Sometime hours later, I suddenly woke up. I was lying on a cold hard floor, but yet Daring was lying in my arms, and both of us were snuggled against something large and furry. Her head was throbbing, and my limbs felt extremely weak.

"What........happened?" My memory was very fuzzy. I remembered our quest to find the Lunar Shrine of Romance, as well as the original copy of the Pony Sutra, but yet after that, my memory began to fail me. I remembered a Sphinx, riddles, and being naked for whatever reason, but beyond this though, I could remember nothing.

I shifted a bit. It was then that I realized that the large, furry thing that Daring and I were snuggled close to was Briana the Sphinx.

She opened an eye and looked at me. "Mmm, time to get up Leopard?"

"I.......guess so. What happened?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

I shook my head. "No, not completely. The last thing that I can remember for sure is finding the Pony Sutra, and then it becomes fuzzy. I remember you, and riddles, as well as being naked, but then nothing."

Briana purred a bit. "Hmm. Well, I can fill in a few gaps for you. You grabbed the book, and tried to evade from me, but I blocked the way. The only way out was to solve my riddle. You and your female companion here did, but it really taxed you; physically and mentally. You both blacked out, and I merely removed your coverings, licked you two clean, and then snuggled close to you so that I could keep you warm." (In all actuality, Life, aka Briana, was in a sense telling the truth. She really did lick us both clean, but yet this was to erase the evidence of the debauchery that her revenge caused. She also did snuggle close to us, but this was for her own pleasure, not just for keeping us warm.)

I nodded slowly. "Ok, so, what now?" I was still slightly unnerved that I had been licked all over by a Sphinx, even one as cute as Briana.

Briana began to purr a bit. "Well, since you DID solve my riddle, AND you have the Pony Sutra, I am duty-bound to protect you. I will protect you and your female companion for as long as you live. And I can change size if I have to, just so that others won't ask too many questions."

By this point, Daring was awake as well, but neither of us really wanted to stop cuddling with Briana. Her fur was just SO soft and warm, and her purring was just so relaxing.

I reached down, and began to rub her belly gently. Briana began to purr VERY loudly, and she even rolled over so as to give me better access.

"Aww, you may be a Sphinx, but you're just a big kitty! Who's my adorable big kitty? Who's my adorable big kitty? YOU are! Yes you are!"

Briana let me have my fun. She knew that she could OWN me if she wanted to, but yet it's EXTREMELY difficult being Life sometimes, and she just wanted to let someone else take the wheel for a bit.

She continued to purr, while Daring got up, and began to pull her clothes back on. I followed suit a few minutes later, and soon, once we had the Original Pony Sutra all wrapped up in plastic, I placed it in the satchel that we brought to hold it, which I then slung over my shoulder.

Once we had the rest of our stuff together, we were all ready to go.

"So, I'll carry the book, you carry the gear, and I guess that I'll carry Briana as well."

Daring looked at me strangely. "Yeah, but how? She's nearly 3 times bigger than we are!"

"Ahem!" Briana then shrunk down until she was no bigger than an average house cat.

Daring looked at her in shock. "What the....?!?!?! How did you do that?!"

Briana looked up at her. "Magic! I can change my size whenever I want! It's just another perk of being Life. I can change my form, and my size. I only have a limited range of forms though. I can be a Sphinx, a cloud, and some fog. That's about it!"

While Daring was still in a bit of shock, I tried to figure out how to carry Briana. Even though she was smaller, I still needed a way to carry her. In the end, she settled on my shoulders, and provided that I was able to move about smoothly, she could just hold on. And if the going got rough, she could always just use her wings and fly.

Daring and I then began to make our way out of the Lunar Shrine of Romance.

"I will NOT be missing this place!" Briana muttered. "My boss literally CHAINED me to this place until somebody could solve my riddle! Now that they have, I can FINALLY get out! Even though I'm now stuck with you Leopard!"

I glanced back at her on my shoulders. "Wait, you were chained to this place? Why?"

Briana growled a bit. "It's a long story. However, the short version is that I was a tyrant a long time ago, and I held a village hostage. They gave me their crops, and I let them live. I also lived in a fancy pyramid back then, but that's besides the point. Anyway, one day I kidnapped some prince, and his lover came to get him back. She solved my other riddle, AND she passed my other challenges!"

"What other riddle was that?" Daring asked.

"I shine brightest in the dark. I am there but cannot be seen. To have me costs you nothing. To be without me costs you everything. What am I?"

I thought for a second. "Hope. I've heard this riddle before. It's an old classic among us soldiers."

Briana spat a bit. "Well no one knew the answer back then except for...........Sonambula, at least I think that's what her name was. Outraged at her defeating me, I fled from the pyramid, only to be confronted by my Boss, and he banished me to the Lunar Shrine of Romance. I was doomed to be trapped there until someone solved my main riddle, as punishment for what I did in the past. I saw the Marakeets come and go, but I was still there. Until now at least. You solved my riddle, thus freeing me from the Lunar Shrine of Romance forever."

I was surprised at Briana's story. It all made sense, but I still had another question. "And who is your boss by the way? I've always wondered who Life's manager is."

"The Universe. HE'S the man behind me! There's also my sisters Fate and Karma, and my brothers Time and Space. Not to mention my cousin, the Multiverse! My Mom, Wisdom, and my dad, Experience are in there too. Together, all of us keep everything running. God is ultimately above us all, but he charges us with keeping everything going."

When Briana finished her explanation, my brain just about exploded! That was WAY too much information packed in such a small span of time!

