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Wear Flowers in Your Mane

by jkbrony

Chapter 11: Chapter 11 -- Today They Cry

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"When you become a Wonderbolt, what's the first thing you're going to do?"

The spontaneous question caught Rainbow Dash off-guard, and she rubbed her chin in momentary thought as she watched the aerial acrobatics of those aforesaid ponies, continuing to woo and excite the crowd that filled each and every seat of the Cloudiseum. The Wonderbolts' annual Cloudsdale Air Show was now starting to wrap up, and they had just begun to perform their more risky maneuvers—the ones which always made the crowd howl in utter astonishment. Yet throughout the show, Rainbow Dash could not suppress the bitter feeling tugging at her insides, coldly telling her that several years would likely pass by before she found herself performing alongside them. It had been two years since she had accepted that it would be impossible for her to pull off another Sonic Rainboom, and no further opportunities for membership had since presented themselves to her.

"I dunno, Fluttershy," she said, looking back at her curious friend. "Never thought much about that. But I bet the first thing you're going to do is tell everypony that you're best friends with a Wonderbolt, aren't ya?"

Fluttershy cracked an affirming smile and stared back at the performance in front of her, still vaguely wondering to herself how she had managed to allow Rainbow Dash to drag her to the annual show, which up until now, she had always opted out of attending.

"All these maneuvers are easy as cake!" boasted Rainbow, as she watched the Wonderbolt captain Wind Rider pull off a 900 degree roll through a fast-moving hoop composed of three other Wonderbolts circling around until they appeared as a blue-and-yellow ring.

"Easy for you to say..." Fluttershy replied with a slight frown.

"By the way, thanks for being here with me," Rainbow Dash said. "It's much better than being here alone. My dad never wants to come, especially not since I started trying to get into the Wonderbolts."

"Umm...sure, you're welcome," replied Fluttershy.

"I mean, seriously. I know it's not your thing," Rainbow added. "I really appreciate it."

"What are friends for?" Fluttershy said, smiling warmly.

The aerial show finally came to a close as the six Wonderbolts soared upward and descended again via swirling around each other in three separate pairs, fast enough to leave their vibrant trails behind them, which appeared as spectacular ribbon-like whirlwinds. The crowd roared with praise at the spectacle while Fluttershy closed her eyes and shook her head rapidly—just the sight of it was enough to make her nauseously dizzy.

"That...was...awesome!" Rainbow Dash boasted.

"Yeah....'awesome,'" Fluttershy replied nonchalantly, knowing that she would most likely throw up the popcorn she and Rainbow had shared during the show if she were to see the trick a second time.

With the final trick having been performed, an announcer's microphone-enhanced voice boomed across the stadium, declaring the end of the show while simultaneously thanking the crowd for their attendance. With that, the crowd quickly dispersed, with many choosing to exit the stadium by flying out through its open dome. Almost at once, the Wonderbolts were swarmed with ponies asking for autographs as usual, and Rainbow Dash shook her head in at the scene, just as she did every year. The Wonderbolts were headquartered in Cloudsdale, and anypony could have come in asking for an autograph at any time, yet nopony seemed to ever want one until after they saw their air show.

"One day, Fluttershy," Rainbow said, shaking her head as she watched Wind Rider and the rest of the Wonderbolts quickly sign their names upon loose sheets of paper. "I don't know when, but one day, I'm going to be right up there with them."

"Yeah, one day," Fluttershy repeated with a nod. "Don't you want an autograph?"

"Oh, please," Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes. "I've had their autographs for years now."

They remained in their seats for a few more minutes as the Cloudiseum continued to be cleared of ponies and Rainbow attempted to imagine what it would be like to have swarms of ponies crowding around her, asking for an autograph. It was a experience she hoped she would receive herself someday.

"Well, I guess we better go," Rainbow said, rising from her seat once the Cloudiseum was almost cleared entirely of ponies.

"Umm, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy said, stopping her before she could fly off.

Rainbow looked back, instantly noticing that Fluttershy appeared apprehensive, which she had since come to learn was never an indication of any positive news.

"Uh, what's up?"

"I figure I ought to tell you now," Fluttershy said with sigh. "I've decided that when I'm old enough, maybe in about a year or two, I'm packing up and moving to the ground."

Rainbow Dash's mouth instantly curled downwards and her eyes widened into a heavy stare which silently protested her words. At once, she was instantly reminded of the day Gilda had told her that she would no longer be living in Cloudsdale, and the same sensation of being engulfed in a void of emptiness overtook her at once. Once more, she was going to lose a best friend—a pony she had come to share many cherished moments with in the two years they had known each other.

"I...can't say I'm surprised," she asked after staring in silence for several seconds. "But...did you really think about it?"

Fluttershy nodded once. "Yes. I've thought about it for a long time. It's what I want to do."

