Saturday, April 9th, 7 am. Dash’s house.

Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Dash slumped her way to the bedroom window, throwing it open and half-hanging herself over the sill while glaring bleary-eyed down at the hazy pink mass that stood at her door grinning excitedly in return, hardly able to stand still. “What do you need today, Pinkie!? Didn't you notice the construction workers aren't around!? I'm trying to get some sleep for once!”

For her part, Pinkie did her best to hold still and wait for Dash to finish before her excitement reached a fever pitch, and she started bouncing on the balls of her feet, her tail swishing excitedly behind her back. “Hiya, Rainbow Dash! Today’s the day, remember? You asked me to come over early so you could give me the keys and make sure you got a good start on the day, remember?”

Dash groaned and face planted onto her crossed arms, still lazily half-hanging out the window. Without looking up, she muttered under her breath. “So how is waking me up any help? And what do you mean, ‘the day’? What day?”

The sudden unmistakable scent of freshly-baked apple fritters hit Dash’s foggy brain like a sledge hammer, driving a clear thought straight to the primal part of her subconscious. Mouth dripping with drool, she lifted her head again and made her eyes focus on Pinkie, clearing away the fog that had clouded her vision. Waving a plain brown paper bag back and forth in one hand, Pinkie ripped off a large chunk of the fritter in her other hand, chewing overly dramatically, and finally answered when she had Dash’s full attention. “‘Cause Dashie, Surprise is waiting for you in Cloudsdale today, remember?!”

In an instant, sleep and hunger were replaced by the impact of a roaring trainload of panic. Bolting up, Dash nearly lept through the window, struggling not to sound too openly worried. “What? Oh, that! Heh, heh… Yeah, right. She's going to help me with the Young Fliers’ Competition paperwork. Thanks fo-or reminding me, I-err… I'd have hated to forget!”

Dash forced herself back inside and moved to quickly rip off her tank top to change into something a little fresher, though she could still hear Pinkie's reply. “No problem, Dashie! And Surprise said she was really happy to help! She wouldn't stop talking about you last time we met! Well, that and how she finally got promoted back to being a full Wonderbolt again! Apparently they just had a ton of slots open up a few weeks ago!”

That made Dash perk up, and she rushed down the hallway to the front door, unlocking it and tugging it open as wide as the sack of clean laundry Amethyst had dropped off last night would allow. “Wait, what? I thought you said she was sure it would be years before she built up enough good credit to get promoted from the cadets again after the banana cream pie incident!”

Pinkie shrugged and shoved a fritter into Dash’s open mouth. The thick, oozing sugary glaze on the piping-hot pastry was still semi-liquid, and even that first taste was like magic, rejuvenating her weary body, helping her to feel a little better, and she absently munched away at the hot fritter as Pinkie continued. “Something big happened I guess, and they reorganized three whole divisions of the ‘Bolts. Spitfire even got promoted to Lieutenant Colonel! At this rate, she’ll be the youngest General since Fairweather!”

Pulling the fritter out of her mouth and thoughtfully chewing at a chunk of apple, lingering on the flavor of the cinnamon spices, Dash gave a little sigh. “And meanwhile, this is my last chance to join the Wonderbolts.”

Perking up, Pinkie settled the aromatic bag on Dash’s table once she found a free space not covered with crumpled paper work and other trash, turning back to Dash, unable to keep from pouting. “What? Why's that, Dash? You're a great flyer, why would they not let you join the Wonderbolts?”

Dash really didn't want to think about it; not today, when so much rode on the next few days, but one look in the direction of Pinkie's deep, sad eyes and quivering lower lip made saying nothing impossible. “Well, it's complicated, Pinkie. It all started with my grades in school and all the trouble I caused with Gilda. See, the Wonderbolts have high standards, and some of the things Gilda did makes me… questionable. I-I guess I should have used Celestia’s offer of one request to join the ‘Bolts, instead of getting Gilda pardoned, but that's hindsight for ya.”

Occupied with taking another bite from the fritter in her hand, Dash wasn't really paying attention to Pinkie until she was suddenly grabbed from behind, and pulled into a tight hug. Nuzzling at Dash’s neck, Pinkie quickly got sappy. “So you used up your one chance to get anything from Princess Celestia to have a chance to see your marefriend? That's so sweet, Dash! It's just too bad Gilda turned out to be such a meanie bobeenie.”

Internally shuddering at Pinkie's choice of words, Dash did her best to shake it off and stood up, pulling free of Pinkie's grip. “So yeah, uh, anyways, Pinkie. My spare house keys are on the hook by the front door, you don't need to do anything important while I'm away, just try and keep an eye on the construction team when AJ’s busy. I got a bag of laundry by the door for Amethyst to do tomorrow, so just leave it on the step. Don't worry about putting stuff away, I'm starting to think it'll be easier to burn the place down when my new house is done, even if the mayor and Dusk both ended up giving me some speech about destroying Ponyville property.”

Watching her intently the whole time, Pinkie sat in rapt attention and covered her mouth to giggle at Dash’s suggestion of burning the house down instead of cleaning it up. “Okay, Dashie! I can handle that! Do you want another fritter? We got lots of time before- oops.”

Spinning around to glare at Pinkie, Dash crossed her arms and glared at her friend. “Before what, Pinkie?”

Blushing and idly rubbing her hands together nervously while looking down at her feet as she kicked them lazily against the legs of her chair. “Oh… ummm. Well, Applejack and Dusk said we should all get together and see you off to Cloudsdale, so we're supposed to gather at the marketplace this morning to say goodbye and stuff.”

Groaning and slapping the palm of her hand against her face, Dash hung her head. “There's no reason to get all sappy, Pinkie! I'm just going to Cloudsdale for three or four days, then one in Canterlot for the Wonderbolts show.”

Pinkie snickered and reached out to squeeze Dash's hand. “We know that, Dashie! But we can't follow you to Cloudsdale to cheer you on in person, so we at least want to say goodbye properly to let you know we're behind you!”

The sound of shaking metal clashing against shaking metal made both mares look out the kitchen window. The sight of Bronze jogging towards the door in her chainmail shirt without breaking a sweat under the extra weight made Dash snicker a little. “Alight, Pinkie, alright. I'll go for a run with Bronze, and then you can tell me what we gotta do before I can finally go, alright?”

Leaping into an aggressive hug with Dash, Pinkie nuzzled her cheek deeply. “Okie dokie, Dashie!”

9am, Dusk’s Library.

Pulling his quill from the page, Dusk returned it to the inkwell, carefully bleeding the last of the black ink from the sharp feather. With care, he lifted his blotter, and smoothed out the wet spots left behind on the page. Blowing gently over the paper to make sure it was dry, a childhood habit, Dusk finally rolled up the page and lifted the half-melted red wax stamp, leaving a thin blob of hot wax, keeping the rolled page closed. Next, he took his signet ring from the chain around his neck and pressed it into the red wax, leaving the emblem mirrored in the seal.

