Usually when the day's lessons ended, Firefly dismissed them and was off and away, but today she had them get into line up one more time. Gilda noticed that she looked agitated as she started to speak, "There's a rule here that I hadn't brought up, because I had hoped I wouldn't need to. But certain rumors have reached me today and let me be perfectly clear; there is to be no fighting in this camp."
Gilda involuntarily gulped and looked over at Dash who was chewing her lower lip nervously. Gilda didn't dare to look at Stormy as Firefly continued, "I'm not naming any names because the rule wasn't made clear to you until now. Anyone caught fighting by me or any of the other instructors will be expelled from the camp. There are no acceptable excuses and there will be no exceptions. You are all dismissed." And with that, she was gone into the sky.
After the others had scattered and Dash and Gilda were alone, Gilda was the first to speak, "I was this close to freaking back there. You?"
Dash made a dismissive gesture with her right foreleg. "No way. I mean, if they'd punish you just for knocking that jerk on his butt, then this place isn't good enough for you anyway."
Gilda was a little hurt by Dash's dismissal, but hid it. "You're probably right, but it would totally bite to be kicked out just as I was getting to know you."
Dash laughed and Gilda worried that she'd been too mushy when Dash said, "I wouldn't worry about that. If this place isn't good enough for you then it's DEFFINETLY not good enough for me. We'd take off together, make our own camp for only the coolest of the cool."
Gilda was waiting for some sort of punch line, but when none came she asked, "You mean that?"
Dash just smiled and said, "Yeah."
The walk back to their bunks was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. However, once they got to they point where they had to split off Dash started to act a bit awkward.
"Hey Gilda, we have a free day tomorrow and I was wondering if you'd want to maybe hang out with me... So do you?"
Gilda was surprised that Dash could seem shy about anything, but quickly said yes. They agreed to meet where they had talked the night before. Gilda was almost too excited to sleep despite the long and exhausting day.
Over the next several days the two got to know each other quite well, talking all about their families and homes. Rainbow was surprised to find that Gilda was as curious about daily pony life as she was about a griffon's. When they weren't talking and making jokes, they'd come up with new moves.
"Gilda, I noticed that when you were running super fast, you were still using your wings. How do you do that without taking off?"
"I'm only able to do it cause I'm also digging my claws into the ground and each step is more like a huge pounce."
"Hmmm, I don't think I could pull that off unless I got some custom horse shoes made. But maybe I could take the concept and do a kind of Super Speed Strut."
Every morning they'd wake up and try to out do one another with more and ridiculous move for the Junior Speedsters chant before heading for their lessons. Even the daily tests with Stormy had gained a not unpleasant pattern. Some days she'd do better and Stormy wouldn't look at her while Dash would give a congratulatory smile or hoof bump. Some days he'd do better and would get that smug look on his face which Dash would mock from behind him.
After a week, the personal testing had reached it's final stage. A massive obstacle course was set up stretching around the field and even into a series of cloud rings. The entire day was devoted to the pairs going through the obstacle course.
After her run, Gilda was exhausted, but ecstatic. Gilda had completely wiped the floor with Stormy. After everyone was done Firefly took each of the campers aside and told them which tier they were in and Gilda was blown away to find out she was in the top three.
"And that concludes the first part of Junior Speedsters," Firefly addressed the full line up. "You will now be divided into class groups of ten so as to better suit the skills and needs of each of you. I've already told you all your grouping, you are dismissed."
Gilda ran to Dash afterwards to tell her only to find her pacing furiously. "What's wrong, Dash?"
Dash exploded, "It's Heart Throb, she beat me! I screwed up on the ground portion when I tried to do the Super Speed Strut. And she just would not stop going on about it. Talking about how "superior breeding" lead to her victory! She only beat me by a few seconds and I still made it in the top three!"
Gilda didn't like Dash being so mad, even if wasn't at her. Something else was bothering her as well, "So what was you final time?"
"Five minutes twenty seconds. And she still acted like her five and seventeen was so impressive. Ugh, I'm just getting myself madder. Anyway, how did you do?"
Gilda felt a small lump in her throat that she had to swallow before she could speak, "Five and thirty five, but I'm just glad I don't have to work with Stormy ever again." The last part was true at least. After seeing how angry Dash got at being beaten by a few seconds, Gilda didn't dare tell her that she had actually beaten Dash's time by close to a minute.
As they started the walk back Dash's angry demeanor relaxed and she stepped in front of Gilda with a sly look in her eye, "Hey Gilda, you wanna help me get back at that stuck up Heart Throb?"
Gilda was surprised, she hadn't seen this side of Rainbow before. But she was just glad she wasn't mad anymore. "What do you want me to do, rough her up for you," she asked standing on her hind legs and punching the air.
Rainbow Dash laughed and expressed mock consideration, "Tempting, but I have a better idea..."
The next morning Heart Throb got out of bed and headed straight to her vanity mirror as she did every morning. She began her routine arranging of her various make ups, but then caught sight of something terrible. It was her reflection, the fur of her face had been dyed in garish and clashing colours making her look like a clown after a funeral. She immediately shoved her face into the wash basin and begin scrubbing vigorously, but began shrieking after looking in the mirror again. "It won't come off! It! Won't! Come! Off!"
She never noticed the two figures peeking into her window, suppressing their laughter.
Later, and far away from the panicked pegasus, the two let fully loose their laughter.
"That was great, Gilda! Are you sure that's the first prank you pulled? You were a natural!"
"Not enough griffons to go around pranking without getting caught. It was slow work getting the dye to set without waking her up, but her face made it so worth it."
Rainbow got the most mischievous look on her face when she next spoke, "Ya know, with the classes broken up, we're gonna have a lot more free time. You get me?"
"Oh I got you, Dash!"
The two girls then fell to the ground rolling with laughter until they had ended up as entangled as when they first met. They spent the next several hours scheming and deciding on the whos and whens.
Over the next several days many a camper found their possessions hidden or covered in itching or sneezing powder or even glued to the ceiling. A few woke up with mustaches either stenciled or, in once case, glued on. Some, who had been particularly rude to Gilda woke up with unwanted hair cuts.
Then one fine day, Stormy Skies found that a bucket of bucket of tar had someone ended up precariously balanced on top his door as well as a pillowcase full feathers somehow ended up blowing in his face. Gilda would say that these things do happen, but it was odd about his toothpaste being laced with hot sauce.
Despite their now much harder training sessions, Gilda found the work much easier with Dash always nearby. At the end of the lesson today, Gilda was a little worried when Dash was called over to talk privately with Firefly.
Gilda was even more worried when Dash came back with a dazed look on her face, "Don't tell me she found out who was behind the pranks!" Gilda half joked.
"No, nothing like that..."
"Then what? Another lecture about being better than everyone?"
Dash's face broke into a giddy smile, "Firefly wants me to coming during our off days and after lessons for special training. She says, that with her help, I could one day join the Wonderbolts!"
Gilda smiled and congratulated her, but she refused to ask the one question burning in her mind. 'When will you find time to spend with me?'