Rainbow did not reply and stared back at the Wonderbolts, still busy with their final few autographs. Even after a few isolated trips down to the ground over the last few years, it still felt entirely like a foreign country to her, and she couldn't help but feel as though Fluttershy would be moving to the other end of the world.

"I know what you want to say," said Fluttershy, as though responding to Rainbow's thoughts. "I'm a pegasus, and I don't belong on the ground. But the more I think about it, the more I feel that I don't belong anywhere else. There's really nothing for me in Cloudsdale, except my relationships with my family....and with you. I'm really sorry if you feel like I'm leaving you behind, but I don't feel that I can live in this town all my life. And just because I'm leaving doesn't mean that you're never going to see me again."

"I wasn't going to say that," Rainbow said, shaking her head as she stared back into the teal Fluttershy's eyes. "I think it's what you should do. If you really feel that the ground is where you belong, then I'm sure it's where you belong."

"Thank you," Fluttershy replied with a slight nod, appearing less apprehensive. "I've even picked a town to move to. It's called Ponyville. It's not too far from where most of my animal friends live."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "'Ponyville?' Seriously? Is that some kind of joke?"

"Wha—what do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, feeling somewhat insulted.

"What kind of name for a town is that?!" Rainbow asked, appearing as though she could burst into laughter. "So...am I right in assuming that ponies live there? Because I don't think I ever would have ever been able to guess that otherwise! I mean, we may as well start calling Cloudsdale, 'Pegasusville.'"

"Umm, well, it's a nice community," replied Fluttershy, ignoring her remarks. "And all kinds of ponies live there, even other pegasi. I'd be willing to show it to you if you want to follow me down there."

"Uhh, that's okay," Rainbow said, trying not to show her disinterest in her face. "I'll just take your word for it."

Fluttershy nodded, unsurprised by her response. "I'll still come and visit you, of course. I'll even come to see your shows once you're a Wonderbolt."

"Yeah, thanks," Rainbow replied with a nod, attempting not to show her unwillingness in her face. "But it's not like you're leaving right now, right?"

"No. As I said, it'll probably be within the next two years," answered Fluttershy. "I really hope you'll be in the Wonderbolts before I leave. But if not, I'll come and see you as soon as I get the news."

"I really don't know, Fluttershy," Rainbow said as she lowered her head mournfully, finally allowing the feeling from inside her to express itself through words. "I had never thought that getting into the Wonderbolts would be this hard for me....but it is..."

"You're going to make it," said Fluttershy, smiling warmly. "I'm sure of it."

Rainbow Dash could not help but return the smile, even though this may have been her hundredth or so time hearing those very words from her. She had repeated them constantly throughout the last two years, and even though she felt no closer to realizing her dream in spite of them, they nevertheless instilled her with unbridled confidence.

"Yeah, I know," Rainbow said with a grin. "It'll happen, no matter what my dad says."

They finally left the stadium as the Wonderbolts wrapped up their autograph-signing. Although she was saddened that her closest friend would be leaving in the near future, Rainbow at least felt a sense of happiness knowing that Fluttershy would not be doomed to spend her whole life being mocked and ridiculed for being a weak flyer.

Ponyville, she thought, shaking her head as Fluttershy trailed behind her in flight. What a ridiculous name for a town...

****

Inside her silent and empty fillyhood home, Rainbow Dash stood motionlessly as she watched the minutes tick by on the clock. Frozen with shock, she could do absolutely nothing but shake her head in disbelief. How was it even possible that tomorrow was Saturday? Had time truly slipped away from her that much? How could this be happening? Why now, and why like this?

Tomorrow was the day she had been waiting for her entire life—the day she had dreamt about hundreds upon hundreds of nights. And though she had always believed herself to be more than ready for when that day finally arrived, she realized now that it would have likely been impossible for her to be any less ready.

But what could she do about it? The thought of asking to have the date postponed instantly filled her with a sense of ominous dread, as though she expected that yet another life-altering event would occur just before the new date, and she would be forced to postpone it again, and then again, and again until the Wonderbolts finally lost interest in her. If she did not show up tomorrow, she felt that it would not happen at all. But could she perform competently, knowing that she would be attending her father's funeral the next day? If she could not, what reason would the Wonderbolts have to keep her in the Reserves? What if, after so many years, she ended up losing what she had worked so hard and so long for?

No. She would never allow that to happen...

"I can do this," Rainbow Dash suddenly said loudly to herself. "Yeah, I can do this! I was born to do this! Wonderbolts, here I come!"

With a confident grin conjured from nowhere, she picked her box back up and exited the house, feeling more sure of herself than she had all week. Her eyes formed a determined glare as she distanced herself from her hometown and headed back to Ponyville, partially struggling to keep the box clenched in her hooves against the steep decline. She knew that there was now a considerable amount of work to be done. If she was truly unprepared for her debut tomorrow, she would get prepared, even if it took all night, and even if it meant casting every single thought of her father aside. If she was going to fly for the Wonderbolts, she needed to be in more than tip-top shape—she needed to be prepared to fly like she had never flown before...

