Burning Dreams

Where is she?

It was not unusual for Rainbow Dash to be late for dinner. After all, not long ago, she had announced that she would become a full-fledged member of the Wonderbolts; Twilight was convinced that she spent that extra time working extra hard to impress her new boss.

But this wasn't their usual dinner. It had been more than a year since the pair was tricked by Pinkie Pie into revealing their emotions toward each other, and exactly a year since they both decided to push their friendship and experimentation a step forward when Twilight proposed a steadier relationship. Even though Dash initially disagreed, not wanting to become entangled in a serious relationship, she quickly learned that most of the sayings about it were nothing but empty words based on meaningless myths.

Twilight couldn’t help but let her memory drift to that time. Even after a year, Twilight could remember most of the details of their first night together. She smiled. Instead of the wild and tiring sex in which Dash would most likely partake in a heartbeat, at least according to way too many ponies, the couple ended up talking throughout the entire night.

Their conversation touched on many topics. They started with rumors about the new book about Daring Do, but it was quickly superseded by a plethora of other subjects, ranging from managing weather, to astronomy, and even to the importance of safe sex, which, to Twilight's amusement, made Dash's face almost the same color as Twilight's coat. The night ended with nothing more than a gentle kiss and Twilight falling asleep, while Dash caressed her messy wings.

It was everything that Twilight wanted and needed that day.

A soft voice and a gentle nudge of small claws snapped Twilight out of her reverie. "Twilight? Rainbow isn't here yet, is she?"

Twilight shook her head and sighed. "She's probably just a little late, Spike, that's all."

"A little? She should have been here two hours ago… She's usually no more than half an hour late…"

"Maybe her train is late…"

Spike tilted his head. "Train? Late? That train is never late for more than a few minutes."

Twilight sighed again. "I guess. I just hoped that she wouldn’t be late. At least not today." Her horn glowed as a flicker of her magic extinguished the candles.

"This is a big thing for you, isn't it?"

Twilight nodded. "We have been together for a year now, Spike. Ponies usually celebrate such anniversaries."

Spike nodded and looked around the room. "Um… I know you asked me to take tonight off, because you wanted to be alone with Rainbow, but… do you want some company? At least until she—"

Twilight smiled and softly wrapped her hooves around Spike. "Thanks, Spike, but you likely had plans for the night, didn’t you?"

Spike nodded. “Berry Punch is having a party, and I wouldn’t want to miss it for anything. Even you-know-who will be there.” He clicked his tongue twice and was met with an inaudible sigh and a warm smile. “And I have a perfect plan on how to impress her!”

“Spike, I don’t think she’ll—”

“Just watch the master at work,” Spike boasted as he ran a claw over his spines, shooting Twilight a suave grin.

“Master…” Twilight echoed. “You know, I don’t really want to know.” She shot Spike a stern glare. “But if you try to use a love potion again, then a certain baby dragon is going to be in a lot of trouble. Again.”

Spike groaned. “Yeah, yeah.”

Twilight shook her head as Spike left the library. She was now all alone, her heart still longing for her mare. Where is she?

She sat back behind the table, trying to understand what could keep Dash from coming on time. She couldn't think of many reasons. Perhaps Dash had been injured or unable to get the time off, but nopony contacted her with such a message. Another possibility was that Dash had missed the one and only train back from Canterlot. Twilight remembered Dash telling her that she would visit some old friends there before returning to Ponyville.

Setting her worries aside and accepting that she would see her mare tomorrow, Twilight relaxed and let her memory drift back to how their relationship started.

~*~*~

A purple feather was wrapped in the soft glow of Twilight’s magic and gently plucked from her wing. Regardless of preparing herself for the sting, she still flinched upon removal of the feather.

The setup couldn’t be more perfect if she’d planned it. On a lone cloud above Ponyville, just inches away from her, Rainbow Dash was sleeping peacefully. Twilight didn’t dare move more than she needed, knowing most likely that she would wake up Dash and be deprived of the amusement of waking her up in a more interesting way. Twilight couldn’t help but grin.

Dash groaned as a purple feather flicked across her muzzle, making her smack her lips and shift in her sleep.

Twilight giggled and tried again. Another flick.

Dash stretched her hoof and scratched her muzzle in an attempt to deflect the ticklish invader.

Even though this amused Twilight immensely, she decided to change the object of torture.

Twilight smirked as the magic glow around the purple feather faded away, allowing it to fall on the cloud beside Dash. Trying hard not to burst into a fit of laughter, she opened her wing and extended her feathers just enough to scratch Dash’s muzzle again.

Another groan. "Five more minutes, mom," Dash muttered. The gentle tapping didn't stop for more than a few seconds. "Mooom," she grunted, turning away from the purple wing and curling into a colorful ball.

Twilight couldn't help herself anymore. She erupted into giggles as she watched the confused ball untangle itself.

"Wh-what?"

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight teased.

Dash snorted. "I wasn't sleeping!"

"Of course you weren’t," Twilight mused. "I think that at least half of Equestria would say otherwise. I could hear your snoring in my library."

Dash groaned. "Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Sarcasm, I presume?"

Twilight smiled. “You told me to look you up when I have some free time. So… here I am.”

“Free time? For what?” Dash yawned loudly and opened her mouth widely enough that Twilight could swear she saw Dash’s tonsils. “Sorry. I had a pretty rough night. Been called in the middle of the night for weather duty.” She sighed and tapped her muzzle. “Where were we? Oh, right. Free time. Wings. Flying lessons.”

Twilight nodded and perked her ears.

