Rainbow Dash flew over to Lighting Dust's house early the next day, making sure to knock on the door.

"Ugh...one second..." Lightning Dust called from within. A few seconds later, she answered the door. "Oh. Hiya Danger. Your here sooner then I thought you'd be." She said.

"Wait...you knew about this whole thing?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah. It's a plan to get you flying with the best of the best properly and keep your dream alive. In a way that is." Lighting Dust said as she got things prepared. "Tell me Rainbow Dash, do you know about the Shadowbolts?" Lightning Dust asked.

"Kind of...Spitfire called you double crossers, and Luna used them to try and trick me when she was Nightmare Moon." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well after the Nightmare Moon incident, me and a few other stunt fliers who were turned down by the Wonderbolts started up a whole new stunt team of our own to show the Wonderbolts that they were wrong to turn us away. We decided to use the name you inspired from that whole incident and your Nightmare Night costume." Lightning Dust said. "All of us Shadowbolts were rejected from being part of the Wonderbolts for one simple reason: We were victims of Spitfire's various plots to make her team the best of the best. With me and the captain of the Shadowbolts being the only two exceptions as we were the first two on the team." She explained.

"So, your co-captain of essentially Wonderbolt Scheme Victims?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It's not the entire Wonderbolt Squad, Danger. Believe it or not, we've had a double agent since we've started the whole thing. You might know him." Lightning Dust said.

"Soarin. But what does that have to do with me?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Come with me, we're going to see my father." Lighting Dust said.

Lightning Dust knocked on the door of her father's house.

"So your dad decided to manage the Shadowbolts once he retired from Flight School?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Yep. Just so you know, Soarin, me, the captain of the Shadowbolts, and my father have all been working on a secret operation to stop you from becoming another Wonderbolt Victim. See, believe or not, your not the first pony whose gotten jipped like you have by the captain of the Wonderbolts." Lighting Dust said. Lighting Strike answered the door.

"Ah. Good to see you again, Rainbow 'Danger' Dash. We should get caught up once we're done here. It's time I told you about Plan Omega; that's what your wrapped up in." Lightning Strike said.

"Plan Omega?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Have you noticed how financially screwed the Wonderbolts are?" Lightning Dust asked.

"Somewhat. But I doubt it's super bad." Rainbow Dash said, but then Lighting Dust showed the cyan mare a popularity chart; the Wonderbolts were the least popular group right now. "...Okay, NOW it's super bad." Rainbow Dash said.

"This isn't the first time the Wonderbolts have hit rock bottom. It happened with Spitfire's father. See, Spitfire's father had a plan ready for such an occasion." Lightning Dust said.

"The plan's name was Plan Omega. The plan involved inviting someone who wanted to be in the Wonderbolts since they were young, butter them up, and then once the hopeful does a show with the Wonderbolts, that hopeful's dreams get crushed into the dirt." Lightning Strike said.

"But when I noticed the Wonderbolts on the decline, me and Soarin decided to create a counter operation to Plan Omega. We call it 'Operation Counter Strike'." Lightning Dust said.

"I'll be honest with you Rainbow Dash; my daughter has seen your potential, and considers you Shadowbolt Matarial. And they are all just as good if not better then the Wonderbolts. Soarin has been acting as our double agent, and now that Plan Omega has been activated, there's only one question that really matters." Lighitng Strike said.

"Rainbow 'Danger' Dash, where do your loyalties lie? Before you answer that quesiton..." Lightning Dust said, and brought out a laptop. "Soarin got us a copy of a certain video to play for you. Surprise: Spitfire's in it." Lightning Dust said and started up the video.

"Hey. Hate to break this to you, but your not going to ever become a full-fledged wonderbolt. I just used your for some free publicity. But at least you were a Wonderbolt for a while. Hope there's no hard feelings about this. Have fun with your no-name status now...no name." Video Spitfire said. Rainbow Dash's eye twitched.

"Why that double crossing, two timing Wonderbolt!" Rainbow Dash yelled out.

"And now you know why Soarin wanted to make sure you didn't end up like I did. It took me ten full years to finally pick up the pieces after Spitfire's father did the same thing to me, that she was going to do to you." Lightning Strike said.

"So Soarin really cares that much for me...going so far as to make sure I knew that Spitfire is a two-timing schemer. Well, consider me a Shadowbolt from now on." Rainbow Dash said.

"That's the spirit Danger. But first, let's give Spitfire some payback." Lightning Dust said.

"Oh you know me too well, Striker." Rainbow Dash said, smiling.

Rainbow Dash delivered a video laptop to her Wonderbolt room and then arrived home. Shortly after getting inside and getting things ready to be a Shadowbolt, her doorbell rang. Rainbow Dash answered it to find Soarin there.

"Hey. I'm guessing Operation Counter Strike is in full effect huh?" Soarin asked.

"I may not like having secrets being kept from me." Rainbow Dash said, getting Soarin inside and shutting the door behind him. "But I am glad you were doing it for me Soarin. Thank you. You've proven your loyalty to me beyond a shadow of a doubt. So, what do you say next time we have a date, it'll be my treat?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I already cannot wait." Soarin said.

"Now...as for your reward, I've got two things. First, I'm going to teach you how to pull off your own Sonic Rainbooms." Rainbow Dash said.

"Okay. What's the other reward?" Soarin asked. The cyan mare put a hoof under Soarin's chin.

"This." Rainbow Dash said before kissing Soarin right on the lips.