Finally finished, Dusk put the rolled letter into the box with his latest report, folding down the flaps and drawing his finger across the gap between the flaps and box. With a momentary flare of magic, the two parts bound together seamlessly; at least, to those who couldn’t see magic.

Content, he pushed the box aside and gave a happy sigh, leaning back into his chair and opening the hidden drawer in his desk, all while attempting to make it look like he was simply reclining casually. He didn't need to look at the books waiting for him in the door, but his finger lingered on the velvet bookmark in the first, fondly smiling as his hand touched over the golden embossed title. “Smarty Pants’ First Day of School.” Flush with memories of his days as a colt, it was hard to move on, but his time was limited, so he lingered on the memories of the cute filly on the cover of the simple foal story for only a moment longer.

Next came a book he remembered all too well from many days in school, carrying it around even before they had used it for reference material. “Elementary Aspects of Magic, second edition, revised by Starswirl the Bearded.”

This too brought back such fond memories. He had founded a group in school to hunt for the changes that Starswirl had made from the first edition, a fabled text that had been written long before even Starswirl’s own birth. But as much as Dusk wanted to linger, to rediscover the obvious and intricate edits that had been left behind by the ancient mentor to all modern magic once more, he couldn't today.

Next came his mother's book, one he felt guilty about needing to refresh on again, and probably soon, if Autumn Skies’ warning about the griffons was accurate. “Diplomatic History and Traditions of The Griffon Empire.”

Dusk didn’t bother lingering here, not after everything that had happened with Gilda. Even thinking about it made his horn feel raw, almost itchy from just thinking about having to deal with griffons once more. Scratching idly at the scar with his free hand, Dusk moved on through the drawer, quickly now. There was “Oath to the Sun”, one of the few zebra books that Zecora had brought with her from her homeland. And a few books later was “Records of Tartarus”, a very dry historical record of the dungeon’s creation over the course of centuries. Dusk was doubtful he would find anything useful hidden inside, but his research into the jail had hit a massive brick wall: all of the records of the jail existed only inside the royal archives. Shining Armor had been forced to sneak this copy out for him.

Finally, his hand reached the last two books, and he lingered indecisively. He'd already read the legend of disasters from cover to cover, but it was so simplistic, practically written for foals, and provided only questions, not answers. But somewhere inside, he was sure there would be some answer...

Forcing the thoughts away, he pulled out the last book and set it on the desk, flipping it open to the section he'd already marked. The following process took a while, and anypony watching would have thought he was obsessed with making a rainstorm inside the library. Then, preparing himself in silence for a moment of absolute humiliation, Dusk took one very awkward step, his balance shaky as he strode across the newly summoned surface, testing it extensively before finally satisfied.

A little later, Dusk was mopping up the mess on the library floor. He had left the house door and all the windows open. Whistling softly to himself from the joy of a successful experiment, Dusk turned to look out the window as, puffing for breath, and with her chainmail announcing her arrival, Bronze glided down in broad, slow circles. When she landed, she folded in her wings and awkwardly ran the last dozen feet to the door of the library, clinging to the frame and still steadily panting. Setting aside the mop, Dusk used his magic to casually toss a clean, white handkerchief over the open book on his desk, wishing he'd remembered to put it away before Bronze returned. “You okay, Bronze? Sounds like Dash really made you work to keep up today!”

Still gasping for breath, Bronze threw her head back, laughing openly. “Are you kidding me, Dusk? She didn't let me even come close! Kept saying if I'm going to wear my chainmail, I have to figure out how to catch her!”

Dusk winced, and put an arm around Bronze’s shoulders, helping her straighten up while fishing for the straps that held the heavy mail shirt in place. The sudden shift of the weight as it dropped forward to the limit of the straps pulled her off balance, further into his arms, her chest rubbing against his. She let out a small a gasp and gave him a furtive, blushing glance before she looked away. Caught up for a moment, Dusk’s fingers stroked down Bronze’s back, losing his train of thought as he watched her. His voice and thoughts were slow, running mostly on automatic. “I… suppose she thinks making you try hard will encourage you to let her borrow the vest more often… Dash’s good at using exhaustion to make ponies thi-” He coughed, blushing and clearing his throat when she looked back at him. “Think her way.”

Bronze swallowed hard, still caught up in his eyes, her free hand reaching up to stroke aside a stray hair that had escaped his ponytail, looking for something from his. She awkwardly laughed and clutched his arm, just as distracted. “I'm… just glad she'll be in Cloudsdale for a while. After the last… few days, my wings are killing me.”

Slowly leaning closer, Dusk’s breath was hot over Bronze’s cheek, his lips gently pressing into her jaw for a lingering kiss that earned him an excited, satisfied moan. She tilted her face away, giving him access to her neck, and he was about to continue when something she had just said came echoing back, demanding his attention. Looking up out the window, Dusk quickly judged the time and regretfully helped her straighten up, resisting her sweet scent and the inviting noises she made. “You are right. We've got to talk about Monday, Bronze. But before that, go shower and change, everypony is set to gather in the market to wish Dash luck before she takes off for the competition.”

Bronze accepted Dusk’s help regaining her balance, her lip quivering at his seeming rejection, her eyes lingering, regretful. That lasted only a second before she snapped to attention, nodding affirmatively. “Of course, Dusk. But… what about… well, is something happening on Monday I need to know about?”

Helping her to finish pulling the heavy mail off, Dusk guided the mare to the bathroom, a finger playfully tapping her lips. “We can talk about that while we walk. I need to deliver a package to Derpy for immediate delivery to Princess Celestia after the send-off, as well. Sometimes I forget just how many of my letters Barb sends so casually. Now with Ponyville’s new census complete, I almost want Derpy to take an escort for security.”

Bronze laughed gently, watching him, trying to delay closing the bathroom door. “Well whatever spells you cast on the box must have been strong, my feathers never twitch this much from normal magic.”

As the door finally clicked into place, Dusk couldn’t help but wonder what she meant, walking back to the library deep in thought. It was only as he stepped into the cold bucket of water he'd been mopping up that he finally remembered his earlier experiment, groaning openly as he slapped a palm to his face. “I didn't even put away the weather book or close the hidden drawer! It’s fortunate nopony else came to visit. Why do I always get so carried away with experiments?”

Quickly hiding the book and resealing the hidden drawer, Dusk wandered about, shaking out his sodden leg, cleaning up with his magic to hide the last signs of his little raincloud, muttering to himself. “I wish I could have found a spell for making clouds, not just rain. It would have been so much easier to clean up.”

10:30am, Dash’s house.

Dash twisted off the water, still panting for breath as she leaned forward, resting her face against the wall of her shower. Her wings, back, shoulders and legs ached, but in a good way. In a way that made her smile and sigh with content as she rubbed her sore shoulder, watching the bathroom mirror from inside the shower. “Feel the burn, Dash. You've never been in better shape!”

