheaters and they were immediately disqualified, giving their opponent a clear ride to the games. At the end of the day, about eighty came in to try out and fourty qualified to participate, which Mandy, Jade, and Ducky qualified, no surprise there, while some of the griffons that looked pumped for the games also passed and were moving on and many more from varying species came to participate in the games. However, the next day, Spyro was walking out from his sleeping quarters as more participants came in to try out for the games, many of which hearing about the new Struggle event and wanted to try out for it and claim the right to face him, which he was on his way to see them tryout, or more like fight for a place in the event, when he saw that Fluttershy and Bulk Bicpes were practicing, not seeing Rainbow Dash there and went over to them.
"Hey there fliers." Spyro said, getting their attention. "Where's Rainbow Dash?"
"I don't know." Fluttershy replied. "She was helping Bulk Biceps and then went to get something to drink, but hasn't been back since."
Spyro looked around to see where Rainbow Dash was at, finding her practicing with the Wonderbolts and glarred at them.
"I might have an idea where she's at." Spyro said. "I'll go and see what's holding her up. You guys focus on practicing until then. Bulk, maybe instead of flying in back first, try going through straight and true to avoid adding more time to your teams score."
"YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA!" Bulk Biceps shouted, going to the hoops.
As both ponies left to continue practice, Spyro looked ot the Wonderbolts and saw that Rainbow Dash was finished practicing, heading behind the trees to undress and go to the pond to get something to drink, which the water evaporated from her hoof and caught her off guard.
"Care to explain why you're practicing with the Wonderbolts and not with your team?" Spyro asked.
"You know!?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking around. "Does anypony else know?"
"I know." Twilight said, walking up. "But everypony else is too busy practicing to notice you disappearing everytime they aren't looking."
"Look, I noticed the other teams practicing, and we're still going to qualify." Rainbow Dash said. "I can pick up the pace for everypony else."
"But it just seems to me that one of the teams you're on needs more help than the other." Twilight said.
"Twilight's right Rainbow, you're team needs your help, not the Wonderbolts." Spyro said.
"But it's so much more fun to work out with the winners." Rainbow Dash said. "Besides, ponyville will still qualify."
"I wouldn't count on that." Spyro said. "You're exhausted and you can't be apart of two teams."
"Rainbow Dash, got a minute?" Spitfire asked.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Rainbow Dash said, going over to them.
"You're a great asset to our team." Fleetfoot said. "So, we'd like to have you join the Cloudsdale team, permanently."
"Wait, for real!?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly. "Wait, what about Soarin?"
"I'm afraid his wing won't heal in time for the qualifier." Spitfire replied. "So we'd like to have you join our team."
"However, it means you won't be able to fly for the Ponyville team." Fleetfoot said, shocking them as she looked to her team from Ponyville. "Besides, even with you on their team, their chances of qualifying for the games are slim to none."
Spyro was enraged by what Spitfire said, seeing how unsure Rainbow Dash was, but he was more furious with the fact that they were trying to get their friend to join them.
"Well, what's it going to be?" Spitfire asked, Rainbow Dash looking nervous as she didn't know what to say. "Take some time to think about it."
The two wonderbolts then flew off to return to their area, leaving Rainbow Dash behind as she cheered and flew around both Spyro and Twilight.
"Did you hear that!?" Rainbow Dash asked. "They want me to fly for them! It's a dream come true."
"Yeah, but what about your team for Ponyville?" Spyro asked. "If you leave, they'll be down a flier and won't be able to qualify, breaking everyone's hearts. Even Fluttershy and Pinkie."
"Spyro's right." Twilight said. "If you fly for Cloudsdale, Pinkie Pie won't have anypony to cheer for, the uniforms Rarity's been working on will never be seen, and Applejack's Apple Brown Betties that she worked so hard on will have been for nothing."
"But... but I want to fly wiht the best team." Rainbow Dash said, flapping her wings to just get off the ground and hover towards them. "What do I do?"
"I'm afraid this is a decision you have to make on your own." Twilight replied. "Your friends, or your heroes." They both then started to walk away, leaving Rainbow Dash alone as they went back to their friends. "The race is tomorrow. You better make your decision soon."
The two royals walked away from Rainbow Dash, who then sat down on the ground while they walked away from them, looking like the entire world had just ended for her as they walked away.
