Rainbow Dash peeked across the corner. Seeing no one, she giggled and crept forward. "Ah-ah ah! Young lady!" She squeaked as she was swept under a deep blue wing. Nurse Soft Wings had retired years ago and now Rainbow had to deal with the stern, unsmiling face of...

"Nurse Grey Light!" She gasped.

The nurse stared at her blankly. "Now, princess," She chided. "This is a very important night for you and your mother and you cannot sneak away." She scooped the young filly onto her back, walking calmly back to the changing room. Rainbow sighed, staring sadly at her nurse's cutie mark.

A grey sun, what does that even mean? It's because she borings everybody's day, doesn't it?

The young princess was dropped onto the floor. "I've found her ladies!" Nurse Grey Light called.

"Oh good!" Said Honeyed Heart, a particularly cheerful earth pony. She picked up Rainbow's dress gently. "Let's begin!" Two other maids, Star Charmer and Rain Dance rushed up.

"Tonight, my princess, you'll be fetching and fair!" Honeyed Heart sang.

"Oh, no, don't sing!"

"With a gorgeous dress and fabulous hair!" Star Charmer and Rain Dance chorused, teasing the rainbow mane.

"Please stop! It hurts!"

"Dear princess, please don't bolt!" Rain Dance belted out.

"I'm sure we'll find you a wonderful colt!"

"To address your talents with there!"

"Nurse please help!"

"Tonight is your chance put away all your cant's, put the world in a trance with your dancing so fancy and free!"

Nurse Grey Light stared forward as the ponies danced around her, liberally applying make-up and hairspray to the young princess.

"A chance for me!" Star Charmer sang, looking a bit desperate.

"A chance for she!"

"A chance for us all...tonight at the ball!"

They pulled away and Honeyed Heart smiled in satisfaction. "Beautiful. Why don't you head down?"

"So where is your daughter, Celestia?" The Count of Canterberry asked curiously.

"She'll be down in a moment, I'm sure."

"Now announcing, Princess Rainbow Dash!"

The princess smiled. "There she is now."

Rainbow Dash paused at the top of the steps, scanning the crowd nervously for her mother. Celestia smiled at her encouragingly. Rainbow Dash sighed deeply and began to make her way down the stairs, feeling all the eyes in the room staring at her curiously. The maids had done a wonderful job, her mane was teased in perfectly done rainbow curls, two long red braids framing her face, a plain gauzy white dress pooled down her back and dragged in a long train over the stairs. Her only accessory was a golden star pin holding her dress closed. She walked towards her mother and nuzzled against her neck. "Hello, princess." The Count said. "You're looking lovely today."

"Thank you." She said, feeling bored already. The slow music of the violas were already beginning to put her to sleep!

"Darling," Celestia intervened. "Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor are waiting for you at the punch table. It would be rude to not say hello."

"Yes Mother!" She exclaimed, trying not to show how excited she was. She tried not to trip over her train as she trotted over to the refreshments table. "Hi!" She tossed herself forward. Shining Armor caught her with one hoof, grinning.

"Hi, Bow." At thirteen he was three years her senior, and tall and gangly. She bumped him with her slightly plump flank and grinned mischievously.

"You need to eat more, Shiny! I can feel your ribs!" She glanced at Twilight Sparkle. The mare blushed under her deep purple coat and smiled shyly.

"Hello, Princess, how are you today?"

"Twilight, pleasssseee." She groaned. "We've known each other forever! Ya' don't have to call me 'princess'."

"It would be ironic, seeing as how you don't really act like a princess. One could confuse you for a commoner." A voice drawled.

Rainbow Dash growled lowly and looked over her shoulder. Ink Blot stood before her, looking smug. "Party over." She mumbled. The dark haired pony huffed, strutting forward. The daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Meadowbrooke, a large plantation that provided most of Equestria with its corn, Ink Blot was the Head Librarian's apprentice and known for her stuck up ways and dark black coat, a color normally only found in Oromo, a land far off to the East.

"What do you want, Blotty?" Rainbow Dash asked, irritated. If the other blushed, it was indistinguishable.

"I told you not to call me that!" She snapped.

"Why don't you just leave, Ink Blot." Shining Armor said quietly, stepping in front of Rainbow Dash and his sister. "We don't want any trouble."

"I would expect such cowardly responses from such types likes you!" Ink Blot said, sniffing haughtily. She turn and after a moment, presented her flank.

"Don't turn away from us like that!" Rainbow Dash said, furiously, desperately wanting to scream but at the same time not wanting to ruin the gala. She could feel several pairs of eyes on her already. Twilight shrank back even further. "Just who do you think you are? Shining Armor is one of the bravest colts I have ever met!"

