SLAM!

The walls of Carousel Boutique shook slightly as something smashed into the front door. Rarity was broken out of her revere, nearly dropping the ribbon she was adding to her latest creation. Opal snapped awake and hissed at the door from the window sill, her nap rudely interrupted.

“What was that?“ Rarity said to Opal as she took a tentative step towards the door.

“Telegram!” a voice on the other side of the door announced. The voice belonged to a Pegasus Rarity had met on only a few occasions, and it was one she generally tried to avoid. The owner of that voice had an alarming tendency to cause localized mayhem. Rarity opened the door telekinetically with significantly more distance that she normally would.

“Why hello there,” she said with as much cheer as she could muster. “I do hope you are bringing good news.”

The walled eyed pegasus standing in the doorway was rubbing her nose with the promised telegram in her mouth. The mail bags slung over her flanks were near bursting. Rarity’s horn glowed softly but she was too late. She lost her mental grip on the letter when the pegasus raced up to her and stopped well inside her personal space. Rarity winced at the intrusion and leaned backwards.

“Telegram!” she repeated, her proximity and eyes giving Rarity a mild sense of vertigo. Gingerly Rarity physically took the telegram and quickly placed the letter on her desk keeping one eye on her ‘guest.’

“Thank you very much, but I shouldn’t keep you from your duties…” Rarity glanced back at her latest project, several of the intricate pieces of which were held on by less than spackle or glue.

“You bet, gotta run!” the pegasus turned and with far more strength than was necessary, shot like a missile for the door and missed. A crack appeared on the wall and for a second time the boutique shook alarmingly. She was out the door without another word, too engaged in her job to notice the crack in the wall, or the bruises on her face for that matter. The ponyquin wobbled and crashed to the floor, several of the accoutrements that were less secure scattering over the floor. Rarity sighed.

It would take over an hour to reassemble the bits and pieces to return the project to its original state. But since Rarity was having doubts about the project anyway she decided to open the telegram and read it instead before returning to her work. Telegrams were often time critical after all, and today was a rare day she was in no rush. Opal scampered into the bedroom and jumped onto Rarity’s bed after she opened the door, the telegram floating in front of her.

Dearest Rarity,

It is my pleasure to say that I have come into possession of an extra pair of season tickets to the Wonderbolts derby. They will be in Ponyville next and I would be dreadfully disappointed if they went to waste. Would you kindly respond to this telegram with your answer forthwith and I will gladly send you the tickets. I might add these are the tickets in the upper deck and should be a delightful day for yourself and a friend.

Sincerely,

Sir Fancypants

Rarity’s smile lit up like a light bulb. Not only did she have the chance to rub shoulders with Fancypants and his entourage, she instantly knew not only who, but what, a certain pony would have to do in order to earn this extra ticket. Her project momentarily forgotten, her mischievous smile pushed her cheeks back as she giggled to herself.

Rainbow Dash napped on her special cloud. Her dreams flit from one subject to the next before settling on a memory of the day she spent with the Wonderbolts, one of the happiest days of her life. Of course three of them spent most of that day with ice packs pressed firmly to their heads after Rarity had kicked them. She was screaming her head off, the sound making Rainbow Dash’s heart pound and her stomach twist in knots. It was a very eventful day, Rarity screaming and screaming and…screaming?

Rainbow Dash awoke with a start. Rarity was yelling, her voice rising to an unlady like volume.

“Rainbow Dash! I have something you will want to see-e!” Rarity said with an annoying, sing song, sugary sweet voice. Against her wishes to stay in bed, Rainbow Dash yawned and flapped down to the ground near her friend, dust billowing softly out from under her hooves as she landed. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes partially closed.

“I was having a dream about the Wonderbolts, this better be good.” Rainbow Dash said rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “In fact it needs to be awesome.”

“It’s better than awesome. It is about the Wonderbolts and it’s no dream.” Rarity presented the telegram with a flourish.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes scanned the page and went from sleepy to wide awake in record time. “OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh, you’re going to take me to see the Wonderbolts!?” She leaned forward and for the second time today Rarity’s personal space was invaded. She leaned back, one front hoof off the ground.

“On one condition.” Rainbow Dash literally fell forward at this sentence with a soft plop at Rarity’s feet. She looked up at Rarity with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster. The result wasn't bad, just the right combination of pathetic, pleading, and possible joy. All it was missing was a lower lip quivering. “I need a model for a new dress for my new pegasus line. Fluttershy and I will be at the spa that day and I can’t find any other pegasus on short notice. So…”

That last bit wasn't entirely true, but Rarity needed a mare to model the line, not a stallion. Mares were more difficult for Rarity to manipulate, so this was a rare treat. The look on Rainbow Dash’s face went from pleading, to disgust, to pleading, to nervous, to shaking her head, and finally on resignation. I've got her right where I want her Rarity thought with triumph.

