Title: The Seventh Element
Rating: T (But I will warn about the violence)
Chapter: Chapter 19 Rainbow’s exam
AN: Sorry for the long update! I had to do testing at school. And plus some assignments for different classes. OH and make my MMD animation for my computer class. Shit, I got a lot to do…Oh yeah! Writing. Well, I’ll try to make this chapter. Hope it comes out good. Until I finish this fic, which will take a long time, I won’t get many reviews. Alright. Fine. LET’S GIVE IT MY ALL!!! :D
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Rainbow Dash flew in a perfect line up into the air. The wind stroked her hair and skin in a rough manner from her high velocity. In her mind, she counted the height she climbed, and when reaching the desired height of thirty thousand feet, she quickly bent into a ninety degree angle and sped towards the walls.

Rainbow held her breath as she sped up, her wings in perfect sync. She closed her eyes and flew through the first of the walls, right at the same time as he wings were in the downward position.

Too easy.

She sped through the walls, making sure to have a downward position through all of them. Without even taking a split second to check her work, she ignored the walls and made a sharp turn towards the thundering clouds.

Rainbow sped even faster, a rainbow streaking behind her, and started to kick the clouds wildly, trying to get them to wane. The first one was the smallest of the nine, which took the least amount of time. But this was taking too much time! If she kept at this pace when waning the clouds, she won’t have enough time to do the rings and finish in her time!

Rainbow smirked as an idea came into her mind. She grabbed the clouds and put all of them into a huge cluster.

From the ground, Spit Fire and Soarin watched as Rainbow made the cloud bigger. “Is she crazy!?” Spit Fire exclaimed as she grabbed at her hair, “if she bunches them together like that, she’ll cause them to expand and explode!”

Soarin made a motion to go up there and take care of them, but Sky Light stopped him. “Soldiers! Keep to the ground!” He glared at Soarin, “you are not to help the drop out with her exam!”

Soarin yelled to Sky Light, “but if I don’t-!”

“It is not your place!” He turned back to the sight, “Don’t you see what she is doing? When a large mass of cumulo-nimbus clouds gather, they cause each other to expand from the sheer power that is swelling inside of them.” He smirked, “But if you contain it into a small enclosed space, it’ll cause them to implode on themselves, to destroy themselves.”

Soarin looked back to the sky, amazed that Rainbow Dash was able to do quick thinking like that.

When all the clouds started to expand, lightning starting to seep from the cloud body and zapping in random directions, signaling that it was to blow soon. Rainbow without ever stopping for rest, started to fly around the cloud at her fastest speed. As she swirled around the cloud, the pressure from the wind stopped the cloud from expanding any farther. And with each loop, Rainbow kicked the cloud, keeping the lightning on the inside. In a matter of a couple of seconds, the cloud was now imploding upon itself.

Rainbow smiled to herself and checked her time. I was already five seconds!

She was making remarkable time.

Sky Light was unimpressed. So far he had only seen her quick thinking and speed. But when it comes to flying, speed is not everything. You need agility for those tight turns, and power. Power for holding onto heavy objects and flying for long extended periods of time. And so far, Rainbow Dash has shown she only cares for speed.

Rainbow flipped back and sped towards the castle, heading towards the red rings. That’s right; there are twenty of the rings.

And she has to fly dead center through all of them.

“Bring it on!!!” Rainbow screamed as she dashed through the first of the rings. As she bent to the side to make the sharp corner, she hit a small white cloud. Sky Light has lined up a path she would have to take to go through all the rings. But to make matters worse, the clouds lined a path that had many tight corners and close to one hundred eighty degree turns. But Rainbow straightened out in the middle of the path and focused to wear the clouds would lead her.

She’ll get through this test easily.

Flying in the middle of the path, Rainbow dashed through the rings with deadly precision, going through dead center on each one. Sky Light followed her movements in the sky with his eye; he was able to see every single flex of muscle that she used when performing her moves. “She’s not taking consideration of what these moves do to her body. She’s doing them too fast.” He shook his head, “damn drop out can’t even pace herself.”

