Spring training was awesome, but I can't wait to see my friends!
I'm gonna catch up on some Daring Do with Twilight,
help Applejack make my favorite cider,
and have a sleepover with Pinkie!
We get it, you have a fun week planned.
Meanwhile I'm stuck here running trials week at the Academy.
But you love yelling and blowing your whistle.
Yeah. I do.
See you gals later!
[whoosh]
Heh heh heh.
[whoosh]
[sigh]
[alarm beeping]
Huh? Oh, the map!
Hey Twilight! So where am I going?
The Crystal Mountains? Vanhoover? Here?
Please say here.
Well, the good news is we both got called by the map.
Awesome! Does that mean there's bad news?
No! Well, not exactly.
Aww, I was just there!
Hearing impaired subtitles By YayPonies Muffins Trails https://yp1.yayponies.eu
♪♪
Ahem.
All right newbies, welcome to trials week
for the Wonderbolt Academy!
You'll be judged on your speed, strength, agility
and technique, culminating in a final evaluation.
Will it be hard? Yes. Will you cry? Maybe.
Will you fly so much your wings fall off?
That has only happened once.
She's just exaggerating to make a point, right?
I mean, wings can't really fall off, can they?
You think you've got what it takes to be an elite flyer?
Yes, ma'am!
Well, let me tell you, you don't.
I remember when she said that to me.
[excited hero-worship chatter]
You don't think Rainbow Dash is the pony
whose wings fell off, do you?
[whistle blast]
Quit yer whisperin' and give me five hundred laps! Go go go!
Um... I just wanted you to know.
You two are my favorite ponies in all of Equestria.
Well, isn't that sweet. Now get going on those laps!
Welcome, Princess Twilight!
What are you doing back so soon?
Official Friendship business.
Have you noticed anypony having a hard time with their friends?
Not really. But it's not my job to worry
about their relationships. I'm here to make them elite fliers.
Adorable. They're so full of hope and competition.
Their technique could use some work, though.
You should tell them.
I'm sure they'd appreciate any notes from you.
Nah. I wouldn't want to mess with their confidence.
But they'll never get better if they don't know what to work on.
Sloppy wing placement. Crooked lines.
I'm gonna have to drill them on basic technique
in the classroom portion.
Classroom portion?
Yeah. It's everypony's least favorite part of trial week,
but it has to be done.
Maybe we can help.
We can?
Absolutely.
Between your flying skills and my teaching expertise,
they could learn a lot!
Plus, once they get to know us, they'll be more comfortable
coming to us with their friendship problems.
Count us in.
Great!
[tweet]
You have your work cut out for you.
Thank goodness I had time to whip up a few charts
on flight patterns and wing symmetry!
It's fresh in my mind from when I learned to fly.
This is so exciting!
Maybe for you. I practically fell asleep
when I went through this. Tell ya what.
I'll leave the teaching stuff to you
and I'll just make sure they stay awake.
[blast]
I'm pretty sure their thirst for knowledge will keep them
bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
[laugh] Good one, Twilight.
[blast]
Wake up, newbies! Class is in session.
Hello, students!
I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is Rainbow Dash.
But you can call us T-Sparks and the Dashinator!
Twilight: Ahem!
Heh heh. Just kidding.
And we're here to go over basic flying technique.
Kid: Uggggggh.
Who said that?
Me. I mean, we're here because we're amazingly awesome
crazy good flyers. We're waaaaay past basics.
What's your name?
Sky Stinger. You've never heard of me?
He set the record for the fastest
vertical acceleration rate.
500 feet in two seconds.
That's pretty impressive.
It's amazing.
Ahem. It is.
And we can talk personal records after class, Ms--?
Vapor Trail. She's my wingpony. I never fly without her.
But you'll have to in the solo trials.
There are solo trials?
Yup. It's a part of your final evaluation.
We'll ace that test with our wings tied behind our flanks.
My picture will go right up there...
...next to yours.
That's a mighty big claim considering everypony here is an
"amazingly awesome crazy good flyer."
I know.
[ahem] OK! Let's get back on track.
Now, who can tell me the best wing angle
to achieve minimal air resistance?
[snoring ]
[blast]
Wake up, newbies! Class is in session.
[chattering]
Well, there were a few hiccups,
but overall that went pretty well.
