Of The Past That Haunts Usby Dusk_WriterChaptersChapter 1- DreamChapter 2- Welcome to PonyvilleChapter 3- Getting AcquaintedChapter 4- Meet the FriendsChapter 5- Races and Midnight ChatsChapter 6- Morning ShenanigansChapter 8- One Side of the ProblemChapter 9- Why?Chapter 10- Listen…Chapter 11- I Totally Ship ItFinal ChapterChapter 7- That Escalated Quickly…Chapter 1- Dream"You still dream about the people lost in your memory, fabricated by your nostalgia and romanticized by your broken heart." —unknown In a seemingly eternal field of grass stood two lone pegasi with the sun gleaming brightly on their coats. One of them was a colt, and the other a filly. “You're leaving now?” the filly asked the colt standing right beside her. He looked towards the horizon and nodded. “Yeah…they want me straight away.” “Oh…promise you'll write letters? Or visit? Maybe—” “Hey! Calm down!” the colt chuckled, but stopped as the filly’s face fell. He lifted her chin up with his hoof and smiled. “But you know what? I'll be right here, in the same spot next week and I'll tell you absolutely everything!” She sighed. “Alright.” “Hey, come on. Put a smile on that face!” The filly rolled her eyes and put on a smile for his sake. “But…can you promise me you will?” the filly asked, looking into the eyes of her best friend. “I promise…I'll come back.” He never did. “Gah!” A blue Pegasus mare suddenly woke up with a jolt, her heart racing. She looked around and sighed in relief when she saw that she was only in her room. After taking a deep breath she laid back down on her soft cloud bed, pulling her warm covers back up. That dream again, she frowned. She continued to lay there in silence while pondering the meaning of the dream. Why after all these years? I haven't even seen him after…that. Dash sighed and clicked her tongue. After a few moments, Rainbow decided that she needed to go out for a fly to clear her head. Slowly getting out of the addicting warmth of the bed, she walked straight towards the door of her bedroom, not even bothering to freshen up. After walking through the halls of her home, glancing at the small pictures holding different memories along with a few of her trophies and medals, she finally reached the door leading out. She opened the door to her house and spread her mighty wings. The sun was just about to rise, and with the breeze of the night still blowing, it was perfect conditions for flying. With a small smile on her face, she quickly took off at breakneck speeds. “Woohoo!” Dash yelled into the air. This was her definitely her favourite pastime! The cold breeze that still lingered from the night, evaporated the sweat that started to form. Dash took a deep breath and sighed. This is what she lived for. Forgetting all about her troubles, she continued flying further and further, not having a particular destination in mind. Soon enough though, she could see a beautiful field of grass in her line of sight. Swooping down, Rainbow gently came to a halt. She looked around and recognized the place immediately, this was her usual training spot. She took in her surroundings for one more moment, before deciding she needed to get some training in. For her warm ups, she dropped down and started doing her daily one hundred wing ups. 1, 2, 3, 4 ,5… Dash mentally counted in her head. …6, 7, 8, 9, 10… Her mind started to slowly drift off, thinking about the dream once again. Why brain, why?! This is not the time to think about that! Dash internally fumed and tried to shake the thought out of her head, but no matter what she did, it still stayed. Rainbow was in fact so distracted, she didn't notice when she had finished doing her wing ups and accidentally did five more. “Agh! Focus Dash!” she muttered and sighed. She stood up and was about to take off for a few laps, when a voice brought her to a halt. “Rainbow! I knew you'd be here!” Dash turned to look behind her and saw Twilight waving at her. “Oh, hey Twi!” she said, and walked over to the lavender alicorn. “What are you doing here?” She tilted her head. “I was looking around for you because I have something really important to discuss with the rest of the girls at the castle and I just came to get you.” Rainbow shrugged. Rainbow shrugged. “Well, alright. I can continue my practise later.” “So, why are we here Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked, lightly bouncing in her throne. “Well, since Ponyville is growing more each and every day, I thought why not build a stadium to hold different events? The stadium will hold thousands of spectators and will be large enough for both aerial and ground performances! What do you think?” Twilight smiled brightly. The remaining five ponies muttered to each other. While Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie held excited expressions, Applejack had a worrisome look on her face. “Uh, Twi? While this sounds mighty excitin’ and all, will the construction of this stadium harm any of the trees? The smoke and dust ain't exactly healthy for ‘em.” “Don't worry Applejack. I've already taken your farm into consideration and the stadium won't be built near Sweet Apple Acres. Since your farm is toward the northern side, it'll be built towards the south and hopefully there won't be too much noise entering the town as well!” Twilight beamed as she finished off. “That's great, darling! This is truly going to be marvellous!” Rarity nodded. “One more thing guys. For the grand opening I want all of you to help!” “Sure! What do you need?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “Well, the stadium will be finished a month from now, so I believe that'll be enough time for the preparations. Pinkie and Rarity will handle the decorations, I want you guys to do something simple yet eye catching. Applejack will handle the food and refreshments. Fluttershy, I want you and your animals to perform at the opening. And finally, I've requested the Wonderbolts and they've agreed to perform for us, so Rainbow, I want you to perform with them.” “Really? Aww, yeah!” Dash pumped a hoof into the air. “But,” Twilight continued, “there's one more thing I would like to ask of you,” she said while looking at Rainbow. “What is it?” “Could you possibly let the Wonderbolts stay at your house for a month?” she asked sheepishly. “…I mean, I can but, why?” Dash raised an eyebrow. “Well you see, the lead commanders, Captain Spitfire, Commander Soarin and Commander Fleetfoot are coming to visit for a month to oversee the preparations along with myself. So, since the Ponyville Motel is currently full, I wanted to ask if you could host them. I would've gladly let them stay here, but I know pegasi characteristics and I believe they would be much more comfortable staying in a cloud structure, and since yours is huge I thought it'd be perfect! Also, their fourth squad member, High Winds, is on leave, thus I suggested they add you to the show and since they'll be living under the same roof as you, you could decide the routine together at anytime.” Rainbow blinked. Rainbow blinked. “…You really thought this through, egghead.” “Yeah, well…” She blushed as the others laughed. “Alright, I'll do it!” Dash said as she continued to chuckle. “Yay! This'll be the bestest thing ever!!” Pinkie beamed. Rainbow continued to smile and laugh along with the others, but on the inside, she had thoughts that were completely different to the current situation. What did I just agree to? Chapter 2- Welcome to Ponyville"It's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." —Marilyn Monroe It was a particularly sunny day in Ponyville; not a single cloud to be seen for miles. Three Wonderbolts soared in the sky in an arrow formation, their wingbeats completely in sync with each other.. Everypony that had looked up could see the thundering trail that they left in their wake. They had big, brown saddlebags on their back, filled with the necessary items for their stay. “So, where are we heading to again?” Fleetfoot asked as she flew beside Soarin with Spitfire in the lead. “Ponyville," Spitfire said simply while raising an eyebrow. “…Ok.” A small period of silence ensued which was broken by Fleetfoot coughing awkwardly while looking at Soarin. He shrugged. “So…who are we meeting there exactly?” he asked, trying to seem innocent. Spitfire glanced at the two ponies. “Seriously?” “Yeah! Why did I have to cancel my spa appointment again?” “And where in Ponyville are we heading?” “Oh for the last time! Did you even pay attention while I was explaining everything to you two goddamn feather brains?!” She huffed. “Wait…when did you explain any of this?” Fleetfoot asked while Soarin snickered. “Sweet Celestia’s buttcheeks, kill me now!” Soarin chuckled. "We're just messin’ with ya Spitz, right Fleet?” He glanced at her from the side but she still seemed to be confused. “No seriously, when did you?” “…” “…I'm kidding.” Fleetfoot snickered as Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we’re almost here so for the love of Celestia, behave yourselves!” she scolded them. “Sometimes, I swear I'm handling a pair of foals…” “We heard that!” Fleetfoot pouted. “And I don't care!” Spitfire said as the trio came in for a landing near the huge castle. “Ya know, I always knew I was destined to meet royalty,” Soarin piped up as they started to walk. The fiery pegasus raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, meet royalty and polish their horseshoes,” she joked. “Oh, ha ha,” he mocked. The three reached the castle and stood in front of the giant double doors. “…So, do we knock?” Fleetfoot asked. Spitfire and Soarin shrugged. She flattened her brow and awkwardly knocked. “…Um, hello? Anypony home?” She put her ear to the door, hearing light hoofsteps and a male voice which yelled, "Coming!” The door swung open to reveal a light purple and green baby dragon. “Uh, hello. We—” Fleetfoot finally got a good look at who she was speaking to and yelped, jumping into the air with surprise. “A dragon!!” she gasped. Spike held up his claws in a defensive manner. “Woah dude, chill! I'm Princess Twilight’s assistant, Spike.” She calmed down and sheepishly flew back to the ground. “Eh heh…sorry.” “It's cool. Come on in, Twilight’s been waiting for you.” He motioned for them to follow. As they trotted inside, the first thing they saw was a huge white staircase, leading two ways. They followed Spike up a flight of stairs which led to multiple purple colored doors. They kept walking straight towards a much larger one than the rest at the end of the hall. “Twilight’s in there.” Spike pointed to the large door. “I have to take care of a few things, so I'll catch you later.” He waved goodbye and walked off, not giving a chance for them to speak. The trio looked at each other and shrugged, before opening the doors to reveal the throne room. The throne room had a round table made of crystal with six tall and one small thrones surrounding it. In one of them sat Princess Twilight Sparkle, who was filling out some paperwork, but stopped as she noticed the Wonderbolts enter. “Oh! You're here, great!” she said and walked over to them. The other three ponies started to dip down to bow but a hoof stopped them. “Please, no need for that.” She smiled softly. “I am very happy for you to be working with us and leaving some of your other comrades in charge. Thank you.” “It was no problem your highness—” Spitfire began but was cut off by Twilight. “Please, Twilight is fine. I really don't like when ponies call me princess.” She shrugged. “Uh, sure. As I was saying, it's no problem Twilight, it's actually refreshing to change the usual, everyday routine up a bit. We should really be thanking you.” “Well, I'm glad to see you're happy working with us. Now on to business; you three will be staying with a dear friend of mine who was also the bearer of loyalty and is part of the friendship council. She'll tell you all the details when you arrive at her house.” Twilight then started walking towards the exit. “Follow me.” They did as they were told and followed the lavender princess through the halls once again, taking many twists and turns through the corridors, finally reaching another flight of stairs which was leading up. “Phew, I didn't forget the way this time," Twilight muttered. She led the Wonderbolts up and they saw a huge, lone door. “This castle really likes its doors,” Fleetfoot whispered to Soarin, who nodded in agreement. Twilight proceeded to open the door with her magic and was met with a blast fresh air and beautiful, clear blue skies. They all walked to the railings of the huge balcony and Twilight spoke. “You see that?” She pointed in the distance towards a cloud structure. “You have to fly towards that; it's the only cloud structure here in Ponyville, so I don't have to worry about you getting lost,” she chuckled. “Ok, thanks Twilight! We'd best be off,” Spitfire said, and spread her wings along with Fleetfoot and Soarin and they took off. “Bye!” Twilight yelled from her balcony. The Wonderbolts flew across Ponyville to the large cloud structure floating in the air. “This thing is getting bigger and bigger every second!” Fleetfoot commented as in fact, the mansion had looked quite small from the distance. “You said it! This mare must rich!” Soarin whistled. Spitfire nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Though guys, I just remembered. After we meet the pony we're staying with, we'll have to ask her directions to Rainbow’s house—we need to plan the routine after all.” “Alright.” “Hey guys, I have to ask. Did you notice the cutie marks on the thrones?” Fleetfoot asked. “No, I was talking to Princess Twilight,” Spitfire said. She looked at Soarin and he shook his head. “Well, one of them was a white cloud with a red, yellow and blue lightning bolt shooting out of it; the bearer of loyalty…I swear I've seen that before…” Fleetfoot mused. “Hmm, that does sound familiar. I just don't know where from…” “Well, we're about to find out whos it is,” Soarin said, as they landed in front of the door of the cloud mansion. Spitfire knocked on the door and heard hoofsteps getting louder as the owner opened the door. “Oh hey, you're here!” The three Wonderbolts' jaws dropped in shock at the sight of who opened the door. From her cyan coat to her rainbow mane, from her shining magenta eyes to the exact same cutie mark from the throne. “Rainbow Dash?!?!” Chapter 3- Getting Acquainted"The unexpected is usually what brings the unbelievable." —MKR “Rainbow Dash?!?!” The three Wonderbolts exclaimed in unison. If they were expecting anypony being part of the Friendship Council or ever being the element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash was not at the top of the list. Even though she was extremely loyal and always stood by her friends, she had never came across as a ‘powerful being’ who used to wield even more powerful ancient artifacts to anypony. “Uh, hello to you too?” When they didn't move from their spot, Dash rose an eyebrow, “what? Didn't expect to see me?” She asked. Spitfire quickly regained her composure after she realised she was gaping, “uh, sorry.” She subtly kicked both Soarin and Fleetfoot as they stepped out of their trance too, “can we come in?” “Oh, yeah. Sorry!” Dash chuckled sheepishly. The trio stepped into the house with Rainbow closing the door behind them. The mansion was quite a sight and looked almost bigger than the exterior! It had blueish-grey colored walls with large windows and a pegasus statue near the front door. Right in front of them, was black staircase leading up to a spacious area with a couch, coffee table and a kitchen to the side. Straight through the living area was a hall which lead to different rooms. “Can we trade houses?!” Fleetfoot asked with stars in her eyes as Dash quietly giggled at her. “I don't think my friends would like that,” she joked. “Who cares?! I wanna live here forever!” “Dash?” Spitfire began as Fleetfoot continued to giggle, “I'm curious. Why didn't you mention that you were a bearer in your Wonderbolts Reservist application?