"Good choice of words Twilight." Spyro said. "You're sounding more and more like a Jedi everyday."
"Thanks, but I'm worried about Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. "She's get a very difficult choice to make. Will she choose to fly for Cloudsdale or for Ponyville?"
"I have no doubt she'll pull through for her friends." Spyro said. "She'll make the right choice. I'm sure of it. But..."
"But what?" Twilight asked.
"I'm surprised they gave up on Soarin so quickly." Spyro said. "They heard me say his wing would heal in time for the race. Why are they saying that he won't make it?"
"You smell a rat, don't you?" Twilight asked.
"Actually this place is rat free." Spyro said, making her chuckle. "But yes, something is rotten in Denmark and I'm going to find out why."
He then walked ahead of Twilight, turning away from his friend and heading towards the medical wing, seeing a few of the other participants there, some suffering from exhaustion and others from getting bruises, but as he approached, he saw that Soarin was removing the bandages from his wing and moving it to see if he could still feel the pain before he spotted him.
"Spyro!" Soarin said, walking to him.
"Hey Soarin." Spyro said. "How's the wing?"
"Much better actually." Soarin replied. "And just in time for the race tomorrow."
"So you don't know then, do you?" Spyro asked.
"Know what?" Soarin asked, looking confused.
"That your team is trying to get Rainbow Dash to fly for them." Spyro replied.
"What!?" Soarin asked. "But why!?"
"They said your wing wouldn't heal in time for the race tomorrow." Spyro replied.
"But... the doctor said I'm good to go for tomorrow." Soarin said, looking disappointed. "Why would they do this?"
"They want to guarantee they qualify, no matter what." Spyro replied. "Even if it means replacing a teammate."
"They can;t do this to me." Soarin said. "I'm a Wonderbolt. We're a team."
"A team is only as strong as it's weakest link and as strong as the trust they put into the team." Spyro replied. "But if I know Rainbow Dash, she'll choose her friends over them." He then put his hoof on Soarin's shoulder, giving him a friendly smile. "Don't worry, everything will work out int he end. I know it."
He then removed his hoof from Soarin's shoulder and walked out, leaving the disappointed stallion alone in the medical wing with the other patients as he left. The next day, Spyro was coming out of his tent and saw the two other Wonderbolts just getting up and heading out to practice, which he glarred at them and went over to talk to them.
"Oh, morning Spyro." Spitfire said. "Ready to see us qualify?"
"Actually, I came over to talk with you about yesterday." Spyro said, giving them a stern look.
"If you're refering to us asking Rainbow Dash to join us, I think she'll make the right choice." Fleetfoot said. "I mean, the team she is on will barely be able to qualify. Why risk being unable to qualify when you have a guarantee chance to make it into the games?"
"I think I know Rainbow Dash better than you think you do." Spyro said. "She'll always come through for her friends, no matter the odds."
"Oh, ow." Rainbow Dash said, everyone looking to her and seeing she was all bandaged up and in a wheelchair, everyone gathering around to see what had happened. "Oh wow is me!"
"Rainbow, what happened?" Fluttershy asked.
"I... I hurt my hoof." Rainbow Dash said, holding up her foreleg.
Spyro was looking at Rainbow Dash, seeing the bandaged hooves and then to her midsection and her wings, sensing how bad the injury as, but felt nothing, raising an eyebrow.
"All four of them?" Spyro asked.
A moment later, the entire area paused as it then fliped to another page, but instead of it being Spyro, it was Rainbow Dash who was moving, except she was standing in front of a wheel with multiple colors on it and a lever, Rainbow Dash looking around to figure out where she was.
"And not, it's time to play 'Wheel of Excuses!'" A voice said, Rainbow Dash spinning the wheel and landed on her slamming into a post. "You slammed into a post while practicing!"
"Eh, lame, let's go for something cooler." Rainbow Dash said, spinning the wheel again and it stopped on her getting hit in the head by a beehive.
"You ran into a beehive trying to help a fellow contestant!" The voice said.
"Eh, better, but let's try one more." Rainbow Dash said, spinnig again and landing on her with a question mark over her head.
"Make up a questionable excuse!" The voice said, which it glowed and the world returned to her and the world resumed.
