The four Pegasi found themselves temporarily blinded by white bursts but immediately readjusted their eyes and continued to fly forward.

"Is it really necessary to have the flash on during daylight?" Spitfire bitterly questioned softly. The Wonderbolts had grown use to the frequent paparazzi, especially when they were near the Flight Bowl Sports Stadium for home games. Today they were racing against the Shadowbolts, a longtime rival team of theirs. This made the media go on frenzy, hammering teammates on both sides with questions. These questions varied from their flying techniques to products they were endorsing to what they had for breakfast.

"Spitfire! Spitfire!" one called out, "Is it true that you sleep in satin sheets?"

"Yup, and nothin' else baby! Wanna join?" she teased, causing the males to howl in laughter. The sports ponies had become accustomed to thinking on their hooves and reply with snappy answers.

"Fleetfoot," another one interviewed, shoving a microphone to her face, "did you do something new to your hair?"

"Sure did," she responded, running her hoof through her mane, "Magic Mane Hair Gel, the best kind around!"

"Soarin, is it true you’re dating Sapphire Shoes?"

"If I am, I don't think her husband will be too happy about that!"

"Rainbow, how does it feel to be named Pony Magazine's 'Most Promising Rookie' this year?"

"It really feels amazing," she retorted, feeling Soarin's arm around her, "It's a great honor!" Landing on the clouds, Spitfire waved the reporters good-bye as Fleetfoot typed in a code to unlock the back door. As they entered the back way, they were addressed by their coach, Hard Ball.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon," he spat out, pulling them all in with his beige hoof, "You guys take forever!"

"Hey don't blame us," Fleetfoot pointed out, "Blame Miss Awesome over here."

"I don't care!" Hard Ball shot back, "Thank Luna you're all dressed and ready. Let's go to the entry hallway." They ventured through the dim hallways with the instructor yelling out demands to the assistant ponies. "Carter, check to see if everypony is in uniform. Violet, get the first aid ponies by the track. May, get the water ponies outta the locker rooms." Rainbow remembered being intimidated by the hefty horse when she was first signed onto the Wonderbolts. Her views, however, was altered when she found him in his office crying while reading a book from his adolescence. She realized that he was just a big softie.

"What is it, coach?" Rapidfire pronounced, strolling down the hallway with the rest of his athletic counterparts.

"Alright, huddle around," he demanded, his voice low, "This is the big one. The big game. Now, we've been on a winning streak--"

"Except we bombed the last game," a pony whispered.

"--But, we can do this. We're prepared mentally and physically for this. Now let’s go out there and make everypony proud."

"Let's kick some flank out there!" Spitfire announced, clapping her hooves in adrenaline. The rest of the equestrians cheered with her and headed over to the track. A voice echoed throughout the stadiums, words that truthfully the athletes couldn't understand or truthfully care to decipher, and the audience screamed with glee. The teammates separated and flew to their places for the relay race, meeting up with the established Shadowbolts. Rainbow raised her eyebrows and gave an uneasy grin as her greeting then turned her attention to the spot ahead of her. Rapidfire was before her and the distance made him look miniscule.

Focus, she told herself. Be calm.

The applause died out and she closed her eyes. Moving her feet slightly, she felt the cloud vapors sink into her legs. It was an eerie feeling, the atmosphere before a race. Her hearing became boxed in as her thoughts grew louder. She steadied herself, extending out her wings. Inhaling, she relaxed her muscles. Time was no element. This seemed to be a slow process that always was cut short. A pop was perceived far off along with a blow horn which shot her eyes open.

"Looks like the Wonderbolts are starting off slow," a voice next to her stated. She twisted her head to make contact with the Shadow Bolt next to her who was smirking.

"Don't you worry, we'll catch up," Rainbow fought back, growing apprehensive at the sight of Fleetfoot's sluggish start. The blue Wonderbolt sped up to its opposite, reaching barely past him to pass the baton to Spitfire. The yellow mare struggled quickly to grab the racing object. "Oh no."

"Fumble?" The Shadowbolt sardonically probed, staring at the screen. The announcers were shouting into the megaphones in excitement as they replayed the grasp on the giant monitor. Rainbow could read the profanity Spitfire was mouthing as she zoomed to draw near her competitor.

"Hey, I don't need your commentary!" Rainbow snapped. Don't let her get to you, she reminded herself.

Her nerves caused her to tremble as she watched Spitfire hand the baton to Rapidfire. As she let go of the baton, Rainbow surveyed Spitfire hold her forearms on top of her head, blowing out harshly.

"Go go go!" Rapidfire shouted to Rainbow as he approached her. As she clutched the baton, she felt her opponent zip by and she hustled to meet up with her. The air soared past her creating a cool environment surrounding her. She followed the black haze of the Shadowbolt costume, barely making it to the challenger's purple tail before she passed the baton to her teammate. Covering her eyes, she could only listen to the announcer. She knew she could go faster and she cursed herself.