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Dash shrugged. “I didn't think it was important.” “…” “You're kidding?” Spitfire furrowed her brow, “how is that not important?!” She asked as they started to walk upstairs. Fleetfoot was still busy gaping at the house, so Soarin had to drag her along casually with her tail in his mouth, upstairs. “Uh,” she blinked at Soarin and Fleetfoot and shrugged. It's not like she's never seen anything weirder happen. “I mean, no one really bothers about the elements all that much, so I'd thought it insignificant. Besides, it would probably come off as me trying to get the position easier because of my ‘connections’.” “Yeah…yeah, I guess you're right,” Spitfire agreed, unable to deny the truth of the statement. They suddenly heard a shrill scream from behind them. Quickly turning around, they saw Fleetfoot screaming at a…green flying thing? Soarin slowly backed away as it continued to ‘attack’ her. Rainbow Dash quickly shoved a hoof in her mouth in an attempt to stifle her snickers, but all in vain as she was on the ground laughing her tail off in seconds. “What are you laughing at?! And what is this thing?!” Fleetfoot yelped and tried to get the ‘thing’ away from her face. Seeing her attempts to pry the ‘oh so dangerous creature’ off, made her laugh even harder. “T-Tank!” She managed to say in between her guffawing. “Come over here!” And there she went laughing again. The tortoise heard his master and flew away from his ‘prey’ landed right next to her. Rainbow finally got up from the ground, letting loose a few more chuckles and wiping a few more tears from her eyes. “Oh man, that was rich.” She chuckled some more and gestured over the tortoise slowly smiling at Dash, “this here is my pet tortoise, Tank.” She petted his shell with a hoof. “You usually don't see him flying around that often—as he's usually napping a lot—but he's always there to greet visitors, and that was his way of saying ‘hello’.” Dash glanced at Fleetfoot, smirking. “Fleet over here, got scared by a tortoise.” The said turquoise colored mare finally regained her composure and huffed, “hey! It's not my fault! He's…scary.” “He's smaller than you, Fleet.” Spitfire remarked. “So is a bomb.” She snarked. “…Touché” “Alright, you two! Let's just stop before one of you brings out the claws.” Soarin joked. “And who are you, again? The pretty Alicorn princess here to have the day?” Fleetfoot gasped and fell against Spitfire dramatically. “Oh no! I feel like such a damsel in distress and don't know what to do! Save me from this menace of a captain.” She brought a hoof to her forehead as Spitfire snickered. “Ok! Get off!” The fiery maned pegasus put the now laughing Fleetfoot off. “Sometimes, I don't know how I deal with you both.” She shook her head in a playful manner and looked at Dash. “Sorry for their behaviour. But, you better get used to their shenanigans.” Spitfire rolled her eyes as Dash lightly snorted from off to the side. “That's nothin’! You don't even know half of the things I've seen…most, unwillingly.” She admitted while shuddering. “Oh? Now you've got me curious. I'd like to hear the stories sometime.” Soarin chuckled. “Sometime.” Her answer was so brief that it made Soarin raise an eyebrow curiously. Noticing his look, she quickly turned away while averting his eye. “Uh, follow me to your rooms.” Dash swallowed the lump rising in her throat and started to walk straight towards the rooms right in front of the staircase. Soarin shrugged at the strange behaviour. Maybe she was just nervous, she had fangirled over them in several occasions. The rest followed closely behind as they saw six rooms all parallel to each other. Rainbow stopped right in front and gestured towards the three rooms on the right. “These are yours.” She then proceeded to point towards the first room on her left. “This one is mine. And from these two,” she pointed at the remaining rooms, “one of them is a storage room and the other a toilet.” “Thanks again for hosting us Dash, we really appreciate it.” Spitfire smiled softly and walked towards the room closest to her. “I think I'll take this one.” “Uh, I guess I'll take the middle one.” Soarin shrugged walked to the room right next to Spitfire. Fleetfoot blinked. “Hey! How come I get the last room?!” She pouted childishly. Dash stifled a chuckle and trotted over to her. “Don't worry. That's the biggest room of the three.” She quietly whispered and subtly winked. Fleetfoot perked up and giggled, causing raised eyebrows from the other two. “Nevermind! I'm good.” She stuck her tongue out as Rainbow smirked. “Alright, after you three get settled in, my friends and I are meeting up at a small bakery in town called Sugarcube Corner. I thought why not introduce you guys personally? And tomorrow, I'm going to give a small tour of Ponyville to help you get around, sound good?” Dash asked with a smile as the Wonderbolts walked into their rooms. “Why not?” Soarin flashed a crooked smile. He was about to continue when they heard another scream from Fleetfoot. “Get it away!!” She shrieked at Tank who was once again ramming into her. “I think he likes you.” Spitfire said sarcastically. Oh boy, it was going to be a long day. Chapter 4- Meet the Friends"Talk with people who make you see the world differently." —The Idealist “I smell chocolate.” Fleetfoot sniffed the air trying to decipher where the smell was actually coming from. “This is a bakery Fleet. Of course it has chocolate.” Spitfire rolled her eyes. “No shit, Shadow Spade.” She scoffed, “but, I still want to find the source to taste the delectable delight of it melting in my mouth, it's soft, creamy texture being—” she was cut off by a cyan hoof being shoved in her mouth. “Let's not do that, I'm getting hungrier by the minute.” Dash chuckled and removed the hoof, wiping it behind on the table when nopony was looking. “Sorry.” Fleetfoot grinned sheepishly. The four ponies were currently in Sugarcube Corner sitting on a table for ten near the window. Usually there were no tables for ten but, Pinkie crammed a few together. They were waiting on Dash’s friends to arrive to have some lunch. “Ya know, I'm surprised we haven't run into Pinkie yet.” Rainbow looked around trying to spot the pink furry menace. “I heard my name?!” Dash yelped and almost fell from her chair as the pink menace was suddenly in front of her eyes within mere seconds and a wild grin plastered on her face. “Pinkie! You know I've told you not to sneak up on me like that!” She scolded, “…not that I was scared, it's just…not nice…” “Okie dokie loki, Dashie! I'm just super duper excited to finally meet the Wonderbolts face to face!” She suddenly gasped. “We need to have a party!” She gasped even harder. “Or, a surprise party!!” She then lowered down her voice, “but don't let them know…” Dash facehoofed. “Pinkie. First of all, we don't have time for a party and second of all, they're right there.” She pointed towards the trio who were quietly snickering. “Oh my gosh! You really are Wonderbolts! I mean, it would take somepony with great skills to sneak around me!” She booped their muzzles. “Yeah, great skills,” Dash muttered sarcastically. Pinkie then put her hoof in her hair rummaging through it as if it were a bag. After a few moments, she pulled out a fresh batch of red velvet cupcakes with light pink icing on top. “You wanna try the cupcakes I made? Applebloom and Cloud Kicker helped me yesterday, they're to die for!” Pinkie grinned maniacally. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “I haven't seen Cloud Kicker since yesterday. You know where she is?” Dash asked. “Oh yeah. She's visiting her grandma in Las Pegasus, it'll be a while before you see her again.” Pinkie winked. “But come on, try one.” She held them out. “Uh, sure?” Dash shrugged and Pinkie handed them a cupcake each. They took a bite of it and Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “This doesn't taste like red velvet.” Pinkie giggled. “I added a special secret ingredient silly! Of course it doesn't taste the same.” She stuck her tongue out. “Come to think of it, it's better!” Fleetfoot praised, taking another big bite of the cupcake. “Thanks! Tomorrow, Silver Spoon’s gonna help out as well.” Pinkie then glanced at the door leading to the kitchen as they heard a ‘ding’. “Oh! That's the next batch, I'll see you guys when the others arrive!” And she skipped off while humming. “Well, she's…interesting,” Soarin chuckled, “kinda reminds me of Surprise.” “I wonder if they're related.” Fleetfoot mused. “Well, we can't find out now. The rest of my friends are here.” Dash motioned towards the door as four mares and a dragon entered the shop, instantly spotting the long table with the pegasus occupants. “Hey guys,” Twilight greeted as they trotted over to the table “Hey Twi!” Rainbow smiled as the mares sat down. “It's nice to finally meet the Wonderbolts in person without…ah, falling to my doom,” Rarity smiled sheepishly. Spitfire chuckled. “It's alright. But, I have to say. You have strong hooves for somepony who isn't…as athletic,” “Uh…thank you? By the way, my name is Rarity.” She flashed a small smile. “Hey guys! Lunch is served!” Pinkie suddenly popped out of nowhere and there was food on the table. “But, we didn't order…and how did you do that so fast?!” Fleetfoot asked wide eyes. “Number one. My mind cap! Number two. Food cannon!” She casually bounced over to the only empty seat in between Spike and Applejack and started eating the weird looking…omelette on the table? “Food…cannon?” “NOTHING!!” Pinkie suddenly shouted causing the others to flinch. She immediately went back to eating her food, almost smacking Spike in the face. “Uh, Dash?” Spitfire asked. “Yeah?” “Why does she have frosting and sprinkles on an omelette?” She paused for a moment, “wait…why does she even have an omelette right now?!” “She runs on sugar. Just…don't question it.” Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. “…Ok.” “Alright! I think we did this out of order. Firstly, this is Fluttershy,” she pointed to the shy mare who responded with a small wave. She then pointed to the rest respectively, “this is Applejack, Rarity and this is Pinkie Pie. And you obviously know myself, Spike and Rainbow.” “Geez, Twi. We’re not in school anymore. What are you gonna do next? Start asking us where we're from?” Dash rolled her eyes playfully to which the others snickered. “Uh, well…” Twilight blushed. “Hah! I didn't think you'd actually were going to do it!” Rainbow laughed. “Actually, what I’d like to know is how exactly you six met. Such different personalities, yet are the best of friends.” Fleetfoot leaned forward and squished her face in her hooves. “Funny story actually. We didn't really meet until the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, where Nightmare Moon attacked.” Twilight shrugged. “Really? I'd think you'd be friends long before that!” Soarin exclaimed. The other two nodded in agreement. “Pssh, Twilight didn't want a friend, let alone five!” Spike snorted. The alicorn rolled her violet eyes. “Well actually, Princess Celestia asked me to oversee preparations for…” and she continued the story telling them about how the five wanted to be friends with her even though she herself didn't. And when they entered the Everfree forest, encountering several obstacles, finally leading up to the moment where Twilight realised they were her true friends. They then harnessed the elements to defeat Nightmare Moon and freed Celestia. “…and so, she let me stay in Ponyville for my studies on friendship.” She ended. “What a way to meet! I don't think I've ever done anything as epic!” Soarin whistled. “Except that time where you accidentally caused a full on lightning storm over the Everfree and earned your cutiemark.” Dash chuckled but stopped abruptly as she realised what she said and hoped nopony heard her. Unfortunately, everypony did. “Uh, wow.” Soarin blinked. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shi— “You are such a stalker!” He laughed. Dash blushed. Phew. “Haha, not my fault. It was all over the news!” She played along. She needed to be careful, she couldn't slip up like that again. Author's Note Sorry for the late-ish update, I'm on vacation and my cousins are very distracting! XD So, expect a few more late updates—depends on how busy I'll be (I swear we go out everyday -_- Chapter 5- Races and Midnight Chats"Never let your fear stop you from giving second chances." —Dusk Writer (Me) “…and that's Ponyville’s local Bowling Alley.” Dash pointed towards a building with a sign that showed a bowling pin and ball. It was a normal day in Ponyville, at least, as normal as it could get. The sky was a clear blue with a few clouds lurking around. It was one of those days where ponies would want to stay outside and bathe in Celestia’s sunlight for as long as it lasted. Which was why, this was the perfect time for a particular tour—or at least, the end of one. “Ponyville has its own Bowling Alley? Geez, was does this place not have?!” Fleetfoot asked in surprise. “An antique store. But, we’re working on it.” “Right,” Soarin rolled his eyes playfully. “So, what's next?” He asked. “Hmm…” Dash mused, thinking over all the things she showed them, “…I think that's it!” “This is a pretty neat little town you have Dash.” Spitfire complimented. “Wouldn't mind living here, seems very peaceful.” Rainbow snorted. “Peaceful. Yeah sure, if you're not getting attacked by Ursa Minors, Cerberus, Bugbears, maniac unicorns and dragons every other week.” She rolled her eyes. “…Nevermind.” “Anyways, I think there's one more place to show you. It's one of my favourite spots in Ponyville.” “Oh?” Soarin perked up. “Yeah. Ever heard of Ghastly Gorge?” She grinned. “…I think we haven't heard of it for a reason, Dash.” Fleetfoot said. Dash scoffed, “pssh, It's not that dangerous. Besides, it'll be fun!” She started to hover above the ground. “Follow me!” “Eh, why not?” The turquoise pegasus shrugged and followed after the rest who had already taken off. They all flew through the bustling crowds towards the western side of the town. The peaceful yet busy atmosphere of Ponyville was strangely calming. If one listened close enough, they could hear the faint sound of drilling and machines. The construction on the stadium had started today. As they flew further and further, the number of buildings started to decrease and the land started to turn barren with grass and hills. “How much farther?” Spitfire asked as they were quite far away from the town. Dash suddenly screeched to a halt making the others stop with her and smirked sideways at Spitfire. “We’re here.” The Wonderbolts looked in front of them and their eyes widened. They didn't know what they were expecting but what lay before them was…breathtaking. The gorge itself was huge with many sharp twists and turns and unsteady paths. There was a large flowing stream with clear blue water and it looked absolutely magnificent with the sunlight hitting it at just the right angle. “Woah…” Soarin breathed. “Yeah, it's pretty cool at this time of year but, don't let its awesomeness fool you. It can be pretty tough, especially if you're a first timer,” she glanced at them. “Wait…what do you mean by ‘first timer’?” Spitfire rose an eyebrow. “We're gonna