Chapter 7:

Dreams and Daydreams

Rarity soared in the sky on wings made of purest light amongst clouds the size of mountains. She circled round the fluffy behemoths as the cold, fresh air pierced her lungs and blew through her curled, violet mane. She came in close, allowing one of her shining wings to slice through the side of the cloud, causing a cool trickle of water to slide down onto her back. She shivered, then angled herself upward to ascend with a giddy laugh, leaving behind the clouds and everything else.

The colossal clouds were now mere dots below as Rarity hovered in the vacuum of space. She could see the curvature of the world, far on the horizon and draped in shadow. The gentle light of the sun warmed her back as she looked up to behold the stars beyond, hanging in the vastness of infinity. As she did, twelve stars began to stand out, shining brighter than the others. She felt herself being sucked forward. The other stars stretched and dimmed as they went out of her line of sight. As the new stars filled her vision, they began to connect to each other with strands of light, forming a symbol: a sideways figure eight with curved, two-pronged branches on each side.

The delicate pronged branches morphed into a set of eyelashes. The holes of the figure-eight then opened, revealing a set of familiar, vibrant blue eyes. She blinked. The eyes blinked as well. Rarity's perspective shifted as she now beheld herself from both sides. The pony and the stars stared at each other in duality.

A light appeared from the depths of the twin sets of pupils. The world turned silver.

Rarity sat bolt upright with a gasp. She looked wildly around, seeing nothing but darkness. She raised a hoof to her face and took off her sleeping mask, groaning as she glanced over at her bedside clock.

Two in the morning... check. Drenched in cold sweat... check. Thick ball of tension in the back of my head... check. Looks like the gang's all here.

She turned on the lamp on her nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a mauve journal with frayed edges and a broken spine. A peacock quill was tucked in the cover. She flipped to an open page and began to write.

Flying. Wings made of light. Giant clouds, overfilled with water. Went into space. Sun to my back. Stars. Specific stars pulled me forward. Formed a symbol. Symbol turned into eyes. My eyes. Stared at each other. Blinked in unison. Woke up. Slept total of three hours.

She stared at her writing for a while, then began to make a doodle of the symbol that she'd seen. Satisfied, she tucked the quill back in the cover. With a sigh, she got out of bed and walked over to a mauve robe hanging on the closet door. As she put it on, she cast a glance to a bookshelf on her right. On it were books on sewing, etiquette, a few fiction and romance novels, a small collection of beginner and intermediate spellbooks, and countless issues of different fashion magazines.

Rarity perused the collection, nothing catching her interest until she looked up to the very top shelf. On it by its lonesome and looking very out of place was a massive, ancient leather-bound tome. She called upon her magic and pulled down the book, glancing at its cover and laughing softly.

Advanced Abjuration Application: by Starswirl the Bearded, First Edition. Oh Twilight, you are so silly sometimes. I suppose I can't really blame you; we'd only been friends for a week, after all. Couldn't really expect you to know about my birthday, now could I? I should be grateful she got me anything at all. And this probably is rather expensive.

She put the book back up on the shelf and shook her head. I don't feel like reading; it never helps, anyway. Curse you, muse! Is this the price you demand for your services?

Rarity exited her room and walked down the lightless hallway of her home above Carousel Boutique. As she did, she saw a door to her right that was open a crack. She stuck her head in. Her ear twitched as she made out the soft, rhythmic breathing of peaceful slumber.

Rarity smiled as she withdrew. At least it's not genetic.

The lights of the Inspiration Room turned on as Rarity walked in. She went over to a set of different colored fabrics, considering each of them in turn.

I did a yellow dress last time. This one was a flying dream going into space... I'm thinking navy. Yes, definitely navy. A touch of glitter embedded in the fabric. And silver trim! Maybe silk for the fabric? On second thought, silk would look bad if it wrinkled. I'll need something stronger.

Rarity went over to her drawing board where her ruby spectacles lay. She put them on and began to draw out a design.

I want it to resemble the flow and depth of the night sky. A Shimmer spell would work for that. I'll need to get out my spellbook. Maybe a touch of black? No, too grim and formal. What would give it a mystical feel... ah, a hint of violet in the Shimmer spell. Perfect. This is going to look astoun—what in the world?

Rarity had been lost in her brainstorming and hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing. She looked down to see she had drawn only one thing: the sideways branched figure eight from her dream.

She looked down at the symbol with pursed lips. Just can't get away from that, can you, muse? Fine. I'll make it as a necklace to go with the ensemble. Maybe that will satiate you.

She began to draw again, this time paying more attention to what she was doing. The symbol turned into my eyes. My eyes are blue... sapphires! Marvelous. That will look amazing with the dress. I'm going with a darker motif here. Perhaps silver for the framework? Not sure if I have any, though. It's been a while since I made any jewelry. I'll have to check my stores...

( *** )

The Inspiration Room was a flurry of activity as Rarity worked. She hummed softly to herself as she fitted a mannequin with a dark blue dress that rolled with waves of violet light as one's perspective changed. A needle and thread hovered in a blue aura.

Hmm, might need to redo the stitching on the left side. I think I see a loose seam... no, that's just the spell. I really should have waited to do that last. Let's see, now to saturate it with glitter. Glitter? What was I thinking? Crushed gemstones! YES! That will be, dare I say, heaven—

"Rarity?"

She turned to see Sweetie Belle rubbing her eyes, standing at the door in her pajamas.