Rainbow had already flown through fifteen rings. She saw that the final five were in a straight line for her. She smirked and flew as fast as she could through them and when she crossed through all of them, she closed her wings, packing them tight against her body.

Free falling.

She let herself fall down towards the earth, the wind rushing past her making a slight whistle. She counted in her head, “one.” Her hair was flapping in the air as gravity was pulling Rainbow faster and faster to the ground.

“Two.”

She clenched her teeth and hands as she felt her body gain velocity.

“Three!”

She flung her wings out, wincing as her wings almost snapped out of place. She had never free fallen from this high up, or for longer than three seconds. But she was happy at least that her wings stayed in place and parachuted her to the ground. Sky Light pulled a stop watch from his uniform, and pressed stop. “Eleven seconds.”

Rainbow gasped for breath once she had landed, her body was covered with perspiration, flushed beet red. She shook her head, not believing that she couldn’t make her ten seconds flat quota. For the moment, she pushed that aside and met his eyes, “there. I beat your test. Now I would like my license!”

Sky Light smirked, “Hold on drop out. Now is the second part of my test, the inspection. I’m going to fly up there and check out everything. Remember, if I find one little detail that proves you are an incompetent flyer, I’m failing you.”

Rainbow Dash glared at him, “Even just one mistake!?”

“Is that a problem, drop out?”

Soarin and Spit Fire both signaled to Rainbow Dash to shut up, which she thankfully took. Sky Light slowly flapped his wing, bringing him into the air. Rainbow sniggered, “hey gramps! Can you hurry it? We got dinner to get to.” Sky Light stiffened, but brushed it off. He crouched and then pushed himself high into the air at a blinding speed, making Rainbow gape at him. “What the-? Soarin! Spit Fire! H-How is he flying so high and fast!? He only has one wing!”

Soarin smiled softly, “Just because a pony is missing something like that, doesn’t mean they are completely helpless. He’s been like that for a little over twenty years.”

Rainbow let her eyes wander back to the flying commander, “twenty years with only one wing?”

Spit Fire nodded, “yeah. But unlike most ponies that lose something like that, he never stopped trying to get back in the air. But… The last time we saw him was ten years ago.”

Meanwhile, Sky Light was checking out the walls, looking over each hole to find a downward wing position. He nodded in affirmation as he glided over to where he had set the clouds up at. He flew through the sky, looking for even a trace of the cumulo-nimbus clouds. He found none. “Drop out is pretty good. But good is never enough.” He turned towards the rings, “time to check out the rings.” He smiled, “lets see if she hit them all dead center.”

Spit Fire saw him gliding towards the rings, and she knew it was time for the real inspection. “Rainbow, please be honest with us, okay?”

Rainbow nodded, unsure of where this was going.

“You… You did hit all the rings dead center, right?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I did. I don’t see why those rings were at the end, seemed like a waste of time.” Spit Fire shook her head, “what?”

“Rainbow, Sky Light painted those rings red.” Rainbow said nothing and stared at Spit Fire. “Rainbow, he painted those rings.”

“I don’t see where this is going.”

Soarin watched Sky Light; he came to the last five rings, all in a row. Sky Light hadn’t really paid attention to the other rings, which meant Rainbow passed them. But why was Sky Light stopping at the last five? They seemed to… be… Soarin squinted at the last ring.

The last ring was off center by an inch.

Soarin widened his eyes as he saw Sky Light smirk to himself. Sky Light then dashed towards them with blinding speed, reaching them in just a second. He grabbed Rainbow Dash’s right ring, and scanned the feathers. Rainbow tried to pry him off, but he held on with a vice grip, not even paying attention to the angry mare next to him. He suddenly stopped when he found what he was looking for.

A tiny red mark on the tip of a feather.

“Those rings were freshly painted. Just so in case you don’t fly dead center, which you didn’t. You failed, Drop out.”

Rainbow flared up, “Failed!? It’s just a tiny little mark!”

“You failed your test. You knew the consequences.”

“I failed for a tiny little mistake! Every heard of leniency?”

