I smiled as I left the Wonderbolts Stadium and trotted into the sunshine. Thematically appropriate as the earlier showers had been for today's noirish drama, It was nice to not have to worry about my ensemble getting drenched. Besides, the sunlight brought out so much beauty in the city around me. There was still a great deal of untapped potential in Canterlot's scenery.

"Rarity!" The shout jolted me out of my thoughts. "Wait up!"

I turned to see Rainbow Dash galloping up to me, weaving around more sedate ponies. Once she came to a halt, I said, "Rainbow? Why, whatever is the matter?"

Her eyes widened as she took a few steps back. "Who said anything was the matter?"

"For one, you're on hoof," I said as I guided us to a nearby ornamental fountain. No sense in standing in the street. "You walk about as often as I work with plaid." Furthermore, she had the worst poker face I'd ever seen, but I certainly wasn't going to tell her that.

She looked away. "Well, I mean, actually flying with the Wonderbolts, doing the Aerial Flower Formation, it takes a lot out of a pony. And the whole 'flying to the Crystal Mountains' and back thing."

I nodded. "I can certainly see how you'd be rather weary after that. But why aren't you still with the Wonderbolts? I'd assumed there would be some manner of afterparty."

"Well, you know, reserve flier and all." Rainbow gave a weak chuckle. She still couldn't meet my eyes. "I'm not getting all the perks quite yet."

"Are you sure?" I put a hoof over my heart. "You know I'm happy to help in whatever way I can."

She scowled at me. Her wings began to open in her agitation, and she couldn't entirely hide the wince. It seemed that much was true, at least. “You’re not gonna go all Shadow Spade on me, are you?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. If I’m going to ‘go all’ anything on you, it will be going all Rarity." I gave a friendly smile. "You look like you need a sympathetic ear, not a private eye.”

“Thanks, but I don’t need either." She started walking around me. "I’m fine. Really.”

"I see." I summoned the trunk I'd been using to tote around the Femme Mystique Chic collection, floated a sapphire out of it, and balanced the jewel on her muzzle.

She stopped and turned to me, keeping the sapphire balanced, her eyes crossed to focus on it. "What's this for?"

"Train fare." I gave a rather theatrical sigh. "Much as I might wish otherwise, I cannot afford to spend any more time in Canterlot, and if your business with the Wonderbolts is over and done with, I was hoping you might join me on the train back."

Rainbow scowled. "I can pay for my own ticket, Rarity." Her expression softened into a smile. "Heck, after what you did today, I should probably be paying you."

I waved off the notion. "Nonsense. I know I'm imposing on you; doubtless you flew here and doubtless you were planning on flying back."

Rainbow couldn't help but glance at her wings for a moment. "Well... we'll see."

I nodded. I'd done all I could. "I'm taking the six o' clock Friendship Express. I'll be as near the front of the train as I can be." I trotted off to my suite at the castle.

---

I ended up in the car just behind the engine. Once seated, I pulled out the copy of A Mare Called Spade that had seen me through the trip here and dove back in. Still, even as Shadow stalked through the San Franciscolt underground, I kept my ears pricked.

Soon enough, one set of hoofsteps came closer than any others, and the springs of the seat groaned as the cushion dipped, pressed down by another pony. A bit less, I must admit, than I was depressing it, but that could be attributed to differences of tribe. Hollow bones and what not.

"I'm only here to keep you company," said a raspy voice from my right.

I looked up in feigned confusion for a moment, blinking blankly and otherwise emulating Twilight when she was dragged out of a book. I then moved to genuine delight. "Rainbow Dash! I'm so glad to see you took me up on my offer."

She shrugged her wings, took a familiar sapphire out of her saddlebags, and dropped it next to me. "Hey, I had to get this back to you sooner or later. I told you, I can cover my own train ticket."

I smiled as my magic moved it back over to her. "Then consider it a present. I'm sure Pinkie will throw you a congratulatory party when we get home."

She mirrored my expression and gave a chuckle. "Yeah, probably." She waved her forelegs and raised her voice. "Happy first Wonderbolts show and also not getting banned from them!" She shook her head and put the jewel back into her bags. "If you insist."

"I do. You've earned far more with all you've done."

Rainbow took a deep breath and looked away. "There's nothing bugging me, you know."

I kept up my grin. "Glad to hear it."

"Just here to keep you company," she said, about as believable as a Maresace knockoff.

"For which I am quite grateful." I gave her a nod, then turned back to my book.

"Okay."

"Indeed."

It couldn't have been more than a minute before Rainbow started fidgeting. I kept my right ear tilted just a bit towards her, even as my eyes stayed fixed on Shadow Spade's exploits. Just a bit, enough to better catch her teeth grinding, the springs on the seat squeaking as she shifted about, her hooves tapping on the floor of the train.

It wasn't much longer before she cried, "All right, all right!"

I looked up from my book. "Is something the matter, Rainbow?"

She threw her forehooves into the air "Oh, come on! I know you're doing this on purpose."

"Doing what on purpose?" I asked, blinking in apparent incomprehension.