"Sweetie!" She put down the sewing tools. "What are you doing up so late?"

"It's seven in the morning."

Rarity looked out the window to see that the sky was a dull pink. The clock confirmed her sister's statement. "Oh! Well, good that you're up then."

"You didn't sleep again?" Sweetie stared at the entrance of the room like it would shock her. She looked up at Rarity, eyes filled with concern.

Rarity gave a weak smile that didn't hide the bags under her eyes. "A few hours is all I need."

"Rarity..." Sweetie's eyes and pupils went huge as she gave her sister a look that could melt the iciest heart.

Rarity sighed. "I suppose you are older, if only by six days."

Sweetie took a hesitant step into the room, then meekly walked over to Rarity and nuzzled her side. Rarity lay down, allowing Sweetie to cuddle next to her.

She's getting a bit old for this… oh, stop it. Nopony cares about propriety at seven in the morning. Besides, she's still warm from her blankets.

Rarity gently swayed as she rocked Sweetie back and forth, the two of them sharing a moment of sisterly companionship in the early morning.

"Why don't you take your medicine?" Sweetie asked with a yawn.

"Because some of the best things I've made are from when I can't sleep," Rarity said. "It's okay Sweetie, a few nights here and there without sleep isn't that bad."

"It always happens at least once when I'm here though," Sweetie said. "What about the rest of the week?"

Rarity stiffened. When did she get so observant? She doesn't normally... Rarity narrowed her eyes as she put the pieces together. "Mother told you to spy on me."

Sweetie quickly turned away. "I haven't said anything!"

Rarity put a gentle hoof on the side of her sister's face. "Sweetie, look at me."

Sweetie hesitantly obeyed. Rarity's voice was neutral and calm as she looked into her sister's light-green eyes.

"She did though, didn't she?"

Sweetie nodded. "I'm supposed to tell her if you're not taking your medicine, but I don't wanna get you in trouble." She looked up at Rarity, her lower lip quivering. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Is this how you think a Lady is supposed to act, Mother? This isn't fair to Sweetie or to me. And now I can't confront you about it, because you'll know she told me. Rarity sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No, Sweetie. I'm not mad at you."

Sweetie was so happy that she'd been absolved that she missed the emphasis on Rarity's last word. She smiled, but it quickly faded. "You do take it sometimes though, don't you?"

"Sometimes, yes," Rarity said. "When I can't sleep two nights in a row, I take it."

"Does that happen a lot?"

Rarity's eyes flickered. "Not that often."

Sweetie began to inquire further, but Rarity stopped her. "That's enough worrying about your big sister. You need to get ready for school. Go and take your shower; I'll make breakfast." She got up and gave her a gentle nudge.

Sweetie yawned again as she shuffled towards the door. As she did, she turned back and eyed the mannequin. "That dress is really pretty."

Rarity gave a proud smile. "Thank you, dear."

"Did you make it from your dreams again?"

She nodded. "The urge to create cannot be denied. Like I said, I've made some fabulous things when my body decides to forego a full night's sleep."

Sweetie looked at it for a moment longer before turning and walking out of the room. As Rarity heard soft hoofsteps ascending the stairs, she walked over to the dress, staring at it with a critical eye. I don't regret it. I never would have made this, or dozens of other ensembles if I took those ghastly pills. And my dream dresses sell the best out of all my designs. What can I say? The creative juices just flow the best when this happens… even if there is a price to pay for it.

( *** )

Rarity managed to get Sweetie Belle fed, packed, and off to school without incident. No small feat, considering how accident-prone the little filly was. Rarity cleaned up the kitchen, and then got ready for the day herself. By nine, she moved some of her pieces out to the show floor and opened the store. She flipped the sign and checked the after-hours slot, where she found only one request.

Hmm, only one touchup job, looks like today will be slow. But that's normal for this time of year; the new fashions won't start coming out until next month. No matter, I need the time to work. I think I'll keep going on the dream dress. You know, if that turns out well enough I might be able to submit it for the upcoming Fashion Week in Canterlot. I have a feeling darker colors are going to be in this season. I'd need a model to take photos, though. Oh! I forgot to check and see if I have any silver…

Rarity trotted into the back of the store to a small locked closet. The earthy smell of minerals combined with the heady aroma of various fragrances greeted her as she opened the door. She went to a small chest on a three-tiered shelf, where inside was a collection of raw precious metals. Most of them were a dull yellow color, but there was one small chunk that was a lustrous grey.

Hmm, looks like all I have is gold. Pity, silver would have accented the gemstones nicely. Then again, there is that little bit of platinum I found, but I was saving that for something special… oh, stop being so stingy. What's the point of having something if you're not going to use it?

She took the small grey rock and brought it to her Inspiration Room. She was about to start making plans when she staggered from a wave of fatigue. The feeling of tension in her mind had lessened, but she still felt twitchy and alert. She put her forelegs on a sewing table and rubbed her temples.

It's going to be a long day… come on now Rarity, keep your chin up! A Lady uses the tools at her disposal to the best of her ability, and deals with any hardship without complaint. You've done this countless times before; you can do it again.

She focused and summoned her spellbook from a nearby table. She put her ruby glasses back on as she opened it. Let's see, I'll need an Impurity spell and a Molding spell…

( *** )

Rarity worked all throughout the morning, only stopping briefly to enchant a soundstone for a mint-green unicorn wearing a gray hoodie. After finishing that, she continued to work on the necklace. She took her time working on the platinum, as she was a little out of practice with metalworking and couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Slowly, but surely, the necklace began to take shape.