race through it, duh!” “Wait, what?!” Fleetfoot exclaimed. “What exactly is through there?” “Hmm let's see, there's the Windy Caves, Bramble Bushes—which you need mad agility for—and the Quarry Eels.” She finished. “Uh, are you sure that's safe?” Soarin asked worriedly. Dash flashed a confident smile, “nope!” And with that she took off. “That mare is crazy,” he shook his head and looked the two mares. “Let's go!” They took off at breakneck speeds after the cyan mare, making sharp twists and turns, dodging rocks and other debris until they reached the first obstacle; The Windy Caves. The wind was much more stronger than they had anticipated as they were pushed back by the strong gusts. “How is there such a strong wind current in a random tunnel?!” Fleetfoot grunted. “This is Equestria! Anything can happen! Now, flap your wings faster!” Spitfire commanded. They did as Spitfire told them and quickly pushed through. They looked at each other and silently agreed on one thing. This was going to be hard. Dash sighed contently from the cloud she was laying on. She had finished the course five minutes ago and was resting peacefully. She wasn't expecting the trio to finish the course that easily as even she had trouble the first time. After years of practice, she mastered the natural course through the gorge and could finish it almost under a minute. Oh well, she'd be here when the Wonderbolts came back…eventually. Dash sighed once again. Today really was a great day for a nap. As she was about to doze off, she heard the faint flapping of wings getting closer and closer. She quickly popped one eye open and saw the three pegasi flying their way towards her, panting and wheezing. “Just when I was about to get some shut-eye.” She grumbled under her breath. “What. The. Hell did you just put us through? And when did you get here?!” Fleetfoot exclaimed. “What? It's pretty easy! And about five minutes ago.” Dash stretched on the cloud. Spitfire shook her head. “Never thought I'd see the day when a non-’Bolt gave us a run for our money.” She complimented. “Wait…how long have you trained on this course?” Soarin asked raising an eyebrow. Rainbow chuckled, knowing he had caught her. “Five years?” She smiled sheepishly. Spitfire’s eye twitched. After the little race, the four had just lounged around and flew around different areas in Ponyville. They had once again gotten lunch at Sugarcube Corner, hanging around Pinkie for a while and leaving afterwards even though she insisted they bake cupcakes with her. They relaxed in the evening sun as Dash got her daily dose of naps. After the little break, they had dinner in a small restaurant called ‘Hay Burgers’ and needless to say, they returned late after midnight. Everyone had retreated to bed, wishing each other goodnight and probably fell asleep as their heads hit their pillow. All except one. Dash twisted and turned in her soft cloud bed but no matter what she tried to do, she couldn't sleep. There was this pit of unease in her stomach, like someone had put a massive boulder there and was trying to crush it along with her organs. She sighed, so much for getting enough sleep tonight. Rainbow slowly got up from her bed and looked towards her right. Why not? She walked towards a large window and opened it, being almost immediately greeted by a blast of fresh air. She looked outside and cracked a smile. It was beautiful out tonight. Billions of stars were twinkling out in the light of the full moon. It almost looked surreal. She unfurled her wings and let the soft, cool breeze go through her feathers. It was nights like this she loved. With one mighty flap, Dash flew through the window and into the sky, flying higher and higher above her home. She continued to fly as high as she could go, letting the wind ruffle up her mane and feathers. She finally stopped and quickly found a stray cloud to land upon. “I really need scold the weather team for not doing their job perfectly.” She muttered to herself as she sat on the cloud looking upwards once again. Dash continued to look at the stars for quite a while. Minutes? Hours? She didn't care. Whenever she came up here, she felt free…like she could do anything and take on the impossible by herself. Her ears suddenly perked up as she heard the flapping of wings behind her. She quickly turned around and saw a certain navy-maned pegasus landing on the cloud right behind her. “Soarin? What are you doing up here?” Dash asked curiously. He shrugged and sat next to her. “I could ask you the same thing.” Soarin said. It was her turn to shrug. “Couldn't sleep,” she said simply. He nodded and they looked back up at the stars. Dash wanted to fly off and be alone—if her twitching wings were any indication—but, she didn't. Instead she sat there with him, neither a saying a word until she broke the silence. “When I was young,” she began, catching Soarin’s attention. “I wanted to fly higher and higher with nothing stopping me, no limits. I wanted to keep flying and be the first non-alicorn to step on the moon. I relayed the idea to my best friend…he thought it was foolish, but he said that if anyone could do it, it'd be me.” She cracked a small smile. “After a while I thought it was a foolish idea too and that dream was overshadowed by me wanting to join the Wonderbolts, but that dream, was always in the back of my mind. I came up here everyday to look at the stars but, I guess I must've gotten too busy recently…” she had no idea why she was telling him but it was too late to take anything back. He remained silent for a few moments. Why did that story seem so familiar? He brushed off the thought and said, “well I don't think it's foolish.” Dash looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I think I agree with your friend…I think if anyone could do it, it'd be you.” He flashed a crooked smile at her. “Besides, the sky's the limit, right?” She stared at him not saying a word. Everypony she had said that to had just scoffed and told her nopony has or will ever step on the moon—besides Luna, but even that was still the result of a banishment. “Thanks Soarin,” she smiled softly. Her wings had stopped twitching. He flashed her his crooked smile again, not saying a word and both of them resumed looking at the stars. It really was a beautiful night. Art by me Author's Note Sorry this is a bit late, I was busy working on something else and since I'm going back in 11 days, a lot of people are visiting. But on the bright side, my school doesn't open till the 28th of August so I have like 34 more days of vacation left. So expect more chapters! Chapter 6- Morning Shenanigans"The early bird can have the worm, because worms are gross and mornings are stupid." —yourtango Soarin awoke to the sound of shouting. “Hmm?” He awoke groggily and slowly opened his eyes. Bad idea. He groaned in annoyance as he was met with sunlight directly shining on his face. Soarin closed his eyes once again and peacefully laid there for a few more seconds in silence. Oh sweet silence. The shouting resumed. “That just couldn't last now could it?” He grumbled, now fully awake. “Now, what is the commotion about?” He asked to himself and walked over to the door, yawning. As soon as he stepped out, his attention was diverted by the smell of fresh blueberry pancakes. Soarin’s stomach grumbled and he licked his lips. Breakfast sounded great right now… But of course, the shouting once again got louder at that moment. Who was yelling?! His focus was once again returned to the sound and he followed it to the last room…Fleetfoot’s current room. He opened the door and shoved a hoof in his mouth to stifle his laughter. The pony shouting was Spitfire and the pony being shouted at was an unfazed and still sleeping, Fleetfoot. Spitfire was pulling at her hind legs, trying to drag the apparently heavy sleeper out of bed. But, somehow she still managed to sleep and stay on the bed, snoring loudly. “—FROM ALL THE YEARS OF WAKING UP EARLY FOR WONDERBOLTS TRAINING, ALL IT TAKES IS ONE DAY FOR YOU TO FORGET. ONE. BLOODY. DAY!! I DON’T HAVE A SHITTING CLUE HOW YOU’RE STILL SLEEPING BUT, I KNOW IF I WERE AN ASSASSIN, YOU’D ALREADY BE DEAD BY NOW, KEEP AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, YOU BLOODY GODDAMN—” she kept on going about how Princess Celestia would be disappointed in her and how she wasn't living up to the status of a Wonderbolt. Deciding Soarin had enough of his laughs for the day, he walked up to Spitfire chuckling, and put his hoof on her mouth. “I’d think by now you'd have murdered her,” he joked. She took a deep breath and huffed. “I've been at it a while and I don't know how she's still sleeping. I've literally tried everything!” She growled. The door opened once again to reveal Dash standing in the doorway. “The hell was all that shouting about? And did Fleetfoot sleep all through that?!” She asked, tipping her head in confusion. “Spitfire here, was yelling and trying to wake up an ever sleeping Fleet,” Soarin snickered. “Oh,” Dash rolled her eyes playfully. She proceeded to walk to the bed where the turquoise pegasus was sleeping and turned her on her stomach. She then brought a hoof back and hit her in between both her wings. Spitfire rose an eyebrow. “Uhh, what are you doing?” Fleetfoot suddenly woke up with a jolt causing Spitfire and Soarin to yelp and take a step back in surprise. Fleetfoot yawned and looked tiredly at the three ponies, two of which were looking at her with their mouths agape. “What?” She rose an eyebrow. No response. “Uh,” she shrugged. “Morning? I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.” She got up and casually walked towards the door, closing it behind her. There was a moment of silence as the two remaining Wonderbolts turned their heads and looked at Dash. She smiled sheepishly. “What? You learn a few tricks when one of your best friends’ is a very heavy sleeper.” She stuck her tongue out and walked out the door behind Fleetfoot. “Well then,” Soarin chuckled. “Guess there's a lot more we don't know about her.” “Yeah, I guess.” Spitfire shook her head playfully and walked out with him following close behind. Rainbow Dash, that mare sure is something. A complete mystery, Soarin thought to himself. He continued to walk towards the kitchen but stopped as something caught his eye from the right side of the room, across from the kitchen. A photograph. Curious, Soarin trotted towards the picture and studied it carefully. In the photo, a party was in progress with Dash in the middle backing away from a green, male Pegasus with a pale yellow mane with her friend Fluttershy quietly giggling behind her hoof. That male pegasus looked strikingly familiar… “He is so annoying! He's convinced that we’re gonna end up marrying each other when we grow up! Bleh!!” “Is he that much of an idiot? Though, I don't think you have to worry. I'm pretty sure your undying hate for him will stop you two from marrying each other anyway!” What? That voice in his head almost sounded like… Nah! Soarin shook his head, glancing one last time at the picture before making his way towards the kitchen where the mares had already started eating. “Took you long enough.” Fleetfoot spoke behind a mouthful of food, “did you get lost on the way?” She teased. “Oh, ha ha.” He rolled his eyes and sat down next to Dash. “It's better to arrive late than ugly.” “At least the mirror didn't break when I looked at it.” She lowered her eyebrows with a small smirk. “Point to Fleetfoot!” Spitfire declared while chuckling along with Dash. “Do you do this often?” Dash asked as she resumed eating her food. “Whenever we get the chance.” She then glanced at Soarin, “everypony usually targets Soarin here. He loses easily,” she smirked. “Hey!” He put a hoof on his chest in mock offence. “Oh stop crying you big baby!” Spitfire chuckled. “The world’s against me,” he fake sniffled. “The universe’s against you.” Fleetfoot remarked wryly. “Ha. Ha.” Soarin flattened his brow. “Anyways guys?” Rainbow began while chuckling. “After breakfast, I think we should get started on planning our routine, deciding the moves and such?” “Sure.” Spitfire nodded, “but Dash, there's something I need to ask. Have you ever worked and flew a formation or move with a team or another pony?” She asked. “Not that I can remember.” Rainbow admitted. “Hmm. We’ll have to go over a few things in basic formations to get you comfortable enough in working with others.” “Alright.” Dash shrugged. This is gonna be awesome, she thought. Meanwhile, Soarin was still thinking about that picture. The picture which had mysteriously looked familiar. Who was that? And, why did it feel like he had been there? Author's Note The next chapter is something I am so looking forward to writing! Chapter 8- One Side of the Problem"Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath." —Eckhart Tolle Dash flew as fast she could. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care. The only thing that was occupying her mind was going as far as she could from Soarin. Soarin. She did it. She said what needed to be said. “Fancy also said that after yelling at him, he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He needed that.” Dash growled. Weight lifting off her shoulders? More like a whole brick house placed on her shoulders! She released a deep breath and looked towards the ground and stopped, hovering in place. She was currently above Ponyville Park. It was isolated and no pony was in sight. Deciding she needed a break from flying halfway across Ponyville at near rainboom speeds, Dash swooped down towards the ground, landing shakily. She sat down on a bench next to an oak tree and held her head in her hooves. She just wanted to scream at that bloody, fucking, son of a— “Aghh!!!” Rainbow growled loudly, scaring most of the birds on the tree near her away. Hearing the screams of the small, winged creatures, she turned towards her right, and eyed the tree. She did need to let some steam off… Without a second thought, Dash walked over the tree and stretched her hooves. This was going to be great for her mental health. “What just happened?” Fleetfoot cocked an eyebrow as Soarin flew to his room at an extremely fast pace, locking the door behind him. “I have no idea.” Spitfire blinked. “And where's Dash?” “I don't know…I don't see her…” Fleetfoot looked around then walked to the door of Soarin’s room and started to bang it repeatedly. “Soarin! What happened? Where’s Dash?” “Leave me!!” His muffled voice yelled from the other side. “We just want to help! Let us in!” Spitfire yelled this time hoping to drive some sense into him. “I. Said. Leave!” Soarin yelled once again. Spitfire furrowed her brow in annoyance and opened her mouth once again but was cut off by Fleetfoot. “Spits, you know that's not going to work. He's too stubborn. We can either stay here and scream at the top of our lungs or, get to the bottom of this with some help.” The fiery maned pegasus frowned. “Fine. I'll ask Twilight for help. I don't want to break open the door so we can use her magic to unlock it.” Fleetfoot nodded. “You do that. I'll try to get answers from another source. I'm going to try and find Rainbow to see what happened. But, before that, I'm going to pop over to Rarity’s to see if she knows anything. She was the last pony who saw Dash other than us. Maybe she'll know something.” “Hm,” Spitfire agreed. “Goodluck.” “You too.” Throughout her flight, Fleetfoot thought about her best friend's behaviour. He didn't seem too keen on talking to them. What had happened between Rainbow and him? It definitely had to do with something with his mother…he hadn't ever told anypony…anypony except for those close