“I am sure you will like the dress, it will look stunning on you.” A little flattery to seal the deal Rarity thought, trying to contain her smile. Rainbow Dash stood and sighed, dusting herself off.

“Deal, but you promise you will get me into the Wonderbolt’s Derby?” Rainbow Dash stuck out a hoof, thankfully she did not spit on her hoof first like Applejack was prone to do.

“Deal.” And it was done.

The sun was still rising when Dash blew through another cloud, there was much work to be done this morning. “Urghh, I don’t wanna wear some ostentatious thing.” Rainbow Dash said, thinking out loud. Her recent reading had expanded her vocabulary and it made her feel even more like an egghead.

“Then don’t, you’re too cool for something like that!” The immature voice of a filly drifted up to the vanishing cloud. Rainbow Dash looked down to see Scootaloo, deep gashes in the road leading up to her scooter wheels, her cherubic face looking up at her with a tuft of purple hair peaking from underneath her helmet. Rainbow Dash flew down to Scootaloo, hovering a few feet off the ground.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“I’m not late yet!” Dash rolled her eyes, a likely story. “Can’t we hang out for a minute?” Dash shrugged and nodded. Scootaloo smiled and continued, “Why would you wear something ostren…osben…ostenlacious…look I’m not a dictionary. Why not?”

“What else am I supposed to do? If I don’t then I won’t get to see the Wonderbolts.” Rainbow Dash quickly explained the deal she had struck. Scootaloo’s eyes lit up at the mention of Wonderbolts tickets.

“If I help you, do you think you can get me in too?” Scootaloo said with her best puppy dog eyes, including the lower lip quivering. Definitely better than Rainbow Dash’s attempt yesterday, it was one thing fillies definitely could do better than Dash.

“What? No way. I don’t want more ponies to see me wearing some stupid dress!”

“Please? I promise I won’t laugh, and…and…I’ll hit anyone who laughs at you with a spitball!” Scootaloo’s promise was tempting but Rainbow Dash was nervous about letting potential customers of Rarity getting hit by spitballs. Not that she particularly cared about Rarity’s business but there was a chance that a spitball in some mare’s mane could end with Rainbow Dash on Rarity’s nasty side without a ticket and that was simply unacceptable.

“Sorry squirt, another time.” Dash waved a hoof dismissively. Scootaloo’s eyebrows furrowed and a small frown appeared on her face.

“Please?” She poured on the big sad eyes, even got a little wetness to gather at the base of her left eye. The lower lip quivered just right. She sniffled as if she were about to truly start the waterworks. Rainbow Dash made the fatal mistake of looking directly at the little filly’s face.

“Well, I…guess…you can go with me…” The words came tumbling out before Rainbow Dash really thought about them. Scootaloo’s smile split her features before she took off down the road, her scooter kicking up a magnificent cloud of dust behind her before Rainbow Dash could renege on her promise. “Buck it all, what have I gotten myself into?” Dash said to herself, one hoof buried in her face.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were late to the gathering. It seemed like everypony in town was there. Crowded around a hastily constructed wooden platform in the middle of the new Ponyville stadium, the Mayor stood behind a podium with the curtains drawn behind her. The mayor had a huge smile on her face, the breeze gently tugged at her grey mane. She began, “I want to thank and welcome the Wonderbolts for adding Ponyville to this year’s derby circuit! I am sure everyone, and especially the Ponyville chamber of commerce, are delighted to see them all!...” The mayor droned on for a few more minutes.

Then the curtain rose and they stepped out. They were dressed just like they should be, all in their flight suits with their goggles strapped over their heads. They waved and the crowd went wild. It didn't last long as they flew off the stage and slowly towards the crowd. The crowd surged around them the instant they landed.

“Hey, stop pushing!” Scootaloo whined as mares and stallions nearly stampeded her. She was bounced around roughly, like a pinball. Rainbow Dash wasn’t prepared for the onrush either and was quickly overtaken. There were now hundreds of fans in between them and Rainbow Dash’s idols. Rainbow Dash took flight leaving Scootaloo on the ground. “Hey Rainbow Dash don’t leave me here!” Scootaloo yelled as another fanmare sideswiped her, knocking the wind out of her. “Ooof,” was all she could get out before being drowned in a multicolored sea.

Rainbow Dash darted around the growing ball of ponies but could see nothing of the Wonderbolts. Everyone was yelling including Dash, but her voice was lost amongst the others. “I wanna see…hey move it buster…com’on!” Rainbow Dash tried pushing into the crowd but they were many and she was one. It quickly got nasty, eventually somepony fed up with the pushing threw a drink at the crowd in general frustration. It might as well have been a Molotov cocktail rather than a bottle of water by the way the fans reacted. At that point the Wonderbolts made a quick exit.