The branch portions were pointy, and I can't have that in a necklace. I'll have to round off the edges a bit. She focused her magic and filed off the edges into nubs with utmost precision. Beads of sweat formed on her brow. Easy does it now, easy…

The tinkling of the entrance bell gave her a violent jolt. She pushed too hard and snapped the necklace in half.

Ahh! No no no no! She stared in horror at the fragments. I spent hours working on this! Now I have to start over, and there's somepony at the door, and I have to go answer it! By Celestia, they'd better buy something, and it better be expensive!

Rarity managed to stumble through her mish-mash of jumbled thoughts and stormed out of the room, taking deep breaths and trying to regain her composure. She walked onto the show floor.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is—oh, it's you two." Elo and Grovi stood at the door.

"Good afternoon," Elo said with a shallow bow. "Have we caught you at a bad time?"

"Not at all!" She covered her frayed nerves under a demure smile. "Is there something wrong?"

Grovi raised his eyebrows. "Not that I'm aware of. You invited us for afternoon tea, remember?"

Her eyes widened. Oh Celestia, I got so caught up in the dress that I—not the time for excuses, Rarity. Just do your duty as a proper hostess. She looked at the clock to see that it was two in the afternoon. "Ah, yes. Forgive me, I lost track of the time. Please, come in!"

Rarity turned and headed for the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, she galloped down the hallway, reviewing what she had for snacks. The two guards exchanged a glance and followed her into the back rooms.

The three ponies sat at the kitchen table a short while later. They politely sipped at their tea as they munched on an assortment of cucumbers, scones, bread, and various jellies. Rarity watched the two guards in silence. I can't believe I forgot I had invited them. A little fatigue is normal, but I'm getting hit really hard today.

Elo set down his cup and looked up at her. "Forgive my brashness, Lady Rarity. But I noticed you were up again last night. That's the third time since our arrival."

Her eyelid twitched. Maybe those earrings were a bad idea. No, it's either this or they hover around the shop like vultures. This is the lesser of two evils. She gave a stony nod. "Yes, it is."

"You had said that you log how much you sleep you get each night in a journal," he continued. "Answer me truthfully: how many hours have you gotten in the past six days?"

She lowered her gaze to her teacup. "I'd have to count. On average though, I get twenty to thirty hours of sleep a week."

"You should be getting twice that," Elo said flatly. "Losing that much sleep is dangerous. For one, your magical font won't fully recharge, and I know you do a decent amount of spellcasting in your dressmaking. You're running the risk of Magical Exhaustion, and that's nothing to say of the rest of your body and mind."

Rarity sighed and dropped all her pretense. She raised her chin and looked down at him. "I will forgive your brashness, but only because I didn't tell you this when you and Grovi came barging into the shop the first time at four in the morning, thinking I was being foalnapped or somesuch. A Lady doesn't make a habit out of talking about her personal problems, but as you both are charged with my protection, you have a right to know. I will only tell you this once, so listen and listen well.

"My insomnia is not a new problem; I've had it my entire life. I've been to more doctors than I can count over the years, and none of them have found anything abnormal. My own mother is a somnologist, and she can't figure out what's wrong with me. If I was to list off the things my family and I have tried to fix it, we'd be here all afternoon."

Rarity stopped to take a sip of her tea. "Only those nasty drugs work, and I hate taking them. Not just because I can't remember my dreams, but because of what the sleep is like. It feels… unnatural, forced. Like something is keeping me underwater, and I'm trying to come up for air. I wake up feeling rested, yes, but I also feel like I've missed out on something important, or like I was disconnected from the world the entire time.

"You're not the only ones who are worried about me. My family is constantly on my case about this, especially my mother. Although considering her profession, it's understandable why. Yes, I get less rest without the drugs, and it leaves me feeling fatigued. It has adverse effects on my mind, body, and magic. But I'm willing to make those sacrifices because of what I get in return. And as a fully-grown, responsible, successful, entrepreneurial mare, I think I'm free to make my own choices, whether they're good or bad.

"So I thank you for your concern, really, I do. And I'm sure you probably have the same worries as well, Grovi. But I will continue to do what I feel is necessary to perform my crafts. And as I know you're under orders not to interfere with my life, you'll just have to deal with it."

Rarity chose a particularly tasty looking cucumber slice and popped it in her mouth as she finished. She looked at the two guards, who were trying their best to hide their astonishment at her complete and total rebuke. Unfortunately for them, she'd seen both their mouths go slightly agape at different times in her speech.

And that is how you put somepony in their place.

"I… I apologize," Elo managed after a time. "Are you working on a new piece, then?"

Rarity nodded. "It's turning out beautifully so far," her face fell as she remembered the necklace. "At least, most of it is."

"What is the matter?" Elo asked.

"I was working on a necklace to go with the ensemble," she turned away. "And I was using a rare metal for the framework. When you two entered, the bell scared me, and I accidentally snapped it in half."

"We didn't mean—" Elo began.

"Of course you didn't," Rarity said quickly. "It's my fault. Still, it'll take me the rest of the day to fix it."

"What metal were you using?" Grovi asked in a clear, urgent voice.

She turned to him. This is new. He's usually the quiet one. "Have you heard of platinum?"

His mouth split into a massive grin. "I have, and I think I can help. May I see the piece?"

How in the world can he—oh, what's the harm. It's already broken, anyway. Rarity nodded. "It's in my workroom. Just follow me."

