UNTIL THE END OF THE SKY
by StormBlaze
Rainbow Dash and Soarin had been together for nearly a full year. No pony would’ve thought that she would’ve stuck with him for so long, since she was the type of pony who just could not sit still. Even Fluttershy had her concerns at the start of the relationship. As the pony who had known Dash since foalhood, she could still recall the first crush her friend had ever experienced.
During flight school, Rainbow Dash had developed a crush on a stocky, brash colt who would match her at races. But it all ended in tears when that colt wanted nothing to do with her and started to bully Fluttershy, who was Dash’s best friend. The colt taunted Dash and told her, in no uncertain terms, that he would never want a marefriend like her.
With her heart crushed, the experience caused Rainbow to close off herself from affection — which in turn made her bitter and hardened her personality. She never let anypony, except for Fluttershy and a gryphon named Gilda, near her. Acting the tough guy around everypony else, she focused on racing and flying skills to take her mind off that colt. But then, years later, a special Summer Sun Celebration came around and she finally opened up to four other ponies and a dragon. They had been best friends ever since, although Dash still found it difficult to fully trust them or any other pony.
When Soarin came along, Dash found it incredibly difficult to contain and cope with the new emotions she was feeling. That stallion drove her mad, but she could not understand why. Every meeting with him had always turned out so different for her. At first she was his biggest fan, just another mare in the crowd, even though she had been acting cool at the Grand Galloping Gala. The Wonderbolts made an appearance at the Royal Wedding, where Soarin asked Dash for a dance. Thinking nothing of it, she accepted his invite and had a blast that night, but quickly rushed off back to her friends before Soarin had a chance to talk to her properly.
Then the Equestria Games tryouts came along, in which Soarin had his near crash. The two became closer while in the hospital and Dash helped him out with his issues with his teammates. After that. Soarin started sending her letters — letters which Dash kept a secret. Being seen as the ‘tough tomboy’ amongst the Elements of Harmony, she didn’t want her friends to know about her newfound soft spot for Soarin. It would ruin her reputation!
They started seeing each other during the run up to the Equestria Games, but still kept it quiet. Once the Games were over, they were spotted exchanging kisses at a Cloudsdale after party by Twilight Sparkle, who decided to keep it to herself while she waited for Rainbow Dash to announce it officially — but then Pinkie Pie discovered an interesting looking letter for Dash in the Sugarcube Corner mail box. The silly grey mailmare had gotten mixed up again.
Pinkie decided to take the letter to Dash herself and noticed a small heart on the back of the envelope. Welling with sudden curiosity, she zoomed over to Rainbow Dash’s cloud house and shouted her name. Dash appeared in the window and looked down at the ground, noticing with some alarm that Pinkie Pie was wearing an even bigger grin on than usual and was waving a blue envelope. Dash knew who it was from and panicked, suddenly pouncing on Pinkie Pie in an attempt to snatch the letter out of her hooves.
“Pinkie!” Dash made a grab for the letter, cursing under her breath when Pinkie moved it out of reach. “Where did you get that?”
“The mailmare got the mail mixed up again.” Pinkie giggled, finally passing the letter to the angry pegasus, who hid it under her wing. “It’s a looooove letter isn’t it, Dashie?” Pinkie leaned in, sending Dash into another panic.
“What? No! Did you read it? I mean, no it isn’t!” Dash paused for a moment before she let out a small groan. She knew that she had been found out and that she could not cover this up, especially not from Pinkie Pie. Sighing in defeat, she looked Pinkie in the eyes. “Yes, Pinkie, it’s a love letter.”
Pinkie bounced on the spot, eyes lit up with glee as she squealed in delight. “Does this mean I can do a ‘Rainbow Dash has a coltfriend slash very special somepony slash significant other’ party?”
Rainbow bit her lip. “The others don’t know, at least I don’t think they do.”
“I know about it, Rainbow Dash.” Dash and Pinkie looked around to see Twilight walking up to them. “But don’t worry, Dash. If you want to keep it a secret, then it’s safe with me.” Pinkie narrowed her eyes and glared at Twilight, silently reminding her of the last secret she tried to keep. Twilight suddenly remembered why Pinkie was looking at her like that and gulped. “I’ve managed to keep this one, Pinkie. I’ve known they were a couple since the Cloudsdale party.”
“You did?” Dash blinked at her in surprise.
“Yes.” Twilight nodded. “I accidentally walked by you and Soarin in the corridor, but I thought I would let you have your space.” She chuckled sheepishly.
