The Heat of Romanceby Strbrite GloeChaptersFight or FlightA SparkA Storm's ComingFight or FlightThe next morning, Rainbow Dash was awake bright and early. She was still rather sleepy, but she promised herself that she would clear the sky so everypony below could appreciate the morning sunlight. While performing her weather duties, her mind often wandered back to the events of the night before: Pinkie Pie's party, her friends meeting Firestorm, and how he had taken a friendly interest in her. She was trying to keep it all out of her mind but she couldn't help wondering when she would see Firestorm again. A while later, she had nearly finished moving all the clouds. She was still deep in thought and feeling lethargic from waking up so early. She sat down to rest as a little quiet yawn escaped from her. Rainbow then heard a female voice from below. "Rainbow Dash!" It was Twilight's voice. She flew to a hole in the clouds and peeked out of it. Twilight was standing on the brown pathway looking up at her with a smile. A small purple dragon was sitting on her back. "Morning, Twilight!" Rainbow called to her, waving a hoof, "Hi, Spike!" she added as the baby dragon waved back to her. "We just wanted to let you know how everypony is grateful for the early morning sunlight." Twilight said, "It's a lovely sight to wake up to." "Aww it's no problem, Twilight." Rainbow Dash said to the unicorn, "Just doing my job. But hey, now that's done, I got more time to practice my signature moves for the Wonderbolts. So I can't sit around right now. Gotta aim to impress!" She fluttered into the air ready to take off. "Of course, Rainbow." Twilight laughed. Before the unicorn could say any more to her friend, she flew off leaving a rainbow streak behind her. "She sure is awsome, isn't she?" Spike said enthusiastically. "I know she is, Spike." Twilight agreed. Rainbow Dash had flown to a quiet place high up in the clouds where she always practiced her favourite moves. She felt it was a good way to relax and unwind. She remembered a sequence of moves that she had been trying to perfect especially for the Wonderbolts and she decided she would work on it now. She began with a couple of slow loops around a row of fluffy clouds. The problem was… she was so caught up in her acrobatics that she had forgotten how tired she was. Her eyesight was less clear than normal and her muscles felt unusually weak and achy. She continued on without a second thought, doing all sorts of flips and spins that nopony else could pull off at such speed. It was when she approached a row of cloud columns, which she had laid out herself, that she started to feel very drowsy. As she began to fly in and out of the slalom, she found it hard to concentrate. She thought back to her cozy bed; she could be asleep at home right now in her cozy cloud bed and have wonderful dreams of flying with the Wonderbolts… "Ouch!" Rainbow was snapped out of her daydream when she banged her head on the side of a column. The impact of the crash sent her hurtling off course, her forehead throbbing. The pain made her vision distorted and she struggled to regain control of her flight. "Ugh…my wings are so tired…" Her wings felt weaker than ever, definitely not strong enough to keep her up. She fluttered them desperately, but she could feel her body tumbling downwards…until she felt something furry block her fall. She opened her eyes, which had been scrunched shut in a panic, and looked below her. She saw the smiling face of Firestorm look up at her. Her whole body was lying heavily over his back. "Woah, that was a close one." Firestorm said to her, "You okay?" Rainbow rolled her eyes, trying not to look impressed. "I'm fine." she grumbled. They weren't airborne for very long. Firestorm's legs began to wobble and the weight of Rainbow Dash was pulling him down. Rainbow yelped as the two of them tumbled towards the ground. A soft, squashy bush was there to break their fall but Firestorm's landing was still a little painful after they bounced off the bush and skidded onto the grass. "Ughh, my head…" Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing a hoof on her forelock. She shook the dizziness out of her as she lay over Firestorm's back. A nervous tingle pinched her stomach as he suddenly looked up at her. Their eyes locked for a few awkward seconds… Embarrassed, Rainbow shuffled off his back and straightened herself up on her legs. "Sorry about that." Firestorm said with a nervous chuckle, getting up himself. "Oh, trust me. I've had MUCH worse landings than that." She shook some dirt out of her rainbow tail while holding Firestorm's gaze with her pretty fuchsia colored eyes. "Why are you up here so early, Rainbow Dash?" he asked her, "Got duties to perform?" "Well, yeah." she said, her tone slightly smug, "But I also have to practice my moves." "Practicing moves? What for?" "For the Wonderbolts of course!" she said loudly, sudden enthusiasm in her voice, "I've wanted to be in that group ever since I was a little filly! So everyday I'm trying to perfect my signature moves so I can impress them." "The Wonderbolts?" Firestorm had an excited smile on his face, looking at Rainbow Dash in awe. "Wow. That's amazing! I've loved the Wonderbolts my whole life. In fact you know Spitfire right?" "Obviously" she said a little annoyed. "She's my cousin" "Really?" Rainbow exclaimed, her voice cracking in a cute way. "Yeah!" he gasped, "And you want to join them? That's pretty huge." Whilst he was talking to her, Rainbow Dash managed to get a closer look at Firestorm's cutie mark. The black cloud stood out on his red flank and she now noticed that it was breathed in several orange flames. She wondered what it meant. "I wish I could join the Wonderbolts." he said to her, "You'd have to be a pretty amazing athlete to be one of them." "Well, I'M a world-class athlete!" Rainbow said, hovering into the air and pointing a hoof to her chest "But why don't you just ask Spitfire to let you in." "I don't want to get in that way, I see that as cheating." Firestorm said in a dignified tone. Firestorm couldn't help smirking at her smug face. "Remember what I said? Best flier in Equestria." she proclaimed, shutting her eyes proudly, "I can get into that group, no problem! That's why I practice every day." "Every single day?" Firestorm asked her, looking at the hovering figure above him. "Yep." she said in that same arrogant tone. "Well, I've always been athletic too." Firestorm continued, "I used to fly through the skies all the time with Spitfire when we were younger. Lets me burn off steam and feel like I can do anything." Rainbow Dash had a curious look in her eyes as she landed on the ground in front of him. "That's how I feel when I fly." she said softly, "I love that amazing sense of freedom and having the wind blow through my mane." "So do I." Firestorm said, "Flying is practically my life." "Mine too." Rainbow said. She gave him a smile; her and Firestorm had quite a lot in common. Was that a good thing? "Flying was my specialty as a colt. And that's how I earned this little beauty here." He nodded at his cutie mark; the flares of orange around the spiral seemed to glisten in the sunlight. "Whenever I flew, I felt an amazing burn in my wings. Like fire. Since then, travelling the skies has been my lifetime hobby. My cutie mark represents stimulation and enthusiasm." That's kind of awesome, Rainbow Dash thought. "So what about you?" he suddenly said, his eyes fixed upon the cloud and lightning bolt that lay on Rainbow's blue coat, "I'm guessing your cutie mark means flying too?" "Yep. It sure does!" she said, looking at her cutie mark proudly, "And, like I told you, I'm a weather pony so I use my amazing speed and agility to tidy the clouds." "And you do that on your own?" Firestorm asked her. Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment. "Well…no." she admitted, "Every Pegasus helps out with the weather control. And all the pegasi, including me, come from there." She rose a few feet off the ground again and pointed her hoof at the large white cloud city high up in the sky. "Cloudsdale. I've lived there most of my life." "But you seem to be in Ponyville a lot." said Firestorm. "Yeah, that's because I wanna see my friends. Ponyville's like a second home, I spend so much time here…" As she gently landed on the ground to face him, Firestorm smiled at her again. "You know," he said, "I like you, Rainbow Dash. You've got a lot of spirit compared to most mares I've met and I admire that." "Uh…" Rainbow Dash felt shy for a moment, running a hoof awkwardly down her mane, "what do you mean by that?" "Well, you're very sure of yourself." Firestorm said, "You seem so confident that you can achieve anything, especially with flying. You're fast, right?" "Right!" Rainbow said, flashing him a daring grin. "So do you reckon you could beat me in a race?" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes at him. Was he actually challenging her? She wasn't sure what to say at first, but then she replied, "Yeah. I bet I could!" "Well, we'll see, won't we?" Firestorm said, flexing his wings and gazing at her with bold eyes. So you still think you're better than me, do ya? Rainbow Dash thought, irritably. "You really don't know what you're letting yourself in for, Firestorm." Rainbow Dash said to him. "I'm willing to take risks." he said to her cheekily, raising an eyebrow, "As I'm sure you are too." He flapped his brown wings a little more while Rainbow eyed him with a frown across her face. "Now let's see you be the first to Cloudsdale!" Before Rainbow Dash could react, Firestorm shot up into the sky towards the distant cloud city. "Hey! I wasn't ready!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Annoyed, she powered up her wings with several flutters and zoomed after him. Firestorm had already gotten quite far ahead of her, but she wasn't going to let him stay that way. She surged forward with all her flying power, his brown outline gradually growing larger as she got closer. She looked up to see the huge white shape of Cloudsdale getting nearer to the two of them. Firestorm looked around and gave her a mischievous grin as he continued to speed ahead, his mane flickering around in the wind. Rainbow Dash scowled at him before flapping her wings harder. She could feel the wind shooting past her and stinging her cheeks, but she ignored it. She was desperate to catch up with Firestorm, who was not far from Cloudsdale. Her efforts were paying off. She had soon flown far enough forward so that the two of them were neck and neck. Rainbow Dash didn't stop beating her wings for a second, even though she was growing short of breath. The dizziness that she had felt not long ago seemed to drift away completely. She was not going to let somepony else beat her. She soon noticed Firestorm panting , beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. She saw this as a chance. She used her agile wings to swerve her whole body to the right, passing right ahead of the exhausted stallion, who has now having trouble keeping up with her. Pleased with herself, Rainbow Dash did a happy somersault in the air before shooting down towards the nearby city. She had got this in the bag now. It was not long before she felt her hooves land on soft cloudy ground, her exhausted wings folding themselves away. "Phew!" she sighed, looking around at the dozens of pegasi roaming the air in the magnificent cloud city. She smiled proudly to herself as she heard the worn out pants of Firestorm coming up from behind her. He landed on the clouds beside her, laying his tired body on the floor like a blanket. His eyes were shining and his breathing was loud and rigid. He looked up at the grinning blue Pegasus, who was looking at him with victorious eyes. "Okay…" he gasped, holding a hoof up, "you're fast…I underestimated you, Rainbow Dash. You're a great flier." Rainbow Dash knelt down in front of him so that she was looking directly into his face. "Don't say I didn't warn you." she said to him cheekily, before turning away from him and giving his face a brush with her tail. He looked at her with annoyed eyes as she strutted in front of him, eventually getting to his feet shakily. The red stallion followed her as his eyes scanned everything around him: Pegasi roaming the air, the sounds of chatter and the whooshing sound of wings. The white cloudy scenery was beautiful. He stepped up to Rainbow Dash's side, his breathing normal again. "Nonetheless," he said to her, as she looked at him through the corner of her eye, "I'd like to see that sonic rainboom of yours at some point." Rainbow Dash shot him an optimistic grin. "Well…let's just say I'm saving it for a special occasion." Firestorm smirked, not asking her any more about it. Their hooves barely made a sound as they walked together, Firestorm's eyes swerving about in wonder at everything around him. Rainbow Dash noticed him gaze intently at a nearby building: the weather factory. "That place looks interesting." Firestorm said to her, his hoof pointing towards it. "Yeah, the weather factory." Rainbow Dash said, "That's where Cloudsdale sorts out the weather!" "Whoa…" Firestorm gasped, in awe of the huge building, "We never had anything like that where I came from. It sure is impressive." Firestorm lifted himself up into the air with the power of his wings, looking down at Rainbow Dash. "Mind if I go and take a look?" he asked her, his eyes looking thrilled with anticipation. "Sure. Go ahead. I'll meet you back here. Then I can show you even more of Cloudsdale!" "All right, Rainbow Dash. See you in a minute." He smiled at her before flying off towards the factory. Rainbow Dash thought, maybe she should have gone with him? Would he be okay finding his way back? No. He didn't need her company right now. Chill out, Rainbow. He'll be fine, she told herself in her head. She looked around at the city she stood in, so many memories flooding their way into her mind: she had grown up here as a filly, discovered her love for flying, trained with Fluttershy at Flight Camp. Time had flown so quickly; she had a group of amazing friends now and she had so many special things to be known for. Yet, she would never forget this wonderful place, her true home. Her shiny eyes looked around at the other pegasi in the air and on the ground, and the comfy looking clouds that hovered in the sky. She wondered whether to hop on one and relax, but decided not to. She should wait for Firestorm to come back before going anywhere. She smiled when she remembered Firestorm. Only a few hours ago she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Now she was happily showing the stallion around her home. What am I like? She giggled to herself, beginning to stride around the area, awaiting Firestorm's return. The seconds ticked by, and Rainbow felt boredom coming over her. Maybe she should have gone with him, she thought, it would have saved her from waiting. Just then, Rainbow Dash recognized three male faces that began to pass her. She felt a sting of worry in her stomach as their eyes looked in her direction. She had managed to escape bullying for a while ever since she won the Best Young Fliers Competition; Hoops and Dumb-Bell had left her alone after seeing her sonic rainboom. But she still received some tough times coping with colts that would make fun of her and accuse her for being over-confident. Right now, the colts near her were one that she knew as Slate Streak and two others that had been with Hoops and Dumb-Bell before. They had always picked on her whenever they got the chance. Slate Streak was a turquoise Pegasus with a bright streak of blue through his aqua mane and tail. He was known for a being an athletic and brash stallion that was proud of who he was and wanted all other ponies to know his name. Feeling nervous, Rainbow Dash wondered whether to slip away and hide, but then she remembered Firestorm wouldn't find her. She looked at Slate Streak with uncomfortable eyes, her blue body shriveling up a little. "Oh look, fellas!" Slate Streak exclaimed, "It's Rainbow Crash! You destroyed anypony's house recently, Rainbow Crash?" Rainbow frowned at him as he and his friends began to laugh at her. She had always tried to act tough whenever she was laughed at, but on the inside, she hated it and wanted to run away. "She doesn't have any friends today, does she?" one of the smaller colts shouted out. "No, just the ground!" They burst into laughter again. Rainbow felt hurt and angry inside. Were they saying she was lazy? "Ugh, guys, just quit it will you?" she snapped, "I'll have you know I'm tired out from all my practicing!" "Practicing? Don't you mean…failing?" Slate Streak snorted with laughter, "Like you'll ever get into any flying team!" As the laughing began again, Rainbow Dash turned her head away from them, hiding the sadness that was forming in her eyes. At this moment, Rainbow was unaware that Firestorm was flying back the way he came, a few meters above her in the air. His blue eyes were happy and joyful at first, amazed by what he had seen at the weather factory, but then he glimpsed the anxious form of Rainbow Dash below him, and three mean-looking stallions laughing at her. "Well," he said to himself, frowning at the colts below him, "what have we got here then?" Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash kept her head turned away from the stallions, who continued to laugh and make her insides tremble with fear and anger. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash gasped at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked around to see Firestorm land swiftly in front of her, looking the bullies directly in their eyes. "What do you think you're playing at?" he barked at them, "She's never done anything to you!" Rainbow stared at him as he stood defensively between her and the bullies. She was stunned at his sudden outburst. Slate Streak was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he retorted, "And why should you care? I've never seen you around here before." "That doesn't matter." Firestorm snarled his hair flaring up a bit, stepping a little bit closer to Slate Streak, "I'm telling you not to say another harsh word to her. I don't even want you near her." "Who are you to tell me what to do, low-life?" Slate Streak snapped, "This is practically none of your business!" Rainbow Dash continued to watch the scene, her eyes wide. Why was Firestorm defending her like this? He hardly knew her. "It IS my business if I catch somepony bullying another pony that doesn't deserve it!" he shouted at the older stallion. Despite his intimidating appearance, Slate Streak seemed quite taken aback by Firestorm's fury. He said nothing for a few moments, Firestorm staring at him angrily, and then gave a grumble with his chin up. "Say what you want, chump." he muttered, beginning to turn away, "Nopony will think anything of you. Come on, fellas. Let's leave the lunatics to muck about on their own." With that, Slate Streak and his two friends stomped away. Firestorm shook the anger out of his eyes, turning to look at Rainbow Dash, who was still standing there with a bewildered look on her face. "Are you all right?" he asked her calmly. "I…I don't understand…" Rainbow Dash said, "Why did you do that for me?" "You were being picked on, Rainbow. I had to do SOMETHING." He paused to run a hoof down the back of his neck shyly. "And…well…" he said quietly, "you just seem like a pony worth protecting." Rainbow Dash gazed at him questioningly, wondering what to do; he was giving her a timid smile. Before she could think about it, Rainbow smiled back at him, a warm feeling in her heart. They smiled at each other for a few moments…but then Rainbow suddenly shook her head. "Yeah, well…I don't need protection." she said, back to her arrogant tone. Firestorm rolled his eyes at her as she began to walk past him, but in a friendly, amused way. "I appreciate your concern though." she said to him ironically, stopping to turn her head to look at him, "It's hardly surprising." He grinned at her and let out a snicker. "Whatever you say, Rainbow Dash." "Ahuh…so, erm…" she fidgeted nervously, "I was gonna show you around a bit more, wasn't I? Come on then." She took off into the sky, seeming unaware of where she was headed. Firestorm stood there watching her fly for a moment, and then used the power of his own wings to follow her into the clouds. A SparkThe next morning, Rainbow Dash was awake bright and early. She was still rather sleepy, but she promised herself that she would clear the sky so everypony below could appreciate the morning sunlight. While performing her weather duties, her mind often wandered back to the events of the night before: Pinkie Pie's party, her friends meeting Firestorm, and how he had taken a friendly interest in her. She was trying to keep it all out of her mind but she couldn't help wondering when she would see Firestorm again. A while later, she had nearly finished moving all the clouds. She was still deep in thought and feeling lethargic from waking up so early. She sat down to rest as a little quiet yawn escaped from her. Rainbow then heard a female voice from below. "Rainbow Dash!" It was Twilight's voice. She flew to a hole in the clouds and peeked out of it. Twilight was standing on the brown pathway looking up at her with a smile. A small purple dragon was sitting on her back. "Morning, Twilight!" Rainbow called to her, waving a hoof, "Hi, Spike!" she added as the baby dragon waved back to her. "We just wanted to let you know how everypony is grateful for the early morning sunlight." Twilight said, "It's a lovely sight to wake up to." "Aww it's no problem, Twilight." Rainbow Dash said to the unicorn, "Just doing my job. But hey, now that's done, I got more time to practice my signature moves for the Wonderbolts. So I can't sit around right now. Gotta aim to impress!" She fluttered into the air ready to take off. "Of course, Rainbow." Twilight laughed. Before the unicorn could say any more to her friend, she flew off leaving a rainbow streak behind her. "She sure is awsome, isn't she?" Spike said enthusiastically. "I know she is, Spike." Twilight agreed. Rainbow Dash had flown to a quiet place high up in the clouds where she always practiced her favourite moves. She felt it was a good way to relax and unwind. She remembered a sequence of moves that she had been trying to perfect especially for the Wonderbolts and she decided she would work on it now. She began with a couple of slow loops around a row of fluffy clouds. The problem was… she was so caught up in her acrobatics that she had forgotten how tired she was. Her eyesight was less clear than normal and her muscles felt unusually weak and achy. She continued on without a second thought, doing all sorts of flips and spins that nopony else could pull off at such speed. It was when she approached a row of cloud columns, which she had laid out herself, that she started to feel very drowsy. As she began to fly in and out of the slalom, she found it hard to concentrate. She thought back to her cozy bed; she could be asleep at home right now in her cozy cloud bed and have wonderful dreams of flying with the Wonderbolts… "Ouch!" Rainbow was snapped out of her daydream when she banged her head on the side of a column. The impact of the crash sent her hurtling off course, her forehead throbbing. The pain made her vision distorted and she struggled to regain control of her flight. "Ugh…my wings are so tired…" Her wings felt weaker than ever, definitely not strong enough to keep her up. She fluttered them desperately, but she could feel her body tumbling downwards…until she felt something furry block her fall. She opened her eyes, which had been scrunched shut in a panic, and looked below her. She saw the smiling face of Firestorm look up at her. Her whole body was lying heavily over his back. "Woah, that was a close one." Firestorm said to her, "You okay?" Rainbow rolled her eyes, trying not to look impressed. "I'm fine." she grumbled. They weren't airborne for very long. Firestorm's legs began to wobble and the weight of Rainbow Dash was pulling him down. Rainbow yelped as the two of them tumbled towards the ground. A soft, squashy bush was there to break their fall but Firestorm's landing was still a little painful after they bounced off the bush and skidded onto the grass. "Ughh, my head…" Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing a hoof on her forelock. She shook the dizziness out of her as she lay over Firestorm's back. A nervous tingle pinched her stomach as he suddenly looked up at her. Their eyes locked for a few awkward seconds… Embarrassed, Rainbow shuffled off his back and straightened herself up on her legs. "Sorry about that." Firestorm said with a nervous chuckle, getting up himself. "Oh, trust me. I've had MUCH worse landings than that." She shook some dirt out of her rainbow tail while holding Firestorm's gaze with her pretty fuchsia colored eyes. "Why are you up here so early, Rainbow Dash?" he asked her, "Got duties to perform?" "Well, yeah." she said, her tone slightly smug, "But I also have to practice my moves." "Practicing moves? What for?" "For the Wonderbolts of course!" she said loudly, sudden enthusiasm in her voice, "I've wanted to be in that group ever since I was a little filly! So everyday I'm trying to perfect my signature moves so I can impress them." "The Wonderbolts?" Firestorm had an excited smile on his face, looking at Rainbow Dash in awe. "Wow. That's amazing! I've loved the Wonderbolts my whole life. In fact you know Spitfire right?" "Obviously" she said a little annoyed. "She's my cousin" "Really?" Rainbow exclaimed, her voice cracking in a cute way. "Yeah!" he gasped, "And you want to join them? That's pretty huge." Whilst he was talking to her, Rainbow Dash managed to get a closer look at Firestorm's cutie mark. The black cloud stood out on his red flank and she now noticed that it was breathed in several orange flames. She wondered what it meant. "I wish I could join the Wonderbolts." he said to her, "You'd have to be a pretty amazing athlete to be one of them." "Well, I'M a world-class athlete!" Rainbow said, hovering into the air and pointing a hoof to her chest " But why don't you just ask Spitfire to let you in. "I don't want to get in that way, I see that as cheating." Firestorm said in a dignified tone. Firestorm couldn't help smirking at her smug face. "Remember what I said? Best flier in Equestria." she proclaimed, shutting her eyes proudly, "I can get into that group, no problem! That's why I practice every day." "Every single day?" Firestorm asked her, looking at the hovering figure above him. "Yep." she said in that same arrogant tone. "Well, I've always been athletic too." Firestorm continued, "I used to fly through the skies all the time with Spitfire when we were younger. Lets me burn off steam and feel like I can do anything." Rainbow Dash had a curious look in her eyes as she landed on the ground in front of him. "That's how I feel when I fly." she said softly, "I love that amazing sense of freedom and having the wind blow through my mane." "So do I." Firestorm said, "Flying is practically my life." "Mine too." Rainbow said. She gave him a smile; her and Firestorm had quite a lot in common. Was that a good thing? "Flying was my specialty as a colt. And that's how I earned this little beauty here." He nodded at his cutie mark; the flares of orange around the spiral seemed to glisten in the sunlight. "Whenever I flew, I felt an amazing burn in my wings. Like fire. Since then, travelling the skies has been my lifetime hobby. My cutie mark represents stimulation and enthusiasm." That's kind of awesome, Rainbow Dash thought. "So what about you?" he suddenly said, his eyes fixed upon the cloud and lightning bolt that lay on Rainbow's blue coat, "I'm guessing your cutie mark means flying too?" "Yep. It sure does!" she said, looking at her cutie mark proudly, "And, like I told you, I'm a weather pony so I use my amazing speed and agility to tidy the clouds." "And you do that on your own?" Firestorm asked her. Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment. "Well…no." she admitted, "Every Pegasus helps out with the weather control. And all the pegasi, including me, come from there." She rose a few feet off the ground again and pointed her hoof at the large white cloud city high up in the sky. "Cloudsdale. I've lived there most of my life." "But you seem to be in Ponyville a lot." said Firestorm. "Yeah, that's because I wanna see my friends. Ponyville's like a second home, I spend so much time here…" As she gently landed on the ground to face him, Firestorm smiled at her again. "You know," he said, "I like you, Rainbow Dash. You've got a lot of spirit compared to most mares I've met and I admire that." "Uh…" Rainbow Dash felt shy for a moment, running a hoof awkwardly down her mane, "what do you mean by that?" "Well, you're very sure of yourself." Firestorm said, "You seem so confident that you can achieve anything, especially with flying. You're fast, right?" "Right!" Rainbow said, flashing him a daring grin. "So do you reckon you could beat me in a race?" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes at him. Was he actually challenging her? She wasn't sure what to say at first, but then she replied, "Yeah. I bet I could!" "Well, we'll see, won't we?" Firestorm said, flexing his wings and gazing at her with bold eyes. So you still think you're better than me, do ya? Rainbow Dash thought, irritably. "You really don't know what you're letting yourself in for, Firestorm." Rainbow Dash said to him. "I'm willing to take risks." he said to her cheekily, raising an eyebrow, "As I'm sure you are too." He flapped his red wings a little more while Rainbow eyed him with a frown across her face. "Now let's see you be the first to Cloudsdale!" Before Rainbow Dash could react, Firestorm shot up into the sky towards the distant cloud city. "Hey! I wasn't ready!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Annoyed, she powered up her wings with several flutters and zoomed after him. Firestorm had already gotten quite far ahead of her, but she wasn't going to let him stay that way. She surged forward with all her flying power, his brown outline gradually growing larger as she got closer. She looked up to see the huge white shape of Cloudsdale getting nearer to the two of them. Firestorm looked around and gave her a mischievous grin as he continued to speed ahead, his mane flickering around in the wind. Rainbow Dash scowled at him before flapping her wings harder. She could feel the wind shooting past her and stinging her cheeks, but she ignored it. She was desperate to catch up with Firestorm, who was not far from Cloudsdale. Her efforts were paying off. She had soon flown far enough forward so that the two of them were neck and neck. Rainbow Dash didn't stop beating her wings for a second, even though she was growing short of breath. The dizziness that she had felt not long ago seemed to drift away completely. She was not going to let somepony else beat her. She soon noticed Firestorm panting , beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. She saw this as a chance. She used her agile wings to swerve her whole body to the right, passing right ahead of the exhausted stallion, who has now having trouble keeping up with her. Pleased with herself, Rainbow Dash did a happy somersault in the air before shooting down towards the nearby city. She had got this in the bag now. It was not long before she felt her hooves land on soft cloudy ground, her exhausted wings folding themselves away. "Phew!" she sighed, looking around at the dozens of pegasi roaming the air in the magnificent cloud city. She smiled proudly to herself as she heard the worn out pants of Firestorm coming up from behind her. He landed on the clouds beside her, laying his tired body on the floor like a blanket. His eyes were shining and his breathing was loud and rigid. He looked up at the grinning blue Pegasus, who was looking at him with victorious eyes. "Okay…" he gasped, holding a hoof up, "you're fast…I underestimated you, Rainbow Dash. You're a great flier." Rainbow Dash knelt down in front of him so that she was looking directly into his face. "Don't say I didn't warn you." she said to him cheekily, before turning away from him and giving his face a brush with her tail. He looked at her with annoyed eyes as she strutted in front of him, eventually getting to his feet shakily. The red stallion followed her as his eyes scanned everything around him: Pegasi roaming the air, the sounds of chatter and the whooshing sound of wings. The white cloudy scenery was beautiful. He stepped up to Rainbow Dash's side, his breathing normal again. "Nonetheless," he said to her, as she looked at him through the corner of her eye, "I'd like to see that sonic rainboom of yours at some point." Rainbow Dash shot him an optimistic grin. "Well…let's just say I'm saving it for a special occasion." Firestorm smirked, not asking her any more about it. Their hooves barely made a sound as they walked together, Firestorm's eyes swerving about in wonder at everything around him. Rainbow Dash noticed him gaze intently at a nearby building: the weather factory. "That place looks interesting." Firestorm said to her, his hoof pointing towards it. "Yeah, the weather factory." Rainbow Dash said, "That's where Cloudsdale sorts out the weather!" "Whoa…" Firestorm gasped, in awe of the huge building, "We never had anything like that where I came from. It sure is impressive." Firestorm lifted himself up into the air with the power of his wings, looking down at Rainbow Dash. "Mind if I go and take a look?" he asked her, his eyes looking thrilled with anticipation. "Sure. Go ahead. I'll meet you back here. Then I can show you even more of Cloudsdale!" "All right, Rainbow Dash. See you in a minute." He smiled at her before flying off towards the factory. Rainbow Dash thought, maybe she should have gone with him? Would he be okay finding his way back? No. He didn't need her company right now. Chill out, Rainbow. He'll be fine, she told herself in her head. She looked around at the city she stood in, so many memories flooding their way into her mind: she had grown up here as a filly, discovered her love for flying, trained with Fluttershy at Flight Camp. Time had flown so quickly; she had a group of amazing friends now and she had so many special things to be known for. Yet, she would never forget this wonderful place, her true home. Her shiny eyes looked around at the other pegasi in the air and on the ground, and the comfy looking clouds that hovered in the sky. She wondered whether to hop on one and relax, but decided not to. She should wait for Firestorm to come back before going anywhere. She smiled when she remembered Firestorm. Only a few hours ago she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Now she was happily showing the stallion around her home. What am I like? She giggled to herself, beginning to stride around the area, awaiting Firestorm's return. The seconds ticked by, and Rainbow felt boredom coming over her. Maybe she should have gone with him, she thought, it would have saved her from waiting. Just then, Rainbow Dash recognized three male faces that began to pass her. She felt a sting of worry in her stomach as their eyes looked in her direction. She had managed to escape bullying for a while ever since she won the Best Young Fliers Competition; Hoops and Dumb-Bell had left her alone after seeing her sonic rainboom. But she still received some tough times coping with colts that would make fun of her and accuse her for being over-confident. Right now, the colts near her were one that she knew as Slate Streak and two others that had been with Hoops and Dumb-Bell before. They had always picked on her whenever they got the chance. Slate Streak was a turquoise Pegasus with a bright streak of blue through his aqua mane and tail. He was known for a being an athletic and brash stallion that was proud of who he was and wanted all other ponies to know his name. Feeling nervous, Rainbow Dash wondered whether to slip away and hide, but then she remembered Firestorm wouldn't find her. She looked at Slate Streak with uncomfortable eyes, her blue body shriveling up a little. "Oh look, fellas!" Slate Streak exclaimed, "It's Rainbow Crash! You destroyed anypony's house recently, Rainbow Crash?" Rainbow frowned at him as he and his friends began to laugh at her. She had always tried to act tough whenever she was laughed at, but on the inside, she hated it and wanted to run away. "She doesn't have any friends today, does she?" one of the smaller colts shouted out. "No, just the ground!" They burst into laughter again. Rainbow felt hurt and angry inside. Were they saying she was lazy? "Ugh, guys, just quit it will you?" she snapped, "I'll have you know I'm tired out from all my practicing!" "Practicing? Don't you mean…failing?" Slate Streak snorted with laughter, "Like you'll ever get into any flying team!" As the laughing began again, Rainbow Dash turned her head away from them, hiding the sadness that was forming in her eyes. At this moment, Rainbow was unaware that Firestorm was flying back the way he came, a few meters above her in the air. His blue eyes were happy and joyful at first, amazed by what he had seen at the weather factory, but then he glimpsed the anxious form of Rainbow Dash below him, and three mean-looking stallions laughing at her. "Well," he said to himself, frowning at the colts below him, "what have we got here then?" Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash kept her head turned away from the stallions, who continued to laugh and make her insides tremble with fear and anger. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash gasped at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked around to see Firestorm land swiftly in front of her, looking the bullies directly in their eyes. "What do you think you're playing at?" he barked at them, "She's never done anything to you!" Rainbow stared at him as he stood defensively between her and the bullies. She was stunned at his sudden outburst. Slate Streak was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he retorted, "And why should you care? I've never seen you around here before." "That doesn't matter." Firestorm snarled his hair flaring up a bit, stepping a little bit closer to Slate Streak, "I'm telling you not to say another harsh word to her. I don't even want you near her." "Who are you to tell me what to do, low-life?" Slate Streak snapped, "This is practically none of your business!" Rainbow Dash continued to watch the scene, her eyes wide. Why was Firestorm defending her like this? He hardly knew her. "It IS my business if I catch somepony bullying another pony that doesn't deserve it!" he shouted at the older stallion. Despite his intimidating appearance, Slate Streak seemed quite taken aback by Firestorm's fury. He said nothing for a few moments, Firestorm staring at him angrily, and then gave a grumble with his chin up. "Say what you want, chump." he muttered, beginning to turn away, "Nopony will think anything of you. Come on, fellas. Let's leave the lunatics to muck about on their own." With that, Slate Streak and his two friends stomped away. Firestorm shook the anger out of his eyes, turning to look at Rainbow Dash, who was still standing there with a bewildered look on her face. "Are you all right?" he asked her calmly. "I…I don't understand…" Rainbow Dash said, "Why did you do that for me?" "You were being picked on, Rainbow. I had to do SOMETHING." He paused to run a hoof down the back of his neck shyly. "And…well…" he said quietly, "you just seem like a pony worth protecting." Rainbow Dash gazed at him questioningly, wondering what to do; he was giving her a timid smile. Before she could think about it, Rainbow smiled back at him, a warm feeling in her heart. They smiled at each other for a few moments…but then Rainbow suddenly shook her head. "Yeah, well…I don't need protection." she said, back to her arrogant tone. Firestorm rolled his eyes at her as she began to walk past him, but in a friendly, amused way. "I appreciate your concern though." she said to him ironically, stopping to turn her head to look at him, "It's hardly surprising." He grinned at her and let out a snicker. "Whatever you say, Rainbow Dash." "Ahuh…so, erm…" she fidgeted nervously, "I was gonna show you around a bit more, wasn't I? Come on then." She took off into the sky, seeming unaware of where she was headed. Firestorm stood there watching her fly for a moment, and then used the power of his own wings to follow her into the clouds. It was now midday and Rainbow Dash was rather tired from touring around Cloudsdale with Firestorm. The two of them were now outside of the city and were hovering along in the afternoon sky. "You're very lucky to have lived there as a filly, Rainbow." Firestorm said. "Cloudsdale is a stunning place." "Yep. I've known that for a long time." Rainbow Dash said proudly. She smiled to herself, pleased that Cloudsdale had always been her home. The two Pegasi settled themselves on a nearby cloud, large enough to fit them both on it. They lay on their fronts to face each other, feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on them. Rainbow heard Firestorm let out a content sigh as he stared at the view of Ponyville below them. She too felt very relaxed, resting her achy forelegs across the soft cloud. "Sorry about what happened before." Firestorm suddenly said, "With the bullies. Maybe I shouldn't have left you on your own." "That's okay, it wasn't your fault." Rainbow Dash said, "I've dealt with it before anyway." "Before?" Firestorm asked, his eyes curious, "How long have you been picked on?" "Just…a little while." Rainbow Dash said uncomfortably, her voice growing quiet, "There were colts that made fun of me since Flight Camp-" "Since Flight Camp?" Firestorm exclaimed, looking staggered, "Rainbow Dash, that's not just 'a little while', that's practically your whole life!" "It's no big deal, Firestorm. I'm used to it." She rolled her eyes at him as if she didn't care. Of course, she really did care that she had been made fun of for so long; she just didn't want to admit it. "Has nopony ever been there to help you?" Firestorm asked. "Well, actually I'm normally the one doing the helping. I used to stick up for Fluttershy at Flight Camp whenever she got picked on." "Really?" Firestorm smiled at her. "You sound like a good friend to her." Rainbow felt bashful from that comment. "It was nothing…" she mumbled, with a shade of pink on her cheeks. "But listen, Rainbow Dash," Firestorm said to her, focusing his gaze on her eyes, "I know how you feel. I got laughed at a lot when I was a colt." "Honestly?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking curious. "Yes, honestly. My school mates never cared much for me. They always thought I was too distant with everypony else because I was always flying instead of chatting. It was only when I got my Cutie Mark that I finally earned some respect." Rainbow Dash looked intrigued by his story. She had experienced times like that as a filly too; it was hard to believe how many similarities they had. "Glad we're on the same page then." Rainbow Dash said to him, her voice still sounding cheerful, "But I had plenty of respect myself of course." she added with a prideful tone. "I can imagine that, Rainbow." Firestorm said, a look of laughter in his eyes, "But you still shouldn't let those dim-witted colts take advantage of you." "Oh, don't worry. I won't." Her voice sounded confident, but the look on her face was hesitant. "But, um…" she said softly, "I never said…thanks for helping me back there." Her voice was low and withdrawn, as though she felt uncomfortable. Firestorm gave her a warm smile. "Don't mention it, Rainbow. I know what you've gone through, so if you ever need reassurance, I can be there for you." As if to comfort her, he gently lay a hoof onto hers. Rainbow Dash felt happy inside; nopony had ever treated her this way, except maybe her friends, but this pony really understood her. She looked at his sky blue eyes with her own questioning rose pink ones, wondering what to do. They looked at one another with their hooves still touching; until Rainbow awkwardly pulled hers away. "Erm…sure. Thanks, Firestorm …" She turned her body so she was facing to the side and down at Ponyville. "That's all right, Rainbow Dash." Firestorm got to his feet and walked peacefully to the edge of the cloud, admiring the view of the periwinkle coloured sky and the distant chirps of birds as they flew in groups through the air. "Still, you can cope pretty well on your own. Otherwise, you wouldn't be capable of all your flying techniques, would you?" He talked to her without looking at her, adding a mischievous tone to his voice. Dash still lay on the cloud, looking down at Ponyville, and listening to his words. "Flying techniques?" she asked, before scoffing, "Yep. I can do plenty of those. Except, next time, I think I'll get extra sleep before practicing in the mornings…I'm so tired… " She took in a small breath before letting out a quiet yawn, which Firestorm seemed oblivious to. He stared out into space, a look of deep thought on his face. "Yes, hopefully I won't have to rescue you like that again." he said with a small chuckle, "In the meantime, you should show me some more of your flying sequences, and maybe we could have a few more races, or maybe…" He turned around to face the cyan pony, only to find that she had fallen asleep. Her chin was resting on her two front hooves while her tail hung down off the cloud; her breathing was steady and relaxed. Firestorm stopped in his speech, pausing to watch the cyan pony as she slept. His mouth curved into an adoring smile. He stood next to her, wondering what to do. He looked around him for a moment, seeing or hearing no movements apart from the breeze and the tweeting of the birds. He turned his head back to Rainbow Dash, a nervous gulp forming in his throat, and stepped towards her quietly, his hooves moving silently across the cloud. Being as gentle as he could, he slowly knelt down beside Rainbow, settling himself in a lying down position right next to her. She didn't move a muscle or make a sound, thankfully. Firestorm gave Rainbow Dash a warm gaze with his blue eyes, snuggling up close to her, and then he calmly lay his head onto his forelegs and drifted into his own deep sleep. A Storm's ComingFor a few moments, everything was quiet and still in Ponyville's blue skies…until a flash of brilliant colours whooshed out of nowhere, echoing into the distance. When silence fell again, the source of the flash perched glumly on a singular white cloud. The little turquoise Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, swished her multi-coloured tail underneath her. She let out a careless yawn and propped her head on the cloud, shutting her tired eyes. A flapping of Pegasus wings rose up from below. The little creamy pony Fluttershy edged up to Rainbow Dash, and prodded her shoulder. "Um…Dash?" "Huh?" The blue pony gave a little grunt and glimpsed Fluttershy's twinkling eyes staring at her. "Yeah Fluttershy?" she mumbled. "Well, um…" Fluttershy's voice was its usual shy tone, "Rarity is desperate to try out her new dress…and she wants you to be the model for the day." "Argh…" Rainbow Dash moaned, drooping her head down, "Not again…I'm gonna be bored to tears…" "Is that a no?" Rainbow Dash sighed. She couldn't just say no to her friends. "I'll be down in a minute." "Oh…okay." As Fluttershy flew off, it took a while for Rainbow Dash just to stand up. Her hooves ached and her eyes stung from sleeping. Her dozy wings flapped and carried her off the cloud. Unfortunately, her vision was still blurry from her sleep, and she was not paying full attention to where she was going. It was then she felt a sharp bump on her forehead. "Ouch!" She rubbed her face with her hoof and then she heard another 'Ouch!' coming from next to her. She looked up, her sight now clearing up. Another Pegasus was in front of her. She hadn't seen this one before. He had a scarlet red body, with a flaming thunder cloud Cutie Mark, and bright orange and yellow mane and tail, glowing like fire. He looked at the rainbow maned pony in front of him. His eyes were awkward. "Um…sorry." And he sped off. Rainbow Dash glared after him in annoyance. "Maybe you should watch where you're going next time!" she called after him, not knowing whether he would hear or not, neither caring. She rolled her eyes, and fluttered down to the Earth below her. "Need to fly! Have to get back in the sky!" "Hold still for one second, Rainbow!" Rarity said, holding the frustrated Pegasus to the ground. Rainbow Dash was wearing Rarity's latest breakthrough: a lilac coloured frock that trailed to the ground. Dash was clearly not happy about it. "Any thoughts, Twilight?" Rarity asked. Twilight Sparkle looked at Rainbow Dash in the frock. Rarity's tone of voice was slightly impatient, but she didn't look as impatient and annoyed as Rainbow Dash did. "Rarity, you have nothing to worry about." Twilight said, "This is perfect. A work of art." "You think so?" "Sure. It'll be an amazing entry. And Rainbow Dash has been a great model for the day. You should let her go now." Twilight winked at Rainbow Dash. "Certainly." Rarity said with a smile. As the frock was unclipped from her, Rainbow sped out of the front door. She sighed once outside. "Feel better now?" asked Twilight, coming from behind her. "Phew…much! Thanks, Twilight. I could have been there for hours!" "Say, now that I think about it, I'm kinda still deciding on what to write for Princess Celestia this week and…" Twilight kept on talking but Rainbow Dash was not really paying attention, for she had seen a dark shape move across the clouds up in the sky. It looked mysterious and sneaky…and why would another Pegasus be up there? "…if you would like to, you can have a rest at my house and give me some ideas." Her mind suddenly switched back to Twilight Sparkle. "Erm… I think I'll give it a miss this time, Twilight. You know…wing exercise needed!" She fluttered her little blue wings to show them. "Okay, understood!" Twilight said cheerily, "See you later, Dash." When Twilight trotted away, Rainbow turned her attention back to the sky. Her eager sense of curiosity led her up into the clouds again. The desperation of wanting to fly fast suddenly went away. Maybe that was just an excuse to get away from Rarity, but she was only inquisitive now. She scanned every cloud for signs of movement. Soon boredom took over her again, and she slumped onto a nearby cloud, her wings folding away, but her eyes still alert… "Is somepony lonely out here?" Rainbow Dash let out a squeaky yelp and fell off her cloud, before her little wings held her upright. She immediately recognized the Pegasus looking at her. "You!" The red male Pegasus with a mane and tail colored with fire gave Rainbow Dash a cheeky smirk. "Oh we've met before then?" "Just what is your problem?" Rainbow Dash snapped, shooting up to him so her eyes were staring sharply into his. "First you come crashing into me, and then you intend to terrify the wit out of me!" "Well, the WIT certainly hasn't gone." Despite Rainbow Dash's fury, the colt still kept calm and had a casual grin on his face. Rainbow wasn't used to being outsmarted like this. "I don't have time for your lame comebacks!" she propped herself on the white fluff underneath her, her hooves folded, "Don't you have some other place to be?" The colt looked amused at Rainbow Dash's irritated eyes. "Actually, right here is where I have to be. I AM a weather pony, you know." "Oh, are you now?" Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, "Well, I'M the top weather pony in Ponyville so don't get any rough ideas!" Her frown then changed to a proud smile. "You should also know that you are talking to the Best Flyer in Equestria." she fluttered a little off the cloud, her eyes closed with smugness. "Hmmm, then I am most honored to be so, my lovely one." Another tinge of anger stung in Dash's stomach, but she tried not to show it. "So what can you do with those blue wings of yours?" he asked, showing off his cardinal wings. "Oh. An AWFUL lot." she said in her smug tone, "Including a sonic rainboom." "That I gotta see!" For the first time the colt was honestly intrigued. "Well, obviously I would show you my talent but…" she let out a brief yawn, "these little beauties get tired." She flapped her wings lazily. "You couldn't face up to me then." the colt said, still grinning, "I'm active every day and every hour! Let me entertain you with my style!" Before Dash could protest at him, he had already bolted high into the sky and began a series of backflips and loops through a row of ten clouds. He weaved through every one of them with little effort and he looked like a ball of fire as he sped gracefully around the sun. Rainbow Dash forgot how to blink. She just stared with round eyes. She didn't know whether to be annoyed or fascinated… After a while he spiralled down in front of her, showing off his burning cloud Cutie Mark. It was clear what his Cutie Mark meant now. "Clearly you're too tired to show me your own stuff…" His voice was so offhand and annoying that Rainbow couldn't take it anymore. "You think you can get the better of me THAT easy?" she said with fiery eyes, "No one outsmarts Equestria's Best Flier!" And Rainbow Dash was set to prove that. As she felt the colt's eyes follow her into the sky, she thought of every move she could remember. She twisted in and out of every treetop nearby, she darted straight through a row of fluffy little clouds and performed an incredibly fast loop the loop just above the wide eyed Pegasus. As she landed, she left a little trail of rainbow behind her. "Admit it, mister." Rainbow said happily to the colt, sitting in front of him, "You HAVE met the BEST Flier in Equestria." "I can't deny you were pretty impressive…but I still don't see a sonic rainboom." "They're a hard job, ya know. I can't manage them EVERY time." "All the same…impressive flying." the colt said, smiling at her with admiration, "Love to know your name, missy." She rolled her eyes, her multi-coloured tail curled around her legs. She looked away from him and said, "It's Rainbow Dash. If you must know…" "You're a fascinating pony, Rainbow Dash. My name's Firestorm. Hope to catch you around again sometime." "Um, I-" Firestorm whizzed off in the blink of an eye. And Rainbow Dash sat on her cloud in thought, suddenly feeling lonely again. For the rest of the day, Rainbow Dash kept her encounter with Firestorm out of her mind. She wasn't going to let some arrogant colt distract her from everything else. So she decided that she would visit Twilight, just for a little while. It was regrettably boring having to help the unicorn with her tidying up, but it was better than nothing. Rainbow Dash said nothing about Firestorm to Twilight. In fact, she hardly said anything at all. Twilight was the pony doing all the talking. "Rarity's being ever so sweet and everything but all her chatter about dress designs does my head in. I can't seem to think straight or concentrate on my studies. Not to mention I'm panicky about my letter to Princess Celestia. I'm having trouble thinking of lessons I've learned." "Well, I wouldn't know, Twilight." Rainbow said, "I've been too caught up in my flying to learn any friendship lessons." "Let's not worry, we'll figure something out. We always do." Twilight lifted up one last book with the magic of her horn and it settled itself onto the top shelf. "Phew. That's all of the books away." she said with a relieved smile. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "I appreciate you keeping me company, Rainbow. What made you decide to come here anyway? I thought you were busy in the sky?" "Uh, well…" Rainbow hesitated for a second, "I was. But it turns out the weather doesn't need much help today. And I'm happy to help a friend if it gives me something to do." "That's nice of you. And thanks. I suppose it gives me something to do too." Before the two could continue their conversation, the front door suddenly burst open. A pink pony stood in the doorway, a big beam on her face. "Twilight, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, bouncing up to Twilight. Pinkie's little hooves were jiggling with overexcitement and the unicorn stared at her with stunned eyes. "Calm down, Pinkie." she said sternly, "What is it? And couldn't you have knocked before barging in?" "I couldn't knock!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, "I was way too excited! You and Rainbow Dash have to come round to mine later because there are like so many new ponies in Ponyville! I just have to throw them a welcoming party cause they all seem so nice and they could be our friends and I love making friends and-" "All right." Twilight said, stopping Pinkie Pie in her words, "I think we get the idea. You want us to come to your welcoming party where there will be new fillies and colts. Right?" "Right!" Pinkie Pie squealed, "You're going to come, aren't you? Please come, Twilight! You've got to come too, Dashie! It'll be totally fun! It's at my place at 5 o'clock!" "Well, we do love a good party I guess." Rainbow Dash said with a grin. "Great! You'll be there! I know you guys will! Cause you're my best friends! Can't wait! See you there!" As quickly as she had come in, Pinkie Pie was out of the door again. Twilight blinked and was silent for several moments. Rainbow just smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well, a welcoming party. That should be interesting." Rainbow said with a smirk. "Trust Pinkie Pie to let us know about a party in THAT way." Twilight said, still drowned in Pinkie Pie's mass of words. "She's just being Pinkie Pie." Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle, walking up to Twilight's side, "And anyway, a party like this will help take your mind off things. You don't have to worry about the letter. You can just have a nice time with your friends." "Yeah, I guess you're right." Twilight agreed, a smile back on her face, "And it'll give us all a chance to make new friends! That's definitely something I could write about." With no other chores to take care of, Rainbow and Twilight left the house to wander around Ponyville. Along the way, they talked about the upcoming party. Would it be fun? Who would they meet? And WOULD they make some new friends? It was obvious that Pinkie Pie had told all their other friends too, since Twilight and Rainbow stumbled upon their cowgirl friend Applejack who burst into conversation at once. "Howdy, partners!" she said to them cheerfully, "Heard about Pinkie's new welcomin' party?" "Sure have." said Twilight, "You know how Pinkie gets news around quickly." she added, rolling her eyes. "I think it's a mighty nice idea!" said Applejack merrily, "Before y'all know it, we'll have made some more friends!" At that precise moment, an off white colored pony trotted up to Applejack's side. "Oh uh, this is Diamond Groomer." Applejack said, pointing to the stallion. Diamond Groomer gave a shy grin at Twilight and Rainbow who each returned a kind smile. "Ah promised 'im I'd show 'him round for the day." Applejack explained, "I'll catch the rest of ya later. Hope you meet some nice folk!" Applejack cantered off with Diamond Groomer by her side. "Wow." said Twilight, "There does seem to be a lot of new faces in town." "And they're getting around pretty quickly." Rainbow added. "I'm sure we'll find some pony friends of our own if we look around. Besides, I need to go into the store to look for new writing equipment." So Rainbow Dash followed Twilight into the small corner shop. The Pegasus never roamed around the shops much, but she thought she might find the odd thing that would interest her in here. When inside the shop, the two ponies split up and looked at different shelves. Rainbow went straight to the posters section, searching for Wonderbolts pictures. Twilight browsed the shelves that held all the essentials for writing. She examined quills, parchment, ink and much more. Her eyes latched onto a block of papers, which were perfect for writing new letters on. She used her horn to pick the papers up, but underestimated the weight. The pile was, in fact, very heavy. Just as she lost her grip, the head of another pony lifted the papers up before they reached the ground. "That could have been a nasty shocker." It was a stallion that Twilight had never seen before. She noticed his Pegasus wings and his burning cloud Cutie Mark. "Thank you, sir." Twilight said in relief, "That really would have been embarrassing." Her voice was rather shaky around this stranger. "Oh please, don't call me sir." the stallion said, "My name's Firestorm." "Twilight Sparkle." the unicorn said in return, "You're new around here?" "Yes, along with many other newcomers, I believe?" "Oh, I've been seeing an AWFUL lot of new ponies here. And it's so nice to meet new citizens of Ponyville." "Hey, how are you doing Twilight?" Rainbow Dash's voice came to Twilight's ears. The cyan Pegasus was trotting out from behind a nearby shelf and it was then she noticed Firestorm. Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "Rainbow Dash, wasn't it?" Firestorm said in his usual calm voice. "You? Again?" Rainbow exclaimed. "You two know each other?" Twilight said, switching her gaze between Firestorm and Rainbow Dash. "We've only just met." Rainbow muttered, "And it WASN'T intentional." She had a look of annoyance on her face. Twilight, on the other hoof, looked pleased. "Well, I'm sure we'd both love you to join us at our friend's welcoming party later on today." she said to Firestorm, "Pinkie Pie is inviting every new pony in town to her house at 5 o'clock." she lowered her voice, "Pinkie Pie has to be friends with everypony there is to know." "I understand that." Firestorm said with a chuckle, "I'd be happy to tag along if that's all right with you." "Of course it is! Right, Rainbow Dash?" "Ugh…yeah. Sure it is." Rainbow said, glaring at Firestorm. He smirked at the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. "Pinkie Pie lives at Sugarcube Corner right?" he said, "I know." he added with a grin, "That pony's talked about a lot around here. I'll be seeing you at five o'clock then. Lovely to meet you, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight replied with a shy smile. The Pegasus colt stepped up to Rainbow Dash's side before saying, "See you around, Rainbow Dash." And he exited the shop with a flap of his wings. "Wow, Rainbow!" Twilight gasped, trotting up to Rainbow's side, "He seems so nice! And charming! I'm looking forward to having the others meet him!" "Yeah, sure…whatever…" Rainbow was staring out of the door and into the sky where Firestorm had flown off to. Her face was still rather annoyed. "What is it?" Twilight questioned, "Don't you like him or something? And you've already met him! When? And why didn't you say?" "It was only this morning, Twilight." Rainbow said, rolling her eyes, "And I didn't think it mattered." "Of course it matters if you're making new friends!" Twilight said happily. To this, the Pegasus scoffed. "Phff, FRIENDS?" Rainbow exclaimed, "When did I say he was my frie-" "We'd better go home and prepare ourselves now." Twilight said, ignoring Rainbow and heading to the door, "Pinkie's party is in an hour." Rainbow hung her head sulkily and followed Twilight out of the shop. As they walked together, Rainbow Dash had thoughts spinning around in her head. How would Firestorm act at the party? Would he talk to her even more? Would he talk to her friends? Would he embarrass her in front of her friends? He'd better NOT show me up in front of my friends, she thought, he thinks he's so much better than me. "Don't worry." Twilight said to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Twilight lay a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be great at the party. I'll see you there, Rainbow!" As Twilight trotted off towards her house, Rainbow heaved a small sigh and fluttered up into the clouds. Hopefully Twilight was right. The skies were just beginning to get dark and the windows of Sugarcube Corner were lit up. Inside the house, ponies, balloons and laughter filled the room. Pinkie Pie was bouncing around saying 'hi!' to every new pony she saw. She would also set off a party popper every now and then. Twilight was standing with Applejack at the side of the room, giggling at the annoyed ponies that had just been sprinkled with confetti. "Heehee, oopsie!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, hopping away like a kangaroo. Twilight and Applejack were so used to the antics of their cheery friend that they simply exchanged smiles and chuckled. An irritated stallion brushed the confetti off his head. The atmosphere was still cheery when Rainbow Dash arrived. The door had been left open so she could wander inside, and before she had a chance to look around, she was met with a tight hug from Pinkie Pie. "Dashie, you made it!" the pink pony squealed, her arms squeezing the baffled Pegasus. "Err yeah…hi, Pinkie." Rainbow said awkwardly, running low on breath. She sucked in a breath when Pinkie Pie finally let go of her and bounced away. Looking around her, she spotted her five friends dotted in the large crowd of ponies. Fluttershy was sitting silently in a corner, her eyes nervously swivelling around the room. Pinkie Pie was leading a conga line down the room, each pony behind her grinning. Rarity was wearing a fabulous party gown of course. She was speaking to a few colts, but took care to keep her dress away from any risk of damage. At this point, Rainbow Dash had forgotten about Firestorm. She just happily trotted over to Twilight and Applejack ready to spend some time with her friends. This was going to be great. "So, Rainbow." Applejack said to her, whipping her hoof around her and giving her a friendly squeeze, "Been socialisin' at all? Or are you just too nervous for that?" "Nervous?" Rainbow said, ducking out from underneath Applejack's arm, "I am NOT nervous. I'm never nervous!" "Well, I'm so glad that Pinkie Pie has decided to throw this celebration." Twilight said with a calm smile, "It'll make all the newcomers feel so welcome here, as I know THEY will be nervous." "Are you guys excited?" The three of them weren't surprised when they heard Pinkie's giddy voice toddle up to them. "I'm so excited, I've never been so excited! Well, maybe I HAVE been before but this is still so exciting because we're going to be really popular when we make all these new friends and maybe they'll all come to more of my parties and I'll know everypony around here! Hi!" She waved her hoof frantically in front of a colt that was walking past the four of them. The colt looked surprised at first, but then smiled politely at Pinkie Pie, said "Hello miss" in a clearly Trottingham accent. Pinkie grinned a huge grin and darted off. Twilight flashed a smile at the dark pony. "We are so happy to have you here." she said courteously. The dark-redish purple stallion replied with a smile and trotted off to eat something from the long table of treats. Rarity was staying well back from all the crumb covered plates and ponies with food in their mouths. Rainbow Dash felt rather sorry for Fluttershy, who was staying out of all the action in her corner; her pretty teal eyes were full of apprehension as she looked around at the large crowd surrounding her. But then, a sudden tinge of shock jumped in Rainbow Dash's stomach as she recognized the pony that walked up to her. It was Firestorm, and he gave her a comforting smile. "Hello." "Um…hell…o…" Fluttershy's voice was merely a mumble as she spoke. She wasn't looking Firestorm in the eyes. "I'm Firestorm. Do you wanna come out and have a chat with everypony?" When Fluttershy hesitated, Firestorm chuckled. "It's all right!" he snickered, "I won't bite." The nerves were fading from Fluttershy's eyes. Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack were watching the scene as the shy Pegasus got to her feet slowly. She smiled at the colt next to her. "Thanks…F-Firestorm…" she murmured, "I'm Fluttershy…" "Nice to meet you, Fluttershy." He then turned his attention to Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Twilight and Applejack were grinning happily at him while Rainbow just frowned at him. "Oh hello, Twilight Sparkle." Firestorm said, smiling at Twilight. "Hi again." Twilight said, her voice sounding slightly timid, "Glad to see you could make it, Firestorm." "I take it these are your friends?" he asked, looking around at the ponies surrounding Twilight, now including a giddy faced Pinkie Pie. "Yes," said Twilight enthusiastically, "well. You've just met my friend Fluttershy." Fluttershy cowered a little from the mention of her name. "Hi guys…" she murmured, "Sorry I've been so…reserved. I get so nervous in big crowds." "Ahh, don't worry 'bout it, sugarcube." Applejack said to her, and then looked up at Firestorm. "How ya doin'? I'm Applejack." "Hi, Applejack." "And I'm Pinkie Pie!" The colt smirked at the excitement in her voice. "I've heard a lot about you, Pinkie Pie." "You have?" Pinkie gasped. She did a little bounce in the air, her hooves waggling up and down. As her friends continued to talk to Firestorm, Rainbow Dash stood sulking in the background. She didn't like the way her friends were giving him so much attention and leaving her out. It felt strange…SHE was normally the Pegasus that everypony talked about, not some colt that had only just arrived in Ponyville. Trying not to let the jealousy get to her, she turned away from the scene and wandered over to the food table. There were a few Pegasi that she recognized from Cloudsdale so Rainbow didn't feel too lonely. While chewing on several sandwiches and having an odd chat with a cross eyed Pegasus called Derpy, her eyes would often glance over to her friends. One minute, Pinkie Pie was tying a blindfold around Firestorm's face so he could pin the tail on the mule. The next minute, he was in deep conversation with Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. He was always very pleasant with Fluttershy, and Rainbow noticed that the normally nervous Pegasus had a comfortable, happy look in her eyes. "Rainbow Dash, darling. Are you all right?" Rarity stepped up to Rainbow, still in her glistening party outfit. "Hey, Rarity. Yeah, I'm fine. Met any new ponies yet?" "Well, I HAVE been socializing with several newcomers that share my fashion interests." she said in her classy manner, "But I tend to stay out of all the ruffian party games. Anyway never mind me. What about you, Rainbow Dash? Don't you want to spend some time with the others?" Rainbow's smile changed to an awkward expression. Her eyes swept over to her friends again, where Twilight was laughing with Firestorm and Pinkie Pie was tying blindfolds around strangers so they could also pin the tail on the mule. "Errr…" Rainbow said, sliding a hoof across the floor awkwardly, "I was. And I've had a great time and all. But I'm done with making new friends for today. In fact…" She looked out of the window at the darkening skies. "It's getting pretty late. I should probably head off now. Weather duty calls." "All right then, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said to her politely, "I'll let the others know where you are. But now I think I should say hello to that colt over there. Twilight has been talking to him an awful lot." Rainbow Dash heaved an irritated sigh as Rarity headed over to where Firestorm was. What was it that her friends liked so much about him? She wasn't going to worry about them any longer. She headed out of the door into the dim evening. As she looked up at the sky, she was rather shocked to see that it was covered with clouds. She decided she would go up there and tidy it all up before going home. It would help her take her mind off things. "Nice to see you again." She jumped at the voice from behind her. She turned her head around to see Firestorm standing there, smiling in a friendly but mischievous way. "Ugh…" She rolled her eyes and looked away, irritably. "You have some very nice friends, Rainbow Dash." Firestorm said to her. "Yeah, I do…" Rainbow said, glaring at him, "And they're MY friends." "Oh…!" Firestorm chuckled. He had a look of realization and slight embarrassment in his sky colored eyes. "I don't want you to think I'm intruding or anything." he said with a smile, "It was your friends who invited me to the party, not me." "Yeah well…you were lucky that time. And we have good views on friendship since we're the Elements of Harmony." Firestorm's eyes looked stunned for a second. "Wait a minute…did you say the Elements of Harmony?" "Sure did." Rainbow said, turning her body around to face him, "Me, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy all represent the Elements of Harmony. That's how we saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon and Discord." "Wow…the Elements of Harmony…" Firestorm said, staring at the ground with an astounded face, "That's pretty impressive. And what element do you represent?" "The Element of Loyalty." said Rainbow Dash, a proud smile on her face, "I'd never abandon my friends for anything." "Well, that's a good trait to have. I'm sure your friends adore you for that." Rainbow paused, not quite knowing what to say to that. "Uh…yeah, I suppose…they do?" she said, her forelegs fidgeting awkwardly. "I definitely like you for it." For some odd reason, Rainbow felt an unusual sharp tingle in her stomach. She bit her lip, as a small smile spread across her face. "Are you up for showing me more of your acrobatics tomorrow?" Firestorm asked her, "I'd love to see what else you can do." "Um…yeah okay…" "So I'll see you tomorrow then?" "See ya tomorrow, Firestorm." Before she could fly off, Firestorm said, "Hey, you don't have to call me Firestorm. It's a bit of a mouthful. You can call me Storm if you want to." Rainbow shot him a friendly grin. "Okay, Storm. You can call me Rainbow." He returned her smile. "All right then. See you tomorrow, Rainbow." And with her smug grin, Rainbow Dash fired into the evening sky. The scarlet Pegasus colt trotted up to a nearby pond. He concentrated on the water as it rippled in the evening breeze, he looked into his warped reflection on the waters surface and simply said. "I think I can win her."