"Um, ok, I'll just stick with, 'your real name is Life, but everypony calls you Briana. You can now leave the Shrine because I solved your riddle, but now you're duty-bound to protect me. I also now have a Sphinx that will be living with me as well'. Oh, and Life? One other thing I need to tell you."

"And that is?"

"Whenever someone says, 'well, at least things can't get any worse!', that is NOT a challenge!"

Briana blinked, before bursting out laughing. I knew then that I really did NOT have as good of a handle on Life as I thought that I did! (No pun intended!)

Getting home took another 2 weeks, but by July 2nd, we were FINALLY back in Ponyville! We all got off the train utterly exhausted, and after taking flight, Daring and I made it back up to Dash's house.

"Man, a shower's going to feel SO good!" Daring muttered.

"No kidding Babe! I REALLY need one too!"

We then walked in, shut the door, I said hi to Aurora, who although she was excited to see me again, decided to let me rest for a while.

"I'll say hi to you better later Master! You look exhausted!"

"Thanks Aurora, and I am. I've been all over the place for the past 2 months, and I'm physically shot!"

I then turned away, and it was then that Aurora noticed Briana on my shoulders. "Wait, what the heck is on your shoulders?!"

I sighed. "This is Briana the Sphinx. In reality though, she's my greatest enemy, Life. She was the one guarding the Lunar Shrine of Romance, and Daring and I had to solver her riddle to escape. Wait for the book for the full story!"

"Wait, you went out there for the Pony Sutra, and came back with a SPHINX?!?!"

"Yeah, pretty much, although we came back with the Pony Sutra too. But please Aurora, I REALLY need sleep!"

I then gently pushed past her and went upstairs, all with Briana still on my shoulders, though Aurora still followed me up.

Daring took her shower first, while I secured the satchel with the book in it in my office safe, as well as the camera with all of the photos of our adventure. Then when it was my turn, I took my shower. Once I was done, I dried off, and without even bothering to put any clothes on, (Daring didn't either) we both crawled into Dash's bed, and were asleep almost instantly.

Briana jumped up on the bed, and snuggled between us, purring all the while, before settling down to sleep. Not wanting to be left out, Aurora did the same thing, and Daring and I were too tired to care. All 4 of us fell asleep, and I tried to come up with an explanation that Dash and Spitfire would believe when I had to explain to them about Briana.

When Dash and Spitfire came home later that day, they found a note on the front door.

"Hey guys, well, Daring and I are finally back! Long story short, mission accomplished! Right now, we're most likely upstairs sleeping, so please don't disturb us. We REALLY need it!

Much Love,
Stud"

They both looked at each other. "Wow, so they're FINALLY back!"

Dash nodded. "Yeah, which makes you wonder how long until the book will come out!"

"And they may be sleeping, but I guess that we can at least see if they're awake."

They then went inside, before heading upstairs. Sure enough, once they reached the bedroom, they saw Daring and I asleep in each other's arms. We were also moving about a bit, suggesting that we were on yet another adventure.

"I still think that it's cute when they dream together. I just wish that Stud had more time to spend with us though."

Spitfire nodded, but then she stopped. "Yeah, but yet at the same time, we ARE Wonderbolts, which has us spending so much time at the Academy. The main reason that Stud's with Daring so much is that she's always here writing. Plus, he's still with Battalion 4009 in the Foreign Legion, which has him sometimes coming home at really odd hours. Daring's just the only one who's either home, or awake. I mean, we DO get time off, but yet not as much as I'd like. It's a lonely road being the Captain of the Wonderbolts Dash."

Dash was listening, but then, she looked a little bit closer at the bed. "Um Spitsy?"

"Yeah Dash?"

"I know that Aurora belongs to Stud, and I have Tank, but do either you or Daring own a cat?"

Spitfire looked at her like she was crazy. "What? I don't own a cat! And Daring doesn't have any pets either! Why?"

Dash pointed, and sure enough, lying close to Aurora was what appeared to be a cat! It had purple fur, a long tail, and it even seemed to have wings!

"Where......did that come from?!"

"I don't know! Maybe Stud and Daring found it on their adventures, and decided to bring it back. We won't know for sure until they wake up, although I don't know if we should disturb them right now."

I then rolled over, and looked over at them. "Oh, hey guys." I whispered.

"Stud!" Dash came over and hugged me.

"Please keep it down a bit. Let Daring sleep a little bit longer." I whispered. "But it's good to see you too Babe."

"Yeah, and I REALLY missed you!"

"Not as much as I missed you!"

"Ahem!"

I looked up. "Oh, and hi to you too Spitsy! Where's my hug?"

"It's coming, just as soon as you explain where THIS came from!" She pointed to the cat-like creature lying close to me.

I sighed. "Do you want the long story or the short one?"

"I want the truth."

"That's the thing though Spitsy, I'd tell you the truth, but I don't think that you'd believe me!"

"Try me Stud. I've seen some REALLY strange things in my time!"

I sighed. "Ok, well, the short version is that this is Briana. She was the Sphinx that guarded the Lunar Shrine of Romance, as well as the original Pony Sutra within. She was bound to the shrine until somepony could solve her riddle. I was able to do so, and now she's bound to protect me until the day I die. She shrank down to the size of a house cat so that I could carry her back here. The longer version though, Briana is REALLY a physical manifestation of Life, aka, my greatest enemy! She was known as Briana for centuries, and Because Life is the greatest riddle of all, she took on the form of a Sphinx. So now I have Aurora AND Briana as my protectors!"

Dash and Spitfire both looked at each other, and then back at Briana, who was now awake and looking at both of them.

Dash laughed a bit. "There's no WAY that you're a Sphinx!"