After dropping the box off at home, Rainbow Dash immediately went to work constructing a makeshift obstacle course comprised of multiple clouds lined up in a horizontal row in the skies over an empty field near Ponyville—a field she quickly realized was the same one that she and Scootaloo had played in nearly a week earlier.

Scootaloo! Rainbow's heart sank as she thought about her surrogate sister again. It quickly occurred to her that she had never informed Scootaloo about the date of her debut. How could she approach her now? How could she even begin to convince her to come? After a moment, Rainbow shook her head, opting to put it out of her mind for the moment while she focused everything on preparation.

Once ready, she flew over to the starting point of the course, and after slowly counting down from three in her head, she zipped swiftly towards the clouds, trail following behind her, her eyes cutting into another determined glare while her mouth simultaneously formed a malicious-looking grin. She soared through the cluster of clouds, dodging them narrowly as she passed, banking left and right and even up and down to avoid allowing her skin to make contact with even the tiniest wisp.

Midway through the course, Rainbow was almost surprised to find that a potent, yet undeniable satisfaction had quickly spread over her while she zoomed around the clouds. After days of struggling with her grief and desperately attempting to shun her feelings, she could hardly believe that at long last, she actually begun to feel a sense of happiness again. Finally, the excitement of fulfilling her dream had permeated through to the pit of her stomach, tingling her in such a way that she could have let out a boastful scream. She was once again in her element, in her zone. And tomorrow, she would ensure that the Wonderbolts regretted their decision not to include her within their ranks years ago...

As she approached the final cloud in the course, she swirled around it repeatedly, her speed increasing at each rotation. Within seconds, the cloud swirled along with her, falling slave to the tornado-like influence of Rainbow's wings. After more than thirty rotations, Rainbow Dash came to an instant stop, and the cloud hurled itself down to the ground, dissipating as it crashed against a nearby tree.

"And that's how it's done!" Rainbow boasted loudly as though she had been showing off to someone. "Just try to find somepony more suited for the Wonderbolts than me!"

She closed her eyes, continuing to take in the joyful bliss that remained in her stomach, doing her best not to think about anything except putting on her uniform for the very first time and impressing the Wonderbolts as she always wanted. It was a feeling that lasted for hours as she continued on training, attempting to make it through the course within ten seconds without striking any clouds. As she prepared to fly through it for what she could only imagine was the fortieth-or-so time, she soon noticed a familiar yellow-and-pink figure flying up to enter her peripheral vision.

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy said as she approached, her voice heavy with confusion.

"Oh, hey," Rainbow replied with a nod of acknowledgement.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "What happened with your return to Cloudsdale?"

Rainbow sighed, choosing to ignore the latter question. "Tomorrow's the day, Fluttershy. It's the day I've been waiting for my whole life."

Fluttershy gasped almost inaudibly. In the wake of Rainbow's coma and everything that had happened following it, she had almost completely forgotten about her Wonderbolts debut.

"Rainbow Dash, are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked. "We thought that you might have to postpone for a while until you recover."

Rainbow shook her head fiercely, causing droplets of sweat to fly from her forehead. "I'm not gonna postpone it. This is what I've been waiting for my entire life, and it's finally going to happen tomorrow. That's why I'm here. I need to get myself ready to fly like I've never flown before."

"Well, okay," said Fluttershy, still appearing apprehensive. "If you're sure, then we'll be there for you. I can't wait to watch you perform."

"I am," Rainbow said with nod. "But I really should get back to it. So, if you don't mind..."

But Fluttershy showed no intention of leaving her alone just yet.

"What happened with your trip back to Cloudsdale?" she questioned again. "What did you learn, if you don't mind my asking?"

Rainbow Dash sighed again. "I learned that you were right all along. He was waiting for me to come back, and I never did. And the letter is probably going to make me regret that forever."

Fluttershy frowned, her ears . "I'm truly sorry, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash quickly shook her head in frustration as she felt her happiness and bliss beginning to slip away again, instantly restoring her mournful feelings as they left her.

"Why does it have to be all my fault?!" she shouted bitterly. "I only left in the first place because of him! And yet, somehow it's all my fault that I never got to see him again! Why is all the blame is on me, and none of it on him?!"

"It is on him, too," Fluttershy said, somewhat stunned by her outburst. "It's not all your fault, Rainbow Dash."

"Apparently it is!" Rainbow retorted, feeling the sudden urge to kick through and destroy all the clouds of her obstacle course. "All week long the blame has been only on me! Nothing but blame left and right! And maybe I deserve some of it, but...I can't be the only one!"

"Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow grunted angrily. "I had just taken my mind off it, Fluttershy! I was finally happy for the first time in days, and now I'm not!"

Fluttershy appeared to go tearful at her words. "Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash. I didn't mean to make you upset..."