“I’m surprised you actually have a formidable vocabulary, drop out. I was almost positive you had the mediocre one of a Kindergarten foal.” He flew towards Rainbow and gave her a death glare, “You were warned that I am the harshest of all the examiners. You were warned not to take my test. But you ignored those pleas and decided to feed your ego. You tried to prove that you are above the law.” He leaned closer to her, “and you know what, Drop out?”

Rainbow bristled, “what?” She spat.

Sky Light’s face darkened; suddenly he yelled right in her face, “YOU’RE NOT!” He backed away, “You’re not above the law. You are not above anypony, you are not the best flier in all of Equestria, hell, you forgot the three basic elements of flight for a Pegasus!”

Rainbow growled, “And what did I forget?”

Sky Light roared in rage, “you care so little about the laws of flight and education, you forgot the basics!?” He took a breath, attempting to calm himself down, but it was apparent that he was doing a terrible job at it. “The three basic elements of flight: Speed, Agility, and Power. Speed; reach your goal in as little time as possible. Agility, being able to bend and maneuver your way to your goal. And power, making sure to stay in the air for as long as possible while also having the power to hold and block anything in your way.” He grabbed her wings and spread them, “look at these pitiful excuses for wings. They’re appalling! They are scrawny. Weak. Sure, they are perfect for speed,” He let them go and watched Rainbow snap them against her back tightly, “But speed is not everything. Something you seem to believe as much as Celestia being your ruler.”

“Where are you going with this, gramps!?”

Sky Light spat to the side, “you are to address me as, Commander, General, Commander Sky Light or General Sky Light. I will not stand for insolence like what you are showing me now.”

Rainbow clenched her fists, “I won’t show respect for somepony who won’t show me any!”

Sky Light shook his head, “you deserve no respect, Drop out. You not only lived this long thinking you’d never have to bend to the laws by being protected by the princess, but you also failed my test.”

“So just because I make one tiny mistake, means I have to fail!? That is not fair!”

Sky Light glowered at her, his eye practically a pool of anger and hate, all directed at Rainbow, “Tiny mistakes often lead to big problems. And big problems can cost ponies vital necessities, like a hoof, a leg, wing, horn… Even a life. So I am unforgiving of all mistakes, even the tiniest of ones.”

“That’s not fair! I’ve never had a huge accident happen…” She trailed off, she suddenly thought of all her reckless escapades over the years. When she sped off from the starting line during her big races, and had accidentally pushed Fluttershy off a cloud. The time where she didn’t look where she was landing during the Gala, and ended up toppling columns in the great hall, along with a golden statue of Princess Celestia. Or the time she was choosing a pet and having them race with her through that dangerous chasm and had gotten stuck under a rockslide because she was too busy thinking about crossing the finish line.

“I can tell you’re remembering your own mistakes.” Rainbow shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts; she’s trying to win against him! Not agree with him!! “Since you agree with me, even if your mouth does not say so, you recognize your faults. And with this, you are to stay on the ground until my term is over.”

“What!?” Rainbow shoved Sky Light, but barely made him move, “You can’t tell me to say on the ground! I’m a Pegasus! Not some Earth pony!”

“You are an incompetent flier, therefore not fit to share the skies with the Wonderbolts, let alone other Pegasi. Now, you are going to grin and bear it or I will be forced to make your sentence that much more.” He turned and made his way to the Wonderbolts and Derpy. “Alright! Now that you have seen what a disgraceful flier is like, you are to strive to overcome that horrid display! You get me soldiers!?”

Rainbow stomped in front of Sky Light, “hey! Don’t ignore me! We’re not done with this!”

Soarin couldn’t stand to just watch anymore. He grabbed hold of Rainbow’s shoulders, “Rainbow! Stop it! If you fight it, it’ll just get worse! Just please, I’m begging you, don’t fight Sky Light on this!”

“Listen to him, Drop out, before I really lay it on you.”

Rainbow flung Soarin’s hands off her shoulders, “I don’t care! I’m a great flier! And you know what!? I’m going to fly! Right now!” Before Soarin could stop her, she had already sent herself soaring into the air.

