A League of Their Own

by Sparx

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Spitfire, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Sex, Spike, Gilda
Length: 23028

Spitfire begins to question how far the wonderbolts will take her and approaches Rainbow Dash

Having joined the Wonderbolts to increase her skill as a flier and have fun seemed like a good idea long ago, but after seeing the accomplishments of Rainbow Dash, Spitfire begins to question her freedom, approaching the rainbow maned pegasus one night after a show. When Rainbow Dash is questioned about her motives to join the Wonderbolts, her answer surprises Spitfire, and the two come up with a wonderful idea.

This is my first ponyfic, so I'd like some feedback. If you have any questions I'm glad to answer. Of all the shipping I've seen this is probably my favorite, and this is my take on it.

You can find a Youtube reading of this fic as well! Here's Part One and Part Two
Picture credit goes to bigponymac on Deviantart.com

Published 2011-10-30 10:10:34 UTC
Last updated 2011-11-22 02:21:52 UTC

Fame without glory

"Great job out there Spitfire!" What a hollow compliment that had become over the years. In the beginning, it was amazing, it would cause her heart to fly. Nowadays she heard it so often it almost had carved out a small indent in her brain. Great job for what? For doing all the same things everypony had already seen? Spitfire loved her work, but lately it had lost it's old glamor, all the fun had sort of drained away into a very bland routine. If they weren't doing a show, they were signing random merchandise or body parts. Spitfire joined the Wonderbolts because it had been her dream, to become the best flier she could be, but in her years with them, she saw little, if any improvement. They performed the same tricks and routines every show, nothing new. It all started out very fun, the glitz, the fame, the adrenaline, but there came a time where she just wanted to meet somepony who DIDN'T know her name, that WOULDN'T scream her name. As for the rush, her body had grown too used to the same drops and spins, she just went through the motions. Sure it was fun, but not the thrill she needed.

Spitfire sighed as she walked out of her shower, towel over her shoulder. She had finally managed a day off from signings and appearances, an actual day at home. Her orange mane a bit moist and sprawled on her head, she walked over to her couch and curled up, throwing the towel over the arm. She grabbed the remote with her mouth and turned on the TV where she saw herself, Soarin', and the other Wonderbolts in their last show. A soft groan escaped her mouth as she changed the channel. On the news she saw the image of six ponies laughing together in front of the camera. Spitfire recognized them, the elements of harmony. A few months ago she remembered a report on them stopping Nightmare Moon, as well as their destruction of the Grand Galloping Gala. The reporter spoke of how they had saved the town again from Discord, Spitfire thought back to the few weeks ago when everypony around her was a darker shade and she felt a compulsion to fly underwater, how she did that she couldn't say. The camera suddenly came to the one Spitfire knew best, Rainbow Dash. The pony seemed to pop up in her life every direction Spitfire looked: she went to her shows, she won the young fliers competition and saved Spitifre's life, she had helped save ponyville, no, the world twice, and not to mention, she was the only pony to ever pull off a sonic rainboom. Spitfire had always tried to perfect the move, but had never managed the speed. THIS pony was living the life, she may not have hundreds of bits, a fancy house or a celebrity status, but she still had her freedom.

Rainbow Dash spoke to the reporter about wanting to become a Wonderbolt and how it was her dream. Spitfire smiled and nodded her head. This pegasus reminded her of how she used to be before she became a Wonderbolt. The poor filly had no idea how boring it really was. The glamor and money are great, but it's not why Spitfire had joined, and she was sure Rainbow Dash would feel the same way. As soon as the camera turned away from Rainbow, Spitfire lost interest and changed the channel a few times before giving up and shutting it back off. She walked over to her kitchen and pulled out various newspapers, all featuring something Rainbow Dash and the other six ponies had done. When the picture of the Gala came up a sick feeling churned in Spitfire's stomach, she had promised to spend the evening with Rainbow and instead ended up talking with snooty nobles all night. Of all the duties of being a Wonderbolt, keeping up their image was Spitfire's most hated. She didn't enjoy talking with stuck up ponies too high on their pedestal for her liking, she just wanted to fly. If anything she would have much preferred to talk to Rainbow Dash all night, that would be fun. Just speaking to a fellow flier, in it for the fun of it.

Spitfire smiled at the thought and looked up from the newspaper, as big as her home was... it was very empty. It was only her and her thoughts that occupied the place, and in such a large home, it made her feel very lonely. When was the last time she had an actual relationship? When did she have the time for one? At these thoughts, her smile quickly dropped and she let out another sigh. "And now comes the part where I talk to myself." It was what she usually did, just to break the silence, to hear a voice. She walked back over to the couch and turned on the TV again, just to hear something. For a day off, she didn't have very much to do. She could go out and fly, but she was going to do plenty of that tomorrow, but the main reason was the potential of some fan recognizing her and having her sign their flank or glossy or Celestia knows what. In an annoyed huff Spitfire sat back down just gazing at the TV, flipping through the channels.

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Rainbow Dash waved goodbye to the others as she flew off, landing a few minutes later on her home in the sky. She let out a content sigh and went inside. She had put in a good day's work, developed a new trick, and had a fun evening with her friends. She smiled and looked up to her Wonderbolts posters and felt a glimmer in her heart. "One day, one day soon." She trotted up into her room and looked at her collection. Everything from bobble-heads to action figures and even the calender held some image of the Wonderbolts on them, but her favorite piece was the frame on her nightstand. In it was her autographed photo of Spitfire, signed 'Always follow your dreams! -Spitfire' Rainbow Dash had that picture signed the first show the Wonderbolts hosted as soon as Spitfire became their captain. Spitfire had always been Dash's favorite Wonderbolt. She felt some sort of connection to the yellow coated pegasus, ever since that autograph. They've had the chance to talk to one another before, but never for too long. The memories of the Gala flashed through Rainbow Dash's head and made her give out a little scoff. When the two DID get to talk, they'd chat about the ecstasy of flight and the speed they could attain, Spitfire seemed to hold a very similar opinion to Rainbow Dash, but also had a hint of longing in her voice.

Rainbow Dash admired a bit deeper into Spitfire's picture. She was quite a striking mare, well kept mane, and a very fit body. Dash had seen Spitfire without her hair done up on one occasion, the only word she could truly use to describe her at the time was gorgeous. Spitfire's figure wasn't too dissimilar from Dash's, they were both pegasi built for flying, strong wings, very aerodynamic bodies and very fit. Rainbow Dash had never been one to care much for stallions, mares were much more graceful and were generally better fliers for it. Spitfire was the pony Rainbow Dash had built her standards off of, beauty, grace and skill. Nopony else had come close to Rainbow's speed beyond Spitfire. After a few more moments of gazing at the picture, Rainbow Dash shook her head to pull herself away from her fantasies and smiled. She crawled into her bed and brought the blankets over her. She turned out the lights and looked at the picture once more to hopefully capture Spitfire's image in her dreams. "One day." She yawned as her eyes drooped. Slowly the picture faded from her view, being filled in by darkness as her eyelids shut tight and she let sleep take her, awaiting the morning.

A get together

Rainbow Dash sat right up front, looking high in the sky as the Wonderbolts descended from the sky at ridiculous speeds and fantastic precision. She cheered and screamed at the tricks and flips, naming off every one. She had seen every show since her first and had memorized every move in their arsenal, even perfecting a few herself. "WHOOOO! SPITFIRE! WONDERBOLTS! YEAH!" It took everything in her to not shoot into the sky and join them in the sky with all the adrenaline pumping through her. No matter how many times she saw the same trick performed, she brimmed with eagerness to be up there with her heroes performing in front of the audience, going at insane speeds and performing tricks that would leave any normal pegasus injured or worse. When she'd won the young fliers competition, she was almost certain she'd be in the Wonderbolts. Unfortunately she botched up her day with them for winning. Her nerves got the better of her again and she messed up even her most basic of tricks. The only pony who seemed impressed was Spitfire, who kept defending Rainbow Dash despite her mistakes, encouraging her. Rainbow blushed at the memory, Spitfire was encouraging her to do her best, was really rooting for her. When the Wonderbolts swept over her head, she woke from her memories and continued her cheering from her seat. That was the life she wanted, flying by the Wonderbolts everyday... well, by Spitfire at least.

After the Show, the Wonderbolts thanked their fans from the stage. When Spitfire walked up to the mic, she seemed less enthusiastic than she usually was. The emotion was robbed from her voice as she talked, rather droned, about how much fun it was doing these shows day after day. The life seemed to drain from the entire audience, even Rainbow Dash started to feel kind of uncomfortable. Then Spitire turned her eyes to her. Suddenly her voice was full of passion and emphasis. "It's for the fun and the freedom of flying. It's for the expression that we all have. It's to become better at what we do, and what we do is entertain you!" The crowd was roaring in seconds, cheering Spitfire through her speech. "I don't do it for the money, or the fame. I do it for me, and all of you out there who love the thrill of flight!" Her eyes were glued to Rainbow Dash for the final bit "Never lose sight of your goals, and always follow your dreams!" With that, the crowd literally went wild as the rest of the Wonderbolts flew off the stage. Spitfire held eye contact with Rainbow for a moment longer, then joined her colleagues. Rainbow Dash was speechless. Spitfire had remembered her first show so long ago.

Dash didn't know what to think, her mind was all over the place as she jumped around with a grin from ear to ear across her face. Spitfire had addressed her directly in a show, and even quoted the first time they had met. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" She could only repeat the three words over and over again for about five minutes before regaining her composure. She looked around and realized she was the only one still in her seat before flying off squealing in joy.

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"Have fun with your little improv show?" Soarin' chuckled as he nudged Spitfire.

"As a matter of fact, I did. It's good to let the fans see your personal side. Let them see you as an actual pony, not just an icon." Spitfire chuckled as she peeled her uniform from her head.

"I guess so. Just don't say anything the rest of us will regret." Soarin' shrugged.

"I spoke for myself, not all of you. Besides, what should I care if we lose a fan or two? If speaking my mind is so unappealing to them then they aren't really a fan are they? And hey, could get even more fans." She walked over to her locker and spun the combination in, unlocking the door and threw it open.

"Yeah, but if you get our sponsors angry, we're gonna be losing some bits." Soarin' did the same, slipping out of his uniform as well.

"Right. Bits." Spitfire gave out a slight groan. Soarin' was a nice enough guy but it seemed he had a slight attention problem. She distinctly remembered saying she didn't care about the money. "I'd think you'd prefer to be paid in pastries though wouldn't you Soarin'?" She chuckled as she stripped herself and threw the blue and yellow suit in the locker.

"Just because I enjoy a pie or a fritter every now and again does not mean I obsess over them like you imply." Spitfire never let him live down the night at the gala when he freaked out about almost dropping his apple pie.

"Sure ya don't buddy." She snickered as she walked out the doors. As dumb as he sometimes seemed, Soarin' was Spitfire's closest friend. He was somebody she could talk to at the very least. He understood how she felt about the Wonderbolts but didn't relate, and that was probably her main problem with the guy. That and the fact that the tabloids always spread rumors that the two of them were a couple. It wasn't that Spitfire didn't like Soarin', it was that she saw him more like a brother than anything else. Besides, stallions weren't her thing. The body of a mare was far softer and more alluring than that of a male. As soon as she emerged from the building she saw Rainbow Dash flying overhead. Hesitating only for a moment, Spitfire took off and flew after her. She caught up easily and flashed a smile. "Hey Dash, how's it hangin'?"

Rainbow Dash was a little taken aback. Spitfire was up here flying with her. They'd talked before though so Dash could still respond without stumbling, also without her uniform on, Spitfire seemed much more like a normal pony. "Hey Spitfire! I'm doing awesome! At least... a hundred percent cooler after that performance out there!" Rainbow Dash shouted in excitement with the adrenaline of the show still pumping through her.

Spitfire gave out a small chuckle. "Well I'm glad you liked it. Then again you always do don't you?"

"Heck yeah! Being in the Wonderbolts has to be the most amazing thing a pegasus can do with their lives! Isn't it?" The look on Rainbow Dash's face was so full of energy and joy, that Spitfire couldn't help but feel her own energy spark to life as well.

"Well..." The look on Dash's face was too much, Spitfire couldn't break down her dream. "yeah. It's fun." She said in a halfhearted tone.

"Hey, you put in a good word for me on joining? Surely they'd listen to the captain!" Rainbow Dash beamed giving a hopeful glare to Spitfire.

"Believe me Dash, I'd love to have you in with us. I think you're perfect for the Wonderbolts... it's just..."

Rainbow's smile vanished as quickly as it came. "They still see me as a screw up." She sighed.

Spitfire's heart broke a little to see Rainbow Dash upset like this. "Hey. Come with me. I'd like to show you something." Rainbow Dash didn't question and followed the yellow pegasus as she took a detour from their path. They flew together for a while as the sun slowly began to set, finally landing on a large cloud structure. "Well here we are. Home sweet home."

"This is your house?" Rainbow Dash looked upon the sheer size of the thing in awe. It had three rainbowfalls from the top, spilling into a small U shaped moat around the main build.

"Yeah, it looks nice doesn't it?" Spitfire seemed rather disinterested in the thing. "Come on, let me show you inside." The two pegasi walked into her house with Rainbow Dash's heart thumping hard in her chest. She was in her idol's HOME! The first thing the rainbow maned pony noticed was the trophy case to her right, where the headdress for first place in the Young Fliers Competition sat.

"Oh my gosh! You won the Young Fliers competition too?"

"Yep! Joined the Wonderbolts three days later." Spitfire couldn't help but take pride in the fact. That was when being a Wonderbolt meant something to her. It proved that she was making headway to becoming her best. "Come over here." She called from her couch. Rainbow Dash drank in the atmosphere. This place was massive, much bigger than her own cloud house. It was a beautiful tint of yellow that really brought out Spitfire's coat and mane. Dash trotted over to the couch and when offered a seat, went ahead and took a leap, getting comfy. "So tell me Dash, what's it like being you?"