Briana glared at her a bit. "Yes, I AM a Sphinx! I may not LOOK fearsome, but that's only because I'm the size of an ordinary cat right now! When Leopard found me, I was at my original size, which was 16 feet tall!"

"Prove it!" Dash challenged.

"Fine!" Sure enough, Briana leapt off the bed, before shuddering a bit, and then rapidly changing size. Soon she was the size that she was when she snuggled Daring and I. "See? I TOLD YOU that I could change size!"

Dash's jaw hit the ground. "Wow, you really can!"

Briana then shrunk back down to her house cat size, before jumping back onto the bed and falling asleep again.

Over the course of the next few days, I began to notice Spitfire seeming to be REALLY tired when she came home. She also seemed to be cranky a lot as well.

"What's wrong Babe?" I finally asked her in bed one night.

She hugged me. "Oh Stud, there's a group of recruits at the Academy that are making life HELL for everypony! They won't listen to ANYPONY, and I've threatened to kick them out, but they STILL keep causing trouble! I WANT to kick them out, but yet I can see that they have so much potential. Finally tonight, I just told them, 'FINE!!!! If you think that you can mouth off to ME, just wait until you meet my husband! If I have to bring HIM up here to deal with you, he's gonna be PISSED!!!!!'"

"And what did they say to that?"

"Well, some of them smartened up, but the rest still continued on as before. Which is why I have to ask you if you're free tomorrow Stud, AND if you're willing and able to deal with them before I have to take drastic action!"

I smirked a bit. "You know me better than that Spitsy, of COURSE I'll help you! Plus, if those punks think that I can't whoop them, then they've got another thing coming! I could take them all on blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back and STILL come out on top!"

Spitfire kissed me, before holding me close to her. "Thanks Stud, you're the best!"

I kissed her back. "You're welcome Babe. If they mess with my wife, then they mess with me, and if they mess with ME, then they'll possibly be leaving on a stretcher!"

We both laughed about this for a while longer, before we fell asleep.

The next morning, once I'd changed into the Wonderbolt Jumpsuit that Spitfire had given me for my birthday, I followed her up to the Wonderbolt Academy. I was made an Honorary-Wonderbolt for the time being, and I was wished the best of luck by the others in dealing with the troublesome recruits.

"Good luck Leopard!"

"Here's to hoping that you can show them who's boss!"

"I'll do my best guys." I then followed Spitfire to the door to an outdoor drill area. Through the glass, I could see the recruits standing there.

"Yep, they sure look like punks alright!"

"And you can handle them, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Just go out there, and see what you can do. If they STILL don't respond, signal me, and then I'll come and finish the job! However, be prepared for me to REALLY be close to losing it, so just play along! I won't hurt them, I'll just put the Fear of God into them!"

Spitfire nodded, and then she went out to talk to the group of 7 recruits who still hadn't smartened up.

"Alright you lazy rats, get back behind the line! Stand up straight, eyes forwards!"

They all did so, but they continued to giggle, and make faces at Spitfire.

"Ok, I have had it up to HERE with all of you! This is your last chance. If you do not wise up RIGHT THIS INSTANT, I WILL be going to get my husband! And he does NOT play nice!"

"What husband?" One of the recruits laughed. "You're not married!"

"Yeah, you just sleep around a lot!"

They all started to laugh, and Spitfire, wanting to see them eat their own words, (as well as pavement!) gave me the signal, and braced for my entrance.

Suddenly, the laughing stopped as the door to the training area flew open, and slammed into the wall next to it! Then, a tall, hulking figure in a Wonderbolt jumpsuit came charging out. He had a black mane, as well as some gray fur, mixed with flesh. His blue eyes were blazing with fury, and the recruits could also tell that he was a Bat-Pony, or at least a hybrid of one, as he had furry Bat-pony ears and cat-like pupils, though his black wings were still feathery like those of a Pegasus. The name patch on his jumpsuit said "Leopard" on it.

"ALRIGHT YOU YOUNG PUNKS, YOU LISTEN TO ME, AND YOU LISTEN TO ME GOOD!!!!! My name is Captain Leopard, but you will address me as "CAPTAIN", or "SIR!!!!" IS THAT CLEAR?!?!?!"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

"Good!" Now then, my wife's been telling me that you've been causing her some SERIOUS trouble! Is that true?!?!?!" As I stood in front of them, I could see that I was EASILY head and shoulders taller than ANY of them!

No answers.

"Nobody? Well then why does Spitsy always come home to me utterly exhausted, and saying that she had to CONSTANTLY deal with you all?!"

"Freaky Human Bat-Freak!" I heard somepony mutter.

"Who said that? WHO THE F@#K SAID THAT?!?!?! WHICH ONE OF YOU SORRY COCKSUCKERS JUST SIGNED THEIR OWN DEATH WARRANT?!?!?!?!"

Of course, there was no answer.

"Oh, so I guess that it was the f@#king Fairy God-Pony! Was it you?!" I shouted at a female Pegasus with gray fur and a green mane and tail.

"Sir, no Sir!"

"Where you from Recruit?"

"Sir, Las Pegasus Sir!"

"HOLY MOTHER OF CELESTIA LAS PEGASUS?!?! Only Fags and Squirtin' Sluts come from Las Pegasus, and you don't look like a Fag to me so that pretty much narrows it down! I'm gonna call you Private Squirt! Do you like that name Private?!"

"Sir, Yes Sir!"

I then kept walking. I came to a Pegasus stallion with yellow fur, and a blue mane and tail. "I'll bet it was you, wasn't it?!"

"Sir, no Sir!"

"How tall are you private?"

"Sir, 5'9" Sir!"

"5'9" I didn't know that they stacked shit that high! Do you suck dicks?"