Sky Light sighed and shook his head. He cracked his knuckles, “Time to bring back the trash.” He spread his lone wing and pushed himself into the air, starting to chase after Rainbow Dash. Rainbow saw from the corner of her eye, Sky Light giving her chase, so she smirked and sped up, climbing higher into the sky. Sky Light snorted and sped faster into the air, both arms in front of him to help with his speed.

Rainbow saw he was starting to catch up to her, so she dove down, using the Earth’s gravity to help her speed up and away from Sky Light. Sky Light quickly changed course and started to ride the gravity down. He compacted his arms against his body and straightened up, making him gain velocity. As his wing was now flapping to a fast rhythm, a cone started to form over him, like Rainbow at this point, speeding him up even faster.

Rainbow couldn’t believe it! This old geezer was keeping up with her like nothing! She dared not to steal a glance back, afraid he would be right there behind her. She shook that off; she is the fastest flier in all of Equestria! She knows it! So she won’t let him catch her!

No pony catches Rainbow Dash in a chase!

She gritted her teeth and pushed her wings to go even faster, most likely soon to break or pop out of their sockets. But then, suddenly, right before she was going to break the sound barrier with her speed, she was pulled to an immediate stop. Her wing had been grabbed by Sky Light, who had dislocated the bones with the force which he had pulled with. Rainbow was going to let out a shriek of pain, but she wouldn’t give him the time of day.

She wouldn’t admit to being hurt by this guy.

Sky Light spun her and pulled her close, his anger was practically dripping off of him, “This is your last chance, Drop out. Get back on the fucking ground, before I really make you regret flying.”

Rainbow glanced at his clenched fist, it was shaking from the pure fury he was sure to have welled up inside of him from her little stunt. She laughed softly, trying to hide the pain in her voice as he tightened his grip on her wing, “You’re not going to hit a mare, are you?”

“No, I would never hit an innocent mare.” He tightened even more, and the pain was too much for Rainbow as she cried out in agony. Just from the corner of her eye, she saw Soarin and Spit Fire racing to her side from the ground. “But really…” Sky Light continued, “I don’t see an innocent mare here. All I see is a disobedient filly, who needs to be taught a lesson.”

Rainbow widened her eyes, she was sure she had heard him wrong.

He couldn’t…

He shouldn’t…

He wouldn’t!!

…But she was wrong.

Sky Light brought his fist back and sent it flying right into the pit of Rainbow’s stomach. He had hit so hard and quickly, Rainbow gasped and spit up saliva, her upper body now leaned forward from the force. He didn’t stop there.

He pulled back and punched her in the exact same spot again and again, all the while tightening his grip on the wing even more so. Rainbow couldn’t think! The pain was assaulting her mind, stopping any other kind of thought from surfacing. Sky Light he really didn’t want to vent his anger on her, so he decided to stop his attacks on her stomach. He roughly grabbed onto her chin and forced her to look up at him.

“Now listen here, Drop out. You are hereby banned from the skies. I don’t even want to see you in the skies as long as I’m here, hell, I’ll even file a notice to all towns in Equestria. You are an unfit flier. Therefore, a threat to all ponies, and all other races. You are going to stay on the ground, and you will do,” he paused for emphasis, “nothing. You got me?”

Rainbow stared up at him, her eyes now darkened to a blood red shade. She snorted and spat in his face.

All Sky Light could remember at that point was, to hell with holding back! He snarled at her and brought his head back, then smashed it against her forehead in a powerful head butt. He let go of her wing and chin and clasped his hands together and swung them over his head. As Rainbow was just starting to look up at him, he was already bringing down his clasped fist and hit her right over the head, sending her whole body down towards the ground.

Soarin was about to help Rainbow, but Sky Light barked at him, “Soldier! You help out the Drop out, and I swear to Celestia, I will strip you of your rank and title, you get me!?” Soarin and Spit Fire now had to watch Rainbow crash into the ground below, creating a crater.

Soarin and Spit Fire shot Sky Light with a furious glare, “before any of you say anything, I gave her many chances to just back down. She just doesn’t know how to deal with warnings.” Soarin and Spit Fire just hung their heads, knowing full well that was what happened.

