20 - To anyone who ever told you, "In your dreams."

She spent two weeks underwater before she was able to come up for air, gasping. That's what it felt like.

First off, she thought she knew everything about the Wonderbolts, but now it felt as if they knew more about her than she did them. Curse Soarin' and his big mouth. Every one of her new teammates had different quirks and stories – just like it was with Twilight and the others.

Second, the training.

On the first morning of practice Rapidfire gave her the drilldown on how field meetups went. All available Wonderbolts practiced together at least twice each week. There were separate flight sessions for upcoming performances, which included all of the team members who would be flying in that performance. The precise coordination required meant substituting out a pony for another was virtually impossible. In an actual air show where they did more than a flyby, if one of the Wonderbolts in the routine got sick or put out of commission, they had to do the show with a gap in the formation or cancel it. It was critical to stay in good health and attend every training session when you were on a performance rotation.

There was a practice schedule for the week on a board by the west entrance to the field. With the Wonder Trial out of the way, almost every Wonderbolt was preparing for one air show or another. Spitfire and Rapidfire were the exceptions so they could get her up to speed for her first show at the end of fall. Rainbow Dash had to put in over a hundred hours of training to be ready, let alone all the hours with the fall team.

She watched the other 'Bolts from the edge of the field. Even though Soarin' said there was no official Wonderbolt captain, Fleetfoot was definitely in charge of group practice. She told the team what the formations for the day would be and made sure everypony was in place before they started with warm-ups.

Rainbow Dash got a full hour of her own personal air show when the whole team took flight. It was a rare treat to see every Wonderbolt out at once. First they formed a single file line of blue gold in the sky. When everypony was in the air, the leader broke the tip of the line by gaining enough altitude to be able to slow down and be above the second pegasus. The entire line folded up on itself like that and the team realigned into a vertical stack.

Every odd Wonderbolt accelerated out of the main column, creating two groups of ponies. Eventually both stacks faced off and raced at each other, leaving stormy smoke trails in their wake. Each half of the team scissored through the gaps in the other and a flag of gray cloud lines remained. More sweeps sliced the lines into a smoke and sky checkerboard.

Rainbow Dash crammed as many of the flight patterns as she could into her head. She'd seen them before, but she hadn't had enough ponies to practice with to actually try them.

A rush of fire orange split off from the team. "Hey Rainbow Dash." Spitfire hovered nearby. "Ready to fly?"

"You bet I am!"

Soarin' hollered at them. "Good luck with that Spitfire! She already knows most of the basics."

"Maybe the way you do, Soarin', but not the way I know them."

Oh boy.

Five minutes later Spitfire had her racing around a mountain peak. Her mentor shouted, "Come on Rainbow Dash, wings out, legs straight. Circles are circular! Maybe they told you in flight school it's impossible to make a perfect circle, but you're a cut above that. We're staying here until I see one."

Perfect circle. After Rainbow Dash flew a flawless circle, Spitfire took her out over the mountains. The flamed Wonderbolt stayed within a wingspan at all times, but thanks to Soarin's lessons Rainbow Dash took it in stride. Spitfire flew her through flybys and Wonderworks, V formations and line patterns. It became more difficult with Rapidfire on the second week of training. She was boxed in on two sides, so she had to be aware of what she was doing and how close her flight partners were.

Over early morning breakfasts Rapidfire taught her the rules of Wonderbolt smoke and the different specialties of every pony on the team. He showed her the world map and told her about the lands outside Equestria. Twice Rapidfire talked strategy over a game of Battlecloud. He outsmarted her both times.

Magic study only ever happened in the evening, giving her barely enough time to make up whatever she could for dinner before rushing over to the other end of HQ. This was one training she did not want to be late to.

The first time she went she thought she'd gotten lost because the room on Rapidfire's schedule was empty, save the door to the garden on one end and the door to the hallway on the other. She went inside to be sure.

A flash of silver light announced a unicorn that Rainbow Dash could describe in a word as severe. The unicorn's silver mane pulled back into a no-nonsense bun. Two silvery black things that looked like chopsticks stuck through the bun in an X. Her tail was straight, slick, and practical. Not even Rainbow Dash was going to mess with this mare aged by time and experience, at least not until she got a better sense for the situation.