"The relay races go to the Shadowbolts!" the sportscaster shrieked into the microphone. "There you have it mares and gentle colts! Up next are the aerial stunts and agility courses so hang on tight as our lovely crew set-up for the creative flyers!"

…………………………..

"What's the matter with you, huh?" Spitfire exploded raising her leg, "This is my hoof. You were supposed to put the baton right here!"

"Hey, don't talk down to me, butter hooves!" Fleetfoot shot back.

"If it weren't for your little trip up, maybe we would have won the relay races!"

"Oh right, this is all my fault!" Fleetfoot sarcastically added, slamming her locker.

"Would both of you guys shut you mouths!" Soarin ordered, leaning on the door, "There's a reporter knocking outside and I don't want to have her see you two screaming at the top of your lungs!" The mares glared at each other once more and nodded to have him open the door.

"And here I am, John, backstage with the one and only Wonderbolts!" the female chirped, stepping backwards to face the camera, "Now here are some of the players who finished the relay races. Spitfire," she turned to the yellow Pegasus, "What are you feeling right now? That sure was a close game!"

"Yeah it was," she agreed, patting her cheeks with the towel wrapped around her neck, "But I'm extremely proud of my teammates right now. These guys are an amazing, hard-working group of ponies and I look forward to the rest of the game." There was a muffled applause so they figured this was being broadcasted on the display screen in the stadium.

"That's wonderful. Now Fleetfoot, are you anxious for the rest of races?"

"I'm always a little bit anxious before and during games, but always put in best effort. Win or lose, I'm just thankful I'm doing what I love."

"Rainbow Dash, anything to add? Any surprises to expect from you?"

Shrugging, she meekly inserted, "I'm chock full of surprises."

"And there you have it, some commentary from our very own Wonderbolts! John back to you." Soarin closed the door and turned to the fighting mares.

"Alright, I'm going out there for the aerial tricks," he informed, raising an eyebrow, "I hope that you two have the self-control to not kill each other."

………………………………

"Great job, buddy," Hard Ball congratulated, pounding his hoof on Soarin's back. The cyan Pegasus sat on the bench next to Rainbow. Taking off his goggles, he tossed them in his gym bag ahead of him. A small 'yes' escaped his mouth when they fell into the open zipper compartment. The scores were ricocheting throughout the stadiums. Hard Ball was heard mumbling some words that the rest of the Wonderbolts figured they weren't intended to hear so they ignored him. The last set of numbers were publicized, causing the left side of the crowd to cry out in joy.

"Yes! Victorious!" Hard Ball shrilled, throwing his legs up as the team followed suit.

"Al-right!" Rainbow celebrated, wrapping her arms around the athletic colt. "Congrats buddy! Nice scores!"

"Radical! Thanks, RD," Soarin exclaimed, dropping his voice, "Hey, how's Spitfire and Fleetfoot?"

"I dunno. I figured I should distance myself from them. Last time I checked they weren't on speaking terms." An exaggerated sound of disgust was made by him.

"Girls and your drama!" he teased, receiving a punch from Rainbow.

"Hey, not all fillies have drama."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow bit her lip and caught something in the corner of her eye. One of the pony assistants was gathering the ponies to come out to the track for the flight laps.

"Uh-huh. Now if you'll excuse me," she blurted out hopping off the bench, "I've got a race to fly to." The rainbow-maned horse made her way through the sports officials and backstage employees. Yet again, she advanced to the track, waving at the fans in the stands. She giggled to herself when she saw a sign that read 'Rainbows are 20% more Awesome'. Settling herself in front of the starting line, she noticed a familiar pony and rolled her eyes.

"Together again, eh?" the Shadowbolt that raced her in the relay races jested, "Don't worry, I won't fly too fast. I wouldn't want to humiliate you."

"Don't start with me," she warned, stretching out her torso. The contestants heard the cue from the referees to prepare at the start line and to wait for the horn. Rainbow distinguished her teammates in line with her and gave an apprehensive grin. Lowering her forelegs, she felt the cool clouds brush against her chin. The bullhorn blasted which sent all the athletes in a blaze of their mane and tail colors.

"And they're off!"

The rush of the wind pushed Rainbow to strive harder. Once when she finished the first lap, the subsequent laps became easier to obtain. Almost out of her view, she spotted the flag waved for the primary lap. The ponies overall were still aligned, some losing speed and some reaching forward. Again and again, Rainbow zipped by the line as the ponies began to vary in distances. Living up to her title, the fastest Pegasus was ahead of the group until a purple and black beam whooshed past her, baring a mischievous smile.