Rainbow scowled at me, clearly not fooled. "Acting dumb so I'll open up about what's bothering me."

I brought my mouth into a little "o" of surprise. "So something is bothering you?"

She crossed her forelegs and looked away. For a moment, I worried that I might have pressed too hard, but she then sighed and said, "Yeah."

"You don't have to share if you don't want to," I said as I scooted a bit closer to her.

"You kidding?" She smirked. "There's no way I'd survive a train ride with you trying to make me tell you."

"I haven't said a word."

"Yeah, I know." Rainbow took a deep breath. "It's... You see..." She grimaced and spat out a sentence like it was a burnt cupcake. "I don't know if I want to be a Wonderbolt anymore."

I gasped in genuine shock, forehooves over my mouth. "What? But darling, this is your life's dream we're talking about!"

She sighed. "I know, Rarity. It's my dream."

"Whatever could've led you to such a dreadful decision?" I asked, leaning closer.

"Three times, Rarity," said Rainbow, staring off into the distance. "It's been three times now that the 'Bolts have let me down. First there was Lightning Dust at the academy. Sure, she was just a cadet with a chip on her withers, but Spitfire still made her the lead. She saw somepony who didn't care about anypony else, and she thought that was better Wonderbolt material than me." She turned to me. "What's that tell you?"

I paused for a beat. This had seemed like a monologue; I wasn't expecting to get involved. "Er, the Wonderbolts need a better screening process?"

Rainbow gave a humorless laugh. "Maybe. But then Spitfire did it herself at the Equestria Games qualifier, her and Fleetfoot. They dropped Soarin the moment he got hurt and tried to make me betray my team."

"Well, they weren't officially serving as Wonderbolts at the time." I wished I could take back the weak excuse the moment it left my lips.

Judging by Rainbow's scowl, so did she. "What does that matter? It's just wrong, official or not. And then Wind Rider. Wind Rider!" Rainbow had worked herself up to a wail. "The living legend! He of all ponies tries to sabotage an air show just to sabotage somepony who might have a shot at beating his record. And the way he was talking, he thought that was how Wonderbolts are expected to act!"

"Spitfire seemed to disagree," I noted. "She stripped him of his Wonderbolt status when his misdeeds came to light. Rather dramatically, I should say."

"Yeah, sure, but is that what she would've done if it had been before the qualifier?" Rainbow hung her head. "This isn't the team I thought it was, Rarity. I don't know what it is, but it isn't the team I've dreamed of flying with since I was a filly."

I nodded and spoke from experience. "It rarely ends well when dreams meet reality."

Rainbow turned to look at me, one eyebrow raised. "Uh, this is me we're talking about, Rarity. I get that you're saying something here, but I'm not that great at the whole subtext thing."

"I'm saying that your current situation isn't dissimilar to what I faced during that horrendous Grand Galloping Gala." I hoped I wouldn't have to go further into detail. I didn't want to think about that miserable night any more than was absolutely necessary.

Rainbow said nothing for a few moments. She recoiled when she made the connection. "Are you seriously saying that the Wonderbolts are like Prince Blueblood?"

"Well, in a certain sense, yes. Your fondest wish walks up to you and effectively spits in your face." I sighed as unwanted, boorish memories came to mind. "It's a crushing experience."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. It is."

Inspiration struck. I brought a hoof to my chin. "Still, perhaps this is for the best."

She looked at me like I had said that silk was suitable for a shower curtain. "Huh?"

"Perhaps they're all worried that you'll show them up."

"What?" Her brow was furrowing, her mouth turning down. Good.

I pressed on. "Well, think about it," I said airily. "The moment you were going to graduate from cadet, they establish a reserve with a written test requirement, practically tailor-made to delay you if not keep you out entirely."

Rainbow was fully scowling now. "The reserve was made to keep situations like what happened at the Equestria Games qualifier from happening again."

I nodded. "How strange that it hadn't been established before then, wouldn't you say? After all, the Wonderbolts have centuries of history behind them. Surely that couldn't have been the first time one was injured. And yet, up went another barrier. Back went the goalposts. It's almost as though they're deliberately dragging it out, making you wait until you're past your prime, until they stop feeling threatened by you."

She slipped off the seat, onto her hooves. Her wings flared out as she shouted, "That's not true!"

I shrugged. "I'm just saying how it looks to me."

"Well you're looking wrong! They may be jerks sometimes, but you know what? That just means I've gotta un-jerk them. I may want to be with them, but all these times have shown me that they need me." Rainbow brought a hoof to her chest. "Somepony's gotta make them live up to what they're supposed to be, and that pony's gonna be me."

I felt a corner of my mouth rise. “So you still want to be a Wonderbolt?”

She stomped a hoof. “Of course I do!”

“Well, problem solved, then." I smiled fully, then turned back to my book.

Rainbow sat back down. A few muted whines came from her end of the seat. Finally, she asked, “What just happened?”

I grinned as I glanced over. “I told you back in Canterlot, darling. I went all Rarity on you.”