Equestria, as a land, had many wondrous places to see, many of which boggled the mind to witness. The Everfree Forest, dark, savage and dangerous. The Crystal Empire, shining and regal. Cloudsdale, a marvel of magical construction, flying through the skies of Equestria. And yet, for sheer natural beauty, there was one spot above all that rivalled and surpassed all of those places; rainbow falls. This spot, where the titular rainbow-coloured waterfalls flowed, was a gathering place for many important events in the Equestrian calendar, from the traders exchange to many other formal functions. But today, it was being used in a far more active manner. For today, mares and stallions from every corner of their great nation had gathered here for one thing and one thing only, to practise for the run-up to the Equestria Games. This event, which would be held in the Crystal Empire in the not-too-distant future, brought out the competitive spirit in many ponies, and each town, village and city had fielded their respective teams, each hoping to win, not only prizes, but also the honour, fame and prestige that came with victory out in those games. However, there were those here who fought and struggled simply to do well by their homes. And such was the circumstances in which Rainbow Dash found herself.

As the fastest pegasus in Ponyville, she had, naturally, been chosen to represent her town as the team leader for the games, and so, at this very moment, was hard at work. All throughout the day, she had been training and practising her aerial manoeuvres, stretching her wings, and doing everything in her power to be as ready as possible for the events to come. As for her colleagues, the rest of the team, at least present at the moment, was her lifelong friend, Fluttershy, and what was undoubtedly the largest Pegasus in Equestria, Bulk Biceps. Both of those two pegasi were on the side-lines for the time being, watching their rainbow-maned friend darting about on the already-prepared racetrack, watching with amazement at how fast she was going. There was a time, not so long ago, when trying to be as fast as possible was the furthest thing from Rainbow's mind. And yet, it really did seem like the fire was back in her once more, as determination was plastered all over her face. Eventually, it was not only Bulk and Fluttershy watching her, but also Rainbow's other friends, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. As the cyan pegasus began to slow down finally, she was greeted with the many cheers of her friends, who rushed to greet her. Although she smiled, Rainbow looked around and noted a particular absence in their group, prompting her to speak to Rarity.

"Still no word from Twilight?"

The alabaster unicorn shook her head at that.

"I'm afraid not, darling. But, she did say she had some important matters to attend to in Canterlot. I'm, sure we'll see her back home soon though."

Rainbow nodded, accepting that answer, and it was here that she noted that Pinkie was looking a little different than usual. She was wearing what was undoubtedly a cheerleading outfit, brightly coloured and clearly made with great skill. Showing a clear sign of being impressed, Rainbow turned to Rarity once more with a smile on her face.

"Wow, Rarity. You did some great work on those outfits."

Though her unicorn friend couldn't help but look a little proud of herself, she nevertheless stopped Rainbow from giving any further praise by raising a hoof before speaking herself.

"I thank you for your kind words, Rainbow, but I couldn't possibly take all the credit. After all, I had more than a little help with them."

Although at first confused by those words, one look past Rarity soon gave Rainbow all the explanation she needed. For there, working on the outfits at this very moment, was Coco Pommel. The young mare, whom Rarity had met recently in Manehattan, had become her personal assistant at Carousel Boutique after having formerly worked for Rarity's one-time fashion rival, Suri Polomare. From what Rainbow had heard of the latter, Coco was much better off working for Rarity, and indeed, she actually seemed to be a lot happier here than she was in Manehattan, making a few finishing touches to the other outfits with great enthusiasm on her face. It was the same look Rarity herself so often had when she was working, and as such, Rainbow couldn't help but smile herself, content that this Manehattan mare now had a more fulfilling job here. Still, she couldn't dwell on such issues forever, and soon enough, after giving her friends a few nods, Rainbow then parted with them, instead flying off with the intention of seeking out the competition and seeing how they were doing. There were ponies from many cities practising nearby, from Canterlot, to Manehattan and even as far afield as Dodge Junction. But, it wasn't long before Rainbow came upon the competitors from her home town, Cloudsdale.

Now, one would assume that, being a Cloudsdale pegasus herself, Rainbow would be happy to see her people here and competing in the events, and yet, there was no smile upon her face, only a look of irritation. For the ponies competing here today were not your average pegasi off the streets of Cloudsdale, but rather the Wonderbolts, those famed fliers that so many in Equestria looked up to. There had been a time, not so long ago, when Rainbow, like many others, aspired to be just like those fliers. And yet, having actually experienced what it was like to be among them, that opinion had changed immensely. True, while Twilight's involvement may have dampened her enthusiasm for being part of their team, it had taken her actually seeing them close up for her opinion to be forever changed. Gone was her starry-eyed fantasies, and instead all she had was the cold reality that, at their heart, the Wonderbolts were, in her eyes, a corrupt group who cared nothing about any ponies other than themselves. It had been a serious wake-up call for Rainbow, and as such, she had found new fire for joining them, not for her own glory, but to change them, make them into the force she knew they should be. Right now though, she merely watched as the group slowed to a halt after having finished their flight around the track.

She recognised the three in that group immediately. First, there was Spitfire, the renowned leader of the Wonderbolts. Beside her was her right hoof, Soarin. And next to him was a mare Rainbow recognised as Fleetfoot. All of them had flown well during their practise, and so instinctively gave each other hoof-bumps in congratulations, much to Rainbow's chagrin. However, it was here that Spitfire noticed the young mare, and smiled as she walked up to greet her. Rainbow, despite not really wanting to talk to her, nevertheless stood still as her superior finally spoke.

"Cadet Rainbow. Nice to see you out here today."

Although it made her sick to her stomach to do it, Rainbow still gave a salute to the mare who served as her commanding officer.