to him… Did they know each other before? Nah. Fleetfoot striked off that possibility as soon as it came into her mind. Knowing his personality, Soarin would definitely remember a friend. Especially one whom had known something quite personal to him…right? She had no more time to dwell on that idea as she came in for a smooth landing right outside Carousel Boutique. The lights were on inside, she noticed. Walking to the door, Fleetfoot knocked and stepped back, patiently waiting for the pony she knew could help. The door opened to reveal Rarity, “I'm sorry, but the shop is closed right n—” she finally got a proper look at her visitor and stopped. “Fleetfoot? Darling, what are you doing here?” “I need your help.” “I'd be happy to help! Whatever for?” Rarity then paused. “Oh! Mind my manners dear, please come inside.” She beckoned but Fleetfoot shook her head. “Thanks but, I'm in a hurry. Do you know where Dash might be?” She asked quickly. “Rainbow? No. Wasn't she going back to her home?” Rarity asked, puzzled. “She did come back but…she said something quite secret to Soarin and he had asked her how in the world she had known. She wanted to talk in private and they flew out. Soarin returned and locked himself in his room…Dash didn't come back.” Fleetfoot explained, sighing. “Well…that does explain her reluctance in talking about Soarin…and the story with Fancy. Quite ironic.” Rarity mused. “I don't know anything, darling…but I might know where she may be. I did very faintly see a rainbow trail headed towards Ponyville Park. That's our best bet to find her. Oh and I'm coming with you!” “Really? Thanks!” Fleetfoot smiled as Rarity closed the door behind her. “Of course, darling! Rainbow is one of my best friends.” She smiled back and looked towards the east. “No wonder she's at the park. There's rarely anyone at this time of day.” “Well, we better get trotting!” Fleetfoot started walking towards the direction Rarity was pointing and the latter soon followed. There were quite a few ponies outside basking in the cool wind that was starting to pick up. The open skies of Ponyville made it even better. Most of the bustle was in restaurants where couples and families were eating joyfully. The ponies that chose to remain inside were relaxing in the warmth of their home and adults were returning after a long day of work This village was a special place, Fleetfoot had decided. As much as they were enjoying the long walk, they had a much more important matter on their hooves. Standing right outside Ponyville park, they glanced around and indeed it was deserted. “Let's see if she's in there.” Rarity said as Fleetfoot simply nodded. They went inside and looked around calling for Dash as loudly as they could. A few minutes passed and they still had no luck. There was absolutely no sign of her. Sighing, they met back up in the heart of the park. “I think she's not he—” Fleetfoot began but suddenly paused as her ears twitched. “Wait.” She said and looked behind her. “There's a noise coming from over there. It's extremely faint but I can hear it.” She pointed towards an area behind the bushes. They silently tread towards the back through the bushes and gasped at the scene before them, once they emerged. A tree lay completely and utterly broken as if a beast had unleashed its wrath on it. Next to the broken tree was a bench. Everything around it was completely deserted. Almost everything. On the bench sat a lone figure, breathing heavily with her head low and her colorful mane covering her face. Art by Me The two mares away stared at the ‘beast’, wide-eyed, their jaws hanging open. They glanced at each other worriedly. “Rainbow…darling? Are…are you alright?” Rarity asked hesitantly. “Fine. Completely fine.” Dash chuckled dryly. The white unicorn winced at the response. “Dash.” Fleetfoot daringly stepped forward and put a hoof on the said mare’s shoulder, who flinched at the touch. “We're just trying to help. Please…what happened?” “I’M FINE!!” She suddenly yelled causing Fleetfoot to step back in surprise. “I don't need help! I'm fine…I'm…” she trailed off as she saw the flat stares of her friends. “You wanna know that bad? I'll tell you what. It was that fucking son of a bitch. That's what.” She spit out. “Um…” Rarity glanced at a shocked Fleetfoot. “Rainbow dear, I'm sorry if anything upset you but please, we're trying to genuinely help. So, could you, maybe…elaborate?” She cringed hoping, her friend wouldn't yell again. “You're not going to give up…are you?” Dash sighed, stopping the argument before it began. They shook their heads as she grumbled. “Fine. I'll tell you what happened after I left the house with Soarin.” And she recounted all the events that had transpired since then. The revelation, the shouting and how the tree next to her…broke. “I'm so glad Soarin wasn't with her longer.” Fleetfoot muttered to Rarity as Rainbow finished explaining. “So…that's what happened.” She sighed. “I see…” Rarity mused. “That's why you had the sudden interest in Fancy’s story, hmm?” “That's part of it.” Dash rolled her eyes. “Come on Dash, you can't let your weakness overpower yo—” Fleetfoot was cut off by a snort. “My weakness? Tell me, do you know what Soarin’s weakness is?” She glanced at both of them. “Um…no.” “The throat.” Dash said darkly, staring at the broken branches of the tree. Rarity’s and Fleetfoot’s eyes widened as they arched their necks back. “Woah, woah, woah.” The turquoise pegasus got in front of Rainbow’s face. “I know you really hate him right now but, that's no reason to kill him! Geez!” “Hmph.” “Rainbow, darling.” Rarity spoke up as she walked next to Fleetfoot. “I have to agree with our friend here. You need to calm down. I know words absolutely cannot fix what happened but, a pony does not just do something without a reason. Have you asked him why he did what he did?” She asked. “Well…no.” Dash admitted. “Then go and ask him. Nothing good will happen if you sit here and mope.” Rarity smiled softly. “Yeah.” Fleetfoot nodded. “I know Soarin, and that's not like him. I know that idiot messes up a lot but I'm sure he has an explanation for this.” “I…” Rainbow hesitated. “Who are you?” Rarity suddenly asked. “Uh…Rainbow Dash?” She tilted her head in confusion. “Was that a question? Who. Are. You?” “Rainbow Dash!” She said more confidently. “And is Rainbow Dash a coward?” “No!” “Is the Rainbow Dash going to leave somepony hanging?!” “No!” “Is she going to go after that pony and confront them?!” “Yes!!” “Then go.” Rarity’s voice calmed down and the sudden shift cause Dash to blink. “Ok.” She said and paused for a moment. “What just happened?” Fleetfoot opened her mouth but Rainbow quickly shook her head. “You know what? Nevermind. I need to go.” She got up from the bench and spread her wings. “Thanks guys.” She smiled softly and took off. Rarity and Fleetfoot smiled from the ground and looked at each other. Rarity opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. “Oi! You two! What the hell happened happened to my tree?!” They both flinched and looked behind to see the owner of the park trotting towards them. “Well…uh, who's gonna pay for the tree?” Fleetfoot muttered, faking a smile for the owner. The day was far from over. Author's Note Hey gu— *dodges pitchforks and torches* Woah, woah! I'm so sorry for the late update! With a...2 month delay...'_' I just had school and I honestly didn't have the motivation to write this month and the last... Well, I at least got it out before my birthday on Sunday...if I didn't, you would have had to wait a decade more I hope that a 1700+ word chapter makes up for it...? ^^' Chapter 9- Why?"You must tell yourself, 'no matter how hard it is, or how it gets, I'm going to make it.'." —Les Brown The town was quiet in this part of Ponyville. No wonder Twilight loved this area, Spitfire thought as she landed right outside the princess’s large castle. The whole reason Spitfire flew all the way from Rainbow’s house to the castle was not only to open the lock of the door with magic, but since Twilight was the princess of friendship and was an expert, she could most definitely help persuade her stubborn friend. But in favour of the former, she was pretty sure Dash wasn't going to appreciate a broken cloud door when she came back. If she came back. Spitfire quickly shook her head and mentally slapped herself. Of course she would be back! She just had to, Fleetfoot would make sure of it! Taking a deep breath, she landed outside the castle doors and knocked, stepping back, waiting. She immediately heard hoofsteps behind the door and it opened with the bright pink aura. “Yes?” Twilight peeked her head out the door. When she saw her visitor, she smiled sweetly. “Oh, Spitfire! I wasn't expecting to see you here! Do you need anything? Do you want to discuss plans going further for the show?” “Not right now. I'm afraid I don't bear the best news. I need you to come with me.” She unfurled her wings and took off, waiting for the princess to follow. A few seconds later, the alicorn came up steadily beside her and they took off in the direction of the cloud home. “So, what's happened?” Twilight asked, trying to keep up her pace and speed with the wonderbolt. Spitfire sighed and explained everything that had transpired between Soarin and Dash. Twilight listened intently and furrowed her brow as she continued her description of the encounter. “This doesn't make sense!” She said after a moment. “My best theory would be that they knew each other before but…why here? Why now?” Spitfire immediately shook her head “That's impossible,” she scoffed. “I've known Soarin for years and he'd surely mention a friend to us! We know everything about him!” “We’ll just have to see, won't we? We’re here.” Twilight shrugged and landed on the cloud porch of the mansion. She stepped forward and opened the door, Spitfire following close behind. Walking up the black staircase, they cautiously proceeded to the second room to the left. They pressed their ears to the door. No sound. Twilight lit up her horn with an ethereal magenta glow and after a moment, they heard the ‘click’ of the door opening. “Come on,” She whispered and they entered. As they walked in, their eyes were immediately drawn by the light blue pegasus sitting on the long window seat, quietly looking outside. “Soarin?” Spitfire looked at him in concern as she walk forward and put a hoof on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at her. “What?” He hissed and she blinked in surprise. “Um…” she glad back at Twilight who nodded in encouragement. “Are you ok?” “Fine and dandy.” Twilight walked next to Spitfire, hoping to add encouragement of her own. “Soarin…listen, we don't know what happened with you and Dash out there but—” she was quickly cut off by Soarin as he looked at her instead and glared. “Dash? What's a ‘Dash’? I don't know a ‘Dash’! Just like I apparently didn't know one until The Best Young Fliers contest!” He huffed and banged his head against the window. “I'm not following. What happened out there?” Spitfire asked softly, which was a rare tone of voice to be heard from the usually ferocious captain. “I…” Soarin sighed. “I screwed up. I screwed up big time.” “Care to elaborate?” He remained silent. “Soarin…” Twilight warned. “We're not going to go anywhere like this.” “Fine…well, Dash and I?…we go way back.” He began. “We knew each other even before I joined the Wonderbolts. She was the one that motivated me to even tryout. And…how do I repay her? I make her a promise I couldn't keep and forget her after I've made it. She made me remember earlier…made me think about a lot of things about before.” He chuckled darkly. “What a friend I am!” “Wow…” Spitfire gaped. “Twilight suggested something like that but I didn't want to believe it…you and…her…” “I agree.” Twilight spoke up. “From what I've seen so far of you, you don't seem like somepony who would take advantage of anyone…what really happened?” “I…” Soarin struggled, “I don't know…” he admitted. “I wanted to see her again but everything…everything beca—” he was cut off of by Twilight. “You know what? We're not the ones that need to hear it…you need to go to Dash, explain everything.” Her eyes softened. “She wouldn't want to see me after this…” his ears flopped down. “Listen to me, Soarin.” Spitfire looked him straight in the eye. “Fleetfoot is out there right now with Rarity to try and reason with Dash. If they fail, you need to go out there and make her see you, or I swear to Celestia…I will make your life a living Tartarus. Got that?!” She growled. “Difficult, how?” Soarin scoffed. “Speed drill, number fifty.” Spitfire smirked as he flinched and gulped. “Yes ma’am!” “But seriously Soarin, I know Dash, and while she may act angry, she's probably as hurt as you right now—most likely more! Her concept of loyalty is strong. Very strong. You need to prove that you're worthy of that loyalty.” Twilight finished, nodding firmly. “Thank you. I'll keep it in mind.” He flashed a crooked smile and looked outside, his eyes full of determination. “I need to find her.” “Good luck.” Spitfire gave him a nod of approval. Soarin gave them a final glance and opened the window, rocketing off at full speed out towards the sky. After a moment, Twilight spoke up. “Come on!” And flew out of the window after him. “We’re following him?” Spitfire asked. “Knowing those two? Definitely!” She nodded. The fiery-maned pegasus smirked. “We're gonna get along well.” Author's Note This is the part where I blame my upcoming exams on Sunday…Grade 8 is really hard ya know! And if I don't pass and pay attention now, Grade 9-12 is gonna be extremely hard! Chapter 10- Listen…"Promises are the sweetest lies." —unknown Bright emerald eyes scanned the sky, searching. Unfortunately, the pony he was looking for was nowhere to be seen. All around him, were clouds. Soarin kept looking in every direction possible as he flew. No one was around. Where is she? He thought. She couldn't just disappear! Could she? Agh! He was being silly! Nopony could just disappear! He kept looking around, trying to spot Rainbow’s colorful mane. His ears suddenly twitched. Somepony was nearby! Soarin quickly looked around but to his dismay it was just a flock of nine Magpies flying by. He furrowed his brow in annoyance, she was nowhere! Where the hell could she disappear?! Was she actually trying to hide from him or— Soarin’s train of thought stopped abruptly as his ears twitched once again, but the sound he heard was more…distinct. Glancing around, he saw nothing. Suddenly, he saw something rapidly approaching in his peripheral vision. He looked up and saw a blue dot shooting towards him at an incredible speed. He had no time dodge. Shit. This would definitely leave a bruise. “Oof!” Soarin grunted as he felt the rough impact of a body colliding with his and them falling towards the ground. He spread his wings in attempt to slow their fall. The other pony, having the same idea spread their wings as well and both of them roughly landed on a cloud, successfully not hitting it hard enough to condensate. “So sorry! I had to get—” a familiar raspy voice started but then stopped as she got a good look at who she had crashed into. Soarin shook his head, curious to why she stopped. Looking up at her, his question was answered. Rainbow Dash blankly stared at him as she sat opposite to him on the same cloud. Well, he found her…what now? “Um,” Soarin coughed awkwardly. “Fancy bumping into you again!” He forced a tense chuckle. She didn't answer. “Uh,” he was starting to sweat a bit now. “Nice weather we’re having, eh?” She just blinked. “…ha…haha…ha…” No reply. “Alright fine!” Soarin struggled. “I'm