“SOARIN?!” Pinkie Pie exploded. Dash shot a glare at Twilight, who gave her a nervous grin in return.
Dash sighed again. “Yes, Pinkie Pie, it’s Soarin,” she replied. “I’ve been trying to keep this quiet because I didn’t want to ruin my awesome reputation because I have a coltfriend now. He’s made this soft sappy side of me come out. I... I like it, but it’s not something I want the rest of Equestria to see, because it shows that I have a weakness. But now that you guys know, I guess we can come out of hiding.” She paused. “Just... please don’t make a big deal out of the whole thing, because I’m already a little embarrassed about it.” She shuffled on her hooves, feeling uncomfortable about her confession.
Twilight laid a reassuring hoof on Rainbow’s back. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “You’ve just found your special somepony. It’s okay to show how much you love him, and nopony is going to poke fun or tease you about it. You’re a grown mare and it makes us happy that you’ve found somepony who makes you happy.”
Dash smiled. “Thanks, Twilight.” her voice took on a more serious tone. “I’m not gonna leave you guys hanging though. I’ll be with Soarin, but I also wanna be with you since you’re my best friends. But still, please don’t make a huge fuss about it.” She looked at Pinkie, who was waiting for her to say the magic words, rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Yes, Pinkie, you can throw that party.”
Pinkie Pie leapt into the air. “‘All right! Let’s go tell the others, Dashie, I want to make this party as good as your birthday party!” She bounded off in excitement.
“Coming, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked,
“I’ll catch up with you,” Dash replied. “I have a letter to read first.”
Twilight smiled and followed after Pinkie Pie, while Dash opened the letter and quickly read through it, her smile growing as she did. When she had finished, she put the letter to her chest and hugged it. “I’ll see you soon.” she whispered. Folded it back up and tucking it back between her wing feathers, she headed off after Pinkie and Twilight.
***
The two pegasi spent a happy summer together — but as the weather grew colder, Soarin knew that he had to tell Rainbow Dash something he had been keeping for too long. They had just said goodbye to Rainbow Dash’s pet tortoise, Tank, who had gone into hibernation. Even after all the emotional distress she had gone through the first time it had happened, she still found it hard to let him go.
Soarin comforted her with an affectionate nuzzle. “It’s okay, Dashie,” he soothed. “It’s gonna get easier with each year.’”
Dash wiped away a stray tear. “I know, Soar, but it’s just really hard without him at home,” she said. “I mean, last year, I remember I really missed being knocked in the head by him flying around. It got really lonely.”
“But remember how happy you were to get him back in spring?” Soarin chuckled. “Pinkie Pie is going to make those ‘Welcome Home’ parties an annual thing now, just for you and Tank. You won’t be lonely for very long, Dash, the Winter will fly by.”
Dash leaned into his neck as they walked through the snow. “Let’s head home, the sun’s about to go down.” she nudged him and the two pegasi took off, flying back to Dash’s cloud home. Once they arrived, Rainbow Dash pulled the clouds behind them as they flew through the doorway.
“Looks like the Weather ponies have gone all out this winter. I’ve not seen this much snow in forever,” she said, looking out the window.
Soarin hung his scarf up and walked over to the fireplace. “I heard that Cloudsdale wanted to make up for the bizarre winter start they had last year.” he laughed. Dash did not respond, choosing instead to turn around and gave him a look that said ‘How dare you?’ Soarin glanced back with a mischievous grin on his face. “You should see your face, Dashie, you know I’m only playing.” He laughed again. Rainbow Dash scoffed at him and picked up a bag of apple spiced popcorn from the table. “Now get over here, you silly mare, I’ve managed to get the fire started.”
Dash threw him a smile and trotted over, carrying the bag in her mouth. Soarin lay down and opened a wing up for her to lie down under. Dash dropped the bag at his hooves and cuddled up alongside him. Soarin opened the bag and draped his wing over her, then pulled a nearby blanket over his cold side. The two of them nuzzled and kissed by the fire until they drifted off.
The morning came and Soarin was the first to wake. He kissed Dash’s nose and carefully got up without waking her, draping the blanket over her sleeping form. She stirred a little, but continued to doze. As he got up, he stretched his legs, arching his large wings while he yawned. He walked into to the kitchen for a drink, noticing the Wonderbolts calendar Dash had hanging up. He sighed as he read through the dates, his gaze stayed on one a fortnight away. His ears dropped a little as he looked over to the still sleeping Rainbow Dash, knowing that he had to tell her soon. Soarin walked back over to her and lay back down, nuzzling her face until she began to stir.