“Let’s see,” Dash said in a soft, but commanding voice. “Nice wings you have there, Twi. Very clean and a little bigger than mine. Too bad that those kind of wings aren’t made for racing.” Twilight’s muzzle flushed faintly upon that comment. “You tried to fly before?”

Twilight nodded. “I read a few books that I have in my library, but it just doesn’t work. I don’t know what am I doing wrong. Maybe if I go to Canterlot and—”

Dash smirked. “Then you’re going to love this,” she said, bracing Twilight from behind. “Spread your wings, Twilight; we’re going for a flight. And don’t worry. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, what?”

~*~*~

Twilight’s ear flicked as the squeak of the floorboards snapped her out of her reverie. It had been now three hours since Dash was supposed to come, but even though Twilight assured herself that Dash had only missed the only train, something else bothered her, and she couldn’t figure out what.

There was still no sign of Spike or Dash. She stared at the window, contemplating what to do—either curl up under her warm blanket and lose herself in a book, or go to the bar to numb her worries with friendly chatter.

She paused for a moment to think. As tempting as spending the remainder of the night behind a book was, she realized that what she wanted even more was to spend some time with her friends.

~*~*~

Twilight entered the only bar in Ponyville. She was greeted with loud music, stale air, and ponies almost shouting at each other in an attempt at casual conversation. She usually avoided these kind of places for that very reason, but, occasionally, she let Dash drag her into it and convince her to unwind.

More often than not, those kind of dates ended with Dash getting tipsy and attempting to drag Twilight to the dance floor, with very limited success. Usually, it just meant Dash ending up alone under the spotlights, with Twilight snickering at Dash’s failed attempts at looking like a professional dancer.

She groaned as she looked around the cram-packed bar, trying in vain to find any of her friends. She was certain that she would find Pinkie Pie arguing with somepony about the choice of candy, or Applejack making sure that her cider was of proper temperature to be served. She also expected Rarity to show up with Spike right behind her, following her almost every step.

Instead, she found a friend that she didn’t expect to be here at all.

“Rainbow Dash?” she asked in a mixture of confusion and worry. “You are here? I was worried sick that you were—”

"Nuzzer one," Dash blurted out in a drunken slur. "I'm not here, Twi. Just close my… no… your eyes, an’ I won't—” Her eyes shifted to the empty glass in front of her. “Hey! Bartender! Where's dat drink?"

"You're drunk, Dash,” Twilight said in a soothing voice. “Why don't we get you home, and we'll talk in the morning?"

“Aw, don’t you want to f-f-f-fuck me like everypony else? You’re my m-marefrriend, no?” Dash spread her hind legs a little. “You know you want to.”

“Dash!” Twilight said in a low but harsh voice, blushing fiercely. “What has gotten into you?”

Dash waved her hoof in dismissal. “You’re no fun, Twilight. At least have a drink or two with me. This cider is amazing! Hey, Berry! Tell the bartender to give me and my mare another one!”

Twilight shook her head. “Dash, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think you had enough.”

“Don’t be such a tardy, Twi.”

Twilight flinched, but it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Allow me one more drink, and I won’t tell everypony about that.”

“Dash, no.”

Dash smirked and turned towards the cramped bar. “Hey, everypony!” she shouted over the noise. “Princess Sparkle here hates to be called ‘tardy’ because she was b—”

Twilight’s wings unfurled in fury. “Rainbow Dash, don’t you dare!” Her voice boomed across the bar, silencing everypony and the background music in a heartbeat.

“S-sorry,” she said as everypony looked at her, her face flushing red.

Still in shock, Dash looked towards Twilight in fearful anticipation, but instead of additional shouting, she was welcomed by a trembling, yet friendly voice.

"D-Dash?"

Dash shook her head and looked at her mare. "I… I need some air," she rasped, looking at the still-staring crowd. She threw a small bag of bits on the table. "That should cover everything. And a little tip."

"Dash?" Twilight repeated.

But Dash didn’t reply. Instead, she headed outside and spread her wings, disappearing into the shadows of the night a moment later.

"Dash…"

~*~*~

“Just remember what I said,” Dash instructed, a smug smile on her lips, “and everything will be fine.”

It didn’t help.

Twilight shrieked at the top of her lungs. She was sure that Celestia could hear her, even though Canterlot Castle was far away. Regardless, Princess Celestia would rush to her prize student's aid, no matter where she was. Or at least Twilight thought so.

Twilight was falling with high velocity, flailing her wings in a vain attempt to glide through the partially cloudy skies. She shrieked again, but this time managed to fall on a soft, sky-blue pillow, who had flown her to the nearest cloud and landed her gently.

Twilight looked around frantically, trying to assess if all her hooves were accounted for and if her wings were still intact. After a few seconds, she calmed down for a moment, but the adrenaline, still pumping through her veins, made her believe that her heart was going to explode. A familiar laugh derailed her train of thought.

“Rainbow Dash! Are you crazy?” she screamed at her friend as much as her lungs permitted.

Dash didn’t even flinch. She was still laughing and took her time to tone down to nothing more than a few snorts and giggles.

“Well?” Twilight demanded.

“Relax, Twi,” Dash replied. “I told you, I’ll catch you if you fall. Besides, you didn’t do so badly. I would give it a D minus.”

Another surge of adrenaline shot through Twilight, sending her into another panic attack. “D-D minus?” she almost yelped.

“Twi, you didn’t do anything that I’ve said. At least in the end you tried to do something. And you didn’t die, either.”

Twilight groaned. “That’s really reassuring. We could do this on the ground, you know?”

Dash snickered. “Of course we could, but I felt like torturing you for a bit.”

Twilight snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

“That's what you get for waking me up," Dash replied with a faint smile. "And I wanted to show you my absolutely favorite spot up here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Could you stop being an egghead for one second? Just watch.”