"Please have a seat."

Rainbow Dash double checked to be sure. Nope, the room was still empty. There weren't any chairs.

"Right there is fine."

She sat down and a cushion was under her. She almost jumped up in surprise at that, and then at the fact a whole library was popping into existence. Years of expertise in remaining cool at all times kept her in her seat.

The unicorn ignored the wrought iron coffee table that appeared next to her. "Good evening Rainbow Dash. I shall be your private instructor in the art of magic over the coming weeks. When I deem you are ready to join the rest of the Wonderbolts, you will attend regular sessions with one of my students. You may call me Magic."

"Magic?" she repeated skeptically. It was a weird name.

"Magick." The unicorn snapped the 'k' at the end.

Nope, she definitely was not going to mess with this pony. She reminded herself she was learning this for the Wonderbolts. The reminder allowed her to listen for a few minutes before she zoned out. Her wings felt weird from flying in circles so long.

Quick as lightning a chopstick shot from Magick's mane and snapped Rainbow Dash right across the muzzle. She jerked to full attention. The lash stung and gave her the energy of espresso straight to the bloodstream.

"On your feet please."

She wasn't allowed to sit for the rest of the thirty minute lesson, but she had no trouble staying awake. This included when she went to bed afterwards and tried to fall asleep.

As for combat practice, she was glad somepony was finally putting her up to the task. You'd think after facing Equestria's worst foes Princess Celestia would give the Elements of Harmony some battle skills. Fluttershy could definitely use them. Even though teaching the Element of Kindness about fighting was a lost cause, it would still be fun to watch.

Rapidfire slotted her for combat practice with Lightning Streak and wished her luck.

The training room had targets for accuracy, practice dummies for power, and an obstacle course for reflexes. It was a bit curious that all the gear was suited for ground combat. Aerial sparring must happen somewhere else.

Rainbow Dash was in the mood to pick a fight after being overworked by Spitfire and Rapidfire, and it just so happened that Lightning Streak stood dead center in front of one of the targets. She pawed the ground and readied a charge. "Alright Lightning Streak, let's do this."

"Whoa there Rainbow Dash, we have to wait."

"What for? Aren't you gonna show me how to fight?"

"Me?" Lightning Streak laughed nervously. "You've got the wrong pony."

Surprise stepped into the room. "What's this, you two battling without me?"

The white Wonderbolt told Rainbow Dash to charge her instead.

All of that jousting practice was for naught. Rainbow Dash ended up on her back with a great view of the ceiling and not a clue about what just happened.

Surprise helped her up. "I'll take a flying guess that you didn't beat Discord down by hoof. Don't worry, by the time I'm done with you, you'll be able to smash an entire room of changelings with only one hoof."

Nopony knew the specifics of their embarrassing defeat at Canterlot Tower. Now Rainbow Dash wasn't so sure.

Surprise didn't skip a beat. "Strength isn't a problem for you. Let's start with the obstacle course to work on your reaction time."

Rainbow Dash was lucky to even have a hoof left to beat changelings with after combat training days. She threw herself into bed with aching wings, sore legs, tender spots she tried not to let touch anything, and a headache if she got whacked by Magick's chopsticks. She was so exhausted it was hard to get to sleep.

Some nights she'd get a knock on her door from Soarin'. "Hey Dash, I came to say goodnight."

She considered this offer. His visits were right after magic class, so she'd had her fill of words. "How about a kiss goodnight instead?"

"Mmm, that sounds interesting. Did you have a certain pony in mind?"

"Come closer and I'll tell you who it is."

He came closer, but she didn't tell him anything – at least not with words she didn't.

Soarin' never stayed more than a few minutes to check in. Having gone through basic training himself, he knew she needed to rest. Rainbow Dash was thankful for this because it was really easy to get caught up in adventures with him around.

Every morning the training wheel of death started all over again.

She meant to go visit her friends during the weekend and found she didn't have the energy to leave the base, much less her own bed. Rapidfire stopped by to make sure she was okay when the sun reached noonhigh and still nopony had seen her face. She told him she was still sleeping it off and he went on his way.