“Morning, Dashie.” he smiled at her.
Dash rolled over on to her back and stretched, her front hooves reaching out to the ceiling and her wings splayed out, batting at Soarin. She looked up at him and smiled back.
“Hi, you.” she gave his muzzle an affectionate little lick.
“What do you want to do today?” he asked.
“I dunno,” Dash replied through a yawn. “I haven’t thought about it yet. I’m good for anything as long as I’m with you.” Soarin sighed again, quietly this time.
“Well how about we start with some breakfast at Sugarcube Corner?” he suggested.
Dash grinned at him, starting to look more awake. “Only if you race me,” she teased, to which Soarin rolled his eyes. “Hey!” she said. “I thought you Wonderbolts would be used to an early morning flight?” She lightly bopped him on the nose with a hoof.
“Yeah, on a work day, perhaps.” Soarin shrugged. “But you forget, Dashie, that I’m on holiday right now.” He smiled and poked her belly as he got up.
“Aww what’s the matter, Soar?” she giggled “Afraid you’ll lose again?”
Soarin threw her scarf and hat at her. “Come on, then slowpoke,” he said. Dash sat up at once, put her warm clothes on and took a ready stance, waiting for him to open the door. She playfully growled at him. “Ready? Set. Go!”
He kicked the cloud door open and shot out, Dash close behind him. “A straight race is too boring!” he shouted. “So let’s make this interesting!” He narrowed his eyes and pointed to a bunch of clouds. “Three figures of eight around those clouds!” Dash signalled ‘Okay’ to him and the pair veered towards the clouds.
Rainbow Dash looped over him and overtook, but Soarin wasn’t going to let her off that easy. He picked up speed around the corner and flew underneath her, double checking his positioning before twisting upside down to look at her. His stunt almost took her by surprise as he matched her pace and turns. He cheekily winked at her then turned back around for the last loop before they careened down towards Ponyville.
The two pegasi, now evenly matched, started on their descent. Soarin grabbed her front hooves and started spinning in the dive, unnerving Dash at first, but when she realised he was in control, she eased up. She let go of him and circled him, still heading towards the ground, he joined her and together they created a spiral of thunder and rainbow above Ponyville. But the stallion was enjoying himself a little too much, as he did not notice the fast approaching grass.
Dash darted ahead of him and caught his hooves, driving him back up into the sky, and they both slowed to a hover with a loop. “Whoops! That could’ve been a bad way to start a day,” Soarin said, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m glad I have the best flyer in Equestria as my mare.”
Dash just smiled at him and nuzzled his face. “Let’s go get that breakfast now, okay?” she asked. Soarin nodded and they landed outside Sugar Cube Corner.
***
The pair had their breakfast and left Sugarcube Corner, taking to the sky as a light flurry of snow began to fall on Ponyville.
“So, what do you wanna do now?” Dash turned to Soarin, who was attempting to catch snowflakes on his tongue. “Ice hockey? Snowboarding? Build a snow pony?”
“Actually, Dashie…” Soarin started. “I was thinking that we could fly up to Cloudsdale. If we leave now, we’ll get there in time for the sunset. I wanna show you something.”
Dash blinked at him. “This isn’t going to be sappy is it?” she asked.
Soarin chuckled, knowing very well how she felt about showing off affection. “No, Dashie, you silly mare. It’s not gonna be sappy at all — you know that I wouldn’t torture you like that.”
Dash poked her tongue out at him playfully. “Come on then,” she said. “Let’s go.”
With that, the two of them set course for Cloudsdale. During the flight, a feeling of dread was churning in Soarin’s stomach. He felt ready to tell Dash that he had to leave soon, as the Wonderbolts were going to have a Winter Tour with additional training during the trip, but he was feeling guilty about leaving her alone over the winter, including Hearth’s Warming.
Noticing his solemn expression, Rainbow Dash flew over to him. “Hey, Soar, are you ok? You’ve been pretty quiet.”
Soarin blinked out of his deep thinking and shook his head, turning to Dash. “I’m okay, Dashie,” he said. “I’m just lost in thought, that’s all.”
“All right,” Dash replied. “Well, we’re nearly there now.” She smiled. He smiled back.
“Come on then. We have to pick some things up first, okay?”
He picked up the pace, Dash following after him.