Both ponies stared into the distant horizon as the play of colors began. As the sun started to sink behind the horizon, the ground and skies were painted in crimson and slowly melted into much darker colors, until it all slowly faded away into the darkness of the night.

Twilight shivered as a gust of cold wind ruffled her mane and coat. The chill quickly vanished when she felt Dash wrap her wing around her.

“I forgot that it’s cold up here, especially after sunset, but it’s still my favorite spot regardless.”

Twilight nodded. “That was really beautiful, Rainbow. Who would have thought that you’re such a romantic?”

“I’m not!“ Dash shot back. “I just…” She sighed. “I just like the view. I was always impressed by it, even as a filly.”

Twilight smiled. “Right.” She tapped her hoof against her muzzle. “Um, Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“How can I get down? It’s a little high for me to teleport…”

Dash smirked. “Well… there’s one way…”

Twilight’s blood froze.

~*~*~

Twilight sat on the porch, staring at the depressing night sky. Her mare still wasn't back home, and two months of them being apart didn't help with the overall situation. She sniffled.

"Twilight?"

"What is it, Spike?"

"I made some of my signature pancakes. Want some?"

"Thanks for the offer, Spike, but… I'm not really hungry."

"Oh." He paused for a moment. "Is it because of what happened in the bar?"

Twilight nodded.

"Why don't you talk to her?"

Twilight hung her head. "I tried, but she isn't at home, nor at our… special place." She sighed. "Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I overreacted?"

Spike said nothing, wrapping his arms around Twilight. "Maybe just a little," he replied after a long pause. "But I'm sure that she will be fine. Just think of how many times she had been yelled at for… well… being Rainbow."

Twilight smiled at him, realizing how well those words described Dash. She could remember at least a couple of times when Dash and Applejack had started to argue for no other reason than sheer boredom. Needless to say, their feuds almost always ended just a few minutes later after deciding to consume copious amounts of alcohol until one of them passed out.

“I guess,” Twilight admitted. “Maybe.” She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

"I don't know, Spike. Since we got together, we never really argued. Well… we had a minor disagreement about the constellations and what they represent, which, on a side note, I was right, since I read all four volumes of Stars and Constellations. Did you know that the formation of the constellation Little Well has nothing to do with wells whatsoever?"

"That's nice and all, Twilight, but… What does it have to do with Rainbow?"

Twilight sighed. “Nothing. It's just… nothing… I'll talk with Dash when she comes around. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Twilight?" Spike asked in a concerned voice.

She smiled. "I'm starving, Spike. You mentioned pancakes?"

"Yep, I even saved the best ones for you. They are probably still warm. We should eat before they get cold.”

“I can always reheat them, you know…”

“Yeah. By setting them on fire. Again.”

“I said I was sorry. I was… distracted.” Twilight sighed. “Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

~*~*~

Dash couldn’t help but laugh. She was amused by the sight of a shaken and confused Twilight, who was once again checking over herself. She checked and re-checked the position of her hooves as well as her wings, and Dash could swear that she saw Twilight grabbing her head, probably checking to see if it was still attached.

As much as Dash enjoyed her little stunt, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she would soon come to regret what she had done.

Twilight took a few deep breaths to calm hersełf down. After the last exhale, she took a few steps towards her friend.

Dash gulped.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked with a sugar-coated voice, watching Dash flinch. “Are you crazy? A Sonic Rainboom at this hour? Not to mention having me as a passenger? You could have gotten us both killed!”

Dash smirked. “Well… I could get you down either the really boring way or the cool one. I decided to do it the really awesome way.”

“By not asking my permission…”

“Oh, come on, Twilight! Who wouldn’t want to ride on my awesome Sonic Rainboom?” Dash thumped on her chest.

Twilight hung her head and turned towards the library in disappointment.

Dash’s ego deflated. “Twilight?” she asked in a low voice.

Twilight turned around and snorted. “I’m angry, Rainbow Dash!” She stomped her hoof. “Do you have any idea how many things could go wrong at that kind of speed? You could easily get us both killed, and you act like it was nothing!”

Dash felt a sting in her heart. Normally, she could easily shrug off this sort of argument, turn around, and leave. But this time, she couldn’t. Instead, she hung her head. “Twilight, I—” She fell silent again for a moment, just to continue in an even lower voice, “I’m sorry.”

But Twilight didn’t hear it. “And furthermore, it wouldn’t be just us… Have you even thought about how that would affect the Elements of Harmony? Or any of our friends? If you’d—”

“Hey! I said I was sorry!”

Twilight fell silent and blinked. Rainbow Dash… apologized.

“You don’t need to make me feel worse than I already do,” Dash said, her voice wavering. “Just—” She wiped at her eyes with a hoof. “I’m sorry, okay?” She turned around and spread her wings.

“Dash, wait.”

Dash’s powerful wings had already pushed her into the skies, providing her with enough distance and noise that she didn’t hear her friend.

Twilight flapped her wings, lifted herself up, quickly fell to the ground, and cursed. “Come on! Fly already!”

Still nothing.

“Oh, come on!”

Twilight flapped a few more times before giving up completely, exhausted. A few pants later, she took a deep breath and facehoofed. “I’m not a pegasus,” she muttered. “I can just teleport.”

In a flash of magic, Twilight disappeared.

~*~*~

Twilight’s heart fluttered at the sight of her mare. She had no need or desire to argue, and there was always the next day for lengthy conversations. For now, all that she desperately needed was the warmth of her mare leaning on her chest, a hug, and a kiss.