Rainbow shook her head and exhaled deeply, finding calm again. "It wasn't going to last anyway. I still can't take my mind off Scootaloo, and I really want her to be there for my debut tomorrow. But I don't think she'll come, even if I ask her."

"Have you tried talking to her?" asked Fluttershy, feeling slightly ridiculous about offering such simple advice.

"I don't know what to say, or even how to begin," replied Rainbow. "Every time I think about her, I just remember her glaring at me, like she never wanted to see me again. I know that I really hurt her. She just wanted to comfort me, but I....I did exactly what my dad was always so good at and pushed her away."

"Well, she can't ignore you forever," said Fluttershy. "Nor can you ignore her forever. Soon you're going to be standing face-to-face again, and when that happens, you'll need to know exactly what you want to say. Are you sorry for hurting her?"

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah...very."

"Well, that's a start," replied Fluttershy. "It may only be a single step on the road to forgiveness, but it's certainly the most important one."

"Maybe....maybe I don't deserve her forgiveness," Rainbow said, fighting to hold back tears. "Maybe I deserve to lose her..."

"Don't talk like that," Fluttershy replied at once. "You still have a chance to repair your broken relationship, and you need to seize it before it's too late. The longer you wait, the more heartache will develop between the both of you."

"Well, could you do me a favor?" Rainbow asked with a sigh. "Could you let her know that my Wonderbolts debut is tomorrow at two? I don't want you to ask her to come, I just want you to let her know. If she does come, I'll take that as my chance to try to fix our relationship."

Fluttershy stared back at her in silence for a few fleeting seconds before nodding slowly. "Alright, I can do that."

"Thanks," Rainbow said, gifting her with a tiny smile.

"Not everything is your fault, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy. "You were faced with something that you weren't prepared for. You may have made mistakes, but you don't deserve to lose everything because of them. You absolutely deserve to be happy and excited about tomorrow, and I'll leave you alone if you really need me to."

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"I truly hope it will be everything you've always wanted it to be," Fluttershy said, smiling.

"So do I," Rainbow replied. "But remember, I don't want you to ask her to come. I just want to make sure that she knows about it."

Fluttershy nodded and flew off in the direction she came, permitting Rainbow to resume her preparation. She zipped through the course again, hoping to feel the happiness and bliss overtake her body once more.

****

Like the previous night, Rainbow Dash struggled to find any sleep, and she instead found herself trembling from both nervousness and anticipation as she lay awake in bed. She had long since wondered what the night before her first Wonderbolts debut would be like, but she certainly had not expected to feel so nervous about it. Numerous questions orbited her mind to hinder her ability to sleep: could she truly step into such a period of dream-living ecstasy, knowing that her father's funeral was the very next day? How would she feel when she looked in the mirror and saw herself wearing her Wonderbolt uniform? And would Scootaloo even bother to show up, or would she continue to shun her from her life?

After a while, Rainbow Dash rose from her bed and switched on the lamp on her bedside table. She floated over to the box of pictures which she had so casually tossed aside upon her return home and rummaged through it, eventually pulling out the one she cherished the most. She carefully placed it on the bedside table, just beside her father's letter. Almost at once, she felt as though she had taken a trip back in time to her fillyhood days when this very picture meant the world to her, gifting her a connection to her mother which was closer than she ever felt towards her gravestone—a connection close enough to be worthy of exchanging words.

"I know I haven't done this in a while," Rainbow spoke to the frame. "I guess you know now that I've been away for a long time."

The photograph did not reply, but Rainbow shook her head as though she had heard one.

"Don't look at me like that," Rainbow said, sighing. "I had to grow up sometime, didn't I?"

Rainbow paused again to allow for another reply. Unlike with her father the day before, she did not bother coming up with replies in her head. Instead, she simply pretended to hear them.

"Tomorrow's the day I've been waiting for my entire life," she continued. "All the years I've spent talking about it with you....it's finally happening tomorrow. I just thought that I should let you know."

She paused, imagining that her mother had bestowed her with some congratulatory response.

"Well, actually, I'm technically not in the Wonderbolts yet. For now, I'm just a Reserve, filling in for whenever one of them can't perform for whatever reason. Still, I'm part of them now. I've made it farther than dad ever thought I would."

The mention of her father almost immediately brought tears to her eyes, and she wiped them away before they could escape.

"I'm so sick of crying," she said with a frustrated sigh. "I don't want to cry anymore. I just want to enjoy tomorrow stop regretting how things turned out."

Rainbow sat in silence for a moment as she continued to wipe her tears. She imagined that if her mother were here in person, she would have wrapped her tightly within her comforting hooves, but that was a feeling that Rainbow had only experienced as a foal and could no longer remember, even after years of trying. Once more, she felt envious of her infant self, and could only imagine how much she would have savored her mother's touch had she known that she would grow up never feeling it again.

"I really hope you'll be watching me tomorrow," Rainbow said, smiling at the frame.