"What?" Rainbow Dash's blue coat suddenly grew a slight shade of pink around her cheeks.

"I mean how is it to have a day in the life of Rainbow Dash? The one who helped save the town twice? The pegasus famous for the legendary sonic rainboom?" Spitfire sat against the arm of her couch, resting on her front leg and crossing her bottom legs. "You must have fans lining up for your autograph already!"

"Well..." Rainbow Dash's mind thought back to one of many instances where Scootaloo was asking for an autograph or the time she asked for her cutie mark story. "I guess so. I can only say I have one real fan at the moment."

"You're kidding me right?" Spitfire seemed genuinely disappointed. "You're all over the news!" She motioned to all the newspapers sprawled out on her coffee table.

"Well, not many ponies watch or read the news nowadays. And I'm not the only pony to save the town. Also if I can pull a sonic rainboom or two off, nopony would hear of flying tricks unless it was by you guys." Rainbow Dash felt rather disappointed by the fact too, but then again fame wasn't why she did anything either. "I don't really care, I'm just happy knowing I can do those things."

Spitfire smiled. "Well, if you're keeping count correctly you'd know that you have two fans Dash." Spitfire gave a little wink which made Rainbow's face turn a bright violet color. "W-well thanks Spitfire. It means a lot coming from you." Dash swallowed the heat from her face away and began to think for a little."Uhm... I know it's kinda late. But... could we go flying for a bit? It's really nice in here, but I'd like to show you a few moves that I think will impress the other Wonderbolts."

Spitfire looked at the cyan pegasus and smiled. "Flying sounds wonderful." They went outside. The sun had almost completely descended in the horizon as Luna brought the moon to the center of the sky overhead. "Perfect night for stretching one's wings." The two pegasi took off and glided through the warm summer air. For about an hour Rainbow Dash would show her favorite tricks. Some of them were completely original while others were some very difficult ones that she perfected from watching the Wonderbolts. Spitfire caught herself giggling. "Honestly I can't believe you would be as clumsy as you were on your day with us. You're an amazing flier Dash."

"You really think so?" Dash Smiled wide. Every compliment from her hero was like a surge of pure joy going through her heart.

"Hay yeah! In fact I think you might be almost as good as ME!" Spitfire chuckled.

At the very hint of a challenge, Rainbow Dash's gaze narrowed and a grin spread across her face. "Oh yeah? Who's to say I'm not better?"

"Is this a challenge I hear?" Spitfire's face began to mimic that of Dash's.

"First to the tallest hill in Sweet Apple Acres wins! Sound good enough Wonderbolt?" Rainbow began feeling the adrenaline surge in preparation for a race.

"It'll have to do I guess." Spitfire grinned. The pegasi landed on a nearby cloud and crouched down to get ready for takeoff. "You ready Dash?"

"Always." This was unreal. Here she was, about to race Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, the fastest pony in all of Equestria. Soon to be second best. "Get ready Spitfire! 3...2...1...GO!"

True intent

The two ponies flew as fast as they could manage, trying to break away in front of the other. The fastest fliers in all of Equestria were competing to see who was the fastest, and nopony who looked up could see any more than a trail of smoke and rainbows. If they weren't keeping pace with each other, they'd be incredibly blurred. Rainbow Dash tucked her front left hoof under her chest to try and get more distance, inching forward a slight distance ahead of Spitfire. The yellow coated pegasus noticed this and did the same, increasing her speed as much as she could before she began to feel the pressure become too great against her and she couldn't, rather wouldn't, go faster. Rainbow was now slowly falling behind. With Spitfire in the lead, she could see Sweet Apple Acres right in front of her. This race was over, she had won.

Suddenly, a loud crack sounded behind her and before she could even process what had happened, she saw Rainbow Dash zoom in front of her face and land upon the hill. Awestruck, Spitfire was taken unexpectedly by the powerful turbulence. She caught herself and descended upon the hill next to Rainbow Dash. Looking up at the sky, there was a brilliant shining rainbow from where Rainbow Dash had taken off to where they were standing now. It was an amazing sight against the new night sky. "The legendary sonic rainboom. Dash you really CAN do one!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled a little in pride. "Well duh! Looks like I win by the way Spitfire." Rainbow Dash had never felt so amazing. She had actually gone against, and beaten her hero Spitfire in a race. THE Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts. "Though I have to admit, you had me really worried there. For a sec, it looked like you would've done a rainboom before me."

Spitfire shrugged. "I've never been able to." She looked upon Dash. She'd never seemed quite the same as right now. With the life of victory surging through her, it was almost god like. It brought the idea of Mercury the messenger pony to Spitfire's mind. On other continents it was said that Mercury was messenger between Celestia and other Alicorns across Equestria long ago. "Say Dash... Why do you want to join the bolts? You've accomplished so much by yourself."

Rainbow Dash seemed surprised by the question, but answered without thinking about it. "Well for the knowledge that I can. It's a sign I've joined the best and that I'm going somewhere. Everypony needs a goal, and to be the best of the best I need to join them. I need to be a Wonderbolt!" She spoke with such passion and desire behind her voice, Spitfire couldn't help but feel blown away just watching her talk. "I want to be the best I can be as a flier. It doesn't matter what anypony else thinks because I'm doing it for me."

Spitfire's heart felt a slight flutter as she listened to Rainbow Dash speak. Her cheeks became rosy with admiration for this pony. She shook herself out of it and proceeded with her questioning. "Well surely you can be even better than us Dash. Hay you just beat ME in a race! And I was named the fastest flier in Equestria."

"Well duh I could do that. But that's the one point where the fame does matter. There's no point in being the best if only you're the only pony who knows about it. It's not the bragging, just proving to yourself and the world you can do it." Rainbow had never talked this easily to Spitfire before. It was something new for her, and she kind of liked it. She could reflect with her hero on whats best in life.

Spitfire couldn't help but chuckle again. "You sound a lot like I did when I was trying out for the Wonderbolts Dash. It's kinda cute." Cute? Did her hero just call her cute? Rainbow dash felt her face heat up again, losing her composure and control over her heart rate. She coaxed herself into calming down slightly. It was only a compliment, there wasn't any real meaning behind it. Besides, Rainbow Dash read all the articles, Spitfire and Soarin' had a thing. It's not like she hadn't contemplated being with Spitfire, but it wasn't too likely she was a filly fooler if she was with a stallion. "I would be the exact same way. Looking to prove myself to the world and pushing all my limits to get there. It was a lot of fun getting there."

"And I'll bet it's even more fun actually being a Wonderbolt isn't it?" Dash's face was so bright and full of hope that Spitfire faked a smile and gave a nod. "YES! I KNEW IT!" She was a lively and energetic creature. Spitfire couldn't help but feel the emotions and energy flood through her. She wished she had more time to spend with Rainbow Dash. She was such a beautiful mare with so much power and emotion behind her words, plus whenever she would stammer and get embarrassed it was quite an adorable sight. She was the mare of Spitfire's dreams. She shook the thought out of her mind. There was no guarantee that she swung that way. Well sure she had rainbow mane and acted like a tomboy, but that didn't prove anything. That's how she was born. Even if they were similar, their sexual preference could be completely different.

"I hope you don't mind the questions. I'm just curious." Spitfire said in a much warmer tone than she realized.

"I don't mind." Rainbow Dash gave a reassuring smile that almost caused Spitfire's heart to melt. Of all the features Rainbow Dash had, those magenta eyes had to be the most beautiful.

"Well, hypothetically, what if the Wonderbolts weren't where you shined the most? What if you could go by yourself and become a bigger name than even us?" Spitfire almost asked herself the question more than Rainbow Dash.

"Well... I'd thought about that too. I mean I can do sonic rainbooms. That has to count for something. But..." Rainbow found it hard to keep eye contact with Spitfire. "I think I'd still want to join..."

"Do you mind if I ask why?" Perhaps this pony had Spitfire's answer as well as her own.

"I..." Rainbow Dash dug at the ground for a little, resting on her haunches. "Well I... It's..." She sighed. "It's kind of a personal thing..." Spitfire frowned, dropping her ears to her head and letting out a small 'oh' but was interrupted by Dash. "BUT... If you won't tell anypony else... I think I can work up enough courage in a few minutes."

Spitfire smiled comfortingly and nodded. "I promise Dash. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Spitfire chuckled as she tapped her eye leaving Rainbow Dash looking at her a little confused.

"I thought Pinkie Pie was the only one who did that."

"The pink pony at Sugarcube Corner? She taught it to me when she promised not to tell Soarin' I got him a cake on his birthday." Spitfire giggled. "She seemed...Sweet." The two mares laughed at the terrible pun.

"Wait right here." Rainbow Dash flew off into the orchard and plucked the two largest red apples she could find and brought them back. She tossed one to Spitfire. "Eat up! Applejack won't mind." Spitfire nodded and the two sat next to one another eating their apples. Rainbow Dash collected her thoughts on how to approach Spitfire's question. She'd never told anypony her secondary motivation for joining the Wonderbolts, that she wanted to admire Spitfire up close. Not as an idol but as a fellow mare. A very beautiful mare. With a beautiful coat, strong wings... and absolutely gorgeous burnt orange eyes. Rainbow Dash felt her wings slowly begin to stiffen and tried to get back on target. How to tell her? 'Hey Spitfire! I think you're HOT!' She almost felt like smacking herself across the face for even coming up with such a stupid pun. 'I love you Spitfire. As more than a fan.' That was a little blunt wasn't it? Besides, it might scare Spitfire off from such a fun and wonderful night. But then again it wouldn't be a good idea to be dishonest either. Might as well just tell her. 'It's because I like you.' She looked to the stars in the sky for some answer. Her rainbow trail had vanished long ago. When nothing answered, she just swallowed her fears and looked over to Spitfire as she finished her apple to the core.

"So Dash... You ready to tell me your... ulterior motives?" Spitfire chuckled once again. Those beautiful orange eyes gazed back at Dash.

She prepared herself to answer. Then... another thought came to mind. "I'm gonna ask you a few things first. It'll help me with my answer." Spitfire nodded in approval. Rainbow Dash sighed with some slight relief that she could buy a few more minutes. "How much in the articles about you and Soarin' are true?" If she was going to answer honestly, this question would make it easier on her.

"Hardly any of it." Spitfire had no problem with the question. However Rainbow Dash seemed rather taken aback. She was relieved, but that all these stories were almost a complete lie kind of upset her

"Well then what is your relationship?" She sounded a bit more energetic in her questions. Her mood was elevated knowing the mare she was crushing on was potentially single.

"He's my best friend. And honestly, there's no potential of it going any further than that." Spitfire thought about just admitting she was a filly fooler, but she let Rainbow Dash go uninterrupted.

Dash sighed in huge relief and felt her heart almost soaring. "The reason I'd still join the Wonderbolts..." A huge block formed in Dash's throat as she tried to push the rest of the phrase out of her mouth. 'Just say it Dash! Let it out! You can trust Spitfire, she won't make fun of you.' "I really just want to..." She felt her face brighten up. Spitfire watched her with some concern, but let her continue. Rainbow Dash swallowed hard. 'You've come this far already Rainbow Dash. What do you have to be afraid of? Besides looking stupid in front of your hero and the most beautiful mare you've ever seen?' She breathed deeply and placed her apple core beside her. "You're my hero Spitfire. And I want to be...I want to fly with you." There, she'd said it. It was out there and she could be relieved to have it off her chest.

Spitfire was taken aback. "Me? You want to join because of... me?" She blushed and felt her heart fly out of her body. Maybe she had a chance after all.

"Yeah... Because... I dunno. I'm not really good at talking about things like this."

"Well... I'd like to fly with you too... Dashie." At the sound of her pet name coming from Spitfire's voice, Rainbow Dash's wings erupted into their fully erect position.

"H-how do you know that name?" Every function in Dash's body was going haywire. She felt adrenaline pump through her faster than it had before.

"Pinkie Pie likes to talk about you a lot. And... I was always eager to listen." Spitfire's big orange eyes looked up into Dash's pink iris'. "I think the name is cute. I hope you don't mind if I... take it?" She batted her eyelashes teasingly. Rainbow Dash couldn't bring her wings down however hard she tried. Spitfire was flirting with her. Was she being serious? Or was she making fun of her?

"I-I don't mind at all." This was as good a chance as any she figured. If she was real, this could be the greatest decision of Dash's life. If not...

Neither of the pegasi knew what had happened to get them in this position, but honestly, why would they care. Rainbow Dash was lying over Spitfire with their lips connecting them. It only lasted a second before Rainbow Dash got a hold of herself and pulled off of her hero apologizing like mad. It was short but they both felt it. Their hearts were pumping so hard they could swear the other one could hear it. "I'm so sorry Spitfire. I don't know what came over me. I-" without being allowed to finish her apology, Spitfire was on top of her now, kissing her deeply and sensually. both pairs of wings were spread far from their sides.

After about a minute of holding their kiss, Spitfire broke away and looked down at Rainbow Dash with bedroom eyes. "Shut up Dashie." She spoke in such a soft tone and returned their lips to their joyful embrace. Rainbow Dash brought her front hooves across Spitfire's back and pulled her in closer. After five minutes they broke again and stared lovingly into their eyes. Both of their wildest dreams had come true. "I didn't want to make any assumptions and make a fool of myself." Spitfire admitted.

Rainbow Dash chuckled much in the way Spitfire had been. "I'd never have taken my hero as a filly fooler. Then again, who am I to complain?" She licked at Spitfire's cheek and chuckled in content ecstasy. "So... What does this make us?" She asked a little nervously.