Twilight smiled and nudged her head forward, just enough for her muzzle to brush against her mare's lips. A second later, she pushed her head even further, but this time far enough to lock lips, forming a long and passionate kiss.

She felt Dash's hoof gliding down her neck and return back up to meet her cheek, both mares sharing a warm smile.

"I missed you so much, Dash," Twilight whispered. "Welcome back, sweetie."

Instead of a vocal response, Dash smiled and latched her lips back onto Twilight's. They didn't stay there for long, as they started their descent down Twilight's neck and onto her chest.

Dash kissed Twilight’s chest and pushed lightly until Twilight willingly gave in, fumbled on her back, and, with her eyes closed, let out a soft moan. She clenched her hooves around her mare as she felt Dash’s lips again pressing against hers.

Dash continued down to her belly, stopping there. Before Twilight could ask why she stopped, a sky-blue hoof slowly started to trace along Twilight’s chest, surpassed Dash’s muzzle, and passed Twilight’s thigh, making her flinch.

Twilight moaned, opening her hind legs a little more, enough to allow her mare’s muzzle to access her most intimate parts.

“Oh, Dash, d-don’t stop,” she forcefully whispered, the volume of her voice spiking the moment Dash’s tongue passed her clitoris and focused there.

Twilight started to breathe deeply and squirmed. She could feel the pleasure starting to build, wanting and needing the long-awaited release.

Then, everything stopped.

Curious, Twilight opened her eyes to see why her lover stopped in the middle of their most enjoyable activity. “Dash?”

Once again, there was no response.

Twilight pushed her head forward, her eyes catching the glimpse of a sky-blue pony, her muzzle still between her hind legs. “Dash?” Twilight asked again, concern now coating her tone. “Are you alright?”

Twilight jumped back in shock and terror when Dash lifted up her head. The face was devoid of its features. The rosy eyes she adored so dearly were absent, replaced with a set of black ones, a tiny red flare residing in their center.

Still in shock, Twilight desperately tried to escape the creature that pretended to be her mare. In panic, she wanted to teleport away, but her magic wasn’t working. She tried to fly away as a last resort, but her wings were paralyzed.

She had no other choice but to curl up on the edge of the bed. She could feel the creature approaching.

The thing opened its mouth, displaying a set of sharp teeth.

“Twilight,” it growled.

Twilight screamed as loud as she could.

“Twilight,” the voice said again, but this time in a kinder, more familiar tone. “Twilight, wake up!”

Twilight jumped up and looked around in haste, her heart still racing from the encounter within her dreams. All she could see was the familiarity of her bedroom and Spike looking at her in worry and confusion.

“Twilight?” he asked as she focused on him.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

“I heard moans and screams and I—”

She sighed.

“Twilight?”

“It was just a bad dream, Spike.”

Spike tilted his head.

“About Dash…”

“I don’t understand, Twilight,” Spike replied, confused. “Isn’t Princess Luna supposed to guard everypony against bad dreams?”

“Just a moment, Spike.” Twilight shook her wings and stepped off the bed. A moment later, a flicker of her magic lit a lantern outside her library. She turned back to Spike. “No, Spike. There are far too many ponies for Princess Luna to look after. And there are some kind of dreams she just doesn’t want to enter.”

Spike scratched his head. “What kind of dreams are those?”

Twilight blushed. “Very… personal.”

“Personal?”

Twilight nodded. “I guess we will need to have a long talk after I come back…”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to look for Dash.”

“At this hour? It’s the middle of the night, Twilight. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“I’ll feel better after I talk to her, Spike.”

“Whatever makes you feel better, Twilight,” Spike replied with a wave of his claw. “I’d just go to sleep, and everything would be fine in the morning. And speaking of which…”

Spike yawned. “You really should get some sleep as well. Good night.” He turned around and marched in the direction of his basket.

Sleep was not an option. The door of the library opened with a flick of Twilight’s magic, her wings unfurled, and a moment later, she vanished in the darkness of the moonless night.

~*~*~

“Surprised to see you on the ground for once,” Twilight breathed, startling Dash who was seated on top a hill, staring into the distance at the last sliver of the waning day.

"I already said that I'm sorry," Dash muttered. "I will help you find another teacher for your lessons in the morning. Now I would just like some time alone."

"Dash…"

"I am really sorry, Twilight… I didn't know that you'd be that upset," Dash said with a sigh. "I just hope…" She looked at the darkening silhouette of her friend. "I just hope that we can still be friends." She turned her head back to the last remnants of the day. "And if not… I… I'll understand." She sniffled and hung her head.

“Dash…”

“What?”

“I was, and still am, angry at you because what you did was dangerous, reckless, and could have gotten us both killed.”

Silence.

“But I immensely enjoyed every single moment of it.” Twilight saw her friend’s ears perk up and smiled. “Now I know why you're so eager to join the Wonderbolts."

Dash's smile grew even wider.

"And I still want you to help me with my flying… Just as long as you promise that you won't do anything like that again."

"But you just admitted that it was awesome!"

"Rainbow Dash…"

Dash sighed. "Okay, okay." Feeling relieved, she continued, "Hey, Princess Twilight, want me to treat you to dinner? As an apology?"

Twilight chuckled. That title still sounded too majestic for her. "I don't know. We'd still need to get back to Ponyville, get ready, invite our friends to join, and so on. But honestly, I'm really tired, and I would like to go to bed. What did you have in mind, anyways?"

"Just the two of us. My place. At least now you don't need any kind of spell to walk on the clouds."

Twilight tilted her head. "You… can cook?"

"Hey! Don't diss until you try one of my salads!" Dash shot back. "I may not be as good of a cook as Applejack or Pinkie, but nopony ever complained about my food."

