Racesby Tom From MyspaceChaptersCh.1: Winning!Ch. 2: RewardedCh. 3: ReceivingCh. 4: GivingCh. 5: Mistakes and ResolutionsCh.1: Winning!You blast through a cloud, creating a tiny shower of rain to spill from it. 'Today is the day.' You think. 'Today is the day I finally beat Dash in a race.' You fly on with anticipation and excitement. It was almost impossible for you to keep pace with her on any other day. Your wings simply wouldn’t allow you to fly fast enough to catch her. But now, she’s one hundred percent out of sight. You assume you took the lead when you flew into that batch of storm clouds the rest of the weather team was supposed to handle. You decide to slow your pace. After all, the finish you two created is in visual range. You begin to think something is wrong. There was heavy lightning back there, and you barely made it out unscathed. You didn’t see another lick of her after you went in. You stop to hover, and consider turning back. Then, a large gust of wind rushes down from above you. All you can see is a rainbow trail. She’d been flying above you the whole time! Stunned, you fly off towards the finish, only to meet your friend there. “Beat you again, slowpoke!” She declares triumphantly. “Hey, I almost had this one,” You reply. “Do I hear a call for a rematch?” Rainbow Dash asks, leaning her head towards you. “You’re on. First one to Ponyville and back?” You respond. “Heck yeah!” she replies. “Ready?” You ask. “On three?” She replies. “One….” You begin. “THREE!!!” She calls out, taking off. You realize what just happened and take off a few seconds later. She’s flying slow enough to keep it fair. You catch up in no time. “Didn’t think you’d catch me Speedy,” She says with a grin. She’s called you Speedy as long as you can remember. She calls you that because you were the second fastest at flight camp when you were foals, the first being her. You went over to her to congratulate the Sonic Rainboom that she had created that one day. It didn’t take long for you two to find a common interest, and become friends. You begin to edge into the lead. She quickly responds, and ties with you. You both fly towards the Library. You nearly hit another Pegasus, and bank to avoid her, hitting Rainbow Dash in the process. You watch as your accident sends her flying through the library window with a loud crash. You fly down and land inside, amidst a large pile of scattered books. “Ow! I didn’t think you wanted to win that badly, Speedy.” Rainbow Dash says, rubbing her head. “Sorry. Raindrops came out of nowhere, and I didn’t want to crash.” You explain. “Oh, Come ON!” Yells Spike. “It took me four hours to clean this up last time!” He states angrily. “Don’t worry, I got this one.” Says Dash. She begins putting books away with record speed. You and Spike watch as the rainbow blur replaces all the books on the shelves. You’re both amazed at not only her speed, but her precise organization. It must have come from having to do this so often. “GO!” She yells out, shooting back out of the window. You’re a bit slow in remembering that you’re still in a race. You blast out of the window yourself. You follow after her at full speed, nearly grazing rooftops as you head back towards Cloudsdale. You notice when she looks back at you. You begin to speed up, despite the fact that you’re going your hardest. As she slows a bit to say something to you, you notice something out of the corner of your eye. Just as you reach Cloudsdale, Derpy comes flying by. She collides with Rainbow Dash, and sends them both back towards the ground. You want to stop, but giving up now would be a waste of your energy. They both recover quickly. You fly up and land on the main road of Cloudsdale. You collapse, but manage to cheer about your victory. The other ponies around you look at you like you’re crazy, but ignore it. You stand up and celebrate a bit more. A Bemused Rainbow Dash flies up behind you. “Well Speedy, you finally beat me. I guess you finally earned that nickname.” She says with a smile. “I hope. I won’t be racing for a bit. That really wore me out.” You pant. “You know what I think?” She asks. “What?” You pant. “You deserve a reward,” She replies, flashing another smile. “C’mon Dash, you don’t need to do that.” You say, still gasping for air. “Oh, come on Speedy. You finally beat me. It took you how many races?” She points out. The real reason you denied it is because she never offers a reward like that. The last time you saw her give anypony a reward was when she made a bet. And it was rare for her to lose. The only reason that she even lost it was because Twilight made the challenge. “C’mon, let ol’ Dashie give you something!” She practically pleaded. “Well, if you insist.” You accept. You trot off to your cloud home, still exhausted. You’re also a bit confused. Why did she offer you a reward? It wasn’t that big a deal, was it? She does take races seriously though. Maybe it was important to her. Either way, you’re still being a good friend and that’s all that matters. You are suddenly awoken by a knock at your door. What time is it? Oh Sweet Celestia! It was midday! You already missed half of your weather patrol! Rainbow wouldn’t be happy, you knew it. She is Weather Manager after all. You figured it was your supervisor, and go to let him in. “Speedy! You up yet?” You hear Rainbow Dash ask. Rainbow Dash?! You’re in for it now. If she was at your door after you miss weather patrol, it was usually a bad sign. Your heart begins racing. Weather patrol was the only really important job in Cloudsdale. It was also the only one you wanted. You hesitate, but you open the door. Standing at the door is Rainbow Dash. She isn’t mad. In fact, she doesn’t even seem to realize you’ve missed half of your patrol. “Hi Dash. You need something?” You ask. “Not really.” She replies. “Then why are you here?” You ask. Not that it was a bad thing. You’ve always had a soft spot for Rainbow Dash. She was the filly of your dreams. It hadn’t taken long for you to figure that out. Not that you’d tell her that. You’d rather have her as a friend, than not at all. “You wanna go get some lunch in Ponyville? My treat.” She offers. She looks at you, her rose eyes piercing into your soul. It’s not a special look or anything, you’ve just gotten yourself thinking that way again. You decide not to tell her about missing your patrol. It was obvious she didn’t care if you did. “Sure. When do you wanna go?” You ask. “Is now good?” She asks. Ch. 2: RewardedYou both leave your home. You fly down towards Ponyville. You decide you may as well fess up to missing patrol. It doesn’t bother her like you thought it might. It actually doesn’t bother her at all. Maybe it’s just because you two are friends. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t care if just one stallion is missing his patrol. You both fly down to the road, and walk the rest of the way into town. On your way, you pass Applejack. She seems, upset. “Hi AJ.” Rainbow Dash says. “Howdy.” Applejack replies, sounding a bit angry. “Something wrong Applejack?” You ask. “Ah screwed somethin’ up real bad, and now ah gotta find a way to fix it.” She says. Now you get it, she’s angry with herself. You and Rainbow attempt to offer help, but she gallops off down the road before you can say something. You and Rainbow simply continue on your way. You head towards the café near the center of town. You choose to sit outside. It is a beautiful day after all. The waiter comes over for your drink order. You both ask for a mug of cider. Nothing out of the ordinary. This was most likely that reward she promised you. She did offer to buy, after all. As the time passes, you two get into a conversation about the Wonderbolts. You talk about Dash’s aspiration to join, mostly. It’s her dream. You encourage her to follow it whenever she brings it up. The waiter comes back, and you place your orders. You get back into conversation quickly. This time about nothing specific. It doesn’t take long for the two of you to start giggling like mad. You don’t even remember what’s so funny after a minute. As you wait for your food, Dash puts up a challenge. Always a bit competitive that Rainbow Dash is. You both have reasonably full mugs left. She issues a chugging challenge. This, you have no trouble winning. It has never been hard for you to beat her in any form of drink related contest. You thank your high school days for that. There’s a bit of a lapse in conversation after that. You begin to look around. Boredom was getting the best of you. You notice how busy the road is. You can see ponies in a hurry, and some in no rush passing by. You can hear the bartering at the market. As you just sit and observe, you notice a particularly good looking mare walk by. You begin to stare without hesitation. You watch her pass by. Only a few seconds later, do you feel a bit strange; like somepony is watching you. Glaring at you, even. You think you see Rainbow Dash shooting you a nasty look out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn to face her she just acts a bit bored. You could have sworn she was just glaring at you. Thankfully, the awkward air is lifted when your food arrives. “Finally. I’m starving.” Rainbow expresses. “Me too.” You add. You both begin eating. You eat in silence. It starts getting awkward again. You begin thinking. You don’t think about anything specific for a little bit. You just think. You find that a bit nice, just thinking. Your mind eventually brings you back to your crush on Rainbow Dash. If things weren’t awkward enough now, then your sudden hesitation to look at her certainly made them awkward. She notices quickly. “Something wrong Speedy?” She asks. “N-no. Nothing’s wrong.” You reply. She shrugs it off, and finishes eating. You finish, and then the two of you leave. She kept her word, and paid for it. After all, she’s The Element of Loyalty and all that. The two of you decide to bum around Ponyville for a while. You’re definitely not the best when it comes to timing. You just happen to walk by the school after it had just been let out. Who else just happens to be leaving but Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Or the “Cutie Mark Crusaders”, as they call themselves. Scootaloo takes one look in your direction, and zips over to you two. She’s practically obsessed with the mare next to you. It’s kind of cute. Rainbow Dash sure doesn’t think so. In fact, she can find Scootaloo a bit annoying at times. Sure, she likes being the object of attention as much as the next pony, but still. It happened just about every single day. “Hi Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo exclaims. “Hi kid.” Rainbow replies, in a less than elated tone. The orange filly begins bombarding your friend with questions. Twenty minutes breeze by without anypony noticing. Eventually, you get Rainbow out of it. You make up an excuse for her, and you both leave. “Thanks Speedy,” She says. “I knew I could count on you.” “Don’t mention it Dash.” You reply. You give her a little noogie. You notice something when you do it. Her cheeks turn a very faint shade of red. It wasn’t that you’d never seen her blush before, you just didn’t think she’d blush from a friendly act like that you’d done a thousand times. Maybe you just never noticed it before. You don’t bother to mention it. You instead make a mental note of it. You continue walking around town. Eventually, night begins to fall. You find your way to a bar, and set up with a couple of drinks. It doesn’t take more than ten seconds (flat) for Rainbow Dash to start a drinking contest. It takes her even less time to know when she’s been beat. “Silly filly. You know you can’t hold your liquor like I can.” You say in triumph. “Hey. Iallmos hadjya.” She says, her speech slurred. You chuckle. Good ol’ Rainbow Dash. She begins to giggle with you. With nothing left to do, and the fact that Rainbow Dash is already hammered, you both