A Dash of Happiness Soared Through the Skies

A Dash of Happiness Soared Through the Skies

By: RDcrystalheart, AKA Crystal Heart

Chapter Twenty-Three: Mares and Stallions

As everypony got off the train, the stallions reunited with their respective mares, as they made their way to Blaze's friend's house.

The six had just arrived in Canterlot, and were walking through the streets, amazed at how quiet the town was at this time. The houses, all neat in a row, had dim lighting, and most of the streets were deserted.

After a few minutes of walking through the town, Blaze stopped outside a relatively large house. He knocked a few times on the door.

There was some light pattering of hooves, before a dark blue stallions answered the door. He smiled upon seeing Blaze, and took him in for a hug.

"Blaze! So good to see you again!" He said. Blaze smiled, and gladly returned the hug.

"You too, Night! How's Velvet been treating you?" He asked him. The blue stallion, who's name was Night, nodded.

"Velvet's been great! Ever since the children... Moved on... It's been a little hard on us, but we're still keeping well together!" He said happily. Blaze beamed, and gestured the rest of them to come inside.

Night greeted Firefly, before he led the six of them inside the house. A middle aged mare with a light grey coat, and a two toned purple mane came out from one of the rooms. Firefly gasped upon seeing her, and took her in for a big hug.

"Velvet!" She exclaimed. Dash presumed this was Night's wife.

"Firefly? Is that really you? Wow! The years have been hard on us..." Velvet joked, earning a light punch from the pink mare beside her. They both giggled, and made their way inside to the family room.

Dash and Soarin looked at each other, before shrugging, and following suit.

When the two entered the family room, there were many loud gasps heard, before Dash was pushed over in a ferocious hug.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Three mares yelled. Dash rubbed her forehead, before her vision was cleared. In front of her was a purple alicorn, a white unicorn, and a pink earth pony. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Dash's best friends.

"Twilight? Rarity? Pinkie? What are you three doing here?" Dash asked her friends in shock. They looked at each other, before staring back at her.

"My father, Night Light and my mother, Twilight Velvet, are hosting this party! Dad was friends with Hondo Flanks, Rarity's dad, and we invited the rest of the gang to join us as well! Applejack and Fluttershy will be arriving any minute now!" Twilight exclaimed. Dash gasped, and broke into a huge grin.

"Really?!? That's awesome!" She said, flying up and doing a somersault. Her friends smiled, and brought her back to the ground.

"Darling, we've never seen you so... Dressed up! Well, besides the Grand Galloping Gala..." Rarity said. Dash blushed, and nodded.

"Mom said I had to dress up for this. So I was like, what the heck? And I ended up wearing one of my sister in-law's dresses." Dash explained. Twilight brightened up.

"Speaking of sister in-laws! Cadance and Shining Armor are here! Look! There they are!" She exclaimed, before running over to the Crystal Princess, and doing their regular greeting.

Ace, who had been watching the encounter, gasped at the sight of the pink alicorn and her husband. She instantly went over, and bowed low.

"Your highnesses! I didn't expect you to be here!" She said. Spectrum noticed this, and went by his wife's side, doing the same. Princess Cadance was mildly surprised, but realized why they were doing this when Ace got up. Cadance recognized her eyes.

They had hexagon highlights, indicating she was a crystal pony. Cadance chuckled, and shook her hoof in the air.

"Oh please. It's fine! Call me Cadance." She said dismissively. Ace nodded, and looked over to Twilight. She bowed once again.

"Princess Twilight. It's an honor to meet you." She said in respect. Twilight grimaced, and rapidly shook her head.

"Please, I beg you to call me Twilight, and treat me like any other mare." She said. Ace smiled, and nodded.

"Alright. I'm Sparkling Ace. Call me Ace." She said, holding out a hoof. Twilight took it.

"Nice to meet you, Ace! Who are you here with?" She asked her. Ace gestured over to her group.

"My husband Spectrum Dash, and his family. Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Firefly, and Blaze." Ace replied. Twilight nodded, before raising an eyebrow at Soarin. She turned back to Ace.

"Since when was Soarin part of that family?" She asked curiously. Ace smirked, and shook her head.

"I don't think you should hear that from me." She said simply, before walking off with Spectrum. Twilight stared after her, and quirked her eyebrows curiously, making her way back to Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash! Since when was Soarin part of your family? Isn't he a Wonderbolt?" She asked her. The color drained from Rainbow's face. It was too soon! It was too early for her friends to find out about her relationship with Soarin! She wasn't ready!

"Yeah. He's a Wonderbolt. I invited him to come along today." She said, speaking only partial of the truth. Twilight raised her eyebrow again, before reluctantly nodding.

"Uh... Alright then... If you say so..." She said. The main doors opened wide again, and two mares stepped in. Applejack, and Fluttershy. They both gasped upon seeing their friends, and ran up to them with a hug.