[noisy yawn]
Yeah. Nopony fell asleep.
What? I'm not a student!
Hey, teach!
Me? Or Twilight? Probably Twilight.
Uh, both. About the solo test,
I'm actually kinda worried about it.
Aw. That's all right.
We all have moments where we doubt ourselves.
No. No. I have absolutely zero doubts about myself.
I'm a strong flyer--like really, really, really strong.
But this isn't about me. I'm worried for Vapor.
Oh. Well... that is very... kind? Of you.
Tell you what. It's almost time for freestyle training.
Why don't you grab her and show us what you've got?
Yes! Prepare to be impressed. By me.
Like I said, Vapor still needs work.
Well, he may be full of himself but I have to admit,
Sky's an excellent flyer. He must've shot up 200 feet!
But did you see Vapor Trail? Her wing was under his.
I think she gave him a boost.
I guess I didn't even notice Vapor.
I was too busy watching Sky.
Twilight: [gasp] I think you're right!
Vapor just created a gust of wind that caught Sky's wing
at a 45 degree angle, propelling him into a flipping loop.
Somepony paid attention in class!
Sky obviously has no idea he's not actually
"amazingly awesome".
And Vapor's so busy making her friend look good,
she's not focused on her own flying at all.
This must be our friendship problem,
and there's only one thing to do.
Fix it without telling them! Tell them the truth!
You don't want to tell them?
Of course not. Flying is like 30 percent skill
and 70 percent confidence.
You can't mess with a flier's confidence.
But you can't improve if you don't think you have to!
Besides, Vapor's keeping a pretty big secret from Sky
and that can lead to trouble.
Yeah, but if we tell them that they've been
holding each other back, that could be trouble too!
I nailed that flipping loop.
I'm actually surprised you're still here;
I thought I blew you away.
You were [PANT] great, Sky. [PANT]
Come on, Vapor Trail.
You're going to have to build up your endurance
if you want a shot at the Academy.
Wonderbolts don't get winded.
Angel Wings! You call that cloud busting?
That cloud barely knew you were there!
I love my job.
We'll keep working and who knows?
One day you might come close to being almost as good as me.
Oh, I don't think so.
You were voted Stratusberg's Most Promising Flier.
I was voted Best Sneeze.
Achoo!
You do have a really great sneeze.
Thanks, Sky. But I don't think I can sneeze my way
into the Academy. [sigh] I'm pretty beat.
I'm gonna hit the showers.
You have to help her.
Actually, she's not the one...
Will do!
♪♪
Hey, you did great. You're a really strong flyer.
Me?
Vapor Trail, we know what you've been doing.
You've been doing... great!
You've been helping Sky.
Uh. I don't know what you're talking about.
Sky doesn't need anypony's help. He's amazing.
Not without you. And it's gonna be pretty obvious
during the solo trials when he can't get enough air
to do a flipping loop.
Oh no. I can't let that happen.
I mean--aww, sugarcubes!
Why are you doing this for him?
[sigh] It started when we were kids. You have to understand...
...Sky grew up with a lot of siblings. It was tough.
He was always trying to get his parents' attention.
Meanwhile, I was an only child who hated all the attention
I got from mine.
Mom: Vapor Trail! Where are you? Do you need a snack?
Do you want to do homework?
Dad: Or we can just spend some time together!
All day is never enough!
Mom! Dad! Up here! Look, look, look, look, look, look, hey!
Mom! Dad! Can you see?
[sigh]
That was amazing!
Flying together gave us both what we wanted.
But I never told Sky how much I was helping him.
It started with a small boost here
or a little gust of wind there.
But I didn't think my help could actually hurt his chances!
I understand. But now you're both in trouble.
You need to work on your tricks.
And Sky needs to be able to fly without you or he won't make it.
Oh, but he has to! Flying with the Wonderbolts
has been Sky's dream ever since he was a colt!
What about you?
I-I guess I haven't thought about it.
I just want to be with my best friend.
Then we have to find a way to help both of you.
Starting with telling Sky the truth.
No! You can't. Sky will be crushed.
And without his confidence he won't fly as well.
[sigh] Then I guess we'll give Dash's method a shot.
Yes! I love being right. OK. Here's what we do.
Sky needs to build his strength. Air drills, wing lifts...
all that boring, methodical stuff.