Her second visitor that afternoon was Surprise. "Hey Rainbow Dash, if you open this door I'll give you these delicious cookies."

It worked. Now that she had some free time she was starting to miss some of the things back in Ponyville, like Rarity's fashion freak outs and Pinkie Pie's random desserts. A whole week of peace and quiet – such a thing was a rare find at home, especially with some of Twilight's crazy experiments on the loose. Ponyville: Home of the Flying Orange.

The cookies were so fresh the chocolate chips were still sweet and melty when she bit into one.

Surprise put the plate on a table inside the room. "Great! Now that you're awake, let's go do something fun. A good laugh is the best kind of medicine for just about anything. Wave Chill and I are going to an art gallery in Canterlot. Do you want to come?"

The short flight might help push off some of the stiffness. "Sure. Why not?"

"Hmm." Rainbow Dash stood before the a painting and tipped her head left and right. No matter which angle she looked at it, the picture was still a huge shot of somepony's posterior. "I don't get it."

Wave Chill laughed. "It's art. It's not supposed to make sense."

Surprise threw a hoof up at the butt painting. "Yeah right Wave Chill. Clearly this is a representation of the artist's self-effacing subconscious, driven by a deep seated insecurity with contemporary sexual mores and her place within them."

Whatever it meant, there was something highly entertaining about the thought of elegant ponyfolk staring at a giant rear end.

Wave Chill looked over to Surprise. "That's assuming the artist drew her own behind. How can you tell it's hers?"

Rainbow Dash tried to imagine how a pony could turn their head to get a good enough view of their own rump to draw it. Maybe with a mirror?

Surprise snorted. "I can't. You think I'd recognize a pony by their plot?"

"If only Lightning Streak were here with us. I bet he could ID the owner," Wave Chill said. Surprise stuck her tongue out in mock playfulness.

The next painting was an outstretched wing against a solid white background. The painting's lack of depth and detail left little to the imagination because the wing had exactly two colors: lavender and a darker lavender outline around each feather.

Rainbow Dash gawked. "Wow, it's so lifelike." It was hard to tell it wasn't the real thing pasted on a piece of paper. "What do you think about this one Surprise?"

"The image is uncannily realistic, but notice how there is only one wing. The painter conveys a sense of hopes and dreams through flight. At the same time those aspirations are curtailed by reality, which presents only half of what is needed."

"No way," Wave Chill said. "You're totally making that stuff up Surprise." He opened his gray blue wings and flipped around to point across the room at a drawing they hadn't visited yet. The main feature was a bowl stuffed over the top with bananas. "Alright, what about that one?"

"I…" Surprise hesitated while she surveyed the heap of elongated yellow fruits. "Yeah, I've got nothing."

It was ironic that now Rainbow Dash was a Wonderbolt, he saw less of her than before. He couldn't wave at her when she came to watch them during practice because he needed to focus on the flight formations. When he saw her in the hallway, she was always in a hurry to get somewhere else. She looked harrowed and beaten up and determined as always.

Soarin' tried to spend time with her over the first weekend, but she'd gone off with somepony else and wasn't anywhere around headquarters. On one hoof he was glad because he wanted her to be friends with the other Wonderbolts the way he was; on the other hoof he was jealous.

He tried to take his mind off her the next week by running Equestria with Lightning Streak, watching Wave Chill and Blaze play video games, trying to bake an apple pie for the first time with Surprise's help and cleaning up the disaster after, and hoping a mission from Canterlot Castle would come in and distract him. But you know how it is when you get a certain mare on your mind. She drives you wild, and she doesn't even have to be there to do it.

Friday evening of week two, Rapidfire was making short work of Soarin' in a game of Battlecloud. The stormy stallion crushed Soarin's weatherpony. "Y'know Soarin', I didn't trust your judgement at first, but I'm glad we chose Rainbow Dash. Surprise said of all the others, she would get along best with the whole team. As usual Surprise was right. Rainbow Dash has obviously trained for this much longer than any of her former peers, so there's not much to say in terms of her skill."

Soarin' was only halfway listening because he was trying to figure out which square of Rapidfire's to call. His friend was going to beat him anyway, but sometimes in the process of losing he could figure out what kind of strategy Rapidfire was in the mood for that week.