Fight or FlightThe next morning, Rainbow Dash was awake bright and early. She was still rather sleepy, but she promised herself that she would clear the sky so everypony below could appreciate the morning sunlight. While performing her weather duties, her mind often wandered back to the events of the night before: Pinkie Pie's party, her friends meeting Firestorm, and how he had taken a friendly interest in her. She was trying to keep it all out of her mind but she couldn't help wondering when she would see Firestorm again. A while later, she had nearly finished moving all the clouds. She was still deep in thought and feeling lethargic from waking up so early. She sat down to rest as a little quiet yawn escaped from her. Rainbow then heard a female voice from below. "Rainbow Dash!" It was Twilight's voice. She flew to a hole in the clouds and peeked out of it. Twilight was standing on the brown pathway looking up at her with a smile. A small purple dragon was sitting on her back. "Morning, Twilight!" Rainbow called to her, waving a hoof, "Hi, Spike!" she added as the baby dragon waved back to her. "We just wanted to let you know how everypony is grateful for the early morning sunlight." Twilight said, "It's a lovely sight to wake up to." "Aww it's no problem, Twilight." Rainbow Dash said to the unicorn, "Just doing my job. But hey, now that's done, I got more time to practice my signature moves for the Wonderbolts. So I can't sit around right now. Gotta aim to impress!" She fluttered into the air ready to take off. "Of course, Rainbow." Twilight laughed. Before the unicorn could say any more to her friend, she flew off leaving a rainbow streak behind her. "She sure is awsome, isn't she?" Spike said enthusiastically. "I know she is, Spike." Twilight agreed. Rainbow Dash had flown to a quiet place high up in the clouds where she always practiced her favourite moves. She felt it was a good way to relax and unwind. She remembered a sequence of moves that she had been trying to perfect especially for the Wonderbolts and she decided she would work on it now. She began with a couple of slow loops around a row of fluffy clouds. The problem was… she was so caught up in her acrobatics that she had forgotten how tired she was. Her eyesight was less clear than normal and her muscles felt unusually weak and achy. She continued on without a second thought, doing all sorts of flips and spins that nopony else could pull off at such speed. It was when she approached a row of cloud columns, which she had laid out herself, that she started to feel very drowsy. As she began to fly in and out of the slalom, she found it hard to concentrate. She thought back to her cozy bed; she could be asleep at home right now in her cozy cloud bed and have wonderful dreams of flying with the Wonderbolts… "Ouch!" Rainbow was snapped out of her daydream when she banged her head on the side of a column. The impact of the crash sent her hurtling off course, her forehead throbbing. The pain made her vision distorted and she struggled to regain control of her flight. "Ugh…my wings are so tired…" Her wings felt weaker than ever, definitely not strong enough to keep her up. She fluttered them desperately, but she could feel her body tumbling downwards…until she felt something furry block her fall. She opened her eyes, which had been scrunched shut in a panic, and looked below her. She saw the smiling face of Firestorm look up at her. Her whole body was lying heavily over his back. "Woah, that was a close one." Firestorm said to her, "You okay?" Rainbow rolled her eyes, trying not to look impressed. "I'm fine." she grumbled. They weren't airborne for very long. Firestorm's legs began to wobble and the weight of Rainbow Dash was pulling him down. Rainbow yelped as the two of them tumbled towards the ground. A soft, squashy bush was there to break their fall but Firestorm's landing was still a little painful after they bounced off the bush and skidded onto the grass. "Ughh, my head…" Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing a hoof on her forelock. She shook the dizziness out of her as she lay over Firestorm's back. A nervous tingle pinched her stomach as he suddenly looked up at her. Their eyes locked for a few awkward seconds… Embarrassed, Rainbow shuffled off his back and straightened herself up on her legs. "Sorry about that." Firestorm said with a nervous chuckle, getting up himself. "Oh, trust me. I've had MUCH worse landings than that." She shook some dirt out of her rainbow tail while holding Firestorm's gaze with her pretty fuchsia colored eyes. "Why are you up here so early, Rainbow Dash?" he asked her, "Got duties to perform?" "Well, yeah." she said, her tone slightly smug, "But I also have to practice my moves." "Practicing moves? What for?" "For the Wonderbolts of course!" she said loudly, sudden enthusiasm in her voice, "I've wanted to be in that group ever since I was a little filly! So everyday I'm trying to perfect my signature moves so I can impress them." "The Wonderbolts?" Firestorm had an excited smile on his face, looking at Rainbow Dash in awe. "Wow. That's amazing! I've loved the Wonderbolts my whole life. In fact you know Spitfire right?" "Obviously" she said a little annoyed. "She's my cousin" "Really?" Rainbow exclaimed, her voice cracking in a cute way. "Yeah!" he gasped, "And you want to join them? That's pretty huge." Whilst he was talking to her, Rainbow Dash managed to get a closer look at Firestorm's cutie mark. The black cloud stood out on his red flank and she now noticed that it was breathed in several orange flames. She wondered what it meant. "I wish I could join the Wonderbolts." he said to her, "You'd have to be a pretty amazing athlete to be one of them." "Well, I'M a world-class athlete!" Rainbow said, hovering into the air and pointing a hoof to her chest "But why don't you just ask Spitfire to let you in." "I don't want to get in that way, I see that as cheating." Firestorm said in a dignified tone. Firestorm couldn't help smirking at her smug face. "Remember what I said? Best flier in Equestria." she proclaimed, shutting her eyes proudly, "I can get into that group, no problem! That's why I practice every day." "Every single day?" Firestorm asked her, looking at the hovering figure above him. "Yep." she said in that same arrogant tone. "Well, I've always been athletic too." Firestorm continued, "I used to fly through the skies all the time with Spitfire when we were younger. Lets me burn off steam and feel like I can do anything." Rainbow Dash had a curious look in her eyes as she landed on the ground in front of him. "That's how I feel when I fly." she said softly, "I love that amazing sense of freedom and having the wind blow through my mane." "So do I." Firestorm said, "Flying is practically my life." "Mine too." Rainbow said. She gave him a smile; her and Firestorm had quite a lot in common. Was that a good thing? "Flying was my specialty as a colt. And that's how I earned this little beauty here." He nodded at his cutie mark; the flares of orange around the spiral seemed to glisten in the sunlight. "Whenever I flew, I felt an amazing burn in my wings. Like fire. Since then, travelling the skies has been my lifetime hobby. My cutie mark represents stimulation and enthusiasm." That's kind of awesome, Rainbow Dash thought. "So what about you?" he suddenly said, his eyes fixed upon the cloud and lightning bolt that lay on Rainbow's blue coat, "I'm guessing your cutie mark means flying too?" "Yep. It sure does!" she said, looking at her cutie mark proudly, "And, like I told you, I'm a weather pony so I use my amazing speed and agility to tidy the clouds." "And you do that on your own?" Firestorm asked her. Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment. "Well…no." she admitted, "Every Pegasus helps out with the weather control. And all the pegasi, including me, come from there." She rose a few feet off the ground again and pointed her hoof at the large white cloud city high up in the sky. "Cloudsdale. I've lived there most of my life." "But you seem to be in Ponyville a lot." said Firestorm. "Yeah, that's because I wanna see my friends. Ponyville's like a second home, I spend so much time here…" As she gently landed on the ground to face him, Firestorm smiled at her again. "You know," he said, "I like you, Rainbow Dash. You've got a lot of spirit compared to most mares I've met and I admire that." "Uh…" Rainbow Dash felt shy for a moment, running a hoof awkwardly down her mane, "what do you mean by that?" "Well, you're very sure of yourself." Firestorm said, "You seem so confident that you can achieve anything, especially with flying. You're fast, right?" "Right!" Rainbow said, flashing him a daring grin. "So do you reckon you could beat me in a race?" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes at him. Was he actually challenging her? She wasn't sure what to say at first, but then she replied, "Yeah. I bet I could!" "Well, we'll see, won't we?" Firestorm said, flexing his wings and gazing at her with bold eyes. So you still think you're better than me, do ya? Rainbow Dash thought, irritably. "You really don't know what you're letting yourself in for, Firestorm." Rainbow Dash said to him. "I'm willing to take risks." he said to her cheekily, raising an eyebrow, "As I'm sure you are too." He flapped his brown wings a little more while Rainbow eyed him with a frown across her face. "Now let's see you be the first to Cloudsdale!" Before Rainbow Dash could react, Firestorm shot up into the sky towards the distant cloud city. "Hey! I wasn't ready!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Annoyed, she powered up her wings with several flutters and zoomed after him. Firestorm had already gotten quite far ahead of her, but she wasn't going to let him stay that way. She surged forward with all her flying power, his brown outline gradually growing larger as she got closer. She looked up to see the huge white shape of Cloudsdale getting nearer to the two of them. Firestorm looked around and gave her a mischievous grin as he continued to speed ahead, his mane flickering around in the wind. Rainbow Dash scowled at him before flapping her wings harder. She could feel the wind shooting past her and stinging her cheeks, but she ignored it. She was desperate to catch up with Firestorm, who was not far from Cloudsdale. Her efforts were paying off. She had soon flown far enough forward so that the two of them were neck and neck. Rainbow Dash didn't stop beating her wings for a second, even though she was growing short of breath. The dizziness that she had felt not long ago seemed to drift away completely. She was not going to let somepony else beat her. She soon noticed Firestorm panting , beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. She saw this as a chance. She used her agile wings to swerve her whole body to the right, passing right ahead of the exhausted stallion, who has now having trouble keeping up with her. Pleased with herself, Rainbow Dash did a happy somersault in the air before shooting down towards the nearby city. She had got this in the bag now. It was not long before she felt her hooves land on soft cloudy ground, her exhausted wings folding themselves away. "Phew!" she sighed, looking around at the dozens of pegasi roaming the air in the magnificent cloud city. She smiled proudly to herself as she heard the worn out pants of Firestorm coming up from behind her. He landed on the clouds beside her, laying his tired body on the floor like a blanket. His eyes were shining and his breathing was loud and rigid. He looked up at the grinning blue Pegasus, who was looking at him with victorious eyes. "Okay…" he gasped, holding a hoof up, "you're fast…I underestimated you, Rainbow Dash. You're a great flier." Rainbow Dash knelt down in front of him so that she was looking directly into his face. "Don't say I didn't warn you." she said to him cheekily, before turning away from him and giving his face a brush with her tail. He looked at her with annoyed eyes as she strutted in front of him, eventually getting to his feet shakily. The red stallion followed her as his eyes scanned everything around him: Pegasi roaming the air, the sounds of chatter and the whooshing sound of wings. The white cloudy scenery was beautiful. He stepped up to Rainbow Dash's side, his breathing normal again. "Nonetheless," he said to her, as she looked at him through the corner of her eye, "I'd like to see that sonic rainboom of yours at some point." Rainbow Dash shot him an optimistic grin. "Well…let's just say I'm saving it for a special occasion." Firestorm smirked, not asking her any more about it. Their hooves barely made a sound as they walked together, Firestorm's eyes swerving about in wonder at everything around him. Rainbow Dash noticed him gaze intently at a nearby building: the weather factory. "That place looks interesting." Firestorm said to her, his hoof pointing towards it. "Yeah, the weather factory." Rainbow Dash said, "That's where Cloudsdale sorts out the weather!" "Whoa…" Firestorm gasped, in awe of the huge building, "We never had anything like that where I came from. It sure is impressive." Firestorm lifted himself up into the air with the power of his wings, looking down at Rainbow Dash. "Mind if I go and take a look?" he asked her, his eyes looking thrilled with anticipation. "Sure. Go ahead. I'll meet you back here. Then I can show you even more of Cloudsdale!" "All right, Rainbow Dash. See you in a minute." He smiled at her before flying off towards the factory. Rainbow Dash thought, maybe she should have gone with him? Would he be okay finding his way back? No. He didn't need her company right now. Chill out, Rainbow. He'll be fine, she told herself in her head. She looked around at the city she stood in, so many memories flooding their way into her mind: she had grown up here as a filly, discovered her love for flying, trained with Fluttershy at Flight Camp. Time had flown so quickly; she had a group of amazing friends now and she had so many special things to be known for. Yet, she would never forget this wonderful place, her true home. Her shiny eyes looked around at the other pegasi in the air and on the ground, and the comfy looking clouds that hovered in the sky. She wondered whether to hop on one and relax, but decided not to. She should wait for Firestorm to come back before going anywhere. She smiled when she remembered Firestorm. Only a few hours ago she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Now she was happily showing the stallion around her home. What am I like? She giggled to herself, beginning to stride around the area, awaiting Firestorm's return. The seconds ticked by, and Rainbow felt boredom coming over her. Maybe she should have gone with him, she thought, it would have saved her from waiting. Just then, Rainbow Dash recognized three male faces that began to pass her. She felt a sting of worry in her stomach as their eyes looked in her direction. She had managed to escape bullying for a while ever since she won the Best Young Fliers Competition; Hoops and Dumb-Bell had left her alone after seeing her sonic rainboom. But she still received some tough times coping with colts that would make fun of her and accuse her for being over-confident. Right now, the colts near her were one that she knew as Slate Streak and two others that had been with Hoops and Dumb-Bell before. They had always picked on her whenever they got the chance. Slate Streak was a turquoise Pegasus with a bright streak of blue through his aqua mane and tail. He was known for a being an athletic and brash stallion that was proud of who he was and wanted all other ponies to know his name. Feeling nervous, Rainbow Dash wondered whether to slip away and hide, but then she remembered Firestorm wouldn't find her. She looked at Slate Streak with uncomfortable eyes, her blue body shriveling up a little. "Oh look, fellas!" Slate Streak exclaimed, "It's Rainbow Crash! You destroyed anypony's house recently, Rainbow Crash?" Rainbow frowned at him as he and his friends began to laugh at her. She had always tried to act tough whenever she was laughed at, but on the inside, she hated it and wanted to run away. "She doesn't have any friends today, does she?" one of the smaller colts shouted out. "No, just the ground!" They burst into laughter again. Rainbow felt hurt and angry inside. Were they saying she was lazy? "Ugh, guys, just quit it will you?" she snapped, "I'll have you know I'm tired out from all my practicing!" "Practicing? Don't you mean…failing?" Slate Streak snorted with laughter, "Like you'll ever get into any flying team!" As the laughing began again, Rainbow Dash turned her head away from them, hiding the sadness that was forming in her eyes. At this moment, Rainbow was unaware that Firestorm was flying back the way he came, a few meters above her in the air. His blue eyes were happy and joyful at first, amazed by what he had seen at the weather factory, but then he glimpsed the anxious form of Rainbow Dash below him, and three mean-looking stallions laughing at her. "Well," he said to himself, frowning at the colts below him, "what have we got here then?" Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash kept her head turned away from the stallions, who continued to laugh and make her insides tremble with fear and anger. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash gasped at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked around to see Firestorm land swiftly in front of her, looking the bullies directly in their eyes. "What do you think you're playing at?" he barked at them, "She's never done anything to you!" Rainbow stared at him as he stood defensively between her and the bullies. She was stunned at his sudden outburst. Slate Streak was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he retorted, "And why should you care? I've never seen you around here before." "That doesn't matter." Firestorm snarled his hair flaring up a bit, stepping a little bit closer to Slate Streak, "I'm telling you not to say another harsh word to her. I don't even want you near her." "Who are you to tell me what to do, low-life?" Slate Streak snapped, "This is practically none of your business!" Rainbow Dash continued to watch the scene, her eyes wide. Why was Firestorm defending her like this? He hardly knew her. "It IS my business if I catch somepony bullying another pony that doesn't deserve it!" he shouted at the older stallion. Despite his intimidating appearance, Slate Streak seemed quite taken aback by Firestorm's fury. He said nothing for a few moments, Firestorm staring at him angrily, and then gave a grumble with his chin up. "Say what you want, chump." he muttered, beginning to turn away, "Nopony will think anything of you. Come on, fellas. Let's leave the lunatics to muck about on their own." With that, Slate Streak and his two friends stomped away. Firestorm shook the anger out of his eyes, turning to look at Rainbow Dash, who was still standing there with a bewildered look on her face. "Are you all right?" he asked her calmly. "I…I don't understand…" Rainbow Dash said, "Why did you do that for me?" "You were being picked on, Rainbow. I had to do SOMETHING." He paused to run a hoof down the back of his neck shyly. "And…well…" he said quietly, "you just seem like a pony worth protecting." Rainbow Dash gazed at him questioningly, wondering what to do; he was giving her a timid smile. Before she could think about it, Rainbow smiled back at him, a warm feeling in her heart. They smiled at each other for a few moments…but then Rainbow suddenly shook her head. "Yeah, well…I don't need protection." she said, back to her arrogant tone. Firestorm rolled his eyes at her as she began to walk past him, but in a friendly, amused way. "I appreciate your concern though." she said to him ironically, stopping to turn her head to look at him, "It's hardly surprising." He grinned at her and let out a snicker. "Whatever you say, Rainbow Dash." "Ahuh…so, erm…" she fidgeted nervously, "I was gonna show you around a bit more, wasn't I? Come on then." She took off into the sky, seeming unaware of where she was headed. Firestorm stood there watching her fly for a moment, and then used the power of his own wings to follow her into the clouds.