About to turn away from the mirror and leave the bathroom, a long, wet strand of her hair slapped onto her cheek. Swearing in annoyance, Dash turned back to the mirror, running her fingers through her hair. “Ohh… I was starting to enjoy growing this out… but do any of the real ‘Bolts have hair this long?”

She recalled their trip to deal with the dragon, accompanied by a lot of the Wonderbolt cadets, then when the Wonderbolts themselves had showed up after Fluttershy had subdued down the dragon. Very few of them had hair any longer than Bronze, except… “Except all of the officers did. Flare, Fire Streak and Spitfire were family, but were famous for always having impressively long hair… and even Surprise as a cadet had nearly as much hair as Pinkie's wild ‘do… but…”

Dash looked from the mirror down to the razor she'd used to shave her legs. Looking at her her reflection once more, she muttered to herself. “Maybe I can find a middle ground I like…”

The folding blade reopened with a click. The sharp razor glided through her hair, and for the next few minutes, rainbow-colored hair piled up in the sink. Scrape after scrape, the hair piled up, carefully cutting her hair on the sides right down to the skin, leaving the faintest trace of rainbow hair behind. On top she cut the hair evenly, leaving just enough of her bangs in front to brush back over her left ear at the very longest point.

Finally satisfied with the cut hair, Dash scooped the chopped off hair and tossed it into the waste basket beside the sink, brushing it out quickly twice before giving a satisfied grunt. “It’s lighter and smoother, but better then Bronze’s near-bald… yeah, not bad.”

Returning to her room, Dash couldn’t help but think, with a bit of sly pride. “Besides, that was probably another four or five pounds of hair I didn't need anyways. Less weight, better speed.”

Stepping into her bedroom, Dash felt her heart leap into her throat at the sight of her flight suit hanging from the hook on her wall. Its fantastic blue surface had been the subject of Rarity’s excruciatingly detailed attention for the last two days, and now it practically shone in the dim daylight that barely shone through the blinds of the window in her bedroom. Hanging from the same hook, a polished golden captain’s emblem hung from its thin chain. Dash had panicked when her father's emblem had disappeared, as she wore it nearly constantly, but Rarity had returned it so carefully polished, it gleamed as if brand new, and some of the older scratches had even been polished away without harming the tiny, fine details.

Dash slipped the chain from the hook and around her neck. The cold gold refreshingly cool against her hot, wet flesh, and the emblem hung between her breasts, matching the color of her small, gold nipple piercings. Clutching the emblem in her hand, Dash took a few long, deep breaths, trying to drown out the rapid beating of her heart.

“Dashie! I’m almost done cleaning up the kitchen! Do you want something for lunch before we go?”

Pinkie’s voice pulled Dash from her trance in a sudden start, her wings reflexively locking up tight against her back, her breathing rapid and panicked. Without thinking, she called back to her friend. “I- no, no thanks, Pinkie. I’ll just drink water until me and Surprise are done with the paperwork junk, and then I'll thank her by treating her to dinner at my favorite place… unless she has a favorite place in Cloudsdale, I suppose.”

With no free time left to think, Dash reached for the suit, peeling it off the hook and tossing it onto her bed. Ripping open the bag of clean laundry Pinkie had put on her bed, Dash picked out a bra and panty set, tossing three more pairs of each into her backpack so she'd have something to change into for the next few days. “Well… I guess there’s no more putting this off…”

Tracing her finger one last time over the lovely royal blue of her flightsuit, Dash opened the flaps on the back that allowed her wings to slide through, and finally stepped into the clingy suit that squeezed her legs every inch of the way inside, hugging her calves, clinging to her toned thighs, and squeezing her taut ass. Next came the awkward moment of trying to carefully gather together her tail hair, forcing it through the tail hole, and resealing the flap with both buckles and zippers to secure the hole as tightly as possible to let no cold air through during flight.

Then came the really hard part. Her wings were rigidly folded closed, and wedged through the open slot in the back, pulling her arm through the sleeve on the same side, but not the shoulder, remembering how hard it was to reach and work with the suit only half on. Repeating this with her other shoulder, Dash winced, glad now that she'd put up with Rarity’s most recent fitting, even if she would never admit it. Yet, even with Rarity’s adjustments, the suit was so tight at points, she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming a few times… but, at last, she managed to slide her other arm and wing through, leaving the shoulder flaps open and exposing a lot of her shoulders and back, knowing how hot the suit would get if she closed those too soon.

Bending over to snatch her backpack off the bed, Dash felt her back muscles rippling, most of all where they weren't covered by the taut fabric of her flight suit, her body still slick from the shower. Pulling the straps into place, she carefully slipped it around her wings, using it to loosely hold the wing flaps in place for now as she buckled the belt over her hips, pulling the strap tight before checking the second strap over her chest. Finally satisfied, she drew the zipper on the front up between her breasts, just high enough to cover the Wonderbolts’ emblem, but not the chain.

Leaving her room, Dash was about to join Pinkie down in the kitchen when her reflection caught her eye and made her stop in the hallway, turning to look through the open bathroom door. She couldn’t help it, and pridefully, Dash found herself shifting before the bathroom mirror, amazed at how the clinging suit twisted and rippled over her muscles, and even her back and shoulders alluded to the hidden details under the fabric. “Dear Celestia, Rarity, I love you. I look fucking awesome, just like a real Wonderbolt.”

Pinkie nearly jumped as Dash stepped into the kitchen, but in all fairness, Dash did too. A year of takeout meals and reheated leftovers had left the small dining table lost under stacked containers and empty cartons, not to mention the wrappers, packaging, and assorted napkins that had piled up on every available space on the counter as well. Now, though, Pinkie had cleaned everything from floor to ceiling, and the drying rack was filled with dishes and plates Dash didn't even recognize. “I- oh wow, Pinkie… you really didn't have to do all this…”

Pinkie had no time for Dash’s shock, rushing across the kitchen and cupping Dash’s cheeks, turning her head from one side to the other, stroking through the very short cut she'd given herself. “Oh, Dashie! What’d you do to your hair!?”

Worried, nervous it didn't look as good as she thought, Dash took a small step back from Pinkie to regain some of her lost personal space, trying to casually brush a hand through the longer hair on top of her head. “What do you think, Pinkie? I knew my hair was getting a little long lately, and with racing being such a big part of the Young Flyers Competition, I thought it best to try something new.” Pinkie didn’t say anything for a moment, and the party mare’s lack of a response was crushing. Dash started to feel herself start fidgeting again, trying to fight it off, she put on another brave front and gave Pinkie a nudge. “Well? What do you think?”

Stepping forward so she could again rub her fingers through the short, scratchy hair on the sides of Dash’s head, Pinke finally cracked up, snorting and giggling. “It feels funny, but I like it! Sets you apart from everypony else, too! Your hair is all thin too... do you think it'll be better for racing? Does it keep it out of your eyes? Is it lighter so you can fly even faster!? Will this be enough to make you number one in the competition!?”