"Girls! So great to see y'all!" Applejack explained, holding onto Rainbow Dash for a little while longer. "Rainbow! Twi didn't tell me y'all were comin'!" She exclaimed happily. Rainbow gladly returned the hug.

"I didn't know any of you guys would be here! My parents didn't tell me." Rainbow said, as she let go of her friend. She then looked over to Fluttershy, and smiled, bringing her in for her own hug.

"I missed you, Flutters!" She said, letting go of her oldest friend. Fluttershy smiled, and wiped a few tears.

"Oh, Rainbow! It's so wonderful to see you again! I missed you too!" She said, before hugging the rainbow maned mare for the second time. Dash smiled, and let go of her. Soarin casually trotted up to them.

"Hey! I remember you! You sold me that delicious apple pie a few years ago!" He said, referring to Applejack. She smiled, and nodded.

"Eeyup! That was me alright!" She said proudly. "I'm glad you liked it!" Soarin nodded seriously.

"Oh yes, it was awesome!" He said. Dash smirked.

"Would you say it was about... 20% cooler?" She asked him. Soarin gave a thoughtful grin, and nodded.

"Oh yeah... Totally, Dashie!" He said. Dash smirked again, and they both looked at each other.

"It was about... 20% cooler!" They said together, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

The other five mares were staring at the two of them curiously. Applejack leaned over to Twilight.

"What's goin' on between those two?" She asked, whispering into her friends ear. Twilight shrugged with a serious stare.

"I'm not really sure. But I'm going to find out by the end of this whole thing." She whispered to the other four, as they all nodded, and stared at the laughing ponies.

"Okay, okay. That's enough of my totally awesome catchphrase!" Dash boasted. Soarin nodded, as they both stared back at Rainbow's friends.

"What?" They both said together. Twilight and the rest of the ponies traded nervous glances between themselves, before shrugging.

"Eh. Hey! I just remembered something! Uh... Could you four come with me for a sec?" Twilight asked Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. They all nodded, and followed her into the next room. Soarin and Dash stared after them, before exiting the room themselves, heading into one of the living rooms.

"Girls! What do you think is up with Rainbow and Soarin?" Twilight asked her friends once they were out of earshot of any others.

"I don't know... But they were acting awfully friendly back there..." Applejack said suspiciously. Rarity nodded.

"You don't think... Rainbow's found herself a coltfriend?" She asked them all. They all stared at each other, before bursting out laughing.

"Haha... Yeah, Rarity! Sure, Dashie's got herself a coltfriend! Yeah right!" Pinkie said, rolling on the floor laughing. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Speaking of 'Dashie.' Did you hear him call Rainbow that? She never lets anypony call her that besides Pinkie and her mother!" Twilight mused. The others nodded in a mix of confusion.

"How about we spy on them for a little while?" Rarity suggested. The others looked shocked for a little while, but then reluctantly nodded.

"I think that's the best plan we have right now." Twilight told them all. They nodded again.

"Come on! I think I saw them going into the secondary living room!" Applejack exclaimed, before leading them all outside the small bedroom.

They heard some mild raspy voices coming from the room Applejack pointed out. They stared at each other, before opening the door a tiny bit, and staring inside.

"Oh Dashie... You're a hoot!" Soarin said, still trying to recover from the laughing session they had shared a few minutes prior. Dash nodded, as they both sat down on the couch by the fireplace.

"I know right? I'm probably the most funny pony you've ever met!" She bragged. Soarin chuckled.

"You know what, I think you are!" He told her. Dash grinned.

"You're also the most beautiful, smart, kind, caring, fast, and basically any other nice adjective you could think of. You're the light to my night, the color to my heart, the medicine to my wounds, the... Dang, I CANNOT sound romantic." Soarin mused in a frustrated tone at the end. Dash almost had tears in her eyes by the end of it. How could one be so sweet to her?

"Do you think it really matters if you sound romantic? I know you're romantic. No one else in my life has loved me like you have, Soar. And I haven't loved anypony as much as I love you." Dash told him seriously. "My father may not like it, my friends may not like it once they find out... But that honestly doesn't matter, because I like it." She finished, reaching out to hold both his hooves in her own. Soarin looked down at their inter-wined hooves, and blushed.

"Wow." He said. Dash gave him a small smile. Soarin looked back up at her.

"You know what? Forget it. Through this entire relationship, I've let ponies push me around. I've let them hurt me, stab me emotionally... And I haven't spoken up. I'm tired of ponies thinking they can control my relationship with you. I love you. And that's all that really matters." He said with a look of determination. Rainbow Dash grinned, and leaned in with a swift motion.

Their lips met in a soft, passionate kiss. This one was unlike any they had ever shared before. It held warmth, and love that had been held back for such a long time. The two ponies moaned under the kiss, as they slowly stared to caress each other's cheeks. They never wanted to let go. Their passion was unlike any other's! Soarin tilted his head further, deepening the kiss. Their hooves left the other's faces, and went around the other pony. Soarin wrapped his free hoof around Dash's waist, and pulled her closer to him. Dash smiled beneath the kiss, as they both passionately released their love for one another.