Dash watched them go, no no no! She tried to follow but it was hopeless, the other fans creating an impenetrable barrier. Dash flew towards home at high speed with a grimace on her face. She had a nagging feeling like she was forgetting something but her frustration put her near tears which drowned out other emotions. She arrived home and slammed the door closed. “I can’t believe how rude those fans are!” Rainbow Dash said to her bed. She threw the picture of the Wonderbolts sans autograph on the floor and fell onto her bed with a whump.

“I’ll get an autograph at the derby, Rarity will get me into see them…somehow.” She said it out loud trying to convince herself it was true.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle sat in their tree house trying to write down more ideas for their ‘crusade.’ “How about we try makin a go-cart?” Applebloom suggested.

“Ok that sounds like a good idea.” Sweetie Belle said as Applebloom scratched that particular suggestion onto the end of the list. Suddenly she perked her ears up, Sweetie Belle followed suit and both could hear muffled sobs.

“Do ya hear that?” They opened the door to the club house and looked out. A rectangle of light spilled out from inside the club house illuminating the makeshift stairs and a patch of green grass at the base of the tree. Sitting at the base of the stairs with her back turned to them was Scootaloo. It was obvious to the two that she had been crying but when she turned around she put on a brave face and walked up to her friends as if nothing was wrong.

“Sorry I’m late, Dash and me were trying to get an autograph from the Wonderbolts.” Scootaloo trotted up the stairs trying to put a smile on her face. It was an entirely unsuccessful attempt, made obvious by the red lines in her eyes and the tear she failed to wipe away which still clung to the right side of her nose. Numerous scrapes, scratches, and bruises peppered Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom glanced at each other and both frowned. Sweetie Belle decided against correcting Scootaloo’s grammar today.

“Scootaloo, is somethin’ the matter? Did somepony beat ya up? Cause if they did, they’re gonna have to tangle with me next!” Applebloom had a fire in her eyes, and started to make karate motions against unseen assailants. Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement, she didn’t really want to have to get into a fight with bullies, but she wasn’t going to stand by and let her friend get attacked.

“Oh…yes…I mean…no…not really.” Scootaloo tried to explain, “I just got a little banged up by the other fans when they wanted to get autographs.”

“A little banged up? You look like you stepped on Opal’s tail.” Sweetie Belle remembered looking similar after doing just that on accident one day. “Did you at least get an autograph?”

“No…”

“Awwww.” Sweetie Belle and Applebloom said in unified stereo disappointment.

“I reckon ya really wanted one. Did Rainbow get one? Maybe ya kin’ ask her for it?” Applebloom smiled at Scootaloo and lead her inside the tree house. She didn’t honestly expect Rainbow Dash would give up something like that, but the thought might give Scootaloo hope.

Scootaloo sighed. “No,” she replied flatly.

Sweetie Belle tried a different tactic to cheer her friend. “Lets try being painters! Like real artists!” She said with pompous flair. “Scootaloo you can try paining a sonic rainboom.” This idea was unlikely to work but they had undertaken even less likely avenues before and that wasn’t really the point anyway. The point was to get Scootaloo’s mind off of the Wonderbolts and onto a different flyer. One she knew Scootaloo was a big fan of.

This was the exact wrong thing to say however. Scootaloo nearly burst out crying but kept herself in check with an immense strength of will. “Yeah, let’s try and paint, I’ll paint…something like that.” Scootaloo’s voice cracked as she grabbed crayons and went to work with gusto. Sweetie Belle, thinking her ploy worked, happily doodled something herself with paint rather than pencil or pen. She forgot to clean her brush and it came out brown but she didn’t care. In the time it took for Sweetie Belle and Applebloom to create a single picture Scootaloo had already finished several.

“It’s time fer the Cutie Mark Crusaders ta earn their marks in sleepin.” Applejack’s voice called out from below. The three fillies packed their things and trotted out. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle didn’t notice the recurring theme in Scootaloo’s drawings of Rainbow Dash falling out of the sky or crashing into large, solid objects.

Rarity darted under a tree, the rain having splashed on her legs as she trotted down the road to make her latest delivery. Rain wasn’t scheduled for today and when she found Rainbow Dash she planned to give her a piece of her mind. She disliked rain and she absolutely loathed mud. She planned to stop only for a few moments under the tree, with its Celestia blessed dry patch of ground, when she heard snoring. Looking up she caught sight of a rainbow tail drooping out of an overhead branch, her eyes narrowed.

“Rainbow Dash, you wake up this instant!” Irritation and volume in her voice conspired to snap her sleeping friend awake. Rainbow Dash looked down at Rarity, her face looked as if were made of partially melted wax. Her eyelids, the corners of her mouth, even her hair seemed to be affected doubly by gravity.

“Hi Rarity. I…won’t be going to the Wonderbolts Derby with you. Sorry, you will have to find someone else to model for you.” Her tone was flat, it was as if the words came from anyone but Dash.