"Er… sorry. I just thought…"

Dash snickered. "Somepony is thinking way too much… So, how about that dinner?"

Twilight nodded.

"Good. Then jump on my back, and we'll be there in ten seconds flat." In response, Twilight cleared her throat, making Dash's face redden. "Did I said ten seconds flat? I… er… meant a couple of minutes. Yeah. That's what I meant. Now, hold on tight!"

~*~*~

She was surprised and a little envious to see how well Dash handled herself in the small kitchen of the cloud home. She couldn't help but stare at the swiftly moving rainbow mare, which rarely stopped for more than a couple seconds to stir something. She was both mesmerized and amused by the activity. The rhythmic clattering of kitchenware, the soothing warmth wafting from the kitchen, and watching her friend’s movements were all so relaxing that she began to feel her eyelids begin to droop.

It didn't take long before a colorful plate was neatly placed in front of her and asked for a royal opinion.

Dash tilted her head and lightly shook her unresponsive friend. "Twilight?"

Twilight jerked and looked at Dash. "S-sorry… I must have dozed off. I must be even more tired than I thought… I should really go back to the library."

"I think that might be a bad idea, Princess. You can't really fly yet, and on top of that, you can barely keep your eyes open. On the other hoof, I have a spare room with a decently-sized cloud bed, hopefully fit for royalty."

Twilight laughed softly. "I think that I'll—" She yawned. "I'll have to take your offer, Rainbow." She yawned again. "I think I was kind of reckless with my magic while trying to catch you, which would explain—"

But Dash didn't needed lengthy explanations. Instead, Dash smiled and pointed to the nearby door. "Yeah, yeah, egghead. The bedroom is through there."

"Thank you, Rainbow." She yawned again and headed to bed.

Shortly after Twilight's soft snores filled Dash's cloud home, Dash started to sneak around. The temptation to give Twilight the same exact waking treatment was more than she could resist. She snuck to Twilight's bed, extended her wing, and…

Twilight shivered.

Dash retracted her wing and smiled, swiftly and silently moving away. She returned seconds later, carrying a warm blanket for her guest.

"Seven seconds. Not bad," Dash whispered to herself proudly while covering her friend.

Twilight shifted in her bed, letting the warmth of the blanket embrace her, and smiled.

~*~*~

Twilight smiled briefly before shaking out of her memories. She spread her wings to slow down. A moment later, her hooves made gentle contact with the top of the hill.

Twilight's head jerked as she found herself motionlessly staring at the almost pitch-black surroundings of the lonely hill. Her ear flicked as she heard a rustle of leaves nearby, quickly remembering why she came here in the first place.

"Dash?"

No answer.

Still, Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that she had heard something. Her horn started to shine brighter as she looked around. "Hello? Anypony there?"

Again, there was no answer.

She took another step forward and regretted it immediately as she stepped into a gooey puddle. A quick whiff of her hoof told her that what she just did was a horrible idea, as it smelled of half-digested food and acid. At least now she was certain that she was likely not alone. She decided to carefully follow the hoof-shaped trail of goo leading away from the puddle.

A new sound caught her attention. She turned her head and perked her ears, trying to locate its source. "Hello?"

Still nothing.

She slowly moved towards the source of the sound, treading carefully so as not to make any noise. It didn't take her long to find it, and she couldn't help but giggle upon seeing it.

It was her mare, drooling and lying on her back with a bottle of hard cider still clenched in her hooves. If she didn't know what had came out of Dash's muzzle not that long ago, she would have given her a kiss.

With a smile on her lips, Twilight lightly shook Dash. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Or should I say drunkhead?"

The only thing she heard from Dash was a faint exhale. Twilight shook her again, this time harder in an attempt to wake her up, again without any luck. The smile faded away as she listened to her mare's irregular and slow breathing. She recognized the symptoms: alcohol poisoning.

"Sweet Celestia, Rainbow Dash! How many of these have you had?" Twilight almost yelled. Propelled by Twilight's magic, the bottle in Dash's hooves flew far away, shattering in pieces as it met a distant tree.

She nervously kissed Dash on her cheek, flinching as the reeking smell of alcohol reached her nostrils. That did not matter, nor did the argument that Twilight hoped was not the cause of all of this.

"You will be fine, Dash," she whispered with uncertainty in her voice, "but we need to get you to the hospital, now."

And yet again, there was no answer, but this time, she didn't expect one. Those words were only there to comfort herself.

Twilight wrapped Dash in a glow of her magic and spread her wings. "Hang in there, Dash."

~*~*~

A ray of sun nudged Dash's eyes, reminding her that she was welcome among the world of the living, although she didn't feel that way. She was well aware of the aftermath of too much drinking.

However, this was different; instead of the mild headache she was used to, Dash felt like her head was going to explode at any moment.

She opened her eyes, only to see the hospital room start to spin. She could feel her stomach churning and its content rising. She immediately closed her eyes and attempted to curl into a ball.

The memories of what happened rushed back to her mind, leaving her to grab ahold of her pillow and sob softly.

Dash didn't realize that she wasn't alone. At the lower end of the bed, another pony was awakened by the shifting in the sheets.

"Dash!" the enthusiastic voice echoed across the room, startling Dash, making her put her hooves over her ears and cringe.

"Argh!" Dash yelled out of surprise and of fear that her over-sensitive hearing would be damaged by Twilight's voice. She groaned and lowered her own voice almost down to a whisper. "My head feels like it's going to explode at any moment…"

"Then you shouldn't drink that much," Twilight shot back, making Dash cringe even more.

"That's not funny, Twilight," Dash whispered. She briefly opened her eyes again. "What am I doing in a hospital, anyways?"