"I uh, I tripped on a foam hoof." Rainbow Dash said. "And landed on a, uh, a pokey stick coming out from the ground."
Spyro was not buying what she was putting down, his eyebrow raised high as it could while she tried to make it look convincing while Pinkie was growling in rage.
"Oh, if I ever find that foam hoof and the stick that did this, where ever they are, THEY'LL BE IN BIG TROUBLE!" Pinkie shouted.
"There is no way I'll get better before the tryouts." Rainbow Dash said.
"Leave that to me." Spyro said, lifting his hoof and smiling. "I can fix you up in no time."
"Uh, no thanks, I'm good." Rainbow Dash said, pretending to fall over and be in pain. "I doubt I'll ever be able to fly again."
"Geez, looks like someone didn't take their courses in drama class." Spyro said, rolling his eyes.
"I just need a little rest." Rainbow Dash said as Fluttershy pulled her up and back into the wheelchair.
"Oh, don't worry Rainbow Dash, we'll take care of you." Fluttershy said. "Or at least somepony will, like a medic, a doctor, or a nurse."
Rainbow Dash looked extremely nervous after hearing that as Fluttershy pushed her friend to the medical area, where she was put into the bed and her limbs were hanging in the air while their friends were around her. Twilight was looking at the readings, she too not buying Rainbow Dash's act as both of them looked at Rainbow Dash with quizzical looks.
"So, the doctor said he couldn't find anything wrong with you." Twilight said.
"Everything." Rainbow Dash said. "Absolutely everything is wrong with me!"
"Hey AJ, maybe one of your Apple Brown Betties can help." Spyro suggested.
"That's a swell idea!" Applejack said, feeding her one of her pastries. "That'll cure you what ails ya."
"Thanks AJ." Rainbow Dash said. "I couldn't have done that without you."
"Well, I have somethign that'll bring a bit of pizzazz to your stay." Rarity said, bringing out a glittering silk bandage. "Silk slings and a glittery bandage."
She then used it to wrap around her foreleg, bringing a bit of color as Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps walked in.
"And how's our patient doing?" Fluttershy asked.
"I've been better." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Well, we're here to say that we're sorry that you got hurt." Fluttershy said. "And to let you know that you shouldn't worry about not being in the tryouts. I asked the officials and they said that Spyro can actually participate in the relay. That is, if he want's to."
"Wait, are you serious!?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah, they're willing to bend the rules a little." Fluttershy replied. "Provided he keeps his bracers on." She then walked over to be beside her friend, putting her hoof on the bedside. "We're so, so sorry that you couldn't compete. We all know how much you love to fly. And we promise..."
"CROSS OUR HEARTS!" Bulk Biceps shouted.
"That if we make it to the Equestria games and win all gold medals, you can have ours." Fluttershy said. "Because we know how much a gold medal means to you."
"T-thanks." Rainbow Dash said, feeling aweful about decieving her friends as she laid there.
"I think Rainbow Dash needs some time to rest." Twilight said, which everyone agreed and walked out, except for both her and Spyro as they remained inside with her. "You know Rainbow Dash, choosing not to choose isn't a choice."
"But... I really didn't want to choose between them." Rainbow Dash said. "Besides, you heard what Fluttershy said. Spyro can participate in my place."
"Maybe, but when everyone finds out you lied about being hurt, then you'll be left without anyone to count on." Spyro said. "Spitfire and Fleetfoot were ready to abandon their teammate, will you do the same by faking these injuries and leaving your friends in the wind?"
They both then walked out of the room, leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the room to think about everything that they said, knowing what she was doing as wrong as Soarin walked in after them.
"You know, you got yourself a great group of friends." Soaring said, walking in. "No one ever came to visit me besides Spyro."
"Soarin, you're wing's all better!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah, it is." Soarin said. "Spyro told me about what my team was trying to do and, well, I understand where they're coming at, but it really hurts you know."
"But... they told me you wouldn't be fully healed and ready for the tryouts." Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah, I went to them to confront them, but they said they were worried I wouldn't be one hundred percent ready for the relay." Soarin replied. "Saying they were gonna replace me with somepony else."
"Somepony like me!" Rainbow Dash said in shock. "At least, well, until I got hurt."