"What?! Sir, no Sir!"

"Bullshit! I'll bet that you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose!"

"Sir, no Sir!"

Suddenly, I got hit by an empty soda can. Without even skipping a beat, I picked up the can. "And whoever threw this can at me, your mom's a ho! WHO THE F@#K THREW THIS AT ME, AND WHO THE F@#K SAID THAT I WAS A 'FREAKY HUMAN BAT- FREAK'!?!?!"

"I threw it and said it Sir!" I turned to see who had spoken. Sure enough, I knew HER all too well! She was a female Pegasus with green fur, and a yellow mane and tail. Lightning Dust! She'd been given a second chance with the Wonderbolts, and now she was about to blow it again!

I went over to her. "Oh so we've got a f#@king comedian over here! Lightning Slut! THAT sounds like a MUCH better name for you, don't you agree?"

She smirked. "Why don't you come to bed with me, and you'll find out!"

I then socked her right in the stomach, and THAT wiped the smirk right off her face! "You EVER talk to me like that again, there's FAR WORSE coming! Got it?!"

"Y-y-yes Sir!"

"GET UP!!!!"

She did so, and I could see that most likely she was the sort of ring-leader here. If I could break her, then I had the others. I then thought of the PERFECT way to do just that!
After turning back to face Lightning Dust, I put my plan into action.

"You got a War Face?"

"Sir?"

"A War Face! AAAAHHH!!!" I yelled a bit. "THAT'S a War Face, now let me see your War Face!"

"AAAAHHHH!!!!" Lightning screamed.

"BULLSHIT!!!!! You didn't convince me! Let me see your REAL War Face!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I was still unimpressed. "You don't scare me Private Slut, work on it!"

That did it. Lightning Dust was PISSED! "Oh yeah?! Well then what's a REAL War Face?! Because the one you just did wouldn't scare a......."

Lightning Dust never got the chance to finish that thought. I was WAITING for her to challenge me like that; in fact, I was PLANNING on it! Just before she could finish her thought, I reached deep inside of myself, and found the Leopard that became King Sombra Reborn. I then stared her down with my eyes blazing with fury, and I let out the fiercest battle-roar that ANYPONY in a 150 mile radius had EVER heard!

My roar was so powerful that it almost shattered windows! Even Spitfire, who had seen SO MUCH during her time as a Wonderbolt, felt her jaw hit the ground! NEVER did she EVER think that I had that kind of raw power in me! Dash tried to tell her about me going practically Super-Sayan at the Battle of Donneth, but Spitfire never believed it, until now anyway!

Once the last echos of my almighty roar abated, I took a deep breath before looking back at Lightning Dust. "There, is THAT a good enough War Face for ya Lightning?!"

She both pissed and crapped herself before literally fainting from fright!

I just laughed. "And what about the rest of you? Anypony still want to mess with me?"

The rest of the recruits then fainted from fright!

I then noticed Spitfire, as well as a few other Wonderbolts standing with their jaws on the ground. "And what about you guys? How good of a War Face was that?"

THEY all then fainted as well, although they fainted from shock!

I was left standing alone on that training field, surrounded by a large number of passed out Wonderbolts and recruits!

I shook my head. "Wow, I knew that my roar was scary, but I didn't know that it was THAT scary!"

Suddenly though, Dash came flying out of nowhere!

"F@#K!!!!! WHAT'S GOING ON OVER HERE!?!?!?! IS IT A MANTICORE OR AN URSA MAJOR!?!?!?! I heard a HUGE roar!!!!" She kept looking around, ready to fight anything that moved!

I shook my head. "No Dash, that was just me. There's no Manticores or Ursa Majors."

Dash looked at me like I was joking. "What?! You've GOT to be kidding me! There's NO WAY that that was just you!"

I wiped some sweat off my forehead. "No Dash, it really was just me! That roar was all me, although Sombra may have given me a bit of a boost as well!"

"What.....were you even trying to DO?!?!?!?!"

I sighed. "Well, I WAS trying to deal with these recruits, and after I realized that Lighting Dust was their ring-leader, I tried to break her. I went with the whole 'War Face' shtick, although I might have gotten a LITTLE BIT carried away with my roar! But in my defense, it was a great idea to break Lightning Dust, but that roar was WAY more powerful than I thought that it was going to be!"

Dash looked around at all those who'd passed out from fight. "Gee, ya think Stud?! But while YOU may be better at roaring, you STILL can't beat me at flying! I'M the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!"

I looked at her. "Oh really? Are you sure about that Dash?"

"TOTALLY!!! Who could POSSIBLY be a better flyer than me, YOU?!?!?!"

"I betcha I could! I'm not such a bad flyer myself! You may be smaller and more aerodynamic than me, but I have MUCH more torque, power, and endurance! Plus, it's been shown that we Bat-Ponies actually ARE better flyers than Pegasai in some areas!"

Dash just laughed. "Oh yeah? Well then, I'll BELIEVE it when I SEE it Stud! Race me at your own peril!"

I shook my head. "I can, and I WILL! Right after we help everybody who's passed out though, ESPECIALLY before anypony important sees this and thinks that we killed them!"

Dash just laughed, before helping me to revive those who had passed out.

Once we were sure that everypony was ok, Dash and I asked Spitfire if we could race.

"So, you REALLY want to see who's the best, do you?"

I shrugged. "Dash seems to, but I just want to take her down a few notches!"

Spitfire shrugged. "Well, l normally would say no, but yet for FINALLY scaring those recruits straight, sure. You can race with Dash Stud!"

I hugged her. "Thanks Spitsy, you're the best!"