"You don't know?" Twilight whispered back.

Dash shook her head.

"Dash…" Twilight ruffled Dash's chest. "Instead of coming home, you went directly to a bar. You drank… way too much, and when I got there, you wanted me to have sex with you in public. Then you—"

Dash blinked. "I… honestly don't remember any of that." She paused. "I could swear I remember you yelling…"

Twilight nodded and lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I just… You wanted to tell ponies why I don't like to be called 'tardy', and I panicked. After that, you just left."

Dash scratched her mane. "If you say so… But why am I in a hospital? It's not like I haven't had any blackouts by now…"

Twilight lowered her head and kissed Dash's hoof.

"Twilight?"

Twilight sniffled. With a waver in her voice, she told Dash everything that had happened. "I… don't want to know what might have happened if I—"

A set of hooves gently wrapped around her. "Relax, Twilight. I'm too awesome to die," Dash whispered in her mare's ear.

Twilight sniffled again. "This isn't funny, Dash."

"I know, Twilight. I just wanted to make you feel better."

Twilight smiled faintly. "You did. Just a little bit. But… I would still like to know what happened. When I visited your home, all the Wonderbolt posters were ripped off the walls, and your place looked like it was hit by a hurricane."

Dash sighed.

"Dash?"

"That's because I hate them!"

Twilight blinked. "But you always dreamed of becoming a—"

She paused to reflect on her words, realizing that something terrible must have happened while she was away. "Dash," she continued in a low voice, borderlining on a whisper, "what happened?"

Dash looked at her blanket and sniffled, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Twilight swallowed. "Sweetie…"

~*~*~

"Cadets, ten-hut!" Spitfire ordered the group of ten pegasi, all of them snapping to attention in a split second. "Two months ago, you were nothing but weak ponies, but today, I am standing proud in front of a group of skillful fliers. At least now, I won't need to worry about some of you leveling a cloud home." She grinned when one of the cadets looked at the ground, blushing. "As some of you might know, we were also looking for a new member of the core Wonderbolt team, but, unfortunately, none of you are good enough to join us."

Dash's ears drooped. "But—"

"You weren't given permission to speak, Cadet Dash!" Spitfire snapped.

Dash hung her head and closed her mouth, not wanting to make the situation worse.

"As I was trying to say before being rudely interrupted, you are still one of the best group of cadets I've seen in a while. With that said, you are free to go."

Dash turned away from Spitfire, her head still down.

"Cadet Dash? I would like to speak to you. Ten minutes. My office."

~*~*~

"Reporting for duty, ma'am," Dash said, saluting.

"At ease, Miss Dash," Spitfire replied. "We need to talk about about your future here in the Wonderbolts."

"Ma'am?"

"I had taken you under my wing, expecting you to join us, but in the last two months, I saw nothing that would benefit our team."

"What do you mean?"

Spitfire opened a cabinet, extracting a thick file entitled "Rainbow Dash" and dropping it on her table.

"Let's see," Spitfire mused, shuffling through the pile of papers. "There we go. Winner of the Best Young Flyer competition. Saved Equestria a few times. A honorary member of the Wonderbolts Fan Club and a… founder of the Daring Do Fan Club?"

Dash felt like her cheeks were set ablaze. The only thing she wanted to do at that very moment was to sink into the ground from embarrassment or run away, apologizing for such childish endeavours. Neither was a choice that she was willing to make. Instead, she chuckled nervously. "I… I didn't… I mean, I…"

Spitfire ignored Dash's embarrassment and continued reading. "Disobeying a direct order." She looked up. "Three times."

"I saved pony lives!"

"You were given a direct order and affirmation, Cadet! The ponies in question would have been fine. We would have been there in time."

"No, you wouldn't—"

"Stand down, Cadet Dash!" Spitfire slammed her hoof on the desk. "You were given a direct order and you disobeyed it! It is not on you to worry about other ponies. Let your superiors handle those."

Dash hung her head and ripped a rank from her uniform. "In that case, I have nothing to do here. As far as I'm concerned, you can go f—"

~*~*~

"You did the right thing, Dash," Twilight said softly, kissing Dash's hoof again.

"I wish I could say so myself, but…" Dash sighed. "But it doesn't end there."

"What do you mean?"

~*~*~

"Hold it right there, Cadet Dash," Spitfire said in a soothing tone. "As long as you're still on the camp's ground, you will act accordingly, or you will deal with the consequences."

Dash snorted.

"I like you. You remind me of myself when I was younger. Ambition, blatant disregard for rules, wanting to be the best there is, everything. And for that, I paid dearly. I lost everypony I cared for, even myself. Fortunately for me, I found the Wonderbolts before it was too late."

"So what? What does that got to do with me? If that means putting orders before my friends' lives, I don't have any interest in any of this anymore."

Spitfire laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I would swear I was listening to my younger self. But I will say to you what my commander said to me: 'Sometimes we need to put the lives of many before the lives of a few.'"

Dash hung her head.

"Look, Rainbow," Spitfire continued in a soft, casual voice as she picked up Dash's file again, "we can argue about this until next year, but here is the bottom line: You saved the lives of your friends, and I respect that, regardless of ignoring multiple direct orders."

"Th-thanks," Dash muttered, scratching her mane, her cheeks tinted red from a compliment of her long-time heroine.

Spitfire cleared her throat and reopened the file. "Performed the legendary Sonic Rainboom, won the Best Young Flyer competition, multiple decorations from Princess Celestia herself, competitor on the Pony Olympics, and I could continue until the rest of the day. Not to mention you saved our own lives on top of it all." She sighed. "We all want you on the team, Rainbow. It's not often that we stumble onto such talented ponies. It's even rarer that they're actually pretty on top of it."