“Why? Whatever for? They are your favorite ponies besides your friends, are they not?” One embellished eyebrow rose and sweat began to form on Rarity’s brow. It was a dismal day and her plans were coming unraveled like so much of Opal’s yarn.

“I guess so, but I’ll never get their attention. I tried at the Best Young Fliers Competition. They were nice but I never got to show off any moves. Plus, half of them had black eyes.” She shot a glance at Rarity who blushed sheepishly. “I tried to hang out with them at the gala but I barely got a word in. And I tried at the wedding, but I never heard back from them after preforming a sonic rainboom. And just yesterday I tried getting an autograph and I could barely get a look at them!” She spoke with bitterness tinting her voice. “Maybe the Wonderbolts aren’t in the cards for me” she spoke with finality.

“Rainbow Dash, you will cease this moping immediately, and you will join me at the derby and you will enjoy it!” Rarity punctuated each word, giving it as much weight as she could. “You are the most awesome mare in Ponyville and if the Wonderbolts can’t recognize it, why they don’t deserve you!” This was laying it on a bit thick, but Rarity decided on a whim that it was called for. She had never seen Rainbow Dash without her trademark confidence and it was unsettling.

SLOOOSH

Wet, sticky mud splashed onto Rarity’s hooves and lower legs. She let out a small gasp of indignation and looked down to see one of Sweetie Belle’s friends staring up at her. The orange pegasus filly, the one with a scooter. The scooter was as of this moment caked with mud and filth. She had stopped in front of Rarity too quickly and the mud had nearly splashed up to her chest. Her expression flashed to near fury. She recomposed herself quickly like only a true lady could, however the indignities of the day were rapidly piling up. An errant twitch in Rarity’s left eyebrow was the only outward indication.

“Hey Rainbow Dash, aren’t you supposed to clear the sky today?” Scootaloo ignored Rarity and the mud for a moment, instead focusing on Rainbow Dash. The lack of an apology caused yet another twitch in the eye. But then a light bulb when off in Rarity’s head, idea!

“I guess I should. But today isn’t a great day and I just want to take a quick nap.” Rainbow Dash rolled over and Scootaloo’s expression showed pain. Far more pain that Rarity would have expected from such an innocent exchange and it softened her mood immediately.

“Scootaloo is it?” Rarity lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “Rainbow Dash is feeling under the weather, no pun intended. I think we should cheer her up.” Scootaloo’s face twisted, her nose scrunched up and her eyes squinting as if she had just smelled something rancid.

“I don’t wanna help Rainbow Dash, she always ignores me” Scootaloo’s voice was a whisper but the intensity belonged to a growl or shout. For the next several seconds the only sound was the soft patter of the rain falling around the umbrella of the tree and the blood pumping in Rarity’s ears as her mind worked in overtime. “Plus if she doesn’t get in to see the Wonderbolts, neither will I.” Scootloo looked down, Rarity was certain the filly was on the verge of tears.

Rarity was unaware of any side deals Rainbow Dash had made, but she didn’t have a third ticket. Still, the filly was small and Rainbow Dash was just the sort of pony to sneak in a filly into a show without paying. It was uncouth but Rarity’s intuition allowed her to quickly navigate the situation. “Scootaloo, if Rainbow Dash doesn’t get to see the Wonderbolts I will give you her ticket.” Scootaloo’s eyes instantly shot up to meet Rarity’s and she could almost see them sparkle. “But Rainbow Dash is my friend and I want her to go. Time is one of the most generous things you can give somepony, so let’s take a minute for Rainbow Dash ok?”

Scootaloo was torn, on the one hoof she could let Rainbow Dash stew in her gloom and she would get to see the Wonderbolts guaranteed. On the other hoof, Rainbow Dash was someone she looked up to. To see her like this was a dagger in her heart.

Scootaloo looked at Rarity and thought about it, the gears spinning wildly in her mind. She looked up at Rainbow Dash, generosity and loyalty. She slowly opened her saddle bag and reached for a picture. There were several and her choice was uncertain. She had several pictures showing Rainbow Dash falling or hitting the ground at record speeds. She had her teeth on the corner of a particularly nasty one. She rolled her eyes up to the lump in the tree. As she chose another picture, a sigh escaped her. Something else seemed to flow out of her as well, something she couldn’t fully explain.

She carefully removed the chosen picture, Rarity smiled when she saw it. Rarity floated the crude painting up to Rainbow Dash. Dash snatched it out of the air once it stopped in front of her face. “What’s this?” she said as she rolled over in her makeshift bunk. She looked down at Scootaloo, a lump forming in her throat.

“I was bored so I made that, I guess I won’t get a cutie mark in painting, it’s just a dumb picture.” Scootaloo suddenly felt flush after giving her work to her idol. To say the painting was crude would be an understatement. She looked away, thinking she should just dart off into the rain.

“No it’s not dumb, it’s…cool.” Dash’s assurance was lame but Scootaloo didn’t seem to mind.