Now nearly frantic, Pinkie was rigid, standing on the tips of her toes and leaning her weight heavily into Dash. Glad for her light-hearted friend, and encouraged by her answer, Dash felt better and hugged Pinkie back. “Naturally it’ll make me the best, I was already the fastest. Just wish I had another week to work on my javelin throwing at elevation; it's so different from doing it here at ground level.”

Pinkie squealed back at Dash’s hug, laughing happily before finally peeling free and grabbing Dash’s hand in both of hers. “Ohhhh! We'd better hurry, Dash! Rarity had everypony gathering at the market to see you off and we're going to be late if we take much longer!”

Dash’s heart felt a little lighter. Pinkie always knew just how to brighten her mood, no matter how worried she was. “Alright, alright, Pinkie, just let me grab my lance and we can go.”

That seemed to satisfy Pinkie, who finally relented on her grip and let Dash have her hand back. At the front door, Dash’s hands shook a little as she unlocked the wooden weapons cabinet that had come with the house. Reaching inside, she took care gripping the metallic shaft of her lance; the locker had not been made for real weapons, so the long lance had hardly fit inside, and had to be fed out the open front door. Dash stepped outside and removed the leather cover that protected the four-bladed lance head, admiring it as she waited for Pinkie to lock up. Under the direct sunlight, the metal had a silvery tinge, and all four edges had a razor sharp gleam that she simply couldn’t ignore. Finally, she drew her finger across the engraving again, murmuring the words she'd found during their confrontation with Trixie to herself.

Perking up and looking over her shoulder, Pinkie’s voice was excited and intrusive. “You have an aunty, Dashie? How come you never told us about her? Is she nice? Does she like apple fritters too? Why did she write a note like that to your momma?”

Shaking her head, Dash adjusted her grip to the middle of the lance’s shaft and linked arms with Pinkie. “I’ve never met her, Pinkie, so I really don’t know how to answer any of your questions. Now let’s go, nopony will forgive me if I’m late for my own goodbye.”

The growing crowd that had gathered just outside the Bazaar made Dash’s breath catch in her throat, trying to figure out just who had gathered to see her. “Wha.. I understand Dusk, Thunderlane, the mayor, and definitely Bronze… But did Thunderlane have to bring the whole weather team?”

As if she could feel Dash’s growing tension, Pinkie’s grip on her elbow tightened and she leaned in, nudging the pegasus with her hip. “Don’t worry so much, Dashie! The weather team insisted on coming to see you off. After all the laps you made them fly with you, they feel like if you do well, it’s ‘cause of their hard work.”

Dash watched nervously, her fingers fidgeting on the banded leather grip of her lance, as Dusk, Bronze, Mrs. Mayor and Thunderlane separated from the rest of the crowd, moving towards her.

Suddenly, Scootaloo broke off from the group of school fillies and bolted past Dusk and the other adults, rushing to Dash’s side and grabbing the lance with both hands at her chest height, struggling a little to balance the lance’s great length, her eyes wide in awe at the entrancing silvery metal while she gushed excitedly, nearly as bad as Pinkie once she got started, her normally tough veneer gone. “Oh wow, Dash! This is your own personal lance? Can I carry it for you? I’d be the best assistant you ever had, really! You said yourself that my wings are already nearly as big and strong as yours were at my age, so you'll let me come too, right?!”

Dash looked from the excited, shining eyes of Scootaloo into the watching crowd of ponies. She felt her cheeks burn, and she struggled to find the right words to encourage the filly, yet still let her know that even if Redheart approved, she probably wouldn't be able to come to Cloudsdale. “I-well… we just- it's not like we've practised cloud walking yet, Scoots…”

Scootaloo’s shoulders drooped as she deflated; kicking a foot through the dirt at her feet. “Oh, yeah… Dusk was just talking about how dangerous Cloudsdale is for non-pegasi…” The filly fell quiet and stared at her feet for a moment before perking up again. “But, wait! He said a bunch of stuff about how they've built walkways for the unicorns who live up there. Doctors and researchers or something…”

“Unfortunately Scootaloo,” Dusk cut in, “those walkways are constructed mostly around the University and hospital, as well as the small neighbourhood that's sprung up between them and where unicorns who work at one or both places live. Most of Cloudsdale has no access to get from place to place without a chariot. It's too bad, it's made tourism an expensive and prohibitive issue. The worst part is, even Cloudsdale’s iconic Rainbow Factory has no easy access, a shame since it's arguably the greatest work of pegasi magic in the world and a historic treasure that really needs further documentation. Why, someday I'm determined to discover if it really is an artifact of the old empire. Scholars claim that General Hurricane herself brought it south during the exodus, but it's never been confirmed by any independent study, and Princess Celestia admits she had little exposure to the pegasus kingdom at the time due to the long-running feud between the unicorn and pegasus empires. If true, it makes the factory one of the oldest, if not the oldest relic of pony history left in the world, as records indicate that...”

Stepping out beside Scootaloo, Bronze settled her grip on the lance just above the foal’s hand. Scootaloo let go, her eyes locking on the guard. Meanwhile, Dash needed a moment to steady herself, and started taking deep breaths as she watched Dusk ramble on, never noticing as the foal followed Bronze a few feet away. A consummate professional, Bronze knelt down on one knee and opened a pouch on her belt, placing an odd stone in Scootaloo’s fingers. “You should learn good habits at a young age, so before you get crazy handling a weapon, learn to care for one. You’re lucky Dash has a mithril blade, they hold an edge better than steel and are harder to mess up as well. So take the sharpening stone in your palm and run it along the sharp edge. Be careful, though, I don't want to explain to Nurse Redheart why you need to have your fingers reattached.”

Dash couldn't help herself, Dusk’s rambling carried on as she put a hand to her mouth and tried to suppress the bubbling laughter. Scootaloo had looked sad at first as he detailed how the walkways were limited, but as he got carried away and rambled on, the filly had looked so glad when Bronze offered her an escape. Palm clamped over her mouth to hold back her laughter and a few freely-flowing tears, Dash snorted into her hand, straining to keep from bursting.

Dash was surprised, but grateful when Mayor Mare came to her rescue, stepping between her and Dusk, offering her hand. “Dash, I want to wish you the best of luck before anypony else and to let you know that everypony in Ponyville is proud to know our local weather mare is heading to Canterlot to compete for a spot in the Wonderbolt Cadets! You already do us so proud, Rainbow Dash, so remember we will all be down here in Ponyville, cheering you on!”

Now that she had a moment to pull herself back together again and Dusk had shut up when the mayor interrupted his rambling, Dash felt a lot better, glad to see just how many ponies were rooting for her. “Down here… but only Fluttershy’s actually going to come watch me…”

That thought was depressing, and Dash had to remind herself to grin and thump her chest with a fist, winking at the mayor while she ran a hand through her loose hair. “Thanks, Mrs. Mayor. I'll do my very best to make Ponyville proud, and hope it's enough to impress the Wonderbolts too.”