Without another word, Rainbow turned off the lamp and crawled back into bed, now feeling a bit more relaxed at the thought of her mother watching her performance and hoping that it would be enough to allow her some sleep.

****

Rainbow Dash lurched out of bed just after dawn, awakening from a dream in which she had shown up late for her debut and the Wonderbolts had stripped her of her Reserves membership. Looking out her window, she could see that the Weather Team was at work with their daily weather duties, once more without her own participation.

"Today's the day," she whispered to herself, and excitement quickly rushed to greet her.

There was still a long, agonizing wait ahead of her before the hour of two o'clock finally arrived. For today, time would most certainly move at the pace of a slug, with each and every minute passing by as though it were up to twice the normal length. And yet, even after all the hours of preparation she had subjected herself to the previous day, she still remained in ominous doubt that she was capable of making the best impression—and making the best impression was everything. Surely, whichever Reserve performed the most competently during their debut would almost certainly be the one who would be first to enter the official ranks of the Wonderbolts, and Rainbow would ensure that none of the other Reserves would steal that away from her.

"More practice," Rainbow said to herself as she allowed her excitement to settle. "I need more practice."

In a flash, she brushed through her front door without bothering to sit down to any breakfast, much to the dissatisfaction of her stomach, which grumbled in protest. Ponyville had just barely begun to awaken and embrace the weekend as Rainbow soared over it, returning to the airspace above the field she had trained in the previous day. Once again, the sky was transformed into her own personal training area as she went about performing every single Wonderbolt maneuver that she knew, both from her time in the Academy, as well as the ones she knew from simple memory of the dozens upon dozens of Wonderbolt shows she had watched in all her life.

"Look out, Wonderbolts! Here comes Dash!" she cried, grinning with unwavering fervor.

Two hours of almost non-stop training managed to pass by as Rainbow continued performing Wonderbolt maneuvers, smothered by the warmth of the mid-morning sun while her insides brimmed almost euphorically in the bliss of a much-deserved accomplishment. Just like the previous day, it seemed as though all of her problems had taken a long vacation and would not return anytime soon...or so she hoped.

"Yoo hoo!"

Rainbow Dash immediately recognized Rarity's cheerful voice calling out from just below her, and she looked down to see that her friends had gathered in the field.

"Hey, guys," she said, casually wiping the sweat from her forehead as rushed back down to meet them, smiling at their presence. "This is it!"

"So you're really going to go through with this?" asked Twilight. "You're absolutely sure?"

"Yeah," Rainbow nodded. "I don't have any reason not to. I'm not waiting any longer for this."

"Well, then we'll stand beside ya!" replied Applejack.

"And we'll certainly have to snap some pictures with you in your Wonderbolt uniform," said Rarity.

"Uh, sure, whatever," Rainbow Dash replied nonchalantly.

"Since we'll be in Cloudsdale, I guess I'll have to repeat the cloud-walking spell on you guys," said Twilight. "Fortunately, it doesn't wear off for a few days, so I shouldn't have to cast it again tomorrow."

"I don't want to think about tomorrow," Rainbow said, frowning slightly. "Tomorrow is tomorrow. But this is today, and it's going to go down as one of the greatest days of my life. It's all that matters to me right now."

"Oh, sorry," Twilight replied, biting her lip with a slight sting of guilt.

At once, Pinkie Pie threw her forelegs across Rainbow's neck and squeezed her tightly, a massive smile borne upon her face which could have erased all memory of the mournful expression she had maintained as she stared persistently at Rainbow's comatose body not more than two days ago.

"Our little Dashie is all grown up now!" she exclaimed. "We couldn't be happier for you!"

"Uh....Pinkie....can't..." Rainbow struggled to say, but Pinkie released her before her sentence finished.

"We couldn't be prouder of you, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy, smiling.

"It feels like only yesterday you were telling me how you wanted to impress the Wonderbolts at the Summer Sun Celebration on the day we first met," remarked Twilight. "I can't believe we're finally here."

"Nor can I," replied Rarity. "But you've worked hard for this, darling, and there's no doubt that you absolutely deserve it."

Their praise left Rainbow Dash with a tickling sensation within her stomach, and she could have accurately guessed that her cheeks were flushed.

"Thanks, guys."

"Why don't you come and grab a bite with us?" asked Applejack. "I reckon you'll need the energy."

"Sure," Rainbow said with a nod. "But only for an hour or so. I really need to get back to practicing."

As they started back towards town, Rainbow casually slipped beside Fluttershy and whispered into her ear.

"So um, did you...?"

Fluttershy responded with a single nod.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Rainbow exhaled a breath of relief. It was now only a matter of seeing whether or not Scootaloo would bother to show up...

****

"I'm here and ready to fly!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed excitedly as she burst through the double doors of the Wonderbolt Headquarters with only ten minutes to spare before the hour reached two. The lobby was occupied by a single mare at the reception desk, who looked up at her through a pair of white horn-rimmed glasses.