A SparkThe next morning, Rainbow Dash was awake bright and early. She was still rather sleepy, but she promised herself that she would clear the sky so everypony below could appreciate the morning sunlight. While performing her weather duties, her mind often wandered back to the events of the night before: Pinkie Pie's party, her friends meeting Firestorm, and how he had taken a friendly interest in her. She was trying to keep it all out of her mind but she couldn't help wondering when she would see Firestorm again. A while later, she had nearly finished moving all the clouds. She was still deep in thought and feeling lethargic from waking up so early. She sat down to rest as a little quiet yawn escaped from her. Rainbow then heard a female voice from below. "Rainbow Dash!" It was Twilight's voice. She flew to a hole in the clouds and peeked out of it. Twilight was standing on the brown pathway looking up at her with a smile. A small purple dragon was sitting on her back. "Morning, Twilight!" Rainbow called to her, waving a hoof, "Hi, Spike!" she added as the baby dragon waved back to her. "We just wanted to let you know how everypony is grateful for the early morning sunlight." Twilight said, "It's a lovely sight to wake up to." "Aww it's no problem, Twilight." Rainbow Dash said to the unicorn, "Just doing my job. But hey, now that's done, I got more time to practice my signature moves for the Wonderbolts. So I can't sit around right now. Gotta aim to impress!" She fluttered into the air ready to take off. "Of course, Rainbow." Twilight laughed. Before the unicorn could say any more to her friend, she flew off leaving a rainbow streak behind her. "She sure is awsome, isn't she?" Spike said enthusiastically. "I know she is, Spike." Twilight agreed. Rainbow Dash had flown to a quiet place high up in the clouds where she always practiced her favourite moves. She felt it was a good way to relax and unwind. She remembered a sequence of moves that she had been trying to perfect especially for the Wonderbolts and she decided she would work on it now. She began with a couple of slow loops around a row of fluffy clouds. The problem was… she was so caught up in her acrobatics that she had forgotten how tired she was. Her eyesight was less clear than normal and her muscles felt unusually weak and achy. She continued on without a second thought, doing all sorts of flips and spins that nopony else could pull off at such speed. It was when she approached a row of cloud columns, which she had laid out herself, that she started to feel very drowsy. As she began to fly in and out of the slalom, she found it hard to concentrate. She thought back to her cozy bed; she could be asleep at home right now in her cozy cloud bed and have wonderful dreams of flying with the Wonderbolts… "Ouch!" Rainbow was snapped out of her daydream when she banged her head on the side of a column. The impact of the crash sent her hurtling off course, her forehead throbbing. The pain made her vision distorted and she struggled to regain control of her flight. "Ugh…my wings are so tired…" Her wings felt weaker than ever, definitely not strong enough to keep her up. She fluttered them desperately, but she could feel her body tumbling downwards…until she felt something furry block her fall. She opened her eyes, which had been scrunched shut in a panic, and looked below her. She saw the smiling face of Firestorm look up at her. Her whole body was lying heavily over his back. "Woah, that was a close one." Firestorm said to her, "You okay?" Rainbow rolled her eyes, trying not to look impressed. "I'm fine." she grumbled. They weren't airborne for very long. Firestorm's legs began to wobble and the weight of Rainbow Dash was pulling him down. Rainbow yelped as the two of them tumbled towards the ground. A soft, squashy bush was there to break their fall but Firestorm's landing was still a little painful after they bounced off the bush and skidded onto the grass. "Ughh, my head…" Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing a hoof on her forelock. She shook the dizziness out of her as she lay over Firestorm's back. A nervous tingle pinched her stomach as he suddenly looked up at her. Their eyes locked for a few awkward seconds… Embarrassed, Rainbow shuffled off his back and straightened herself up on her legs. "Sorry about that." Firestorm said with a nervous chuckle, getting up himself. "Oh, trust me. I've had MUCH worse landings than that." She shook some dirt out of her rainbow tail while holding Firestorm's gaze with her pretty fuchsia colored eyes. "Why are you up here so early, Rainbow Dash?" he asked her, "Got duties to perform?" "Well, yeah." she said, her tone slightly smug, "But I also have to practice my moves." "Practicing moves? What for?" "For the Wonderbolts of course!" she said loudly, sudden enthusiasm in her voice, "I've wanted to be in that group ever since I was a little filly! So everyday I'm trying to perfect my signature moves so I can impress them." "The Wonderbolts?" Firestorm had an excited smile on his face, looking at Rainbow Dash in awe. "Wow. That's amazing! I've loved the Wonderbolts my whole life. In fact you know Spitfire right?" "Obviously" she said a little annoyed. "She's my cousin" "Really?" Rainbow exclaimed, her voice cracking in a cute way. "Yeah!" he gasped, "And you want to join them? That's pretty huge." Whilst he was talking to her, Rainbow Dash managed to get a closer look at Firestorm's cutie mark. The black cloud stood out on his red flank and she now noticed that it was breathed in several orange flames. She wondered what it meant. "I wish I could join the Wonderbolts." he said to her, "You'd have to be a pretty amazing athlete to be one of them." "Well, I'M a world-class athlete!" Rainbow said, hovering into the air and pointing a hoof to her chest " But why don't you just ask Spitfire to let you in. "I don't want to get in that way, I see that as cheating." Firestorm said in a dignified tone. Firestorm couldn't help smirking at her smug face. "Remember what I said? Best flier in Equestria." she proclaimed, shutting her eyes proudly, "I can get into that group, no problem! That's why I practice every day." "Every single day?" Firestorm asked her, looking at the hovering figure above him. "Yep." she said in that same arrogant tone. "Well, I've always been athletic too." Firestorm continued, "I used to fly through the skies all the time with Spitfire when we were younger. Lets me burn off steam and feel like I can do anything." Rainbow Dash had a curious look in her eyes as she landed on the ground in front of him. "That's how I feel when I fly." she said softly, "I love that amazing sense of freedom and having the wind blow through my mane." "So do I." Firestorm said, "Flying is practically my life." "Mine too." Rainbow said. She gave him a smile; her and Firestorm had quite a lot in common. Was that a good thing? "Flying was my specialty as a colt. And that's how I earned this little beauty here." He nodded at his cutie mark; the flares of orange around the spiral seemed to glisten in the sunlight. "Whenever I flew, I felt an amazing burn in my wings. Like fire. Since then, travelling the skies has been my lifetime hobby. My cutie mark represents stimulation and enthusiasm." That's kind of awesome, Rainbow Dash thought. "So what about you?" he suddenly said, his eyes fixed upon the cloud and lightning bolt that lay on Rainbow's blue coat, "I'm guessing your cutie mark means flying too?" "Yep. It sure does!" she said, looking at her cutie mark proudly, "And, like I told you, I'm a weather pony so I use my amazing speed and agility to tidy the clouds." "And you do that on your own?" Firestorm asked her. Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment. "Well…no." she admitted, "Every Pegasus helps out with the weather control. And all the pegasi, including me, come from there." She rose a few feet off the ground again and pointed her hoof at the large white cloud city high up in the sky. "Cloudsdale. I've lived there most of my life." "But you seem to be in Ponyville a lot." said Firestorm. "Yeah, that's because I wanna see my friends. Ponyville's like a second home, I spend so much time here…" As she gently landed on the ground to face him, Firestorm smiled at her again. "You know," he said, "I like you, Rainbow Dash. You've got a lot of spirit compared to most mares I've met and I admire that." "Uh…" Rainbow Dash felt shy for a moment, running a hoof awkwardly down her mane, "what do you mean by that?" "Well, you're very sure of yourself." Firestorm said, "You seem so confident that you can achieve anything, especially with flying. You're fast, right?" "Right!" Rainbow said, flashing him a daring grin. "So do you reckon you could beat me in a race?" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes at him. Was he actually challenging her? She wasn't sure what to say at first, but then she replied, "Yeah. I bet I could!" "Well, we'll see, won't we?" Firestorm said, flexing his wings and gazing at her with bold eyes. So you still think you're better than me, do ya? Rainbow Dash thought, irritably. "You really don't know what you're letting yourself in for, Firestorm." Rainbow Dash said to him. "I'm willing to take risks." he said to her cheekily, raising an eyebrow, "As I'm sure you are too." He flapped his red wings a little more while Rainbow eyed him with a frown across her face. "Now let's see you be the first to Cloudsdale!" Before Rainbow Dash could react, Firestorm shot up into the sky towards the distant cloud city. "Hey! I wasn't ready!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Annoyed, she powered up her wings with several flutters and zoomed after him. Firestorm had already gotten quite far ahead of her, but she wasn't going to let him stay that way. She surged forward with all her flying power, his brown outline gradually growing larger as she got closer. She looked up to see the huge white shape of Cloudsdale getting nearer to the two of them. Firestorm looked around and gave her a mischievous grin as he continued to speed ahead, his mane flickering around in the wind. Rainbow Dash scowled at him before flapping her wings harder. She could feel the wind shooting past her and stinging her cheeks, but she ignored it. She was desperate to catch up with Firestorm, who was not far from Cloudsdale. Her efforts were paying off. She had soon flown far enough forward so that the two of them were neck and neck. Rainbow Dash didn't stop beating her wings for a second, even though she was growing short of breath. The dizziness that she had felt not long ago seemed to drift away completely. She was not going to let somepony else beat her. She soon noticed Firestorm panting , beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. She saw this as a chance. She used her agile wings to swerve her whole body to the right, passing right ahead of the exhausted stallion, who has now having trouble keeping up with her. Pleased with herself, Rainbow Dash did a happy somersault in the air before shooting down towards the nearby city. She had got this in the bag now. It was not long before she felt her hooves land on soft cloudy ground, her exhausted wings folding themselves away. "Phew!" she sighed, looking around at the dozens of pegasi roaming the air in the magnificent cloud city. She smiled proudly to herself as she heard the worn out pants of Firestorm coming up from behind her. He landed on the clouds beside her, laying his tired body on the floor like a blanket. His eyes were shining and his breathing was loud and rigid. He looked up at the grinning blue Pegasus, who was looking at him with victorious eyes. "Okay…" he gasped, holding a hoof up, "you're fast…I underestimated you, Rainbow Dash. You're a great flier." Rainbow Dash knelt down in front of him so that she was looking directly into his face. "Don't say I didn't warn you." she said to him cheekily, before turning away from him and giving his face a brush with her tail. He looked at her with annoyed eyes as she strutted in front of him, eventually getting to his feet shakily. The red stallion followed her as his eyes scanned everything around him: Pegasi roaming the air, the sounds of chatter and the whooshing sound of wings. The white cloudy scenery was beautiful. He stepped up to Rainbow Dash's side, his breathing normal again. "Nonetheless," he said to her, as she looked at him through the corner of her eye, "I'd like to see that sonic rainboom of yours at some point." Rainbow Dash shot him an optimistic grin. "Well…let's just say I'm saving it for a special occasion." Firestorm smirked, not asking her any more about it. Their hooves barely made a sound as they walked together, Firestorm's eyes swerving about in wonder at everything around him. Rainbow Dash noticed him gaze intently at a nearby building: the weather factory. "That place looks interesting." Firestorm said to her, his hoof pointing towards it. "Yeah, the weather factory." Rainbow Dash said, "That's where Cloudsdale sorts out the weather!" "Whoa…" Firestorm gasped, in awe of the huge building, "We never had anything like that where I came from. It sure is impressive." Firestorm lifted himself up into the air with the power of his wings, looking down at Rainbow Dash. "Mind if I go and take a look?" he asked her, his eyes looking thrilled with anticipation. "Sure. Go ahead. I'll meet you back here. Then I can show you even more of Cloudsdale!" "All right, Rainbow Dash. See you in a minute." He smiled at her before flying off towards the factory. Rainbow Dash thought, maybe she should have gone with him? Would he be okay finding his way back? No. He didn't need her company right now. Chill out, Rainbow. He'll be fine, she told herself in her head. She looked around at the city she stood in, so many memories flooding their way into her mind: she had grown up here as a filly, discovered her love for flying, trained with Fluttershy at Flight Camp. Time had flown so quickly; she had a group of amazing friends now and she had so many special things to be known for. Yet, she would never forget this wonderful place, her true home. Her shiny eyes looked around at the other pegasi in the air and on the ground, and the comfy looking clouds that hovered in the sky. She wondered whether to hop on one and relax, but decided not to. She should wait for Firestorm to come back before going anywhere. She smiled when she remembered Firestorm. Only a few hours ago she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Now she was happily showing the stallion around her home. What am I like? She giggled to herself, beginning to stride around the area, awaiting Firestorm's return. The seconds ticked by, and Rainbow felt boredom coming over her. Maybe she should have gone with him, she thought, it would have saved her from waiting. Just then, Rainbow Dash recognized three male faces that began to pass her. She felt a sting of worry in her stomach as their eyes looked in her direction. She had managed to escape bullying for a while ever since she won the Best Young Fliers Competition; Hoops and Dumb-Bell had left her alone after seeing her sonic rainboom. But she still received some tough times coping with colts that would make fun of her and accuse her for being over-confident. Right now, the colts near her were one that she knew as Slate Streak and two others that had been with Hoops and Dumb-Bell before. They had always picked on her whenever they got the chance. Slate Streak was a turquoise Pegasus with a bright streak of blue through his aqua mane and tail. He was known for a being an athletic and brash stallion that was proud of who he was and wanted all other ponies to know his name. Feeling nervous, Rainbow Dash wondered whether to slip away and hide, but then she remembered Firestorm wouldn't find her. She looked at Slate Streak with uncomfortable eyes, her blue body shriveling up a little. "Oh look, fellas!" Slate Streak exclaimed, "It's Rainbow Crash! You destroyed anypony's house recently, Rainbow Crash?" Rainbow frowned at him as he and his friends began to laugh at her. She had always tried to act tough whenever she was laughed at, but on the inside, she hated it and wanted to run away. "She doesn't have any friends today, does she?" one of the smaller colts shouted out. "No, just the ground!" They burst into laughter again. Rainbow felt hurt and angry inside. Were they saying she was lazy? "Ugh, guys, just quit it will you?" she snapped, "I'll have you know I'm tired out from all my practicing!" "Practicing? Don't you mean…failing?" Slate Streak snorted with laughter, "Like you'll ever get into any flying team!" As the laughing began again, Rainbow Dash turned her head away from them, hiding the sadness that was forming in her eyes. At this moment, Rainbow was unaware that Firestorm was flying back the way he came, a few meters above her in the air. His blue eyes were happy and joyful at first, amazed by what he had seen at the weather factory, but then he glimpsed the anxious form of Rainbow Dash below him, and three mean-looking stallions laughing at her. "Well," he said to himself, frowning at the colts below him, "what have we got here then?" Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash kept her head turned away from the stallions, who continued to laugh and make her insides tremble with fear and anger. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash gasped at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked around to see Firestorm land swiftly in front of her, looking the bullies directly in their eyes. "What do you think you're playing at?" he barked at them, "She's never done anything to you!" Rainbow stared at him as he stood defensively between her and the bullies. She was stunned at his sudden outburst. Slate Streak was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he retorted, "And why should you care? I've never seen you around here before." "That doesn't matter." Firestorm snarled his hair flaring up a bit, stepping a little bit closer to Slate Streak, "I'm telling you not to say another harsh word to her. I don't even want you near her." "Who are you to tell me what to do, low-life?" Slate Streak snapped, "This is practically none of your business!" Rainbow Dash continued to watch the scene, her eyes wide. Why was Firestorm defending her like this? He hardly knew her. "It IS my business if I catch somepony bullying another pony that doesn't deserve it!" he shouted at the older stallion. Despite his intimidating appearance, Slate Streak seemed quite taken aback by Firestorm's fury. He said nothing for a few moments, Firestorm staring at him angrily, and then gave a grumble with his chin up. "Say what you want, chump." he muttered, beginning to turn away, "Nopony will think anything of you. Come on, fellas. Let's leave the lunatics to muck about on their own." With that, Slate Streak and his two friends stomped away. Firestorm shook the anger out of his eyes, turning to look at Rainbow Dash, who was still standing there with a bewildered look on her face. "Are you all right?" he asked her calmly. "I…I don't understand…" Rainbow Dash said, "Why did you do that for me?" "You were being picked on, Rainbow. I had to do SOMETHING." He paused to run a hoof down the back of his neck shyly. "And…well…" he said quietly, "you just seem like a pony worth protecting." Rainbow Dash gazed at him questioningly, wondering what to do; he was giving her a timid smile. Before she could think about it, Rainbow smiled back at him, a warm feeling in her heart. They smiled at each other for a few moments…but then Rainbow suddenly shook her head. "Yeah, well…I don't need protection." she said, back to her arrogant tone. Firestorm rolled his eyes at her as she began to walk past him, but in a friendly, amused way. "I appreciate your concern though." she said to him ironically, stopping to turn her head to look at him, "It's hardly surprising." He grinned at her and let out a snicker. "Whatever you say, Rainbow Dash." "Ahuh…so, erm…" she fidgeted nervously, "I was gonna show you around a bit more, wasn't I? Come on then." She took off into the sky, seeming unaware of where she was headed. Firestorm stood there watching her fly for a moment, and then used the power of his own wings to follow her into the clouds. It was now midday and Rainbow Dash was rather tired from touring around Cloudsdale with Firestorm. The two of them were now outside of the city and were hovering along in the afternoon sky. "You're very lucky to have lived there as a filly, Rainbow." Firestorm said. "Cloudsdale is a stunning place." "Yep. I've known that for a long time." Rainbow Dash said proudly. She smiled to herself, pleased that Cloudsdale had always been her home. The two Pegasi settled themselves on a nearby cloud, large enough to fit them both on it. They lay on their fronts to face each other, feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on them. Rainbow heard Firestorm let out a content sigh as he stared at the view of Ponyville below them. She too felt very relaxed, resting her achy forelegs across the soft cloud. "Sorry about what happened before." Firestorm suddenly said, "With the bullies. Maybe I shouldn't have left you on your own." "That's okay, it wasn't your fault." Rainbow Dash said, "I've dealt with it before anyway." "Before?" Firestorm asked, his eyes curious, "How long have you been picked on?" "Just…a little while." Rainbow Dash said uncomfortably, her voice growing quiet, "There were colts that made fun of me since Flight Camp-" "Since Flight Camp?" Firestorm exclaimed, looking staggered, "Rainbow Dash, that's not just 'a little while', that's practically your whole life!" "It's no big deal, Firestorm. I'm used to it." She rolled her eyes at him as if she didn't care. Of course, she really did care that she had been made fun of for so long; she just didn't want to admit it. "Has nopony ever been there to help you?" Firestorm asked. "Well, actually I'm normally the one doing the helping. I used to stick up for Fluttershy at Flight Camp whenever she got picked on." "Really?" Firestorm smiled at her. "You sound like a good friend to her." Rainbow felt bashful from that comment. "It was nothing…" she mumbled, with a shade of pink on her cheeks. "But listen, Rainbow Dash," Firestorm said to her, focusing his gaze on her eyes, "I know how you feel. I got laughed at a lot when I was a colt." "Honestly?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking curious. "Yes, honestly. My school mates never cared much for me. They always thought I was too distant with everypony else because I was always flying instead of chatting. It was only when I got my Cutie Mark that I finally earned some respect." Rainbow Dash looked intrigued by his story. She had experienced times like that as a filly too; it was hard to believe how many similarities they had. "Glad we're on the same page then." Rainbow Dash said to him, her voice still sounding cheerful, "But I had plenty of respect myself of course." she added with a prideful tone. "I can imagine that, Rainbow." Firestorm said, a look of laughter in his eyes, "But you still shouldn't let those dim-witted colts take advantage of you." "Oh, don't worry. I won't." Her voice sounded confident, but the look on her face was hesitant. "But, um…" she said softly, "I never said…thanks for helping me back there." Her voice was low and withdrawn, as though she felt uncomfortable. Firestorm gave her a warm smile. "Don't mention it, Rainbow. I know what you've gone through, so if you ever need reassurance, I can be there for you." As if to comfort her, he gently lay a hoof onto hers. Rainbow Dash felt happy inside; nopony had ever treated her this way, except maybe her friends, but this pony really understood her. She looked at his sky blue eyes with her own questioning rose pink ones, wondering what to do. They looked at one another with their hooves still touching; until Rainbow awkwardly pulled hers away. "Erm…sure. Thanks, Firestorm …" She turned her body so she was facing to the side and down at Ponyville. "That's all right, Rainbow Dash." Firestorm got to his feet and walked peacefully to the edge of the cloud, admiring the view of the periwinkle coloured sky and the distant chirps of birds as they flew in groups through the air. "Still, you can cope pretty well on your own. Otherwise, you wouldn't be capable of all your flying techniques, would you?" He talked to her without looking at her, adding a mischievous tone to his voice. Dash still lay on the cloud, looking down at Ponyville, and listening to his words. "Flying techniques?" she asked, before scoffing, "Yep. I can do plenty of those. Except, next time, I think I'll get extra sleep before practicing in the mornings…I'm so tired… " She took in a small breath before letting out a quiet yawn, which Firestorm seemed oblivious to. He stared out into space, a look of deep thought on his face. "Yes, hopefully I won't have to rescue you like that again." he said with a small chuckle, "In the meantime, you should show me some more of your flying sequences, and maybe we could have a few more races, or maybe…" He turned around to face the cyan pony, only to find that she had fallen asleep. Her chin was resting on her two front hooves while her tail hung down off the cloud; her breathing was steady and relaxed. Firestorm stopped in his speech, pausing to watch the cyan pony as she slept. His mouth curved into an adoring smile. He stood next to her, wondering what to do. He looked around him for a moment, seeing or hearing no movements apart from the breeze and the tweeting of the birds. He turned his head back to Rainbow Dash, a nervous gulp forming in his throat, and stepped towards her quietly, his hooves moving silently across the cloud. Being as gentle as he could, he slowly knelt down beside Rainbow, settling himself in a lying down position right next to her. She didn't move a muscle or make a sound, thankfully. Firestorm gave Rainbow Dash a warm gaze with his blue eyes, snuggling up close to her, and then he calmly lay his head onto his forelegs and drifted into his own deep sleep.
A Storm's ComingFor a few moments, everything was quiet and still in Ponyville's blue skies…until a flash of brilliant colours whooshed out of nowhere, echoing into the distance. When silence fell again, the source of the flash perched glumly on a singular white cloud. The little turquoise Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, swished her multi-coloured tail underneath her. She let out a careless yawn and propped her head on the cloud, shutting her tired eyes. A flapping of Pegasus wings rose up from below. The little creamy pony Fluttershy edged up to Rainbow Dash, and prodded her shoulder. "Um…Dash?" "Huh?" The blue pony gave a little grunt and glimpsed Fluttershy's twinkling eyes staring at her. "Yeah Fluttershy?" she mumbled. "Well, um…" Fluttershy's voice was its usual shy tone, "Rarity is desperate to try out her new dress…and she wants you to be the model for the day." "Argh…" Rainbow Dash moaned, drooping her head down, "Not again…I'm gonna be bored to tears…" "Is that a no?" Rainbow Dash sighed. She couldn't just say no to her friends. "I'll be down in a minute." "Oh…okay." As Fluttershy flew off, it took a while for Rainbow Dash just to stand up. Her hooves ached and her eyes stung from sleeping. Her dozy wings flapped and carried her off the cloud. Unfortunately, her vision was still blurry from her sleep, and she was not paying full attention to where she was going. It was then she felt a sharp bump on her forehead. "Ouch!" She rubbed her face with her hoof and then she heard another 'Ouch!' coming from next to her. She looked up, her sight now clearing up. Another Pegasus was in front of her. She hadn't seen this one before. He had a scarlet red body, with a flaming thunder cloud Cutie Mark, and bright orange and yellow mane and tail, glowing like fire. He looked at the rainbow maned pony in front of him. His eyes were awkward. "Um…sorry." And he sped off. Rainbow Dash glared after him in annoyance. "Maybe you should watch where you're going next time!" she called after him, not knowing whether he would hear or not, neither caring. She rolled her eyes, and fluttered down to the Earth below her. "Need to fly! Have to get back in the sky!" "Hold still for one second, Rainbow!" Rarity said, holding the frustrated Pegasus to the ground. Rainbow Dash was wearing Rarity's latest breakthrough: a lilac coloured frock that trailed to the ground. Dash was clearly not happy about it. "Any thoughts, Twilight?" Rarity asked. Twilight Sparkle looked at Rainbow Dash in the frock. Rarity's tone of voice was slightly impatient, but she didn't look as impatient and annoyed as Rainbow Dash did. "Rarity, you have nothing to worry about." Twilight said, "This is perfect. A work of art." "You think so?" "Sure. It'll be an amazing entry. And Rainbow Dash has been a great model for the day. You should let her go now." Twilight winked at Rainbow Dash. "Certainly." Rarity said with a smile. As the frock was unclipped from her, Rainbow sped out of the front door. She sighed once outside. "Feel better now?" asked Twilight, coming from behind her. "Phew…much! Thanks, Twilight. I could have been there for hours!" "Say, now that I think about it, I'm kinda still deciding on what to write for Princess Celestia this week and…" Twilight kept on talking but Rainbow Dash was not really paying attention, for she had seen a dark shape move across the clouds up in the sky. It looked mysterious and sneaky…and why would another Pegasus be up there? "…if you would like to, you can have a rest at my house and give me some ideas." Her mind suddenly switched back to Twilight Sparkle. "Erm… I think I'll give it a miss this time, Twilight. You know…wing exercise needed!" She fluttered her little blue wings to show them. "Okay, understood!" Twilight said cheerily, "See you later, Dash." When Twilight trotted away, Rainbow turned her attention back to the sky. Her eager sense of curiosity led her up into the clouds again. The desperation of wanting to fly fast suddenly went away. Maybe that was just an excuse to get away from Rarity, but she was only inquisitive now. She scanned every cloud for signs of movement. Soon boredom took over her again, and she slumped onto a nearby cloud, her wings folding away, but her eyes still alert… "Is somepony lonely out here?" Rainbow Dash let out a squeaky yelp and fell off her cloud, before her little wings held her upright. She immediately recognized the Pegasus looking at her. "You!" The red male Pegasus with a mane and tail colored with fire gave Rainbow Dash a cheeky smirk. "Oh we've met before then?" "Just what is your problem?" Rainbow Dash snapped, shooting up to him so her eyes were staring sharply into his. "First you come crashing into me, and then you intend to terrify the wit out of me!" "Well, the WIT certainly hasn't gone." Despite Rainbow Dash's fury, the colt still kept calm and had a casual grin on his face. Rainbow wasn't used to being outsmarted like this. "I don't have time for your lame comebacks!" she propped herself on the white fluff underneath her, her hooves folded, "Don't you have some other place to be?" The colt looked amused at Rainbow Dash's irritated eyes. "Actually, right here is where I have to be. I AM a weather pony, you know." "Oh, are you now?" Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, "Well, I'M the top weather pony in Ponyville so don't get any rough ideas!" Her frown then changed to a proud smile. "You should also know that you are talking to the Best Flyer in Equestria." she fluttered a little off the cloud, her eyes closed with smugness. "Hmmm, then I am most honored to be so, my lovely one." Another tinge of anger stung in Dash's stomach, but she tried not to show it. "So what can you do with those blue wings of yours?" he asked, showing off his cardinal wings. "Oh. An AWFUL lot." she said in her smug tone, "Including a sonic rainboom." "That I gotta see!" For the first time the colt was honestly intrigued. "Well, obviously I would show you my talent but…" she let out a brief yawn, "these little beauties get tired." She flapped her wings lazily. "You couldn't face up to me then." the colt said, still grinning, "I'm active every day and every hour! Let me entertain you with my style!" Before Dash could protest at him, he had already bolted high into the sky and began a series of backflips and loops through a row of ten clouds. He weaved through every one of them with little effort and he looked like a ball of fire as he sped gracefully around the sun. Rainbow Dash forgot how to blink. She just stared with round eyes. She didn't know whether to be annoyed or fascinated… After a while he spiralled down in front of her, showing off his burning cloud Cutie Mark. It was clear what his Cutie Mark meant now. "Clearly you're too tired to show me your own stuff…" His voice was so offhand and annoying that Rainbow couldn't take it anymore. "You think you can get the better of me THAT easy?" she said with fiery eyes, "No one outsmarts Equestria's Best Flier!" And Rainbow Dash was set to prove that. As she felt the colt's eyes follow her into the sky, she thought of every move she could remember. She twisted in and out of every treetop nearby, she darted straight through a row of fluffy little clouds and performed an incredibly fast loop the loop just above the wide eyed Pegasus. As she landed, she left a little trail of rainbow behind her. "Admit it, mister." Rainbow said happily to the colt, sitting in front of him, "You HAVE met the BEST Flier in Equestria." "I can't deny you were pretty impressive…but I still don't see a sonic rainboom." "They're a hard job, ya know. I can't manage them EVERY time." "All the same…impressive flying." the colt said, smiling at her with admiration, "Love to know your name, missy." She rolled her eyes, her multi-coloured tail curled around her legs. She looked away from him and said, "It's Rainbow Dash. If you must know…" "You're a fascinating pony, Rainbow Dash. My name's Firestorm. Hope to catch you around again sometime." "Um, I-" Firestorm whizzed off in the blink of an eye. And Rainbow Dash sat on her cloud in thought, suddenly feeling lonely again. For the rest of the day, Rainbow Dash kept her encounter with Firestorm out of her mind. She wasn't going to let some arrogant colt distract her from everything else. So she decided that she would visit Twilight, just for a little while. It was regrettably boring having to help the unicorn with her tidying up, but it was better than nothing. Rainbow Dash said nothing about Firestorm to Twilight. In fact, she hardly said anything at all. Twilight was the pony doing all the talking. "Rarity's being ever so sweet and everything but all her chatter about dress designs does my head in. I can't seem to think straight or concentrate on my studies. Not to mention I'm panicky about my letter to Princess Celestia. I'm having trouble thinking of lessons I've learned." "Well, I wouldn't know, Twilight." Rainbow said, "I've been too caught up in my flying to learn any friendship lessons." "Let's not worry, we'll figure something out. We always do." Twilight lifted up one last book with the magic of her horn and it settled itself onto the top shelf. "Phew. That's all of the books away." she said with a relieved smile. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "I appreciate you keeping me company, Rainbow. What made you decide to come here anyway? I thought you were busy in the sky?" "Uh, well…" Rainbow hesitated for a second, "I was. But it turns out the weather doesn't need much help today. And I'm happy to help a friend if it gives me something to do." "That's nice of you. And thanks. I suppose it gives me something to do too." Before the two could continue their conversation, the front door suddenly burst open. A pink pony stood in the doorway, a big beam on her face. "Twilight, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, bouncing up to Twilight. Pinkie's little hooves were jiggling with overexcitement and the unicorn stared at her with stunned eyes. "Calm down, Pinkie." she said sternly, "What is it? And couldn't you have knocked before barging in?" "I couldn't knock!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, "I was way too excited! You and Rainbow Dash have to come round to mine later because there are like so many new ponies in Ponyville! I just have to throw them a welcoming party cause they all seem so nice and they could be our friends and I love making friends and-" "All right." Twilight said, stopping Pinkie Pie in her words, "I think we get the idea. You want us to come to your welcoming party where there will be new fillies and colts. Right?" "Right!" Pinkie Pie squealed, "You're going to come, aren't you? Please come, Twilight! You've got to come too, Dashie! It'll be totally fun! It's at my place at 5 o'clock!" "Well, we do love a good party I guess." Rainbow Dash said with a grin. "Great! You'll be there! I know you guys will! Cause you're my best friends! Can't wait! See you there!" As quickly as she had come in, Pinkie Pie was out of the door again. Twilight blinked and was silent for several moments. Rainbow just smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well, a welcoming party. That should be interesting." Rainbow said with a smirk. "Trust Pinkie Pie to let us know about a party in THAT way." Twilight said, still drowned in Pinkie Pie's mass of words. "She's just being Pinkie Pie." Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle, walking up to Twilight's side, "And anyway, a party like this will help take your mind off things. You don't have to worry about the letter. You can just have a nice time with your friends." "Yeah, I guess you're right." Twilight agreed, a smile back on her face, "And it'll give us all a chance to make new friends! That's definitely something I could write about." With no other chores to take care of, Rainbow and Twilight left the house to wander around Ponyville. Along the way, they talked about the upcoming party. Would it be fun? Who would they meet? And WOULD they make some new friends? It was obvious that Pinkie Pie had told all their other friends too, since Twilight and Rainbow stumbled upon their cowgirl friend Applejack who burst into conversation at once. "Howdy, partners!" she said to them cheerfully, "Heard about Pinkie's new welcomin' party?" "Sure have." said Twilight, "You know how Pinkie gets news around quickly." she added, rolling her eyes. "I think it's a mighty nice idea!" said Applejack merrily, "Before y'all know it, we'll have made some more friends!" At that precise moment, an off white colored pony trotted up to Applejack's side. "Oh uh, this is Diamond Groomer." Applejack said, pointing to the stallion. Diamond Groomer gave a shy grin at Twilight and Rainbow who each returned a kind smile. "Ah promised 'im I'd show 'him round for the day." Applejack explained, "I'll catch the rest of ya later. Hope you meet some nice folk!" Applejack cantered off with Diamond Groomer by her side. "Wow." said Twilight, "There does seem to be a lot of new faces in town." "And they're getting around pretty quickly." Rainbow added. "I'm sure we'll find some pony friends of our own if we look around. Besides, I need to go into the store to look for new writing equipment." So Rainbow Dash followed Twilight into the small corner shop. The Pegasus never roamed around the shops much, but she thought she might find the odd thing that would interest her in here. When inside the shop, the two ponies split up and looked at different shelves. Rainbow went straight to the posters section, searching for Wonderbolts pictures. Twilight browsed the shelves that held all the essentials for writing. She examined quills, parchment, ink and much more. Her eyes latched onto a block of papers, which were perfect for writing new letters on. She used her horn to pick the papers up, but underestimated the weight. The pile was, in fact, very heavy. Just as she lost her grip, the head of another pony lifted the papers up before they reached the ground. "That could have been a nasty shocker." It was a stallion that Twilight had never seen before. She noticed his Pegasus wings and his burning cloud Cutie Mark. "Thank you, sir." Twilight said in relief, "That really would have been embarrassing." Her voice was rather shaky around this stranger. "Oh please, don't call me sir." the stallion said, "My name's Firestorm." "Twilight Sparkle." the unicorn said in return, "You're new around here?" "Yes, along with many other newcomers, I believe?" "Oh, I've been seeing an AWFUL lot of new ponies here. And it's so nice to meet new citizens of Ponyville." "Hey, how are you doing Twilight?" Rainbow Dash's voice came to Twilight's ears. The cyan Pegasus was trotting out from behind a nearby shelf and it was then she noticed Firestorm. Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "Rainbow Dash, wasn't it?" Firestorm said in his usual calm voice. "You? Again?" Rainbow exclaimed. "You two know each other?" Twilight said, switching her gaze between Firestorm and Rainbow Dash. "We've only just met." Rainbow muttered, "And it WASN'T intentional." She had a look of annoyance on her face. Twilight, on the other hoof, looked pleased. "Well, I'm sure we'd both love you to join us at our friend's welcoming party later on today." she said to Firestorm, "Pinkie Pie is inviting every new pony in town to her house at 5 o'clock." she lowered her voice, "Pinkie Pie has to be friends with everypony there is to know." "I understand that." Firestorm said with a chuckle, "I'd be happy to tag along if that's all right with you." "Of course it is! Right, Rainbow Dash?" "Ugh…yeah. Sure it is." Rainbow said, glaring at Firestorm. He smirked at the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. "Pinkie Pie lives at Sugarcube Corner right?" he said, "I know." he added with a grin, "That pony's talked about a lot around here. I'll be seeing you at five o'clock then. Lovely to meet you, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight replied with a shy smile. The Pegasus colt stepped up to Rainbow Dash's side before saying, "See you around, Rainbow Dash." And he exited the shop with a flap of his wings. "Wow, Rainbow!" Twilight gasped, trotting up to Rainbow's side, "He seems so nice! And charming! I'm looking forward to having the others meet him!" "Yeah, sure…whatever…" Rainbow was staring out of the door and into the sky where Firestorm had flown off to. Her face was still rather annoyed. "What is it?" Twilight questioned, "Don't you like him or something? And you've already met him! When? And why didn't you say?" "It was only this morning, Twilight." Rainbow said, rolling her eyes, "And I didn't think it mattered." "Of course it matters if you're making new friends!" Twilight said happily. To this, the Pegasus scoffed. "Phff, FRIENDS?" Rainbow exclaimed, "When did I say he was my frie-" "We'd better go home and prepare ourselves now." Twilight said, ignoring Rainbow and heading to the door, "Pinkie's party is in an hour." Rainbow hung her head sulkily and followed Twilight out of the shop. As they walked together, Rainbow Dash had thoughts spinning around in her head. How would Firestorm act at the party? Would he talk to her even more? Would he talk to her friends? Would he embarrass her in front of her friends? He'd better NOT show me up in front of my friends, she thought, he thinks he's so much better than me. "Don't worry." Twilight said to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Twilight lay a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be great at the party. I'll see you there, Rainbow!" As Twilight trotted off towards her house, Rainbow heaved a small sigh and fluttered up into the clouds. Hopefully Twilight was right. The skies were just beginning to get dark and the windows of Sugarcube Corner were lit up. Inside the house, ponies, balloons and laughter filled the room. Pinkie Pie was bouncing around saying 'hi!' to every new pony she saw. She would also set off a party popper every now and then. Twilight was standing with Applejack at the side of the room, giggling at the annoyed ponies that had just been sprinkled with confetti. "Heehee, oopsie!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, hopping away like a kangaroo. Twilight and Applejack were so used to the antics of their cheery friend that they simply exchanged smiles and chuckled. An irritated stallion brushed the confetti off his head. The atmosphere was still cheery when Rainbow Dash arrived. The door had been left open so she could wander inside, and before she had a chance to look around, she was met with a tight hug from Pinkie Pie. "Dashie, you made it!" the pink pony squealed, her arms squeezing the baffled Pegasus. "Err yeah…hi, Pinkie." Rainbow said awkwardly, running low on breath. She sucked in a breath when Pinkie Pie finally let go of her and bounced away. Looking around her, she spotted her five friends dotted in the large crowd of ponies. Fluttershy was sitting silently in a corner, her eyes nervously swivelling around the room. Pinkie Pie was leading a conga line down the room, each pony behind her grinning. Rarity was wearing a fabulous party gown of course. She was speaking to a few colts, but took care to keep her dress away from any risk of damage. At this point, Rainbow Dash had forgotten about Firestorm. She just happily trotted over to Twilight and Applejack ready to spend some time with her friends. This was going to be great. "So, Rainbow." Applejack said to her, whipping her hoof around her and giving her a friendly squeeze, "Been socialisin' at all? Or are you just too nervous for that?" "Nervous?" Rainbow said, ducking out from underneath Applejack's arm, "I am NOT nervous. I'm never nervous!" "Well, I'm so glad that Pinkie Pie has decided to throw this celebration." Twilight said with a calm smile, "It'll make all the newcomers feel so welcome here, as I know THEY will be nervous." "Are you guys excited?" The three of them weren't surprised when they heard Pinkie's giddy voice toddle up to them. "I'm so excited, I've never been so excited! Well, maybe I HAVE been before but this is still so exciting because we're going to be really popular when we make all these new friends and maybe they'll all come to more of my parties and I'll know everypony around here! Hi!" She waved her hoof frantically in front of a colt that was walking past the four of them. The colt looked surprised at first, but then smiled politely at Pinkie Pie, said "Hello miss" in a clearly Trottingham accent. Pinkie grinned a huge grin and darted off. Twilight flashed a smile at the dark pony. "We are so happy to have you here." she said courteously. The dark-redish purple stallion replied with a smile and trotted off to eat something from the long table of treats. Rarity was staying well back from all the crumb covered plates and ponies with food in their mouths. Rainbow Dash felt rather sorry for Fluttershy, who was staying out of all the action in her corner; her pretty teal eyes were full of apprehension as she looked around at the large crowd surrounding her. But then, a sudden tinge of shock jumped in Rainbow Dash's stomach as she recognized the pony that walked up to her. It was Firestorm, and he gave her a comforting smile. "Hello." "Um…hell…o…" Fluttershy's voice was merely a mumble as she spoke. She wasn't looking Firestorm in the eyes. "I'm Firestorm. Do you wanna come out and have a chat with everypony?" When Fluttershy hesitated, Firestorm chuckled. "It's all right!" he snickered, "I won't bite." The nerves were fading from Fluttershy's eyes. Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack were watching the scene as the shy Pegasus got to her feet slowly. She smiled at the colt next to her. "Thanks…F-Firestorm…" she murmured, "I'm Fluttershy…" "Nice to meet you, Fluttershy." He then turned his attention to Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Twilight and Applejack were grinning happily at him while Rainbow just frowned at him. "Oh hello, Twilight Sparkle." Firestorm said, smiling at Twilight. "Hi again." Twilight said, her voice sounding slightly timid, "Glad to see you could make it, Firestorm." "I take it these are your friends?" he asked, looking around at the ponies surrounding Twilight, now including a giddy faced Pinkie Pie. "Yes," said Twilight enthusiastically, "well. You've just met my friend Fluttershy." Fluttershy cowered a little from the mention of her name. "Hi guys…" she murmured, "Sorry I've been so…reserved. I get so nervous in big crowds." "Ahh, don't worry 'bout it, sugarcube." Applejack said to her, and then looked up at Firestorm. "How ya doin'? I'm Applejack." "Hi, Applejack." "And I'm Pinkie Pie!" The colt smirked at the excitement in her voice. "I've heard a lot about you, Pinkie Pie." "You have?" Pinkie gasped. She did a little bounce in the air, her hooves waggling up and down. As her friends continued to talk to Firestorm, Rainbow Dash stood sulking in the background. She didn't like the way her friends were giving him so much attention and leaving her out. It felt strange…SHE was normally the Pegasus that everypony talked about, not some colt that had only just arrived in Ponyville. Trying not to let the jealousy get to her, she turned away from the scene and wandered over to the food table. There were a few Pegasi that she recognized from Cloudsdale so Rainbow didn't feel too lonely. While chewing on several sandwiches and having an odd chat with a cross eyed Pegasus called Derpy, her eyes would often glance over to her friends. One minute, Pinkie Pie was tying a blindfold around Firestorm's face so he could pin the tail on the mule. The next minute, he was in deep conversation with Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. He was always very pleasant with Fluttershy, and Rainbow noticed that the normally nervous Pegasus had a comfortable, happy look in her eyes. "Rainbow Dash, darling. Are you all right?" Rarity stepped up to Rainbow, still in her glistening party outfit. "Hey, Rarity. Yeah, I'm fine. Met any new ponies yet?" "Well, I HAVE been socializing with several newcomers that share my fashion interests." she said in her classy manner, "But I tend to stay out of all the ruffian party games. Anyway never mind me. What about you, Rainbow Dash? Don't you want to spend some time with the others?" Rainbow's smile changed to an awkward expression. Her eyes swept over to her friends again, where Twilight was laughing with Firestorm and Pinkie Pie was tying blindfolds around strangers so they could also pin the tail on the mule. "Errr…" Rainbow said, sliding a hoof across the floor awkwardly, "I was. And I've had a great time and all. But I'm done with making new friends for today. In fact…" She looked out of the window at the darkening skies. "It's getting pretty late. I should probably head off now. Weather duty calls." "All right then, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said to her politely, "I'll let the others know where you are. But now I think I should say hello to that colt over there. Twilight has been talking to him an awful lot." Rainbow Dash heaved an irritated sigh as Rarity headed over to where Firestorm was. What was it that her friends liked so much about him? She wasn't going to worry about them any longer. She headed out of the door into the dim evening. As she looked up at the sky, she was rather shocked to see that it was covered with clouds. She decided she would go up there and tidy it all up before going home. It would help her take her mind off things. "Nice to see you again." She jumped at the voice from behind her. She turned her head around to see Firestorm standing there, smiling in a friendly but mischievous way. "Ugh…" She rolled her eyes and looked away, irritably. "You have some very nice friends, Rainbow Dash." Firestorm said to her. "Yeah, I do…" Rainbow said, glaring at him, "And they're MY friends." "Oh…!" Firestorm chuckled. He had a look of realization and slight embarrassment in his sky colored eyes. "I don't want you to think I'm intruding or anything." he said with a smile, "It was your friends who invited me to the party, not me." "Yeah well…you were lucky that time. And we have good views on friendship since we're the Elements of Harmony." Firestorm's eyes looked stunned for a second. "Wait a minute…did you say the Elements of Harmony?" "Sure did." Rainbow said, turning her body around to face him, "Me, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy all represent the Elements of Harmony. That's how we saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon and Discord." "Wow…the Elements of Harmony…" Firestorm said, staring at the ground with an astounded face, "That's pretty impressive. And what element do you represent?" "The Element of Loyalty." said Rainbow Dash, a proud smile on her face, "I'd never abandon my friends for anything." "Well, that's a good trait to have. I'm sure your friends adore you for that." Rainbow paused, not quite knowing what to say to that. "Uh…yeah, I suppose…they do?" she said, her forelegs fidgeting awkwardly. "I definitely like you for it." For some odd reason, Rainbow felt an unusual sharp tingle in her stomach. She bit her lip, as a small smile spread across her face. "Are you up for showing me more of your acrobatics tomorrow?" Firestorm asked her, "I'd love to see what else you can do." "Um…yeah okay…" "So I'll see you tomorrow then?" "See ya tomorrow, Firestorm." Before she could fly off, Firestorm said, "Hey, you don't have to call me Firestorm. It's a bit of a mouthful. You can call me Storm if you want to." Rainbow shot him a friendly grin. "Okay, Storm. You can call me Rainbow." He returned her smile. "All right then. See you tomorrow, Rainbow." And with her smug grin, Rainbow Dash fired into the evening sky. The scarlet Pegasus colt trotted up to a nearby pond. He concentrated on the water as it rippled in the evening breeze, he looked into his warped reflection on the waters surface and simply said. "I think I can win her."