Behind Dash, Scootaloo gave a little sigh and then looked up as fingers smoothed out her messy hair. Bronze was still holding Dash’s lance out to her in one hand, bracing it steady on her knee so she could drag the sharpening stone across the last blade, even giving her a grin when their eyes met. “See, kid? Maintaining your own weapons is dam- err…” Bronze froze up for a moment, staring at the young filly, “Um, well it's really important to a guard. We can't always find a blacksmith when things go wrong, so we gotta be able to patch up armor or fix a busted axe handle on the run.”

Scootaloo’s eyes examined the bladed lance again reaching out carefully, about to run her finger over the edge. Bronze’s free hand snapped out and gripped her by the wrist with shocking speed, squeezing down so tightly, Scootaloo felt like her bones were grinding together. Yelping at the pain, she did her best to keep from further crying out. Rather than release her, Bronze flexed her wing around before her face and plucked one of her smaller feathers free with her teeth, lazily dropping it onto the bare blade.

Before her eyes, the little feather danced and weaved a slow pattern down onto the blade and came to a rest. Pulling back from Bronze’s grip, Scootaloo found the guard had released her. Feeling put out, she rubbed the sore pale flesh that had been held so tightly. “You didn't have to do that. It's not like it cut the feather; I was going to be careful.”

Bronze didn't answer Scootaloo’s question. Instead she flicked her wrist, turning the lance in place and throwing the feather into the air. In a smooth motion she brought the bladed lance up, holding it just below the drifting feather, and twisted the blade up without any visible effort. The two halves of the feather drifted to the ground and Bronze knelt down again, resting the blade just past her knee. “You might have been careful, but a little cough and you'd have lost a finger. Then I'd have to explain to Redheart why I let you near Dash’s lance when it's unsheathed.”

Bronze’s flashy action had a larger audience than simply Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash stepped over, taking hold of the foal’s shoulder. “You handled that better than I can, Bronze. Maybe you could keep an eye on Scootaloo while I'm gone? Somepony needs to keep her doing her exercises properly.”

With everypony watching her, Bronze struggled to swallow, her mind searching for something, anything to say. Suddenly, Bronze realized her mouth had already started to answer. “I can do one better than that, Dash. I can cobble together a glider harness. We use them to help train guards how to fly with weight, or while healing from an injury. She'll get a chance to spread her wings and feel the wind in her feathers, while learning how to glide safely.”

That earned her an excited gasp from the filly, and Bronze bit her lip, worried that she'd let her mouth run with an idea before thinking it through. “I’ve never built a glide harness before! What was I thinking?! Even with Rarity’s help, it would take half the day to get right. Oh, damn it.”

Scootaloo didn't need to hear another word, she rushed to Dash’s side and grabbed her hand, tugging energetically enough to pull the older mare off balance. “Can she take me for a flight, Dash? Can she? Can she please?!”

Dusk interrupted the filly, ruffling her hair, and winking at Bronze. “We should ask Redheart if she thinks it's okay, but if she says so, I'm sure Bronze can, right Dash?”

Dash repeatedly shifted her gaze, looking from the hopping, tugging filly at her arm to the stoic Bronze, and Dusk… there was laughter in his eyes, as if he knew a joke and wasn’t sharing it. Scowling a moment at him, she pulled her hand free from the filly and gave Bronze a playful punch in the shoulder, laughing off her frustration. “If you can build something like that, I’d have started taking her out gliding ages ago. It would be way better exercise for her wings than the simple gymnastics I've been forced to use!”

Dusk settled a hand on Scootaloo’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “But of course, on Monday we will all be busy, Scootaloo. We have to cheer Dash on, right?”

Looking up at him, her eyes wide, Scootaloo’s mouth fell open a little; a blooming suspicion made her watch Dusk closely. “Dusk’s always so careful with his wording… How... No, he couldn’t be planning… But this is Dusk.”

Eyeing Dusk suspiciously for a moment, Dash eventually turned to the mayor once more. “Thanks again, Mrs. Mayor, and don't worry, I trust Thunderlane to keep things organized. Besides, we're scheduled for good weather for the next week, even you can’t screw that up, right Thunderlane?”

The stallion took the blow from Dash’s elbow to his ribs with only an uncomfortable chuckle, scratching at the back of his head. “Well, of course I can handle some simple clear weather, Dash. You just show the Wonderbolts what you can really do, alright boss?”

Lifting his fist level with her chest, Thunderlane and Dash bumped fists, the mare whooping as she leapt into the air, punching at the sky, while Thunderlane was busy surreptitiously rubbing his sore knuckles, laughing a little at Dash’s energetic display. Dusk stepped to her side and cleared his throat when she calmed down. “A few ponies want to wish you luck, Dash. Mayor mare got them all lined up and organized, but we’d better hurry, or Surprise will be left waiting for your arrival.”

Scootaloo watched as Dusk and Dash moved down the line of ponies, grinning to herself when Pinkie leapt out of the lineup and tackled Dash around the shoulders, bombarding her with praise that included a dozen kisses before Dusk came to her rescue, eventually managing to separate the clingy pony. As they continued working down the line of waiting ponies, mostly made up of adult pegasus, Scootaloo shifted to stand closer to Bronze, still a good distance from the rest of the crowd. “Bronze, does… does Dusk tell you stuff… like, private stuff?”

Something in her tone must have come as a shock to Bronze, as the guard’s wings suddenly snapped outwards, poofing out broadly while she nervously looked towards the other adults. Gripping Scootaloo’s shoulder, Bronze moved one of her extended wings down to cover her back as Bronze guided the younger pegasus a short good distance away from everypony else. When they were finally far enough that Bronze seemed more comfortable, she crouched down before Scootaloo, and looked her square in the eyes. “I-now… now Scootaloo, just because I live at Du-dus… Dusk’s place, doesn't mean I'm... I'm his mare. We're… we’re not in a herd or anything. Really!”

Scootaloo hadn't considered that Bronze might have responded so strongly to her question. Having taken to biting her lip as they walked away, now that they had some privacy, she stared at the guard in wonder, openly voicing her mind. “Wha- well what does that matter!? I'm asking you if he tells you about secret, important things! He jus- I swear, Bronze, I think he's planning to go to Cloudsdale!”

Bronze let out a huge sigh of relief, placing a hand gently on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “I-I don’t know, kid. But lately… well, it's just that Dusk’s been studying and practising a lot of odd spells the last few days. Maybe he does have something up his sleeve. He told me we need to talk about Monday… maybe you're right. But, just keep it quiet, okay? If he is plotting something, you don't want to ruin his surprise for Dash, right?”

Scootaloo reached out and squeezed Bronze’s hand, leaning around her to look back at the others. Still candid, she nudged the guard mare. “Sure, I can keep my mouth shut. Not like I've told anypony about L-” Cutting herself off, the filly nervously darted her eyes back up at Bronze before looking away and pressing on. “Just- just do something about your wings. Nopony is going to believe a word you say when you're that pumped up. What happened anyway, did somepony step on your foot?”