She got up and walked to the Inspiration Room with Elo and Grovi in tow, gesturing at the pieces of the necklace on the table. "It's over there. I was trying to file off the edges of the points."

Grovi went over to the ruined jewelry piece. He picked it up in his hoof and brought it up to his eye. His horn began to glow with a dull gray as he mumbled to himself.

Elo walked over to Rarity and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "Grovi's special talent is metalworking. He works with the Royal Blacksmiths to help fix and improve the weapons used by the Royal Guard."

She leaned her ear closer to him. "He makes the weapons used by the Royal Guard?"

"Not quite," Elo said with a chuckle. "I said he improves them. He's a rather accomplished spellcaster, and uses his magic to enchant our weapons and make the metal stronger."

"Haven't gotten my hooves on platinum in a long, long time," they heard Grovi say with a wistful sigh. "Such a wondrous metal to shape. The symbol is nice, too. What does it mean?"

Rarity shrugged. "It doesn't mean anything. I saw it in the dream I had last night. I couldn't get it out of my head, so I decided to make a necklace out of it."

He revolved it in his magic only inches away from his face. "It looks very nice indeed. It would be a great shame for it to go to waste, don't you think?" He looked to her. "I can fix this. Not only that, but I can make some rather nice improvements to it. Do you mind?"

"Do I mind?" Rarity echoed. "Of course not! If you can fix it, then by all means. How long do you think you'll need?"

Grovi looked at something in the corner of his eye. "For what I want to do? A few days. Is that all right?"

She nodded. "That's fine. What are you going to do, aside from fix it?"

He walked up to her, took her hoof in his, and kissed it. "I think I'll keep that a surprise, Lady Rarity. Rest assured, you'll like it." He bowed and walked out the door.

Elo hid his grin with a hoof. "You just handed him a very shiny new toy. And as you saw, he appreciates it."

Rarity was now as pink as a certain earth pony she knew. She cleared her throat and glanced at her unfinished dress. "Y—Yes, well... glad I could help. I... um, really must be getting back to work now!"

"Of course," Elo said. He began to walk out, but halfway he stopped. "I know you said you forgave me, but still, I apologize again for my rudeness."

Her embarrassment faded to manageable levels at his words. She straightened and turned to him with soft eyes. "You needn't worry about me. I may have had to find out the hard way where my limits lie a few times in the past, but I am well aware of them now."

Elo gave a slight bow before turning to leave. Rarity heard the soft tinkling of a bell as they left, and she went back to work.

Now if only I could get others to understand that, as well.

( *** )

"All right weatherponies, listen up!"

Rainbow Dash hovered in midair a few hundred feet above Ponyville. She paced back and forth with her hooves crossed, staring down at a gathering of pegasi. They stood on a small cloud, watching her with wide, attentive eyes.

"We're going to get an unscheduled thunderstorm in a few hours," she said. "It's only supposed to be a single cell, but due to the amount of warm air that's in the valley right now, it could get nasty."

There was a mumbling amongst the weatherponies at the news.

"Obviously nopony wants that," Rainbow continued, "so I've gotten approval to move some of the warm air over to the Everfree Forest. We'll be using the Conveyor Belt Maneuver."

A dark grey pegasus raised his hoof.

Rainbow stopped pacing and looked to him. "What is it, Thunderlane?"

"Why are we using the Conveyor Belt?" he asked. "Wouldn't the Flying-V be faster?"

Rainbow shook her head. "We don't want to move it quickly. We're risking a second storm as it is here. And knowing the Everfree, that storm might just then turn right around and hit Ponyville from the side. I don't know about you, but that's something I'd rather not deal with."

Thunderlane lowered his hoof and his head. "Sorry, didn't think of that."

Rainbow resumed her pacing. "I'll take the lead and get the air moving. The rest of you will pair up and follow my lead to continue the momentum."

Another pegasus, a very muscular white stallion with tiny wings snorted and raised his hoof.

"What's up, Snowflake?"

Snowflake cleared his throat and spoke in a deep throaty growl. "Cloud Kicker is my partner. She's out sick today."

Ponyfeathers, that's right. And Parasol is out visiting family. Rainbow looked around. "Who is Parasol's partner?"

A white maned, light blue stallion raised his hoof.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. Great. I can't pair Snowflake with him. Prism Strider is a sprinter through and through, and we're going to be moving the air over half the length of the valley. I suppose I could pair up with him, but then we wouldn't have enough of a tailwind.

An undesirable idea came to mind. She curled her lip as she cast a sidelong glance to a pair of red and blue dots on a cloud, just in eyeshot.

I don't want to do it. I really don't. But it's the only choice. There's not enough time to go through and rearrange everypony, and we don't have enough wingpower to move the wind by the time the low pressure system gets here. Fine, fine.

"Hold on a sec." Rainbow flapped her wings and jetted away from the weatherponies, heading for Esra and Tastar. As she approached, she saw that they were lying down. They looked up as she approached, but otherwise remained stock still. A smile crept up on her face.

She hovered just above them, keeping her voice and face level. "Hey guys. How ya feelin'?"

Esra glowered at her. "We didn't exactly meet you halfway, now did we? How do you think?"

She threw back her head and snorted with laughter. "Aw, come on now. Don't tell me my little old workouts are too much for the big bad guards, are they?"

Tastar gave a laugh of his own. "Little old workouts, my flank. I haven't been this sore since my first weeks at Basic. We keep this up, and I'll break eleven wingpower in no time."