"Then we're both out of luck." Soarin said. "Cloudsdale won't qualify without three fliers and Ponyville may not qualify without you."
"But... Spyro's with them." Rainbow Dash said. "He's very fast!"
"Yeah, but those things on his foreleg restrict him, don't they?" Soarin asked, which Rainbow Dash knew he was right as he walked out. "Still, I hope Ponyville can qualify. After all, you're home deserves to qualify."
Soaring then left the room, leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the room as she was starting to regret coming up with this horrible idea, thinking how she could fix this when a light shined into a pitcher of water, creating a rainbow that traveled across the floor and towards a flag that represented Ponyville, the rainbow shining on the flag as she then felt something awaken in her, a rainbow shining in her eyes for a moment as she now knew what she needed to do and got out of the bed and threw the bandages away to catch up with her friends. Outside, Spyro was getting ready with his team to fly in the relay race in Rainbow Dash's place, putting on the uniform Rarity had to quickly alter to fit him, but it seemed to be more like a dress, but he had to deal with it and get ready to go and fly when they all spotted Rainbow Dash walking out, surprising everyone but Spyro as she was walking.
"Is that Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. "And is she walking?"
"Looks like she's made her choice." Spyro said smiling as he watched her walk to the Wonderbolts, who were equally as shocked that she was walking again.
"Rainbow Dash!?" Spitfire asked. "You're... you're walking again?"
"Does this mean you're feeling better?" Fleetfoots asked.
"Actually, I wasn't injured in the first place." Rainbow Dash replied. Everyone but Spyro and Twilight gasped, realizing she lied to them as they stood there and starred at Rainbow Dash. "I faked my injuries so that I wouldn't have to choose between flying for Cloudsdale or Ponyville. I wanted to fly with boht, but the decision was too hard."
"Oh Rainbow Dash, you don't have to choose us." Fluttershy said. "I know how much you want to win and you should go with the team that surely will."
"Yeah, I am." Rainbow Dash said. "I now know who I should have been loyal to."
"Good choice." Spitfire said. "Always stick with the winners."
"Actually, I'm staying with Ponyville." Rainbow Dash, surprising them. "It's not just where I live, but it's where my friends, and the pony I love are. They're the ponies that really care about me, whether I can help them win a race or not."
Everyone then cheered for their friend, all hugging her for being loyal to her team while Spitfire and Fleetfoot looked a little disappointed.
"You sure that's the right decision?" Spitfire asked.
"Yeah, because I know the truth!" Rainbow Dash Exclaimed, spooking them. "Soarin came to my room while I was faking my injuries! His wing is all better! You lied to me, saying he wouldn't be ready in time for the relay today, but his wing's all better!" At that moment, Soarin came up, looking ticked off as he sat down and crossed his forelegs. "You maybe a winning team, but you're not the team I want to be apart of. A team is only as strong as their weakest link and the trust they give their teammates."
"Huh, Rainbow Dash, you are definitely something." Spitfire said, remiving her glasses and smiling. "I saw it at the academy and I'm seeing it again here. The Wonderbolts could learn a lot from a competitor like you."
"I think we already have." Fleet foot said.
Spitfire then walked over to Soarin, who turned his head away from them as Spitfire stopped.
"You ready to fly?" Spitfire asked.
"And what makes you think I would want to fly with you again?" Soarin asked.
"Look, I get it." Spitfire said. "I shouldn't have lied to you and should have trusted you a bit more instead of worrying about being the best. A team's only as strong as the amount of trust you have in your teammates."
Soarin looked back at Spitfire, seeing how remorseful for her decision and smiled.
"Well, in that case..." Soaring said, leaping into the air and flying. "For Cloudsdale!"
The other Wonderbolts then flew into the air after him, Rainbow Dash looking back to her team.
"Come on Ponyville, we got a relay to win!" Rainbow Dash said. "Eh, you can leave the suits behind."
"I actually agree with you Rainbow darling." Rarity said, using her magic to remove the relay suit off of Spyro. "It's definitely not my best design."
"Eh, at least you tried and... and... and..." Spyro said.
He was funbling with his worlds as he saw Twilight and Pinkie pie in their cheerleader outfits, yellow and purple in color and rainbow colored Pom-Poms, Twilight walking over to them as Spyro's entire face was beet red.
