The cerulean blue Pegasus pushed the door open to the Canterlot pub, easing herself inside relatively unnoticed in the generally hubbub of socializing ponies. She walked leisurely to the bar and slid onto one of the stools. Her gaze swept across the room and she flicked her choppy rainbow mane out of her eyes to do so.
Nothing was out of the ordinary, a group of stallions shot pool while a gaggle of mares, presumably the stallions' dates, conversed nearby while watching the game. Three stallions were sitting at a table, chatting it up as they drank from glasses, Rainbow Dash pegged them as the military type from the way they positioned themselves together. Various couples dotted the room and loners had forelegs on the bar.
What did stand out was another group of three stallions in the far table sitting under a broken light.
Look at you, under a broken light thinking you're soooo cool, Dash thought to herself as she waved the bar pony over.
She justified the drink she ordered as a reward to the Wonderbolt trials going well. Although the Canterlot pub made her reminisce of drinking good old Apple Ale with her friends. Dash scanned the room again, and this time caught one of the military stallions stealing a glance at her.
The top notch flyer mentally shrugged her shoulders, Why not? With that thought, she winked slowly at him, a very open invite that he'd have to be daft to not pick up on.
She twisted around back to the bar and back to her drink, she sipped slowly and when she heard the scrapping of the bar stool next to her, she let out a little grin, Ah, stallions are just so predictable....
However, when Rainbow Dash turned to the seat next to her, it didn't hold the forest green Pegasus she expected.
Right next to her was a big brown, highly intimidating Earth Pony.
He leered at her, a predatory grin showing through, "Well aren't you a cute one?" His voice was disgusting, like snake oil. His eyes roved all over her body, showing no restraint or common courtesy.
Rainbow Dash fumed internally, I try to pick one military stud up but nooooo, I had to get the creep. She made as if to ignore his approach and turned back to her drink.
"So how about it, feather babe? Wanna head back to my place?" The creeps voice made shudders roll down her spine.
Dash turned her head to look at him with scorn etched on her face, "You?" She asked incredulously, "Ew, and you have yet to even offer to buy me a drink." Rainbow slid off the stool and snagged her drink off the bar, There's an open chair there, maybe a direct approach on him to get me away from this creep.
She made to move past him, but he caught her shoulder and she stopped in her tracks, his hoof made her skin crawl and she wanted nothing more than to bat it off, then he leaned close to her and whispered, "I don't think you realize missy, I wasn't making a suggestion." His hot, breath stank against her face and he sniffed her.
Dash felt an undercurrent of fear run through her as his grip tightened on her shoulder, she weighed her options. If she got outside, this clown had no chance of catching her, let alone if she flew. She fearfully flung a glance at the other two characters where this creep originated from. Are they with him?
Uh oh, crap momentarily panic was starting to creep in onto Dash, and it wasn't long before the adrenaline pumping through her system was about to make her flip it up. Flight or fight style.
Celestia, I just need a moment to think.
She felt a tap on her other shoulder, and a strong, assured voice asked politely, "Miss, mind if I interrupt?"
Rainbow Dash whipped her head over at the new voice.
Standing tall and proud, a confident smile on his face, stood the stallion she had winked at.
()()()
Willow Wing stood up, "I'll be right back guys, grabbing another one, want me to grab us a round?"
"Uh huh, sure ya are, Willow," snickered the dark blue Unicorn.
Willow rolled his eyes and walked off.
"Ten bits says he's going to help that fine piece 'o wing," remarked the holly red Pegasus at the table.
"Please, that's a given, how about...
Ten bits if creepizoid goes out the window?"
"Alright, I'll take that one, and how about ten bits says that those other two jump in?"
"You're on."
()()()
"Who are you?" Gruffly, rudely addressed the creep.
The stallion's smile briefly flickered to an unamused expression aimed at it before flicking back to a grin directed towards Dash, "I take it that I am welcome?"
Rainbow Dash nodded and the stallion hopped onto the stool the other side of her, where he coldly regarded the other's hoof on her. The forest green Pegasus looked up at the stallion it belonged to, "So who are you?"
"How about you answer me first, army boy," he growled, not removing his hoof.