"It makes us the fastest couple in Equestria. I thought that was obvious." Spitfire giggled and winked at Rainbow Dash.

"I like the sound of that!" Their heart rates had calmed down, but beat heavier than before. Spitfire backed up and allowed Dash up. She gave a small kiss on Dash's right cheek and made her blush. "Now I need to be in the Wonderbolts more than ever!"

Spitfire's smile fell to half it's enthusiasm and sighed. "I'll be honest with you Rainbow Dash... it's really not worth it for ponies like us."

"Huh? What do you mean? We're the best! We should be flying with the best!" Rainbow seemed almost upset by this news.

"So we should fly together. Free. If you become a Wonderbolt it's only the same tricks every show, keeping the same speed. I can't remember the last time I've been able to go out flying on my own before tonight, and even then that's because it's late out. I can't do the things I really wan to do anymore. It was fun at first, but now it's mundane." It broke Spitfire's heart to see Rainbow Dash's dreams fall apart. "Dashie..." She lifted her love's chin with a friendly hoof. "What you do is amazing. You're the fastest pony in Equestria. You can pull off a sonic rainboom. You've perfected tricks that took me years to master." This brought a small smile to Dash's face.

"But you told me to always follow my dreams..." Her smile started to waver again.

"Your true dreams. Being the best you can be Dash! I want better for you. Hay I want better than this for me anymore." Spitfire gave Rainbow Dash a hug, stroking her soft rainbow mane. "Dashie, from now on I'll be coaching you at night. Sleep on it, and if you still want to join the Wonderbolts, I'll use all the power I can to let you in."

Dash lie limp in her legs for a moment. Then she brought her legs up and hugged Spitfire back. "Of course Spitfire! We'll be the best fliers we can."

"What the HAY is goin' on up here?" The two pegasi felt their hearts jump as they looked behind and saw Applejack coming up the hill. "Well I'll be darned. Rainbow? 's that you? Who's yer friend?"

"Uh... Hi AJ. This is Spitfire. She's captain of the Wonderbolts."

"Hey!" Spitfire swallowed hard and scratched at her mane behind her ears.

"Pleasure. So, you must be RD's new GF huh?" Applejack chuckled at her little joke. When the two tried to interject she merely held up a hoof. "Nah nah, no need ta explain. Ah know a coupla' ponies in love when ah sees 'em. Besides, things never worked out between Rainbow and ah in the first place." Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow and she could only shrug back. "Ah think it's right sweet. Y'know Rainbow talks 'bout you all the time."

The two pegasi looked at one another and laughed. Applejack looked slightly confused but smiled to herself. "Well, if anypony had to find out first, I'm glad it's you AJ." Rainbow Dash smiled. This night was absolutely perfect.

Firedash

About a month had passed since Rainbow and Spitfire shared their first kiss and confessed their feelings for one another. The two had never been happier since then. Every second they could manage they were together. Eventually the rest of Rainbow and Spitfire's friends found out about them, and they were very supportive and happy for them. Rainbow Dash was a little embarrassed the first time she had Spitfire over to her home, though she seemed to love the place, especially how full the place was. She said she loved the 'homey lived in feel.' Keeping true to her promise, Spitfire coached and trained Rainbow Dash every night on how to push herself. Rainbow Dash had decided that Spitfire was right, and instead of focusing on impressing the Wonderbolts she was working for her own pride again. Rainbow Dash was able to get into Wonderbolts shows for free now and could admire her heroes from backstage. After seeing Spitfire with her mane down, Rainbow Dash had told her it looked about twenty percent cuter, and it became a much more common sight in public. The two had never been happier.

Soon the media started catching the two of them at the shows together letting it become public news. The truth was out and everypony was wild about the new celebrity couple Firedash! They appeared together in newspapers, tabloids, magazines and they were even the subject of a few talk shows. Everyone was in love with the fastest couple in Equestria. Dash wasn't used to all the new attention but seemed to adapt to it. Besides, it didn't affect her so much as Spitfire being the actual 'celebrity' of the two. If she had any free time before it was a thing of the past. Whenever she wasn't busy with her Wonderbolt duties, she was with Rainbow Dash. Unfortunately the ratio between the two had been very heavy on her celebrity life and left alone time with her beloved Dashie. In the mornings Rainbow Dash still had her weather duties so Spitfire would visit Applejack before she had to go to work. They'd harvest apples and Spitfire would vent to her new friend. "It's just become very overwhelming lately you know? I never thought that dating Rainbow Dash would attract so much attention. I mean, it's not like it's exactly rare for somepony to be a filly fooler. Look at Lyra and Bon Bon. They're perfectly happy and nopony seems to bat an eye at them."

"Well ah reckon it's 'cause yer famous sugarcube. Lotsa pony folk look up ta ya and wanna know what yer doin'. With news like this it's no wonder y'all are gettin' so much attention. Fer example, they'd post them stories 'bout you an' that Soarin' feller right? Someponies really enjoy all that gossipin' hogwash. 'S entertainment for some." Applejack said. They walked through the orchard with baskets full of apples on their backs.

Spitfire sighed. "You're right AJ. So long as I'm captain of the Wonderbolts ponies will be watching whatever I do, and so long as Dash and I are together, they'll be watching her too." She puffed her cheeks out and let out a groan of disapproval.

"Well like ya asked Rainbow, is bein' a Wonderbolt really what ya want hun?" Applejack stopped and placed a friendly hoof on Spitfire's shoulder. "If'n it ain't, then ya still got Rainbow and ah." Spitfire smiled warmly back to Applejack. In the past month, AJ had become a very close friend to her. They'd exchange stories on their experience with Rainbow Dash, and Spitfire had even learned a few... 'tricks' from Applejack as well that had surprised Rainbow Dash in those moments they had alone. Tricks like stroking behind her wings in just the right spot to get an instant sprout, or a little tease at her cutie mark would cause her to giggle uncontrollably.

Applejack was right though and Spitfire knew it. She couldn't stay with the Wonderbolts. But on the other hoof she couldn't just up and leave them either. At the very least she'd have to assign a new captain. What about a new job? Would she even need a new job? She had plenty of bits to keep her and Rainbow Dash set for a good while. Who would move in with who? Perhaps they could merge the houses? Nah that would be more effort than it was worth. Wait was she already thinking about moving in? Spitfire blushed a bright red at the thought. Living on the same cloud as one another, sharing a bed together. It felt as if little wings were flapping where her heart should be as she covered a smile with her hooves. "Y'all okay?" Applejack chuckled.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Spitfire kept her little thought to herself, taking some joy in it. "Say AJ. About how long was it until you used the 'L' word with Dash? If you did that is."

"What 'L' word? Lesbian?" Applejack looked a little confused.

"No, the other one."

"Lesbians?" Spitfire couldn't help but laugh. Applejack thought about it for a moment before she understood. "OH! Ah see what yer talkin' 'bout. Ah don' think we ever used that word sugarcube. Ah'm sure there were times we wanted ta. But it never really worked out that way. Mah passion was the farm, an' hers was the sky. We agreed it was nice while it lasted, an' we both enjoyed it with no regrets, but went our differin' ways. What we had was much more friendly like. Close friends, but not much more'n that." Applejack patted Spitfire on the back as they continued to the barn.

Spitfire had looked to Applejack with growing admiration over the month. She was a brilliant pony and a hard worker. Spitfire and Dash always came to her when they were in trouble and she'd always be there to lend an ear. "Well in that case... about what time do you think it's appropriate?"

Applejack looked to the sky in thought. "Don't rightly know sugarcube. If ah had ta say though, then ah'd say when ya find the perfect moment and ya feel it's true." Applejack looked to the sun. "Ya should be headed off sugarcube! It's gettin' late an' ya should be off ta yer Wonderbolt work."

Spitfire looked up to the sun as well and noticed it was getting high. "Yeah, I should get going soon." She thanked Applejack and left her baskets at the barn before flying away. 'Is it right to say it now? Applejack and Dash never did for the while they were together.' She shook her head away. When the time came, she would know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright team, just get those storm clouds out to Canterlot and we'll be done for the day. Nice job today!" Rainbow congratulated her coworkers on a job well done that morning. If there was one pony who knew how to do her job well in the weather business it was Rainbow Dash. In her years of work she'd risen to the head of her district and lead a small group of other pegasi in the duty of making sure Equestria was happy and healthy. She enjoyed her work, especially when she could show off.

Dash came to a land on her cloud home and saw a grey pegasus with blonde mane and wall eyes trying to stuff a large package into her less than large mailbox. "Hey Der-I mean Ditzy! I'll take that off your hooves." The pegasus turned to Rainbow dash with her tongue sticking out and nodded her head in an almost violent matter, handing the box over. After Derpy flew away with a proud look on her face, Rainbow pushed the package through her door and opened it up. It was a gift from 'Ponies' magazine for showing up with Spitfire for an interview a week ago. Inside was the issue of the magazine with Rainbow and Spitfire gliding through the air nuzzling one another on the cover. The image warmed Dash's heart but to see it public left a somewhat sour taste in her mouth. Aside from that, there was a bottle of wine as a congratulatory gift for the two of them. "Isn't stuff like this usually given later?" She shrugged and brought the bottle into her kitchen. She'd wait to figure out what to do with this with Spitfire. Maybe if she got a day off the two of them could just spend a romantic night together with a dinner by candlelight. Then again Dash had never been the best cook. Perhaps Pinkie Pie or Applejack could help her. She went over to her couch and curled up turning on the TV. There she was on the news again, but not really seen as 'Rainbow Dash: the only pony to pull off a sonic rainboom' or 'Rainbow Dash: Hero of Equestria.' Rather she only saw 'Rainbow Dash: filly friend to Spitfire: captain of the Wonderbolts!' It annoyed Dash to be looked at that simply. Instead of looking at her achievements, the media was portraying her as an object that belonged to Spitfire. This annoyed Spitfire as well and the two ponies had asked time and time again for the reports to knock it off and just see them as a couple. Rainbow Dash sighed and changed the channel. It seemed lately that only Spitfire, Applejack and the rest of her friends understood her lately. 'This wouldn't be happening if I were a Wonderbolt.' She shook the idea from her head. If anything that would probably make Spitfire look bad, moving in on the newbie. Or worse Spitfire would look like she was abusing her power as captain. Things had just become very annoying as far as the public scene went, even a few of Dash's coworkers wouldn't stop harassing her about being the 'girlfriend of the captain of the Wonderbolts.' While she did take quite a lot of pride in the title, Dash hated being labeled as something that 'belonged' to Spitfire. Rainbow Dash made a small wish to herself that Spitfire wasn't a Wonderbolt anymore. As much as she loved her hero for being the captain of her favorite team, it really interfered with their time together and alone! But she just sighed took it back. Spitfire couldn't just drop from the team out of the blue.

Later that night, after the two were done flying together, they headed back to Rainbow Dash's home. Spitfire caught a glimpse of the magazine cover and rolled her eyes. "They don't ever get the story right. They probably made you out to be some nopony."

Rainbow Dash groaned. "They did. And not just there, but in the news and everything." She sighed. "I don't mind it too much. It's just annoying." Dash curled up on the couch and sighed. Spitfire smiled warmly and walked over towards her.

"I have some good news Dashie!" Spitfire said as she nibbled at Rainbow's ear (causing a slight flutter in the cyan pony's wings). "Turn on the news again. Just for a minute." Dash did as she was told and saw another story about Spitfire.

"It's just more about us being together." She spoke in a very unamused tone.

"Just give it a minute." Spitfire said as she got up onto the couch as well, nuzzling Rainbow. The story was about Spitfire specifically this time. The anchor spoke on for a while about Spitfire and who she was before getting to the part Spitfire was waiting for.

Rainbow Dash glanced from the TV to Spitfire. It had just announced that she- "Stepped down?" Dash's voice cracked.

"Yup! Gave the job to Soarin' from now on. He was ready for it and couldn't be happier when I told him." Spitfire's smile warmed Dash's heart and made her shed a tear. Her foalhood idol, her hero had given up fame for her. Dash took Spitfire in her forelegs and kissed her. They fell out of the couch and onto the floor giggling and laughing. "Well, I've got plenty of bits to keep us set for a while anyways. But I will need a job eventually." Spitfire chuckled as she lay on her side. The two ponies gazed at one another as they continued to laugh for another minute.

"Spitfire... I don't know what to say! This is awesome! We can spend entire days together now!" the two ponies stood up and laughed again. "Spitfire I-"

"I love you Rainbow Dash." She beat her to it. She had said it from her heart right when it felt perfect.

Rainbow Dash was left speechless for a moment. She could only smile and reply "I love you too Spitfire." The two pegasi shared another kiss and smiled. "Why don't you... stay over here for tonight?"

Spitfire didn't even have to think before saying "I'd love to."

Dashfire

Spitfire and Rainbow Dash opened their eyes as Celestia's sun shined through Rainbow's window. Both couldn't help but smile warmer than the sunlight to see one another. This past month had held amazing feelings, but none so much as to wake up and have their loved one be the very first thing they see. Spitfire moved in first and planted a small kiss on Rainbow's lips. "Morning Dashie." She flirted.

"Morning Spitfire." Rainbow Dash replied mimicking her lover's tone. She sat up in her bed and stretched out her front legs over her head and spread out her wings, fluttering them about for a moment, even taking a second to tickle Spitfire's nose with a feather. "Sleep well?

Spitfire chuckled. "Did we sleep? I remembered our night being a bit more... fun than that." She winked and caused Rainbow Dash to blush and giggle back. "So when do you have to head out to work?"

"Well lucky you I don't have work today!" Dash beamed brightly. The main reason she asked Spitfire to stay last night of all nights was for this very fact. "So we have an entire day to ourselves to do whatever we want." Rainbow Dash leaned back, resting her head on her hooves with a smug little smile.

