Rainbows and choices

11

I was not there with my mind that night. I hardly heard the screams of pain that Owen and Lovely Gold produced while the machine tore them to pieces. The article repeated itself in my head. Spitfire and Cloud Walker crashed. Were they okay? How could that have happened. They are the best flyers I know. And now we all had to do our test again. I found a letter from the Cloudsdale board between my mail after school. The letter confirmed that I had to do my test again. What if I failed. Then I would disappear into the machine like everypony else. I didn't care if somepony was torn to pieces in the pegasus device, but I didn't want to go myself. I felt something that I had not felt since my first month at the Rainbow factory: Fear for my life.

Far too fast the month was over. I hadn't had contact with my brother and sister anymore. I stood nervously at the gate of the school. I had agreed with Fleur Flowers to fly to cloudsdale together. 'Good luck!' Said Sandbar. 'If you don't make it, know we will miss you forever.' Devo said. 'Come on, Deef. Black Blue is the best racer at school. She'll make it.' Said Smolder. 'Shall we go then?' Fleur Flowers asked after she gave her best friend Music Shine a hug. Music Shine was a few years younger than Fleur Flowers. She was also a pegasus and had to take her test in a few years. 'I'm ready.' I said and together with Fleur Flowers I took off. It was quiet for most of the flight. We were already in Cloudsdale when Fleur broke the silence. 'I'm nervous. What if I fail?' She said. 'Then Cloudsdale will never see you again.' I said. I knew for sure that Fleur wasn't half as nervous as me. After all, she did not know what happened to the failures.

Soon we were at our location. I looked around a little nervously. Suddenly I heard someone call my name behind me. It was Terra Darder. She was a gray pegasus with black and purple mane. I knew her from when I was still in flight school. 'I read it in the newspaper. It's not fair that you have to retake your test. After all, you didn't crash.' She said. 'I know, but there's nothing you can do about it.' I answered. I looked around me. All that nervous pegasi. How many of them would I throw into the pegasus device soon? 'Are you okay? You look a little ... you don't look so good.' Fleur asked worried. 'Just nervous.' I said. I heard somepony calling my name again. I turned around and saw ... my brother and sister. My heart skipped a beat. They were covered with scratches and bruises. Cloud Walker had a bandage around its right wing. Spitfire had a bandage around both wings and one around her head. 'You're injured? No way you can fly like this.' I said. Cloud Walker gave me a hug. 'The Cloudsdale board don't want to give us any delay. If we are sent away, know that we love you.' He said and let me go again. 'No that's not possible. It's not fair.' I said not knowing what to do next. Spitfire hugged me too. 'We're so sorry. I wish we could stay together. We're going to do our best, but I can't promise anything. We don't say it much, but we really love you.' She said. I felt a drop in my neck. Was Spitfire crying? I was shocked. I had never seen Spitfire cry. Not even with anger or happiness. I knew her from before my first birthday. She was always so tough and so strong. And now she gave me a hug, crying, saying that she loves me. She released me again and wiped her tears. 'If you don't pass the test, don't go to the gate. Fly, flee. Don't let them send you away.'I said.  'A life on the run is not worth it.' Said Spitfire. 'Yes, it is. I know things about the sent away pegasi. Don't follow in their hoofsteps. 'I said. Cloud Walker opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment a supervisor spoke.

'Everypony in place and quiet. We do this by name. The test consists of 3 parts. Clear, Fly, Fall, Comlete. Put the clouds away, fly through the hoops and close your wings for 3 seconds. Any less and you'll fail, but remember there are no extra points for extra seconds. Then recover before you hit the cloud floor. Before you take off you have to wait for the individual nods of the jury. Are there any questions.'

Nopony moved. 'Well then we start. Amanda Sky! Clear, Fly, Fall, Complete!' A nervous purple pegasus walked forward. She waited and took off after the final nod of the jury. I watched breathlessly as she performed her test without problems. 'Andrea Solstice! Clear, Fly, Fall, Complete!' That name was familiar to me. Solstice. She must have been a family of Orion. The Pony that Scootaloo got along with so well. She took off, removed the clouds, flew through the hoops, closed her wings for 3 seconds, recovered and passed the test. She would never know what had happened to Orion. That was perhaps the best thing. Now she may still think he is happy somewhere.

'Black Blue! Clear, Fly, Fall, Complete!' I was shocked. I gave my brother and sister one last hug and walked forward. The jury nodded. I took off at an incredible speed. I hadn't kicked away any clouds in years. Still, I had the sky clear very quickly. I flew through the hoops as fast as I dared. I didn't want to take the risk of flying to fast in the turns. I rose a bit and closed my wings. It was weird to fall and not open your wings. 1,2,3. I opened my wings and pulled up as quickly as possible. I landed next to Amanda Sky and Andrea Solstice. While I heard the next name echo through the coloseum. 'Cloud Walker! Clear, Fly, Fall, Complete!' Cloud Walker walked forward. The jury didn't nod. 'You can't fly with that bandage.' One of the jury members called out. 'I haven't healed yet.' Called Cloud Walker. 'Either you take it off and do your test or we'll fail you immediately!' Another jury member called. You shouldn't tell him that twice. He removed the bandage and only now did I see his right wing. He missed a third of his feathers. A large part of the feathers that he had left were broken, bent or were crooked. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't even get off the ground with so few feathers. We also looked at the jury. Every jury member gave a nod. Cloud Walker had to start.