Athazagoraphobia

Rainbow Dash was really quite a simple mare. In all honesty, she wasn't that difficult to understand if you took the time to get to know her, although getting past her arrogance could take some work. Rainbow had been such for a long time, longer than she could remember, and that was not liable to change anytime soon.

With a light blue coat, wine red eyes and the dazzling multi-coloured rainbow mane and tail she was so known for, Dash was an icon in some circles of the pegasus community. Winner of the Best Young Fliers award thanks to her massively memorable performance of the legendary Sonic Rainboom technique, self proclaimed Fastest Pegasus in Equestria (Yet to be tested) and coolest pegasus in Ponyville. She liked naps, speed, tricks and being adored.

This much, everypony in Ponyville and, indeed, anypony who had heard of her knew.

But Dash was more than just a speedy face.

Or, she would be, if she ever learned to stop napping in Applejack's trees.

So it was with a startled yelp that Rainbow found herself falling through the branches of the tree she was calling bed as Applejack purposefully and very deliberately bucked it with greatly unnecessary force.

After all, Rainbows don't grow on trees.

"Ow! AJ, that hurt!" She whined as she looked up from her back at her friend's unimpressed face.

"Ah'll say," AJ answered dryly, "Ah think Ah mighta' twinged somethin' in mah leg. Whatcha'll doin' sleeping in mah orchard again Rainbow? Ah thought we talked about this."

Rainbow flushed and scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. This was true. Several weeks back, when the pair were still (tentatively) dating, Applejack had broached the subject of Rainbow's constant napping on her trees and the way it was damaging them, and Rainbow had reluctantly relented and told her she'd try to stop doing it.

"Aw, c'mon Applejack," Rainbow wheedled hopefully, "It was just one time! I've been good, this is the first time since that day, I swear!"

"Third, actually," Applejack answered with a sigh, "Ah just didn't wake ya up the other two times Ah caught ya."

Rainbow coloured and looked away, grumbling softly about Applejack's vigil over her damn trees. Sometimes, Rainbow could swear the earth pony loved her trees more than she did her own family.

It wasn't true... but there you go.

"Whatever, I hardly do it anymore! Did you really have to kick me out your tree? Like, actually kick me out?"

"Ya weren't answerin' to mah calls," Applejack responded flatly, "Didn't have much choice."

Another flinch from Rainbow. Happened much too often for her to like, not hearing the hails or calls of other ponies when she's asleep. She hated it, but she couldn't help it if she was a sound sleeper.

"I'm sorry that I was asleep, okay?"

This was not a recent development between these two mares. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had known each other for years and, in those years, had argued or competed about just about everything. From who was stronger, who was faster, who was better in almost every way. The pair had even dated briefly until about a month ago.

"If ya didn't sleep so much, Ah wouldn't have ta' knock you out of mah trees now would Ah?"

Rainbow grumbled in reply and took off into the skies, her trademark technicolour streak of colour following her.

~*~

"So. We got about two weeks before the stage is set, which don't leave us with much time."

The purple pegasus stallion strode before the rest of his band, all watching attentively.

"We've done stuff like this before of course, so it's no biggie. Now, we gotta stick with the less aggressive songs of course, Mayor's worried about the kiddies, and that is understandable. So, what I want you lot to do is start brainstorming, get up a list of songs we can play for the good ponies of ponyville whilst the foals are awake and there. I reckon, after that, we have an intermission, and get down to some of our popular songs, 'ey?"

The four ponies before him nodded. One of them, a thin, lime green unicorn with a scraggly mane and a soul patch, stood up and stretched.

"And what'll you be doing during this?" He asked, obviously amused. The pegasus grinned suddenly.

"Well obviously I'll be gettin' us some chow! Guys've gotta eat right?"

There was a chuckle and murmurs of agreement from the three seated ponies. The green pony smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Figures. Go then, off with you Ranger. We'll take care of the song compilation. You just don't go catching cold."

"Would I do that Chords?" Ranger shot back cheekily, "I'll get a bit of everything yeah? Nothing but the best for me best mates right?"

A small cheer was his response and he smiled, turning with a subconscious dramatic flair, his black coat swaying behind him as he began his trot to Ponyville proper.

It was a pleasant day. No cloud in the sky, but not too hot. He could see a few pegasi flying around the airspace, and a few earth ponies in the town. He wasn't in a hurry, so he wandered through the streets, not really worried about the amount of time it would take him to get back. Scoping out the area as it were. He saw a bright pink, cupcake shaped building, but he didn't really feel like sweets. No, instead he looked around a little more. When he couldn't find anywhere else to buy food in the immediate area, he opened his wings and took to the air instead.

Straight into the path of a technicolour blur that hadn't been there a split second beforehoof.

"LOOK OUT!"

He turned his head just in time to see the multicolour blur smash into him. He was winded instantly, his breath rushing out in a 'oof' and he was pretty sure he heard his ribs creak, maybe even crack, as he caught her full on the chest. The pair shot through the air, tumbling and unable to stabilise their trajectory. They broke through the town limits, Ranger just getting a peek at the incoming landing. It was going to be rough. A clearing not far from the outskirts of town, a lake in the middle of it and, before they hit the ground, He folded his wings around the mare practically wrapped around his ribcage, adding an extra layer of protection between the blue bolt and the ground as they landed.