"Anything?" Spitfire rolled over onto Rainbow with a sly smile and bedroom eyes. "Well let's start this day off right."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day, Rainbow and Spitfire were on the couch watching a movie together. Their mane was still a mess from... earlier activities. They weren't quite ready to go out just yet. The attention they'd get today is not the kind they'd like to experience. Rainbow Dash had a wing across Spitfire's back as the yellow pegasus leaned comfortably against her. "So Dashie, I've been thinking about what to do. About the whole job thing."

"You don't have to worry about that Spitfire." Dash said as she rested her head on Spitfire's. "You've got plenty and if you need it I make my own bits as well."

"I meant more as something to do." Spitfire replied. "If possible I want something to help me improve as a flier." Her eyes turned up to catch a glance at Rainbow's face. "I want to be to your level."

"MY level?" The ex-captain of the Wonderbolts, no, she's just Spitfire now. Still, Spitfire was the greatest flier Rainbow knew, and she wanted to be at her level?

"Yeah Dash, I thought it was obvious you were better than me that night we got together. You remember when you pulled out in the front with a sonic rainboom and left me in the dust?" Both couldn't help but smile at the memory. "And don't forget I've been coaching you the past month. I've seen what you're capable of." The two of them giggled before an explosion in the movie caught their attention.

"Well, if you're looking to improve as a flier what kind of job are you looking for then?" Rainbow Dash wrapped a front hoof over one of Spitfire's.

"I thought of something that would allow a lot of free time or flight time. Like joining you on the weather crew or AJ on the farm." Spitfire rubbed their hooves together, caressing Rainbow's.

A sudden memory sparked in Dash's mind. "But I remember in an old article it said you were afraid of thunder."

Spitfire sighed. "That's why it was just a thought." She chuckled nervously. "And I don't think it would be a good idea to work on the farm either. The Apple Family need those bits themselves anyway. Also I help over there just to talk with Applejack, not really for the work. I think it would lose it's meaning if I got paid for it."

"You have a point there." Dash grumbled.

"THEN, I had an idea!" Spitfire pulled her head out from under Dash's giving her a grin. "How awesome would it be if we did our own thing?"

Rainbow Dash had to blink a few times before she could even think of processing this information. "Uh... I don't understand."

"You said the original reason you wanted to join the bolts was to make yourself known right? To become the best you could be?"

"Well yeah. You told me to do it by myself and then quit the team though. That part happened just yesterday if you'll remember."Rainbow Dash couldn't follow.

"So in that case we make our own flying group!" Spitfire was ecstatic. Even the chase sequence on the movie couldn't draw Dash's attention away from her.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash looked over Spitfire's face to make sure she was serious.

"The Wonderbolts weren't anything more than a few ponies who wanted to entertain others and fly. Isn't that what we are?" As Spitfire continued, Rainbow started to put what she was saying together. "We make some posters for a few shows, and build up from there! Ponies love a good flight show and we'll give them just that!"

Rainbow's lips slowly curved up and her eyes started to sparkle. "Spitfire you're a GENIUS!" Rainbow squealed in a high pitched tone.

"Go on." Spitfire laughed smugly. "So, if you're on board with me we need a name. Maybe a uniform? Think Rarity could provide us with one?"

Dash sat up on her flank and pondered with her front hoof tapping at her chin in thought. "Hmmmmmm... What about Firebows? Or Spitrain?" Even she had to admit these ideas sounded kind of lame when they came out. the two of them stayed in thought for about a minute before Dash had a great idea. "You know, the media was pretty big on calling us Firedash. We could use that!"

Spitfire shook her head with a gentle smile. "That was when it was implied I was a better flier. I say we switch it up and go with Dashfire." This time it was Spitfire who brought a wing over Rainbow Dash. Rainbow could only blush and smile. "Now, I know I asked about the uniforms, but I'd really rather we didn't. Those things were very uncomfortable and ended up smelling horrible."

"I thought as much. I fly better as I am anyway!" Rainbow Dash scooted closer to Spitfire under her wing smiling.

"I have one thing I'd like to ask you Dashie." Spitfire said as she rested her chin on Rainbow's neck. She was answered with a small 'hmm?' that echoed from Dash's throat. "Could you teach me how to do a sonic rainboom?"

Rainbow Dash met eyes with Spitfire once again with an eager grin. "Took ya long enough to ask me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night the two pegasi walked into Spitfire's home with the bottle of wine Dash was sent in her saddlebag. Dash had spent the night training Spitfire to build up the speed and endurance to pull of a rainboom. She told Spitfire that that point she felt the most pressure and wouldn't go further was the point she needed to surpass for the skill. To pull this off Spitfire had to get used to the burn from the friction and strain on her muscles. After their training however Rainbow Dash brought up the fact that she was sent a bottle of wine and the two decided they'd have their romantic evening at Spitfire's place.

"You're doing fantastic Spitfire! At this rate you'll be pulling rainbooms off left and right!" Rainbow Dash said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Spitfire chuckled in her usual cool manner. "Thanks Dashie." She looked over her filly friend and suddenly a question popped into her mind. "Say, what was it like when you first pulled a sonic rainboom off Dash?"

Rainbow grew a look of pride across her entire face. "Well that's how I got this baby!" Dash showed off her flank indicating to her cutie mark. Spitfire gave a wolf whistle which caused Dash to blush and giggle a bit. "It was back in flight school in Cloudsdale. Some bullies were picking on Fluttershy and I stood up for her. They challenged me to a race and I flew faster than I ever did before, beating them by a landslide! I pulled off the first ever sonic rainboom and my cutie mark appeared!" Dash smiled as she looked at the mark on her flank. "First in my class to get one. Not to mention I helped all my friends get their cutie marks with my rainboom as well!" Spitfire had seen Dash proud, but this was something different. Dash seemed to glow with a golden aura that warmed the room.

"That's quite an impressive story Dash." Spitfire chuckled again and planted a kiss on Dash's cheek and walked over to her fridge. "I'm not too good a chef so you'll have to forgive me if the meal doesn't taste too amazing."

Rainbow Dash laughed and walked over. "I'm not too spectacular either. So how about we try to combine what little skill we have and see what we make." The pegasi laughed as they cooked and spiced and ended up with a pretty decent meal of spaghetti and herbs. They pulled every cliche' they could think of. Candle light, wine glasses, and even slurping on the same noodle until their lips touch. The two of them enjoyed every second of their night even after dinner. The wine made them very giggly as their date continued on into the night. From the moment they opened their eyes they had kept one another in their sights through the entire day and loved every moment of it. They had a plan and they were gonna be big, they were going to accomplish their dreams and become the best they could be, and they were going to do it together.

Flameboom ahoy!

"Spitfire you have to go faster! You have to break through that barrier!" Rainbow Dash called over to her student as they flew side by side.

"I can't... quite... make it!" Spitfire pushed forward with all her might, trying to break through her restriction.

"PUSH!" Rainbow Dash called out, trying to make it happen my commanding.

"Almost... there..." They began to hear a crack and started to smile before... "WHOA!" Spitfire was launched backwards. Rainbow Dash flew hard to catch up and caught her love in her front legs. "So close..." Spitfire hung her head in disappointment with a pout on her face.

"You did great Spitfire! You're almost there!" Rainbow Dash sounded excited as she brought Spitfire back to the ground. "That would happen to me all the time. It's just a matter of will power." She set Spitfire gently on the ground and landed right next to her. "You have to push through that last little bit, no matter how much your muscles burn. It's getting through that pain and going faster than you've ever gone before to get there."

Spitfire smiled at her lover's advice. That was her main problem. Years of doing the same tricks over and over made her a little reluctant to try something new and go that fast. "Well I'm sure I wouldn't be nearly this good if it weren't for you Dashie!" The two of them smiled and exchanged a kiss. Rainbow

Dash looked up at the sun. "Let's call that it for the day. We still have to hang our posters up." Spitfire nodded in agreement and the two pegasi floated off to Ponyville.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks for helping us out Spike. Things should go a lot faster with your help! You sure Twilight doesn't need you right now?" Rainbow Dash looked back at the baby dragon as he rode on her back.

"Nah. Twilight said she'd be fine. She's taking the day to work on her studies. I'm glad you two came along, I was getting a little bored actually." Spike said as he cycled through the posters the two ponies had been carrying. I think it's a great idea that you two are starting your own flight team! I'm sure everypony will be there to support you guys."

"I'm not sure about everypony, but I've gotten confirmation that Soarin' will be there." Spitfire chuckled. "He seemed especially eager when I told him Applejack was coming to see us. I think he's looking for another slice of apple pie."

"Or maybe he's looking for some Apple pie!" Rainbow Dash laughed hard at her own joke making Spitfire join in. The two cackled at the terrible pun as Spike looked at them a little confused.

"Uh... I don't get it." Spike said, prodding for an answer.

"When you're older Spike." Spitfire laughed as she brushed away a tear with her front hoof. "That was a good one Dashie."

Spike groaned and shrugged. The three of them went all around Ponyville sticking posters onto doors and walls. They stopped by the Carousel Boutique and said hello to Rarity for a moment and she left them a jewel for Spike to eat. When they started leaving Spike began to object with a red tint to his cheeks. After they'd left Spike nuzzled the emerald he'd been given for a while before his stomach began to grumble and he chewed the thing up quickly with a satisfied belch. The pegasi giggled together at Spike's antics. "So tell me you guys. How did you say it? How did you go about it? And how can I-er... Somepony that isn't me admit their feelings for a pony? And let's say that this pony is a lot like..." Spike took a minute and gave a heartfelt sigh "Rarity?" His cheeks got bright red again as he stared into space and the two ponies laughed uncontrollably again.

"Well Spike, I don't think I can speak for a pony like Rarity. Though if you'd really like to know, we both just kind of went with our guts and did what felt right." Spitfire said as she gave a dreamy gaze towards Rainbow Dash. Dash returned the look with her big magenta eyes.

"What...felt...right." Spike mimicked as he began writing on the back of one of the posters as the two ponies laughed again.

"Just be yourself Spike. Rarity likes you enough, she'll understand." Rainbow Dash said as she nailed a poster on a fence.

"Wha? This has nothing to do with me, I was just asking!" Spike insisted before grumbling to himself and writing 'be yourself' on the poster he was holding.

After Spitfire's saddlebags were emptied she started flying the posters up to higher places and nailing them in. Pinkie Pie was glad to see them when they arrived to leave a few posters and advertisements. Fluttershy Didn't talk to much when they arrived but it warmed her heart to see two ponies in love. The Cutie Mark Crusaders came into contact with the trio and were given a stack of the posters to hang, screaming out 'Cutie Mark Crusaders publicity officers' Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom dashed off with their share of posters. Scootaloo stayed behind and looked at the two of them eagerly, asking if she could join their flight team. The two smiled and told her when she was older they'll work out a place for her. Smiling wide Scootaloo flapped her wings hard and hovered off to join her friends. After they had spent up all of their posters Spike agreed to join them as they went off to Spitfire's training.

They started off how they always did with stretches and slight endurance exercises. After that Rainbow Dash let Spike off and the two pegasus ponies flew up high and worked for a while on their sharp turns. Rainbow's idea to achieve the speed needed tonight was to go at a rapid decline where Spitfire could accelerate easier. "You ready Spitfire?" Rainbow Dash flew over and placed a hoof on her lover's shoulder to comfort her. Spitfire swallowed hard and nodded nervously. "Don't worry, I'll be flying right next to you in case anything goes wrong to catch you." This calmed Spitfire down as the two of them looked to the ground. After a minute of gathering her breath Spitfire was ready and the two started their descent. They gained speed at an amazing rate, and it didn't take long for Spitfire to feel the barrier take it's position in front of her. She couldn't hear anything beyond the wind blaring in her ears and Rainbow's voice screaming encouraging statements from right next to her, but sounded so far away. The barrier began to narrow and Spitfire could feel herself breaking through again. If she could just...go... a little faster...

Spitfire lost consciousness as they approached the ground at a ridiculous pace. Rainbow Dash broke through the barrier and swept Spitfire up in her front legs before they made impact and avoided the ground, pulling up hard. She landed and held Spitfire close, waving air on her face with one of her wings. "Hey, Spitfire! Wake up!" She said in a nervous voice as she stroked her love's brow. Spitfire opened her eyes and almost swore she was looking up at a blue angel holding her tight. "Are you okay Spitfire?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Dashie." She smiled and grabbed Dash's cheek, pulling her down for a tender kiss and chuckled. Dash let out a sigh of relief as Spike ran over.

"Spitfire, are you okay? Should we go get somebody?" His eyes were wide and nervous.

"No worries Spike I'm fine." Spitfire brought herself back up to her legs as Rainbow Dash stood next to her. "I still didn't do it I guess?" She asked.

"Actually you managed to break the barrier, but you weren't able to maintain the speed." Rainbow Dash said happily.

"It was AWESOME!" Spike exclaimed, spreading his arms wide for effect. "You were like, ZOOM! Then the sky practically EXPLODED with fire! And then you started to fall and I was like AAAAAHHHHHHH!! Then Rainbow Dash came in and the sky exploded again and it was a sonic RAINBOOM!" The dragon narrated with his entire body and not just his voice. He pointed over to the remaining smoke from the event.

"I did that?" Spitfire's eyes grew and sparkled.

"Well in a way yeah. Now you just need to maintain it." Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Well then." Spitfire Spread her wings wide and flapped them enough to kick up a gust. "Let's try again!"

"What already?" Rainbow Dash seemed taken off guard as Spitfire brought her flight goggles down over her eyes. "You just passed out a few moments ago."

"Yeah, and now that I've done it once, I wanna do it again." Spitfire grinned wide.

"No, Spitfire you're going to get hurt!" Rainbow Dash came around to Spitfire's front view and stamped her hoof hard in the ground. Her pink eyes had never been more demanding than they were now.