sorry! I screwed up! I know I seem like an asshole right now, forgetting everything and remembering after…years, but I have an explanation. It won't justify for everything and would probably make you madder but, it's to say I'm not a heartless bastard who left you just for fame. Please, just listen to me and I'll—” his rambling was cut off with a cyan hoof. He looked up and looked at her as she breathed out through her nose and closed her eyes. “Go ahead.” Dash said simply, removing her hoof from his mouth and waiting. Soarin was surprised at her willingness but, he needed to apologise, tell her why. Even though the ‘why’ was a selfish reason. “Dash…I know what I did was inexcusable, and after all those years of being friends…but it wasn't because of the fame getting to my head. Do you remember how easily…pressured I could be?” Upon her nod, he continued, “well…” Hoofsteps echoed throughout the halls of the Wonderbolt Compound. A young looking, light blue Pegasus trotted down the halls with a slight bounce in his step. It was peak time for the Wonderbolts so almost nobody was in sight as they all were either busy practicing for shows, or training. All except for Soarin who was very new along with two other ponies named Fleetfoot and Spitfire. His week had gone well so far and he had adjusted into the schedule nicely in such a short amount of time. And tomorrow, I can finally see Dash to tell her everything! Soarin thought excitedly. He kept trotting until he reached his new room where he had brought almost all his stuff from back home. Upon opening the door, he entered and was greeted by the bright blue walls he had grown accustomed to and his new furniture. He closed the door behind him and sighed with a smile. His dream had come true. He felt a bit nervous and foreign around the old Wonderbolts as they were already used to everything. His new teammates were mares and he felt like there were no stallion friends to talk to. He missed Dash. But…she was now in Ponyville as she didn't want her results. “We'll see each other again tomorrow,” Soarin muttered, a determined expression on his face. He glanced around his room once again and noticed a small box next to his bed. “Oh! The photographs are in there!” He perked up and crouched next to the box, opening it. The first thing he saw was a photo of him and Rainbow laughing and posing for the camera. He smiled remembering that occasion as his birthday. Soarin broke out of his thoughts by a knock on his door. He closed the box and stuffed it underneath his bed. I'll put those up later, he thought and trotted to the door to open it. Outside stood Spitfire, Fleetfoot and…High Winds! “Hey guys! What brings you here?” He tried to act calm in the presence of High Winds herself! “We’re just here to just invite you to the party taking place tomorrow.” High Winds smiled as Soarin's eyes widened. “Tomorrow?” “Mmhm! It's gonna be epic! We won't get a chance for the whole of next week so we thought, why not tomorrow? You comin’ right?” Fleetfoot asked, her wings fluttering. “…Y-yeah! Totally! I'll be there!” He bit his lip. “Sweet! Later Soarin!” Spitfire grinned and walked away with the other two. “Well…” Soarin said as he closed the door, “I hope you can wait one more week for me Dash…” he muttered. “This is gonna be a disaster…” “…and well, the same thing happened next week. I was just afraid of not impressing them and thinking I was not interested or not good enough. That kept on repeating till…I just forgot.” Soarin admitted, sighing. “Why no letter?” Dash asked softly. “I…didn't have time…” upon looking at the anger and sadness growing on her face, he quickly continued. “Look, I was foolish back then. I thought everything would be fine and I know a simple ‘sorry’ won't do but it's all I have…so please,” he begged. Dash remained silent, her eyes carefully scanning the emerald ones opposite to her. She tried to find something, anything to indicate he was lying, tricking her once again but…she found nothing. The gaze he set upon her was filled with sincerity and it was one she had not seen in a long time. It was a type of gaze that made your heart skip a beat and caused you forget your own words. It was a gaze she missed dearly. Dash sighed and looked down, not saying anything for a while. “Dash?” Soarin called her name and was afraid he'd failed and she'd leave but after another silent moment, she looked up. “You know, I'm an element of harmony, I've faced monsters, forces threatening our very existence, basically gone to Tartarus and back and…I've learnt a lot of things from a lot of different people. But, there's one special thing I learnt about loyalty right when I was a child and, on more than one occasion I've found it to be painfully true…do you want to know what that is?” She asked softly, afraid he'd disappear again if she was any louder. “What's that?” He asked, just as softly. “True loyalty…cannot ever be truly angry with anybody no matter how much they've screwed up, or even if they've straight up tried to kill you. It's almost impossible to be mad with anyone forever.” She finished and looked away. Another painful period of silence washed over both of them as the winds started to blow and the Luna’s moon started to rise. “…so, you forgive me?” Soarin asked hopefully. Dash didn't answer him but instead did the most unexpected thing in this situation. She started to giggle madly. “Um,” Soarin flinched as she threw her head back and started to laugh uncontrollably. “Rainbow?” He looked at her as he sat there awkwardly and she continued chuckling and guffawing. A few moments passed and Soarin furrowed his brows as the sounds from her mouth changed and sounded less and less like laughing. He moved a bit to look at her face and his eyes widened. She definitely wasn't laughing anymore. Instead, tears poured out of her eyes and the sound from her mouth was sobbing. Why was she crying? He…apologised and she forgave him. Did this really hurt her that much? Soarin’s ears flopped down as he brought her in for a hug. She resisted and tried to break free but his grip was too strong. When that didn't work she started hitting his chest with her hooves shouting ‘idiot’ again and again. He didn't mind, he just wanted her to calm down. She kept doing this for a few minutes but her hits got weaker and weaker by the second as she got tired and her endurance ran out. She panted and calmed down as Soarin hugged her even tighter. “I'm sorry,” he closed his eyes. “I really am sorry.” “Well, hopefully everything's fine now,” Spitfire smiled as she and Twilight watched the scene from behind a cloud. “You know, I've never really seen Rainbow fully breakdown like that…except when she had to say goodbye to Tank for the winter.” Twilight said, equally happy both of them had made amends. “Yeah,” she agreed. “But, Twilight. I think we should leave them alone now. Let's go back.” Spitfire was about to take off but she pulled her back. “No! They'll see us if we fly. Let's teleport.” Twilight lit up her horn as her eyes widened. “Oh no…Twilight! I'll vomit if you teleport, don't do it!” But, it was too late. *POOF* Author's Note EXAMS ARE OVER!! WOOO!! They generously gave us a 3 week vacation as well! Also, our English teacher was being super nice for some reason and gave us our marks! I got 92%! So happy! (But I'm also terrified about my Physics marks T.T") I managed to finish it on Tuesday, actually. But, I wrote it during our revision time in my notebook (cause I was bored and finished studying) so I got lazy and kept putting off when I'd write it digitally :P Soarin quickly looked around but to his dismay it was just a flock of nine Magpies flying by. I wonder… …you just searched up what 9 magpies mean, didn't you? Chapter 11- I Totally Ship It“I came, I saw, I made it awkward.” —unknown A week had passed since the scenario between Soarin and Dash which ended in happy tears and melted hearts. Everything returned to normal after that. Except for the fact that whenever Rainbow saw Soarin, she didn't get the tempting urge to slap him or run away; instead they both grew closer and closer as time passed and caught up on everything they had missed out on in each others lives. Days were passing fast and although forgiveness wasn't completely granted to him, Soarin and Dash were on the road to rekindling their friendship brighter than ever before. Currently, Fleetfoot was asleep on the couch with a magazine on her face and Soarin and Dash were opposite to her conversing and bantering quietly. Their conversation was interrupted as Spitfire exited her temporary room, walking towards them with a notepad and quill. “Guys,” she began, sitting next to Fleetfoot and smacking her on the head to wake her. Fleetfoot blinked as the magazine slipped off her face and she lazily glanced around. Upon seeing Spitfire she straightened up and placed an innocent smile on her face. Rolling her eyes, Spitfire continued. “We're all wasting too much time relaxing. The only thing we've done so far is basic team formations and haven't even started planning the routine. We only have three weeks left so we need to organize and plan our moves today.” “I'm down with that.” Fleetfoot yawned and stretched. “But couldn't you have woken me up more nicely?” She rolled her eyes. “Fleet, you can't be woken up ‘nicely’” “Hmph.” “ANYWAY,” Spitfire shot a glare towards her companion. “We need to start right now. Any ideas for the beginning of the routine?” They all sat in silence for a few moments, each pondering on what moves they could add to the show. “Um, I have a few moves of my own that may fit well,” Dash began. “Although, we would have to alter them a bit to fit us four.” “Moves like?” Spitfire asked, intrigued. “The Buccaneer Blaze, The Fantastic Filly Flash, Speed Smash...The Sonic Rainboom?” “Nice names,” Fleetfoot commented. “Hmm,” Spitfire perked up. “I would love for the Sonic Rainboom to be incorporated into the routine. We could make this work…” “Spits? How about the Thunder Clap? That move we made during the Winter Moon Celebration, a year ago?” Soarin suggested. “Yes, Yes! What about you Fleet? Any ideas?” “Huh?” Fleetfoot flinched and looked around, apparently having zoned out within a few seconds. “What?” “I said, do you have any ideas for our show?” she repeated. “Or are you content to stay inside your fantasy world?” “Oh, um sorry, hehh...what about the...Streak Quad?” “Not a bad idea,” Spitfire said as she jotted down something in her notepad with her quill. “Right, I think this is fine for now, I'll put these together and figure something out. I'll take more suggestions later. Meanwhile, I want you to work on your flying. And Dash? Work on some coordination drills.” She said and trotted back to her room, shutting the door behind her. “I think the coordination drills are gonna be a bit of a problem.” Dash muttered. “I could help you with those you know?” Soarin flashed a small crooked smile. “Really?” “Yeah! I had some problems with those too. Maybe I could give you some tips?” “That'd be awesome! Let's go!” Rainbow grabbed Soarin’s hoof and dragged him to the exit. “Now?!” He asked as Dash opened the front door. “Duh!” and with that they both left, closing the door behind them. “Hm,” Fleetfoot mused, still on the couch. Tank had climbed next to her as she put a hoof on his shell. She had warmed up to the tortoise quite a bit in the past week. Though, only after slowly realizing that he wasn't exactly after her fame, life and fortune as she had initially thought. “You know something Tank?” She grabbed the tortoise and placed him on her lap. “I ship it.” Tank slowly tilted his head. He didn't exactly understand what the weird and wise turquoise pony had told him. “When you ship two ponies, you want them to get together and do cute things,” she explained. “So I ship Soarin and Rainbow!” Pause. “Yes, I ship your owner with some stallion.” Pause. “They would be cute though? Just imagine it my green companion! The beautiful foals they would make!” Fleetfoot stretched out her hoof in the air dramatically. That seemed to convince Tank and he nodded slowly. “See? Even you agree!” Tank’s face moved as he continued to smile and nod. “You and I are going to get along just fine.” Fleetfoot sighed happily. Spitfire groaned and slumped against the desk in her room. This was hard. Knowing what moves to put in the show and actually putting them together were very different things. Why was life so difficult?! She clicked her tongue as she eyed her notes and diagrams. It was a mess. Maybe she just needed a fresh, clean page. She flicked to the next page and stared. … AGGGHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMM— Spitfire sighed. She could use a bit of water to clear her thoughts right now… Looking around her room, she saw she had none. After a few moments of contemplation, Spitfire got up and walked towards the door. As she stepped out, the sight before her caused her to pause and raise an eyebrow. Fleetfoot was rambling on and on to Tank. A tortoise. Curious, she stayed in her spot, in front of her room and listened. “Soarin and Rainbow sitting in a tree,” she sang. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Spitfire tilted her head. Uh…What? “First comes love! Then comes marriage,” Fleetfoot continued singing, holding Tank close to her body. “Then comes Soarin with a baby carriage!” Spitfire stifled her laughter and walked to the couches where she was sitting. “You know I can hear you, right?” The turquoise mare as flinched a shadow fell over her. “You’re not the only one in the house.” “I can explain!” She grinned nervously and turned around. Spitfire stood right behind her with an eyebrow raised. “Uh huh,” she rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk over to kitchen which was located off to the side. She opened the fridge, grabbed a small water bottle under her wing and trotted back to her room. She paused at the entrance and she smirked, “it's not like I don't agree by the way.” “Uh,” Fleetfoot gaped. After a few moments Spitfire could hear her start to giggle, “haha! Yes!” she smiled and brought Tank closer to her body. “We have another shipper on board! Soarbow will sail!” … “It's a working title…” Author's Note Hey guys! It's been…a while… If you don't know why I haven't been updating, please read this Blog. Don't worry, there's no lame excuses, just me explaining that I haven't been updating because I have been writing chapters for this story. Just read it…it explains everything (even gives a few previews for future chapters!) If you've read it, carry on. As you know, I've been writing chapters. THIS DOESN'T MEAN I'M DONE STOCKPILING THEM! THIS IS ONLY PUBLISHED BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU GUYS HAVE WAITED A LONG WHILE AND THIS WAS A SMALL GIFT. Here is the progress so far: Chapter 12: 1572 words Chapter 13: 2259 words (a personal favourite so far) Chapter 14: 2233 words Chapter 15: 1135 words and only halfway through I'm planning to write till Chapter 22 and then start publishing. Hang in there a while longer guys <3 Final ChapterAuthor's Note READ THIS FIRST So, this technically isnt the final chapter, but I kinda lost all the shit I wrote because someone deleted my files, and I’m really not writing it again. So instead of simply cancelling it, I’m gonna end it with telling the story that was SUPPOSED to be written. I’m sorry but I’ve been studying for IGCSE’s and I’m busyyyy af. I only come on here to keep up with PTH. So anyway, here is how this was supposed to go. Final Chapter Over time, Dash and Soarin grew closer as friends, rekindling their broken past and leaving behind old