"Aw, that's so cute." Ink Blot cooed. Her horn glowed a deep blue as a pencil and notebook appeared before her. "You're standing up for your coltfriend! Can I quote you on that!"

Rainbow Dash's blush mixed with her fur turned her a soft purple. "He's not my coltfriend!" She roared. She froze in fear. Looking around, Rainbow Dash realized everyone had turned to stare at her. Celestia stared at her in mild horror.

Ink Blot put on a shocked expression and said loudly, "why, Princess!"

The blue mare made a soft noise and lifted herself off the ground, wings beating furiously. Casually, Ink Blot stepped on the billowing train. It ripped with a noise that filled the room as the youngest princess shot out of the window. Several guards made odd noise that they would forever deny as yards of gauzy material drifted over them.

Rainbow Dash sobbed in embarrassment as she flew as fast as she could, wiping her eyes angrily. "Stupid Ink Blot!" She cursed, getting as far away from the castle. "Stupid ball, stupid Shining Armor! Stupid everything!" She screamed as she tossed her forelegs out, suddenly dipping low in an attempt to escape the sun. She freefell for a sparse moment, feeling the wind gather around her hooves and then...

Boom!'

She opened her eyes in surprise as she bounced up, startled. "Wa-?" She was going faster than she ever had, which was already pretty fast! There was a roaring in her ears and she gasped in delight as her zigzag showed a bright rainbow trailing her. "Whoo!" She screeched in delight. "Whoo-hoo!" She pumped her wings even faster, determined to make the feeling last even longer.

She must have crossed miles in seconds, the landscape changing from the city of Canterlot to the green of the country side to sparse rocky plains to empty mountains. Rainbow swirled and grinned. This is what she was meant for, flying, freedom not stupid, stuffy balls and monarchy! She belonged in the sky! As free as her mane!

"No!" She cried, beginning to lose speed. "Not yet!" She flapped her wings in vain. They burned with her lungs, exhausted and exerted. Rainbow Dash dropped like a stone, grasping at the last few tendrils of color that followed her. They melted in her grasp and fell with her. "No!" She howled, going limp.

There was a forest below her. She knew from experience that trees did not make for good landings. She struggled out of the remains of her dress, hoping to make herself light enough to fly again. Her golden pin dropping to the ground before her. Her wings gave a half-hearted wiggle.

Closing her eyes and accepting her fate, Rainbow Dash let out what she was sure was her final breath. A moment later, she hit something firm. Not soft but definitely more comfortable than a tree. She opened her eyes and gasped. Her mother pumped her strong wings, lifting them both into the air. "Mother!" She exclaimed. Celestia's face was set in a hard line as they backtracked to the castle. Her daughter was still in awe. As far as she knew, her mother hadn't flown for years, not even before her birth. There was rumor that she simply couldn't, her wings couldn't support her large body.

But here she was, flying! Rainbow laughed in astonishment. Her glittering mane trailed around them and her coat seemed to absorb and reflect sunlight. It was beautiful.

They dropped in her window, Celestia gently sliding her to the tiled floor. "Rainbow Dash!" She snapped. "Would you mind telling me what all that was about?!"

The smile dropped off her face. "Mother, I-"

"You completely lost your composure!" She boomed. "You acted like little more than a little filly in the throes of a temper tantrum!"

"Ink Blot started it!" She wailed, unaccustomed to her mother's yelling.

"You are a princess!"

Rainbow Dash began to get angry. "I didn't ask to be a princess!" She shot back. "I didn't ask for you to be my mother, Princess Celestia!"

She deflated. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. But you are a princess whether you like it or not and you must learn to control your temper. As long as you live in this castle, you must obey these rules. You are royalty and don't you forget it." She turned to the door. "I am going back downstairs. Honeyed Heart will be down in a moment to clean you. I expect you back down the moment she is done." The door closed.

Celestia sighed deeply, flexing her wings. They were sore. She hadn't flown in centuries...

"Wow, sissy!" Luna gasped. "That's so amazing!"

Said "sissy" grinned proudly and looped around. "It's not that impressive." She said bashfully.

"Yes, it is!" Luna insisted. "You can fly! That's incredible! Magnificent!"

She landed besides her sister, still blushing. "Yeah, well..."

Luna stares at the large, white wings of her sister and after a moment, pulls her own closer to her body.

Celestia pretends not to notice and smiles down at her sweetly. "Would you like to show me that new spell you learned earlier, sister?"

Luna brightens. "Oh yes!"

---

Soon...