"I'm not right now am I?" Spitfire asked in her usual cool attitude. She batted her eyelashes heavily towards Dash, but she wasn't having any of that tonight.

"You almost were. We can try again some other time after you've had some time to recover but not now Spitfire!" There was a tone of desperation in Dash's voice. Spitfire looked her over with her large amber eyes growing a different type of sparkle in them.

Spitfire walked over and placed a kiss on Dash's cheek. "Dash, I trust you. You just saved me from becoming a red stain on Celestia's great green Equestria. Now I'll ask you to trust me when I say that I can do this." She could see Rainbow Dash's wall coming down as she continued. "Dashie, my love..."

"You did catch her last time pretty easily Rainbow Dash, you could do that again can't you?" Spike asked as he looked up at Dash.

"Spitfire... I just-"

"If you let me do this, I'll give you that one wing massage you love so much later tonight when we-"

"Alright you have a deal." Rainbow Dash spoke almost as if it were a reflex. "But just one more chance!"

"Of course Dashie." Spitfire nuzzled in appreciation. Spike smiled and watched as the two flew up out of his sight again. They looked down once they reached the appropriate height. Rainbow Dash let out a nervous sigh and Spitfire was the one to give a pat on the shoulder. "I'll be fine Dashie. I have you here to help me." With another kiss they were ready to go. They began their descent again. Spitfire approached the barrier and began flapping hard, pushing herself to pull that extra will power into her speed. The two entered Spike's view again as he cheered the pegasi on from afar. The barrier began to crack again as Spitfire built her speed up until-

BOOM! She did it! She pulled off the explosion and pulled up just as she almost hit the ground. She looked behind her and smiled wide. From where she felt the explosion there was a ring of flames spreading wide, and was soon followed by another explosion and a rainbow ring. Spitfire left a trail of flame as she flew on. Rainbow Dash soon caught up to her and they exchanged a smile as they flew on. Spike watched as the two of them made amazing designs with their trails. Winding together in a swirl of fire and rainbows, a cross, a tree, and many other impromptu designs before the two of them finished it off with a heart, meeting in the center where they slowly descended together as the lights and smoke fell with them. As they touched earth, Spike ran over in an ecstatic frenzy waving his arms over his head. "Guys that was AWESOME! You were all like-"

"We were there Spike, we know." Rainbow Dash said after stuffing a hoof in his mouth. The two ponies looked at one another and giggled together. "I think we have a trick to impress the entire crowd now!" Dash said nuzzling Spitfire.

"So what'll we call that? Wasn't exactly a rainboom was it?" Spike asked in a shrug.

"Seemed much more like a... sonic FLAMEboom!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She flapped her wings in excitement.

"Well then, in about a week we'll introduce the sonic flameboom to the public together!" Spitfire said. The three of them laughed for a few minutes. As the sun began to set they dropped Spike back off at the library and went back to Spitfire's home where Rainbow Dash got her 'special massage.'

Double sonic

The day of their show had come. They set up a small ticket booth where Spike collected tickets. The first one to arrive was Applejack. "Well howdy Spike." She said as she handed him her ticket. On her back was a wagon full of apple based food products.

"Hey Applejack! You're the first one to make it!" Spike took her ticket and placed it in a tin.

"Welp ah asked Rainbow an' Spitfire an' they agreed ta let me set up an apple stand right around here durin' the show. Hopin' ah'll have more success here than at th' gala." Applejack said as she motioned to her wagon.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Spike exclaimed with a hungry stare to the apples. "I'll have a pie please!" Spike reached for some bits before Applejack interjected.

"Tain't no need fer that Spike." Applejack pulled out an apple pie and gave it over to Spike. "It's on th' house little buddy. 'Sides ah been told that Wonderbolt fella Soarin' would be comin'! Spitfire told me he loved some Apple Family pie!"

"Wait, a celebrity is coming? No kidding?" Spike seemed mildly impressed as he graciously accepted Applejack's pastry.

"Eyup! Oh, an' Rarity said she'll make it after all. Finished up her order quicker'n she thought." Applejack walked off and listened for the expected reaction.

"Rarity's coming!? Right! I'll stay here all night if I have to!" Spike screamed in determination. Applejack laughed at the sound of the dragon's joy. He was predictable when it came to Rarity, but it was pretty cute.

Not even ten minutes after setting up shop, Applejack was approached by a familiar pegasus pony. "Well howdy there Soarin'! Long time no see. Care for another hunka mah granny's famous apple pie?"

"Hay yeah!" Soarin' laid out his bits and Applejack exchanged the pie over to the pegasus. Soarin took it and set it down, looking back to Applejack. "Say uh... Do you maybe wanna hang out after the show?" He asked in an incredibly doofy voice, never really making eye contact.

Applejack didn't hesitate and picked up right where he finished. "Ah do enjoy mahself a nice night on the hill if ya'd like to meet me there Sugarcube. Ah'll bring us some more a mah family's special recipies." Applejack winked at Soarin' with her large green eyes and batted her eyelashes.

Soarin' blushed bright red and scratched hard at his mane. "Uh... Yeah!" His wings began to flutter and push upwards as he walked away with a funny grin on his face and pie tray in his mouth.

A few yards away from the performance area, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire got ready for their show. Rainbow Dash began stretching in front of Spitfire and heard the sound of wings stiffening up. She looked behind her and saw Spitfire's wings fully erect. Dash laughed. "Whoa there Spitfire, we're not here for that kinda show."

"Well no reason we can't be." Spitfire winked and they giggled. "So, we know what we're gonna do?"

"Typical razzle dazzle tricks to grab their attention then throw away everything they know about flying with a double sonic fire and lights show!" Rainbow Dash stood tall and strong, looking like she could fly to Celestia's grand sun and back without a stop. "Hay, we'll be even better than the Wonderbolts! Sonic Dashfire will be a hit!" For a moment, memories of the Shadowbolts flashed in Rainbow's mind and she wondered what had happened to them. For a team that claimed to be better than the Wonderbolts, she hadn't seen much of them beyond that one time. That wasn't going to happen to her and Spitfire. The two of them were going directly to the top as the fastest pegasi in Equestria, perhaps history.

"There's my Dashie, always ready to go." Spitfire chuckled and began stretching too. They looked over to the stands and saw Soarin' and Scootaloo in the stands and Applejack near the ticket booth all set up for business. The two couldn't help but notice Applejack and Soarin' kept staring at each other as they giggled to themselves. "Looks like we're not the only lovebirds in town eh Dash?"

"For some reason I knew AJ would like him!" Rainbow Dash snickered. As more ponies showed up, Dash could feel the adrenaline building in her. They even noticed as the other elements showed up. Spike almost left his post to follow Rarity. A number of their other good friends like Lyra and Bon Bon walked in, Berry Punch came stumbling as usual. Eventually Apple Bloom showed up and started helping Applejack work the stand. AJ was attracting quite a few customers and even ran out of a few products. Soarin' often coming back and taking his time before picking out another pastry to snack on. Eventually though, they had to stop selling any sort of drink to Berry Punch for fear she was about to vomit. Eventually a white unicorn with blue mane and purple sunglasses walked through and suddenly Rainbow Dash got an idea. She flew over to the unicorn and talked to her for a while, giving her a refund for her ticket and exchanging happy nods. The unicorn left as Rainbow Dash explained the situation to Spike before flying back to Spitfire. "Well this should make things about-"

"Twenty percent cooler?" Spitfire chuckled. "That was DJ PON-3 wasn't it? Also known as Vinyl Scratch?"

"Yeah! I asked her if she would do an impromptu DJ job for us and gave her about the sound I'm looking for. She just went off to get her turntables real quick."

Soon the ponies looked to the sky and it was time. Scratch had shown up and had set out her turntables ready to go. The crowd was practically filled and some ponies had to sit on the ground in front of the bleachers. Spike took the center of the field and held a microphone that Scratch had brought along with her. He broadcast his voice to the whole crowd. "Fillys and gentlecolts! Welcome to the very first show as performed by Sonic Dashfire!" The crowd went wild with cheers and the sound of hooves clapping together. "The fastest fliers in all of Equestria, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire are here for your entertainment everypony! Let's see you get WILD!" As soon as he said that, the screams lifted to a loud roar as Rainbow Dash and Spitfire came flying out into the field.

As practiced, the two pegasi pulled off tricks that would've made even the most dexterous of pegasus ponies jealous. They did flips and loops and spins and dips and swoops. The audience gave various oohs and ahs at most of the basic tricks, but some of them caused the audience to jump up cheering at the top of their lungs. After a few minutes of the simple stuff, Dash and Spitfire climbed out of the audience's view. Before diving, the two took advantage of their privacy and exchanged a small peck on their lips. They descended at a rapid pace and hit their explosions almost simultaneously, filling the sky with flame and light as the two dodged the ground mere moments from impact. The audience was stricken with awe and couldn't look away as flames and rainbows mixed together in a dazzling combination. The two made more patterns and designs with their trails than before. One of the new tricks they'd worked on involved Dash slowing down and blasting through the barrier multiple times to set up a course of rings for Spitfire to go through. Lucky for them, Scratch caught on and timed the music up just right, making the show that much more amazing to watch. Everypony, even Soarin' who worked with risky and impressive tricks all the time, was deeply impressed by the finesse, charm, beauty and skill behind the show. The two ponies kept it going for about half an hour before they tired out and decided to show off their final trick. Rainbow Dash quickly gathered a cluster of clouds to the center of their workspace as Spitfire flew through them. Spinning around the clouds, Dash captured the fire trail inside of them. From below Spitfire whirled up a tornado, reaching up to the cloud before letting go in a fiery crackle. The cloud spun in the tornado, shooting off a crown of fire until Rainbow Dash flew through the cloud and out the bottom of the tornado, breaking it upon exiting and arcing back up to meet with Spitfire in the center of a heart that they made from their trail, just like the first time Spitfire managed a flameboom. The audience was manic with cheers and screams as Spike thanked them all for coming out to see the show. Rainbow And Spitfire bowed from up high, scanning the crowd for the happy faces of their friends.

Rainbow Dash couldn't be happier to see every one of her friends had made it to the show. She and Spitfire landed and met with their new fans. Spitfire refused to give out autographs for the time being. She was sick of signing. Dash on the other hand loved the attention and took every request given to her. Scootaloo walked away happily that night with Rainbow's name on her flank. When most of the crowd had cleared and Spike had headed home with Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Soarin' approached the duo.

"That there was some pretty fancy flyin'! Ain't never seen nothin' like it!" Applejack smiled and shook hooves with the two of them. "Hay, ah oughta thank ya! Ah made quite the sales tonight! If'n ya'll ever need me again ah'll be more'n happy to help. We raised quite a good amounta money fer th' farm!"

"Glad to hear it AJ!" Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"That was AWESOME! Spitfire, you never told me you could fly like that!" Soarin' exclaimed. he couldn't seem to make gestures large enough for how blown away he was.

"Well I never knew I could Soarin'. Doing the same tricks day in and day out kinda held me back." Spitfire chuckled in her usual way. "More importantly, what is going on with you two?" She smiled slyly and was joined in by Rainbow as they eyed the couple out.

All that Soarin' could manage out was a long 'uh' which left Applejack to explain. "We're gonna meet up at the hill you two spent the night at an'... get ta know one another." She winked and caused the other two to giggle as Soarin' just stood there with a confused look. "In fact, let's head out now. Sooner the better lover boy, come along now!" Applejack waved her hoof in the direction of her cart. After Soarin' shook off his confused daze, he followed Applejack like a loyal dog and they headed off to Sweet Apple Acres.

After thanking Scratch again, it seemed like everypony had cleared out. The two turned and started walking towards home when from behind them Rainbow Dash heard a voice that made her heart stop almost completely. "Hey Dash." The cold tone echoed in Dash's brain as she turned around with an angry glare.

"Gilda..."

Ruffling feathers

"What in they hay are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash glared hard at her old friend.

"Nothing much, just thought I'd catch up with my oldest friend. Heard you were starting a new flight team so I came to see." Gilda walked forward. Her voice lacked an honest tone.

"Friend of yours Dashie?" Spitfire asked. She kept her cool air about her as she walked closer to Dash. She provided her lover some comfort, seeing as she was obviously upset right now.

"You could say that." Dash's eyes never left Gilda. She almost growled as she talked.

"That was some nice flying Dash. You sure have me impressed." Gilda smiled in such a way it made Spitfire's stomach churn.

"We don't get too many griffons around here. The name is Spitfire friend." Spitfire smiled and offered a hoof to shake. Gilda Squeezed hard with her talons bringing pain through Spitfire's arm. She didn't wince of flinch but kept her calm and collected self as she assessed Gilda.

"Doesn't surprise me, we're a rare breed." Gilda had a prideful air about her as she said that. "So you're one of them Blunderbolts Dash would always obsess about eh?"

"Wonderbolts, and yeah I used to be. I'm a sonic now though." Spitfire responded politely. She could tell this chick was a real bitch just by looking at her. "So how do you and Dash know one another?" She already had a guess, so she thought she'd test it.

"Flight school" Dash said quickly trying to stop Gilda from answering.

"Well Dashie and I used to be a lot like how you and her are now Spitty." Gilda put extra emphasis on saying Dashie to mock Spitfire.

'So I was right!' Spitfire smiled kindly. "So you're Dash's ex huh?" She chuckled. "Well isn't that cute?" A sour look spread across Gilda's face. Spitfire was getting the reaction she wanted. She looked Gilda over. "I notice griffon's don't have cutie marks like us."

"Not everyone is a pony ya know." Gilda scowled.

"Also there's no way Celestia would allow a creature to walk around with a cunt showing on their hip." Rainbow Dash whispered into Spitfire's ear and they both laughed. Gilda wasn't amused.