Down below, Rainbow was climbing out of the crater she and Sky Light made. “Man… He hits hard…” Rainbow shook her head, causing her a great deal of pain, another weakness about this body.

She can’t take too many hits like before.

She finally climbed from the inside of the crater, and soon she was standing tall with her head up. A fierce determination flared up in Rainbow’s eyes, and they were set at Sky Light. “I’m not going to stay down! I’m going to prove to you that I’m a great flier!” Soarin was close to shooting off his head at this point.

“Rainbow! For the love of Celestia! Shut up!” Soarin hollered at Rainbow. He couldn’t take it anymore! He has to stop Rainbow before she does something she’ll regret.

Rainbow sent herself back in the sky, aiming for Sky Light. No pony will tell Rainbow what she can and can’t do! So in a blind fury, Rainbow just sent herself flying towards Sky Light, hoping to attack him.

Once she was within arm’s length of Sky Light, she set out an onslaught of attacks to Sky Light, most of them not even connecting with Sky Light, just flying past him. Sky Light just dodged her attacks with ease, not even looking like he was trying. When a single punch was threatening to actually hit Sky Light, he caught it before it got too close to him.

Rainbow tried to yank her fist from Sky Light’s larger one, but it proved fruitless. His grip was iron.

“Well Drop out, you just love pissing me off.” He twisted Rainbow’s arm back, making her wince in pain. “Well, since you continue to break orders from your commanding officer, it seems I just have to make your punishment that much more painful.” He twisted it harder, “and attacking your commanding officer? Unacceptable.” He let her go. “This is how you attack.” He punched her in the small of her back, and quickly punched her square in the middle of her spine.

He pushed her forward and flipped, axe kicking her to the ground, sending her straight into the crater from before and making it much bigger and deeper. Soarin and Spit Fire at this point, just turned their heads away, not bearing the fact of what was going to happen next.

In the crater, Rainbow Dash laid there, her body in full assault of pain. Her arms, legs, torso and worse off, her head all felt like they were being pounded on by one of Apple Jack’s bucks. She heard somepony sliding down the crater, kicking up dust and dirt over her. “Please… Leave me alone.”

“Afraid I can’t do that Drop out.”

Rainbow groaned, Sky Light is the last Pony she wants to look at right now. She heard and felt something clasp over her wings, right where they connected to her back, and weigh them down. “W-What’s that…?” Rainbow questioned in a small soft voice.

Sky Light then snapped a pad lock on the chain and steel bindings right in between her wings. He pulled them, tugging her wings up and making Rainbow remember the pain in them and the fact that one was dislocated. “Have to admit Drop out, I didn’t expect you to be able to fly up there and attack me. What with your wing all dislocated and all…” He let them go, but the bindings now on Rainbow’s wings made them slightly raised away from her body. “But now, you are officially banned from the skies. These bindings are magically enhanced for one hundred percent durability, and made to tighten up when you try and remove them. They’re steel and have a special rune on them to never rust. They are meant for crippling a pony, making sure they never fly with these on.”

Rainbow at this point couldn’t talk. Her mind was in the middle of digesting what was going on right now.

“You will not fly, and you cannot fly. That is Iron will. If you try anything on them, they will tighten up, and eventually snap your wings off of your back. You get me drop out?” Rainbow said nothing, “good. Also, I don’t want to see you anywhere near the training grounds.” He leaned close, “you are dismissed.” He flew out of the crater and landed near the outer rim.

Soarin and Spit Fire had by now floated back to the ground. “Alright soldiers. You are to clean up the course, and retrieve Derpy from her cloud. Practice has been cancelled. I shall see all of you back inside the castle for dinner.” He nodded to them all, “you are dismissed.”

He turned and walked back to the Celestial Palace, his head held high.

