Rainbow Dash sighed, rolling in her soft bed of clouds. Her bedroom, usually a bright white this time of day, was currently a dark gray. “Why did they have to schedule a thunderstorm on my day off…?” Dash sighed at the thought of all the wasted time that could be spent practicing. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't help her restlessness.

Normally she didn't mind flying through the rain, even during thunderstorms. While the lightning was dangerous, she could normally feel the ionization of the air and would move out of the area. This storm was different; there was a large increase in the amount of electricity. Somepony in Cloudsdale must have overcharged this group of clouds. Dash was sure she would be zapped from the sky if she left the safety of her home.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and it was going slower with every passing minute. Dash sighed for the hundredth time as she pushed herself off of the bed. She circled her room slowly for several minutes, trying to conquer her boredom. Suddenly lightning flashed across the sky, filling the room with light. The only bookshelf in her room drew her attention. Dash walked towards the shelf, eying her small collection of books.

There were three books on the shelf, filling only a small portion of one shelf. While Dash constantly told herself that she would fill it up over the years, she never found any books that caught her interest. The first book had a blue cover, the spine worn from years of use. It's cover reads; “Goldwings flying tips: Advanced tricks for the everyday flier.” Although the book covered only basic flight topics that Dash mastered years ago, it was given to her by somepony close to her. It had a very special place in her heart. The next book also had a blue cover, titled “Behind the Mask: Wonderbolts.” Its spine was still stiff from disuse. Dash had picked up the book for stories and advice, but only found gossip and steamy rumors. The last book was much older than the other two. Its leather cover was tarnished from use and age. This book contained no words, only pictures taped into the dull white pages.

Dash pulled the photo-book away from the other two with her hoof, grabbing it in her mouth and walking back to her bed. She threw herself the last couple feet and landed with a soft plop. She dropped the book and opened it, the dull light barely adequate enough to view the photos. Not that it matters, she had already committed them to memory.

She glanced past photos of her parents and childhood home, pushing the anger that was bubbling up back into the darkness of her mind. She flipped through several more pages before stopping at a photo of a dark blue foal with a blond mane. She smiled at the first couple pages of photos; the first steps, first walk and first flight. In the following pages, there was a new pony in the photos, a young cyan colored pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail. Dash's smile faded as the memories flooded her mind.

Rainbow Dash was born into an average Cloudsdale family. She had a healthy, happy mother and father. At the time Dash was born her family had one other child, a dark blue pegasus with a blonde main and tail and golden eyes. Sunray, named for his mane and eyes, was six years old at the time. Everypony called this young colt Ray, a habit that has stuck with Dash even now.

It was hard for her to remember the early years, the only vivid memories left were of Ray. How he would zoom around the house, with her struggling to keep up. How he was always calm and cool in any company or circumstances. But most of all she remembered his teasing and goading. It was never too mean or serious, but it always motivated her. Ray was the first to notice her natural talent for flying, and he drove her to reach farther and fly faster. Dash always looked up to and idolized him. She even tried her best to imitate him; his personality, his coolness, his tricks and even his looks.

It was Ray that gave Dash her dream, that fateful day etched into her mind. He woke her up early, even before Celestia raised the sun. Ray filled up a couple saddlebags with enough oats for the two and placed one on the drowsy eyed Dash. He explained nothing to the sleepy pony as they left their home and then Cloudsdale. They flew for hours, or if you would have asked her at the time, forever. Around midday they stopped flying, settling down near an open field. It didn't take her long to recover from the trip. She began to pester Ray about why they were there. He would only smile and tell her to be patient. Boredom quickly set in after a short flying session and several failed attempts into goading Ray into a chase. So she did the next best thing to having fun: take a nap.

“Dash.” A voice pierced through her sleep. “You're missing it.” She quickly opened her eyes to Ray smiling. “Good, you're up.” He said before turning his attention skyward. As she blinked the sleep from her eyes, she followed his gaze. Her eyes widened as streaks of blue crossed the sky. She followed the lines till she found their creators; four pegasi who flew through the air, leaving the trail in there wake. Their patterns started as simple lines and shapes, but quickly turned into complex figures and patterns. Dash could only stare up in amazement. The four practiced for several hours. None seemed to notice the two young ponies watching their every move. Three of the pegasi flew off as suddenly as they arrived, as the forth looked down at the two ponies. She quickly began a downward drop. A smile spread across her face as she watched the two children stumble about trying to hide as if they did something wrong. She pulled up just in time to fly over their heads, leaving a orange trail in her wake.

