"Yeah, so anyway, that idiot Hoops, the one I was telling you about last month, he was picking on this one girl, Fluttershy, because she was a weak flier. It got me so mad, you know. Maybe it's because I can see a bit of the pony I was in her. But anyway, I challenged him to a race to shut him up, and I didn't only beat him, I found my very own trick! I call it the SONIC RAINBOOM! It's kind of like your ShimmerBolt thing, but only ooh, about 20% cooler."

Rainbow Dash was ten years old and was finishing up on the packed lunch she'd brought with her to the field. She considered telling her dad about getting kicked out of flight school for knocking Hoops out after he still wouldn't quit harassing Fluttershy, but decided to omit that part.

"So that's where THIS baby came from!" She stood up and presented her shiny new cutie mark. "Look, it's just like yours."

She looked at her cutie mark wistfully. It was the same shape as that yellow lightning bolt, with the same cloud. In fact, it was almost exactly identical, except for one thing - It was the colour of the rainbow.

"I finished my lunch, so now for the important news. I remember that you used to call me 'Wonderbolt' when I was smaller, and I really doubt that you didn't know there wasn't a performing squad with that name."

She stood up, looking at the magnificent view this hill at the edge of a forest gave her. If she squinted she could almost see her next goal in life.

"I'm going to Cloudsdale, dad," she said without turning around, "and I don't think I'm going to come back. I'm the only pony in the records to exceed the speed of sound, I'm sure to find somepony who wants to apprentice me in weather-control. At some point, the Wonderbolt Performance Team is going to roll into town, and I'm going to join them, and that's how I'm going to become the greatest flier in Equestria. What do you think?"

The sun broke through the overcast clouds that had dominated the day. Rainbow Dash smiled, put her leftovers in her saddlebag, and took off, bearing to the distant floating city of cloud. The sun was on her back, and her father was in her heart. She didn't need to look back.

The small slab of granite she'd been talking to glittered, the gleaming words sparkling in the sun as if they would never go out.

BLUE BOLT

THE WEATHER MASTER OF THE NORTH

A LOVING HUSBAND

A LOVED FATHER

"THE TRUE WORTH OF A PONY IS IN THE MEASURE OF THEIR HEART.

BE BRAVE, BE BOLD, BE STRONG; BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL

BE TRUE TO YOURSELF."