Hard.

He collided the ground with an audible yelp of pain and the sound of tearing fabric, back first onto the dirt, and bounced, hitting the ground twice more, both times managing to protect the pegasus under his wings by some miracle of luck, before landing spectacularly in the lake. It took the blue pegasus less than two seconds to burst out from under the water with a gasp of air, although it took Ranger a few more seconds, given his now hurting back, sides and wings. By the time he hit the surface, the projectile that had hit him had swum to shore, and was shaking herself off, trying to get rid of the water on her feathers mostly, he surmised. He too, swum to shore, calling as he swam.

"Oi, you alright? You ain't hurt or nothin' are you?"

"Ugh, no!" She, he surmised anyhow, called back, "But now I'm all wet, and my feathers are all messed up."

He reached the shore and rolled himself onto dry land, shaking himself off and instantly checking his jacket. He groaned as he took note of a huge tear across the shoulder seam.

"Aw hay," He grumbled, "That's going to cost me a pretty bloody penny."

He looked at the mare who was busy trying to fix her feathers.

"Blimey, how fast were you going to rip this? This stuff's imported, very strong."

"I dunno," She shot back irritably, "Why'd you have to get in my way?"

"Woah, chill out sheila," He replied, slightly surprised at her short fuse, "I wasn't gettin' up ya, I was just asking, coz it's meant to be real tough to break this stuff..."

He frowned suddenly and peered at her closer.

"Wait a sec, I know you from somewhere."

The cyan mare stopped and looked at him with a cocky smile, striking a pose despite her semi wet mane.

"Damn right!" She boasted, "I'm only the fastest pegasus in Equestria!"

Ranger grinned and sat down, brushing a strand of his mane that had fallen over his eyes.

"Well I'll be, Never thought I'd meet The Rainbow dash."

She positively glowed at his recognition and smirked smugly.

"Well, It's your lucky day! Because I'm totally here right now, and I'm totally ready to sign autographs!"

Ranger laughed and shook his head.

"Sorry sheila, but I'm fresh outta paper. And if I did have some, it was ruined when we went for a swim."

Her ears flattened and she laughed a little, nervously.

"Oh heh... yeah, right... about that. Sorry, I totally wasn't watching where I was going and... well.."

Ranger laughed and waved her apology off.

"Come on, it's not like this happens everyday, right?" he asked with a grin, "Besides, now I can tell everypony that I'll never wash this jacket again, although I'll probably get it fixed though. I like this jacket. It was expensive."

Dash chuckled a little apologetically and scratched the back of her head with a hoof.

"Yeah... Sorry about that. If it helps, I have a friend who can probably fix that easy."

"You think so?"

"Yeah!" Dash grinned, perking up again, "I mean, she's prissy and all, but she can sew and stuff, so..."

"Sounds great. Where can I find her then?"

"Follow me, I'll take you to her!"

~*~

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! Where everything is chic, unique and magnifique! I'm Rari- Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow actually seemed to flinch as she heard her name, something that Ranger didn't fail to notice, and grin at.

"Hiya Rarity," Rainbow said with a smile, recovering quickly, "How you doing?"

The white unicorn smiled brightly, her meticulously styled mane and tail both bouncing as she trotted over to her sporty friend.

"I'm doing very well, thank you. Have you come to finally model for me? I've told you, your athletic body would make an amazing model~"

Ranger chuckled and Rainbow made a face like it was the most disgusting thing in the world and shook her head quickly.

"What!? No! No way!"

"I dunno," Ranger smirked cheekily, "Reckon I'd pay a pretty penny to see that."

Rainbow glared at him and Ranger laughed. It was about now Rarity finally noticed him.

"And who's this?" She asked, raising a brow, mostly at the tear in his jacket, "And why didn't you come to me earlier? Give me that, hurry up!"

Ranger didn't even have time to look at the mare before he felt his jacket being yanked off of him via magic, actually lifting him up in the process with a startled oath before he hit the floor again, thankfully on his hooves. His feathers were muddled up, he was disoriented, and he was no longer wearing his jacket. It was instead being held within the confines of light blue magic as Rarity inspected the tear with a professional eye.

"Goodness..." She began, "This is Palamino Steel Silk! How in the world did you manage to..?"

She looked back at the pair. Rainbow was looking at her hooves with a light blush on her cheeks, and Ranger was jerking his head towards the shamed looking mare. Rarity's brows dropped, obviously unimpressed.

"Of course. Well, I can fix this, and I'll put it on my list of things Rainbow owes me for good measure."

Rainbow looked up quickly, a heated response ready to make its way from her lips before Rarity burst into laughter.

"Oh, I'm kidding darling. I'll fix it for your coltfriend, and you can be on your way okay~?"

And Rainbow's mouth dropped and she stared at Rarity as the white unicorn giggled her way out into her workroom.

"He's not my Coltfriend!" She yelled after her friend indignantly, only to turn and see Ranger's grin. She glared at him, "One word, and I swear to Celestia..." She growled. Ranger chuckled.

"Come then my love," he teased, narrowly dodging a swipe from Rainbow's hoof, "I was off to get lunch when you threw yourself at me," another dodge, "So the least you can do is point me in the right direction, and eat with me."