Soarin had walked over to the crater and peered down at Rainbow. She hadn’t moved since Sky Light had left. “Rainbow?” Soarin called out to her. Rainbow moved slightly, but she didn’t move from her spot in the crater. “Rainbow… I tried to warn you… I didn’t want this to happen to you. Please… Just next time… Don’t fight Sky Light and his decisions…”

Rainbow turned her head away from Soarin. Too much of her was broken today. Her body, her spirit, her pride and her ego were all practically broken at this point. “I’m going to help Spit Fire with the cleaning. So… I-I’ll see you at dinner…” He walked away, from what he had gathered about Rainbow, he was sure she’d stay in the crater for awhile before leaving for dinner.

As Spit Fire and Soarin had just finished clearing away the course that Sky Light had put up, Derpy, still on her little cloud, had finished her bag full of muffins. She licked her lips and rubbed her stomach. “Wow… those muffins were awesome!” She looked over her cloud and saw the crater. She scratched her head and called out, “hey guys? What happened down there?” An idea struck her, “is there any way I can help?”

Spit Fire had flown to where Derpy was sitting. “Uh… I’ll tell you later Derpy. C’mon, we got dinner to get to…”

Derpy poked her cheek, “Dinner? But I barely know you.”

Spit Fire rolled her eyes, “Never mind.” She kicked the cloud Derpy was sitting on, clearing away the cloud. Derpy however didn’t move from her spot, and looked as if floating in midair. She then flew away towards the Palace as soon as the smell of freshly baked bread reached her nostrils, “sorry fire mare! I’ll go out to dinner with you later! I think they’re serving dinner!”

Spit Fire blushed slightly at Derpy’s words, but then shook them off; the double meaning was most likely unintentional. She called down to Soarin, “Soarin! Dinner!”

Soarin however, didn’t move. His gaze shifted back to the crater that held Rainbow Dash. He hung his head and made his way towards the Palace as well, with Spit Fire landing down near him. “Spit… I… I should have stopped him. I should have done something to stop him from hurting her…”

Spit Fire shook her head, “no… It would have been useless. Sky Light never takes back any threat he makes to somepony. If you had helped her, he would have taken away everything you worked so hard for.”

“But what if everything I had worked for, wasn’t really anything I wanted in the first place?” He shook his head, “sometimes, this suit and badge just seem like something tying my down…” He shoved his gloved hands into his pockets, “I…”

Spit Fire looked to where Rainbow was, and back to Soarin. “That bad huh?”

“What?”

Spit Fire smiled sadly, “you care for Rainbow.”

“S-Shut up!”

“Oh Soarin… You sure know how to pick ‘em…” She just shook her head, “but really…? We all know Rainbow is a hard core Mare-Lover.” Soarin puffed his cheeks, and blushed deep red.

“Well… I couldn’t really control it… She’s a great mare…” He sighed, “Just wish she wasn’t so head strong… Look where it got her…”

They both sighed, “ah jeez…”
DONE!
Alright! This chapter is all wrapped up! YAY! Hope all of you enjoyed this time’s chapter. Trust me; I had a lot of fun typing this one out! BWAHAHAHAHA!! Sorry to say this, but I don’t really like Rainbow Dash. She’s a cool character, but after season 1, she just… got annoying. In season 1, Rainbow was a cool character that was just excitable about her heroes the Wonderbolts and wanted to prove herself as the greatest flier in all of Equestria.
But in Season 2, she went from cool character, to most annoying character in a snap. And trust me; I’ve wanted my chance to knock her down the stairs. So yeah, don’t get all butt hurt about Rainbow getting beaten, cause trust me there’ll be more of it, because seriously, all the characters can have some big draw backs. Rarity and Twilight have severe cases of OCD, Pinkie belongs in psychiatric ward, Fluttershy is painfully shy, and Apple Jack needs more character development. Just a little bit. So yeah… Not all of the characters are perfect, except Big Macintosh. Big Mac is a pimp.
So with that being said, hope you all understand where I’m coming from. Also, I’m so sorry about the long ass wait for this chapter. I had to do a lot of End of course testing, and had gotten sick. Yeah… Anyway, Read, Rate, Review, Subscribe and Favorite! BYE!
(((WE ARE NOW ALL CAUGHT UP!! WOOOOOOO! EVEN THOUGH I HALF ASSED THE CHAPTERS.))