decide to leave. You have to guide her as she walks, but that’s the easy part. The hard part, would be getting her home. You’re still coherent enough to fly flawlessly. But Rainbow can hardly walk, let alone fly. You begin to ponder this predicament. You keep getting distracted by Rainbow Dash, though. You decide to stop, and set down in a field just outside of town. It’s a peaceful night. It was quite a pretty one too. Luna had decided to raise a full moon tonight. The stars are big and bright. The dew had begun to collect on the plants. The light from the night sky shimmered off of them. You hear Rainbow Dash settle beside you. You look over at her. Some dew from a low hanging branch had come off onto her mane and cyan coat. They now shimmered in the same way as the plants. She’s staring at the moon, much like you had been moments ago. She looks absolutely beautiful. You begin to smile, and face the moon once more. “Hey Speedy,” She says. Your ears perk up, and you face her. “Ihad fun t’day.”She says, her speech still slurred. “Me too, Dash.” You respond. You sit and think a bit longer. You still need to get the both of you home. You feel Rainbow rest her head against you. You smile a bit more. She mumbles something you can’t quite make out. Right then, you finally figure out a way to get home. You load her onto your back, and stretch out your wings. You’d never had to carry anypony from Ponyville to Cloudsdale before, and you don’t want any injury as a result. You take off, and head for your home. It’s closer than her cloud castle, and makes it easier for the both of you. When you finally arrive, you go to set her down from your back. You notice that she’s passed out. You carry her inside. You find a blanket and a pillow, and set her down on your couch. You toss the blanket over her, and wish her good night before heading off to sleep yourself. Ch. 3: ReceivingYou wake up, ice cold. You realize that your blanket is no longer over you, but over the other half of your bed. You look over, and see a multicolored tail sticking out from under the blanket. You remember leaving Rainbow Dash on the couch, though. She must have gotten cold during the night, and crawled into bed with you. Odd, considering she could have just asked you for another blanket. It’s never too big a deal to get something. You note how she’s still sound asleep. You figure it’d be rude to wake her, even if you’re confused as heck. She had gotten pretty smashed the night before. The longer she has before the hangover, the better. You go around your home, and close the windows you left open. The best you can figure, a freak weather pattern moved through during the night. A note in your mail slot confirms this. You hear a groan coming from your room. She’s up now, most likely with a terrible headache. She walks in, head down. Her face is sporting a grimace from what you can tell. Your hunch was right. You retrieve a bottle of aspirin, and give it to her. “Thanks Speedy. My head’s pounding.” She says, wincing. “Don’t mention it. You probably had a little too much fun last night.” You say with a chuckle. “Ha ha. Very funny.” She says, sounding annoyed. After taking some aspirin and laying back down for a bit, she leaves. Your day is normal. You finish your weather patrol and head home. You can’t shake a nagging feeling. Like you’ve forgotten something. You just don’t know what. Was it a date? Yeah, some important date was coming up. But what is it? It’s times like this you thank yourself for marking your calendar. Oh, that’s right! Rainbow’s birthday is coming up. Maybe that’s why she’s been acting so different. She probably wants you to get her something really cool. Luckily, you have just the right friend. You prepare yourself, and fly off towards Canterlot. Sure, it takes less time than the train. That doesn’t make it any less of a haul. But it’ll be worth it to be able give her such a hard to obtain gift. It’s the middle of the night when you finally get to Canterlot. But, you spent the past six hours flying. You’re going to get what you came for. You navigate the streets, and find your way to your friend’s home. There’s still light coming through the windows. Good, at least she’s still awake. You knock on the door. There is no answer right away. You try again. This time, she answers. She looks agitated. It is almost midnight after all. She lets you in regardless. “What are you doing here at this hour kid?” She asks. “Nice to see you too.” You reply. She offers you a seat. You begin to catch her up on what’s been happening with your family. A regular conversation picks up not long after. You almost forget the real reason that you’re here. “Listen. I have a huge favor to ask.” You tell her. “Well, let’s hear it.” She says. “Do you have any copies of your latest book?” You ask. “The new Daring Do? Sure. Why do you ask?” She replies. Yes, that’s correct. She’s the author of the wildly famous Daring Do series. She’s just an old family friend who became famous when she wrote down stories her father told her as a filly. “One of my friends. Her birthday’s coming up. She’s a huge fan. You think I could-” You can’t finish your sentence. “Get her a signed copy?” She says. “You read my mind.” You reply. “Maybe. First, tell me about her.” She says. You give her a confused look. The conversation changed focus rather quickly. You oblige her request, though. You tell her everything you can about Rainbow Dash. You tell her about your friendship, her dreams of joining the Wonderbolts, how she’s the only one able to perform a Sonic Rainboom; Everything aside from your secret feelings for her. “She sounds wonderful kid.” The mare across from you says with a smile. “So, you can get me a signed copy?” You prod. “Oh sure. I just need to dig one out, and sign it.” She replies. She gets up, and trots out of the room without hesitation. After a few minutes, she comes back in with a copy of the newest book titled “Daring Do and the Quest for the Friendship Stones*”. She puts it down, and picks up a quill. “Anything specific?” She manages to say with the writing utensil in her mouth. “Something unique.” Is all you tell her. She begins to scribble something on the inside of the front cover. She stops, and looks back up at you. “Where’d you say she lives again?” She asks through the quill. “Ponyville.” You tell her. She scribbles down the name of the town, and then signs her name. She puts down the quill, closes the book, and pushes it to you. You pick it up, and put it into your saddlebag. “Thanks. A ton.” You say, repeatedly. “Don’t mention it kid.” She replies. “You want to stay the night? It is pretty late for you to head back to Cloudsdale.” She offers. You respectfully decline. You thank her for probably the millionth time, and leave. You take off, and glide back towards Ponyville. Being situated on a mountain made a return trip from Canterlot much easier than the trip there. Unfortunately, there isn’t much wind to help you glide. You think now that you should have taken up your friend on her offer. It’s too late to turn back, and you’re exhausted. You land in a field, and bed down there. You’re awoken by a kick in the ribs. Not a hard one, just enough to get you moving again. You stand up, and see a royal guard in front of you. You look a bit closer. Standing in front of you is the Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor. “Hey. I know you.” He says. “You’re one of Twilight’s friends. What’re you doing so far out here?” He asks. “Personal business. What about you?” You retort. “That’s classified.” He responds. With nothing left to say, you leave. You head back towards your home. As Ponyville comes into sight, you slow down a bit. It’s not much further now. As you fly closer to the town, you become aware of the presence of a second Pegasus. You look over, expecting to see Rainbow Dash. But, it’s just Cloud Chaser. As you get closer to Cloudsdale, you hear something in the distance. Not next to or below you. From above you. “Look out below!” You hear Rainbow Dash call. Before you can react, she slams into you. You both hit the ground, hard. It’s nothing too serious. A few cuts and bruises never stopped you before. At least you didn’t break a wing. You’re pinned under Rainbow Dash, who is holding her head. She shakes off her dizziness, and hops back into the air. “Oops. Sorry Speedy.” She says, laughing nervously. “Nah, nah. It’s okay Dash.” You say as you stand up. “Hey, where were you earlier? I was hoping you could help me out with this new trick.” She says. “In Canterlot.” You reply. “What were you doing there?” She asks. Quick! Think up an excuse. “Uh, I was, uh, doing something for Twilight! Yeah, she, uh, needed me to bring something to Cadence and Shining Armor.” You answer, giving a bad poker face. She buys it. That’s all you needed her to do. You get ready to head back home. “Hey Speedy!” Rainbow calls. Your ears perk, and you look at her. “Race ya back to your place?” She challenges. “You’re on!” * If you understand this reference, then you win a bacon cookie. Ch. 4: GivingShe leaves you in the dust. She surged ahead in the last quarter of the one kilometer race, and was waiting for you at your doorstep. She had a bit of an unfair advantage. After all, you still have on your saddlebags. You’d been using it as a weight belt recently and hadn’t emptied it too thoroughly before you left. “Okay, you let me win that one.” Rainbow states. “Hey, I still have my saddle bags. It wasn’t fair to begin with.” You answer. “It was to fair!” She replies. You chuckle. You head inside, and she follows you. You place the saddlebags in your room. She’s patiently waiting for you in your living room. “You wanted help with some new trick Dash?” You say. “Oh. Uh, yeah. But, we don’t need to work on it right now.” She says. Now you’re incredibly confused. She’d been quite anxious only a few minutes ago, and now she doesn’t want to practice? “Then why were you so anxious for help? More specifically, why mine?” You ask. “Oh, hey! Would you look at the time! I’ve gotta go help, uh, Twilight with something.” She says, before bolting. You wonder why she was acting strange. You wonder what caused her to leave in such a hurry, and why she had to make up such a poor excuse to go. It’s easy to tell when she makes up an excuse. She’s not very good at it. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Rainbow Dash flew out of her foalhood friend’s home pretty fast. She headed in the direction of the Ponyville Library. She hadn’t lied to the Stallion she called Speedy. She did want to see Twilight about something. She flew down, and landed by the door. Instead of knocking, she just went right in. She wound up interrupting Twilight while she was working on a new spell. Twilight looked to her friend with a look of slight anger. “What do you need Rainbow? Can’t you see I’m busy?” Twilight asks, in an impatient tone. “I need help Twilight.” Rainbow Dash tells her. “What do you need help with?” Twilight asks. “Well, let’s say I really like this stallion. I want him to know, but I don’t at the same time. What’s the best thing I can do? Hypothetically speaking.” She says. “Well, which feeling is stronger?” Twilight asks. “Let’s say I really want him to know.” Rainbow tells her. “Then I’d say you should follow your heart, and tell him.” Says Twilight. “But how?” Rainbow asks. “How would I tell him?” “You could just tell him Rainbow. Unless there’s some specific Pegasus tradition or something.” Says Twilight. Rainbow Dash has a sudden moment of realization. There was one thing she could do to make her feelings clear. A centuries old Pegasus tradition. She knew just when to do it too. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Your week carries on as normal. Rainbow Dash still comes over daily. It’s almost as though nothing had happened earlier that week. You feel it’s best not to pick at it like a scab, and just let what happens happen. This day, she excuses you from weather patrol. She wants help with a new trick. You can’t perform half of the ones she knows, and that doesn’t make you much help, but it’s more fun than patrolling a nearly cloud free day. She seems to be doing quite well, as far as you can tell. She didn’t need your help, that’s obvious. She just wanted you to watch. She loves to show off her skills, never missing a perfect opportunity. You love to watch her perform. She’s a very skilled flyer, everypony knows that. It seems to amaze you that such a wild and care free mare can pull off these stunts with such grace and accuracy. She lands next to you on the cloud. She’s been going hard, but she doesn’t show any signs of exhaustion. “So Speedy, how’d I look?” She asks. “Fantastic. Keep it up, and the Wonderbolts will want to join you in the sky.” You say. “Stop it. I’m not that good.” She says, blushing a bit. “Yes, you are. Don’t doubt yourself Dash. I know you can, and will, do anything you set your mind to. We’ve known each other how long?” You say. She’s flattered, you can tell. She wants to try it one more time, and does before you can say anything. This time, doesn’t go as well. As she goes to fly through one of the cloud hoops, she clips it with her wing. Going as fast as she was, it sent her into a bit of a corkscrew, and ultimately crashing into you. You blink repeatedly to clear your vision, and find that you’re on your back. Rainbow is on top of you, lightly shaking her head. Her eyes flutter open, and meet yours. You both stare at each other, silent and wide eyed. Her face is only mere inches from yours. You think it would be easy to steal a kiss from her. There you go, thinking about it again. You almost act on those feelings. Through sheer force of will, you beat them back. She rolls off of you and stands back up. She won’t face you directly, and you can’t see why. “Uh, s-sorry about that Speedy.” She apologizes. “It’s okay Dash, really.” You reply. There’s a bit of an awkward silence that ensues after you forgive her. “You, uh, wanna go see what’s up with Fluttershy? Haven’t seen her in a few days.” You ask. “Sure.” She answers. “Race ya there!” She challenges, her mood changing instantly. You’re caught by surprise as she takes off. You follow her. You both head towards the edge of the Everfree. You land by the small cottage. She beat you here, like always. Something catches your eye when you land.Something leaning against a tree. It's some sort of weapon you've never seen before. It looks like a fallen tree limb, but it has been refined. The entirety of the branch had been smoothed out to an extent. Lashed to one end is a metal triangle. It looks pretty sharp. You wonder what could have made it. "Wondering what it is?" You hear from behind you. You jump up in the air, startled. Rainbow Dash was next to you, and that was not Fluttershy's voice. You can hear Rainbow Dash bursting with laughter. You look down, and see she is clutching her sides and laughing harder than anypony you'd ever seen. You turn around, and face what had startled you. "Oh man. The human got you good Speedy." Rainbow declares, still laughing. You see Fluttershy about to back into Rainbow. They're both oblivious to one another, and you don't seem intent on telling them. A little payback never hurt anypony. Rainbow jumps when the second Pegasus backs into her. It's your turn to laugh, and even the human joins in. "Oh, sorry Rainbow Dash. I didn't mean to startle you." Fluttershy says. "Never mind that. We were coming to say hi, but I want to know what the human is doing here." Rainbow replies. "Oh, he's in a bit of a bind. He needed a place to stay for a bit was all." She explains. You, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and the human all get into a conversation. It lasts a little while, but eventually you decide to leave. “Hey, Speedy.” You hear Rainbow say on your way out. “Can I ask you something?” She, well, asks. “Shoot. You can ask me anything.” You tell her. “What are you getting me for my birthday?” She asks. “I’m not gonna tell you Dash. No matter how hard you try.” You reply. “C’mon! Can you give me a hint?” She asks. “Sorry Dash. No hints. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.” You tell her. She lowers her head, a slight frown on her face. She really wanted to know what you were going to give her. You say goodbye, and both fly home. Nopony throws a party like Pinkie Pie. Hers are legendary, and everypony in Ponyville and Cloudsdale went to her for help. Sure, the parties could be a bit childish every now and then, but it was a good break from the stress of life. Today was Rainbow Dash’s Birthday, and tonight was her party. You’re a bit saddened that there was rain scheduled for tonight, but not even Rainbow had control over that. You’re duty was to move the clouds into position. The next shift would initiate the actual rain. You breeze through your duties, and go home. You fetch Rainbow’s gift, and tuck it away in your wings. But, you’ve still got a few hours before you needed to be in town. You decide to go see everypony but Rainbow Dash. You know she’ll start begging to know about her gift. You fly down to Ponyville. It’s much darker under the cloud canopy, and that always catches you by surprise. No matter how often you go down to earth. You go to see Fluttershy first, and are a bit confused to find Shining Armor there first. He seems to be talking with the human. Best you don’t get involved. Fluttershy is nowhere to be found. So, you head off towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Hey AJ.” You greet as you land beside the orange Earth Pony. “Howdy.” She says, this time in a more uplifted tone. “You sort everything out with whoever?” You ask. “Sure did. Ya need sumthin’? Ah’m a bit busy.” She says. “Just wanted to say hi. You need any help?” You ask her. “Hmmm. Nah. I can handle this.” She says, after mulling it over a bit. “You’re making cider I presume?” You ask. “Nope. Just pullin’ out a couple barrels of each kind. It’s a party for Rainbow after all. She just can’t get enough cider.” Applejack says with a chuckle. “She can’t hold it too well either. That silly filly gets drunk faster than anypony I’ve ever met.” You say. Applejack really starts laughing then. You join in. It is pretty funny. The unbeatable Rainbow Dash gets defeated by only a few mugs of cider every time. “Ah’d say yer right. I challenged her to a drink-off once. Long story short, she wound up passed out with her head halfway out the barn window.” Applejack says, stifling more laughter. You both talk for a bit, and you run a few barrels into town for Applejack. You find out quickly that she was the only one available to talk with. Pinkie was busy, Fluttershy wasn’t around (and most likely with Rainbow). And Rarity was hastily getting work done on her latest line. The most perplexing thing that you saw, was Twilight talking with Trixie. You hadn’t seen the braggart Trixie in a long time. But, that wasn’t your business why she was back. Finally, you get to go to Sugarcube Corner. The wait seemed like an eternity. You go in, and see how much work Pinkie put into it. There were streamers and balloons all around the ceiling. There was a large banner that wished Rainbow Dash a happy birthday. Heck, she’d even talked the Cutie Mark Crusaders into helping out. They realized they’d been tricked only after they failed to get their cutie marks. Again. The sun had just about gone down, and you could hear the rain beginning to hit the roof. It’s a nice pitter patter. Everyone seems to be having a good time. When Rainbow came in, she instantly navigated her way over to you. You both kill some time. When you see Twilight give Rainbow her gift, Spitfire’s Auto-Biography, you decide to give her yours. “Hey Dash.” You say, retrieving your gift from your wing. “Happy Birthday.” You hand it over. “The new Daring Do? Thanks Speedy! I’ve been looking for a copy.” She says. “Open up to the front page, there’s another surprise.” You tell her. “To the most awesome mare I’ve ever heard of. Your friend told me a lot about you, Rainbow Dash. Just don’t destroy Ponyville with you tricks. I grew up there you know.” She reads aloud. She can’t even read the author’s name. She’s completely dumbfounded. Her jaw is practically on the floor. “H-how did you get this?! It must’ve cost you a fortune! Where’d you have to go to find her?!” Rainbow asks. “Well Dash, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I know the author personally.” You tell her. Rainbow looks ready to faint. “Yeah, you heard me right. She’s an old family friend. I could take you to meet her some time if you want.” You tell her. Now, she can hardly stand. She looks to you, and grins wide. She wraps you up in a hug, thanking you repeatedly. After a few minutes, she lets you go. “Thanks Speedy! This has to be the coolest gift you’ve managed to give me.” She says. “Don’t mention it. It’s nothing, really.” You reply, trying to sound modest. She goes off, and shows off what you got her. She acts as though she’s just a little filly again. It’s pretty funny, and kind of cute. Once she’s showed all of them at least twice, she comes back over to you. “Hey, come with me. I’ve got something for you.” She says. You follow her. She takes you to a back room, away from the others. She looks around to make sure none of them followed you two. She turns to you, and smiles a bit. “Speedy, here’s the thing. I really wanted two gifts from you.” She says, her tone changing to a softer one. “But, there’s only one way for me to get the second.” She tells you. She unfurls a wing, and retrieves a small box. Your mind starts racing as you try to recall what it is she's doing. You’d seen it done before. She opens the box, and presents it to you. Your mind stops, and your heart skips a beat. It, it can’t be this. Can it? Ch. 5: Mistakes and ResolutionsIt, it can’t be this. Can it? It is. It’s, a feather. Her Filly’s Feather. The centuries old Pegasus tradition. It started long ago when Commander Hurricane, co-founder of Equestria, was rumored to have presented a feather to the one she loved. The rumor was confirmed, and she explained it to the Pegasus. From then on, every mare saved the final feather she molted as a filly to present to the one she loved. Everything that’s happened over the past few weeks, all makes sense now. Her odd behavior. Her offer to reward you out of the blue. The fact that she blushed at a simple noogie. Heck, maybe even what she drunkenly mumbled to you. She looks at you, a hopeful smile on her face. You can’t believe it. You’re speechless. Your shocked expression is glued to your face. “Speedy, I’m just gonna come out and say it. I love you. I have for a really long time. Will you please accept my feather? Will you be mine?” She asks. You can’t even form a single word. This was the one thing you never expected. She doesn’t know what to make of your silence. Her smile begins to fade. She looks at you now with a look of confusion. “Speedy? C’mon. Say something.” She says. You still can’t. You’ve gone into a processing mode as you try to sort this whole thing out. This can’t be a joke, a Pegasus would never joke about this. Is it a dream? It could be. This wouldn’t be the first time you’d had a dream similar to this. As much as you convince yourself it is, you’re wrong. It’s real and you know it. You remain silent. You really can’t say anything. As you search for the words to express how you feel, you just can’t. It’s not too rare for a Pegasus to present her feather to a friend. It’s how you’re grandparents found each other. But, your grandfather knew what to say. He was prepared for that situation. His service in the Great War of the Griffons prepared him for anything. “Please. Say something.” She says, sounding a bit choked up. Her eyes are starting to water. At least you can say something now. “D-dash. I think