She pushed me off of her. "Hey, no displays of affection while on duty Private!" She yelled.

I saluted. "Sorry Captain, won't happen again!"

"It better not! Or you WILL be sorry!"

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!"

"Good, now then GET OUT THERE AND SET UP THIS RACE WITH DASH PRIVATE!!!!!"

"You got it Captain!"

Dash and I then got everything set up. We put up a starting line, set up a course, and stood at the starting line stretching. The race would start at Noon, and Dash wanted word about it to get out to others who would want to see it. The time was currently 11:25am.

Once word of the race got out, a number of Ponies, and even Battalion 4009 soldiers gathered in the stands at the Academy to see it. Of course, ALL of the Human soldiers and Battleship Express crew present were cheering for me, while a lot of the Ponies were cheering for Dash.

"Come on Leopard, you've got this!"

"Yeah, FINALLY take Rainbow Dash down a few notches for her arrogance!"

"No, beat him Dash!" Others cheered.

"Prove once and for all that YOU are the best flyer in all of Equestria!"

Even Daring was present, although she was just there to see who won, she wasn't cheering for ether of us. "Let's just hope that they BOTH come out of this race in one piece!" She thought to herself.

Already off the bat, I KNEW that Dash was going to be tough to beat. Her body was MADE for flying at high speeds, and she was VERY aerodynamic! However, I was a stronger flyer, I had more power, and I could match her in speed. I also knew that Dash often let her arrogance get the better of her, and that that could cause her to make mistakes; mistakes that I could take advantage of!

"I'll admit Dash, you're gonna be tough to beat. However, I'm pretty sure that I can do it!"

Dash just laughed. "Oh, and what makes you think so Stud? I'M the best flyer in all of Equestria!"

"Says you! That's NEVER been proven! Now I FINALLY have the chance to set the record straight! Oh, and why would I tell you how I was going to beat you? That would really defeat the purpose!"

Dash shook her head. "It doesn't matter, you're STILL going down Stud! I can pull off a move that NOPONY else in Equestria can!"

I sighed. "Ah yes, the famous 'Sonic Rainboom'. And just because you can do it, and you're the only one who has done it doesn't mean that somepony ELSE won't someday do it too!"

"Oh PUH-LEAZE!!!!! You think that YOU could pull off a Sonic Rainboom?!?!?! Don't make me LAUGH Stud!"

I shook my head. "No, not me. Even though my wings are like yours, they would tear to pieces if I tried to do that!"

Finally, Spitfire shouted over to us. "Hey! It's past Noon! Are you two gonna keep arguing, or are you guys gonna race?!"

Dash and I looked at each other. We both then shook hands. "Good luck Babe."

Dash just smirked. "Oh, I don't need luck! YOU on the other hand need all that you can get!"

I then sighed, and we both got ready to go.

We both got down on the starting line, pulled our goggles down over our eyes, stretched out our wings a bit, brushed off our Wonderbolt Jumpsuits one last time, and then waited for the signal from Spitfire.

"Are you guys FINALLY ready?"

"Ready Spitfire!"

"Yep, ready Babe!"

"Good. Ok then, on your marks, get set......" She then blew her whistle as loud as she could.

With that, Dash and I were both off like rockets; one rainbow trail behind Dash, and a grayish-black trail behind me. The race was now underway!

The race was from the Wonderbolt Academy, all the way to Ponyville, up to Canterlot, past Cloudsdale, over the Everfree Forest, to the White Tail woods, and then back again. In total, this was a fairly large distance, but yet we were both fairly confident that we could do it.

Dash and I were neck and neck for most of the way, and we were both using every trick in our books to beat the other. Dash would try and create cloud clusters to block my way, as well as gusts of wind, while I would fly low and try to get her to crash into something. We were both acting somewhat juvenile, and not to mention the fact that we were cheating, but yet when your reputation as a Human-Bat-Pony Hybrid is at stake, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Still though, I didn't know if I could beat Dash.

She really was fast, and like I had previously thought, I was more muscular, and not quite able to fly as fast as her, but yet I WAS a stronger flyer, AND I had much better endurance than she did.

"Ugh, what's it gonna take to get you out of this race Stud?!"

"A LOT more than what you're currently dishing out Dash! I WILL win this race, or at the very least tie it!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it Stud!" Dash then tried to fly even faster.

Deep inside of me though, I began to feel some of my muscles loosen up. I suddenly felt myself able to fly faster than I had before. It was almost like I was FINALLY living up to my full potential! In fact, I was able to fly fast enough to actually fully overtake Dash once we passed Canterlot!

"What the......!!!!! HEY, YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!!!!"

"I CAN and I DID Dashie Girl! Bye now!" I then sped off.

"GET BACK HERE YOU BATTY SAVAGE!!!!" She then rocketed after me!

Soon, we were getting close to the home stretch, and Dash knew that it was now or never for beating me. She could tell that I was really tapping into my full potential, and that was giving me the edge for beating her.

"How can I beat you?!" She was frantically trying to think. Suddenly though, an idea came to her. "Heh, he'll NEVER be able to keep up with me if I do that!" Remembering what I'd said about shattering my wings if I ever attempted to do a Sonic Rainboom, Dash decided to pull off her signature move to win the race.

"Bye Stud!" She then began to fly REALLY high.

I knew what she was trying to do. "Oh no you don't Dashie!" I then began to climb up after her.

Higher and higher we flew. It got colder and colder, and the air seemed to get thinner and thinner. My lungs and heart could handle it, but I knew that we had to be getting close to at LEAST 50,000 feet, if not slightly more!

"This is it Stud, time for me to win the race!" She then dove down into a vertical dive, and I decided to follow her. It would be a decision that would forever change the course of my life.