“Really?” Scootaloo’s face lit up at the words, not exactly a huge smile but something real. “We’re still going to see the Wonderbolts together, right?” The lump that had been forming in Rainbow Dash’s throat dropped into her stomach. How could she have been so foalish? She hadn’t heard Rarity’s quite promise, and wasn’t thinking of any other ways Scootaloo could get into the derby. All she could think about was her promise to Scootaloo and how disappointed she would be if she broke it.

“You bet squirt!” Rainbow Dash was sitting up now, fire in her eyes. “I just gotta do some stuff first!” In a flash she was out of the tree and into the air. The rain stopped in less than a minute, the soft dripping of the water rolling off the leaves was the only sound along the road. Rarity looked down at Scootaloo and smiled. Suddenly she remembered why she was there, buck it all.

“Scootaloo, sweetie, could you please give this to Rainbow Dash and tell her to be at the boutique before sundown?” Rarity pulled the dress out of her saddlebag. Scootaloo barley contained her laughter at the sight of the dress. It was…frilly, to say the least.

“Sure thing!” She put the dress in her saddlebag and flew down the road in pursuit of the diminishing rainbow streak in the sky. Rarity looked down at her mud splattered legs and sighed.

“Well, I was going to get a mud treatment at the spa anyway.”

“This is ridiculous” Rainbow Dash said for the fourth time. The dress was so frilly and you could easily hide a bowling ball in the back. The laces on it were intricate, the pearls divine, and the stitching very posh. It was all in all, exactly the kind of thing Rainbow Dash hated.

“It’s not so bad and look, I think they like you.” Scootaloo was standing tall and proud to be seen in public with Rainbow Dash. It was true, pegasi frequently looked their way from the market, and more often than not their expressions were not showing disgust. Quite the opposite in fact, they seemed to be giving Rainbow Dash a lot more attention than she was used to.

She would never admit it out loud, but she like the extra attention. No one ended up with a spit ball, even the haughty mares who snubbed them. That was the worst of it, no one laughed. In fact Rainbow Dash had a sinking feeling Rarity was right and she was…ugh… pretty. The thought was almost enough to turn her stomach. But the extra attention took away any queasy feelings. By the time the sun fully set she was almost enjoying herself.

Cheerliee was talking but the three fillies were not listening. Scootaloo was talking about the Wonderbolts Derby at a speed which would make an auctioneer proud.

“I can’t wait to see it, school can’t be out fast enough.” A grin plastered onto Scootaloo’s face. “Rainbow Dash is going to take me to see it I made sure she would.”

“How did you do that?” Sweetie Belle asked innocently. She had never known Rainbow Dash to do anything she didn’t want to do.

“Why don’t you ask your sister about her latest project and her latest model?” Scootaloo said with a wicked grin. Scotaloo still felt a little resentment and there was nothing like a good teasing. If Rainbow Dash had to be embarrassed for an afternoon so Scootaloo could see the Wonderbolts…well that was just a price she was willing to make Rainbow Dash pay. Besides, she had stayed by Dash’s side all yesterday afternoon so they “suffered” together.

“You can ask about that project when you three get home after detention.” Cheerliee was standing over them with a stern look. How did teachers sneak up on students like that? The Cutie Mark Crusaders all slowly turned with wide eyes at their teacher, the rest of the class looking on. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had sadistic expressions and barley contained mirth.

“But we were-”

“Not talking back, or to each other during the lesson, am I right?” Cheerliee cut off Applebloom her cold tone enforcing silence. “Now where were we?” Cheerliee said turning back to the chalkboard her normally cheerful tone had returned. How did teachers go from pissed to cheerful so quickly? Scootaloo felt a sinking sensation in her stomach.

Detention dragged on and on and on. The Wonderbolts race was starting very soon and was all the way across town. Cheerliee seemed to sense this and waited until the last possible second before releasing her charges.

“You may go now, class is dismissed.” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle started to pack their books.

WHOOSH

Everyone in the classroom felt a rush of air. Scootaloo was gone and the door was open. Applebloom caught a glimpse of Scootaloo on her scooter cresting a distant hill before the door had a chance to close, her mouth agape. Even Cheerliee seemed a bit surprised, she had never seen Scootaloo move that fast before.

Arriving at Carousel Boutique Scootaloo ground to a stop, dust rising off her wheels. Her lungs burned, her eyes were watering, and her wings were on fire. She had caught so much air on her scooter it seemed like she had actually flown about half the time on her way here.

“Rainbow Dash? Rarity?” Scootaloo yelled as she walked through the front door. The lights were off causing a pit to form in her stomach. She would have to meet them outside the stadium gates and it was across town. She jumped onto her scooter and ignored the new fire that lit up her wing muscles.

Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Sitting next to Rarity was one thing, and this other stallion was ok, even if he was kinda stuffy, but his friends? Dash was under the impression they were snooty ponies that cared for nothing more than money, fame, and status.