haunts. It was almost like nothing ever happened between them. They go on a flight together where Soarin is teaching Dash some moves for their show and they’re play-fighting all cute and stuff. Soarin pins her down and says he’s won and his reward would be her treating him to dinner. Fleetfoot and Spitfire tease Soarin later, saying it sounds like a date where Soarin, flustered, says it’s definitely not. They go out and it’s awkward at first with both having no clue why, but they get over it and have a good time. There was a lot of development, with them going out stargazing at night and talking just about anything and nothing, content in each other’s presence. It’s all well and good, till they realise, oh, I may have caught feelings for my childhood friend, I’m screwed. They panic to their friends who tell them to suck it up and kiss. It’s the day of the show with both of them flirting with each other heavily in the days leading up to it (like get a ROOM). A few hours before the actual show, they’re lying on the grass in their field and just having a soft conversation. They head to their dressing room after that and they’re the only ones there and Dash exclaims that the sky is really pretty for tonight. Soarin says that’s not the only thing that’s pretty. And Dash turns her head to stare at him and glances at his lips and swallows. In Soarin head he’s like yES, this is IT. There are shadows outside the door but they don’t notice. They lean in and their lips just touch when the door opens where Spitifre and Fleetfoot stand. The both of them break apart, flushed and quickly leave the room with Spitfire and Fleetfoot’s knowing gaze following them. After the performance backstage, they’re greeted by Dash’s parents who congratulate them. Then comes Soarin’s father and grandma, and they’re talking to Soarin but the grandma suddenly looks behind him and gasps. She says Dash’s mothers name and Soarin’s father tenses. Dash’s mother and Soarin’s father make eye contact and suddenly it’s really awkward. Dash clears her throat and asks if they know each other. Dash’s mom looks away and says they used to date. To break the tension Soarin’s father jokes, at least their kids aren’t doing the same and Dash and Soarin stiffen. Dash laughs nervously and says no, they aren’t. Fleetfoot, who’s NOT gonna let soarindash sink before it sails says, friends don’t kiss each other. Now it’s just beyond awkward, and Dash just quickly says to her parents, let me show you around, and they leave. Dash and Soarin start ignoring each other and their friends are so sick of it, like please, you’re in love, get over yourselves. So they plan an intervention but Dash doesn’t listen and goes to the stadium to practice. They manage to get through to Soarin though and he goes after her after finding out where she is. He corners her in the changing room of the stadium and the air is thick with tension. He has to corner her so she doesn’t escape. They share their breaths, and Soarin murmurs, “I like you.” Dash is breathless and whispers back, “oh, oh that’s good,” she nods, dazed. “I like you too.” Soarin finally takes the plunge and leans forward and connects their lips together. But it’s not chaste and sweet like the first time, nononono. It’s hot and messy and as desperate as they felt. Outside the room, Fleetfoot was making her way to check on them but freezes when she hears a moan. She leaves with a small chuckle. They talk to their parents and basically say I know you dated and shit, but I don’t care and we’re in love. Goodbye. The end. Chapter 7- That Escalated Quickly…"We barely talk without a barrier between us anymore, and the saddest part is, we used to talk everyday." —unknown “Why was that so hard?!” Dash exclaimed in annoyance as she walked through the front door of her cloud home. The four pegasi had tried to do some basic team formations and exercises to help Rainbow get comfortable in working with others to made sure she didn't freeze up or earn any injuries during practice or the show. They had gone outside and tried but…it didn't go very well. “Oh come on, Dash. From what I've heard, you'll get this down in no time!” Soarin smiled and punched her shoulder. Spitfire nodded. “I agree. I haven't seen talent like yours in a long time. I understand it's easy to get frustrated but you just need to practice.” “Honestly though, I never knew it was that hard. You guys make it look so easy! It was just when one of you got really close to me, my wings just reacted and…froze up. I couldn't do anything!” Dash expressed her frustration. “Yeah, it's pretty annoying.” Soarin agreed. “Hm,” she awkwardly forced a smile as he tilted his head and rose an eyebrow. Luckily, Fleetfoot spoke up. “I think I agree with Dash. ‘Hm,’” she quoted. “Not, being very helpful!” “Ha.” Soarin laughed dryly. Rainbow rolled her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat. She glanced at the clock to her right and her eyes widened. “Uh, guys!” She began hurriedly. “I have to go help Rarity with a dress she wants me to model. She'll have my head if I'm late, I'll be back in a few hours. Have lunch and do other shit without me!” And with that, she rushed out the door closing it with a ‘thud’! As she was about to take off, her ears perked up to the sound of hoofsteps behind her. Dash took a glance and saw a bit of navy blue mane exiting the door. She gritted her teeth and took off as fast as she could faintly hearing the baby blue pegasus calling out to her. That was close, she sighed. Back on the clouds of Rainbow’s home, Soarin swore he saw her glance towards him. Carousel Boutique was standing as proud as ever. In light of recent events, Rarity’s boutique had been the talk of Equestria. Her business sales had increased in Canterlot, Manehattan and even Ponyville! Quite a few ponies had visited the boutique and praised her for the amazing quality and rarity of her clothing even in a small town like this. Needless to say, Rarity was very busy most of the day, yet made time to spend with her friends just as much. Today was not one one of those days, but she still found a way. She had asked Rainbow to model a dress for a new clothing range coming up. It was a perfect way to work and hang out with Dash. “Sorry I'm late Rares.” The rainbow maned pegasus entered the boutique in a hurry. “I got caught up in a few things.” She stopped and caught her breath looking at the fashionista who was levitating some different colored materials across the room. “Oh! It's quite alright, dear. Come, we can get started right away!” Rarity pushed her towards the back area making her stand on a small platform, immediately bringing over a few pins and needles. “Careful with those!” Dash eyed the sharp, pointy, metal instruments of death. “Oh don't worry, Rainbow!” Rarity assured. “I will try my best not to poke you.” She levitated over a beautiful magenta colored silk, draping it over her back. “How are the Wonderbolts? Haven't seen them since our lovely lunch!” “They're pretty chill.” She said, trying her best not to squirm. “Probably want a rest from their day to day routine. Spitfire has gotten along with Twilight quite well actually. They hang out sometimes. Fleetfoot’s still a bit scared of Tank—not that she'll admit it—and she's pretty carefree. Also gave me a bit of advice on my speed which was awesome! Soarin…uh, he's pretty cool. He's laid back but, I haven't got a chance to hang out with him much.” Dash winced, hoping Rarity didn't notice her hesitance during the last part. Fortunately, she was too focused on the dress. “That's great dear! I'm sure you'll get the chance to spend time with Soarin, eventually.” “Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. “So, anything new with you?” She asked. “Not really.” She paused. “Come to think of it, Fancy Pants had invited me to dinner and it was absolutely magnificent!” “Fancy Hat? Isn't he the one who was at the party in Canterlot on Twilight’s birthday? The one who was with Fleur-something?” “Fancy Pants.” Rarity corrected with an amused smile. “And yes, he was with Fleur De Lis but they broke up. Why do you ask?” She tilted her head, now sewing the collar of the dress. “Oh please Rare. I'm pretty sure that ‘dinner’ was something a little more. And now that he's back on the market, you wanna fetch him for yourself don't ya?” Dash teased. “Oh, pff, pah, puh-lease, darling! It's nothing like that! He's much more older than me and besides! He was the one who invited me to dinner!” She scoffed with a slight blush, trying to hide it on her white fur. “He's only four years older than you.” Rainbow stated flatly. “So? Just because we went on a friendly dinner doesn't mean we're something more!” She huffed. “Riigght, I believe you.” She said with a smirk as Rarity pouted. “Anyways, what did you talk about?” “Casual things that normal friends talk about.” She waved off. “But, he did tell me about another friend of his who had forgotten a very important day to them. It would’ve been fine but, it was the third year in a row. He snapped and yelled and there was quite a bit of tension between them but after a while, they forgave each other. Fancy also said that after yelling at him, he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He needed that.” That piped Dash’s interest. “Oh? How…how did they forgive each other?” She asked meekly. “Well if I seem to recall, he mentioned that he'd thought about it and whether he actually wanted to let go years of friendship they had built over something that could be done again? Yes, it was a big deal to him yet, in his heart he found a way to forgive and try all over again. Quite the friendship lesson, don't you agree?” “Yeah…quite.” Dash said, deep in thought. “Hmm.” Rarity glanced at her knowingly. For some reason, that glance unnerved her greatly. “So!” Rarity began. “I think I'm almost done with the dress. I'll have to do the finishing touches later but, what do you think?” She smiled and brought a large mirror over. “Woah,” was all that Dash could muster. The dress, although was not done, looked absolutely stunning. The magenta, white and gold dress, hugged her body perfectly and flowed out at the end with some translucent white material and it overall looked amazing. “Rarity,” she began. “This looks…amazing! Even for me! It looks aerodynamic too.” She joked. “Well, I'm glad you like it! It's looks better on you than expected.” Rarity grinned. She carefully removed a few pins and brought the dress apart with her magic, proceeding to levitate it over to a mannequin instead. “Haa,” Dash exhaled. “It's great to be able to move again.” She joked. “I'm sure it is.” Rarity smiled and shook her head. The visit to Rarity’s had taken a bit longer than Rainbow had expected but she wasn't complaining. She appreciated getting to spend some time with one of her best friends. Her and Rarity hadn't always seen eye to eye but they had warmed up over the course of time. At least they weren't as bad as with Applejack… Dash stretched herself out as she landed outside her cloud mansion, humming an unknown tune to herself. She glanced at the sun’s position in the sky and confirmed her suspicions. It was way past lunch time. In fact, it was almost time for dinner. Rainbow shrugged and opened the door. “Hey guys! I'm—” she was cut off by a plastic wrapped sandwich in her line of sight, hurdling towards her. Her reflexes acted on instinct and she caught the sandwich with both hooves almost losing her balance. It wasn't that it was heavy, it just caught her off guard. “Nice catch!” A raspy and playful voice complimented her. “Uhh,” Dash blinked. Soarin and Spitfire were laying on the couch above her and Fleetfoot was standing at the top of the stairs grinning innocently. “Thanks?” “No problem!” She flashed a smile and hopped towards the two others. “That was a weird welcome.” Rainbow muttered to herself, chuckling and walked up the stairs to see Spitfire reading a newspaper. Probably the one from this morning. Curious to see what today's news had in store, she walked up to the edge of the cloud couch and sat down next to her. Glancing at the current article that was being read, she rolled her eyes. Bugbear attacks were becoming more and more common around the cities and towns near the Everfree. The spot where the creature had bit her still stung. There were a few more things on Las Pegasus, the next Equestria Games, rumours about Blueblood’s fake hair and other things she wasn't interested in. “They wrote an article on Soarin’s mom too.” Spitfire suddenly spoke, looking at Dash. Fleetfoot and the one in question were too engrossed in their conversation to be listening. “Says that they suspect something more and that his mother didn't actually die.” She scoffed giving Rainbow a sideways glance. “Some things that ponies come up with.” “Yeah,” she nodded. “Especially since almost no one knows that his mother left him when he was young.” She casually resumed skimming over the paper waiting for Spitfire to respond. When she got nothing, she lifted her head and was met with surprised stares from all three. “What?” She asked, raising an eyebrow but then her eyes widened as she realised what she had said. Red alert. Shit. No Dash gulped subtly and chuckled nervously hoping they'd just brush her of as a ‘stalker’ again. “How…how did you know?” Soarin asked, the most surprised of them all. “No one…and I mean no one, except my close family and friends know. Then…how?” Rainbow gulped once again. Well, there went that. She messed up. She messed up big time. This was exactly what she hoped wouldn't happen. This was exactly why she had tried to avoid Soarin. “Fancy also said that after yelling at him, he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He needed that.” …Maybe she did too? “I, uh…I.” Dash’s heart started to beat faster and she gritted her teeth. She decided she didn't like this situation. What was she supposed to do? What would her friends do? After a few moments in confliction with herself she gave up and sighed. “Soarin.” Rainbow glanced towards him and started walking towards the exit. “Come with me. You and I have a lot to talk about.” He shot her a confused look and followed after her, shrugging to his two other friends behind him. They flew in silence to who-knows-where. Dash had a determined look on her face as she flew at a steady pace a bit outside Ponyville's borders. Soarin kept wondering where they were going. Rainbow was wondering what she'd do when they got there. The land suddenly cleared out to a beautiful field of grass as they flew further and further. It was quite cloudy, so it wasn't that hard to find a fluffy, soft cloud to land on. Dash recognised the area for two reasons, both of them connected. Soarin strangely recognized it as well, but couldn't quite put his hoof on it. “Do you remember this place?” She asked, facing him as she motioned out to the valley. “It…looks sort of familiar.” He admitted. “Hm, well, let me rekindle your memory a bit.” Dash stepped closer to him, their chests touching. “Do you remember a certain promise you made? A certain promise made not long before you became a Wonderbolt?!” She asked with force behind her words which made Soarin blink in surprise. “A promise?” He muttered to himself, backing a bit away from her as he looked onward at the grass. Everything about it familiar in someway. The smell, the wind, the grass. His eyes widened in realisation. “Promise you'll come back?” “I promise…I'll come back.” No way. Soarin looked at her in utter shock, looking for some confirmation to the unasked question. Dash saw the recognition flash in his eyes and coldly nodded. “Finally coming back, huh?” She stepped closer to him once again but this time, he didn't back away. “This was where it all came crashing down. This is where I waited every bloody, goddamn day waiting for you to come. Waiting for a sign that you remembered me. Every day since you didn't show up, I asked myself, ‘was it really worth it? Was I waiting for nothing?’ Well? Tell me Skies? Was I waiting for nothing?!” “I…we…you…it,” Soarin stuttered still in shock. Dash huffed and turned away from him looking at the horizon. “I stood there and watched as you flew in the direction to Cloudsdale, not looking back.” She chuckled bitterly. “I guess that was just the foreshadowing of the future.” She raised her head and looked at the sky. “Do you remember the reason why I didn't join the Wonderbolts?” “Uh…” it was all coming back to him, like a hazy mirror being cleared of all the mist. And he remembered. “Dash!” A navy maned Colt excitedly called, bursting through the doors of his best friends dormitory. “Hm? Oh hey, Soarin!” Rainbow greeted, turning away from a saddle bag filled to the brim with different things on her bed. “Did ya get your letter from the Wonderbolts? I can't believe it's the final year! The year where one of us gets accepted into the Junior Wonderbolts Academy!” Soarin then waved the light blue letter with a lightning bolt seal in his hoof. “Here's mine! I was hoping we could open it together.” Dash’s ears flopped down. “Soar, I…I declined my results.” She hesitated. The large grin on his face immediately turned upside down. “Wha? Why?” He asked, turning away. “I'm sorry but, I'm moving to Ponyville. I dropped out of Camp just today—thus the saddlebags.” She motioned to the blue pair on the bed. “I was going to tell you later, but you beat me to it by coming here.” “Why? And at the end of the year?” “Fluttershy wants to move to Ponyville but she's too afraid to. I'm going with her. Her destiny lies there. Mine? I have nothing left here in Cloudsdale—besides you, Gilda and the Wonderbolts.—My parents are busy most of the time and I need to be there for her, she's like a little sister. I need a change. But, if you maybe don't get accepted, you could come to Ponyville with us?” Dash asked hopefully. “After finishing the year, of course!” She added quickly. “Maybe.” Soarin sighed. “Oh come on! This is supposed to be your big moment! Don't let me spoil it!” She smiled and snatched the envelope out of his hooves, opening it. He chuckled and rolled his eyes looking at the letter with Dash. “Congrats.” She said after a moment. He looked at her as she managed a watery, sad smile. “You got accepted. “So that's why you knew about how I got my cutie mark? My mother? You…y-you were there.” Soarin finally said after minutes of silence. “Hm.” Rainbow nodded in confirmation. “Why didn't you contact me?” He asked, searching her magenta eyes for answers. Something inside Rainbow snapped. “Why?” She began in a dangerously low voice as Soarin gulped. “Why I didn't contact you?! Oh I dunno, you're a Wonderbolt. That's why. How could I have even gotten ahold of you? When you were training? When you were performing?! The real question is why didn't you?!” She finally looked at him, brushing her bangs out of her face and he could see the rage boiling in her eyes. Rage that had built up over time. “How could you have forgotten so easily? Was I not that important to you?!” She continued. “Do you know how I felt? Hurt! Betrayed by my best friend! I waited here every day after that. Hell, I made this my training spot just so I didn't waste time waiting. And you know what?!” She asked, almost spitting onto him. “This is still my training spot after all those years! Do you know what that kind of commitment feels like?! Coming here even though it hurts so much?!” Soarin had his eyes wide throughout her shouting but as she finished, he narrowed his eyes and pushed back. “Well, some of us aren't as loyal as you, Rainbow Dash.” They stared at each other, not moving a muscle until Dash scoffed and turned away, spreading her wings. “You're right. Some of us aren't.” She said coldly and flew off into the sky. “No, Dash! Wait!” Soarin quickly realised his mistake and yelled out to her but she was too far away. Even if she wasn't, she wouldn't stop. Not for him. He sat there in silence for a while, wondering what just happened. “I screwed up. I screwed up big time.” He muttered to himself, burying his face in his hooves. Out of all of this, Soarin knew one thing. Whatever just happened, was past the point of repair.
Chapter 1- Dream"You still dream about the people lost in your memory, fabricated by your nostalgia and romanticized by your broken heart." —unknown In a seemingly eternal field of grass stood two lone pegasi with the sun gleaming brightly on their coats. One of them was a colt, and the other a filly. “You're leaving now?” the filly asked the colt standing right beside her. He looked towards the horizon and nodded. “Yeah…they want me straight away.” “Oh…promise you'll write letters? Or visit? Maybe—” “Hey! Calm down!” the colt chuckled, but stopped as the filly’s face fell. He lifted her chin up with his hoof and smiled. “But you know what? I'll be right here, in the same spot next week and I'll tell you absolutely everything!” She sighed. “Alright.” “Hey, come on. Put a smile on that face!” The filly rolled her eyes and put on a smile for his sake. “But…can you promise me you will?” the filly asked, looking into the eyes of her best friend. “I promise…I'll come back.” He never did. “Gah!” A blue Pegasus mare suddenly woke up with a jolt, her heart racing. She looked around and sighed in relief when she saw that she was only in her room. After taking a deep breath she laid back down on her soft cloud bed, pulling her warm covers back up. That dream again, she frowned. She continued to lay there in silence while pondering the meaning of the dream. Why after all these years? I haven't even seen him after…that. Dash sighed and clicked her tongue. After a few moments, Rainbow decided that she needed to go out for a fly to clear her head. Slowly getting out of the addicting warmth of the bed, she walked straight towards the door of her bedroom, not even bothering to freshen up. After walking through the halls of her home, glancing at the small pictures holding different memories along with a few of her trophies and medals, she finally reached the door leading out. She opened the door to her house and spread her mighty wings. The sun was just about to rise, and with the breeze of the night still blowing, it was perfect conditions for flying. With a small smile on her face, she quickly took off at breakneck speeds. “Woohoo!” Dash yelled into the air. This was her definitely her favourite pastime! The cold breeze that still lingered from the night, evaporated the sweat that started to form. Dash took a deep breath and sighed. This is what she lived for. Forgetting all about her troubles, she continued flying further and further, not having a particular destination in mind. Soon enough though, she could see a beautiful field of grass in her line of sight. Swooping down, Rainbow gently came to a halt. She looked around and recognized the place immediately, this was her usual training spot. She took in her surroundings for one more moment, before deciding she needed to get some training in. For her warm ups, she dropped down and started doing her daily one hundred wing ups. 1, 2, 3, 4 ,5… Dash mentally counted in her head. …6, 7, 8, 9, 10… Her mind started to slowly drift off, thinking about the dream once again. Why brain, why?! This is not the time to think about that! Dash internally fumed and tried to shake the thought out of her head, but no matter what she did, it still stayed. Rainbow was in fact so distracted, she didn't notice when she had finished doing her wing ups and accidentally did five more. “Agh! Focus Dash!” she muttered and sighed. She stood up and was about to take off for a few laps, when a voice brought her to a halt. “Rainbow! I knew you'd be here!” Dash turned to look behind her and saw Twilight waving at her. “Oh, hey Twi!” she said, and walked over to the lavender alicorn. “What are you doing here?” She tilted her head. “I was looking around for you because I have something really important to discuss with the rest of the girls at the castle and I just came to get you.” Rainbow shrugged. Rainbow shrugged. “Well, alright. I can continue my practise later.” “So, why are we here Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked, lightly bouncing in her throne. “Well, since Ponyville is growing more each and every day, I thought why not build a stadium to hold different events? The stadium will hold thousands of spectators and will be large enough for both aerial and ground performances! What do you think?” Twilight smiled brightly. The remaining five ponies muttered to each other. While Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie held excited expressions, Applejack had a worrisome look on her face. “Uh, Twi? While this sounds mighty excitin’ and all, will the construction of this stadium harm any of the trees? The smoke and dust ain't exactly healthy for ‘em.” “Don't worry Applejack. I've already taken your farm into consideration and the stadium won't be built near Sweet Apple Acres. Since your farm is toward the northern side, it'll be built towards the south and hopefully there won't be too much noise entering the town as well!” Twilight beamed as she finished off. “That's great, darling! This is truly going to be marvellous!” Rarity nodded. “One more thing guys. For the grand opening I want all of you to help!” “Sure! What do you need?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “Well, the stadium will be finished a month from now, so I believe that'll be enough time for the preparations. Pinkie and Rarity will handle the decorations, I want you guys to do something simple yet eye catching. Applejack will handle the food and refreshments. Fluttershy, I want you and your animals to perform at the opening. And finally, I've requested the Wonderbolts and they've agreed to perform for us, so Rainbow, I want you to perform with them.” “Really? Aww, yeah!” Dash pumped a hoof into the air. “But,” Twilight continued, “there's one more thing I would like to ask of you,” she said while looking at Rainbow. “What is it?” “Could you possibly let the Wonderbolts stay at your house for a month?” she asked sheepishly. “…I mean, I can but, why?” Dash raised an eyebrow. “Well you see, the lead commanders, Captain Spitfire, Commander Soarin and Commander Fleetfoot are coming to visit for a month to oversee the preparations along with myself. So, since the Ponyville Motel is currently full, I wanted to ask if you could host them. I would've gladly let them stay here, but I know pegasi characteristics and I believe they would be much more comfortable staying in a cloud structure, and since yours is huge I thought it'd be perfect! Also, their fourth squad member, High Winds, is on leave, thus I suggested they add you to the show and since they'll be living under the same roof as you, you could decide the routine together at anytime.” Rainbow blinked. Rainbow blinked. “…You really thought this through, egghead.” “Yeah, well…” She blushed as the others laughed. “Alright, I'll do it!” Dash said as she continued to chuckle. “Yay! This'll be the bestest thing ever!!” Pinkie beamed. Rainbow continued to smile and laugh along with the others, but on the inside, she had thoughts that were completely different to the current situation. What did I just agree to?
Chapter 2- Welcome to Ponyville"It's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." —Marilyn Monroe It was a particularly sunny day in Ponyville; not a single cloud to be seen for miles. Three Wonderbolts soared in the sky in an arrow formation, their wingbeats completely in sync with each other.. Everypony that had looked up could see the thundering trail that they left in their wake. They had big, brown saddlebags on their back, filled with the necessary items for their stay. “So, where are we heading to again?” Fleetfoot asked as she flew beside Soarin with Spitfire in the lead. “Ponyville," Spitfire said simply while raising an eyebrow. “…Ok.” A small period of silence ensued which was broken by Fleetfoot coughing awkwardly while looking at Soarin. He shrugged. “So…who are we meeting there exactly?” he asked, trying to seem innocent. Spitfire glanced at the two ponies. “Seriously?” “Yeah! Why did I have to cancel my spa appointment again?” “And where in Ponyville are we heading?” “Oh for the last time! Did you even pay attention while I was explaining everything to you two goddamn feather brains?!” She huffed. “Wait…when did you explain any of this?” Fleetfoot asked while Soarin snickered. “Sweet Celestia’s buttcheeks, kill me now!” Soarin chuckled. "We're just messin’ with ya Spitz, right Fleet?” He glanced at her from the side but she still seemed to be confused. “No seriously, when did you?” “…” “…I'm kidding.” Fleetfoot snickered as Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we’re almost here so for the love of Celestia, behave yourselves!” she scolded them. “Sometimes, I swear I'm handling a pair of foals…” “We heard that!” Fleetfoot pouted. “And I don't care!” Spitfire said as the trio came in for a landing near the huge castle. “Ya know, I always knew I was destined to meet royalty,” Soarin piped up as they started to walk. The fiery pegasus raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, meet royalty and polish their horseshoes,” she joked. “Oh, ha ha,” he mocked. The three reached the castle and stood in front of the giant double doors. “…So, do we knock?” Fleetfoot asked. Spitfire and Soarin shrugged. She flattened her brow and awkwardly knocked. “…Um, hello? Anypony home?” She put her ear to the door, hearing light hoofsteps and a male voice which yelled, "Coming!” The door swung open to reveal a light purple and green baby dragon. “Uh, hello. We—” Fleetfoot finally got a good look at who she was speaking to and yelped, jumping into the air with surprise. “A dragon!!” she gasped. Spike held up his claws in a defensive manner. “Woah dude, chill! I'm Princess Twilight’s assistant, Spike.” She calmed down and sheepishly flew back to the ground. “Eh heh…sorry.” “It's cool. Come on in, Twilight’s been waiting for you.” He motioned for them to follow. As they trotted inside, the first thing they saw was a huge white staircase, leading two ways. They followed Spike up a flight of stairs which led to multiple purple colored doors. They kept walking straight towards a much larger one than the rest at the end of the hall. “Twilight’s in there.” Spike pointed to the large door. “I have to take care of a few things, so I'll catch you later.” He waved goodbye and walked off, not giving a chance for them to speak. The trio looked at each other and shrugged, before opening the doors to reveal the throne room. The throne room had a round table made of crystal with six tall and one small thrones surrounding it. In one of them sat Princess Twilight Sparkle, who was filling out some paperwork, but stopped as she noticed the Wonderbolts enter. “Oh! You're here, great!” she said and walked over to them. The other three ponies started to dip down to bow but a hoof stopped them. “Please, no need for that.” She smiled softly. “I am very happy for you to be working with us and leaving some of your other comrades in charge. Thank you.” “It was no problem your highness—” Spitfire began but was cut off by Twilight. “Please, Twilight is fine. I really don't like when ponies call me princess.” She shrugged. “Uh, sure. As