"I don't think I can wait much longer, you guys! I'm so excited! I just know this is gonna be the best competition ever! I can feel it! Are you guys as psyched up as I am? Oh, who am I kidding, I know you are! I mean, how can you not be? It's the Best Young Flier's Competition! It's always fantastic!"

Pumpkin Tart grew more irritated as her friend Gumdrop chattered on about the competition, with no end in sight. She scowled at her loquacious new friend, who hardly took notice of her companions. Her focus was on the currently empty stage, a smile stretching from ear to ear, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Pumpkin snuck over to Rainbow Day, making certain Gumdrop was still distracted by her own excitement.

"I don't get it!" she huffed. "It's just a bunch of Pegasus ponies flying around clouds. What's so exciting about that?"

"Forget about her," said Rainbow Day, playfully nudging her friend's front leg. "You've seen how she gets. Just try to relax and enjoy yourself."

"I'm not the one who needs to relax..." muttered Pumpkin, mostly to herself. "I swear, if this goes on much long--"

"Stop talking! It's starting now!" Gumdrop grew instantly quiet, anxiously surveying the scene in anticipation of the first performer. Pumpkin threw a sidelong glare at Rainbow, who merely shrugged and turned to watch the opening ceremony.

- - - - -

The competition wore on Pumpkin Tart more with each new performer. She could only feign interest for so long, and Gumdrop's incessant babbling was taking its toll on her sanity.

"Wow, I still can't believe that number seven ... it was seven right? That one pony that did all of those barrel rolls. It must have been nearly twenty in a row! How does he do it? It's gonna take a lot to top that. Oh! What if this number 15 does thirty barrel rolls!? Oh, I'd love to see that!"

Gritting her teeth, Pumpkin resisted the urge to give Gumdrop a piece of her mind. Better wait until there's no witnesses, she thought.

Rainbow Day tried once more to reassure her friend. "It's the last performance, Pumpkin. You can make it."

"I just ... I don't know if I can take much more of --"

"Go number 15! Woo!"

"-- that."

"Come on, cheer up." Rainbow scanned the stage for a distraction, stopping when she noticed the pony she invited beginning a new trick. "Hey, check out number four. Don't her wings look gorgeous?"

Pumpkin looked up at the winged unicorn floating gracefully skyward. She couldn't deny that those were the most beautiful wings she had ever seen. The sunlight beamed through to the audience, emulating a stained-glass window. The light filled the stadium with a myriad of colours. It was enough to briefly bring a smile to the orange pony's face.

Just as abruptly, the light vanished. The wings suddenly evaporated, sending the unicorn plummeting to the ground. Pumpkin Tart and Rainbow Day watched in horror, fearing for the pony's life. Gumdrop had finally been rendered speechless; the only noise emanating from the yellow pegasus' direction was the sound of her hooves trembling in terror.

The Wonderbolts, followed closely by the other contestant, dove swiftly in an attempt to rescue her. The unicorn's desperate flailing managed to incapacitate the Wonderbolts all at once, leaving contestant 15 as her only hope.

The blue pegasus' rainbow-coloured mane trailed behind her, seemingly growing in size as she accelerated. The air distorted around her as if she were pushing against an invisible barrier. With an abrupt burst of speed, she broke through the resisting air, creating a sudden rainbow-coloured explosion that filled the stadium above brightly enough to render the audience momentarily blind. In mere seconds, the blue pegasus returned to the stadium, carrying the unicorn and the Wonderbolts along with her. She circled the coliseum, leaving a lasting rainbow trail in her wake. Finally, she entered through the underside of the stadium and handed off the other ponies to the stadium's medical staff.

A stunned silence washed over the trio. Pumpkin Tart froze up completely, gawking in pure wonder. Rainbow Day had the slightest hint of a smile as a tear came to her eye. Gumdrop was quaking more than ever, nearly rocking the cloud below her, eyes and smile wider than ever. A squeal of joy could scarcely be heard escaping her throat.

Pumpkin Tart turned slowly toward Rainbow Day, her face still locked in place.

"Rainbow?"

"Huh?"

"I will never, ever doubt you again."

- - - - -

The prize for Best Young Flier was awarded, unsurprisingly, to contestant 15. Princess Celestia was so impressed by the performance, she chose to deliver the award personally. At this announcement, Rainbow hesitantly decided to call it a day.

"Let's head home, guys. I don't think it will get any better than that."

"You're darn right!" said Pumpkin. "No way am I missing next year's contest! And that blue pony better come back and do that again!"

The pair began to walk off together, soon realising Gumdrop was still frozen in place, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Um ... Gumdrop?" asked Pumpkin, "Are you coming?"

Rainbow Day placed a hoof on Pumpkin's shoulder, gently nudging her toward the exit. "I think she might need some time to unwind."

As the duo flew off, Gumdrop finally started muttering to herself once again.

"Oh wow, now the Princess is talking to that purple pony. I wonder who that is? I wonder what they're talking about? They must be talking about how absolutely amazing that was! I mean, what else would they be talking about? Omigosh, I can't miss a moment of this! This is all so awesome!"