Rainbow Dash felt triumphant.

The ever-growing beam on her muzzle stretched wide with the proud notion of her victory over the God of Chaos, himself.

It was about time somepony stood in and showed him his place. He wasn't better than her. He wasn't better than anypony and she was right to make him see that. Who cares if he was a God? Who cares if he could do anything at any given time with his lame disharmony powers? Not her, that's for sure. The guy couldn't even get himself a stupid glass of water!

Unlike her yellow-coated life-long companion, Dash had never entirely conceded to the draconequus becoming their painstakingly annoying friend. If it were up to her, she'd have him banished him to other side of the galaxy or some other big word that Twilight uses. Unfortunately, she just didn't have much say in the matter.

She was always renowned for being brash and more than a little short-tempered but if she saw you as a friend, she'd stay loyal to you to the end. That was her Element of Harmony, after all. If she wasn't loyal...then what was she?

Rainbow Dash shook her head to clear her mind of the thought. Today was no time for soul-searching and mushy stuff. Today, she had shown Discord exactly what he thought of him. Nothing but an over-grown, ugly, smug, childish bastard with a golf-club wedged so far up his ass, you could see the handle at the back of his throat when he talked.

She cackled lightheartedly at that and began picking up speed.

Her wings pumped hard as she soared across the sky in the blur of a streaming rainbow trail. With little inhibition, she narrowed her eyes at the blue void of the sky and felt the thickening force of the sound barrier creating a white aura around her body. She was used to it now. She could pull off the mighty legend like it was nothing these days and that's just what made her awesome. Along with everything else about her, as she would say.

With a final burst of speed, Rainbow Dash pierced the mach-cone and left in her wake an explosion of colour that ironically destroyed the visible light spectrum.

The Sonic Rainboom.

Oddly enough, it first occured to Dash that she might've gone a bit too fast and ended up in a storm probably somewhere over Canterlot but there was the not too unfamiliar feeling of being involuntarily teleported.

She cursed under her breath at Discord fore she knew that it was he that had everything to do with her sudden scenery change.

She could worry about knocking his head in later though. Why?

Because she was falling. Fast.

The sudden dimensional misplacement left her in shock. The mighty winds of the storm she had been thrown into beat down against her coat, chilling her to the bone as the rain mattered and drenched her feathers and fur.

Rainbow Dash found herself spiralling out of control in the storm, flying her head-first downwards. Wherever "downwards" may be. She could be over the ocean, over a city, she could still be in Ponyville.

Though, with Discord, it was hard to tell. She knew it was him that sent her wherever she was and she was going to make him pay. She was certainly going to thrash him if she found herself in a bowl of cheese-flavoured ice-cream that wobbled like Jelly with sharks spliced with cats swimming around in it and meowing at her for attention.

That'd just be silly.

Oh, wait...there was ground.

Rainbow crashed into the dirt. Hard. Head-first.

Her eyes fluttered open and closed as she fought with herself to remain concious. She slipped in and out of aware, feeling nothing but a numbing pain in her legs, wings...everything and a metallic, copper-like taste in her mouth, accompanied by a foul tasting soil and a warmth running down her muzzle.

Eventually, Dash's resolve failed her and she found herself drifting into unconciousness.

Not even aware of the learing shadowy figure abover her, edging ever closer towards her now limp, helpless body.

Neil Klaskovsky was feeling...nothing.

If he had to put a word to it. He'd most likely say "fine" or "mind your own business". Personally, he thought himself apathetic, if anything and more than a little bit bored.

He was just that kind of person.

If you happened to ask any of the few people he might call "friend" or any of his fellow co-workers up at the hospital, they would say that Neil was, in all truth...a pessmist.

He would always rebuttal, saying that he preferred the word "realist".

They would also say that Neil was a rather creepy young man. Always carrying this weird vibe around in each stride he took everyday and when that didn't manage to make uncomfortable to the very notion of approaching the man then you would walk up to him, voluntarily or not, you weren't so much avoiding him, were you now?

If you stopped and looked at the man and if you saw his face. You would barely notice the shaggy beard that disgraced his features or his short unkempt hair but rather, your attention would be locked on his eyes, completely.

There was always something just...wrong with his eyes.

Like they had a completely different outlook on the world, one that no one else could see...a dark one.