Rainbow fought the urge to shake her head as she beheld their pained and weakened state. This is pathetic. What kind of lazy regimen do they have for pegasi in Canterlot? I mean, I know they've mostly got unicorns up there, but still you'd think they'd be in better shape than this. They're supposed to be protecting me, and I'm basically acting as their personal trainer!

She eyed them critically. "Are you following the diet I gave you? Because that'll help with the soreness."

"Yes, we're following your fanatical diet," Esra snapped. "You really didn't need to list out the exact amount of grams of each piece of food for every meal."

"That's what I do," Rainbow said with a shrug. "Half of fitness is keeping track of what you put into your body. Any athlete knows that."

Esra gave a derisive snort. "Is there something you needed?"

I can't tell if he's being huffy because he's so badly outclassed, or if he's just a jerk. At least Tastar is receptive. He's probably happy somepony is pushing him to improve. Whatever, I need them right now.

"I've got a problem," she said. "Two of my workers are out sick today, and we need to move some of the warm high pressure air out of the valley into the Everfree. I want you guys to fill in for them."

Esra raised his chin as he shot elitist daggers at her. "Miss Rainbow Dash, we are soldiers of Her Majesty's Royal Guard. We're here to protect you from hostile threats, not to be used at your leisure when you have a minor inconvenience."

Rainbow cocked her head as she raised an eyebrow. Is he really that big of an idiot?

"Have you lived in Canterlot your entire life?" she asked.

Esra nodded. "Mostly, yes."

"So I take it you don't know much, if anything about how storms or pressure systems work, do you?"

"That was never a profession I was interested in, so no."

Rainbow turned to her other guard. "Tastar? How about you?"

He shook his head. "I was interested, but the schooling in Canterlot for pegasi isn't the greatest."

Rainbow put a hoof on her hip and gestured like a teacher in class. "Consider this a crash course, then. You've got two types of pressure systems: High and low. They're air masses that move around based off the density of the atmosphere. Pegasi can control it, but for the most part we just let it do its thing."

She spread her forehooves. "When the air masses don't collide, we have nice weather. But when they do..." She slammed them together with a clap. "Things happen. And those things can be very bad."

Rainbow jabbed a hoof to the north. "Right now we have a low pressure system coming in. If we don't get some of this warm air out of here, it's going to turn into a storm that could produce hail, strong winds, or worse. Now, can you take a guess at who's going to be up in all that?"

Esra didn't respond and refused to meet her eyes. She watched him lock his jaw.

She continued unabated. "This isn't a minor inconvenience, this is an emergency. I know you may not think of a storm as hostile, but let me tell you: Mother Nature doesn't pull her punches for anypony. And I think that refusing to prevent something that puts me in danger is a direct violation of your orders, don't you think?"

Esra looked back to her, ears flattened and lips pursed. "So you're saying we have to help."

Rainbow returned the glare. "It's either that, or you sit on this cloud in a torrential downpour with winds strong enough to blow your wings right out of their sockets. Not to mention the lightning. That sound like fun to you?"

"It sure doesn't," Tastar interrupted as he delicately began to stand. He looked over at Esra. "Stop fighting her when you know she's right. You just don't want to help because you're too sore."

"Oh, and you're not?" Esra said as he gingerly got to his hooves. He moved as though he were made of glass.

A second snort escaped her as she watched both of them stand. It took them almost twenty seconds. She quickly covered her face with a hoof to suppress her snickering.

"I don't know how much help we're going to be," Tastar said. "It kinda hurts to move."

Rainbow landed on the cloud. "Here. I know some stretches that should help."

Rainbow flew back to her weathercrew with Esra and Tastar in tow. She had to fly slowly to allow them to keep up, but they were at least able to move on their own. The weatherponies regarded the two newcomers with interest.

"The interns are going to help us out today instead of observing us," she announced to the crowd. "Esra will be with Snowflake, and Tastar will be with Prism Strider. They're not quite as fast as your normal partners though, so you'll have to take it easy."

"Interns?!" Esra hissed.

Rainbow elbowed him in the chest. "We'll start the jet stream over the western side of the valley. Everypony, follow me!" She took off in a burst. The weatherponies all took flight behind her, filling the sky with wings and color. Esra and Tastar slightly lagged behind.

The flock of pegasi came to a stop above the western fields of the Equius Valley. Even a thousand feet up, Rainbow could still feel the humidity of the thick air pushing in around her. Good. This will give us a nice start.

"We'll go forward at ten second intervals!" she shouted. "Split up into your teams and form a line behind me a hundred yards away! And stay well away from the jet stream on your way back! I don't want to see anypony getting caught in the slipstream!"

The weathercrew obeyed, breaking up into pairs and filing behind her. She lost sight of Esra and Tastar as they disappeared into the mass. Rainbow focused her attention on the dull haze of green on the far side of the valley. She did an internal check. Her heartbeat was steady. Her muscles were warm and limber. Her breathing was even, and her mind was focused. She turned back now to behold her weathercrew standing in dual-file behind her.

Rainbow turned back around and took a deep breath.

Let's do it.

She blasted forward with all her strength, creating a massive downdraft that pushed the warm air of the area along with her. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, all the while focusing on the slowly advancing line of the Everfree Forest.

I have to go all out. The hardest part is getting it started. Once I do that the wind carries itself under its own momentum. Come on, Rainbow!