"Well, what do you think?" Twilight asked.
"It.. it... hot." Spyro said, face smacking himself mentally as he looked and sounded like an idiot.
"Aw, you're sweet Spyro." Twilight said, giving him a loving look. "Though, if you want, we could make some, 'alterations' to it." A second later, Spyro had himself one of those nosebleeds from the Naruto series and fell down, passing out while everyone looked at him with worry, seeing how red his face was, the goofy, yet happy look on his face and his limbs were twitching a bit. "Uh, maybe it's fine the way it is."
During the relay race, the Wonderbolts managed to qualify with plenty of time while Ponyville was doing their best, Bulk Biceps taking Spyro's advise and going in through the hoops with his forelegs first, going as straight as possible before passing the baton to the Fluttershy, who fumbled with it a bit before going on, her friends cheering while Spyro was watchign the time, seeing that they were running out and looked to Fluttershy, seeing she was going through each of the multicolored hoops before passing the baton to Rainbow Dash, who was zipping through the rainbow hoops that were int he air before shooting straight up, seeing that it was reaching the red area and Spyro was biting his nails, fearing they wouldn't make it, but Rainbow Dash put in whatever amount of strength and speed she had left to fly straight up and passed through the clouds that acted as the finish line, the referee stopping the clock and looking at it, everyone fearing they didn't qualify as the Ref looked back.
"Ponyville qualifies!" The ref said.
Everyone on the ground cheered for Rainbow Dash and her team, even members of Cloudsdale cheered for them as Rainbow Dash and her team, which everyone who qualified for the relay and were given medals for making it and qualifying for the relay race and when they reached Rainbow Dash and her team, they got their medals, but as they got their medals, Spitfire came over and tapped Rainbow Dash on the shoulder, getting her attention.
"You're definitely something Rainbow Dash." Spitfire said, taking off her badge and giving to Rainbow Dash. "When the time comes, there'll be a place for you in the Wonderbolts."
"Gee, thanks." Rainbow Dash said.
The Wonderbolts then left, heading back to Cloudsdale as their her friends walked over, but as they did, Spyro noticed that the badge glowed for a second as a rainbow passed over it, stopping for a moment and wondering what that was about as the others gathered around her.
"Hey Spyro, what are you waiting for?" Twilight asked. "Come on, they're about to take the photo!"
"Oh, right, sorry." Spyro said, walking over and getting into position as they were about to take the photo.
"Equestria Games here we come!" Twilight said.
The official then snapped the photo, everyone taking home a copy and were on their way back to Ponyville, everyone sitting together on the train as they made their way home.
"Looks like you got something to write in the journal about." Spyro said, looking at Rainbow Dash.
"Heh, guess I do." Rainbow Dash said. "I do love winning, but if it came down to my friends or being able to win, I'd always choose my friends, no matter what."
"And we're proud of you for making that choice Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. "Hey, whose hungry? I'm famished."
"That makes two of us." Applejack said. "Though that could be due to the baby."
"Whatever the case, let's eat!" Rainbow Dash said, everyone walking to the dining car, looking back at Spyro as he was thinking about somthing. "You coming?"
"Yeah, but I'd like to ask you something Rainbow." Spyro said, walking to her as everyone else besides Rarity, who was packing the terrible team suits away, went ahead. "During or before the relay, did you feel like there was something that was telling you to be true to yourself or had a feeling of something like that?"
"Now that you mention it, there was a rainbow that moved over the flag for Ponyville and I felt like something sparked in me." Rainbow Dash replied. "It was after you guys left and I felt like I needed to be true to myself and my friends, something that told me my friends meant more to me than anything."
"The same thing happened to me." Rarity said. "It was during the fashion show in Manehatten, saying that ]my friends meant everything to me and something awoke in me."
"Interesting." Spyro said.
"What does it mean Spyro?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know." Spyro replied. "But did you get anything after that happened?"
"Yes, a spool of rainbow colored thread." Rarity replied. "Is it important?"
"I don't know yet." Spyro replied. "But make sure you keep it. Something tells me it's more important than we think."
He then walked to the dining car, Rainbow Dasha nd Rarity looking at one another and wondering what the spool of thread had that made it important as they followed him to the dining car to get something to eat.