If you had any intentions of perhaps knowing the man. Those eyes will fire off every alarm in your brain and you will feel the strongest inhibition to have anything to do with this man.

Neil was completely aware of his social status and the fact that it was close to barren left him oddly content. Happy, even. Like there were no worries in the world, no one's problems to deal other than his few. He hardly thought he had any problems.

Of course, on that notion was exactly the point when blaring across the TV screen, displayed before him as he laid down across the couch presented his now all-time favourite show.

My little pony: Friendship is Magic.

Ironic.

It was ironic because here he was, a grown man that was anything but cheery or upbeat was watching what perhaps was the happiest, if not, greatest cartoon currently airing.

At least, that was his opinion.

He didn't think he had any problems.

That's what he kept telling himself in the back of his mind as he trailed a hand down his cheap, worn track-pants as he constantly stared at his favourite pony throughout the entire episode. Moving just a little bit more frantically at every shot of her back.

He loved Rainbow Dash and if he could, even for just a little while, he would do so much for her. So much with her.

So much to her.

However, that just a fantasy and he knew that it would never come true. He would still have all the related clopfics on Fimfiction but that was a poor alternative. The saucy artwork on image boards was probably a better substitute but what wouldn't he give for just a taste of the real thing.

Maybe I should buy a life-size plushy when I can afford it...then I'd have my own Rainbow Dash...My own...little Dashie

It was just a regular walk out in the rain at night for Wade.

Though, when you say it like that...it doesn't sound too regular at all.

Of course, he wasn't quite regular to begin with. Not like his friend, Neil, mind you.

He shook his head with a bit of a smug smile at the thought of his socially awkward friend. That Neil, what was he going to do with him? If he had to relate their friendship to anything, he'd say that he was his Dan to his Chris.

That's just the way they were and it didn't bother him all that much. Neil kept to himself and that was easy to work with. Not so much if you're asking him if he'd come down to the bar later on...or really do anything besides sit at home and watch the lastest episode of MLP.

He started cracking up at the memory of the latest one he'd seen with Neil...That Cheese Sandwich, now that was a character.

The rain started pelting harder down on him and he sighed as he picked up his pace just a bit.

However, the now-enacted jog was short lived. Wade now stood, frozen in a park he had grown up playing in as a child. His short blonde haird darkened and flattened against his head as the rain drenched him to the bone before he managed to move himself ever-so-slowly toward a towered tree with branches long enough to provide shelter.

He stood there. Just staring at what was ahead of him. Moments before, he had seen something bright and colourful flash in the corner of his eye and spun around to find something laying in the soil, breathing shallowly. It was alive.

Not only that but he knew that whatever it was, it was in pain. He didn't even need to hear the whinces and groans coming from the battered creature to know that.

Wait...whinces and groans?

Eventually, his eyes adjusted and he could make out the curved, blue form of a...horse?

No, no, horses weren't blue...and he was sure that it outstretched a cyan coloured wing. A very out-of-place and rather sickeningly bent wing. He watched the creature lean it's head up and took note of it before crashing it's head down back into the dirt. It's mulit-hued mane cascading down her neck and onto the ground along with her now soaked and unkempt tail.

The creature hadn't seen him yet as it's body laid to the side, facing away from him. Looking unconcious.

His jaw dropped and he drew ever closer to the small cyan being absentmindely, almost mechanically.

As he stared down at her sleeping form, he wracked brain in search for any cosmic or extra-terrestial way she possibly be here. It wasn't scientifically possible, she wasn't scientifically possible. Though, as he bent down and drew a tentative hand to brush along the soft fur of her coat, he now had little doubt that by some quirk of fate.

Rainbow Dash was lying in the ground, badly hury and dirty.

On a more shocking, if not, blatant note; Rainbow Dash was real.

"H-...Wha-...? Rainb-...But that isn't..." Wade stuttered frantically but ended up asking just one question; "How? How are you here? Why are you here?" He whispered, he knew that she was out-cold and wasn't expecting any sort of answer but still, this was something that probed questions.

"I-...wha-...What do I do?" He said, exasperately before turning his head to the are around him. "Someone!? Anyone!?" There was no trace of another person in the park and not a sound was heard over the downpour of water.