Dash furrowed her brow. "Pretty? What does that got to do with anything?"

"Public image. As much talent as we have, public image is also very important to the Wonderbolts."

"Oh."

Spitfire sat back on her chair and started to scribble on a piece of paper. "I want you to think about it, Rainbow Dash, but keep in mind two things…"

Dash lifted her head and looked at Spitfire.

"One: We don't tolerate insubordination. When the orders are given, we carry them out without questioning. The squad leader knows exactly what they're doing. If you have a problem with that, then forget even thinking about joining, as punishments are quite severe."

"And the second one?" Dash asked plainly.

"Remember that we're elite. By accepting the position, you vow to keep everything that happens in the Wonderbolts a secret."

Dash nodded.

"Good. You can find us here." Spitfire slid the piece of paper toward Dash. "If you still decide to join, come and give us a visit."

Dash took the paper from the table and looked at the badly scribbled address on it. "How much time do I have to decide?"

"As much as you desire. But I hope it's sooner rather than later, since Soarin can't stop fanboying over your Sonic Rainboom."

~*~*~

Twilight chuckled nervously. "Is that what happened? Dash, those are nothing more than standard procedures. My brother can't speak about his work either, since it could compromise Equestrian security."

Dash shook her head in response.

"There's… more?"

Dash nodded.

"Dash, you're scaring me…"

~*~*~

Dash looked up. In front of her was a majestic cloud dome, much bigger than she had expected. She snickered. It was a reminder that she was absent from Cloudsdale for far too long. Ever since she arrived there, she was fascinated by how much it changed. However, she wasn't here to admire the old town. She was here to fulfill her childhood dream. To be one of the Wonderbolts.

The very thought that she had admirers within the most elite flying squad in Equestria gave her the courage to knock on the massive door.

Her muzzle was adorned with a big smile. Finally, she thought. Finally, my dreams will come true. From now on, I'll be Rainbow Dash, the Wonderbolt!

She knocked and waited, lost in thought. I have fans here, huh? I wonder if I could get a special costume… Something that could capture my awesomeness…

The door opened, ending her train of thought and filling her with a sense of awe. Even the hallway was filled with expensive vases and hoof-drawn pictures of the members of the Wonderbolts. She couldn't help but squeal from excitement. "So… awesome!"

Spitfire snickered. "I have yet to see anypony as excited as you about the hallway. Now you made me wonder what you'll do once I show you our training facility."

Dash's face lit up. "R-really?"

"What did you expect? This isn't a tiny fan club," Spitfire mused. "We are a part of the Royal Guards after all. While this might not be completely ours, we do have a private section of our very own."

Dash was fascinated. She swore that she could stare at a cloud-sculptured statue of one of the founders for hours and not be bored. She lost herself in the visuals, vastly surpassing the ones in her cloud home, to the point that her ears didn't register the sound of her guide. She felt a set of light taps on her mane.

"Hey, Equestria to Rainbow Dash!"

They stopped by a matted glass door with a huge logo of the Wonderbolts embossed in it. Underneath was written, "Wonderbolt Officers Only”.

"Well, here we are," Spitfire announced. "This is our facility. It's not as big as we all hoped for, but it serves our purposes."

"So! Cool!"

Spitfire stopped. "Now, before we get in, I must remind you that, from this point onwards, everything you'll see and hear is confidential. You'll sign a standard contract, and then we can continue with the tour, Rainbow."

"Yeah, yeah. Secret stuff and all that. Now, where do I sign?"

Spitfire smiled.

~*~*~

"Welcome among the elite, Lieutenant Dash," Spitfire said and saluted only moments after Dash signed the paper. "How do you feel now that you're a member of the Wonderbolts?"

"Best… day… ever!" Dash replied in a high-pitched voice. "I can't wait to tell my friends! So awesome!"

Spitfire snickered. "So, Lieutenant… Are you up for stretching your wings? So far, we only went through the exercises for little fillies and colts, and I want to know what you really got in there."

Dash grinned slyly.

She flapped her wings and jumped into the air. In a split second, she was halfway down to her destination, speeding down the cloudy hallway and making sure not to knock over any of the vases on her path. From time to time, she managed to stumble upon a Royal Guard, but she successfully dodged every single one of them. She was certain that she was way ahead of Spitfire, but she was wrong.

Spitfire cleared her throat. "I expected for you to be faster. Or are you just chillin'?"

Dash blinked. Spitfire's tease just poured more fuel on the fire. She grinned and focused at the task ahead: beat Spitfire in the race to the training hall.

Before her train of thought ended, she found herself spreading her wings in a desperate attempt to avoid colliding with a wall that appeared right in front of her.

Dash opened her eyes and exhaled. She realized that she was only inches from impact.

Her celebration didn't last long as she felt a gust of wind passing her. She quickly turned her head and looked down, catching the familiar colors of the tail.

Dash groaned and smacked her face with her hoof. It wasn't enough that she had almost hit the wall, but she had also lost a simple race. She descended and slowly walked through the door.

Spitfire laughed. "What is it, Lieutenant? Don't tell me you forgot how to pay attention while flying…"

Dash said nothing. It wasn't that she ignored Spitfire, but her attention was caught by the scenery in front of her. She was staring at a hall that would easily compare to the Cloudsdale Stadium.

The cloudy floor was devoid of everything Dash would deem interesting. Instead, she diverted her sight towards the ceiling, and grinned. Obstacle course, she thought. She shared a determined glimpse with Spitfire, hoping that she would share same thoughts.

"You are on," Spitfire replied in a raspy voice. "Loser buys a drink!"