Rainbow gritted her teeth as she disregarded all her limitations, all things that she held back to make herself reserve stamina and just pushed herself to the max. More and more warm air got caught in her wake and began to sluggishly move forward. The familiar cone of resistance formed around her as the Everfree loomed ahead.

Faster... faster! You've got more than this left in you!

The air and land zoomed past her, leaving a massive trail in her wake. She felt both the air and her body fight against her as she reached her limits, which she then ignored and fought to surpass.

Just a little more... there is no fatigue. There is no pain. There is just speed!

The cone thickened into a barrier. It was getting harder to accelerate. The air in front of her was solidifying, struggling, desperately trying to hold her back. She embraced the challenge and pushed harder. Her wing and upper torso muscles were screaming in protest.

Not... good... enough... today... is... the day!

The cone narrowed and the wall of air began to take on a prismatic shimmer.

Yes... Yes... YES!

Her entire body experienced a shudder as the air pressure suddenly dropped from entering the Everfree, cutting her speed. The shimmer faded back into an opaque wall.

NO!

Rainbow broke away, gliding around in a lazy circle and turning back towards the valley. Behind her, she could feel the warm air collide with the lower pressure of the forest and start to even out the temperature. She shouted out a few choice words that were lost to the wind.

Every time! Every single time! I don't know how I did it! Just once, and only once I did it, and ever since then something stops me! It's always something! I don't care. One of these days… one of these freaking days I will do it again!

Rainbow coasted well away from the stream of air she had just created. She watched as multiple pairs of dots went in the same direction she had, maintaining the momentum like a conveyor belt of air. She shook her head as the fatigue of her sprint started to catch up with her.

It wasn't a fluke! It couldn't have been! I refuse to accept that! I just have to try harder! I will do the Sonic Rainboom again! I just need to practice harder, train harder! But now I have to hold myself back because of these guards, and it's just going to take me longer to... I don't care! I'll still do it, even if I have to make them do the Sonic Rainboom with me! If they want to protect me, they'll have to be able to do the same things I can. I wouldn't expect anything less of someone who I'm supposed to entrust my life to!

A familiar voice countered her angry rant. You don't mean that. You can't expect that of anypony else. Nopony can do what you can. And even if they could, it's not right of you to force your goals onto others.

Rainbow hated that voice, the accursed thing known as reason. It was unsilenceable and made her see things rationally, even when she didn't want to. She knew she was hot-headed and brash by nature. Embraced it, even. But yet, something stopped her from fully giving in, and she didn't understand why. Such ponies didn't have such things instilled in them. Or if they did, they ignored them, didn't they? Such was not Rainbow's case. She heard the voice, and something in her made her listen. As much as she didn't want to, as much as she just wanted to go on with her life as a cocky, selfish pony who thought only of her own goals and desires, this one little voice made her see things from a more even-tempered point of view.

It made her want to scream.

She approached the line of ponies and went to the back, waiting to take her place again in maintaining the stream of air. She spent a few minutes lost in thought before she realized that Esra and Snowflake were in line in front of her. The guard looked back at her with an even expression.

"That was impressive," he said as he eyed her. "You went all out, didn't you?"

Rainbow realized she was gasping for breath. Her sides were heaving and her coat was drenched with sweat. Her wings were filled with a familiar burning sensation.

She shrugged as she spoke between breaths. "The hardest part… of making… a jet stream is… starting it. No sense… in holding back."

Esra gave a tentative eye to Snowflake, who was in conversation with one of the ponies in front of them, then turned back to her. "And have you been holding back for us?"

Rainbow shuffled back and forth as she considered his question. Do I tell him the truth?

Esra leaned in close and lowered his voice. "I will tell you one thing, Rainbow Dash. I don't like being patronized. And from that little display of yours, I'd bet a year's wages that that's exactly what you've been doing this past week."

He's more shrewd than I thought. Rainbow coughed and looked away.

"You're not the kind of pony that holds back," Esra whispered. "Why are you doing it for us?"

She eyed their perspective spectator. Snowflake guffawed loudly, apparently oblivious not to only her presence, but their entire conversation. She spoke in a voiceless whisper.

"Now's not… the time. I'll tell you after… we get this done… okay?"

Esra backed away as he narrowed his eyes, but said nothing more. He gave a stiff nod and turned around. Rainbow closed her eyes as she tried to calm the storm of emotions that raged inside her.

The only other pony around here who knows about this is Fluttershy. Can I really tell them? Do I want to? Esra's not going to let it rest if I don't. Not that I really care, but maybe he won't be such a jerk if I do. Then again, he could also get even worse.

( *** )

The Conveyor Belt Maneuver went off without a hitch. Rainbow Dash got the word in from Cloudsdale that the pressure levels were at acceptable levels. She now paced back and forth in the living room of her cloud home in front of Esra and Tastar, who were both sitting in chairs and eyeing her dubiously. Rainbow had said nothing since their arrival.

"Esra tells me you haven't been giving it your all lately," Tastar began.

Rainbow jerked up at his comment. "You have to understand! I don—"

"Understand what?" Esra demanded. "That you think of us as a joke?"

"No! I don't blame you for-"

"It's obvious you consider yourself to be a professional athlete," Esra said. "And rightly so. Your workout routines, diet, physical ability and attitude are clear-cut enough evidence, and I can handle that.

"But what I can't handle is that you've done nothing but rub in the fact that you are physically superior to both myself and Tastar at every opportunity you get, and you've been holding back on us!" He jabbed a hoof at her. "What's your game?"