***
Cloudsdale was in full winter mode. The Weather Factory was pumping out heavy snow clouds, ponies were hauling winter decorations around the city, and the sky shops were already preparing for Hearth’s Warming. Amidst posters and banners of the Wonderbolts in the streets was a group of the ponies waving at Soarin. He waved back as the group came up to him asking for autographs. He happily signed for all of them and waved again as they sprinted off. Rainbow Dash took his hoof again
“When you’re with me in Ponyville, I forget how much of a celebrity you are.”
He nuzzled her. “I do too sometimes. Ponyville is so peaceful and your place is on the outskirts, so we don’t get noticed so much. I’ve had a few ponies come to me in town, but they’re pretty happy just getting on with their day. Up here in Cloudsdale, I have some hardcore fans.”
Dash smiled and gave him a long affectionate cuddle. “I’m still your biggest fan, Soar.”
“You really are.” he kissed her quickly. “We just need to go in here, all right?”
They walked through a door, Dash glancing up to see a sign that read ‘Wonderbolts Barracks.’ She followed Soarin through the many corridors, their hoofsteps echoing around the empty space. These halls would usually be packed with ponies, but the winter holidays meant that it was break time for all. They stopped outside a large door, a nameplate reading ‘Captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire’ screwed into the wood.
Soarin turned to Dash. “Just wait here for a moment, Dashie,” he said. “I just need to talk to Spitfire quickly.”
“Will do,” she replied, sitting down on a nearby bench while Soarin knocked on the door once and disappeared into the office. While she waited, dash surveyed the corridor she was in. The walls were covered in banners and photos, and several cabinets full of well-polished medals and trophies filled most of the space. She stood up and walked over to the hanging photos, which showed the current Wonderbolts back in their Academy days. There was Spitfire, Rapidfire, Misty Fly and several others.
One photo in particular caught Dash’s eye, one of a very young Soarin. She smiled as she stared at the tall, short maned colt in the photo. He hadn’t grown that dashing windswept mane of his yet and he did not have as much muscle as he does now. Dash wondered how old he may have been when it was taken. The photo was mounted next to a group of medals which read ‘Best Stamina Control,’ ‘Strongest Wings,’ and ‘Most Skilled Stunt.’ She giggled to herself as she realised that these were Soarin’s Academy medals.
Just then, the office door then opened and Soarin stepped out. He seemed emotionally drained at first, but he perked up a little when he saw her.
“One more stop and then I’ll show you that thing I mentioned.” he tilted his head in a ‘follow me’ gesture and Dash quickly joined him. They walked for a few more minutes, finally stopping at a row of lockers. Soarin unlocked one and pulled out some clothing.
“These are for you, Dashie,” he said. “They are mine, but I think you should have them. Besides, I can get some new ones from the storeroom.” He presented her with a beanie hat and scarf, both of which were blue and yellow with the Wonderbolts logo in a prominent position. Dash took off her old ones, packing them into her saddle bag, and then put the new ones on. She hugged Soarin and he gathered her up in his wings, but he felt a pain in his gut.
The next place I take her will be where I tell her the news, he thought.
The two ponies left the barracks and noticed the sun was already beginning its descent, as well as the fact it had begun to get colder. Soarin took Dash’s hoof and led her to the Rainbow Pools, where the enormous rainbow falls sent a cascade of colour into a vast, multihued lake.
They landed on a ledge halfway down the falls, with a perfect view of the sunset. They sat and snuggled together as the sky changed from pink to orange, exchanging kisses, while the sun slowly vanished and the night sky began to appear.
“Is this is what you wanted to show me, Soar?” Dash leaned against him, under his wing.
“Yeah, Dashie.” he sighed. “I wanted to give you a magical night.” He paused, chuckling quietly. “It’s not ‘sappy,’ is it?”
“Hmmm…” Dash took a second to think. “I think it’s just soppy enough for me.” They kissed again and cuddled in silence — a silence that a reluctant Soarin soon broke with a sigh.
“Dash… there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What?” Dash asked, still cuddled up against her mate.
Soarin sighed once more then began. “I… I’m not going to be spending winter with you. Or Hearth’s Warming, for that matter.” His head dropped as he looked away from her.
Rainbow Dash didn’t move. “W-why not?” she asked.
“The Wonderbolts are having a Winter Tour around Equestria,” Soarin explained. “We’ve also got to undergo some ‘intense cold weather training’ over in the Crystal Empire.” He stood up and walked to the other side of the ledge, staring at Cloudsdale below them. “The only places we’re not doing shows are Cloudsdale and Ponyville.” He turned around, his head low. “I’m not going to be back until the spring.”