After watching the trail disappear into the air, Dash turned to Ray. “Who were those ponies... They were amazing!” She exclaimed.

He smiled and replied, a large grin plastered on his face. “The Wonderbolts. They are the best fliers in all of Equestria.”

She quickly interrupted. “And coolest?”

He nodded. “That's why I am going to be one.” He smiled, but she only returned a silent stare.

“Me too!” She responded after almost a minute of silence. He laughed and nuzzled the side of her face.

“How are you going to be a Wonderbolt if you can barely keep up with me?” He teased. The rest of the day dissolved into a blur. They ate and flew home, arriving shortly after sundown, sharing a punishment for leaving and skipping flight school.

Nearly a year later, the summer after her sixth birthday Dash faced the hardest challenge of her life: two months without Ray. He was off at summer flight camp, while she was stuck at home. To her the two months felt like several years. She filled most of her days with flying. Practicing every morning ‘till just before noon and going for a relaxing flight every night; although she loved the sky, it felt empty, so she would spend the hottest hours of the day in her home.

Dash loved her mother and father, although she was usually arguing with her mother, and being punished by her father. Her mother was born into one of the wealthier families in Cloudsdale. She never worked a day under the sun, but was the spitting image of the perfect house wife and the elegant mare. (“Rarity would be surprised...” Dash mumbled out loud, interrupting herself.) Dash's mother protested her training, attitude, habits, and especially the pranks Dash had quickly become fond of. Her father was the complete opposite. He grew up in a group of traveling performers. He left and became a stunt flier at a young age. About a year before Ray was born he was in a midair collision. He broke his left wing and was stuck in the hospital for a couple months, where he met his future wife. He had a light hearted attitude towards Dash and her punishments.

The last week before Ray returned home was like hell for Dash. She had left home for a couple days to practice where she first saw the Wonderbolts, camping in the trees near the field. When she returned home, her mother, in a mixture of rage and worry, began to yell at her. When Dash tried to stand her ground her mother slapped her across the snout. She could only remember running to her room, tears streaming from her eyes. She didn't notice her father enter her room. “No flying for a week.” He talked to her for an hour, but those were the only words she could remember. They haunted her mind long after they left his lips.

She spent the week in her room, only leaving when she absolutely needed to. At first she slept as long as she could everyday. Filling the remaining hours with any exercise she could think up. As the week drew to a close she turned to a book Ray had given to her for her birthday, “Goldwings.” She read through the book several times; trying to memorize every trick she could, even trying several maneuvers in her room. As the last day of her punishment drew to a close she talked to her mother for the first time that week. Dash apologized and was forgiven on the terms of never leaving like that again.

On her first day of freedom, she spent the morning stretching her wings before deciding to bathe in the sun. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until she heard a soft thud on the cloud she was laying on. “This cloud is occupied.” She said lazily.

“I'm gone for two months working my flanks off, and I come home and find you napping?” The voice responded playfully. Dash's eyes snapped and turned to owner of the voice.

“Ray!” She yelled, jumping to her feet in surprise. She quickly hugged him.

“I missed you too.” He responded.

The hug didn't last long. “I've got something to show you.” He said happily as he pulled away from her. He turned to the side, showing off his flank. “Check it out.” Three golden lightning bolts, the color of his eyes, streaked down his flank.

“Rayrayrayrayray!” She yelled out excitedly as she started jumping up and down on the cloud.

“Calm do--” Before Ray could finish his sentence the cloud gave-way below their hooves. They fell several feet before Ray turned into a dive, Dash quickly following his lead.

The impromptu flight lasted the rest of the day. The siblings returned home shortly before sunset. Together they watched the sun lower over the horizon. “You've been practicing all summer.” Ray said staring at the sky.

“You could tell?” Dash asked looking at him. He nodded. Silence filled the air as the light began to fade from the sky.

“Dash, are you ready?” He said quietly.

“For...what?” She stammered.

“Training. You still want to be a Wonderbolt, right?” Dash nodded. “Then we start. Tomorrow.”

Special thanks to Eskeal for editing. Thanks to PonyKrieger for the art