"Don't look so glum Soarin'. She's gotten used to the training schedule. I think she'll have time for you this weekend."

"Aw Rapidfire, don't get my hopes up. Sky seven." Soarin' struck down Rapidfire's thunderbolt.

Not only did Rapidfire win the game in the end, he was also correct in his Rainbow Dash forecast.

Rainbow Dash caught Soarin' on his way to the kitchen that evening. She was feeling good enough to be hovering instead of walking these days. "Geeze, there you are. I only had to fly the hallways two times. Anyway, I wanted to see if you'd like to go out tonight."

"Sure!" He looked her up and down. She had rings under her eyes, but other than that she was spirited as always. "You sure you want to? We could just stay here."

She dropped her head. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning."

He had the two of them in the sky quicker than Pinkie Pie could say the word 'fun'. "Dinner it is then. What were you thinking, Pony Joe's? His place is pretty empty about now. Bet we could get him to cook for us."

"Nah, I had something else in mind. There's this fancy restaurant in Canterlot Rarity is always talking about."

"Let me guess. The most upscale eatery that ranks top in the list of romantic places to eat, and is probably also French?"

"That's the one."

"Baiser Français. Don't quote me on that because I can't pronounce it." Soarin' turned his gaze to the mare gliding at his side, a shot of color on a backdrop of stars. "If we're eating there we better go back and get dressed up. But don't think I'm not on to you Dash; you wouldn't want to eat there for no reason. Are we going to horrify Rarity's cousins with our table etiquette?"

Rainbow Dash grinned. "No, we'll use good manners this time. Mostly."

"I've missed your crazy ideas."

Baiser Français had its own little section of downtown Canterlot inside a square of gardens bordered by elaborate black iron fences. A half circle of cobbled path led to the restaurant for easy entrance and exit. Ornate carriages dropped off couples in their best outfits and parties of ponies in the mood for fine dining.

One of the city's most detailed fountains graced the lawn between the driveway and the streets of Canterlot. Carvings of vineyards under starry skies and other romantic Canteresque scenery decorated the masterpiece. Every time Soarin' saw it he remembered the year Blaze went off on a crazy party rampage and ended up playing in the fountain water, much to the horror of the restaurant-goers and the amusement of the press.

The inside of Baiser Français was far more than a fancy dining room. The whole restaurant was spacious and grand, though not all the eating areas were visible from the entrance. Dark mahogany wood was the primary feature, from the paneled walls to the curling rails along the second floor and dividers between some of the tables for privacy. Deep green, blue, and purple tapestries and other ornaments complimented the color of the wood nicely. Here and there was a flash of gold. The far wall was not a wall at all, but an enormous window looking over a breathtaking view of the gardens and Canterlot. At this time of night the city's lights were a sight to behold.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin' entered the establishment in full glory. Their appearance together had the effect of an old western movie, where the dangerous wanted criminal enters the bar and everyone shuts up so they can hear the sound of her spur boots stirring up the dust on the floor. The light orchestra piano music died. Ponies in classy attire stopped chatting and stared openly at the couple. Those who couldn't see turned around to look. A wine glass in the kitchen shattered.

Neither of the two ponies had a single scrap of clothing on, not so much as a fancy hair pin or cravat to their names.

Rainbow Dash loved every minute of their horrified attention. Soarin' loved the face she made when she was disturbing the peace – the one with the narrowed eyes and smug smile.

"R-Rainbow Dash, yes?" The host stuttered over her name. He was afraid of her, as he should be. "Right this way please."

No honorable pony ever turned away a paying customer, much less a Wonderbolt.

The musicians snapped out of their stupor and picked the song back up. Background music helped the guests realize they were gaping. Gradually ponies returned to their dinner conversation.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin' chose to be civilized naked ponies, so they sat across from each other at their table and minded their manners. The hardest part for Soarin' was not putting his forelegs on the table. He wanted to prop his head up with one of them and daydream while he watched the most attractive thing in the entire restaurant.

If he closed his eyes it was easy to go back to the sensation of her wings embracing his, the soft touch of her lips…

"Ahem," the waiter coughed. Rainbow Dash had already ordered and was looking at Soarin' quizzically.