Sounds like my cup of oats.
But how will we get him to do that?
He doesn't think he needs practice.
We'll just tell Sky that he should practice with Twilight
so you won't feel so self-conscious about getting
special training from me.
With you? Really? You'd do that for me?
Ha. You say that like it's not gonna be a blast.
♪♪
Whoa!
Agh!
♪♪
You were awesome!
Really? Thanks! I can't believe I was able to keep up!
That's the first nice thing I've heard you say about yourself.
Hey!
Can we switch now? I want to do tricks with Rainbow Dash!
You can't. I mean... uh you're already so good
at the fancy stuff.
And the basic stuff.
You're right. I don't need to practice at all.
Um. Maybe, Sky, you should...
I'm already the best and everypony's gonna know it
when I'm asked to join the Academy tomorrow.
But not if you don't practice.
I wouldn't be surprised if they asked me to become a Wonderbolt
straight out of the trials! Boom. Dream achieved.
SKY YOU'RE NOT AS GOOD AS YOU THINK YOU ARE!
What did you say?
Sky. I want you to get in as much as anypony,
and you're amazing, but...
But what?
I've been... helping you.
Please. I don't need your help. Watch.
[grunts and groans]
[panting]
How could you do this to me? Did you all know?
Oh great. So everypony but me knows I'm a joke.
Was this your plan the whole time? To embarrass me?
What? No! Don't you know me at all?
I guess not since it took me this long to find out
you're a terrible wingpony!
I can't believe you!
I can't believe I was ever your friend!
[zoom]
Thanks a lot.
Do you think they're still mad?
Yeah, they're still mad.
This is all my fault. If we had just done things your way,
maybe we could've avoided this whole mess.
No, it's my fault.
It hit me when I was watching Sky train with you.
He wasn't even trying.
Oh no. He's lost his confidence.
Do you want to tell me why one of my most promising students
is flying like a balloon with a hole in it?
Uh, it's a long story, but we'll fix it.
Yes you will!
[tweet!]
[sigh] We really messed up, huh?
I have a plan.
Hey, Sky. I thought I might find you here.
Well, apparently I need a lot of practice.
Guess I'm not the natural I thought I was.
No, you're not.
Thanks. Good pep talk.
I wasn't a natural at friendship.
But with some practice and some help from my friends,
I got better. And now? I'm the Princess of Friendship.
So you're saying I can be the Princess of Flying?
You know, you're really good. You're lead pony material.
That's sweet of you, but no.
I couldn't handle all the attention.
But you'll never become a Wonderbolt
if you're too afraid to shine. That is what you want, right?
Not at first. I just wanted to be with Sky.
But learning to do all those fun tricks with you?
It made me realize this is something I want for myself.
I was hoping you'd say that. Come with me.
What's she doing here?
Sky, Vapor was never trying to steal your spotlight.
She thought she was helping you.
And Vapor, you shouldn't have been so content
to take a back seat.
Now you can either stay mad, or help each other
and become two of the greatest fliers
the Wonderbolt Academy has ever seen!
Please pick the second option.
I don't want Spitfire to be mad at me.
[whoosh]
♪♪
You've got this, Sky!
♪♪
Focus on a cloud when you spin!
It'll help you fly straight when you come out of it.
Uh-huh!
♪♪
[whoosh]
♪♪
Woo-hoo!
♪♪
Woo! Yeah! Ha ha ha!
♪♪
[tire screech]
Oh yeah, way to go! Woo-hoo!
[cheering]
Congratulations.
You've both made it into the Wonderbolt Academy.
Whatever you did, it worked.
These two have a lot of potential.
Who knows? They might even be better than you, Crash.
[nervous laugh] OK, let's not get carried away.
Um, I just wanted you to know.
You two are my new favorite ponies in all of Equestria.
Rainbow Dash: Hey! I heard that!
I can't believe we did it!
You were great! Even though you can out-fly me,
you can be my wingpony anytime.
[laugh] And you can be mine.
♪♪
[crash]
Phew! It's good to be home.
You're telling me. Now we can finally catch up
on some Daring Do; I can make cider with Applejack...
[knock at door]
Dash! I've been looking all over for you.
Wonderbolt emergency! We gotta get back to HQ!
You've got to be kidding me! I was JUST there! [sigh]
[giggle]