Dash was still in shock, trying in vain to hold back tears. “W-when will you be leaving?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.
“In two weeks,” Soarin replied quietly. He lifted his head to look at her — but she quickly looked away, not wanting him to see her crying.
“I... I didn’t think that I would be alone again this year,” Dash whimpered. “I was alone last year and it sucked. Now, this year, I’ll be without Tank and without you?” Soarin slowly walked over to her and attempted to comfort her with a hoof — but Dash sprang up into the air and dashed up to the top of the waterfall. Soarin watched her climb up and sat down for a minute so that he could give her some space.
Dash landed on a pile of cloud above the rainbow river and began to cry. She had so much planned for this winter. She finally had a special somepony to spend Hearth’s Warming with. She had also recovered from Tank’s hibernation, but this revelation caused her good mood to come crashing down.
Another year alone, she thought. To her, it felt like the end of the world. She sobbed into the scarf Soarin gave her. His warm scent on the fabric comforted her and she realised why he had given them to her.
A few minutes later, Soarin appeared out of the cloud. With tears still streaming down her face, Dash glanced up at him. She could see that he had also been crying, as his eyes were puffy and red. She ran over to him and collapsed in his arms, burying her face into his neck, clinging tightly to him. He said nothing, but wrapped his arms and wings around her.
“If I could…” he exhaled sharply. “If I could, I would fly until the end of the sky to come back to you, so that we’d never have to say goodbye.” He hugged her tighter.
“I’d clear the skies forever so that we won’t be apart,” Dash murmured. “I’d keep the weather warm for you so that winter could never start.” She kissed his cheek. “Our summer could have lasted forever.” She sniffled as a solitary tear ran down Soarin’s face.
“I love you, Dashie, and I’ll come right back to you when it’s all over,” Soarin vowed. “Forget the pompous award ceremonies, forget the glory, forget Spitfire’s orders — I just want to be with you all the time.”
Dash nodded in silent reply, and the two pegasi ponies continued their embrace until Luna’s wintery night deemed it too cold to stay out.
They stayed the night in Soarin’s quarters at the Barracks.
***
Soarin and Rainbow Dash emerged from the Wonderbolts’ barracks, their hearts still aching from the previous emotional night. Cloudsdale was getting the most of the sun’s brightness, while fillies and colts played in the snow filled clouds and their parents observed the decorations in shop windows.
Soarin and Dash were about to head back to Ponyville. They had two weeks left to enjoy, and Dash wanted to show Soarin all the winter secrets Ponyville had to offer — as well as beat him in all their races. They left Cloudsdale and enjoyed the flight back home, arriving back in Ponyville to find a winter wonderland. The town was filled with snow ponies made by the fillies and colts, the ponds had frozen - allowing ponies to skate on them - the smell of sweets and gingerbread filled the air and the town was decorated in pretty colourful lights.
But the most impressive sight to behold was Twilight Sparkle’s crystal castle. It glistened in the winter sun and reflected colours all over Ponyville. For Dash, it felt so good to be home. She may have grown up in Cloudsdale, but this is where she belonged.
“Come on, Soar,” she said. “Let’s go and have some fun.”
“Is there anything we can do that doesn’t require much energy, Dash?” Soarin whined. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’m exhausted.”
Rainbow Dash flew over to him and nuzzled his neck. “Okay, sleepy, how about we go and get some treats from Sugarcube Corner?” she offered. “Then we can have a laid back day.”
“Sounds good to me.” Soarin smiled.
“Oh, and I bet Pinkie Pie and AJ have cooked up some apple pies…” she cooed.
Soarin immediately perked right up.
“I am so there!’ he shouted, finding enough energy to race into town. Dash giggled and flew after him.
***
Soarin and Dash spent their last two weeks together with fun and happiness, gorging on sweet treats, spending nights by the fire, having cider drinking contests and just enjoying being together.
But the time soon came for Soarin to leave for the tour, which was difficult for the both of them, but Twilight Sparkle managed to assure Dash that everything was going to be okay. Dash would have fun in Ponyville with her best friends and that would ensure that her mind was taken off the tour. Soarin promised to work hard for her and make her proud.
The time would fly by and Dash could have both Tank and Soarin back in spring.
And as Soarin flew off with the rest of the Wonderbolts, Dash stood outside her front door and waved to him.
Once he was out of sight, she breathed in his comforting scent from the scarf and sighed contentedly.
Everything is going to be okay.