Faster and faster we went, and at the steepest angle that I had EVER dove at! I could hear the wind screaming past us, and I saw Dash begin to assume her form for her Rainboom. Both of us then passed the Speed of Sound.

"Pull up Stud!" I heard her scream, "This maneuver isn't for you! You're gonna tear your wings apart! ABORT NOW!!!!!"

"Not a chance Dash!" I'm NOT letting you win this one! If I go down.................well, Death is NOT an option, so I WILL survive!" I then kept going.

Closer and closer the ground came, and I was screaming towards it at well over Mach 5. I then threw both of my arms out in front of me, and prepared for the dive. My original plan was to level out close to the ground, and I actually had NO intentions of doing a Sonic Rainboom, as I KNEW that I couldn't handle it! Life though had other ideas.......

All of a sudden, Dash caught a gust of wind from my dive, and got blown off course!

"WHOA!!!!!" She then had to pull up a bit.

"HA!!!!" I then tried to pull up, but I found that I was unable to! I was locked into my current position, and was unable to move!

"STUD!!!!!!" I heard Dash scream far above me. She then rocketed after me as fast as she possibly could.

Down and down I went, with the ground coming up faster and faster. I could feel my wings shudder, but yet they still showed no signs of tearing. Suddenly though, from out in front of my hands, a whitish field of energy began to appear.

"Huh? What's going on?" I wondered.

I was soon to get my answer. Just as I passed the absolute point of no return, (aka, pull up or die!) my body threw itself into the biggest overdrive that it had ever been in, and I saw the world around me turn red. Then, I seemed to collide with something in mid-air, before shooting back up into the sky again while I heard what sounded like an atomic bomb going off behind me!

"AAAAEEEEEEHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs! I felt myself continue to shoot upwards, and I was climbing faster than I ever had before! For a brief moment, I glanced behind me and I saw this!

(0:54)

I had LITERALLY just done the physically impossible, and became the second being EVER to perform a Sonic Rainboom!

When Dash saw that I was following her into her dive, she started to get worried. Sure, she loved winning, but yet if I lost my wings, or even worse; my LIFE, because of an accident that could have been avoided, she would NEVER forgive herself!

Dash did abort her Rainboom attempt prematurely due to getting knocked off course, but yet I was still going! I was plunging towards the ground, and I seemed to be flying straight towards my death!

"STUD!!!!!" She screamed, before she came charging down after me!

Faster and faster she went. Again and again she kept screaming for me to break off my attempt, but yet I just kept screaming back to her that I was stuck in position!

Suddenly though, Dash began to see a whitish energy begin to surround me; the same energy that she saw whenever she performed a Sonic Rainboom!

"No, but that's IMPOSSIBLE!!!! There's no WAY that he could actually........!!!!!" Moments later, Dash had to eat her words as she witnessed somepony other than herself pull off a Sonic Rainboom!

"WHAT THE?!?!?!?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!"

"AAAAAAAEEEEHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Dash heard me scream as I rocketed back upwards again. Moments after this, Dash performed the Rainboom herself, and followed me up just as fast as she could. Oddly enough, although the spectrum-colored shock-waves of my Sonic Rainboom were visible, the trail behind me was still grayish-black! It was an odd combination, but yet it worked!

Down below, the fans were still cheering about my attempt to beat Rainbow Dash. Suddenly though, there seemed to be trouble. I was careening towards the ground in a dive, and I seemed to be stuck in position!

"What's he doing?!?!?!" Somepony yelled.

"Leopard, PULL UP!!!!"

I still keep plunging towards the ground, although now Dash was rocketing after me as well.

"Augh! I can't look!"

"HE'S GONNA CRASH!!!!!"

However, moments before I would have become just a bloody crater in the ground, a BLINDING flash of light was seen, followed by what sounded like an atomic bomb going off!

"Holy.......WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!?!?!?!"

"LOOK!!!!!" One of the Battleship Express crew pointed at the sky. "LOOK AT WHAT LEOPARD JUST DID!!!!!"

They all looked, and sure enough, I had a large grayish-black trail behind me, surrounded by a MASSIVE spectrum colored shock-wave!

When Spitfire saw it, her jaw hit the ground once again! "DID HE JUST.....!?!?!?!?!"

"Yes!" One of the other Wonderbolts who found their voice again answered. "HE JUST PERFORMED A FREAKIN' SONIC RAINBOOM!!!!!"

Moments after this, Dash did her Sonic Rainboom, and chased after me once again.

The race was pretty much over though. Thanks to my Sonic Rainboom, I screamed back to Wonderbolt Academy, tore through the finish line a full minute ahead of Dash, and won the race hands down! Yes, I had truly done the impossible, and now I had not only become the second being EVER to perform a Sonic Rainboom, but also the first male to do so, AND I now had a claim to be the fastest flier in all of Equestria! Now all I had to do was land so that I could claim victory.

I aimed for the runway at the Academy, and I was dead on the money, but yet I was unfortunately unable to stick the landing. I hit the tarmac while still running, but then to everypony's horror I tripped, and went flying! I was still going so fast, and I tumbled over and over and over again! Eventually, I skidded to a stop in the grass nearly 300 yards from where I'd started from! I was lying on my side, and it looked like I was dead!

"OH NO!!!!!!"

"LEOPARD!!!!!!" Spitfire screamed.

"SOMEPONY CALL THE AMBULANCE!!!!!"

Dash landed a few moments later, and once she realized what had happened, she, Spitfire, the Academy paramedics, and others raced to the scene of my seemingly horrific crash landing.