'Army boy' dropped his head and laughed a little before responding with, "Alright, apparently there was a miscommunication, you will do as I say and not question me as I am in charge." An edge of steel was creeping into the stallions voice.
The brown one huffed, "Sure, what's your name, boy."
Rainbow Dash stood stock still as the banter continued, wondering what in the hell the green stallion was up to. After the creep spoke though, Army boy looked over at her with a smirk on his face, "Wow, you are dense." He said, "Maybe a more direct approach is required. Remove your hoof from her shoulder." He ordered.
"And if I don't comply?" Asked creep with a sly grin on his face, as if he had the upper hand.
"You know, I was hoping you would say that," remarked the stallion. His hoof flashed out in a front jab and cracked into the creep's muzzle. He fell off his stool, hoof releasing Dash's shoulder. A gentle hoof replaced it and pulled her back and around, now behind the green stallion as the brown Earth Pony hit the floor.
A faint, "boom, headshot," was heard from the back of the room.
"While you're down there, holding your nose, remember that we Marines don't take to kindly to guys being ungentlestalliony and calling us 'army boys'." He turned to Rainbow Dash, "So, can I buy you a drink?"
"Uhhh, yeah?" Was all that Rainbow Dash managed as he waved the bartender over. The stallion on the floor rolled from side to side, holding his nose. "So what is your name? Pardon my asking?"
He smiled a knowing smile, "I'm Willow Wing. I take it that you are the notorious Rainbow Dash I hear all the news reports about?" The bar pony nervously trotted over, eyes flicking between the stallion on the ground, the collected Marine on his stool, and the still somewhat shocked Wonderbolt applicant.
Dash nodded in response to him, and ordered the same thing she did earlier. WillowW opened his mouth to say something else when a loud groan interrupted him, followed by a small scream as the brown earth pony struggled to his hooves. "That's it, you're finished 'Army Boy'!" Douche wheel screamed at him. The hubbub, that had just returned after the first encounter, in the bar shut down to plain dead silence.
Willow Wing closed his mouth audibly, and looked at Dash with a face that didn't say individual words but easily conveyed the message of, 'this dunce'. He proceeded to ignore him and carry on with the conversation, "So, Dash. Have you ever had formal training or are you just naturally good?"
"Hey! Fruity boy! I was talking to you!"
"You know, I swear I see some of Spitfire in your style, is that pure coincidence?" Rainbow Dash however kept glancing at the stallion over Willow's shoulder.
Rolling his eyes, he spun on the stool, back to the cunt punt. "Is there something so imperative that you must keep interrupting this poor girl?"
"Yeah, I'm going to kick your ass." The brown stallion snorted in anger.
Willow huffed a short laugh, "Please, not even worth my time." And he turned back to Dash.
"What? Scared of an even fight, without cheap shots?" He taunted.
The Marine sighed, "You're right, it wouldn't be an even fight. Go get some more guys, then we'll talk."
“Oh but I have,” Willow turned around again, eyes filled with barely restrained scorn as he regarded the bum, a bum with two other douches backing him up now. The Marine looked at them from the ground up, not impressed in the slightest from his quick survey.
“Pfft, counted those guys out a while ago, I said go get some more guys for me to beat senseless.”
“Alright, that does it!” He made a move as to lunge at Willow, but halted when aforementioned stallion raised his hoof in a halt position. He turned to Rainbow Dash.
“Ma’am, may I suggest that you vacate this area for the next few moments, shouldn’t take long and I’m sure that Fairchild and Lt will take care of you over there,” he gestured at the table he had risen from quite a while ago.
Rainbow Dash nodded slowly and quietly spoke, “Just please don’t get hurt on my behalf…”
The Marine smirked his overconfident smirk that seemed a permanent attachment to his face ever since this had started. That smirk seemed familiar from somewhere, but she couldn’t place it. That little half mouth smile that barely didn’t show teeth, “It’s not me you should be worried about Dash.”
Right after he said that, the creep made moves, a rapid lunge that sent him on a trajectory to smash his fore hooves directly in the back of Willow’s head. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to shout a warning, but there was no time for her to word a coherent warning.
Not that he needed it.