"And you are...?" she asked almost callously.

"Rainbow Dash, of course!" Rainbow replied, her tone implying a sense of conceit. "I'm surprised you even have to ask."

The receptionist looked back down at her desk and briefly scanned through an itinerary.

"Ah, yes, Rainbow Dash," she said with a nod. "'Wonderbolt Reserve exercises at 2 PM.'" She looked over at a nearby clock on the wall. "You sure did cut it close. You'd probably do well to remember that the Wonderbolts do not have much tolerance for unpunctuality."

"Sorry," Rainbow replied. "I kinda lost track of time practicing."

The receptionist ignored her. "Head over to the Conference Room. Take the hallway to your right and you'll find it a few doors down."

"Uhhh...thanks," Rainbow replied, and immediately floated her way over there.

The Wonderbolt Headquarters was a place Rainbow had visited frequently during her young life, and it had only undergone minimal change throughout the years. Multiple Wonderbolt portraits and artifacts adorned the walls of both the lobby and the hallway, which included a massive painting of General Firefly captioned "Our Founder", the very first Wonderbolt fabric uniform designed by Flair de Mare encased in a glass frame, and Commander Easy Glider's famous aviator sunglasses sitting in a tiny display box near the hallway where she was headed.

The Conference Room was the last of four doors in the hallway, the other three being dressing rooms labeled A, B, and C. Her heart thumping with anticipation, Rainbow Dash opened the door and was instantly greeted by the wide-eyed stares of Raindrops and Meadow Flower, two ponies whom she knew as fellow cadets during her time in the Wonderbolt Academy. They were sitting somewhat impatiently at the massive table in the center of the room, and Rainbow Dash quickly realized that they were there for the exact same reason that she was.

"Uhhh, hey," Rainbow said apprehensively. "I take it you guys are Reserves, too?"

Meadow Flower immediately looked at Raindrops, who now appeared less than pleased at Rainbow's sudden appearance.

"Looks like you owe me ten bits," she said with a casual grin.

Raindrops rolled her eyes. "I'll pay up later. I didn't bring any bits with me."

Rainbow Dash expressed her curiosity through a raised eyebrow. "Uhh...what's that about?"

"We had a bet," said Meadow Flower. "I was almost certain that we would be seeing you again today, but Raindrops thought that you had probably made it into the Reserves a long time ago."

"I didn't know that we'd be doing these exercises together," replied Rainbow, and her pressure to become the stand-out Reserve almost instantly mounted up even heavier than it already was.

"Neither did we, until we saw each other," replied Raindrops. "I wonder if anypony else is coming."

"I gotta admit, I'm kinda of surprised to see you here, Meadow," said Rainbow Dash. "I mean, no offense, but I don't remember you being the best flyer at the Academy."

"I wasn't," Meadow replied. "Back at the Wonderbolt Academy, I never thought I'd make it this far. But somehow, I've been able to increase my wing power from 8.6 to a 12.2. And now I'm actually about to wear a Wonderbolt uniform for the first time in my life. This hardly even seems real."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Rainbow replied. "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life."

Raindrops let out an irritable sigh. "Of course, now that you're here, Meadow and I will both look like a joke."

"It's not a competition," replied Rainbow, despite believing the opposite. "We're already Reserves. The only thing you have to worry about is proving that you belong here."

"They won't be able to help but hold us to your standards," retorted Raindrops. "I really hope I didn't work this hard to get here only to fall under your shadow."

"Look, would you mind backing off?" Rainbow said, now irritable. "I've had a tough week, which is only going to get tougher tomorrow, and this is the only thing that I can look forward to. So I really don't need any of your crap today, alright?"

The room fell momentarily silent as a noticeable guilt swept over Raindrops' face. "Uhh...I'm sorry."

"Um, what happens tomorrow, if you don't mind me asking?" questioned Meadow Flower.

Rainbow sighed hesitantly. "Well..."

At that moment, Spitfire slammed through the door of the conference room, fully clad in her Wonderbolt uniform with the goggles sitting on her head. Behind her was a stallion who carried three white boxes in a small stack, obscuring his face from view.

"Good afternoon, Reserves!" she said with a grin. "Good to see that you're all here! The Wonderbolts pride themselves on their punctuality, and from the look of it, it seems that you've all grasped that quite well."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Rainbow Dash, now increasingly grateful that she had managed to make it in time.

Spitfire then motioned for the stallion to set the boxes down on the table, and he set them side by side each other. With his face no longer obscured, Rainbow saw that the stallion was Stromm Skyrider, the pony who had proctored her Reserves exam and had written her the acceptance letters. He immediately exited the room once the boxes were on the table, shutting the door behind him.

"I imagine you all know exactly what's in these boxes?" asked Spitfire.