"Look here Spitty!" Gilda grabbed Spitfire by the neck and was met with a sharp hard smack to her beak from Dash's hind legs.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" Rainbow Dash's eyes burned furiously. "You shouldn't have come back to Ponyville Gilda. After what you did to Pinkie and Fluttershy I ought to kick your ass right here!" It almost looked like smoke was puffing out of Dash's nostrils. "But if you even touch Spitfire again I'll turn you into nothing but a pile of feathers!"

Gilda rubbed at the spot Dash had kicked her, glaring at the two of them. "Glad to see I'm welcomed back so warmly. Aren't you supposed to be loyal to your friends Dash?"

"You're nothing to me anymore Gilda! You used to be cool. I don't know why you've become so cruel over the years, but I don't like it. It'd be beneficial to us all if you just left." Rainbow Dash dug at the ground holding a wing in front of Spitfire, making herself the primary creature in Gilda's view.

"Alright Dash. You want me gone then I'll go." Gilda Spread her wings wide. "But make sure you two are watching your backs." She let out a loud roar that caused Spitfire to cringe but Dash stood strong. Gilda took off leaving a few brown and white feathers behind.

"You okay Spitfire?" Rainbow Dash looked over her love's neck for any bruises. "She didn't hurt you did she?" She sighed in relief when she saw that there was no marks. "I am so sorry Spitfire. I had no idea that Gilda would even show her face around here again."

"It's alright Dashie." Spitfire patted Dash on the shoulder. "Could you explain exactly who she is though?"

Rainbow Dash nodded with a sigh. She told Spitfire about how Gilda and her were in the junior speedsters together an how they became close later on. When Gilda left Rainbow was pretty upset but met Applejack about a month later. Then she told of the time when Gilda came back and started causing trouble around Ponyville. She made Fluttershy cry and wasn't exactly welcoming of Pinkie Pie. Gilda was being possessive and wanted Dash all to herself again. After Pinkie had explained all of the acts Gilda had done, Rainbow Dash had lost all faith and admiration for her friend. "She used to be so cool and fun. I dunno where that truckload of bitch came from." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Now I can't even hear her name without getting angry."

Spitfire smiled and gave Dash a small peck on the nose. "No worries Dash. It's not your fault. You couldn't control the fact she'd turn out that way." Spitfire nuzzled Dash as they walked over to the ticket booth. "We entertained a lot of ponies today." She looked back to Dash. "Let's head over to my place."

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In Spitfire's home the two of them cuddled close on the couch, a yellow wing draped over Rainbow Dash. The cyan pony had completely cheered up from earlier. They were exchanging flight stories and holding hooves as they watched their performance on the television. The sun had set and Luna's moon was high in the air. As it got late, Rainbow Dash yawned and showed herself to bed. Spitfire smiled and kissed her goodnight, staying up to watch her late night dramas.

About a half hour passes when a thunder crack fills the room and caused Spitfire to shake and jump violently. She waited for a few moments but then it came again. It was a thunderstorm with extra volume. Spitfire took cover under her table, placing her hooves to her ears to block out the noise. It wasn't enough and it pounded in her head. 'Make it stop.' She begged within her mind. 'Please make it stop!' She whimpered there with her head in her wings and hooves. She spent another quarter of an hour cowering under the table before she ran into her bedroom to hold Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus woke to Spitfire's touch and held her close, stroking her mane and covering her with her wings. She tried her best to soothe the yellow pony but to no avail. "Dash, please make it stop! Make it stop Dashie please!" It broke Rainbow's heart to see her lover cowering like this. On the other hoof this was her chance to protect her hero and loved one.

"Wait right here. I'll take care of this." Spitfire hesitated to let Rainbow Dash leave but nodded. Dash kissed Spitfire's head and flew outside. 'There's no thunderstorm scheduled for today.' She thought to herself. Rain poured onto her mane. She looked up at the clouds. "You bitch!" She almost screamed as she flew full force into Gilda, sending the griffon tumbling through the air. "You know she's afraid of thunder don't you?" She only heard a chuckle against the rain. "I told you to get out!"

"Too bad Dash! You fuck with me, I'm gonna fuck with her. But hey, I ain't touchin' her!" It was hard to see her coming until she was right on top of her. Dash felt Gilda's talons rake across her face before Dash delivered another solid kick to her underbelly. "Gilda, this isn't who you were! You aren't my friend anymore now get out of Ponyville! Get out of my life!" Rainbow Dash charged full speed into Gilda, biting her by the neck and spun her around, throwing her off in an unknown direction. "Don't ever hurt my friends, and never, EVER hurt Spitfire!" When Dash was certain Gilda wasn't close by anymore, she got to work quick on busting up all the storm clouds to dispel the thunder. When they were all cleared away, Dash headed back towards the house. Before she could make a landing she felt talons grip at her neck as she plummeted to the ground and into a puddle of mud. "NOT this time Dash. I'll be having the last laugh tonight." Dash looked up as she saw Gilda ready a fist.

Before Rainbow Dash could feel the impact of her talon on her face she heard a thud and felt Gilda's grip release from her throat. She looked up and saw Spitfire standing over her. "You okay Dashie?" Spitfire helped her up. "When the thunder stopped I looked out to see if you were there. I saw Gilda and came out to help you."

"Thanks Spitfire." The two looked over at Gilda as she scrambled to get up. "I'll say it one more time Gilda. Get. The fuck. OUT!" Rainbow stomped hard at the ground and Gilda backed away in fear.

"Fine Dash! Don't ever expect to see me around here again!" Gilda spread her wings and flew off as fast as she could.

"That was the point..." Rainbow Dash looked after her as she flew away, turning to Spitfire. "Come on. Let's get back inside."

Once they were back inside of Spitfire's home, they patched Rainbow's claw marks up. "That might scar Dash. You want to see a hospital about having it magicked shut?"

"Nah. We'll go see Nurse Redheart in the morning and make sure it doesn't get infected. I think I'll keep the mark for a few days and show off to everypony. Then maybe we'll go see about sealing it up." Dash laughed in pride as Spitfire kissed the mark.

"My hero!" Spitfire chuckled. "But seriously, thank you Dashie. I don't know what I would've done there without you." She gave Dash another kiss and then placed a hoof onto the rainbow maned pegasus' chest. She looked at her lover with bedroom eyes. "So how about a reward kiddo?"

The next day they reported the incident to Celestia herself through Spike and the guards placed a restriction that wouldn't allow Gilda near Ponyville. They went to have Dash's claw mark cleaned and when anypony would ask what happened, Rainbow Dash would begin exaggerating a story about her heroic exploits. It looked like things were peaceful in Ponyville yet again, and just in time too. It wouldn't be long until the next show for Sonic Dashfire came around.

Sonic Dashfire on the rise

Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were a huge hit after their first show. Ponies were talking about them everywhere and raving about how spectacular the designs and tricks were . In another month they were almost as popular as the Wonderbolts themselves. They'd built up a fanbase largely centered around Cloudsdale. They hadn't accepted any new members, wanting to keep it something special between the two of them, at least until Scootaloo was old enough to join them. Rainbow Dash had her scars fixed up by Twilight who was more than happy to help. Vinyl Scratch had agreed to DJ at the rest of their shows due to her help in their increased popularity.

After completing another show, Rainbow Dash headed back home to wash up. It had been a long while since she'd been alone in her home. It was kind of lonely. She looked at all her Wonderbolts paraphernalia and chuckled a little. If it weren't for them she wouldn't have fallen in love with Spitfire, and by extension wouldn't have started her own flight team. Even if she didn't plan to join them anymore, they were still impacting her life greatly. She'd even claimed one for herself, her favorite collection piece. She smiled at the thought of Spitfire's Amber eyes. Rainbow Dash had come a long way from a young no name filly just practicing tricks. She was a founding member of Sonic Dashfire and the fastest flier Equestria had to offer. She was a somepony on her way to become the greatest. Even better, she was doing so with the mare of her dreams. She sighed in content. Things were working out really well for her lately.

It wasn't until Dash had gotten in her cloud shower that her front door opened. She didn't hear as her unknown guest walked in and walked up to the bathroom door. Dash remained completely unaware as the intruder opened the door and creeped up to the shower curtains. Rainbow was so lost in the feeling of the water on her mane and her thoughts of Spitfire, she was taken completely by surprise!

"What in the hay are you doing showering alone Dashie?" Spitfire said as she pulled the curtains back. "scoot over a little, you're getting some company baby." Rainbow Dash laughed and obeyed as Spitfire climbed in with her. They smiled and huddled close to share the water. Spitfire gave a sinister grin as she thought of an idea. "Oh Dashie, it's feels so good to be here with you. Dripping wet right next to you."

FWHUMP! Dash's wings went straight up and Spitfire was giggling to herself. "You're way too good at that Spitfire." Rainbow Dash said with a blush. "Y'know I'm gonna get you to do this when I want you to someday!" Rainbow poked Spitfire's chest with her front hoof.

Spitfire could only chuckle. "When you get better then maybe you will Dashie." She gave a wink to the cyan pegasus to taunt her.

Dash frowned in anger and sighed. "I guess you're right. I'll never get to your level of seduction." She stared at Spitfire with her large magenta eyes, batting her lashes. She moved in closely, brushing her lips across Spitfire's neck. The yellow pegasus' wings started to pull themselves up. "Never ever ever." She licked at Spitfire's jaw and her lover's wings launched into the air.

"Alright Dashie, you've proved your point! Oh, if only too well!" Spitfire gasped. "You've gotten pretty good at that!"

"Why do you think I poke around all the time? I think I've learned all your sweet spots." Dash said in pride.

"We could test that." Spitfire winked. "But I came here for a reason Dashie." The water kept coming down until Rainbow Dash hit at the cloud.

"And that would be?" Dash stepped out of the shower to shake dry, Spitfire doing the same.

"Well, pretty simply, you wanna live at my place or yours?"

"Wait what?" Dash was taken aback by how simply her other had asked that.

"I mean do you want me to help pack or should I help you?" Dash looked Spitfire over as she said this. She was completely serious as she said it.

"You aren't kidding are you?" Spitfire shook her head in response. "Oh my gosh. Uh... I dunno what to say.

Spitfire chuckled. "Just say yes my dearest." Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded. "Then we'll figure out who's moving in where later." They shared a small kiss and laughed.

Upon leaving the bathroom, Dash pulled out some food from her fridge and brought it to her coffee table in front of the couch where Spitfire was curled up and comfy. Dash joined her and turned on the television. It was another story about her and Spitfire. They sat there for a few minutes, watching and eating. Spitfire suddenly turned to Rainbow and spoke. "Tell me about your past Dashie."

Rainbow Dash looked back at her. "Really wanna know?" Spitfire nodded and Dash sighed. "Alright. Just be ready if I need you."

"That bad huh? Well no worries Dash, I'm right here." Spitfire spread a wing across Dash's back. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile as she looked into her eyes. She was as beautiful as the first night they confessed to one another, slightly more so with her mane down.

"I could lie and tell you everything was perfectly fine and that my childhood was awesome but I'm not gonna do that this time. You deserve to know the real me." Rainbow took a deep breath to prepare herself for her story. "I was born to be an amazing flier, that much is true. My mother was the greatest before me though, her name was Fyre Flye and she taught me everything I knew about flying. My dad was dead before I ever met him so it was just me and Mom. It didn't last too long though. She..." Rainbow Dash had some difficulty with the next part. She couldn't force it out so she settled on saying "She couldn't come with me." Rainbow Dash's eyes began to get heavy and watery. Spitfire wrapped her hoof around her partner's in an attempt to comfort her. After collecting herself for a moment Rainbow Dash was ready to continue. "She was really sick. A lot of our parent's generation didn't come through." She took a breath to calm herself, hiccuping as a tear leaked out. "I wasn't old enough to live alone just yet, so I was placed in a foster home." The tears started to come in more quantities now, Dash had to rub them away with her hoof. "My foster parents weren't exactly the most... 'accepting' ponies in Equestria. Neither were any of the other foals they took in. So you can bet I heard every nasty phrase for filly fooler there is. I didn't even know what they were talking about in the beginning. Most of it was them making fun of my appearance. It got better eventually, but it still hurt." She couldn't hold back anymore from the memories, she let it all come out. Spitfire held her close and Dash cried into her shoulder. Spitfire's coat began to soak under Dash's tears. She wrapped her wing tighter across Dash. She continued to tell the story of how she pulled off her first sonic rainboom in her race to defend Fluttershy's honor. "I got a job in the weather control here in Ponyville and it didn't take too long for me to meet Applejack and the others. I even met up with Fluttershy again. It was a lot more tolerant and accepting here and still is. I've never been happier anywhere else."

Spitfire smiled and nuzzled her lover. her coat and mane was wet and matted, but she didn't care, she was needed. "You okay Dashie?" Spitfire asked in her most soothing voice. Dash sniffled a little and nodded. "You've gone through a lot to get to this point haven't you? Oh Dashie. My strong, brave Dashie." She kissed Rainbow Dash's forehead and stroked her mane behind her ears. "You've gone through so much more than I have. No real tragedy or judgement. I've only ever had my fear of thunder. You've already helped me in that, I want to help you." She tapped Dash's nose with her free hoof. Dash smiled back with puffy eyes. "Your experience has made you a stronger individual and very brave. You fought off manticores and dragons and gods of chaos! Dashie you are amazing and nopony has any right to judge you, never did." Spitfire nuzzled Dash again and gave her signature chuckle.

"Thank you Spitfire." Rainbow Dash smiled as they gathered closer together. "Y'know you were a huge inspiration for me though."

"I can say the same for you, partner." The two of them giggled.

Dash looked up at her hero, her partner, her lover and it all became clear. "Your place."

"Excuse me?" Spitfire looked back to Dash.