“I don’t know why you aren’t wearing the dress, it looked good on you.” Rarity said to Rainbow Dash after turning from her conversation with Fancypants. They were quite animated, much to the annoyance of some of the other haughty ponies in the skybox. They all seemed to want the time of day from this Fancypants guy. Rainbow Dash just didn’t get it.

“I am not going to wear that when the Wonderbolts can see me. Besides I want to try a sonic rainboom just before the race. See if I can get their attention and I can’t do that with that thing holding me back.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to try another trick? Didn’t they already see that one?”

“I don’t know any other tricks that can be done quickly and it’s my best move.” Rainbow Dash looked worried as the thought had crossed her mind many times already. “I spent most of this morning practicing my flight patterns. I was so excited to see the race today, I’m glad you convinced me to come.”

“I’m glad you could be here.” Rarity responded with a smile, “I wonder where Scootaloo is.”

“I know, she was so excited to be here and then she didn’t show up.” Rainbow Dash huffed. Rarity started to dig through her saddle bags, past the frilly dress she had packed with the hope Rainbow Dash would wear it. She huffed as she kept digging, the dress making the task difficult. She opened Rainbow Dash’s bag and stuffed the frilly dress into it.

“I told you I'm not wearing that!”

Rarity rolled her eyes, “just hang onto it. It’s getting in my way.” She found what she was looking for, a pair of fruity drinks of a very special flavor. She gave one to Rainbow Dash who accepted it. Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide when she looked at the drink.

“Rarity is this…?” Rainbow Dash quickly embraced her friend who nearly spilled her drink in surprise. “You’re the best friend ever!” Rarity smiled and disentangled herself from her overexcited friend. She took a long drink, feeling the heat of the day drain out of her.

Rainbow Dash looked at her bottle and decided to save it for the end of the race. A perfect drink to end a perfect day she decided. She packed it into her saddlebag, the dress making the task much more difficult. She didn’t notice the scrap of paper that floated out of her bag carried by an errant gust of wind while repacking. It silently drifted to the floor and disappeared between a crack in the woodwork. Rainbow Dash snapped her saddlebags closed when Fancypants spoke up “Looks like they are about to start. Marvelous.”

“Ladies and Gentlecolts. Welcome to Ponyville’s first annual Wonderbolts Derby!” The announcer’s voice boomed over the crowd. It was especially loud in the skybox as they were closer to the speakers set up strategically around the stadium. Rarity grit her teeth and flattened her ears against the sound. Rainbow Dash’s heart started to quicken. “The race will be starting in 1 minute!”

Rainbow Dash flew out of the skybox and up to a respectable height. The Wonderbolts were on the starting line, the track a ring of thin white clouds a short distance off the ground. A heavy set pegasus flew towards Rainbow Dash, wearing a striped jersey and whistle tied to a cord around his neck. The word “security” was printed along the front and back of the shirt.

“Hey, get back in your seat!” He said gruffly. “Only the Wonderbolts are flying in this race.”

Rainbow Dash ignored him and glanced one last time at the painting Scootaloo had made. It was crude but showed Rainbow Dash preforming a sonic rainboom. The Wonderbolts and Scootaloo were looking at her cheering. At least she thought it was the Wonderbolts, the goggles they appeared to be wearing and the crude skill of the painter made them look like pegasus insect hybrids. Rainbow Dash giggled to herself, “ok, show time!” Her gaze had drifted above the painting. “This one is for you…Scootaloo?!” She was high enough in the air to be able to see for some distance and outside the stadium she could see a tiny orange dart on a scooter. If the color wasn’t instantly recognizable, the scooter was.

“Get back in your seat!” The security pony repeated this time with even less courtesy. Dash stuffed the painting in her bag and shot away from the security pony in a rainbow colored flash.

Scootaloo was panting heavily, having raced across town. She reached the ticket booth and could hear the crowd counting down. “I…have…a friend…in the…skybox” she breathed out. The ticket master, a thin amber colored stallion with a dark mane narrowed his eyes at her.
“Sure you do, and I am Celestia’s nephew. No ticket no entry.” He said slamming the ticket counter closed.

The crowd could be heard chanting, “5…4…3…2…1!”

Rainbow Dash landed in front of Scootaloo. BANG! “And they’re off!” The announcer’s voice carried beyond the seats all the way to the ticket booth and beyond.

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash and a smile spread across her face, although she could barely move. All four of her limbs were spread out on the ground. “Rainbow Dash…you…came…to get..me.” Each breath was labored. Rainbow Dash wore a wane smiled and rifled through her saddle bags. The smile slipped from her face with each passing second. Scootaloo stood up, some strength returning to her. “What’s wrong?”

