The Stallion and the Mare

Later that day, Rainbow Dash hides in a bush just outside John's shop, waiting for him to return home from Ponyville. She had been waiting for hours, and as the sun drops lower and lower, she becomes more impatient.

"Ugh, where the hay is he?" she says to herself, "It can't take him this long to get home, can it?" Her question is soon answered, however, as she spies John coming over the hill to his house, his cart loaded with various bits of metal and machinery. "Perfect," Rainbow Dash says as she waits until John goes inside, then goes up and knocks on the door.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash," John says once he opens the door, "What are you doing out this late?"

"Oh, I was, you know, in the neighborhood and, thought," Rainbow Dash begins to say, "why don't I come see my good friend John?" she finishes as she playfully wraps her foreleg around his neck.

"Um, okay," John says, his voice muffled by having his face smooshed, "Why don't you come in?" he asks warily.

"Thanks, bud!" she says as she releases him and trots inside, slapping him on the back with her wing as she passes. Confused, John hesitantly closes the door behind them and turns to address the blue pegasus.

"Alright, let's get down to business," Rainbow Dash says more seriously, her posture and speech suddenly becoming more stern and cold.

"Um, what can I do for you?" John asks, surprised by the mare's sudden change of behavior.

"This town's not big enough for more than one blue pegasus - or should I say, a pegasi imposter!" Rainbow Dash says, walking closer to John.

"What do you mean?" John asks, backing up slightly.

"Either you leave my friends alone, or leave Ponyville all together! I hope you know that the rest of my friends are just as suspicious as I am of your actions and behavior," Rainbow Dash continues.

"Oh really? Listen, Rainbow," John says, standing his ground, "I don't know what this grudge you have against me is exactly about, but I can assure you I'm not going anywhere."

Rainbow Dash sighs, "Then I guess we're going to have to settle this the hard way; I challenge you to a race!"

"A race?" john repeats.

"The Running of the Leaves takes place tomorrow afternoon, and I propose we race each other," Rainbow Dash explains, “The winner gets to stay in Ponyville; the loser has to leave.”

“Why exactly are you doing this?” John asks, “What did I ever do to you?”

“No pony tries to take my friends away from me,” Rainbow Dash fumes, “especially not some goody-two-shoes character like you.”

John narrows his eyes at Rainbow, who follows suit; finally, he says, “Alright, Rainbow Dash – you’re on!”

“Very well. And one more thing to remember,” Rainbow Dash sneers, “nice guys finish last.”

“Ha, we’ll see about that!” John retorts as Rainbow storms out of the shop.

The next day, John meets the Mane 6 before the race; while they chat, however, he tries to avoid eye contact with Rainbow Dash in fear of revealing their intentions. He had his doubts about racing against the rainbow-maned pegasus, but he hates backing down from a challenge. Also, if there is the chance he can prove himself to his new friends, he was certainly going to take it!

As John and Rainbow Dash make their way to the starting line, the Mane 5 take seats on the sidelines, talking about their friends’ strange behavior. “Is it just me, or did John seem a little – off, today?” Rarity asks the group.

“He wouldn’t even look at Dash for the entire conversation,” Applejack chips in, “I wonder what she said to him the other day,” she adds, looking over at Fluttershy accusingly.

“I only told her to get to know him better,” Fluttershy says innocently.

“Well, whatever happened between them,” Twilight answers, “I hope they sort it out before one of them gets hurt . . .”

Meanwhile, at the starting line, John and Rainbow Dash line up with the other members of the Running of the Leaves, knelt down in the starting positions. “Get ready to eat my dust,” Rainbow Dash teases.

“Not before you do,” John shoots back, just as Spike and Pinkie Pie signal for the race to begin. The competitors jump off the line at once, fighting for first place; Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, thrusts her wings out and zooms off the ground, giving her an explosive start. She soars past the other racers, and John looks up in just enough time to see a rainbow bur scream past him. When she returns to the ground one hundred yards away from him, John realizes even if he uses his own wings, he wouldn’t catch up, so he does his best sticking to the ground like the other competitors.

Far ahead of the pack, Rainbow Dash stops in a clearing in the forest, resting after her initial start to the race. “Ha, what a chump!" she jokes to herself, “I thought for sure he’d try using his wings like me, but I guess he’s thicker than I thought!” As the blue pegasus continues to gloat to herself, she does not realize how much time passes until she feels the ground rumbling underneath her hooves.

“Oops, lost track of time,” Rainbow Dash says as she prepares to fly away again; as she lifts off, however, she does not see a low-hanging tree branch in time to swerve away, and hits the branch full-force. She spins out of control into the brush on the side of the path, hearing a crunch as she lands on her side.

“Uh oh,” Rainbow Dash says as she tries to get back up, but an excruciating pain shoots through her left side, and she realizes she broke her wing and sprained her fore hoof. She falls back down into a bush just as the rest of the competitors roar past her hiding spot, which prevents anypony from spotting her. She tries calling out for help, but the thundering hooves drown her voice out; instead, she lays in the bush, wondering if anypony will come to her aid.

As the sun drops and the event draws to a close, the Mane 5 wait for the competitors at the finish line. They see almost everypony cross the finish line, except Rainbow Dash; finally, they see John collapse just after crossing the finish line, clearly exhausted.

“I may. .be a . .farm pony,” John says, panting, “but running. . .is not my strong-suit.”

“Well, at least you tried,” Applejack tells him, helping him up, “unlike Rainbow Dash there.”

“Yeah,” John agrees, “I imagine she was the first to finish, then?” he asks, looking around for their colorful friend.

“Actually, we haven’t seen her since the start,” Rarity says, “She certainly hasn’t finished yet.”

“Really?” John asks, a little concerned; considering the lead she had at the beginning of the race, Rainbow Dash should have crossed a long time ago. “Maybe she’s stuck out on the track somewhere,” he suggests.

“Ha, serves her right, after the way she treated you and us,” Applejack responds.

“Applejack!” Twilight reprimands, “That’s no way to talk about your friend!”

“Well, it’s true,” Applejack says, “Aw, come on, Twi, you can’t seriously side with her on this one.”

“None of us should side with her,” John says determinedly, “but she’s still our friend who needs help, regardless of her actions. I’m going to find her!” he adds as she whips his wings out of his pack and zooms away.

“Be careful!” Fluttershy calls after him as he races back towards his shop.