"I don't have a game!" she shot back. "I just want you to—"

"To what?" Esra said as he got to his hooves and stormed over to her. "To prove how vastly superior you are to us without even trying? To show that we're just dolts you tolerate because you have to?!"

Rainbow snapped. She closed the distance between them and hovered inches away from Esra's face. "How about you shut your bucking mouth and listen to me for once?!"

He shied away and fell over on his side, scrambling to roll away and get back on his hooves.

She looked down for a moment. I'm not good at explaining this, and I'm even worse at keeping my temper. And of course I get the idiot who goes and makes assumptions just because he doesn't like the taste of humble pie! I don't care if she's a Princess who can control the sun; when this is over, Celestia and I are going to have words.

Rainbow took a calming breath and looked up at the two of them. "Have either of you heard of the Sonic Rainboom?"

Tastar nodded. "Thought it was a myth until one was done about ten years ago in Cloudsdale. Nopony knows who did it, though."

Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches and waved. "Hi."

Both the guards jaws dropped. "You... you can't be serious..." Tastar spluttered.

Esra barked out a harsh laugh. "If I hadn't seen what you just did a few hours ago, I'd call you a liar. So let's see, from what I recall, the Sonic Rainboom is achieved by breaking the sound barrier, or more accurately, three hundred forty point-two nine meters per second. Am I correct?"

Rainbow cocked her head. "You don't know anything about pressure systems or storms, but you know the specifics of the Sonic Rainboom. What's with that?"

"Just about everypony in Canterlot saw it ten years ago," Esra said simply. "And certainly every pegasus's interest was piqued. It's the holy grail of aerial stunts, after all."

He's got a point there, I suppose. "All right, all right," she admitted. "Yeah, it's the speed of sound. I did it when some punks challenged me to a race. It's also how I got my cutie mark."

Tastar's eyes somehow went even wider. "You did the Sonic Rainboom as a filly?! But that would mean that you had at least..."

"Sixty wingpower at the time," she said with a nod. "I'm not sure how I did it. To be honest, I don't remember much from the race."

Rainbow closed her eyes with a wistful smile. "All I remember is the sensation of incredible speed, adrenaline, the wind, and a fierce desire to surpass... everything."

"What is your actual wingpower now?" Esra asked. "Because it's nowhere near twelve point-nine. I can almost break eleven, and the speed you just showed would leave me in the dust."

Rainbow looked out the window. "Fifty-nine point-six."

The two of them froze. They didn't even blink. Rainbow opened one of her wings and began to preen her feathers.

"Why?" Esra whispered. "Why would you hide it? You aren't-"

"The kind of pony that holds back," she finished for him. "Yeah, I know, you said that already. Now, if you're over your little stare-fest, I'll explain. That is, if you'll actually let me talk. Can I talk, please?"

Esra dumbly nodded.

She closed her wing and looked at both of them with hard, honest eyes. "How does it feel, knowing that you'll never be able to surpass me? That no matter what you do, you'll never be able do to what I can?"

The two guards shifted, but said nothing.

"I know how it feels," Rainbow continued. "It feels intimidating and depressing, and over time, you'll resent me for it. How do I know that? Because that's how everypony else felt in Flight School."

She looked over at a collection of first place awards and trophies in a large display case. "I've found that most ponies want a goal to aspire to. They want something they can look at and say, 'That's the bar. That's a place I want to be at someday.' And that's great! Everypony should have a goal like that, because it makes them want to do better, to push themselves to the next level."

Rainbow sighed. "But the problem is that ponies automatically compare themselves to what they see as the best, and that's always me. When my classmates saw what I could do, they got depressed and angry because they could never compete with me."

Rainbow shook her head, trying to keep her mind clear as bits and pieces of that time played in front of her. "I had twelve wingpower when I was four years old. It's not fair to compare yourself to somepony with that kind of raw ability. But we were all young and didn't understand. I just knew I was the best, and I didn't want to hold back. Why should I? It wasn't my fault that nopony could keep up with me. So I just dealt with it... until I did the Sonic Rainboom."

Rainbow kicked at the floor. "I almost wish I never did it. Afterwards, nopony would even talk to me. They all treated me like I'd done something wrong, and that made me mad. I started getting into fights, trying to get them to tell me why they were ignoring me. My parents finally explained that everypony had just completely given up. I was so far off the map that not even the teachers knew what to do. I was in a league of my own."

"Is that why you came here?" Tastar asked.

She nodded. "My parents decided that the best thing for me was to leave and start fresh. Fortunately, nopony believes that a filly did the Sonic Rainboom. And the ones who actually saw it just got laughed at when they tried to tell anyone. So I dropped out of school, moved to Ponyville, and my family made me promise that I'd hold back. I agreed, but with one condition: that I could still be the best, just by a reasonable margin."

"I still don't understand," Esra said. "You said that you don't like holding back or slowing yourself down. Why would you agree to that?"

"Because I want to inspire ponies, not discourage them," Rainbow replied. "I want to make others want to be the very best they can. To do that, I have to be something they can look up to. But if I'm too good, I'll have the opposite effect."

She walked over to the display case and picked up a gold medal in the shape of a lightning bolt. "Here's the thing: Just about everypony in town knows I'm faster than them. They just don't know by how much. Heck, I haven't even met a single pony in Ponyville who knows what an anemometer is. They all just look at me and say, 'Rainbow Dash is the best, and if I work my tail off, maybe someday I can be just as good as her.'