Rainbow Dash pulled one ticket out of her bag, she had planned to reuse Rarity’s ticket stub and some fast talking to get Scootaloo inside but the second ticket was nowhere to be found. The other contents of the saddle bag spilled out over the ground. A big frilly dress, a pair of sunglasses, Scootaloo’s painting, a bottled drink, 8 bits, and some lint. She looked at Scootaloo and swallowed the lump in her throat. She offered the ticket to Scootaloo.

“You go ahead I’ve already seen the Wonderbolts.” Scootaloo looked up at her, not knowing what to say. She was rooted to the spot like a tree, her mouth slightly open. “You’re gonna miss the rest of the race!” Rainbow Dash reached a hoof toward the closed booth intending to knock. Scootaloo exploded into motion as she darted around Dash, blocking her path.

“No!” Dash’s eyes went wide as she looked down at the little filly. Scootaloo had such an intense look, like she was ready to lay her life down to protect the ticket booth.

“Com’on Scoots, don’t make this harder than it already is. Don’t you want to see-“ Dash paused. She had been so wrapped trying to see the Wonderbolts, her idols. It wasn’t until she voiced those desires out loud that a thought struck her. Perhaps Scootaloo didn’t want to see the Wonderbolts. Ok, that was silly, of course she wanted to see the derby. But that didn’t mean it was the most important thing to her. It might be the second most important thing, a very distant second. Dash swallowed the lump forming in her throat but smiled anyway. “Ok Scoots, I guess we missed the race. Let’s get some ice cream.” She flattened her ears trying to block out the sound of the announcer, his narration alone was exciting.

Scootaloo looked around desperately, seeing Dash unhappy made it feel like a knife was twisting in her heart. She spied something special on the ground and said, “I have an idea.” Scootaloo suddenly looked at Rainbow Dash with a wicked grin.

Rainbow Dash shuffled as quickly as she could up to the skybox. The race was half over but she trotted up next to Rarity with as little fanfare as she could. The two looked at each other, Rainbow Dash gave a nervous oversized smile while Rarity’s smile was far more genuine. Even Fancypants and a few of the other ponies in the skybox noticed and approved.

“I changed my mind about the dress.” Rainbow Dash said as she shifted the dress around. It moved oddly, the back end shifting in a way fabric should not.

Rarity leaned closer to her friend and lowered her voice. “Really? You wanted to wear that?” She said with one eyebrow arched upward. Without warning Scootaloo dropped to the floor with a soft thud, and jumped onto Rainbow Dash’s back to get a better view of the race while Rainbow Dash smiled nervously.

“heh heh, yeah I felt like somepony was counting on me to wear it.”

“Well at least somepony can get you into fine clothes.” Rarity tried to look dour but she couldn’t hold the expression for long, a smile crept onto her face as she nudged Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo’s forehooves wrapped around Dash’s neck and she held tight. She buried her nose in the rainbow colored mane before watching the last of the race.

“And Spitfire wins by half a stride!” The announcer boomed over the cheering crowd. Soarin was right behind her. Spitfire continued to fly slowly around the track waving to the fans but Soarin stopped and hit the ground with a dull thud. His chest heaved as he sucked in air. He had a smile on his face but his exhaustion was complete. Soarin looked at the world upside down and slightly out of focus, grass obscuring the top half of his vision. He drew in one more great breath with an effort, willing the fire in his wings to stop. His vision focused and he rolled onto his stomach with great effort. He stood on a set of shaky legs, careful to fold his precious wings correctly. He wished he could just go back to his hotel room and drink something cold that would quench the fires in his muscles. But Spitfire had completed a circuit around the track and his fellow Wonderbolts had landed near him. He knew he would get a lecture if he didn’t at least spend a few minutes with the fans.

Spitfire landed near him and leaned close, “Fancypants wants us to meet him and I think he wants to talk about endorsements. I’m going up to the skybox, get the rest of the team and meet me up there ok?” Soarin nodded, still too winded for words. He wasn’t looking forward to flying up to the skybox, but the other option would be to walk up in the bleachers and that was a level of fan interaction he just couldn’t handle right now. At least in the skybox he might get something to drink. He collected his teammates and they flew slowly up to the skybox, the deafening roar of the crowd below.

They landed in the skybox, the roar of the crowd softened a bit by the low wall and distance above the cheap seats. Spitfire was already talking to Fancypants. Spitfire took her chance to get the endorsement, “why don’t we go outside for a photo op. You want a photograph with the race’s winner right?” Spitfire said hopefully.

Fancypants had a grin that forced his monocle to dig deeply into his cheek. “Capital idea!” And with a flourish he led the mare out of the skybox. The rest of the ponies in the skybox didn’t seem to know who to follow, Fancypants and Spitfire or the rest of the Wonderbolts. Several decided to follow the two of them, giving the rest of the team a fairly small group of ponies to entertain.

It wasn’t difficult for Soarin to spot the cyan mare in a fairly ridiculous outfit. It was beautiful, but it didn’t quite ‘fit’ her. “ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.” She walked towards him her mouth working a mile a minute. Soarin had to chuckle, that sort of fawning was something he was normally irritated with but Dash’s enthusiasm was simply infectious.