"Oh Celestia, this is ALL my fault!" Dash was yelling while crying. "I challenged him to that race, and I pushed him to shoot for a Rainboom!"

To everypony's shock though, just before they reached me, I actually sat up again! I had some visible cuts and bruises, as well as a nasty nosebleed, my mane and tail were all messed up, and my wings looked a little hurt, but overall, for what I had just been through, I actually looked ok!

I then looked at those racing towards me. "It's ok Everypony, I'm ok! I survived the landing!" I then tried to stand up, and I succeeded, but I was back on my ass again a few moments later. "Ok, so maybe I'm NOT as ok as I originally thought!"

Dash then reached my side. "Stud! Are you ok?!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Dashie. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, a bloody nose, and some other minor damage, I actually feel ok."

"BUT HOW!?!?! I saw you CRASH!!!!"

I sighed. "The first thing they taught us in the military was how to take a fall and walk away from it Dash. The instant I was unable to stick the landing, my old training kicked in again. In layman's terms, I just rolled into a ball, and went as limp as a ragdoll. I then aimed for the grass, and let inertia and friction do their things to bring me to a stop. I may be hurt, but yet if I HADN'T had my training, it would have been a HELL of a lot worse!"

Dash just hugged me. "Well, in ANY case, I'm just glad that you're alive!"

I hugged her back. "Me too Dash."

"AHEM!!!!!"

We both turned, and there standing over us was Spitfire, as well as the Academy's paramedics. Spitfire did NOT look too happy!

"Do you have ANY IDEA what you just did Leopard?!"

I sighed. "Well, aside from losing control, failing to stick a landing, and crashing, I'd say that I messed up the tarmac, not to mention some grass."

As I was talking, the paramedics began to patch me up. They first stopped my bleeding nose, before taking care of my bruised wings, the rest of my cuts and bruises, and the rest of my minor injuries.

Spitfire looked at me again. "Yes, but I'm talking about the REST of it!" Since I wasn't quite able to stand up yet, she kneeled down to where I was sitting. Then, to my shock and sadness, she grabbed the patch on my jumpsuit that said "Leopard" on it, and tore it off! Luckily, it was Velcroed on, so it came right off without damaging the jumpsuit. I then looked up at her, but before I could say anything, she placed a hand over my mouth.

"I'm still talking! However, what you did today, only ONE other Pony in Equestrian HISTORY has ever done! You performed an honest to goodness Sonic Rainboom! And even then, I've NEVER seen anypony walk away from a failed landing like that! You Leopard, even though you're my husband, and I see you all the time, never CEASE to amaze me! I took this patch, because it was the wrong one! I think that THIS patch would serve you much better!" She then stuck on another Velcro patch. I looked, and to my shock, it said, "Leopard, 1st Human-Bat-Pony Wonderbolt"!

I then moved her hand a bit. "Do you mean that......?!"

She then replaced her hand with her lips, kissing me for a few seconds. "I mean that whenever you're NOT working with the Foreign Legion, and we need you up here, welcome to the team, Champ!"

I was so shocked and surprised that I almost fainted!

After this, I was placed on the stretcher, and carried to the Academy's medical station. On the way, Spitfire explained what she meant a bit further. "What I meant by that Stud was that in some shows, we need others to help us perform. What I've seen from you over the months since you arrived here has well and truly amazed me. You have such talent and skill, and you have what it takes to fly with the champions! Sure, you'll have to through some more training, not to mention having your jumpsuit patched up, but it would be an HONOR to fly in a show with you Stud!" Spitfire then kissed me on the forehead again.

"But, aren't you mad that I kinda screwed up, not to mention my ruining the grass?"

She looked down at me. "Stud, we burn through grass around here faster than your Big Boy burns through coal! Plus, I've seen MANY recruits screw up WAY worse than you did today Scar!"

I froze. "Wait, did you just call me 'Scar'?"

"Yep! That'll be your Wonderbolt nickname. You've got all the 'scars' that you need to prove it!" I then sighed. "Oh, don't look so sad Stud, it's just a nickname."

I shook my head. "No, that's not it. It's just that.......Scar was my original nickname before I adopted the name Leopard........" I then pointed to my left eye, where a nasty scar was visible. "Somebody miss-threw a frag grenade during WW4, and I managed to grab it, and throw it away, but it exploded in midair, and this was the aftermath result."

Spitfire could tell that I was being serious. "Oh, well........if that nickname is bringing up bad memories, I can always change it!"

I shook my head. "No need, I bore the nickname with pride. After that, I was called Leopard, and to the Futas during the war, I was known as the 'Black Fox'. This was for my cunning, and combat skills. From the battles in Texas, all the way to Vegas, facing the Battleship Express was a death sentence! Very few lived to tell the tale!"

Spitfire laughed a bit, and then we talked for a while longer on the way to the medical facility.

In the aftermath of our race, Dash was a bit sore to losing to her husband, but yet she was a good sport about it. I also got my name into the history books for my successful Sonic Rainboom. EVERYPONY wanted to know how I did it, but yet I kept insisting that it was just a freak accident, which was the honest to goodness truth.

Also for the first time in history, not only had a male performed a Sonic Rainboom, but also 2 Sonic Rainbooms were performed seconds apart! (I did mine, and Dash did one as well.) It was quite the performance, but afterwards I made the vow that if I EVER tried to do a Sonic Rainboom again, I would DEFINITELY try and stick the landing a bit better!

Daring was sitting at her desk, beginning to put the finishing touches on the original manuscript of "Daring Do and the Search for the Lunar Shrine of Romance". She and I had written the entire book in about a month, and now it was almost ready for publication. Fans were eagerly awaiting its release, as many of them wanted to see Mac in his first main-character role as Daring's partner. However, as she worked, Daring felt somewhat sick. She kept rubbing her belly, and she did groan a bit every now and again.