"Your place is much nicer than mine. Let's live there. Besides there's plenty more room." Rainbow Dash rested her head on their hooves.

Spitfire gave a warm smile and nodded. "How soon?"

"Tomorrow sound okay for you?"

Spitfire sighed sarcastically. "Well it's a little late for my taste, but it will have to do." She grinned and kissed Dash on her nose. "That's a perfect answer Dashie. We'll get you moved in in no time."

Between the two of them, they were able to move Rainbow out pretty quickly leaving behind most of the furniture and appliances because they were made of clouds. For all of the Wonderbolts merchandise, Spitfire revealed to Rainbow Dash her shrine to the prized team. Rainbow Dash's jaw simply dropped once she saw it all. "I've been a very dedicated fan for years, just like you. Even after leaving them I enjoy to watch the shows. I think I was always meant to be a fan." Spitfire smiled as she turned to Dash. There were posters, bobble heads, sculptures, figurines, plushies, and even a carpet with all of the Wonderbolts on it in the center of the room. At the other end of the room was Spitfire's Wonderbolts uniform on a mannequin. "My collection may be bigger but I've seen yours. You've got some of the rarest items I've been looking everywhere for." Spitfire pulled out a bobble head of herself from Dash's saddlebag and placed it in a glass cabinet with all the other bobble heads. "The one the company gave me I donated to a contest for the biggest fan. That's my signature on it right there." She smiled and pointed to her sculpture's flank where Spitfire's initials were scribbled in black.

Rainbow Dash felt her heart flutter once again. "That was one of my favorite pieces." She walked over to Spitfire and looked at her vast collection. "If we keep up our work, we'll need to set up a room for collectibles of us!" She smiled and took pride in this fact. The thought of a poster featuring her and Spitfire made her grin.

"That's right! Hay I wouldn't be too surprised if we have some merch already. Few fan made products floating around out there?" Spitfire chuckled.

"I just hope they capture how amazing we are." Dash laughed.

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"Another show well done you guys." Scratch applauded the duo. "I gotta say, this is a pretty good gig working with you two. I had a bit of popularity, but now I'm being asked to do more jobs than I know what to do with." The unicorn adjusted her sunglasses.

"No problem Scratch, it works out for all of us!" Rainbow Dash knocked hooves with the musician. "You gonna keep working with us with all the attention you've been getting?"

"Of course! Putting your guys' moves to music is one of the best experiences I've had." The DJ exclaimed.

"Well we're glad to have you aboard!" Rainbow Dash turned and met back up with Spitfire. "Way to go out there partner!" She patted the yellow pegasus on the back with her front hoof. "I gotta say you looked pretty amazing out there."

"Well you weren't so bad yourself Dashie." Spitfire chuckled.

"Y'all gonna keep blabberin' about or ya gonna attend ta yer fans?" Applejack and Soarin' approached the two of them. "They're really eager ta see ya."

"Well well, if it ain't Apple and The Bolt. How was business today?" Spitfire said with a smile.

"Bringin' home a lota bits thanks ta you two. Ah gotta say, this team ya two put together is probably th' best thing ta happen 'round here. Yer bringin' in good business ta Ponyville. All the tourists an' fans have been comin' through an' bringin' quite th' haul. Even Rarity an' Pinkie been sayin' they've seen more ponyfolk around."

"That's awesome!" Dash grinned from ear to ear.

"You guys are almost as popular as us!" Soarin' praised. "You might end up being bigger than us!"

"Well Captain you sound awfully happy about that." Spitfire teased.

"Can't I be a captain and a fan?" Soarin' laughed.

There was a rumble as the fans got out of their bleachers, some heading home, others staying behind to see their heroes. "Looks like we have some business to attend to eh Partner?" Dash nudged Spitfire's shoulder. The orange maned pony nodded ant the two walked over to sign papers and flanks. Scootaloo was the first, as well as the fifth, tenth and last.

After signing autographs Spike walked up to them with a grin. He held a letter in his claws that he waved to bring it attention. "You guys aren't going to believe this. I just got a letter from Celestia, and she wants Sonic Dashfire to perform in Canterlot next week!"

The pegasi looked at one another with surprise. They couldn't help but squeal and smile with excitement. They had talked about it but they didn't expect it to happen so early. This was going to be their chance to hit the big time. They were going to perform in front of the Princesses of Equestria themselves!

At the end of the rainbow

The night had come for their big performance, Sonic Dashfire was going to make their first appearance in Canterlot, in front of Celestia and Luna. They took the night beforehand to celebrate with one of Pinkie Pie's parties, retiring to a party of their own back home. As they rested next to one another, Rainbow Dash stared into Spitfire's big amber eyes and couldn't help but smile. "Hey Spitfire?" The yellow pegasus gave a small 'hmm?' in response. "Since that night on the hill, I've had... the most amazing time of my life. You make me proud to be in love with you. That might not exactly... mean much. I mean, I'm a pretty proud pony... but I mean it. You make it seem almost... more natural to like mares than stallions."

Spitfire looked into those big pink pools and felt her lips curl upward. "Dashie." She caressed the blue pony's cheek with a hoof and gave her a kiss. "This is natural... for us. Love knows no bounds. It doesn't matter if you like stallions or mares. The fluttery feeling in your chest or the jump in your stomach, that's how you know." She rubbed her nose slowly agains that of Rainbow. "I-"

"I love you Spitfire." Dash got to it before Spitfire could even get her second syllable out. "You make my heart fly faster than I ever could, you clear the clouds of doubt in my mind. Spitfire, I'm not that poetic a pony, but I'm saying what I feel. You're amazing."

Dash's words warmed Spitfire's heart and she almost began to cry in joy. "I love you too Rainbow Dash." The two ponies hugged and exchanged a kiss. Spitfire sighed in content. "All the fame, bits and glory in Equestria could never have been enough for me if I never got to be with you Dashie. I know because I pretty much had that, and it was boring, but with you, it's enjoyable again. I've become even better as a flier since I've been with you. I'm flying for me again, I've broken down barriers I never thought I could get through before you helped me." She nuzzled up close to the cyan pegasus. "You risked yourself to take care of me when Gilda started harassing us, you taught me how to pull of a sonic flameboom in a matter of days. Rainbow Dash... I may have been your hero, but you've done a lot more for me."

Rainbow Dash felt a tear in her eye as she pulled her other closer. "By Luna's moon and Celestia's sun, this never even happened in my dreams. It's too..." Dash let out a heavy breath of joy "perfect." She closed her pink eyes and mashed her lips tight against Spitfire's. The two kissed deeply and held one another closely as they let the night drag on, falling asleep in one another's arms to rest up for the coming day.

When Celestia brought her sun into the sky that morning the pegasi awoke and nodded to one another with their shared knowledge of what came next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The duo waited until it was time for them to go out from inside of the top of one of the many towers of the royal castle. Rainbow Dash walked back and forth nervously on the stone floor as the time ticked onward. "I've never felt so nervousbefore! I haven't performed in Canterlot, hay I choked in the Young Fliers Competition!" She began to hyperventilate.

"Whoa, calm down there blue. You'll do fine. We've practiced until out wings wanted to fall off." Spitfire walked over and gave Rainbow Dash a reassuring pat on the back.

"I think I'd have an easier time taking down another god of chaos." Rainbow Dash calmed down with the sensation of Spitfire's touch. "But I couldn't be happier anywhere else but with you." The two faced one another and pressed their foreheads together, having their noses meet as well. They looked into one another's eyes and smiled lovingly.

"You guys are on in ten minutes. Are you ready to go?" Spike was standing at the door, keeping it open just a crack as he asked.

Without looking up to address him, they confirmed that they were ready and he walked out, bringing the door to a close. "This is it Dashie. Our success begins now."

"And mine began when I confessed my feelings for you. It's been a fantastic ride up to this point, and it only gets better from here." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and placed their lips together. Spitfire returned the gesture, opening her mouth. She was returned with the feeling of Dash's warm tongue on top of hers. Both pairs of wings reached toward the ceiling as their kiss went on. Rainbow Dash began to push into it as spitfire submitted and placed her back on the stone ground, her wings sprawled. The yellow pegasus brought her front legs around Dash's neck as the two ponies felt emotion swirl through them. Rainbow Dash brought her head up and broke the kiss, staring down at her beloved. "We'll pick this up later Hot Lips, but for now..." She licked Spitfire's nose affectionately "we have a show to do."

Spitfire gave her usual chuckle, but this one was a bit more feminine. She stroked her partner's rainbow mane with a glimmer in her eye and a sparkle in her smile. "I'll hold you to that Dashie. I was quite enjoying myself." Spitfire gave a little wink to her blue partner and stole another quick kiss. "Shall we?"

The two walked to the top of the tower where they looked down from on high. Their audience was much larger than expected. There were ponies everywhere, all cheering for the two pegasi. It was intimidating. "Everypony in Canterlot must be here to see this. It's ridiculous!" Rainbow Dash stared with her jaw open in awe. Unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi, and even the two alicorns in existence were watching them. Celestia and Luna sat from their own personal balcony above the other ponies. Dash gave a hard gulp at the sight of royalty. As she pictured herself flying through the air, she thought of all the mistakes she could possibly make and began to shake. 'I'm gonna humiliate myself in front of the princesses!' She started to feel her wings loose feeling and her muscles turn to goo. She couldn't do this today, maybe they would understand, she'd just tell one of the guards that they'd come again another day. She nodded and turned her head to Spitfire to tell her the situation. Spitfire wasn't nervous at all. Dash only saw the calm collected pony she had fallen in love with. The strong golden pegasus she called hero, and now, lover. Spitfire turned her head towards Dash as well and smiled reassuringly, nodding in a way that seemed to echo 'I'm with you.' Rainbow Dash's strength burst back into her as she nodded back. She was with Spitfire, the pony she loved. She would be perfect, no, they'd be perfect.

The two spread their wings and leaped into the air. They descended at a rapid pace before pulling up and flying over the audience causing them to squeal in delight. There was no room for normal tricks in this show, they were performing in front of the most important ponies in Equestria. Their best non-sonic tricks were enough to make the attending Wonderbolts gasp in amazement. Hairpin turns were pulled off from what the audience perceived to be as simple as walking. The two ponies would fly full speed at one another, missing collision by mere centimeters. Spitfire had performed in front of royalty and large crowds before, but this... was different. She could feel the adrenaline again, how it used to be so long ago. It felt amazing as she felt the energy pumping thick through her veins, performing with Dash also gave her something new, a feeling of joy and pride and even honor to fly with someone as great as Rainbow Dash. Her heart threatened to pop out and fly alongside the pegasi. She regained the thrill of flight once again.

The two ponies met up in midair as they ascended higher and higher, holding one another in a loving embrace. After they passed the clouds they met lips and parted, falling to the ground and building up speed. Simultaneously, they met their barriers and with renewed vigor, busted their way through easily with a thunderous boom that shook the very land below them.They performed flawlessly, trick after trick after trick. Where their normal shows would last only about a half hour before the strain of going supersonic would tire them out, but with the adrenaline and energy that they fed one another, they were able to go a whole hour before they tired out. Once again they finished off their show with the signature heart design, meeting up in the center. The audience was screaming at the top of their lungs by the end of the show. They landed down next to Scratch and offered her to join in on their bow.

Spike stepped out onto the stage with them and announced that the show was over, the crowd roaring with applause and cheers. "That's it everypony! Have a safe travel home, and don't forget to come see Sonic Dashfire again!" Spike grinned as everypony gave one last round of applause and walked or flew off towards home, still talking to one another about the spectacle they just watched. Then came the fans for their autographs. There must've been hundreds of them! The two had autograph signings before but not with this many ponies. After the crowd cleared and Twilight reclaimed Spike, they saw someone approaching that made them tense up.

"I thought I told you to leave Gilda! Didn't you get banished?" Rainbow Dash narrowed her gaze and dug at the floor of the stage, ready to charge if need be.

"I'm not allowed back in Ponyville Dash. Besides..." Gilda's tone wasn't as rude or angry as it usually was, she actually sounded... kind of sad. "Look... Dash. I... I know that I've been... a real bitch the last few times you've seen me, and I can admit that. It... just took me a few kicks to the head to realize that." The griffon rubbed at her arm as she looked at her feet in shame. "I've been thinking really hard as to why I've been acting that way. I don't... normally do this... stuff."

Rainbow Dash looked confused as her old friend went on. "I'll say. You're usually more action than thought."

"I've had a bit of help..." From behind Gilda, two ponies, slightly larger than most, stood next to her. The princesses of Equestria smiled at Rainbow Dash and Spitfire. The pegasi looked up at the royalty in awe, giving a bow.

"That was a remarkable show my little ponies. Truly you are the fastest fliers in Equestria, if not the best of all!" Celestia said in praise. Dash and Spitfire looked up with a smile. The Celestia of Equestria was calling them the best fliers she knew.

"Thou see, when thou sent your princesses thy letter, we requested the attendance of one Gilda to our presence so that we might talk with her." Luna had grown much better at controlling her volume since last Nightmare Night.

"We kept her away from Ponyville to keep her out of your minds while we spent time with her ourselves. Together my sister and I taught Gilda the magic of friendship from Twilight's letters." Celestia spread a wing across Gilda's back.

"It took a while, but I realized that I was doing things all the wrong way." Dash had never seen Gilda act this way. Even her old friend was much more collected than this. This Gilda had a genuinely hurt expression behind her eyes, she looked like she could break down crying at any moment. "I never... exactly... got over leaving you Dash. I was jealous... of Pinkie, of Spitty, er, Spitfire... And I was jealous that you were doing perfectly fine without me too." Gilda's pauses became longer as she started to hyperventilate slightly. "Instead of just talking about it I let my anger take over like usual and got possessive. I was selfish and tried to push your friends away from you because it meant you were getting close to others." Gilda's eyes began to water as she brought a talon brush away the tears. "I screamed at Fluttershy, I was a complete ass to Pinkie Pie, I worked to scare Spitfire... And then I physically hurt you." The few tears from Gilda's eyes became a full sob as tears streamed down her feathers.