Looking back over her shoulder at her wings, Bronze nearly jumped, and began rapidly massaging them, one at a time, with both hands, relaxing the rigid tension as her cheeks flared up into a blush again. “Ye-yeah. Something like that. Let's get back before Dash takes off, okay?”

The short walk to rejoin everypony else gave Bronze just enough time to straighten her ruffled feathers. Everypony was busy watching the sky overhead as four members of the weather team started flying figure eights around two clouds large enough to make it impossible to see where any of the others were. Standing at Rainbow Dash’s side, Bronze could tell Thunderlane was nervous, as his wings were folded up rigid against his back and he was pacing in place.

A sudden ‘ohhh’ from the filly at her side made Bronze look up, and unable to help herself, she too gave a little gasp. One cloud had bloomed into a brilliant orange hue, enveloping half the fluffy structure. It took a moment for Bronze’s eyes to adjust, but she could just make out the circling mare who had one hand inside the cloud and some kind of stick in her hand that glowed a brilliant orange. Then the mare finished her loop of one cloud and crossed the air between the two, her blazing orange stick held out to a stallion crossing just a foot over her head. He had another of the strange sticks in his hand and touched it to hers in flight, then a sudden glare of a blazing forest green light flared up from the stick in his hand, and as he approached the cloud to begin his loop, that same green hue infused with the otherwise dull-gray cloud.

Soon all four of the flyers held a different glowing stick, and the clouds took on two shades at a time, blending together towards the middle while the outer edges shifted as the pony carrying the flare circled around the perimeter, crossing over to the other cloud to continue their figure eights, creating quite the lightshow.

As quickly as they'd started, the four lights died off, and in the end, Dash was left mouth agape, staring first from Dusk to Thunderlane and back. Furious, she stomped her foot, pointing accusingly at the magistrate. ”You helped with that! You had to! Nopony but an alicorn leaves a trail of light when they fly!” Not finished, however, she turned to her second, glaring at him. “And you! I said to keep them in shape while I trained for the competition! Figure eights? Where'd you come up with that!?”

To everypony’s shock, Thunderlane was the one who spoke up first, gloating a little at how well things had obviously gone over with Dash. “To tell the truth, I only asked Dusk how to spice it up last week. We've been practising the overlapping figure eight pattern for a month or two, just to surprise you, but Clear Skies is Open Skies’ partner in the pattern and, well, she sprained her wing last night while you were busy, otherwise Dusk was sure he'd be able to make flares that roughly matched all the colours of your hair.”

Turning back to Dusk, Dash thrust a finger into his chest. “So you were involved! Why didn't you tell me about this before?! I could have come up with the most awesome routine the Wonderbolts have even seen with a trick like those flares and two weeks to prepare!”

Standing up to her casual abuse, Dusk gently laughed, shaking his head. “The Wonderbolts outlawed props in entrance examinations over a hundred years ago. If I hadn’t been studying an old book on unicorn magic at the time, I'd have never came up with the idea of remaking these cloud flares. They are impressive though, right? Apparently unicorns used to make them so pegasus teams transporting really bad weather could toss one into the cloud as a warning sign to everypony to watch out for bad weather incoming.”

Dash grumbled a little at his simple answer that of course carried on into great detail. Kicking her foot in the dirt, she shrugged it off. “That's a damn shame, I can just think of how much fun Rarity would have helping me design a grand showpiece… where… where is Rarity, anyways? And AJ? I know ‘Shy’s busy making sure the critters’ll be fine when she comes up to Cloudsdale, but...”

As if summoned by Dash’s question, Rarity came rushing through the market, calling out breathlessly. “Dash! Oh, Dash! Wait!”

That earned a small laugh from the watching crowd, and Dash pushed her hand through her bangs, scratching at the top of her head. Rarity finally pushed through the crowd, followed shortly after by Applejack. “Guess that answers that.”

Rushing over to Dash’s side, Rarity wasted no time pulling Dash into a hug, leaning up close so she could place a soft kiss on her cheek. “Oh, Dash! You nearly left before I could even say goodbye, didn't you!? And after all my hard work on your fantastic flight suit! I'm simply heartbroken!”

Looking to Dusk for rescue, Dash saw only humor in his eyes as the traitorous stallion hid his smile behind his hand, leaving her to deal with the over-excitable dressmaker. “Rarity, after all the work you did on my flight suit, how could I not wait for you to show up?”

That seemed to work well enough, and Rarity lifted her head, a broad smile spreading as she clung onto Dash’s shoulders, lazily smoothing down a line in the fabric of the flight suit, openly prideful of her work. “Well of course, darling! I couldn’t let such a good friend show up before Princess Celestia and the Wonderbolts in anything less than the very best! I'm so glad we made those adjustments, it looks simply divi-” Rarity had at last looked up into Dash’s eyes, and everypony watching could tell that she'd only now noticed that Dash had shaved her hair, most of the rainbow locks now missing. Her hand shaking openly, Rarity brushed her fingers through Dash’s long bangs, her voice warbling with horror. “Oh- dear Celestia, your… your hair!”

Dash couldn't help herself; she winced. The thought that Rarity might not approve of the quick shave wasn't a shock, but having the fawning mare go so quiet, her voice shaking slightly as she inspected what little remained hurt more than Dash was willing to admit. Puffing herself up, she tried to ignore the queasiness Rarity’s disapproval summoned up in the pit of her stomach. “Yeah, I- er, well, I cut it. Didn’t have the time to ask for your help; today’s so busy. So I just went with something simple that would make me look fast, you know?”

Dusk’s hand reached out to rest on Rarity’s shoulder, and he gave Dash a small nod, speaking to them together. “Dash has a flare for the extreme that rivals your flare for creativity. Don't worry, Rarity, I'm sure if she finds this just doesn't work right, she'll let you suggest something more fashionably fast, right Dash?”

Finally seeing the light of hope, Dash vigorously nodded, patting Rarity on the shoulders, and since Dusk’s hand was still there, gave it a momentary squeeze of gratitude. “Yeah, like Dusk said, if this doesn't work right, you can totally try out something else to help make my hair half as quick as your suit!”

Rarity looked dubious, frowning to herself as she considered Dash’s proposal, a hand resting thoughtfully on her chin. “Well… I suppose it's possible to look good and be fast. I'm sure hair must cause a lot of wind resistance, I know how bad some of my hat designs blow in the wind...”

Free of Rarity’s grip, Dash took full advantage of Rarity’s distraction, and moved to talk to Applejack. Looking up at her taller lover, Dash bit her lip for a moment before settling on just hugging the farm mare tightly around the hips.

Chuckling, Applejack wrapped her arms around Dash’s shoulders and squeezed the smaller mare against her, leaning her face down towards Dash’s. Applejack’s hat worked to shield their faces from the crowd around them, and she used it to whisper to the pegasus. “I know you’re nervous, sugarcube, but you’ll do great. We’ll have a big ol’ party when you get back, okay?”