you’ve got something in your eye.” You say. “No. I don’t.” She confesses, holding back an obvious sob. Did Rainbow just confess to crying? You try to think of something, anything, to say. But you can’t. Your mind has gone blank. You look up, and see Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight standing in the door. You’re stomach jumps into your throat. “I’ll see ya around. I need some time alone.” She says, backing away. “ Dash. I. Rainbow.” You try to say. You open your mouth to say something else, but Rainbow turns around and leaves. She has her head lowered, and she’s really trying not to cry. She’d taken her feather with her. She goes out into the rain, and flies home. You slowly walk forward, staying clear of Applejack. You fear what she may do to you for hurting her friend. “Wait.” You whisper to yourself. The three look to you. They all have a puzzled look. Twilight has a sudden moment of realization. Applejack and Fluttershy are still clueless. “What happened?” Fluttershy asks. “She, she presented her feather.”” You tell her. “She what?” Asks Applejack. “It’s a Pegasus tradition Applejack. You see, as a filly a Pegasus will save the last feather she molts to present to the one she loves.” Fluttershy explains. “And, and I didn’t take it.” You confess. “You what?!” Fluttershy says, looking incredibly shocked. “She caught me off guard! I didn’t know what to say!” You explain. “So you didn’t say anything? That’s just cold.” Says Applejack. “So, she was serious?” Twilight says aloud. You all face her. “What do you mean?” You ask. “She came to me for help with this very situation, but said it was hypothetical. I told her to go for it. Oh no, it’s all my fault.” She expresses. “It’s not your fault Twi. If it’s anyone’s, it’s mine. I need some time to myself.” You say. You leave. On the way out, you walk by Scootaloo. She takes one look at you, and scowls. She runs up to you. “What’d you do!?” She yells, punching at your leg. “You’ll understand when you’re older Scootaloo. Just leave me alone.” You say, pushing her away and walking on. You walk into a bar, and order a drink. You sit there, beating yourself up over this whole thing. It takes you a minute, but you realize that there is someone next to you. Her own sad sigh clues you to her presence. It’s Vinyl Scratch, the town’s best DJ. You start talking. “So what’re you here about?” She asks. “I really screwed up things with somepony special.” You admit. “Here here.” She says, raising her mug. “So, who was it?” She asks. “Rainbow Dash. She just admitted to me that she loved me, and I was too dumb to say anything. I probably botched my chances, and our friendship.” You explain. “Don’t I know that feeling. ‘Tavi and I had a big fight.” She tells you. “Who?” You ask. “Octavia. We had yet another fight about who the better musician is. This one was really serious, though.” She says with a heavy sigh. There’s a small silence as you let her get her bearings. “You know what, you shouldn’t give up so easily. You go after Rainbow Dash and fix it. It’s probably too late for me, but I won’t stand by and let someone else’s love die.” She says. “You know what, you’re right. I should go talk to her. Thanks Vinyl.” You say. “Go on. I need to think of a way to sort things out with ‘Tavi.” She says, practically pushing you out the door. You toss some money on the counter, and leave. At least you’re not the only one having a terrible day. And the other one encouraged you to fix yours. The rain is still coming down, and it’s a bit cold. You spread your wings, and take off. You head towards Rainbow’s home. When you finally land, you go to knock on the cloud door. There’s no answer. You try again. Still nothing. Then, you look down, and notice a note that seems to have fallen. You pick it up, and read it. “Dear Speedy. I knew you’d try to come after me sooner or later tonight. Please don’t. Just leave me alone. I’ve gone into the forest somewhere to be alone. I meant what I said, and you really hurt me and made me look like a fool. I’ll see you around.” It reads. You don’t want to obey the note. You know that she’s too headstrong to stay out there alone. But, at the same time you think you should listen to her. After all, it’s probably not wise to cross her. “Go.” You jump at Fluttershy’s voice. “You feel the same, I can tell. Go get her.” She encourages. You nod, and take off. You fly out towards the Everfree as fast as you can. The rain stings your face at the speed your travelling at, but you don’t care. You’re going to find her, no matter what. It’s dark now, and you can see that there’s a storm system over the forest. You search from the air, but it yields nothing. The treetops are too thick. The only way will be to go into the forest. Nopony goes in there for a reason. It’s full of horrific creatures that could kill in a handful of seconds. You swallow hard, and dive below the canopy. You land in the darkness below. You can feel the eyes of hundreds of things watching you, but you’re determined to complete your goal. You trot along, your guard raised. It’s times like these you wished you’d learned how to use a sword. It’s still raining, but the treetops provide a slight layer of protection. You search high and low, even caves. The second you discover a massive pile of gemstones in one, you bolt. That is the one sign of a dragon that you can remember. You search for an hour, and find nothing. Not a single sign of her. You continue, determined to bring her home. After another two hours pass, you start to give up. You need to rest, and think this whole thing over. You find your way into a small clearing. You sit under a tree in an effort to stay dry. You’re soaked, and it’s cold. You think you hear something, and jump up. Walking over in the sound’s direction, you can’t help but feel terrified. It doesn’t become clear until you get closer that it’s something crying. You part the bushes, and discover a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane sitting under a tree. She’s crying to herself. Relief washes over you like a wave. You’re then over taken by an extreme sense of remorse. You hurt her enough to make her cry, and that’s not easy to do. “Rainbow Dash?” You say. She jumps a bit, and turns around. She stands up, her sadness now replaced with anger. “I told you not to follow me!” She hisses. “But, Rainbow. I-” You get cut off. “Don’t you talk. Do you know how you made me look? Do you know how bad that hurt?! I told you how I felt, and you just stood there like a bucking idiot! You know, I thought you’d be better than that. I thought that you’d at least have the courtesy to tell me if you didn’t feel the same. But no, I was bucking wrong.” She flares her wings in anger (For some reason). The little box falls out. “You could’ve just said ‘I don’t like you that way’, but no. No, you’re too good to tell others that. Or are you just too stupid? Get out of here now, before I kick your dang head in!!” She rants. She’s seething with anger now. You can even hear slight growls as she breathes. “Can I talk now?” You ask. She doesn’t answer, and instead backs away from you. Doesn’t seem keen on listening to you, but she nods her head. Her expression is still a furious one. You take a step forward, and she takes one more back. You approach the box, and pick it up. Her expression changes from one of fierce anger, to one of puzzlement. “I just have one thing to tell you Dash.” You say. You open the box, and take her feather. She looks ready to take it back, but that’s not your plan. You instead tuck it inside of your own wing, the sign that you do accept her feelings. “I feel the same way.” You say, a small smile on your face. Her expression changes once more, this time to a questioning one. You can see her holding back joy. “Then why didn’t you say anything?” She asks. “I, I just couldn’t. You took me by surprise. The truth, is that I’ve felt the same way for a very long time.” You explain. She smiles, and wipes away a new set of tears forming in her eyes. She walks forward, and stops in front of you. She's soaked, and shivering. Right then, the rain lets up. The sheer coincidence is astounding, it was as though Celestia knew your situation and was smiling upon you. You just stare at each other for a minute. The quiet is nice. Rainbow steps just another step closer. She’s expecting something, but you don’t know whether to hug her or kiss her. She answers that for you. She wraps a forehoof around the back of your head, and tugs it down to her level. The both of you connect in a kiss that not only warms the heart, but mends it as well. You notice that there is a faint taste of multiple wild berries on her lips. “Because you took too long to do it yourself.” She says when she breaks it. You smile, and resist your urge to leap up into the air and cheer. She’s still shivering, and you’re just starting to yourself. “C’mon Dash. Let’s go home. It’s freezing, and we could do without getting sick.” You tell her. She nods, and you begin to leave. You could fly out, but a walk would do you both some good. Well, only after you get the patented “Rain-Blow Dry”. Wouldn’t do much good to walk around in the cold while soaking wet, now, would it? As you walk together, you hear something. It’s a loud roar that could only belong to one thing. A Manticore. You and Rainbow look at one another, and steel your nerves. If you’re going down, then you’re going down fighting. You both prepare to charge at it. Right as you’re ready to move, an object comes flying down from above. It strikes the Manticore in the neck. The beast falls, bleeding profusely and unable to move. “What the?” You and Rainbow say in unison. As you look up, you notice the human wave down to you. He slides down the ridge, and retrieves the object he called a spear. He leaves without saying a word. “Fly?” You query. “Fly.” She responds. You both take off, and fly among the tree tops. “Hey Speedy. Race to the edge of the forest?” She challenges. “You’re on. Winner gets what?” You ask. “That’s their pick.” She says. “On the count of three.” You say. “One, T-” She begins. “THREE!” You call out, chuckling as you take off. Rainbow catches up in no time. She’s smiling broadly. “You’ve picked up a few tricks of mine.” She says. “Yep.” Is all you say. This time, you win. You know she let you. Any other time you would have asked for a rematch, but not this time. You don’t care about that. She lands next to you. “So, what do you want?” She asks. You trot up to her, and lower your head to hers. “Already? I must be a good kisser.” She says, bragging a bit. “See, Ah told y’all they were fine.” You hear Applejack proclaim. You both look towards the road that heads into town. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are all standing there. They’re looking back at you. It’s unlikely they heard what Rainbow said. You fly over to them, Rainbow landing next to you. They all have a look that says “Well, what happened?”. Fluttershy looks at you expressly. You take the feather from your wing and show her. She smiles and trots over to you. “I knew you’d make the right choice.” She says. Now you’re confused. Had she been in on it the whole time? If so, she is one fantastic actress. You look to Rainbow for confirmation. She’s got a sheepish look on her face. “Yeah, I kinda told her everything.” She explains. Yep, Fluttershy is just a very good actress. You pull Rainbow close to you, and she leans her head against you. That’s more than enough for the others to get the idea. They all smile. “So, what now?” You ask. “Ah’ve got a lot of work tomorruh. Ah should probably turn in.” Says Applejack. “I have a meeting with an important client myself. I should probably get some sleep.” Rarity explains. “We’ll let you two have some time alone.” Twilight says for the remaining three. They all disperse, and head their own ways. You look at Rainbow, and she looks at you. You’re sharing the same thought. “Race ya home?” You offer. “You know it.” She answers.