"And that's what I want," she said with a smile. "I want ponies to see me as a goal that they can work toward and achieve some day. If they knew that they'll never be as good as me, they'd give up. I don't want that. If I can make ponies want to be the best they can possibly be, then that makes me happy."

"Well, you've done that for your fellow weatherponies," Tastar observed. "I was talking to some of them earlier, and every one of them seems to trust you completely. Some of them even hold you in admiration."

Esra gave a quiet laugh. "I'd expect nothing less from the Element of Loyalty."

Rainbow underwent a subtle change at his comment. She stared off into space with her eyes unfocused as she put down the medal. The silence lengthened into a pregnant pause that filled the room. Neither of the guards felt like they should break it, and so they just stared at her quizzically.

"It's funny," she said after a time. "After the whole Nightmare Moon thing, I thought long and hard about what exactly that meant. Element of Loyalty? Loyalty to what? Myself? My friends? Ponyville? The Princesses? Equestria? Is it a trait that I exhibit? Is it something I'm supposed to instill in others? How do you measure something like that?

"I asked Twilight about it, but she said there isn't anything about what the individual Elements do; it's all about what they do together. So I finally decided that if no one's gonna tell me what it means, then I'm just gonna define it myself."

Esra now sat on the cloud chair with his chin resting on a hoof. "And that would be?"

Rainbow laughed. "For my friends, I'll be there for them any way I can. But I expect to receive as much as I give, and I always give one-hundred percent. Guess what that means? If I'm the Element of Loyalty, then all my friends are the Element of Loyalty, too.

"Now I know that might be a bit too much awesome to handle for some ponies," she said with an air of bravado. "It's understandable: Not everypony is meant for greatness. But that's the way I am. I expect nothing but the most my friends can give, because that's what I'll always give in return. I want to inspire my friends to be their best, so that when it comes down to the wire, there is no doubt. There is no fear. We know we can count on each other to get things done, and together, there's nothing we can't overcome."

Esra no longer wore his usual sneer of disdain. His mouth was slightly open in awe as he beheld her in a new light. "You see yourself as a leader, don't you?"

The words triggered a fire deep within Rainbow. It flared up from her core, spreading out to her limbs and filling her body with burning warmth. She slowly turned, her fierce red eyes meeting Esra and Tastar's and locking them in place. Her whole body was steady and resolute, and she wore a small smirk born of utmost confidence. She spoke in a soft, echoing voice, filled with alluring power.

"Would you follow me?"

Esra and Tastar jerked, their faces strangely contorted as a series of emotions played across their faces in the passing of a second. She heard both of them make a 'y' sound that died in their throats.

Rainbow laughed softly as her gaze held the guards prisoner. The fire in her core intensified to a searing blaze as she took a few steps towards them. Their breath quickened as she closed the distance to a few feet, speaking again in the same tantalizing, authoritative tone.

"I see myself as whatever I want to be. If that happens to be a leader, then I'll embrace the role. If not, then I'll do my job better than anypony else can. Either way, one thing is certain: I'm going to make this world a better place someday. That isn't some lofty daydream, it's a fact. And ultimately, everypony has two options."

She blinked. The flame became visible in the depths of her eyes. Her voice was a whisper, but each word carried the force of a hammerblow.

"Help me, or watch me."

She stood close to them for a few seconds longer, reveling in their dumbfounded expressions. Ah, these guys are too easy. Shame they already have jobs; they'd make good weatherponies.

The blaze faded. She stepped away, resuming her normal posture and tone.

"You guys should probably stay here tonight, at least until the storm passes. Even a single cell will be pretty brutal on those little tents of yours."

Esra and Tastar didn't respond. They continued to stare at her, their eyes glazed over and posture rigid.

Rainbow clapped her hooves. "Hey! Snap out of it!"

The sharp noise caused the two guards to jump. They blinked several times, crumpling in their seats. Rainbow shook her head. You'd think that military ponies would be used to this kind of thing, but they're all glassy-eyed over one little inspirational speech! Maybe it's because I'm a mare? Oh for crying out… if a few words and a pretty face are all you need to get past the Royal Guard, then it's a good thing the Princesses are immortal.

Tastar recovered first. "Uh, um… T—That's very kind of you."

She gave him an evil grin. "Don't thank me just yet. If you're staying here, that means you get to do my evening workout."

He blanched. Tastar looked at her, then out the window at the dark grey clouds forming to the north. "You know, I'm not sure what would be worse."

Esra shook his head. "We'll do it. We won't get any better if you still insist on holding back on us."

You idiot. If I made you go through my real routine you'd tear every muscle in your body. Rainbow walked out the living room. "Go get your things before they get soaked."

The two guards stepped outside of the cloud home, spreading their tired wings and flying up a few hundred feet to their tents above Rainbow's home. They said nothing on the ascent, each of them looking straight ahead. They swooped up to their shared cloud, landing at the same time.

They also went to their knees at the same time, shuddering and panting heavily.

They remained like that for a moment, taking deep breaths and looking anywhere other than at each other.

Esra spoke first. "Wasn't expecting that."

"That makes two of us," Tastar said weakly.

Esra managed to get up and head for his tent. "So that's what Courage feels like."

Tastar looked up. "Does that mean that she's—"

Esra turned back to him and smirked.

Tastar chuckled. "Looks like we have some news for Blair."

"Yes," Esra agreed. "Yes, we do."