Suddenly, there came a knock on the door, and Spitfire poked her head in. "Hey Daring, how are you doing?"

Daring looked up at her. "Oh, hey Spits. And I'm doing......well enough. 'Daring Do and the Search for the Lunar Shrine of Romance is almost ready to be sent to the publishers, and I'm just putting the finishing touches on it now." Daring then sighed her name on the manuscript, "AK Yearling", right next to where I'd signed my name, "Tom Quill". (This was my pen-name.)

Spitfire looked at her. "Um, are you SURE that you're ok Daring? You've been acting a little......strangely lately. Are you sick?"

Daring sighed. "Well, the truth is, I don't know. I've been feeling a little......off, ever since Stud and I got back from the adventure. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I've contracted something."

"And, is that serious?"

"It very well could be. Luckily, I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, so I'll hopefully find out then." Daring then looked at her watch. "Speaking of which, I need to go drop this off with the publishers, and then head over to that!" She then placed the manuscript in a manila envelope, before putting it in her satchel, wrapping her purple cape around herself, putting on her gray hat and red glasses, and then heading off to her doctor's appointment.

Once she arrived there, and it was her turn, her doctor began to look her over. "So, what can I do for you today Mrs. Yearling?" (Her doctor knew that she was married to me. Doctor-patient confidentiality though!)

Daring sighed. "Well Stitches, I'm here for my yearly checkup, and I might need a few additional tests as well. I've been feeling kinda weird ever since Stud and I came back from the jungle, and I think that I might have contracted something."

Her doctor, Stitches, sighed. "Ok, well, you're the boss Mrs. Yearling." She then began to give her her physical.

Stitches checked her blood pressure, temperature, and checked her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. "Well, everything seems ok so far. Now let's check the rest of you." She then pulled out her stethoscope, and began to check her heart and breathing rates.

"Anything yet Doc?"

Stitches paused. "Well, I'm not completely sure. I need to check a few more things, but I'm not really seeing too many abnormalities though." She then began to gently poke and feel Daring's stomach, so as to be able to check her insides.

"Does anything hurt?"

"Y-yeah, a little bit!"

Stitches then paused for a bit. "And this may seem like a strange question, but you are sexually active, right?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Have you......and your husband.....you know........lately?"

"Yes, but we've always used protection! I'm DEFINITELY not ready to be a mom yet!"

"Well, have you taken any pregnancy tests by any chance?"

"No."

Stitches then looked at her clipboard. "Well aside from a few other tests, including blood tests, I'm also going to give you a pregnancy test, just in case."

Daring shrugged, but she let Stitches do her thing.

A while later, Stitches came back with the results for all of the tests.

"Well, what's wrong with me Doc?"

Stitches sighed, and blushed a bit. "Well, nothing Mrs. Yearling. You're just a perfectly healthy, happy, pregnant mare!"

Daring nodded. "Oh, well then, that's......wait. WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!?!?!"

Stitches smiled. "Your pregnancy test came back positive Mrs. Yearling! I did several just to be sure, and you're definitely pregnant! You're now about 2 months pregnant, and I think that you may be carrying twins as well!"

Daring was so shocked that she literally fainted!

"Whoops! Wasn't quite expecting THAT reaction, but yet what better place to faint than a doctor's office?" Stitches then helped to revive Daring.

Once she did, Daring was trying to figure out HOW she was pregnant! "This just isn't possible! I ALWAYS take my birth control, and a morning after pill if required! How am I pregnant?!"

"Well, you know what they say Mrs. Yearling, 'Life Always Finds a Way'!"

Stitches words echoed through her head. "Well, at least I now have a solid answer as to WHY I feel like crap in the morning, but yet......" Then it all clicked. NOW Daring remembered what REALLY happened inside the Lunar Shrine of Romance!

She looked up at Stitches one last time. "So, am I good to go?"

"Yes, however, I REALLY would recommend coming back for your monthly pregnancy checkups, and given that you are 2 months along, your due date should be sometime around March of 2031. See you then!"

Daring then got up, and fully got dressed again. "Yes, and thank you Stitches. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get home and THROTTLE somepony!" She then began to leave.

"Well, don't hurt Leopard too badly Mrs. Yearling! It DOES take 2 to tango you know!"

"Oh, it's not HIM that I'm going to throttle, it's LIFE!!!!!"

Stitches was confused. "Um.....ok. Well then, have fun, and I'll see you next month!"

Daring said her last goodbye, and then she was on her way back to our house.

Whoa! This was a TON of information packed into one chapter, wasn't it?! First, Daring and Leopard got home, then Leopard went Full Metal Jacket on some recruits, before racing Dash, and actually performing a Sonic Rainboom! Then, to cap it all off, he and Daring are going to be parents in 9 months thanks to Life, aka Briana!

How is Leopard going to react to this? Will he be excited, or will he freak out? How will Dash and Spitfire react? When will the other members of the Mane 6 start to get pregnant as well? And what could POSSIBLY happen next with this crazy saga?! Well, you know the drill, stay tuned, and I'll tell you!

Also, yes, the chapter with the Wabash Cannonball, aka SP Daylight 4449, IS coming soon! Just one or 2 more chapters, and then it'll FINALLY be here!

In the meantime though, as always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all in Chapter 21!

ScarFox out for now!

(Also, in the comments, I'd like to hear your thoughts on how Daring will continue her adventuring career, considering that she's about to take the role of a full-time mom! I have an idea, but I'd like to hear what you guys think!)