Wade looked back down at the drenched and limp pegasus before him, the shock of it all still etched into his face. Realising that there was no one else around, Wade managed to drag Rainbow Dash under the same he was standing under earlier. Finding her a little bit heavier than he imagined, he propped her up against the trunk and made sure she wasn't leaning on her wing. He was no expert but he was pretty sure it wasn't meant to bend like that.

For a while, he just sat down beside her and stared at her, watching her breath deeply and rhythimically. Soon, his gaping mouth of surprise and utter shock formed into a soft smile at the sight of the sleeping pegasus. With a sudden burst of random chilvary, Wade removed his thick jacket and managed to loop her forelegs into the sleeves so she could rest in something relatively comfortable.

His heart nearly exploded when she cracked a small smile at the newly found warmth and snuggled into it unconciously, as she was.

After a while, he noticed the rain had ceased somewhat. Wade felt something inside him in that moment. A sort of enlightenment. A feeling of responsibility.

Here, he had found none other than the Rainbow Dash. Here, in his dark, gloomy and pessimistic world. A complete contrast to what she was; colourful, happy and lively.

He may not know how she was here or why or even if this was all real or a halucination or dream of some kind. Though, he know one thing. She needed help, that much was clear. Her wing obviously broken and she desperately needed a bath.

Wade then came to a decision. He was going to help her.

With that said, Wade slipped his arms under her limp body, shrouded by the confines of his jacket and picker her up. She fit rather nicely in the bridal-position and he knew there was no one to see him running around with her in the dead of night in a storm.

With confidence and a fast pace, Wade carried Rainbow Dash to his home.

The walk was...less than paramount but he managed himself nonetheless. It wasn't too long before the luminescent glow on the porch-light frew his path to the house. He stepped up to the door, slung Rainbow over one shoulder and reached for the keys in his pocket. The teeth slid into the lock and with a swift flick to the side, Wade pushed open the front door and hefted Rainbow Dash inside.

He now sat there in his recliner. Watching the sleeping cyan pegasus on the couch off to the other side of the lounge-room.

He tried to wrap his head around it but came to no such avail. How could she be here? Why was she here? He couldn't guess an answer to any of these questions, all he knew was one thing: Rainbow Dash was here. She was hurt and he was going to help her.

He shot a glance up to her broken wing and grimaced. He would have to patch that up tomorrow. He was exhausted after tonight but even still, he cradled the small blue pony in his arms again and hefted her into his bedroom.

Wade made sure that she wasn't lying on her wing and brought the covers up to her neck. It was a cold night, after all and she was shivering.

On some random act of nostalgic and fanboyant impulse, Wade bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, beneath the yellow stripe of her mane.

"Goodnight, Dash." He whispered. With that, he closed the door behind him and sat back in his recliner to think. He wasn't sure if he was going to get any sleep tonight.

Neil yawned again and decided that enough was enough, it may have been a late Friday night but he deserved to sleep in after a long and exhausting week.

At least, that's what he told himself. That he deserved this.

With a grunt, he turned off the TV with a flick of the remote and sat up to walk down the hall to his bedroom.

For whatever reason, Neil felt...excited.

It was a weird, faint and almost scary feeling in the back of his mind. As if a tiny demon was perched up on his shoulder and the angel on the other was missing. Whatever it was, he had the strange yet pleasant feeling that he wasn't going to be so bored anymore soon. That the next few days were going to be very...very enjoyable...for him.

Neil let a malicious smirk decorate his face at that and fell into a blissfully deep sleep.

A mismatched head poked it's way around the cloud-based archway into a particular pegasus's bedroom. It grinned.

Nothing was inside beside a few posters, a bed and other white, fluffy furnishings. The face grinned wider.

It was barren. Just like the rest of the house. A low chuckle emenated from a set of insymmetrical flat and sharp teeth.

Rainbow Dash's home was empty. Nopony had seen her since she left Fluttershy's tea-party. She was nowhere to be found. The laughter grew louder.

Rainbow Dash was missing...but she'd turn up any moment now, she was probably off napping somewhere...right?

Discord cackled madly.

Author's Note

I'm takin' a different writing style with this story and for the first time in ages, I actually had fun writing somethin' .
I asked Aku before-hoof to write this, so don't fret 'bout that.
Anyway, cheers for readin' and leave what ya thought for me to read, it helps.
Hakuna Matata.