Ch.1: Winning!You blast through a cloud, creating a tiny shower of rain to spill from it. 'Today is the day.' You think. 'Today is the day I finally beat Dash in a race.' You fly on with anticipation and excitement. It was almost impossible for you to keep pace with her on any other day. Your wings simply wouldn’t allow you to fly fast enough to catch her. But now, she’s one hundred percent out of sight. You assume you took the lead when you flew into that batch of storm clouds the rest of the weather team was supposed to handle. You decide to slow your pace. After all, the finish you two created is in visual range. You begin to think something is wrong. There was heavy lightning back there, and you barely made it out unscathed. You didn’t see another lick of her after you went in. You stop to hover, and consider turning back. Then, a large gust of wind rushes down from above you. All you can see is a rainbow trail. She’d been flying above you the whole time! Stunned, you fly off towards the finish, only to meet your friend there. “Beat you again, slowpoke!” She declares triumphantly. “Hey, I almost had this one,” You reply. “Do I hear a call for a rematch?” Rainbow Dash asks, leaning her head towards you. “You’re on. First one to Ponyville and back?” You respond. “Heck yeah!” she replies. “Ready?” You ask. “On three?” She replies. “One….” You begin. “THREE!!!” She calls out, taking off. You realize what just happened and take off a few seconds later. She’s flying slow enough to keep it fair. You catch up in no time. “Didn’t think you’d catch me Speedy,” She says with a grin. She’s called you Speedy as long as you can remember. She calls you that because you were the second fastest at flight camp when you were foals, the first being her. You went over to her to congratulate the Sonic Rainboom that she had created that one day. It didn’t take long for you two to find a common interest, and become friends. You begin to edge into the lead. She quickly responds, and ties with you. You both fly towards the Library. You nearly hit another Pegasus, and bank to avoid her, hitting Rainbow Dash in the process. You watch as your accident sends her flying through the library window with a loud crash. You fly down and land inside, amidst a large pile of scattered books. “Ow! I didn’t think you wanted to win that badly, Speedy.” Rainbow Dash says, rubbing her head. “Sorry. Raindrops came out of nowhere, and I didn’t want to crash.” You explain. “Oh, Come ON!” Yells Spike. “It took me four hours to clean this up last time!” He states angrily. “Don’t worry, I got this one.” Says Dash. She begins putting books away with record speed. You and Spike watch as the rainbow blur replaces all the books on the shelves. You’re both amazed at not only her speed, but her precise organization. It must have come from having to do this so often. “GO!” She yells out, shooting back out of the window. You’re a bit slow in remembering that you’re still in a race. You blast out of the window yourself. You follow after her at full speed, nearly grazing rooftops as you head back towards Cloudsdale. You notice when she looks back at you. You begin to speed up, despite the fact that you’re going your hardest. As she slows a bit to say something to you, you notice something out of the corner of your eye. Just as you reach Cloudsdale, Derpy comes flying by. She collides with Rainbow Dash, and sends them both back towards the ground. You want to stop, but giving up now would be a waste of your energy. They both recover quickly. You fly up and land on the main road of Cloudsdale. You collapse, but manage to cheer about your victory. The other ponies around you look at you like you’re crazy, but ignore it. You stand up and celebrate a bit more. A Bemused Rainbow Dash flies up behind you. “Well Speedy, you finally beat me. I guess you finally earned that nickname.” She says with a smile. “I hope. I won’t be racing for a bit. That really wore me out.” You pant. “You know what I think?” She asks. “What?” You pant. “You deserve a reward,” She replies, flashing another smile. “C’mon Dash, you don’t need to do that.” You say, still gasping for air. “Oh, come on Speedy. You finally beat me. It took you how many races?” She points out. The real reason you denied it is because she never offers a reward like that. The last time you saw her give anypony a reward was when she made a bet. And it was rare for her to lose. The only reason that she even lost it was because Twilight made the challenge. “C’mon, let ol’ Dashie give you something!” She practically pleaded. “Well, if you insist.” You accept. You trot off to your cloud home, still exhausted. You’re also a bit confused. Why did she offer you a reward? It wasn’t that big a deal, was it? She does take races seriously though. Maybe it was important to her. Either way, you’re still being a good friend and that’s all that matters. You are suddenly awoken by a knock at your door. What time is it? Oh Sweet Celestia! It was midday! You already missed half of your weather patrol! Rainbow wouldn’t be happy, you knew it. She is Weather Manager after all. You figured it was your supervisor, and go to let him in. “Speedy! You up yet?” You hear Rainbow Dash ask. Rainbow Dash?! You’re in for it now. If she was at your door after you miss weather patrol, it was usually a bad sign. Your heart begins racing. Weather patrol was the only really important job in Cloudsdale. It was also the only one you wanted. You hesitate, but you open the door. Standing at the door is Rainbow Dash. She isn’t mad. In fact, she doesn’t even seem to realize you’ve missed half of your patrol. “Hi Dash. You need something?” You ask. “Not really.” She replies. “Then why are you here?” You ask. Not that it was a bad thing. You’ve always had a soft spot for Rainbow Dash. She was the filly of your dreams. It hadn’t taken long for you to figure that out. Not that you’d tell her that. You’d rather have her as a friend, than not at all. “You wanna go get some lunch in Ponyville? My treat.” She offers. She looks at you, her rose eyes piercing into your soul. It’s not a special look or anything, you’ve just gotten yourself thinking that way again. You decide not to tell her about missing your patrol. It was obvious she didn’t care if you did. “Sure. When do you wanna go?” You ask. “Is now good?” She asks.
Ch. 2: RewardedYou both leave your home. You fly down towards Ponyville. You decide you may as well fess up to missing patrol. It doesn’t bother her like you thought it might. It actually doesn’t bother her at all. Maybe it’s just because you two are friends. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t care if just one stallion is missing his patrol. You both fly down to the road, and walk the rest of the way into town. On your way, you pass Applejack. She seems, upset. “Hi AJ.” Rainbow Dash says. “Howdy.” Applejack replies, sounding a bit angry. “Something wrong Applejack?” You ask. “Ah screwed somethin’ up real bad, and now ah gotta find a way to fix it.” She says. Now you get it, she’s angry with herself. You and Rainbow attempt to offer help, but she gallops off down the road before you can say something. You and Rainbow simply continue on your way. You head towards the café near the center of town. You choose to sit outside. It is a beautiful day after all. The waiter comes over for your drink order. You both ask for a mug of cider. Nothing out of the ordinary. This was most likely that reward she promised you. She did offer to buy, after all. As the time passes, you two get into a conversation about the Wonderbolts. You talk about Dash’s aspiration to join, mostly. It’s her dream. You encourage her to follow it whenever she brings it up. The waiter comes back, and you place your orders. You get back into conversation quickly. This time about nothing specific. It doesn’t take long for the two of you to start giggling like mad. You don’t even remember what’s so funny after a minute. As you wait for your food, Dash puts up a challenge. Always a bit competitive that Rainbow Dash is. You both have reasonably full mugs left. She issues a chugging challenge. This, you have no trouble winning. It has never been hard for you to beat her in any form of drink related contest. You thank your high school days for that. There’s a bit of a lapse in conversation after that. You begin to look around. Boredom was getting the best of you. You notice how busy the road is. You can see ponies in a hurry, and some in no rush passing by. You can hear the bartering at the market. As you just sit and observe, you notice a particularly good looking mare walk by. You begin to stare without hesitation. You watch her pass by. Only a few seconds later, do you feel a bit strange; like somepony is watching you. Glaring at you, even. You think you see Rainbow Dash shooting you a nasty look out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn to face her she just acts a bit bored. You could have sworn she was just glaring at you. Thankfully, the awkward air is lifted when your food arrives. “Finally. I’m starving.” Rainbow expresses. “Me too.” You add. You both begin eating. You eat in silence. It starts getting awkward again. You begin thinking. You don’t think about anything specific for a little bit. You just think. You find that a bit nice, just thinking. Your mind eventually brings you back to your crush on Rainbow Dash. If things weren’t awkward enough now, then your sudden hesitation to look at her certainly made them awkward. She notices quickly. “Something wrong Speedy?” She asks. “N-no. Nothing’s wrong.” You reply. She shrugs it off, and finishes eating. You finish, and then the two of you leave. She kept her word, and paid for it. After all, she’s The Element of Loyalty and all that. The two of you decide to bum around Ponyville for a while. You’re definitely not the best when it comes to timing. You just happen to walk by the school after it had just been let out. Who else just happens to be leaving but Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Or the “Cutie Mark Crusaders”, as they call themselves. Scootaloo takes one look in your direction, and zips over to you two. She’s practically obsessed with the mare next to you. It’s kind of cute. Rainbow Dash sure doesn’t think so. In fact, she can find Scootaloo a bit annoying at times. Sure, she likes being the object of attention as much as the next pony, but still. It happened just about every single day. “Hi Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo exclaims. “Hi kid.” Rainbow replies, in a less than elated tone. The orange filly begins bombarding your friend with questions. Twenty minutes breeze by without anypony noticing. Eventually, you get Rainbow out of it. You make up an excuse for her, and you both leave. “Thanks Speedy,” She says. “I knew I could count on you.” “Don’t mention it Dash.” You reply. You give her a little noogie. You notice something when you do it. Her cheeks turn a very faint shade of red. It wasn’t that you’d never seen her blush before, you just didn’t think she’d blush from a friendly act like that you’d done a thousand times. Maybe you just never noticed it before. You don’t bother to mention it. You instead make a mental note of it. You continue walking around town. Eventually, night begins to fall. You find your way to a bar, and set up with a couple of drinks. It doesn’t take more than ten seconds (flat) for Rainbow Dash to start a drinking contest. It takes her even less time to know when she’s been beat. “Silly filly. You know you can’t hold your liquor like I can.” You say in triumph. “Hey. Iallmos hadjya.” She says, her speech slurred. You chuckle. Good ol’ Rainbow Dash. She begins to giggle with you. With nothing left to do, and the fact that Rainbow Dash is already hammered, you both decide to leave. You have to guide her as she walks, but that’s