Nodding against Applejack’s shoulder, Dash pulled back after lingering a moment longer. Getting ready to say something to try and hide her nerves, Dash wasn’t prepared when Applejack grabbed her chin and pulled her into a kiss. Dash struggled for a moment, but the tall mare held her firmly, and Dash gave in quickly, one hand moving up to grip the back of Applejack’s neck firmly. After a few more happy seconds, Applejack released her. She narrowed her eyes at Dash’s head for a moment, then nodded. “Hair looks good on you, too. Fits ya just right.” Dash searched for something to say, but Applejack started chuckling again. “Yer redder’n a tomato. Love makin’ you blush.”

Dash realized too late that she was, in fact, blushing, and her tail snapped in exasperation. “I’ll get you back for this, AJ.” Applejack just shrugged and laughed off the threat, taking Dash by the shoulders and turning her towards the rest of their group. Dash gave a huff, and moved to Bronze’s side, taking a grip on her lance. She knelt down, ruffling Scootaloo’s hair. “Hey kid, I gotta get going before Rarity demands a chance to try out some of the haircuts I'm sure she’s dreaming of right now. Just listen to what Bronze says and make sure to get Redheart’s permission before you go gliding or do something crazy with Bronze, okay?”

Snapping off a salute that made both mares smile, Scootaloo did her best to copy the way she'd seen Dash, Bronze and the Royal Guard regiment act last fall, her form sloppy but her effort clear as day. “I promise Dash! Plus two hours of exercises a day to keep my wings healthy! Right?!”

Dash returned the filly’s salute, nodding affirmatively. “Exactly, cadet! If Bronze says you were well-behaved, I might even bring you back a present. Maybe a Wonderbolts poster?”

Dash let Scootaloo get carried away with her excitement, and reached with her free hand to squeeze Bronze’s arm. “Fly with me a little ways?”

The guard gave her a nod, and soon together the two mares were off, with one last round of cheers giving Dash a moment of lighthearted joy. “They can't be there, but it’s good to know they'll be here, one way or another.”

Dusk didn’t bother to wait for Bronze’s return. As soon as they were out of sight, he turned to the crowd that hadn't taken off yet, whistling against two of his fingers. Thunderlane and the watching weather team snapped to attention, and Dusk couldn’t help but rub his hands together, his excitement overwhelming. “Thunderlane, I need your assistance if you have nothing else scheduled. Could you send somepony to fetch Nurse Redheart? I need her to witness this. Then I need whoever else is free to find a decent-sized cloud, at least a good ten or twenty feet across.”

The weather stallion might have questioned Dusk’s words, but he called out orders first. He’d learned from dealing with Dash that it was better to ask for explanations afterwards. “Of course, Magistrate. Cloudchaser, Flitter, come with me. White Lightning, can you go deliver Dusk’s request to Nurse Redheart?”

The blue-haired mare with white feathers gave a sharp salute before taking off at a jog, building up speed as her wings spread, taking flight as the wind under her wings built up. Thunderlane glanced back at Dusk for a moment before joining the twins in flight, spiraling up into the air to hunt down a cloud.

The watching crowd had gathered around and continued to mill about, and Dusk couldn’t help but feel their eyes on him, quiet whispers too distant to discern. Mayor Mare cleared her throat loudly, calling Dusk’s attention. “Excuse me, Dusk? What is this show you’ve got plans to put on? Do you mind if we stay and watch? You’ve got a lot of ponies curious about what you’re up to, after all.”

Dusk tried his best not to grow smug, offering the mayor a small shrug. “It won't be that impressive, but if you're all willing to wait, then feel free. I'd appreciate anyone who can hang around. I should try to test the spell with as large a crowd as I can manage, anyway.”

Dash flew a good distance from Ponyville, checking over her shoulder only once to make sure Bronze was following. With the breathing flaps around her wings open, they danced in the wind, the cooling breeze against her exposed skin a soothing distraction from her mounting nerves and how embarrassing Rarity and Applejack’s reactions had been.

At last a good cloud caught her eye in the distance and she shifted her wings to glide in, twisting her path towards the low-altitude cloud. Bronze was quick to follow after her, and took only another minute to land by her side, inspecting their surroundings carefully before at last turning back and giving Dash a little nod. “Nopony around for a good mile. I think there's some farmers just to the west planting carrots, but otherwise we’re alone, Dash.”

Unable to ignore the anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach, Dash fidgeted her hand over the grip of her lance, eyeing Bronze’s wings as she paced around the cloud. Finally meeting the guard’s gaze, she asked the first thing that came to mind. “So your wings. You uhh… you really like Dusk that much?”

Bronze stiffened up at her question, so obvious that Dash could hear it in the way her body shifted and her wings flexed despite the mild breeze, even before she spoke up, her voice a nervous stammer. “I-I-I… well, it wasn't on purpose, Dash, but he’s- he's just so different from other stallions. Even his brother Shining Armor doesn't have the same presence, not really.”

Dash turned her head to watch the distant roll of clouds heading into the Everfree Forest, and felt herself smile. She watched how they traveled as Bronze rambled on, until she was sure they would stay far enough away from Ponyville. Glad they'd be unlikely to cause any trouble for Thunderlane and the team, she turned her head back to face Bronze, nudging her in the shoulder with a free hand. “Calm down a little, yeash! You're supposed to be the professional here! I was just bugging you ‘cause today's got-” Dash cut herself off short, and tried to laugh it off, shaking her head. “Look, I already told Thunderlane to come to you if he needs help, but you know if you need somepony who's good at listening, he ain't a bad stallion. At least he'll pretend to understand when you go over his head.”

Bronze visibly relaxed a little, but lingered on some thought, looking distantly into the clouds towards Cloudsdale, her voice quiet and honest. “You know much about what makes the difference between a Knight like Shining Armor and a member of the Royal Guard?”

Dash shook her head, giving the mare the truth. “Nah, I just figured it was like another title they like to give the Canterlot royals, right? Like how Dusk’s called magistrate now, or something like that. Why?”

Bronze nearly laughed, shaking her head a little as she paced around the cloud to Dash’s side, using her wing to give Dash a light nudge. “No, it's older than the Canterlot elite. Maybe not as old as Princess Celestia, but still, it stretches back to the time when ponies first settled here. The full story is long, but basically there’s a chamber in Canterlot castle, and anypony who enters it is tested in some way, a trial of ordeals that nopony who's ever taken it talks about much. Rumor is, you’re sent to face your greatest nightmares. When a pony comes out, they end up either broken or steel.”

Dash grumbled at the story, since it seemed to go nowhere, and gave the squire a frustrated shrug. “Well? So what?”