She stood before him and Soarin noticed two things. First was the orange filly hugging her back. She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment but seemed more content to nuzzle into the rainbow colored mane. The second was his mouth, which was exceedingly dry. “Say you got anything to drink?” The words came out thick and slow, like he had taken a blow to the head. His breath was still heavy from the race, but not so ragged anymore.

“Um…I…” She stammered. The orange filly pulled a drink out of the saddle bag and nudged the older mare. Rainbow Dash popped the cap off and hoofed it to Soarin with stars in her eyes. He took it and nearly drained the entire bottle in one swig. He let out a long, satisfied breath. He could actually feel the cold liquid extinguish the fire in him as it traveled down his throat.

“Thanks, normally there’s a drink waiting for us after the race but I don’t think Ponyville has all the details down quite right. Not to say I don’t like your city, the mares here are really nice. I mean, friendly…wow that did not come out right.” He ran a hoof through his mane and looked away. “Sorry for stealing your drink, what is it? It tastes great.” He handed the nearly empty bottle back to her, eager to change the subject. She smiled at him and looked at the bottle. The smile disappeared from her face.

“Hey that was cider! Apple family cider Rarity was saving for a special occasion. You owe me one buster. I demand an autograph.” A grin spread across her face. Soarin had to suppress a laugh, and that’s when it hit him.

“Rainbow Dash.” The drink had cleared the cotton out of his head. “You were the one that saved me, best young flier, we met at the wedding months ago, right?” She smiled and nodded with enthusiasm, the motion making the orange filly on her back shake. “I would be honored to give you an autograph. In fact I would like your autograph. I think it would only be fair.” They exchanged signatures, his on an older photo of him winning a race in Las Pegasus, hers on a napkin. “And who is the cute little filly on your back?”

Rainbow Dash swiveled her head around to look at the filly before she responded, “this is Scootaloo, my number one, most loyal fan.” Scootaloo smiled at Rainbow Dash still at a loss for words. Rainbow Dash turned back to Soarin, “you gotta treat your fans right, cause one day they’re gonna be in your horseshoes.” Dash looked at Scootaloo again giving a playful noogie, “aint that right squirt?” Scootaloo giggled, the sound muffled by the rainbow mane.

Soarin looked at her, and for a moment he could almost hear Spitfire saying the same thing. “Yeah I guess. But sometimes they can get a little…zealous.”

“Only a real fan thinks you’re awesome just for being you.” She sighed and continued, “You know, I tried to get your autograph two days ago when you arrived, but you had a few fans stuck to your face.”

“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to ignore you but there’s only so much of me to go around.”

“Yeah I understand, I really do. But spending time with another pony is special, it’s like giving up a little piece of yourself just for them. I can imagine having thousands wanting a piece of you would be hard, you just have to spend what time you can and do your best. But when it’s just one pony who wants that piece, you really have to be there for them. They aren’t asking for much, and that little bit of time you spend might mean nothing to you but it means the world to them.” As she spoke she glanced at Scootaloo. Scootaloo just buried herself deeper in the rainbow.

Soarin smiled, he liked this mare. This was a type of fan he could spend a little time on, a fan who understood what it was like to have other ponies want that “little piece” of you all the time. “You know, Spitfire was planning to have a little party next week, a thank you to Ponyville. It’s being held at this place called Sugercube Corner. Think you can make it?”

“heh heh…yeah I know that place, I’ll be there.” Rainbow Dash had to suppress her excitement both from meeting Soarin and from the idea that the Wonderbolts would be at Sugercube Corner with Pinkie Pie. The possibilities were both terrifying and wonderful.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I learned that being a role model is a big responsibility. But it makes you a better pony. You have to lead by example. I also learned that spending time with another pony, even if you don’t really do anything else for them, is often a gift itself. If they truly value you for being you, they will want to spend time with you no matter what you are doing.

Yours Truly,

Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash finished her diction to Spike. Twilight walked into the Golden Oaks library and smiled softly at the tell-tale smoke of a letter being delivered. Rainbow Dash turned to her lavender friend, “did you get it framed?”

“I most certainly did,” Twilight floated the now framed and autographed picture of Soarin out of her saddlebags and gave it to Rainbow Dash. She looked at it for a moment and smiled softly.

She took the picture and made an exit, calling over her shoulder, “thanks Spike, thanks egghead!” Twilight narrowed her eyes at the departing pegasus. She didn’t particularly enjoy that nickname, but she let it go. Fixing Rainbow Dash’s abrasive personality was going to have to wait for another day.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

…..

Soarin tapped the quill against the blank page and laughed at the absurdity. He got stacks and stacks of fan mail yet he couldn’t seem to write a letter himself. He sighed and spoke to the blank page, “now what am I going to do with you?”