the easy part. The hard part, would be getting her home. You’re still coherent enough to fly flawlessly. But Rainbow can hardly walk, let alone fly. You begin to ponder this predicament. You keep getting distracted by Rainbow Dash, though. You decide to stop, and set down in a field just outside of town. It’s a peaceful night. It was quite a pretty one too. Luna had decided to raise a full moon tonight. The stars are big and bright. The dew had begun to collect on the plants. The light from the night sky shimmered off of them. You hear Rainbow Dash settle beside you. You look over at her. Some dew from a low hanging branch had come off onto her mane and cyan coat. They now shimmered in the same way as the plants. She’s staring at the moon, much like you had been moments ago. She looks absolutely beautiful. You begin to smile, and face the moon once more. “Hey Speedy,” She says. Your ears perk up, and you face her. “Ihad fun t’day.”She says, her speech still slurred. “Me too, Dash.” You respond. You sit and think a bit longer. You still need to get the both of you home. You feel Rainbow rest her head against you. You smile a bit more. She mumbles something you can’t quite make out. Right then, you finally figure out a way to get home. You load her onto your back, and stretch out your wings. You’d never had to carry anypony from Ponyville to Cloudsdale before, and you don’t want any injury as a result. You take off, and head for your home. It’s closer than her cloud castle, and makes it easier for the both of you. When you finally arrive, you go to set her down from your back. You notice that she’s passed out. You carry her inside. You find a blanket and a pillow, and set her down on your couch. You toss the blanket over her, and wish her good night before heading off to sleep yourself.
Ch. 3: ReceivingYou wake up, ice cold. You realize that your blanket is no longer over you, but over the other half of your bed. You look over, and see a multicolored tail sticking out from under the blanket. You remember leaving Rainbow Dash on the couch, though. She must have gotten cold during the night, and crawled into bed with you. Odd, considering she could have just asked you for another blanket. It’s never too big a deal to get something. You note how she’s still sound asleep. You figure it’d be rude to wake her, even if you’re confused as heck. She had gotten pretty smashed the night before. The longer she has before the hangover, the better. You go around your home, and close the windows you left open. The best you can figure, a freak weather pattern moved through during the night. A note in your mail slot confirms this. You hear a groan coming from your room. She’s up now, most likely with a terrible headache. She walks in, head down. Her face is sporting a grimace from what you can tell. Your hunch was right. You retrieve a bottle of aspirin, and give it to her. “Thanks Speedy. My head’s pounding.” She says, wincing. “Don’t mention it. You probably had a little too much fun last night.” You say with a chuckle. “Ha ha. Very funny.” She says, sounding annoyed. After taking some aspirin and laying back down for a bit, she leaves. Your day is normal. You finish your weather patrol and head home. You can’t shake a nagging feeling. Like you’ve forgotten something. You just don’t know what. Was it a date? Yeah, some important date was coming up. But what is it? It’s times like this you thank yourself for marking your calendar. Oh, that’s right! Rainbow’s birthday is coming up. Maybe that’s why she’s been acting so different. She probably wants you to get her something really cool. Luckily, you have just the right friend. You prepare yourself, and fly off towards Canterlot. Sure, it takes less time than the train. That doesn’t make it any less of a haul. But it’ll be worth it to be able give her such a hard to obtain gift. It’s the middle of the night when you finally get to Canterlot. But, you spent the past six hours flying. You’re going to get what you came for. You navigate the streets, and find your way to your friend’s home. There’s still light coming through the windows. Good, at least she’s still awake. You knock on the door. There is no answer right away. You try again. This time, she answers. She looks agitated. It is almost midnight after all. She lets you in regardless. “What are you doing here at this hour kid?” She asks. “Nice to see you too.” You reply. She offers you a seat. You begin to catch her up on what’s been happening with your family. A regular conversation picks up not long after. You almost forget the real reason that you’re here. “Listen. I have a huge favor to ask.” You tell her. “Well, let’s hear it.” She says. “Do you have any copies of your latest book?” You ask. “The new Daring Do? Sure. Why do you ask?” She replies. Yes, that’s correct. She’s the author of the wildly famous Daring Do series. She’s just an old family friend who became famous when she wrote down stories her father told her as a filly. “One of my friends. Her birthday’s coming up. She’s a huge fan. You think I could-” You can’t finish your sentence. “Get her a signed copy?” She says. “You read my mind.” You reply. “Maybe. First, tell me about her.” She says. You give her a confused look. The conversation changed focus rather quickly. You oblige her request, though. You tell her everything you can about Rainbow Dash. You tell her about your friendship, her dreams of joining the Wonderbolts, how she’s the only one able to perform a Sonic Rainboom; Everything aside from your secret feelings for her. “She sounds wonderful kid.” The mare across from you says with a smile. “So, you can get me a signed copy?” You prod. “Oh sure. I just need to dig one out, and sign it.” She replies. She gets up, and trots out of the room without hesitation. After a few minutes, she comes back in with a copy of the newest book titled “Daring Do and the Quest for the Friendship Stones*”. She puts it down, and picks up a quill. “Anything specific?” She manages to say with the writing utensil in her mouth. “Something unique.” Is all you tell her. She begins to scribble something on the inside of the front cover. She stops, and looks back up at you. “Where’d you say she lives again?” She asks through the quill. “Ponyville.” You tell her. She scribbles down the name of the town, and then signs her name. She puts down the quill, closes the book, and pushes it to you. You pick it up, and put it into your saddlebag. “Thanks. A ton.” You say, repeatedly. “Don’t mention it kid.” She replies. “You want to stay the night? It is pretty late for you to head back to Cloudsdale.” She offers. You respectfully decline. You thank her for probably the millionth time, and leave. You take off, and glide back towards Ponyville. Being situated on a mountain made a return trip from Canterlot much easier than the trip there. Unfortunately, there isn’t much wind to help you glide. You think now that you should have taken up your friend on her offer. It’s too late to turn back, and you’re exhausted. You land in a field, and bed down there. You’re awoken by a kick in the ribs. Not a hard one, just enough to get you moving again. You stand up, and see a royal guard in front of you. You look a bit closer. Standing in front of you is the Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor. “Hey. I know you.” He says. “You’re one of Twilight’s friends. What’re you doing so far out here?” He asks. “Personal business. What about you?” You retort. “That’s classified.” He responds. With nothing left to say, you leave. You head back towards your home. As Ponyville comes into sight, you slow down a bit. It’s not much further now. As you fly closer to the town, you become aware of the presence of a second Pegasus. You look over, expecting to see Rainbow Dash. But, it’s just Cloud Chaser. As you get closer to Cloudsdale, you hear something in the distance. Not next to or below you. From above you. “Look out below!” You hear Rainbow Dash call. Before you can react, she slams into you. You both hit the ground, hard. It’s nothing too serious. A few cuts and bruises never stopped you before. At least you didn’t break a wing. You’re pinned under Rainbow Dash, who is holding her head. She shakes off her dizziness, and hops back into the air. “Oops. Sorry Speedy.” She says, laughing nervously. “Nah, nah. It’s okay Dash.” You say as you stand up. “Hey, where were you earlier? I was hoping you could help me out with this new trick.” She says. “In Canterlot.” You reply. “What were you doing there?” She asks. Quick! Think up an excuse. “Uh, I was, uh, doing something for Twilight! Yeah, she, uh, needed me to bring something to Cadence and Shining Armor.” You answer, giving a bad poker face. She buys it. That’s all you needed her to do. You get ready to head back home. “Hey Speedy!” Rainbow calls. Your ears perk, and you look at her. “Race ya back to your place?” She challenges. “You’re on!” * If you understand this reference, then you win a bacon cookie.
Ch. 4: GivingShe leaves you in the dust. She surged ahead in the last quarter of the one kilometer race, and was waiting for you at your doorstep. She had a bit of an unfair advantage. After all, you still have on your saddlebags. You’d been using it as a weight belt recently and hadn’t emptied it too thoroughly before you left. “Okay, you let me win that one.” Rainbow states. “Hey, I still have my saddle bags. It wasn’t fair to begin with.” You answer. “It was to fair!” She replies. You chuckle. You head inside, and she follows you. You place the saddlebags in your room. She’s patiently waiting for you in your living room. “You wanted help with some new trick Dash?” You say. “Oh. Uh, yeah. But, we don’t need to work on it right now.” She says. Now you’re incredibly confused. She’d been quite anxious only a few minutes ago, and now she doesn’t want to practice? “Then why were you so anxious for help? More specifically, why mine?” You ask. “Oh, hey! Would you look at the time! I’ve gotta go help, uh, Twilight with something.” She says, before bolting. You wonder why she was acting strange. You wonder what caused her to leave in such a hurry, and why she had to make up such a poor excuse to go. It’s easy to tell when she makes up an excuse. She’s not very good at it. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Rainbow Dash flew out of her foalhood friend’s home pretty fast. She headed in the direction of the Ponyville Library. She hadn’t lied to the Stallion she called Speedy. She did want to see Twilight about something. She flew down, and landed by the door. Instead of knocking, she just went right in. She wound up interrupting Twilight while she was working on a new spell. Twilight looked to her friend with a look of slight anger. “What do you need Rainbow? Can’t you see I’m busy?” Twilight asks, in an impatient tone. “I need help Twilight.” Rainbow Dash tells her. “What do you need help with?” Twilight asks. “Well, let’s say I really like this stallion. I want him to know, but I don’t at the same time. What’s the best thing I can do? Hypothetically speaking.” She says. “Well, which feeling is stronger?” Twilight asks. “Let’s say I really want him to know.” Rainbow tells her. “Then I’d say you should follow your heart, and tell him.” Says Twilight. “But how?” Rainbow asks. “How would I tell him?” “You could just tell him Rainbow. Unless there’s some specific Pegasus tradition or something.” Says Twilight. Rainbow Dash has a sudden moment of realization. There was one thing she could do to make her feelings clear. A centuries old Pegasus tradition. She knew just when to do it too. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Your week carries on as normal. Rainbow Dash still comes over daily. It’s almost as though nothing had happened earlier that week. You feel it’s best not to pick at it like a scab, and just let what happens happen. This day, she excuses you from weather patrol. She wants help with a new trick. You can’t perform half of the ones she knows, and that doesn’t make you much help, but it’s more fun than patrolling a nearly cloud free day. She seems to be doing quite well, as far as you can tell. She didn’t need your help, that’s obvious. She just wanted you to watch. She loves to show off her skills, never missing a perfect opportunity. You love to watch her perform. She’s a very skilled flyer, everypony knows that. It seems to amaze you that such a wild and care free mare can pull off these stunts with such grace and accuracy. She lands next to you on the cloud. She’s been going hard, but she doesn’t show any signs of exhaustion. “So Speedy, how’d I look?” She asks. “Fantastic. Keep it up, and the Wonderbolts will want to join you in the sky.” You say. “Stop it. I’m not that good.” She says, blushing a bit. “Yes, you are. Don’t doubt yourself Dash. I know you can, and will, do anything you set your mind to. We’ve known each other how long?” You say. She’s flattered, you can tell. She wants to try it one more time, and does before you can say anything. This time, doesn’t go as well. As she goes to fly through one of the cloud hoops, she clips it with her wing. Going as fast as she was, it sent her into a bit of a corkscrew, and ultimately crashing into you. You blink repeatedly to clear your vision, and find that you’re on your back. Rainbow is on top of you, lightly shaking her head. Her eyes flutter open, and meet yours. You both stare at each other, silent and wide eyed. Her face is only mere inches from yours. You think it would be easy to steal a kiss from her. There you go, thinking about it again. You almost act on those feelings. Through sheer force of will, you beat them back. She rolls off of you and stands back up. She won’t face you directly, and you can’t see why. “Uh, s-sorry about that Speedy.” She apologizes. “It’s okay Dash, really.” You reply. There’s a bit of an awkward silence that ensues after you forgive her. “You, uh, wanna go see what’s up with Fluttershy? Haven’t seen her in a few days.” You ask. “Sure.” She answers. “Race ya there!” She challenges, her mood changing instantly. You’re caught by surprise as she takes off. You follow her. You both head towards the edge of the Everfree. You land by the small cottage. She beat you here, like always. Something catches your eye when you land.Something leaning against a tree. It's some sort of weapon you've never seen before. It looks like a fallen tree limb, but it has been refined. The entirety of the branch had been smoothed out to an extent. Lashed to one end is a metal triangle. It looks pretty sharp. You wonder what could have made it. "Wondering what it is?" You hear from behind you. You jump up in the air, startled. Rainbow Dash was next to you, and that was not Fluttershy's voice. You can hear Rainbow Dash bursting with laughter. You look down, and see she is clutching her sides and laughing harder than anypony you'd ever seen. You turn around, and face what had startled you. "Oh man. The human got you good Speedy." Rainbow declares, still laughing. You see Fluttershy about to back into Rainbow. They're both oblivious to one another, and you don't seem intent on telling them. A little payback never hurt anypony. Rainbow jumps when the second Pegasus backs into her. It's your turn to laugh, and even the human joins in. "Oh, sorry Rainbow Dash. I didn't mean to startle you." Fluttershy says. "Never mind that. We were coming to say hi, but I want to know what the human is doing here." Rainbow replies. "Oh, he's in a bit of a bind. He needed a place to stay for a bit was all." She explains. You, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and the human all get into a conversation. It lasts a little while, but eventually you decide to leave. “Hey, Speedy.” You hear Rainbow say on your way out. “Can I ask you something?” She, well, asks. “Shoot. You can ask me anything.” You tell her. “What are you getting me for my birthday?” She asks. “I’m not gonna tell you Dash. No matter how hard you try.” You reply. “C’mon! Can you give me a hint?” She asks. “Sorry Dash. No hints. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.” You tell her. She lowers her head, a slight frown on her face. She really wanted to know what you were going to give her. You say goodbye, and both fly home. Nopony throws a party like Pinkie Pie. Hers are legendary, and everypony in Ponyville and Cloudsdale went to her for help. Sure, the parties could be a bit childish every now and then, but it was a good break from the stress of life. Today was Rainbow Dash’s Birthday, and tonight was her party. You’re a bit saddened that there was rain scheduled for tonight, but not even Rainbow had control over that. You’re duty was to move the clouds into position. The next shift would initiate the actual rain. You breeze through your duties, and go home. You fetch Rainbow’s gift, and tuck it away in your wings. But, you’ve still got a few hours before you needed to be in town. You decide to go see everypony but Rainbow Dash. You know she’ll start begging to know about her gift. You fly down to Ponyville. It’s much darker under the cloud canopy, and that always catches you by surprise. No matter how often you go down to earth. You go to see Fluttershy first, and are a bit confused to find Shining Armor there first. He seems to be talking with the human. Best you don’t get involved. Fluttershy is nowhere to be found. So, you head off towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Hey AJ.” You greet as you land beside the orange Earth Pony. “Howdy.” She says, this time in a more uplifted tone. “You sort everything out with whoever?” You ask. “Sure did. Ya need sumthin’? Ah’m a bit busy.” She says. “Just wanted to say hi. You need any help?” You ask her. “Hmmm. Nah. I can handle this.” She says, after mulling it over a bit. “You’re making cider I presume?” You ask. “Nope. Just pullin’ out a couple barrels of each kind. It’s a party for Rainbow after all. She just can’t get enough cider.” Applejack says with a chuckle. “She can’t hold it too well either. That silly filly gets drunk faster than anypony I’ve ever met.” You say. Applejack really starts laughing then. You join in. It is pretty funny. The unbeatable Rainbow Dash gets defeated by only a few mugs of cider every time. “Ah’d say yer right. I challenged her to a drink-off once. Long story short, she wound up passed out with her head halfway out the barn window.” Applejack says, stifling more laughter. You both talk for a bit, and you run a few barrels into town for Applejack. You find out quickly that she was the only one available to talk with. Pinkie was busy, Fluttershy wasn’t around (and most likely with Rainbow). And Rarity was hastily getting work done on her latest line. The most perplexing thing that you saw, was Twilight talking with Trixie. You hadn’t seen the braggart Trixie in a long time. But, that wasn’t your business why she was back. Finally, you get to go to Sugarcube Corner. The wait seemed like an eternity. You go in, and see how much work Pinkie put into it. There were streamers and balloons all around the ceiling. There was a large banner that wished Rainbow Dash a happy birthday. Heck, she’d even talked the Cutie Mark Crusaders into helping out. They realized they’d been tricked only after they failed to get their cutie marks. Again. The sun had just about gone down, and you could hear the rain beginning to hit the roof. It’s a nice pitter patter. Everyone seems to be having a good time. When Rainbow came in, she instantly navigated her way over to you. You both kill some time. When you see Twilight give Rainbow her gift, Spitfire’s Auto-Biography, you decide to give her yours. “Hey Dash.” You say, retrieving your gift from your wing. “Happy Birthday.” You hand it over. “The new Daring Do? Thanks Speedy! I’ve been looking for a copy.” She says. “Open up to the front page, there’s another surprise.” You tell her. “To the most awesome mare I’ve ever heard of. Your friend told me a lot about you, Rainbow Dash. Just don’t destroy Ponyville with you tricks. I grew up there you know.” She reads aloud. She can’t even read the author’s name. She’s completely dumbfounded. Her jaw is practically on the floor. “H-how did you get this?! It must’ve cost you a fortune! Where’d you have to go to find her?!” Rainbow asks. “Well Dash, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I know the author personally.” You tell her. Rainbow looks ready to faint. “Yeah, you heard me right. She’s an old family friend. I could take you to meet her some time if you want.” You tell her. Now, she can hardly stand. She looks to you, and grins wide. She wraps you up in a hug, thanking you repeatedly. After a few minutes, she lets you go. “Thanks Speedy! This has to be the coolest gift you’ve managed to give me.” She says. “Don’t mention it. It’s nothing, really.” You reply, trying to sound modest. She goes off, and shows off what you got her. She acts as though she’s just a little filly again. It’s pretty funny, and kind of cute. Once she’s showed all of them at least twice, she comes back over to you. “Hey, come with me. I’ve got something for you.” She says. You follow her. She takes you to a back room, away from the others. She looks around to make sure none of them followed you two. She turns to you, and smiles a bit. “Speedy, here’s the thing. I really wanted two gifts from you.” She says, her tone changing to a softer one. “But, there’s only one way for me to get the second.” She tells you. She unfurls a wing, and retrieves a small box. Your mind starts racing as you try to recall what it is she's doing. You’d seen it done before. She opens the box, and presents it to you. Your mind stops, and your heart skips a beat. It, it can’t be this. Can it?
Ch. 5: Mistakes and ResolutionsIt, it can’t be this. Can it? It is. It’s, a feather. Her Filly’s Feather. The centuries old Pegasus tradition. It started long ago when Commander Hurricane, co-founder of Equestria, was rumored to have presented a feather to the one she loved. The rumor was confirmed, and she explained it to the Pegasus. From then on, every mare saved the final feather she molted as a filly to present to the one she loved. Everything that’s happened over the past few weeks, all makes sense now. Her odd behavior. Her offer to reward you out of the blue. The fact that she blushed at a simple noogie. Heck, maybe even what she drunkenly mumbled to you. She looks at you, a hopeful smile on her face. You can’t believe it. You’re speechless. Your shocked expression is glued to your face. “Speedy, I’m just gonna come out and say it. I love you. I have for a really long time. Will you please accept my feather? Will you be mine?” She asks. You can’t even form a single word. This was the one thing you never expected. She doesn’t know what to make of your silence. Her smile begins to fade. She looks at you now with a look of confusion. “Speedy? C’mon. Say something.” She says. You still can’t. You’ve gone into a processing mode as you try to sort this whole thing out. This can’t be a joke, a Pegasus would never joke about this. Is it a dream? It could be. This wouldn’t be the first time you’d had a dream similar to this. As much as you convince yourself it is, you’re wrong. It’s real and you know it. You remain silent. You really can’t say anything. As you search for the words to express how you feel, you just can’t. It’s not too rare for a Pegasus to present her feather to a friend. It’s how you’re grandparents found each other. But, your grandfather knew what to say. He was prepared for that situation. His service in the Great War of the Griffons prepared him for anything. “Please. Say something.” She says, sounding a bit choked up. Her eyes are starting to water. At least you can say something now. “D-dash. I think you’ve got something in your eye.” You say. “No. I don’t.” She