She received only subtle nods in response as the three Reserves stared almost hypnotically at them, realizing the magnitude of their achievement for the very first time. Each box had their corresponding names scribbled upon the lid in jet black ink, almost giving the impression that the three Reserves had been given their own autographs. Raindrops made a move to open her box, which was quickly met with Spitfire slamming her hoof down on top of it.

"Before you open these boxes, I just want to make it clear to you that we will hold you to an exceptionally high standard when it comes to taking care of your uniforms," she said. "They are to be treated with the utmost respect, loyalty, and devotion that we, the Wonderbolts, pride ourselves upon. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the Reserves replied in unison.

"Furthermore, you are only permitted to wear these uniforms when you're either standing in for a Wonderbolt, or unless we give you explicit permission to do so," Spitfire continued. "If we find out that you've been wearing it in public without our permission, there will be consequences, which may even include the suspension of your Reserves membership. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the Reserves repeated.

Spitfire removed her hoof from Raindrops' box and nodded her head towards them. "You'll find guidelines for taking proper care of your uniform inside. Go ahead and get yourselves ready in one of the three dressing rooms. I imagine that each of you are going to want to savor the moment of wearing a Wonderbolt uniform for the first time, so I will give you ten minutes to get ready, and then afterwards, I want you to meet me outside in the training arena."

"Yes, ma'am!" the Reserves repeated again.

With that, Spitfire opened the door again and exited the room, followed closely by Raindrops and Meadow Flower after having grabbed their boxes from the table. Rainbow Dash stared down on her box, looking intently at her name scribbled upon it. This was it. All her waiting had just been reduced to its final few seconds...

After a moment, she grabbed her box and floated over to Dressing Room C, the only one still left open, the interior of which was surrounded by mirrors on the walls and two large racks where several uniforms were hung, as well as more traditional Wonderbolt uniforms reminiscent of what the original squad wore. With a cold sigh, she set the box on the table and trembled as she moved a hoof to lift the lid. Just inside, the familiar blue-and-yellow fabric of her very own Wonderbolt uniform greeted her eyes with the same amount of magnificent splendor as that of a massive diamond. The goggles sat to the left of the box, while the guidelines, a two-page long sheet lay just underneath it.

"Today," Rainbow whispered, her trembling hoof instantly going steady. "Yes, today."

The sensation that fell over her for the next few minutes could be described as nothing more than a dream that had somehow crossed into the borders of reality. Rainbow closed her eyes as she felt the immensely soft and comfortably flexible fabric on her skin, which felt unlike any garment she had ever worn in her entire life, save for the cadet uniform she had worn at the Academy, made from a similar fabric. It adjusted to her body seamlessly, and she was even left amazed that her wings were able to fit through the tiny wing-holes without any problem. She was further stunned to find that the cowl was far more comfortable than she had ever imagined it to be as she slipped it over her head, and her mane passed through its top openings just as seamlessly as her wings. Before long, the uniform in it's entirety encompassed Rainbow's entire body until all that was left was the goggles. She cautiously removed them from the box, fitting them over her head while sliding them over her eyes. Much to her relief, the goggles were not a hindrance to her vision and instead appeared to magnify it, granting her a deeper level of perception which she could hardly wait to fly with.

At last, Rainbow Dash stepped towards the nearest mirror and forced herself to look into it, exhaling a tension-filled breath as she did so. She found herself staring back at an image which had frequently been prominent in her dreams: a pair of goggled eyes staring back at her, her rainbow mane protruding out from her cowl, and all that was missing was her rainbow trail following behind her as she zipped along with her Wonderbolt colleagues. Rainbow's entire body fell numb, and she allowed her vision to be muddled with tears, instantly wishing that her parents could see her right now, and that she could see the expressions of pride adorned upon their faces. She once again recalled them standing by her left and right sides during her dream, and she attempted to imagine that image again as she stared into the mirror, but it would not happen anymore forever. They were gone...

Rainbow finally exited the dressing room after exhaling a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes, rejoining Raindrops and Meadow Flower who were now also clad in their own Wonderbolt uniforms. Together, they went back through the lobby and exited the building through two massive back doors, leading to the massive aerial training arena, which was nothing more than a oval-shaped, empty sky, preceded by a platform of clouds that circled around its rim. Upon this platform were a pair of visitor stands were situated at both the far left and right sides of the arena, and Rainbow Dash instantly caught sight of her friends who had arrived later via hot air balloon, sitting in the stands on the left. They cheered wildly as the saw Rainbow emerge, far louder than the family and friends of Raindrops and Meadow Flower sitting nearby, mostly due to Pinkie's rapid "Ohmigosh, omigosh, omigosh!"

Rainbow quickly scanned her eyes across her distant group of friends, but was unsure if Scootaloo was among them. Before she had a chance to examine them more closely, Spitfire spoke to them again.