Soon, they both slowly lingered off each other, gasping for air. Soarin leaned in, and pressed his forehead to Dash's, as they both breathed hot air onto the other pony.

"I love you, Soar." Dash whispered.

"I love you too, Dashie." Soarin replied, as he embraced her in a tight hug. Dash laid her head on his chest, as they both relaxed, simply enjoying each other's company. Dash looked up, and gave Soarin a soft smile, which he happily returned.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were all staring at the couple with looks of blank shock. Twilight slowly closed the door, before turning to her friends.

"What... Just happened?" She asked them. But mostly to herself. The others looked back at her with the same expressions.

"Did... Did that... Did that really.... What the?" Pinkie said, slightly deflated. Applejack had her mouth hanging open, ash the recalled the scene that had just played out.

"Rainbow said things that I never imagined her saying... Why would she do that?" Applejack mused. Rarity, who's eyes were wide open, stumbled in her step.

"Because... Because... She's in love.... Rainbow Dash... Is in love." She mumbled.

"Oh girls... What are we going to say to them now? They obviously don't want us to know about their relationship just yet. Should we tell them that we saw them together?" Fluttershy asked her friends. They all shook their heads.

"No, Fluttershy. What would they think? Rainbow would think that we betrayed her! We spied on them when they were having an intimate moment! Things like that aren't just taken lightly by a pony! Even if it is, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. The other's nodded in agreement.

"So what now, darling?" Rarity asked her. Twilight sighed.

"I think the best thing to do is pretend we don't know anything. It's for the best." She said sadly. The other's looked down, and nodded. Rarity was the next to speak.

"And to think... Rainbow Dash got herself a colt before I did..." She mused. The others looked at her with a surprised expression, and Rarity just shrugged.

"What? It's safe to assume that they've been in a relationship for a pretty long time. Probably a week into when Dash started Wonderbolt tryouts. Did you see that kiss? That proves that they are very close. Anyway, I got my coltfriend just a week ago. Concluding that Dash got her colt before I got mine." She said in a mocking way. The others looked at each other, before shrugging.

"Speaking of which, how are things going between you and Thunderlane?" Applejack asked the white unicorn. Rarity smiled.

"Oh things between me and Thunder are divine! He's an absolute gem!" Rarity praised. Applejack nodded, and gestured back to the door they were still in front of.

Don't you think we should get them out of there?" She asked them. The other's nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Let's knock, to give them a warning." Twilight said, before knocking on the door with her hoof a couple times.

"Rainbow Dash? Soarin? Are you in there?" She called to them. She heard some rustling of hooves, before the door opened wide. Rainbow and Soarin stood there, with small smiles on their faces.

"Oh hey guys! Whats up?" Dash asked the latter. They all gestured back to the dining room.

"We're starting the feast. Come on!" Rarity said, leading them all to the room mentioned.

After a satisfying meal, everypony made their way back to the family room, where the large fireplace was standing. A large, toasty fire was started, as everypony took a few blankets. There were ten love-seat like couches, and everypony split into pairs and took a seat.

Firefly sat with Rainbow Blaze, Spectrum sat with Ace, Cookie Crumbles sat with Hondo Flanks, Rarity sat with her little sister Sweetie Belle, Night Light sat with Twilight Velvet, Cadance sat with Shining Armor, and Applebloom sat with Scootaloo. Soon, only Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were left. Rainbow Dash and Soarin looked at each other, and blushed. The rest of them saw this, and nervously looked at them.

"Rainbow Dash, how about you sit with Soarin. I'll sit with Pinkie, and Applejack can sit with Fluttershy." Twilight told them. They all sighed in relief, and nodded. Rainbow Dash and Soarin headed over to the couch across from Dash's parents, and the other four went to the final remaining two couches.

Once everypony was settled, Night Light played some gentle music, and decided to start some small talk between all the ponies.

Rainbow Dash yawned, as she checked the clock. It was almost eleven o'clock! Everypony was beginning to get tired, but nopony wanted to go on a long train ride home.

"Everypony, would you all like to sleep over for the night? We have more than enough guest rooms for you all to share! In fact, we have ten extra bedrooms. So how about we all just stay in our pairs, and share rooms accordingly?" Twilight Velvet suggested. Everypony nodded in agreement. Rainbow Blaze's eyes widened at the last part, and was about to object, but Firefly held him down.

"Look at Dashie." She whispered to him. Blaze looked over to his daughter, and was pleasantly surprised at the sight.

Rainbow Dash had her head in Soarin's chest, and was softly snoring as she slept. Soarin rested his head against her's, and wrapped a hoof around the cyan mare. She smiled in her sleep, and snuggled closer to him.

Blaze looked back at his wife with wide eyes.

"Oh alright. But just this once." He said, sighing in defeat. "And don't tell Dash I said this... But Soarin's alright."