Oh no you don't Rainbow angrily thought to herself. Quickly glancing at the screen, she read there were three more laps until the next round. The flag showed itself again and she mentally started to count down. Two more. Her body moved with the curves of the track. The cheers of the audience became distorted. Gaining momentum, Rainbow came up to the Shadowbolt with the finishing flag nearby. Suddenly, she felt a whip on her snout and found out that it was from her competitor's tail. Fortunately her determination kept her in focus, managing to tie with the Shadowbolt.

"And it's a tie for first place between the Wonderbolt's Rainbow Dash and Shadowbolt's Amethyst Breeze!" the sportscaster shouted, "Uh oh, what's this? There may be a penalty on the Shadowbolt's part. It looks lie there may be a foul on the last lap with Amethyst's Tail and Rainbow's snout! The referees are discussing it now."

"Rainbow, are you OK?" Fleetfoot questioned, holding up Rainbow's head. There was a small wound on her nostril. "Geesh, man, how sharp is her tail?"

"The speed makes up for the impact of the cut," Hard Ball explained, allowing a first aid pony to brush by him, "It's a small cut. You should be fine."

"That cheater!" Rainbow shrieked, cringing at the burn of the alcohol swab, "She did that on purpose!" Recognizing the strip shirts and the lavender tail, Rainbow hopped from the bench she was sitting on. "She did this on purpose!" she repeated, turning to the Shadowbolt, "You did this on purpose!"

"Ma'am, ma'am!" one of the referees halted, stepping in front of her, "Calm down."

"No! I won't! That's a foul!"

"I can't help where my tail flies," Amethyst defended, tilting her head.

"Hey come back here!" she yelled, watching Amethyst saunter away, "Why you little-"

"Easy, RD," Spitfire warned, coming behind her, "Let the refs do their thing." The cyan Pegasus began to object but gave in and followed her to the bench.

"She planned this, I'm telling you. She's always had a grudge against me ever since that game at the Vapor Stadium," Rainbow explained, pressing down on her bandage. A cramp developed on her side, causing her to dig her hoof into her ribcage.

"Take it easy champ," Spitfire advised, "They're talking it out." They scrutinized the display screen that had the huddled arbitrators. One stepped out and spoke with his face clear on the screen as the corner was showing the replay of the tail whip.

"No foul," were the two words that cause the crowd to break into the peculiar sound of clapping and booing.

"What?" Rainbow interjected, rising to a stance. "What's the matter with these guys? Don't they have eyes?"

"Listen, Dash," coach Hard Ball murmured, bringing his forehead to hers, "I want you to go out there with your teammates and fly the best series of laps you can, you hear me?"

"But coach, how can they--ah!" She clutched her side again, grimacing.

"Listen to me, go out there and make me proud. Got that?" She looked down temporarily to catch her breath and made eye contact with him again.

"Got it."

………………………………

"Great game, Dashie, great game!" a short pony proclaimed backstage. Rainbow thanked him while fiddling with her metal. "I mean the way you zoomed by that Breeze pony. I'll tell ya, I've never seen anything like it. Call me crazy, but I almost doubted all of ya. But the Wonderbolts proved themselves that they're the best! The best I tell ya!"

"We sure are, Top!"

Top Boss had a small built, but the manager never seemed to fizzle out of energy. He was known for his loud voice, characteristic pot belly, tiny sunglasses that never cover his eyes completely, and his comb over. Because it the Wonderbolts had faced a longtime enemy and was a huge event, his hair had extra gel in it.

"Dashie, baby, I'd like you to meet two very special pals of mine," he introduced, leading the duo over to the young flyer, "Here's Mr. and Miss…uh,uh…" The male pony rolled his eyes.

"I'm Pinstripe and this is my partner Savvy Sarah."

"Right, right of course!" Top Boss countered.

"You must be very proud of yourself Rainbow," Savvy Sarah continued, ignoring the anxious horse, "You're the hottest thing right now in Cloudsale. Everybody's talking about you!"

"Oh shucks," Rainbow reacted, playfully swatting her words away. No kidding, her mind boasted.

"That's why we, as the co-founders of Roca-Pony, want you to be our spokesperson for our new athletic clothing line." The expecting mare dropped her mouth in surprise.

"No way!" she squealed, "Yes! Yes I would love to! OmigoshOmigoshOmigoshOmigoshOmigoshOmigosh-"

"Methinks somepony is excited about our little offer," Pinstripe joked with his partner. "We've talked to your manager already and we agreed to have the papers signed tomorrow morning in his office. Fair deal?"

"Yes! Yes! Totally!"

"Then we'll see you tomorrow morning," Savvy Sarah concluded, excusing herself and her colleague from the conversation.

"And we will have the sample clothes with us for a fitting tomorrow," Pinstripe updated.

"Yesyesyesyes--wait," Rainbow stopped, her irises shrinking, "A f-fitting?"

Horsefeathers.