The pegasi lowered their guard but remained in silence, Scratch walked up next to them to observe as well. "This one wishes to apologize for her actions, and waits to be forgiven by thee." Luna announced. "And, as your princess... we would very much recommend forgiving. When holding resentment towards one for a long period of time, one loses sight of things. We were able to identify with this one to that point." Luna thought of her time as Nightmare Moon and frowned, looking at the bawling griffon.

"I'm sorry Dash... I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you." Gilda sniffled and let out a helpless and pathetic whimper. "I should've been happy that you found someone to make you happy, but I only got angrier! I'm sorry." Celestia came closer to the griffon, still holding her under her wing.

Rainbow Dash stayed silent, almost to the point it was scary. Her mane was covering her eyes and she wore an angry frown. "You scared Spitfire and scratched my face up. You make Fluttershy cry and try to hurt Pinkie Pie." Rainbow Dash looked up and showed her eyes. "I'm not as forgiving as most ponies, you know this Gilda." Rainbow Dash glowered as she stepped towards the object of her frustration. She stopped just before they could meet beak to nose. "I will forgive you... but I won't be talking to you anytime soon. I'll need to blow off my anger in my own time, and I can't see you until I'm done and ready to talk, but I will be able to forgive you." Rainbow Dash looked hard at Gilda and the griffon nodded in understanding.

"We will keep Gilda with us for the time being." Celestia smiled. "We will share Twilight's research with her in hopes that she can find the magic of friendship once again, and hopefully earn your trust back Rainbow Dash." Rainbow nodded. Celestia looked over to Spitfire, who was smiling proudly at the blue pegasus. "As for you two, I think you've found an even greater magic in your bond. If I understand correctly you're not only partners, but in love as well. So, Could you report your findings on the subject to me?"

"I'll take care of this one Dashie." Spitfire stepped up next to Rainbow. "Your Highness, love... is one of the most precious and amazing things on this grand world of yours. It can come from anypony anywhere, even if you're not a pony." Spitfire looked to Gilda, who had calmed down and was wiping away her tears. "Love can make us all do mad things, whether pulling one another closer, or in more unfortunate cases, tearing each other apart. Gender and race don't matter in love, because we all feel it in our own way. It's a funny thing love. You may love somepony and be completely unsure if they even know you exist, but you could end up being their hero all along as they have been yours."

Rainbow Dash smiled and placed a wing over Spitfire in pride. "Excellent Spitfire." Celestia smiled brightly and Luna in turn. "I wish the best for you two ponies, and I look forward to seeing more shows by you two." The white alicorn turned her attention to her sister. "We'll be heading home now. Gilda, we'll be waiting for you when you return." The griffon nodded, having regained control of herself. The sisters flew back to their castle to relax.

Gilda walked off, still quite somber and lost in thought. "Yo, wait up!" Scratch walked off after her. "Gilda was it? Ain't never seen a griffon before." The unicorn pushed her shades above her eyes revealing the red gems. "The name's Vinyl Scratch, and it's a pleasure to meet ya." Gilda and Scratch walked off together with Scratch doing a lot of the talking, Gilda answering a question every now and again.

Spitfire chuckled in her usual manner and walked down the stairs with Rainbow following. Everything was wrapping up perfectly and the two ponies couldn't be happier. At least, that was their thought before they heard a squeal coming from Applejack's stand. They ran over as fast as they could manage on land. "Applejack, are you okay?"

The country pony's eyes started to water. "No you two. Ah ain't okay..." She threw her hat of and revealed a large smile. "AH'M FANTASTIC!" The pegasi looked at her stand. There was no food, only a cash box overflowing with bits.

"That's amazing Applejack! I guess you had a really hungry crowd tonight." Spitfire was rather impressed at how well the sale turned out.

"Huh? Oh, right. That too. But ah was refferin' ta that!" The orange earth pony pointed to the sky and the other two looked up. They felt their lips curl up almost instantaneously at the image. Spelled with clouds in the sky, was a message left by Soarin'. Applejack, I love you! Applejack herself was almost in tears of joy. "Ah love ya too Sugarcube." A few moments later, Soarin' landed right next to her and the two embraced, pressing their lips together.

It warmed Spitfire and Rainbow Dash's hearts to see them like that. "Hey Dashie. Let's head home, give these two some space huh? Besides, let's show them how real ponies have fun!"

"Don't have to tell me twice Spitfire!" The two ponies flew home, which they had moved above the hill where they had their first kiss, where they were always available should anypony need them. Except certain times. On those times, you'd always see a do not disturb sign on the front door, just hanging there, much like it is right now.

END~<3

BONUS: Of chickens and dreams

Spitfire and Rainbow Dash stood in front of the slab of stone, heads hanging in respect. It had been ten years since they had formed Sonic Dashfire, and they had ascended to a legendary status. Every year since then, they came to the graveyard to pay their respects to the pony who lied buried under the soil before their hooves. As they stood there in their silence an orange pegasus approached with violet mane, carrying a bouquet of roses in her teeth. On her flank was the image of a pony dancing in front of a lightning bolt. Dash and Spitfire nodded to her as she placed the roses in front of the gravestone. It read, Here lies Fyre Flye of Cloudsdale taken ill by the Thgirypoc virus. We will never forget you old friend.

Rainbow Dash took a breath before looking to the orange pegasus and smiling. "Thanks for coming Scootaloo. It means a lot."

Scootaloo smiled back and nodded. "That's what partners do." The orange pegasus was no longer a filly, she was a full grown, beautiful mare.

Spitfire nodded in return. "That it is." She looked to her wife and admired the strength she still had in her mother's resting place. She could still smile in such a sad place. In the ten years the two of them had lived together, they never once stopped admiring one another for any reason. The years had been very kind to the two of them, as their bodies hardly seemed to have aged at all. If anything their appearance had only become more attractive through the years, simply staring at each other for too long would cause them to start blushing. "Are you ready to go Dashie?"

The rainbow maned pegasus nodded to her spouse before turning back to the headstone. "I'll see you again mom. I hope you enjoy the roses, Applejack has been growing them special for occasions like these." Rainbow Dash grinned wide before turning to a half smile. "I wish you could've met Spitfire. I just know you'd love her." Rainbow looked back to the yellow pegasus. "I sure as hay do." Spitfire felt her heart glow in her lover's gaze. "I just wanted to say... I love you mom, and thank you... for everything. Even if you weren't around to see it all happen, I know you'd be happy. "

Scootaloo's face contorted as tears welled up in her eyes. The other two looked back at her and chuckled a little. "What?" Scootaloo asked. She let go and just started bawling. "It's beautiful!" The orange pegasus wiped at her eyes to brush away the tears. It was a little pathetic, but understandable. Dash's words had moved her to crying. She'd never thought her hero's past story would be so sad.

"It's alright Scoot. Look see? Dash is fine." Spitfire walked over to their new partner and gently patted her on the back. "She's not upset, so you don't have to be." The yellow pony tried to comfort her friend as Scootaloo sniffed harder, biting her lip and looking back at Spitfire with big red puffy eyes and nose dribbling. The orange pony nodded with her face dripping, it was kind of hilarious and adorable in a weird way. "Come on partner, let's head over to practice."

Scootaloo had grown to be a very strong flier over the years and was recruited into her promised position in Sonic Dashfire not only a month ago. She wasn't the fastest out of the three and she was never able to pull off a sonic rainboom of her own, though she was able to last much longer than the other two in flight, having much more stamina. She was also known for having much more grace and elegance in her moves. Her cutie mark appeared when she had discovered her talent for choreography and grace when performing another show for the talent show with her friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They had decided to do the same as they had done the year before but switched their roles around. Nowadays Sweetie Belle had a singing career where her sister Rarity designed all her outfits for her shows, and Apple Bloom Worked with Rarity as well as her assistant in design.

Since joining Sonic Dashfire, Scootaloo became their main choreographer and ponies have enjoyed the shows even more. She still remembered when they approached her for her audition and she passed with flying colors. She'd never been happier since she had earned her cutie mark. She was living the life she'd always wanted to, her dream, alongside her two biggest heroes. The two of them told her about how they were the same and couldn't believe it when they confessed their love and admiration for each other. Scootaloo couldn't help but feel a bond with them from the get go, like she was their sister. No longer was she Scootaloo the chicken, she was Scootaloo of Sonic Dashfire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a long hard day of practice, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire headed back to their home, saying hello to Applejack and Soarin' who were sitting close together at the top of the hill. Once inside, they gigled and Dash leapt onto Spitfire, kissing her deeply. "You still got any energy left in you?" Dash smiled and spoke with a growl.

"Frisky tonight eh Dashie?" Spitfire chuckled and returned the gesture, holding her wife by the back of her head. "Usually I'm the one starting us off."

"What can I say, you're rubbing off on me." Dash chuckled darkly.

"Rubbing sounds nice." Spitfire laughed. Suddenly, from the hall they heard a whirring as a green shell floated over towards them. "Hi Tank! Your mommies are home!" Spitfire smiled as the tortoise flew around them. The yellow pegasus felt Dash nibbling on her ear. "Oh, babe. You're not playing fair!" Spitfire let out a happy gasp.

"All is fair in love..." Dash let the phrase escape into a mutter and a moan as she began kissing at Spitfire's neck, the two of them losing over to hormones.

"Alright hun but not in front of Tank. Let's go back to the room." Spitfire struggled to gather control of herself, not too eager to give their pet a show. The two chuckled and walked back into their room. "Tank stay here." Spitfire told the tortoise with a giggle. "Mamas' have some business to take care of."

After their intimate hour, the two ponies lay in their bed holding one another. "Ten years later and it's still amazing!" Rainbow Dash nuzzled her lover tight.

"I'd say it's only gotten better!" Spitfire kissed Rainbow's nose. She let out a sigh of joy and thought back. "You remember when we first put Sonic Dashfire together? We were so happy. And look at where we are now. We're bigger than even the Wonderbolts ever were! And we're still doing things that we want to and having fun. Scootaloo's helped us progress even more."

"I know, we've gotten even better since then. We can go faster than sonic now!" Dash Squealed in excitement. "And our combinations have gotten even more awesome! I knew the little squirt had potential. Never knew she'd have so much stamina though."

"Probably from trying to keep up with you all the time huh?" Spitfire smiled.

"Perhaps." Rainbow Dash grinned back. "One thing's for sure, she's a great addition to our team."

"I remember you calling her a chicken as well Dashie." Spitfire giggled.

"So did you." Rainbow hoof bumped her spouse. "Besides that was Apple Bloom's doing."

"Regardless, our duo is definitely better as a trio. It was a good call on your part."

"I thought it was your idea."

"Well whoever's idea it was I'm glad we had it." Spitfire leaned over and kissed her lover. "You saw AJ and Soarin'? They had that look in their eyes! How long until we hear about it?"

Rainbow Dash smiled and got out of bed, Spitfire following her. "10...9...8...7...6..." They went out and walked to the living room, Tank coming over to rest on Rainbow Dash's back. "5...4...3..." Dash walked over to the front door. "2..." She grabbed the handle in her hoof. "1!" She opened the door and there was Soarin' reaching for the doorbell.

"Uh, hey ladies... I was just gonna tell you-"

"No worries Soarin', we know." Rainbow interrupted the stallion and turned back to Spitfire. "Ten seconds flat hun. Called it again!"

"Impressive Dashie. Shall we head down?" Spitfire walked over to Rainbow and Soarin' looked at the both of them confused, but let them fly by as they went to rest on the hill next to AJ.

"AJ!" Rainbow Squealed and hugged her friend tight, AJ returning the gesture. Tank flew off of Dash's back and stood on the grass. "How'd he do it? Don't tell me he just hid it in a pie did he?"

Applejack blushed and laughed. "He did." Spitfire chuckled. "I know my old partner way too well and it's right there on her face."

"Oh come on now you two. Don' be makin' fun o' mah new fiance'!" Applejack held up her hoof to show a gold band around her leg, the same as the ones around Dash's and Spitfire's. The three mares started squealing. "Took 'im a while, but he finally asked!"

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! I'm so happy for you two!" Rainbow Dash hugged tighter to the country pony.

"Ah know! Ah want ya both there! An' lil' Scootaloo too! If'n ya don' mind, could ya three-"

"Say no more Applejack, just tell us when the date is and we'll schedule a show for you two straight away and get Scoot working on a routine." Spitfire smiled and patted the orange earth pony on the shoulder.

About two minutes later Soarin' came down, still looking dumbfounded and blushing. "I'm guessing ya told 'em already AJ?"

Applejack walked over and gave him a kiss. "A course ah did! They're mah best friends. Mah bad, our best friends! An' they're gonna do a show at our weddin' Sweet Apple!"

"Ten years of an on and off relationship and you finally pop the question eh?" Spitfire gave her signature chuckle and bumped Soarin' on the shoulder. "About time buddy."

Soarin' blushed like mad. "Well, I... I kinda... just..."

"You don't have to explain it to us big guy." Dash giggled. "I'm happy for the two of you! And I'll gladly show up and make it twenty percent cooler!"

"If'n ya want it ta be cooler RD, ah've got a question for ya." Applejack smiled as Dash looked in curiosity. "Will ya be mah mare o' honor?"

Spitfire and Dash looked to one another and let out a girly screech. "Of course AJ! You were mine, I'll gladly be yours!"

Ten years later and it looks like things were getting better and better, everypony in Equestria had been magnificently happy. Applejack, Soarin', Spitfire and Rainbow Dash all talked over their plans for the wedding as the sun set. At the top of the world, how could things get better?