The Marine snapped around and slid off the stool in one smooth quick movement, stepping into the stallion’s lunge, and slamming his dominant hoof on a one-track pain train that pummeled the hard, conditioned hoof into the soft underbelly of his opponent. His momentum halted, the creep fell to the floor, curled around his stomach.
Willow bounced on his hooves, “Alrighty then, step up or step down,” he invited the other two.
They shared a look, and the stepping down offer seemed out of question as they both immediately rushed him. One low, into his midriff and the other following behind.
Willow hit the ground hard, and the stallions followed him down hooves first, piling atop him.
“Excuse me Miss Dash,” she heard behind her. Behind her stood the two stallions from the table.
“Pardon, but we gotta even the odds,” said the red one, a Pegasus that began striding purposefully towards the rabble.
“Oi! Back off guys, I said I got this!” she dimly heard a voice from under the two bodies. Then suddenly, the pile exploded.
One of the evil stallions erupted off and flew a fair distance before crashing against a stool, nearly toppling the patron on top of it. The second one scrambled to get off and away from the raging Marine, he even managed two strides before a mean and green blur flew after him and landed on his back, downing him instantly. By this point, the first or eager creep had regained his senses, just I’m time to see his two goons be laid out senseless.
Willow stood victorious and surveyed his handiwork, not paying any attention to the standing stallion, who silently creeped over to him, a beer mug in hoof.
“Alright, ten bits Lunar-tic, no one went out the window and those two jumped in,” gloated Fairchild to the Unicorn who promptly levitated ten bits out of his saddle bag and began passing them over.
Creep raised his mug.
Again, Rainbow opened her mouth in warning. While Lunar-tic passed his levitation and Fairchild just looked at him in amusement.
Because one again, Willow’s sixth sense kicked in, and he snapped about in a flurrying uppercut that rocked him backward headfirst. The punch smoothly transitioned into a grab that clutched the stallion’s neck and slammed him atop the bar. “Are ya ready for a ride?” wildly asked the green Marine.
The stallion was too dazed to respond as Willow Wing yelled out, “No Brakes!” and began galloping beside the bar, dragging the stallion atop it to slid. Patrons hurriedly moved chairs, stools, food, and drinks out of the way as the strange pair flashed past, gaining speed.
The end of the bar rushed to meet them, and as they reached it, Willow came to a abrupt halt, and creep flash grew a pair of wings.
The filthy, brown Earth Pony soared off the end of the bar on a trajectory that sent the hunk of dead weight to crash stupendously through the main wind that formed half the wall by the entrance door. The ten bits were levitated back into Lt’s saddle bags.
Willow turned to the bar pony, "Sorry 'bout that. Here," the green Marine flicked a card from his saddlebag at him.
"Call these guys, tell them to put it on Iron Clad's account and you'll have it all fixed in under an hour," the bar pony edged close to the fierce warrior before snatching the card and skittering away to the phone.
“Well, that’s one way to deal with those types,” piped up Fairchild as he swiped Willow’s mug from the bar, as a sort of compensation for throwing the last guy out the window.
“Yeah,” the confident face seemed to have faded away, and Willow sheepishly smiled while rubbing the back of his head, not meeting Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “Sorry about all that,” he told her. He seemed fidgety, like something was unnerving him, which seemed highly strange as what he had just accomplished.
She waved him off, and she felt her own confident air coming back to her, “Without you there, I’d have been screwed!”
His cheeks reddened, “Yeah, I guess there’s that.”
“Well, my night seems a little ruined, care to walk a mare home? Or at least where I’m staying here in Canterlot?” Dash though the poor boy was going to turn into a tomato if he got any redder.
“S-sure, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Fairchild sniggered into his hoof as Willow stuttered.
“Alright, let’s go!” Rainbow Dash snagged his arm and tore him away from the bar, and from the two other Marines. Who smirked at the retreating duo.
“Aww, there goes our little Willow, all grown up,” remarked Fairchild.
“Please, he’s got as much chance as a snowball with us in hell, he’s clueless with mares. Poor guy.” murmured Lunar-tic.
The two Marines headed out of the bar, and onto the street, in time to see the two specks flying away into the evening light.
“Curb stomp!” shouted Fairchild as he jumped on top of the goon that was thrown out the window.