"Ah! Oh, I'll have this." He put his hoof on a line on the menu at random. Anything was fine with him.

The two ponies were left in peace. Not even aristocrat fans would bother them – not unless they wanted to be publically shamed for associating with the unclothed.

Over the candlelight they talked about Dash's first air show and how to get the Wonderbolts in the next global flight competition. When their meals arrived, Soarin' promised to take her on the Tartar Sauce race course. He still couldn't remember the actual title, so he was greeted by her laughter at the food-related name he'd made up.

Rainbow Dash put her empty glass on the table. "These are probably all made of fancy crystal too."

"I'll bet. Do you know how to tell when a glass is crystal?"

She shook her head no.

Soarin' flipped over one of the unused wine glasses on the table. He peered over his right shoulder and then his left to be sure the evening guests were deep in their own conversations. He licked his hoof before running it around the mouth of the glass.

The crystalline cup sang a clear, soothing note that blended perfectly with the piano on the other end of the restaurant. The glasses must have been shipped straight from the Crystal Empire itself.

"That's so cool! I didn't know you could do that."

"The higher quality the glass, the better the sound. These sound pretty expensive."

"I guess we can hold off on breaking things for one night."

Through an exquisite dinner they revealed tricks they'd played in their childhoods and friends they'd made and lost. There were so many stories to cram into one dinner conversation, but they tried. They stayed long after the faces in the room changed. They ordered desert and sipped slowly out of champagne flutes and watched the city's lights out the window.

Late into the night the Wonderbolt pair landed together in the private garden attached to Rainbow Dash's room by a set of glass doors. Faint light from the waning moon illuminated the colors in Rainbow Dash's mane and on the curves of her face.

Soarin' pulled his trump card. "By the way, aren't you going to ask me what 'baiser français' means?"

Rainbow Dash was more than happy to play his game. "Alright Soarin', what does it mean?"

"Score! Okay, close your eyes."

The mare thought this was a suspicious answer. She raised an eyebrow, biding time to see if he had any more to say. He kept grinning and waited for her to close her eyes. She did.

Soarin' eased his way up to her and took one more look at the moonlit mare. Glowing rainbows faded into darkness as he allowed his eyelids to drift shut. Without sight he became aware of the warmth of her presence and the soft stir of her breath while she waited.

Soarin' brushed the tip of his nose against hers and relished every moment he was able to feel her supple fur against his own. Rainbow Dash softened under the gentle touch, sensing what was coming next. He tipped his head and leaned forward.

French Kiss, she reminded herself as she got ready to visit Ponyville the next morning.

Sweet rain was he good at it too. She had fallen right into his trap, and no pony ever pulled one over on Rainbow Dash. Even if she'd picked up a single word of French from Rarity (fat chance), the outcome would've been the same. Some traps were worth falling for.

Ooohh.

She shook the shivers out of her coat and launched into the promising clear day.

Twilight saw her coming before she landed at their weekly get together. "Rainbow! You made it!"

"Sorry guys. I've been really busy."

"Busy?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Or busy."

"Ch. Yeah, I wish. Spitfire is killing my wings."

Pinkie Pie stopped in the middle of a sip of pink lemonade and sprayed it all over Rarity, who happened to be sitting next to her. Rarity went into shock as beads of pink liquid rolled down her fur.

Pinkie Pie gaped across the table. "You've been getting busy with Spitfire? But I thought–"

Rainbow Dash cut her off. "No Pinkie! Use your brain."

The earth pony looked even more confused than before. "What brain?"

Meanwhile, Fluttershy picked up a napkin and tried to wipe the juice off of a petrified Rarity. It only made the pink smear into splotches. "Oh, um, sorry. Sorry!"

Applejack got up and went over to the broken unicorn. "Here Fluttershy, lemme see that." She took the napkin and made as if to spit in it, but thought better at the last second. In one strong sweep she grabbed a water glass off the table, rammed the napkin on top, and tipped it over. She scrubbed Rarity's face with the wet cloth.

"There. Good as newborn foal on a summer's day."

