Rainbow Dash breathed heavily. She found herself inside a rather large locker room filled with pegasus ponies just like her. She looked down at her chest and took note of the large number ‘17’ on a well-secured piece of cardboard. The pegasi around her were similarly pacing, stretching their wings, and admiring their numbers.

This was it. She was finally going to audition for the Wonderbolts. This was the moment she had been waiting for her entire life. She had an entire arsenal of tricks lined up, and she knew exactly which ones she was going to use to show her stuff. She thought she would be more nervous than she was, but… something was keeping the nerves down. She felt calm, like she knew that she would do well.

Those are dangerous thoughts. Rainbow Dash thought, looking up at the ceiling. She stretched her body a few more times. She glanced at the clock on one side of the locker room. “3:51” it read. Auditions began with contestant number 1 at 4:00. Okay, now Rainbow Dash was starting to feel those nerves.

Rainbow Dash looked over at a table and saw an assortment of magazines and newspapers. One of the headlines caught her attention and she smiled.

Rainbow Dash smiled. She remembered when she got the news that White Storm and some of her teammates had been imprisoned for vandalizing Wonderbolts HQ and injuring Soarin. The Silver Bullets would be out of the count for a long time, that’s for sure. Rainbow Dash was happy with how things turned out. She then turned and saw a magazine, a gossip magazine. What caught Rainbow Dash’s attention was the fact that she was on the front cover.

Rainbow Dash frowned. She wondered who the anonymous informant could possibly be, but didn’t care. She looked at the picture of herself with Spitfire and chuckled. The picture showed Spitfire cuddled up next to Rainbow Dash in a grassy plain outside of Ponyville. Oh, Dash remembered when they found that photographer. He had a bad day.

“Psst!” Rainbow Dash, as well as a good number of other ponies heard. A good ten or twelve ponies looked in the general direction of the noise.

“Rainbow Dash!” came a loud whisper, then a yellow snout peeking in through the locker room door.

“Hey, it’s Spitfire!” A male pegasus called out from somewhere in the middle of the room. The locker room began to get noisy as pegasi began to crowd toward the door.

“Quickly!” Spitfire called, beckoning Rainbow Dash frantically. Rainbow Dash smiled and ran at the door, giving Spitfire just enough time to open it and let her through before closing it on the crowd.

Rainbow Dash hardly had time to breath before Spitfire was kissing her full-on. It was just the thing to calm her nerves. Sure, it may seem unfair that your marefriend was on the judges’ panel, but hey, sometimes you gotta have connections, right? Rainbow Dash and Spitfire separated and smiled at each other.

“Thanks, I needed that.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Maybe Ah should’a gotten her.” Applejack said, making Rainbow Dash look around in surprise. Sure enough, there were her five best friends, lined up in front of the couple with smiles on their faces. Twilight was looking with interest at the door’s tinted window, which showed the silhouettes of pegasi waiting to see their idol.

“Ah mean, shoot, look at them!” Applejack said, “They were on you like cockoburrs in a mane.”

“Nah. I wanted to.” Spitfire said. “You’re gonna be great, Rainbow Dash. Trust me.”

“Ya think so?”

“I know so.”

“We’re all here for you, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said.

“No matter what happens!” Rarity proclaimed.

“I promise to cheer loud.” Fluttershy said happily.

“This is the most super cool thing ever!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “I mean, it’s really super cool that you’re DATING a Wonderbolt, but now you’re gonna BE a Wonderbolt, so you’ll be even cooler!”

“Thanks, Pinks” Rainbow Dash said. She looked at Spitfire and smiled contentedly, “You know something? I don’t feel nervous right now.”

Spitfire smiled, “That means you’re ready.”

They kissed again, “I love you, Spitfire.”

“Love you too, Rainbow Dash.”

“Number one!” A mare called out from inside the locker room, “Number one!”

“Sounds like the auditions are starting.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oh, crud, I need to be up in the judges’ panel.” Spitfire said, looking around nervously.

“That you do!” came Soarin’s voice from behind everypony. His wing was wrapped up snugly, ensuring it would not move an inch, “C’mon, say goodbye to your marefriend!”

“Good luck, Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire called as she rushed away.

“Thanks!” Rainbow Dash replied. She turned back to her friends, who were all clustered around her happily. Rainbow Dash gave a small squeal before laughing and falling into a group hug.

Spitfire watched this as she walked away with Soarin.

“You know what, Soarin? I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am right now.” Spitfire said.

“…huh? What?” Soarin said, his attention still with the group of ponies, and his walking pace slowing down in order to prolong his time to observe.

“What are you looking at?” Spitfire asked suspiciously.

“Huh? Nothing…” Soarin said.

“It’s that Applejack, isn’t it?”

Soarin didn’t answer right away, but instead smirked and thought back to the situation they were in a few months ago, sitting in that hotel room with Spitfire reading that newspaper clipping over and over. He couldn’t believe that he was finding himself in the same situation.

“You know what, I think I’m gonna have to visit Ponyville with you on our next off weekend.” Soarin said as they galloped up to the judges’ box, Spitfire chuckling happily in reply.