"Alright, let's get started," she said, ignoring the commotion in the stands. "Your performance today will gauge whether or not we made the right call in making you an official Reserve. Today, you'll be performing most basic of Wonderbolt formations that you've each been exposed to before at the Academy. However, unlike at the Academy, there is very little margin for error here. I will give you two attempts to nail each maneuver, and if you cannot pull it off by the second try, you will fail that maneuver. If you fail three maneuvers, you will lose your Reserves membership, and the Wonderbolt uniform you're wearing right now will be subsequently burned."

Meadow and Raindrops looked at each other fearfully while Rainbow Dash cocked a confident grin.

"You'll each perform simultaneously, since you'll need to get used to performing in synchronization," Spitfire continued. "This means flying at the same speed, which in this case should be roughly 12.0 wing power. Of course, I'm not expecting you three to be experts at this right away, but you'll at least need to show me that not only are you able to pull off maneuvers, you're able to do so with at least some sync. As a final notion, I need to remind you all that you're not in any competition against each other. I'm looking for each of you to impress me as a team, rather than as individuals. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," the trio repeated.

"You'll start off with the Icaranian Sun Salutation," said Spitfire. "Each of you learned this pattern during your time in the Academy, so it should still be familiar to you. You may decide amongst yourselves who will lead. However, each of you will lead in at least one exercise today."

"I've got this one," Raindrops said at once.

"Fine," Rainbow Dash replied, noticeably disappointed. Meadow gave a slight nod.

They stepped off of the cloud platform and their wings immediately took over for their hooves. They floated near the center of the arena, and the ponies in the stands gave yet another howl of joy and excitement. Rainbow Dash again attempted to scan through the faces of her friends to look for Scootaloo, but she still could not see any sign of her.

"Dash, you're on the left. Meadow, you're right," instructed Raindrops.

"Got it," replied Rainbow Dash.

After a visual cue of readiness, Raindrops soared upward, followed closely by Rainbow, then Meadow. After reaching a certain peak, they instantly split apart, Dash circling the left side of the arena while Meadow Flower circled the right and Raindrops descended in a swift twirl, eventually bringing herself back up to complete an oval shape. As she circled around, Rainbow finally neared the stands close enough to see her friends through the magnified vision of her goggles, and what she saw made her insides nearly shatter to pieces.

Scootaloo was not among them. None of the faces in the stand belonged to her, and Flutteshy's face wore a distinctive frown, knowing how disappointed she would be at this realization. Surely this meant that Scootaloo had not thought it worth her time to come see Rainbow in her very first and only Wonderbolt debut. Even Spike had shown up in what was his very first trip to Cloudsdale, but Scootaloo had apparently decided against it.

Sighing deeply to herself, Rainbow Dash reunited with the other two after the fourth rotation, and they met in the middle, with Rainbow and Meadow twirling around Raindrops as they ascended again and finally completed the maneuver, causing the ponies in the stands to howl with applause.

"Very impressive, Reserves," said Spitfire, who flew up to approach them. "Meadow Flower, you were a bit wavy in your rotations, and that's something you're definitely going to need to work on. However, fortunately for you, it was minor enough that I won't count it as a failure."

Meadow's face exploded with relief. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Now onto the Butterfly to Bumblebee pattern, another one the three of you are familiar with," said Spitfire. "Rainbow Dash, you're leading this one. Understood?"

Rainbow offered no response, and her head was turned towards her friends, who were now watching in anticipation as to what maneuvers they would see next.

"Understood?!" Spitfire repeated, her voice louder.

"I....I have to go..." Rainbow replied in a low voice.

"Excuse me?" replied Spitfire, unsure if she was serious.

But before Rainbow said another word, her wings carried her away from the arena within seconds, much to the utter disbelief of everyone present.

"Rainbow Dash!" Spitfire called after her.

But Rainbow had no intention of turning back. Scootaloo's absence had suddenly made it abundantly clear what she needed to do, and she strongly felt that If she did not do it now, she would lose Scootaloo forever. Their relationship stood on a precipice, and any one step forward would send it collapsing into an unknown abyss, never to be returned.

"As of this moment, I was not here with you on Saturday when you got the news. I won't be checking on you anymore because I have no idea that anything is wrong. I won't be going to the funeral because I have no idea that there is a funeral. As of right now, I know nothing, just how you want it."

Scootaloo's words rang within her head, and Rainbow Dash glared in anger at herself as her wings carried her swiftly back in the direction of Ponyville. It was her only plan, and at this point, there was no way of knowing whether or not it would work. But she could not waste another second to find out.

Perhaps she had just lost her Wonderbolt Reserves membership forever. Perhaps her dream had just come to an end on the day it came true. Yet in that moment, losing Scootaloo seemed like a far greater loss—a loss she would never be able to live with...

Rainbow soon arrived back in Ponyville, hopeful that Scootaloo would be home in spite of the lovely Saturday that the Weather Team had granted them. Full of determination that she was not planning on going to waste, she landed down upon Scootaloo's doorstep and firmly knocked upon the door.

Next Chapter: Chapter 12 -- Today They Weep Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 34 Minutes
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