confesses, holding back an obvious sob. Did Rainbow just confess to crying? You try to think of something, anything, to say. But you can’t. Your mind has gone blank. You look up, and see Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight standing in the door. You’re stomach jumps into your throat. “I’ll see ya around. I need some time alone.” She says, backing away. “ Dash. I. Rainbow.” You try to say. You open your mouth to say something else, but Rainbow turns around and leaves. She has her head lowered, and she’s really trying not to cry. She’d taken her feather with her. She goes out into the rain, and flies home. You slowly walk forward, staying clear of Applejack. You fear what she may do to you for hurting her friend. “Wait.” You whisper to yourself. The three look to you. They all have a puzzled look. Twilight has a sudden moment of realization. Applejack and Fluttershy are still clueless. “What happened?” Fluttershy asks. “She, she presented her feather.”” You tell her. “She what?” Asks Applejack. “It’s a Pegasus tradition Applejack. You see, as a filly a Pegasus will save the last feather she molts to present to the one she loves.” Fluttershy explains. “And, and I didn’t take it.” You confess. “You what?!” Fluttershy says, looking incredibly shocked. “She caught me off guard! I didn’t know what to say!” You explain. “So you didn’t say anything? That’s just cold.” Says Applejack. “So, she was serious?” Twilight says aloud. You all face her. “What do you mean?” You ask. “She came to me for help with this very situation, but said it was hypothetical. I told her to go for it. Oh no, it’s all my fault.” She expresses. “It’s not your fault Twi. If it’s anyone’s, it’s mine. I need some time to myself.” You say. You leave. On the way out, you walk by Scootaloo. She takes one look at you, and scowls. She runs up to you. “What’d you do!?” She yells, punching at your leg. “You’ll understand when you’re older Scootaloo. Just leave me alone.” You say, pushing her away and walking on. You walk into a bar, and order a drink. You sit there, beating yourself up over this whole thing. It takes you a minute, but you realize that there is someone next to you. Her own sad sigh clues you to her presence. It’s Vinyl Scratch, the town’s best DJ. You start talking. “So what’re you here about?” She asks. “I really screwed up things with somepony special.” You admit. “Here here.” She says, raising her mug. “So, who was it?” She asks. “Rainbow Dash. She just admitted to me that she loved me, and I was too dumb to say anything. I probably botched my chances, and our friendship.” You explain. “Don’t I know that feeling. ‘Tavi and I had a big fight.” She tells you. “Who?” You ask. “Octavia. We had yet another fight about who the better musician is. This one was really serious, though.” She says with a heavy sigh. There’s a small silence as you let her get her bearings. “You know what, you shouldn’t give up so easily. You go after Rainbow Dash and fix it. It’s probably too late for me, but I won’t stand by and let someone else’s love die.” She says. “You know what, you’re right. I should go talk to her. Thanks Vinyl.” You say. “Go on. I need to think of a way to sort things out with ‘Tavi.” She says, practically pushing you out the door. You toss some money on the counter, and leave. At least you’re not the only one having a terrible day. And the other one encouraged you to fix yours. The rain is still coming down, and it’s a bit cold. You spread your wings, and take off. You head towards Rainbow’s home. When you finally land, you go to knock on the cloud door. There’s no answer. You try again. Still nothing. Then, you look down, and notice a note that seems to have fallen. You pick it up, and read it. “Dear Speedy. I knew you’d try to come after me sooner or later tonight. Please don’t. Just leave me alone. I’ve gone into the forest somewhere to be alone. I meant what I said, and you really hurt me and made me look like a fool. I’ll see you around.” It reads. You don’t want to obey the note. You know that she’s too headstrong to stay out there alone. But, at the same time you think you should listen to her. After all, it’s probably not wise to cross her. “Go.” You jump at Fluttershy’s voice. “You feel the same, I can tell. Go get her.” She encourages. You nod, and take off. You fly out towards the Everfree as fast as you can. The rain stings your face at the speed your travelling at, but you don’t care. You’re going to find her, no matter what. It’s dark now, and you can see that there’s a storm system over the forest. You search from the air, but it yields nothing. The treetops are too thick. The only way will be to go into the forest. Nopony goes in there for a reason. It’s full of horrific creatures that could kill in a handful of seconds. You swallow hard, and dive below the canopy. You land in the darkness below. You can feel the eyes of hundreds of things watching you, but you’re determined to complete your goal. You trot along, your guard raised. It’s times like these you wished you’d learned how to use a sword. It’s still raining, but the treetops provide a slight layer of protection. You search high and low, even caves. The second you discover a massive pile of gemstones in one, you bolt. That is the one sign of a dragon that you can remember. You search for an hour, and find nothing. Not a single sign of her. You continue, determined to bring her home. After another two hours pass, you start to give up. You need to rest, and think this whole thing over. You find your way into a small clearing. You sit under a tree in an effort to stay dry. You’re soaked, and it’s cold. You think you hear something, and jump up. Walking over in the sound’s direction, you can’t help but feel terrified. It doesn’t become clear until you get closer that it’s something crying. You part the bushes, and discover a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane sitting under a tree. She’s crying to herself. Relief washes over you like a wave. You’re then over taken by an extreme sense of remorse. You hurt her enough to make her cry, and that’s not easy to do. “Rainbow Dash?” You say. She jumps a bit, and turns around. She stands up, her sadness now replaced with anger. “I told you not to follow me!” She hisses. “But, Rainbow. I-” You get cut off. “Don’t you talk. Do you know how you made me look? Do you know how bad that hurt?! I told you how I felt, and you just stood there like a bucking idiot! You know, I thought you’d be better than that. I thought that you’d at least have the courtesy to tell me if you didn’t feel the same. But no, I was bucking wrong.” She flares her wings in anger (For some reason). The little box falls out. “You could’ve just said ‘I don’t like you that way’, but no. No, you’re too good to tell others that. Or are you just too stupid? Get out of here now, before I kick your dang head in!!” She rants. She’s seething with anger now. You can even hear slight growls as she breathes. “Can I talk now?” You ask. She doesn’t answer, and instead backs away from you. Doesn’t seem keen on listening to you, but she nods her head. Her expression is still a furious one. You take a step forward, and she takes one more back. You approach the box, and pick it up. Her expression changes from one of fierce anger, to one of puzzlement. “I just have one thing to tell you Dash.” You say. You open the box, and take her feather. She looks ready to take it back, but that’s not your plan. You instead tuck it inside of your own wing, the sign that you do accept her feelings. “I feel the same way.” You say, a small smile on your face. Her expression changes once more, this time to a questioning one. You can see her holding back joy. “Then why didn’t you say anything?” She asks. “I, I just couldn’t. You took me by surprise. The truth, is that I’ve felt the same way for a very long time.” You explain. She smiles, and wipes away a new set of tears forming in her eyes. She walks forward, and stops in front of you. She's soaked, and shivering. Right then, the rain lets up. The sheer coincidence is astounding, it was as though Celestia knew your situation and was smiling upon you. You just stare at each other for a minute. The quiet is nice. Rainbow steps just another step closer. She’s expecting something, but you don’t know whether to hug her or kiss her. She answers that for you. She wraps a forehoof around the back of your head, and tugs it down to her level. The both of you connect in a kiss that not only warms the heart, but mends it as well. You notice that there is a faint taste of multiple wild berries on her lips. “Because you took too long to do it yourself.” She says when she breaks it. You smile, and resist your urge to leap up into the air and cheer. She’s still shivering, and you’re just starting to yourself. “C’mon Dash. Let’s go home. It’s freezing, and we could do without getting sick.” You tell her. She nods, and you begin to leave. You could fly out, but a walk would do you both some good. Well, only after you get the patented “Rain-Blow Dry”. Wouldn’t do much good to walk around in the cold while soaking wet, now, would it? As you walk together, you hear something. It’s a loud roar that could only belong to one thing. A Manticore. You and Rainbow look at one another, and steel your nerves. If you’re going down, then you’re going down fighting. You both prepare to charge at it. Right as you’re ready to move, an object comes flying down from above. It strikes the Manticore in the neck. The beast falls, bleeding profusely and unable to move. “What the?” You and Rainbow say in unison. As you look up, you notice the human wave down to you. He slides down the ridge, and retrieves the object he called a spear. He leaves without saying a word. “Fly?” You query. “Fly.” She responds. You both take off, and fly among the tree tops. “Hey Speedy. Race to the edge of the forest?” She challenges. “You’re on. Winner gets what?” You ask. “That’s their pick.” She says. “On the count of three.” You say. “One, T-” She begins. “THREE!” You call out, chuckling as you take off. Rainbow catches up in no time. She’s smiling broadly. “You’ve picked up a few tricks of mine.” She says. “Yep.” Is all you say. This time, you win. You know she let you. Any other time you would have asked for a rematch, but not this time. You don’t care about that. She lands next to you. “So, what do you want?” She asks. You trot up to her, and lower your head to hers. “Already? I must be a good kisser.” She says, bragging a bit. “See, Ah told y’all they were fine.” You hear Applejack proclaim. You both look towards the road that heads into town. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are all standing there. They’re looking back at you. It’s unlikely they heard what Rainbow said. You fly over to them, Rainbow landing next to you. They all have a look that says “Well, what happened?”. Fluttershy looks at you expressly. You take the feather from your wing and show her. She smiles and trots over to you. “I knew you’d make the right choice.” She says. Now you’re confused. Had she been in on it the whole time? If so, she is one fantastic actress. You look to Rainbow for confirmation. She’s got a sheepish look on her face. “Yeah, I kinda told her everything.” She explains. Yep, Fluttershy is just a very good actress. You pull Rainbow close to you, and she leans her head against you. That’s more than enough for the others to get the idea. They all smile. “So, what now?” You ask. “Ah’ve got a lot of work tomorruh. Ah should probably turn in.” Says Applejack. “I have a meeting with an important client myself. I should probably get some sleep.” Rarity explains. “We’ll let you two have some time alone.” Twilight says for the remaining three. They all disperse, and head their own ways. You look at Rainbow, and she looks at you. You’re sharing the same thought. “Race ya home?” You offer. “You know it.” She answers.