Rarity came back to Equestria after a few minutes. "Thank you Applejack. And now I'd like to make a very important announcement." All of the chattering around the table died down. Evidently Rainbow Dash was not the only one who didn't know what to expect, because all eyes were trained on Rarity, each with their own set of various emotions.

"It is official – tomorrow I'm signing the lease to open a Carousel Boutique in Canterlot."

Every pony cheered and congratulated Rarity. "Oh Rarity, that's wonderful," Twilight said. It was about time Rarity made the big step in her career.

"I've found a very dependable set of ponies who will look after the shop there. Of course on some occasions I shall work from Canterlot. As much as Sweetie Belle would like to help with the Ponyville shop while I'm away, I would rather not let her loose in the boutique without supervision. I am still looking for an extra hoof here."

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. "Oh, oh! Me! Pick me! I know exactly who can help you at the shop."

Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack under the sounds of celebration. "At this rate, I'll bet something big is in store for Twilight next."

Applejack countered, "I wouldn't wager so much as an apple stem against Twilight. You and I are on the same side. How bout we bet on something else?" Applejack's expression melded into one of mischief. "Like which one of us gets hitched first."

"Oh no you don't AJ, we are so not betting on that!"

Rainbow Dash dreamed. And in her dream, she reached the peak of the mountain and saw the other side. She saw the forests to the west shrivel into brown mountains and the great desert beyond. But she didn't stop there.

Wonderbolts flocked past her, still going up. "Come on Rainbow Dash," Spitfire called. "We're starting the race over here."

At the heart of Equestria, six Wonderbolts hovered over an imaginary derby line. They didn't know where they were going yet, but soon they'd find out. Spitfire flew before the line and prepared her best announcer's voice. When she reached the sixth Wonderbolt she flipped towards the group and flared her wings. Gleaming orange rays of Celestia's sun caught between the gaps in her feathers. "Welcome to the first unofficial race… to the sun!"

"What?" Rapidfire snapped his head around. "Spitfire, are you cr–"

"Go!"

Five of the competitors shot towards the impossible goal without hesitation, leaving Rapidfire in the proverbial dust.

Equestria dropped out beneath Rainbow Dash as she passed Soarin' and caught up with Fleetfoot. The snowy mare lashed out at the air with her hooves and shot forward, giving Rainbow Dash a lot of distance to cover. Behind her she heard wingbeats of the other three racers not far behind.

The air started to feel uncomfortably chill. Blaze and Wave Chill fell behind, laughing over the three remaining Wonderbolts. Blaze chuckled. "The sun? Nopony's ever put a hoof on the sun. Spitfire sure had me going for a second."

Fleetfoot seemed to come to the same conclusion because Rainbow Dash whooshed past her without a fight. Now it was just between her and Celestia's fireball orb. Cold wind rushed through her mane.

Blaze shouted, "Rainbow Dash, watch out behind you!"

Rainbow Dash was so fast everything was behind her. It wasn't very useful advice.

A thundercloud trail breezed into first place. Soarin' gave a smug salute and put on more speed to take the lead.

Fleetfoot shook her head and peered through her goggles at the twin cloud trails lancing toward the sun. "Look at them, they're both totally crazy. They're actually going for it."

In the dream Rainbow Dash chased Soarin' into the freezing sky where her breath turned to misty puffs trailing behind her. They were both losing speed in the wintry air. She closed the gap separating them with labored wing beats. Flying so high so fast was no easy task, and the air was so thin it was hard to breathe. Soarin' huffed alongside her. Slowly they both came to a stop. Nopony was touching the sun today.

Far below their teammates called to them to come down. Rainbow Dash gave them a hooves up that they were okay.

Soarin' panted, his breath forming into miniature crystallized clouds. "Well Dash, is it everything you thought it would be?"

Rainbow Dash was a Wonderbolt.

"No," she said. "It's more."

She was looking directly at him when she said it. He read the feeling behind those words and she saw his own response reflect back at her. It wasn't said aloud, but it was there in the poise of his wings, in the shimmer in his eyes, in the way he drifted down to Equestria by her side to face whatever the future threw at them.

He loved her, and as long as she wanted him around he'd never let her go, not for anything.

It was a dream. Except the wondrous thing about this dream was that she was not asleep. She was living it.