"Ma'am. I'm here to represent Ponyville in the games."

Spitfire seemed a little taken aback at such formal behaviour, given that this was outside the academy grounds, but even so, she seemed satisfied with Rainbow's answer. She looked past the young mare, scouring the crowds beyond for the other members of the Ponyville team, and when she finally saw Fluttershy and Bulk, she clearly tried her best to hold back a smirk.

"Well...they certainly look...eager to try, at the very least."

The dismissive comments, as one might expect, got under Rainbow’s skin in a big way, but, even in spite of that, she kept her cool. The last thing she wanted right now was to mess up her chances to getting further in the Wonderbolts, even if it would have felt very good to deliver a well-earned hoof to Spitfire’s face right now. So, she took a deep breath before forcing a smile for the other mare's benefit.

"Yes, Ma'am! We're looking forward to the event."

Spitfire nodded at that before opening her mouth to speak, only to be halted when a sudden loud yelping could then be heard. Snapping their heads around, both Rainbow and Spitfire looked on to see that Soarin had done something to his wing, as evidenced by him suddenly nursing it. No words were exchanged, by there was an immediate reaction, as nearby paramedics rushed over to the stallion, carefully inspecting his wing. Rainbow didn't know the specifics, but she had been in this position enough times herself to know that what Soarin had done was sprain his wing from having pushed himself too far. Spitfire and Fleetfoot tried to get closer to him, but the medics kept them back, saying how it was only medical personal only at this time. And so it was that all three mares watched those medical ponies escort Soarin away, no doubt bringing him to the nearby makeshift hospital set aside for the athletes. Now, at this moment, while Rainbow was silently leaping for joy in her heart over the Wonderbolts chances being dented by this, she did feel somewhat sorry for Soarin. After all, he was one of the only halfway decent members of that group she had met during her time. Still, this did leave Spitfire and Fleetfoot with a difficult position, as they were now a pony down.

"What do we do now?" Fleetfoot asked.

Although doing her best to hide a smug smile, Rainbow’s confidence at this was diminished somewhat when Spitfire gained a look on her face that made it clear that she had an idea. Before anypony could say anything, she raised a hoof to her mouth before blowing out a near ear-piercing whistle. Moments afterwards, there was a response for it, and as soon as there was, Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. For there she was, the mare who had almost single-hoofedly taught Rainbow of just how bad the Wonderbolts system truly was; Lightning Dust. This fellow cadet had, during her brief time at the academy, shown not only a reckless disregard for the safety of her fellow fliers, but also an ambition that was so great, she had little love whatsoever for anypony around her, either instructor or cadet. And yet, despite that, she was the academy's star pupil, constantly receiving praise from Spitfire and the others because of her abilities in the field, much to Rainbow's anger. But, once more, she kept quiet as the green mare landed nearby, giving an automatic salute to her Captain.

"You sent for me, Ma'am?"

Spitfire nodded at that before replying.

"Indeed I did. Soarin's out and we need a replacement. You up for it?"

The cocky smile on Lightning's face after hearing that made it clear what her answer would be, but, Rainbow had other things on her mind. The greatest of which was the sheer ease in which Spitfire had decided to replace one of their team-mates, and one that was supposedly her friend at that. She hadn't even bothered to go to the doctors to see how long it would be for Soarin to recover. No, he'd just taken one injury, and that was it, replacement needed. It sickened Rainbow immensely to witness that kind of behaviour, even more so when Lightning finally turned and noticed her.

"Hey there, wing-pony. Long-time no see."

It took all of Rainbow’s strength to not respond to that through gritted teeth.

"You...you too, Lightning."

The green mare nodded at that, having apparently not cared enough to notice the lack of enthusiasm with which Rainbow had answered her, before then gaining a smirk on her face.

"You know...as a Cloudsdale pegasus yourself, it would probably be okay for you to train with us. Heck, it'd be better than spending time with those...amateurs over there."

Yet again, Rainbow restrained herself a great deal after hearing those words, not only because of the sheer gall Lightning would have at asking such a question, but also because of the completely arrogant way in which she'd spoken of her friends. In spite of all of that, Rainbow's voice was as calm as ever.

"Thanks for the offer...but I already have a team. And if you'll excuse me, I've been away from them long enough."

And with that, Rainbow gave her "fellow" Wonderbolts another nod before turning and walking away, not staying to see the looks of shock on their faces as they watched her, utterly astounded that anypony would turn down an offer like that. It took a couple of minutes, with Rainbow fuming all the way, but eventually, she made it back to the training area of the Ponyville team, wherein Fluttershy trotted up to greet her.

"Is everything alright, Rainbow?"

For the sake of her foalhood friend, Rainbow put on a smile before gently placing a hoof upon her shoulder.

"Everything's great, Fluttershy. No need to worry about me."

The timid mare smiled at that.

"Ah, just going off to get some inspiration to help us win?"

Upon hearing that, Rainbow looked away, narrowing her eyes somewhat.

"Oh, believe me...I have motivation enough."

As one might expect, this caused a look of confusion for Fluttershy, after which Rainbow let out a sigh before turning to smile at her again.

"Never mind me, Flutters. You and Bulk keep up the good work with your practice. As for me, I need to go to the hospital. Figured I’d visit Soarin and see how he's doing."

Although nodding with understanding at that, Fluttershy, knowing full well about Rainbow's disdain for the Wonderbolts, couldn't help but tilt her head a little at that.

"But...why?"

Narrowing her eyes again, Rainbow looked over her shoulder, seeing the three mares of the Wonderbolts already starting to fly around the track together, as if they had not a care in the world.

"Because...somepony has to."