Bronze grinned at her, stepping in close to nudge Dash with her shoulder. “So, don't let your trial in Cloudsdale break you. Just ‘cause joining the ‘Bolts is your dream job, don't let your nightmares keep you from emerging from this test as steel, alright?”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Dash offered the guard a shove in return. “You’re half as bad as Dusk with stories about nothing. I'm 100% ready for the Wonderbolts, you'll see.” Even as Dash spoke, however, a thought dawned on her and she stepped closer to Bronze, her wing unfolding to eclipse the mare’s back like an arm across her shoulders. “You’ll... come with Fluttershy, right?”

Slipping an arm up under Dash’s wing, Bronze’s hand came to a rest over Dash’s hip, holding her close as she gently shook her head, rubbing her cheek against Dash’s shaved head, finally giving a long sigh. “I’d love to, Dash, but Dusk said he has to discuss something about Monday with me, so I don’t want to promise something I can’t keep. I’ve fallen so far behind on my usual study and training as it is, and-”

For a moment, Dash lingered, sliding a hand down so she could hold Bronze's hip. Her eyes wandering, and she blushed before suddenly looking back to the guard. "Look, just… just keep an eye on the ponies around here while I'm gone, okay? Some of them are pretty boneheaded, but I still kinda want them to be around when I come back."

Bronze’s hand snapped into a sharp salute, her feet coming together as she straightened up in a professional stance, the perfect version of everything that Scootaloo had been trying to emulate earlier. But she was unable to hide a grin that creeped over her lips. “I know what you mean, Dash. I've only moved here and I already feel the same way.”

The matter settled, Dash adjusted her grip on her lance, looking to the distant sky where she could feel the presence of Cloudsdale’s magic. Her wings tightened at the reminder of what was to come. She let out a long sigh, preparing herself for the other reason she’d asked Bronze to fly with her. “Thanks, Bronze… Now I'd better fly, Surprise is waiting.” Flapping her wings, she leaned over and quickly planted a kiss on Bronze’s cheek before bolting away at a rapidly increasing speed.

Bronze was shocked into silence, stunned at the sudden display of affection from the tomboyish mare. Watching her retreating form, Bronze lifted a hand to her cheek, an unbidden smile coming to her face.

Ponyville marketplace had attracted an ever-growing crowd, bigger than before Dash’s departure, bigger yet as Dusk’s spell formed, unicorns and pegasi drawn in by the pulse as he slowly focused the power. He spread his attention over every pony in the marketplace, including them all in the spell, except the weather team and those few pegasi he could see from the front of the crowd. One of his hands rested on Scootaloo’s shoulder as a focus, while a ripple of magic surged through his horn, ancient, powerful magic. A spell he’d personally crafted from half-faded notes and scraps of legends. A spell nopony had ever seen in a hundred years, perhaps more.

Thunderlane, Flitter, and Cloud Chaser had found a fantastic cloud, and placed it into the clearing, the puffy white clouds shifting and rolling a little under the magic they used to keep it in one coherent piece at such a low altitude. Opening his eyes to look over the thin web of magic he’d stretched towards so many ponies, Dusk double-checked that every single non-pegasus pony in attendance had been caught in the web to insure that they’d be part of the test.

“Dia Arthro Fos.”

The power rippled forth as Dusk enacted the spell, and he could instantly feel the thin lines of power that were maintaining the magic. The draw was so minor, he had to take a moment to inspect his reserves, to run calculations to see just how little he was really using to keep the spell running. Finally satisfied, he opened his eyes again, looking down at Scootaloo, releasing her shoulder, but patting it supportively. “Go ahead, Scootaloo. You should be the first to give it a try. As a pegasus, it should be easier for you to handle.”

Scootaloo nearly jumped at his words; it had been almost twenty minutes since he'd called her over, and since then, he hadn’t spoken to anypony. Hesitantly the foal stepped towards the cloud, a hand placed on the malleable surface, her fingers sliding through the puffy white mass. Worry flooded her, and Scootaloo looked back over her shoulder at Dusk, her voice wobbling. “Dusk… it's still so soft, like the foam in a bubble bath, are you sure I can- it will hold me?”

Before Dusk could answer, Flitter walked over to Scootaloo’s side, offering the filly a hand, grinning excitedly. “Don’t worry, Scoots! It’s weird at first as a filly, but you gotta trust the cloud and get a feel for it under your feet. Just think about it this way! If you do fall, it’s only a foot and a half to the ground!”

Scootaloo turned back from Dusk to Flitter, accepting her hand, and let the mare help her up onto the cloud. She took her first few steps hesitantly, sinking into the white puffy mess up to her ankles initially, following Flitter around the cloud as if she were walking in mud. Growing slowly more confident with every step, she eventually released Flitter's grip, walking faster, a grin spreading as she ran in a broad circle around the three members of the weather team. She spread her arms and wings out broadly to the side, catching a little air the faster she ran, at last leaping up with a little whoop, punching a fist at the sky, landing on her feet, still moving at a running pace.

Her excitement infectious, other ponies around the crowd looked about, from Dusk to the clouds and back again, hesitant since Scootaloo was a pegasus. Stepping towards the edge of the cloud, Dusk gave Thunderlane and Cloud Chaser a small gesture to call them over, then he took a hand from each of them to step up onto the cloudface. Just like Scootaloo, Dusk found the surface of the cloud like a dense muddy field that clung a little to his feet and constantly shifted in small ways underfoot. Throwing an arm out to snag Scootaloo about the shoulders, he turned to Rarity, grinning widely. “Well, Rarity? Going to join us or what?”

Rarity had lingered near the rim of the cloud, watching Dusk and Scootaloo, her eyes distant, lost in thought. His invitation finally snapped Rarity out of her trance, and she accepted Flitter’s offered hand, stepping up onto the cloud, heels and all. Though she was a little wobbly, she crossed over the clouds to Dusk’s side, her grin now matching his own, but even together, they hardly came close to Scootaloo’s jubilant cry of delight, even if Dusk was holding her from running off.

Rarity’s presence on the cloudtop in heels was the breaking point for those who were hesitant, and ahead of everypony else came Pinkie Pie, leaping face first onto the cloud, cartwheeling over the unstable surface before springing to her feet crying out with delight that easily rivaled Scootaloo’s excitement. “Come on everypony! It's great up here!” The joyful mare’s exuberant frollicking was so priceless, Dusk couldn’t help but return to openly laughing as he watched her clown around.

While the cloud was hardly twenty square feet altogether, soon ponies were crowding in, climbing atop the cloud, and linking arms to squeeze yet more ponies into the tiny space. Cries of excitement grew to laughter, and quickly enough, a very awkward game of ball began, tossing it only gently back and forth, attempting to make sure nopony fell off.

With such a large crowd, Dusk had to bend down to hear Scootaloo’s cry, while Redheart simply stared at him thoughtfully from the edge of the cloud. “Dusk! You’ve been planning this all along, haven’t you!?”

Tapping a finger against the side of his nose conspiratorially, Dusk winked at the filly. “Just don’t tell Fluttershy, this is a surprise Dash will never see coming, all right?”