Dash didn't needed to be told twice. The moment Spitfire finished her sentence, the two bolted towards the first obstacle.

Dash realized that the course, now only a few yards from her, was nothing like the course she set for herself at home. The obstacles were much tighter together, reducing her ability to maneuver. Instead of stopping and reassesing the entire situation, Dash's grin grew wider as her wings picked up the speed.

She had a race to win.

As she zipped through the course, Dash quickly realized that she lost sight of Spitfire. Nonetheless, she didn't want to slow down by even a little bit. The flaps of another set of wings just behind her tail reminded her that she couldn't afford that.

A moment later, she felt something tugging on her tail. She turned for nothing more than a split second, but it was too much. Her wing scraped an obstacle and sent her spiraling into the nearby cloud.

Spitfire slowed down and laughed. "You shouldn't pay attention to distractions," she said in a smug tone.

Dash groaned as she got back on her hooves. "Hey! You cheated!"

Spitfire snickered. "I did not set any rules, Lieutenant, so that wasn't cheating."

Dash blinked.

"So, are you going to sulk, or are you going to race me? Drink is still on the line."

Dash jumped up and flew towards the beginning of the course. "Let's do this!"

~*~*~

Dash sighed as she turned on the shower, letting the water wash away her sweat and shame. She couldn't remember when was the last time she had been beaten so thoroughly. Not just once or twice, but Spitfire made her eat her proverbial dust five times. She half-expected that to happen, anyway. She figured that even though she trained as hard as she could, she couldn't compare to any of the Wonderbolts and their years of intensive training.

Nevertheless, Dash was happy that she was accepted among the most elite of Equestrian fliers. On top of that, her and Twilight’s anniversary was only days away. Even though she had been only just accepted, she had earned herself a leave of absence for a few days. She smiled and closed her eyes, letting the warm drops of water dissolve the image of reality.

She was no longer sharing the shower room with Spitfire, but was back in Ponyville, enjoying the best meal she could think of with Twilight. Dash knew that Twilight wasn't the best of cooks, but she would go out of her way to prepare something special, even if that would mean asking Spike for help or, upon failure, eating in a fancy restaurant.

Her mind refused to stop there. She had been away from Twilight for far too long. The volume of letters they had exchanged in their time apart wasn't enough to replace a loving smile or a gentle hug, let alone the feeling of waking up in the embrace of the loved one.

As an image of Twilight floated in front of her, she subconsciously leant forward to kiss it. She was greeted by a warm muzzle.

Startled, Dash’s eyes shot open. Spitfire was standing right in front of her.

Dash's face flushed in various tints of red. "M-ma'am?"

"I never really got a chance to thank you properly for saving us," Spitfire replied softly, resting her hoof on Dash's neck, "so I thought this would be a good chance to show you my gratitude." She leaned forward and pursed her lips.

Dash's face became even redder as she took a step back in refusal.

Dash laughed nervously. "Th-thanks, but I rather not," she replied in a trembling voice. "Besides, I already have a—"

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. He doesn't need to know."

"Sh-she… And—"

"Even better," Spitfire crooned sweetly. She took a step forward, ignoring Dash's urge to retreat. "And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

"Please, no," Dash whispered. "I don't want to do this."

Spitfire smiled and took a step forward, effectively pinning Dash against the wall. "You are a member of our team now, Lieutenant, and as such, you have to place it above yourself. And as a captain, I want you to do something for the team…"

Her hoof slid down Dash's chest again, just to be pushed away a second after.

The smile from Spitfire's lips disappeared as she took another step forward, now muzzle-to-muzzle with Dash. "I told you that I don't tolerate disobedience, Lieutenant. And just for that…" Her hoof slid down Dash's chest to her groin. "Just for that, I'm going to fuck you so hard, you won't be able to fly straight for a week. You will learn not to say 'no' to me."

Dash had enough, wanting nothing more than to escape. "Let me go!"

No answer.

Spitfire’s grip didn't loosen—quite the opposite. Dash felt like an extra weight was added onto her chest, and that was the last straw.

Dash swung her hoof in full force toward her assailant, but missed. She could feel her strength being used against her as she was violently pushed against the ceramic wall. Dash swore she heard something crack, but she didn't dare to think what.

"No—"

Dash clenched her teeth as she felt a hoof brush against her mound. A rush of adrenaline flooded her body and senses, making her vision go dark.

~*~*~

A moment of grave silence lingered between Twilight and Dash.

Dash broke it with a grim chuckle. "It's funny… I could tell you in detail where she touched me and how I felt when she shoved that damn thing into me, but…" She paused for a moment. "But for the life of me, I can't tell you how I came back to Ponyville…"

"Dash… I—"

Dash hung her head and looked at her blanket, avoiding eye contact with Twilight.

"I-I'm sorry, Twilight. It's all my fault. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't share the shower. I could have run away when the conversation started to get weird. Or I could have just say no to the invitation. Or—"

Twilight gently pulled Dash into a soft and warm embrace. "Sweetie," she whispered in a concerned voice, tightening her grip around her mare, "you couldn't have known. It's not your fault."

Dash sniffled. "I wanted to run, but—"

"Dash, it's not your fault," Twilight repeated in a soothing voice, caressing Dash's mane.

"I needed you," Dash said with a sob. "I needed you to pull me out of that nightmare, but you weren't…" Another sob. "Weren't there…"

"I'm here now, sweetie. I'm here now."

Somepony entered the hospital room and cleared her throat, startling both.

"Excuse me. Am I interrupting something?"

Almost instantly, Dash recognized the voice. Her ears fell flat against her head, and she was certain she lost the ability to breathe. She could feel the contents of her stomach churning again.

Spitfire.