I was saying, it's no problem Twilight, it's actually refreshing to change the usual, everyday routine up a bit. We should really be thanking you.” “Well, I'm glad to see you're happy working with us. Now on to business; you three will be staying with a dear friend of mine who was also the bearer of loyalty and is part of the friendship council. She'll tell you all the details when you arrive at her house.” Twilight then started walking towards the exit. “Follow me.” They did as they were told and followed the lavender princess through the halls once again, taking many twists and turns through the corridors, finally reaching another flight of stairs which was leading up. “Phew, I didn't forget the way this time," Twilight muttered. She led the Wonderbolts up and they saw a huge, lone door. “This castle really likes its doors,” Fleetfoot whispered to Soarin, who nodded in agreement. Twilight proceeded to open the door with her magic and was met with a blast fresh air and beautiful, clear blue skies. They all walked to the railings of the huge balcony and Twilight spoke. “You see that?” She pointed in the distance towards a cloud structure. “You have to fly towards that; it's the only cloud structure here in Ponyville, so I don't have to worry about you getting lost,” she chuckled. “Ok, thanks Twilight! We'd best be off,” Spitfire said, and spread her wings along with Fleetfoot and Soarin and they took off. “Bye!” Twilight yelled from her balcony. The Wonderbolts flew across Ponyville to the large cloud structure floating in the air. “This thing is getting bigger and bigger every second!” Fleetfoot commented as in fact, the mansion had looked quite small from the distance. “You said it! This mare must rich!” Soarin whistled. Spitfire nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Though guys, I just remembered. After we meet the pony we're staying with, we'll have to ask her directions to Rainbow’s house—we need to plan the routine after all.” “Alright.” “Hey guys, I have to ask. Did you notice the cutie marks on the thrones?” Fleetfoot asked. “No, I was talking to Princess Twilight,” Spitfire said. She looked at Soarin and he shook his head. “Well, one of them was a white cloud with a red, yellow and blue lightning bolt shooting out of it; the bearer of loyalty…I swear I've seen that before…” Fleetfoot mused. “Hmm, that does sound familiar. I just don't know where from…” “Well, we're about to find out whos it is,” Soarin said, as they landed in front of the door of the cloud mansion. Spitfire knocked on the door and heard hoofsteps getting louder as the owner opened the door. “Oh hey, you're here!” The three Wonderbolts' jaws dropped in shock at the sight of who opened the door. From her cyan coat to her rainbow mane, from her shining magenta eyes to the exact same cutie mark from the throne. “Rainbow Dash?!?!”
Chapter 3- Getting Acquainted"The unexpected is usually what brings the unbelievable." —MKR “Rainbow Dash?!?!” The three Wonderbolts exclaimed in unison. If they were expecting anypony being part of the Friendship Council or ever being the element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash was not at the top of the list. Even though she was extremely loyal and always stood by her friends, she had never came across as a ‘powerful being’ who used to wield even more powerful ancient artifacts to anypony. “Uh, hello to you too?” When they didn't move from their spot, Dash rose an eyebrow, “what? Didn't expect to see me?” She asked. Spitfire quickly regained her composure after she realised she was gaping, “uh, sorry.” She subtly kicked both Soarin and Fleetfoot as they stepped out of their trance too, “can we come in?” “Oh, yeah. Sorry!” Dash chuckled sheepishly. The trio stepped into the house with Rainbow closing the door behind them. The mansion was quite a sight and looked almost bigger than the exterior! It had blueish-grey colored walls with large windows and a pegasus statue near the front door. Right in front of them, was black staircase leading up to a spacious area with a couch, coffee table and a kitchen to the side. Straight through the living area was a hall which lead to different rooms. “Can we trade houses?!” Fleetfoot asked with stars in her eyes as Dash quietly giggled at her. “I don't think my friends would like that,” she joked. “Who cares?! I wanna live here forever!” “Dash?” Spitfire began as Fleetfoot continued to giggle, “I'm curious. Why didn't you mention that you were a bearer in your Wonderbolts Reservist application?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Dash shrugged. “I didn't think it was important.” “…” “You're kidding?” Spitfire furrowed her brow, “how is that not important?!” She asked as they started to walk upstairs. Fleetfoot was still busy gaping at the house, so Soarin had to drag her along casually with her tail in his mouth, upstairs. “Uh,” she blinked at Soarin and Fleetfoot and shrugged. It's not like she's never seen anything weirder happen. “I mean, no one really bothers about the elements all that much, so I'd thought it insignificant. Besides, it would probably come off as me trying to get the position easier because of my ‘connections’.” “Yeah…yeah, I guess you're right,” Spitfire agreed, unable to deny the truth of the statement. They suddenly heard a shrill scream from behind them. Quickly turning around, they saw Fleetfoot screaming at a…green flying thing? Soarin slowly backed away as it continued to ‘attack’ her. Rainbow Dash quickly shoved a hoof in her mouth in an attempt to stifle her snickers, but all in vain as she was on the ground laughing her tail off in seconds. “What are you laughing at?! And what is this thing?!” Fleetfoot yelped and tried to get the ‘thing’ away from her face. Seeing her attempts to pry the ‘oh so dangerous creature’ off, made her laugh even harder. “T-Tank!” She managed to say in between her guffawing. “Come over here!” And there she went laughing again. The tortoise heard his master and flew away from his ‘prey’ landed right next to her. Rainbow finally got up from the ground, letting loose a few more chuckles and wiping a few more tears from her eyes. “Oh man, that was rich.” She chuckled some more and gestured over the tortoise slowly smiling at Dash, “this here is my pet tortoise, Tank.” She petted his shell with a hoof. “You usually don't see him flying around that often—as he's usually napping a lot—but he's always there to greet visitors, and that was his way of saying ‘hello’.” Dash glanced at Fleetfoot, smirking. “Fleet over here, got scared by a tortoise.” The said turquoise colored mare finally regained her composure and huffed, “hey! It's not my fault! He's…scary.” “He's smaller than you, Fleet.” Spitfire remarked. “So is a bomb.” She snarked. “…Touché” “Alright, you two! Let's just stop before one of you brings out the claws.” Soarin joked. “And who are you, again? The pretty Alicorn princess here to have the day?” Fleetfoot gasped and fell against Spitfire dramatically. “Oh no! I feel like such a damsel in distress and don't know what to do! Save me from this menace of a captain.” She brought a hoof to her forehead as Spitfire snickered. “Ok! Get off!” The fiery maned pegasus put the now laughing Fleetfoot off. “Sometimes, I don't know how I deal with you both.” She shook her head in a playful manner and looked at Dash. “Sorry for their behaviour. But, you better get used to their shenanigans.” Spitfire rolled her eyes as Dash lightly snorted from off to the side. “That's nothin’! You don't even know half of the things I've seen…most, unwillingly.” She admitted while shuddering. “Oh? Now you've got me curious. I'd like to hear the stories sometime.” Soarin chuckled. “Sometime.” Her answer was so brief that it made Soarin raise an eyebrow curiously. Noticing his look, she quickly turned away while averting his eye. “Uh, follow me to your rooms.” Dash swallowed the lump rising in her throat and started to walk straight towards the rooms right in front of the staircase. Soarin shrugged at the strange behaviour. Maybe she was just nervous, she had fangirled over them in several occasions. The rest followed closely behind as they saw six rooms all parallel to each other. Rainbow stopped right in front and gestured towards the three rooms on the right. “These are yours.” She then proceeded to point towards the first room on her left. “This one is mine. And from these two,” she pointed at the remaining rooms, “one of them is a storage room and the other a toilet.” “Thanks again for hosting us Dash, we really appreciate it.” Spitfire smiled softly and walked towards the room closest to her. “I think I'll take this one.” “Uh, I guess I'll take the middle one.” Soarin shrugged walked to the room right next to Spitfire. Fleetfoot blinked. “Hey! How come I get the last room?!” She pouted childishly. Dash stifled a chuckle and trotted over to her. “Don't worry. That's the biggest room of the three.” She quietly whispered and subtly winked. Fleetfoot perked up and giggled, causing raised eyebrows from the other two. “Nevermind! I'm good.” She stuck her tongue out as Rainbow smirked. “Alright, after you three get settled in, my friends and I are meeting up at a small bakery in town called Sugarcube Corner. I thought why not introduce you guys personally? And tomorrow, I'm going to give a small tour of Ponyville to help you get around, sound good?” Dash asked with a smile as the Wonderbolts walked into their rooms. “Why not?” Soarin flashed a crooked smile. He was about to continue when they heard another scream from Fleetfoot. “Get it away!!” She shrieked at Tank who was once again ramming into her. “I think he likes you.” Spitfire said sarcastically. Oh boy, it was going to be a long day.
Chapter 4- Meet the Friends"Talk with people who make you see the world differently." —The Idealist “I smell chocolate.” Fleetfoot sniffed the air trying to decipher where the smell was actually coming from. “This is a bakery Fleet. Of course it has chocolate.” Spitfire rolled her eyes. “No shit, Shadow Spade.” She scoffed, “but, I still want to find the source to taste the delectable delight of it melting in my mouth, it's soft, creamy texture being—” she was cut off by a cyan hoof being shoved in her mouth. “Let's not do that, I'm getting hungrier by the minute.” Dash chuckled and removed the hoof, wiping it behind on the table when nopony was looking. “Sorry.” Fleetfoot grinned sheepishly. The four ponies were currently in Sugarcube Corner sitting on a table for ten near the window. Usually there were no tables for ten but, Pinkie crammed a few together. They were waiting on Dash’s friends to arrive to have some lunch. “Ya know, I'm surprised we haven't run into Pinkie yet.” Rainbow looked around trying to spot the pink furry menace. “I heard my name?!” Dash yelped and almost fell from her chair as the pink menace was suddenly in front of her eyes within mere seconds and a wild grin plastered on her face. “Pinkie! You know I've told you not to sneak up on me like that!” She scolded, “…not that I was scared, it's just…not nice…” “Okie dokie loki, Dashie! I'm just super duper excited to finally meet the Wonderbolts face to face!” She suddenly gasped. “We need to have a party!” She gasped even harder. “Or, a surprise party!!” She then lowered down her voice, “but don't let them know…” Dash facehoofed. “Pinkie. First of all, we don't have time for a party and second of all, they're right there.” She pointed towards the trio who were quietly snickering. “Oh my gosh! You really are Wonderbolts! I mean, it would take somepony with great skills to sneak around me!” She booped their muzzles. “Yeah, great skills,” Dash muttered sarcastically. Pinkie then put her hoof in her hair rummaging through it as if it were a bag. After a few moments, she pulled out a fresh batch of red velvet cupcakes with light pink icing on top. “You wanna try the cupcakes I made? Applebloom and Cloud Kicker helped me yesterday, they're to die for!” Pinkie grinned maniacally. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “I haven't seen Cloud Kicker since yesterday. You know where she is?” Dash asked. “Oh yeah. She's visiting her grandma in Las Pegasus, it'll be a while before you see her again.” Pinkie winked. “But come on, try one.” She held them out. “Uh, sure?” Dash shrugged and Pinkie handed them a cupcake each. They took a bite of it and Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “This doesn't taste like red velvet.” Pinkie giggled. “I added a special secret ingredient silly! Of course it doesn't taste the same.” She stuck her tongue out. “Come to think of it, it's better!” Fleetfoot praised, taking another big bite of the cupcake. “Thanks! Tomorrow, Silver Spoon’s gonna help out as well.” Pinkie then glanced at the door leading to the kitchen as they heard a ‘ding’. “Oh! That's the next batch, I'll see you guys when the others arrive!” And she skipped off while humming. “Well, she's…interesting,” Soarin chuckled, “kinda reminds me of Surprise.” “I wonder if they're related.” Fleetfoot mused. “Well, we can't find out now. The rest of my friends are here.” Dash motioned towards the door as four mares and a dragon entered the shop, instantly spotting the long table with the pegasus occupants. “Hey guys,” Twilight greeted as they trotted over to the table “Hey Twi!” Rainbow smiled as the mares sat down. “It's nice to finally meet the Wonderbolts in person without…ah, falling to my doom,” Rarity smiled sheepishly. Spitfire chuckled. “It's alright. But, I have to say. You have strong hooves for somepony who isn't…as athletic,” “Uh…thank you? By the way, my name is Rarity.” She flashed a small smile. “Hey guys! Lunch is served!” Pinkie suddenly popped out of nowhere and there was food on the table. “But, we didn't order…and how did you do that so fast?!” Fleetfoot asked wide eyes. “Number one. My mind cap! Number two. Food cannon!” She casually bounced over to the only empty seat in between Spike and Applejack and started eating the weird looking…omelette on the table? “Food…cannon?” “NOTHING!!” Pinkie suddenly shouted causing the others to flinch. She immediately went back to eating her food, almost smacking Spike in the face. “Uh, Dash?” Spitfire asked. “Yeah?” “Why does she have frosting and sprinkles on an omelette?” She paused for a moment, “wait…why does she even have an omelette right now?!” “She runs on sugar. Just…don't question it.” Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. “…Ok.” “Alright! I think we did this out of order. Firstly, this is Fluttershy,” she pointed to the shy mare who responded with a small wave. She then pointed to the rest respectively, “this is Applejack, Rarity and this is Pinkie Pie. And you obviously know myself, Spike and Rainbow.” “Geez, Twi. We’re not in school anymore. What are you gonna do next? Start asking us where we're from?” Dash rolled her eyes playfully to which the others snickered. “Uh, well…” Twilight blushed. “Hah! I didn't think you'd actually were going to do it!” Rainbow laughed. “Actually, what I’d like to know is how exactly you six met. Such different personalities, yet are the best of friends.” Fleetfoot leaned forward and squished her face in her hooves. “Funny story actually. We didn't really meet until the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, where Nightmare Moon attacked.” Twilight shrugged. “Really? I'd think you'd be friends long before that!” Soarin exclaimed. The other two nodded in agreement. “Pssh, Twilight didn't want a friend, let alone five!” Spike snorted. The alicorn rolled her violet eyes. “Well actually, Princess Celestia asked me to oversee preparations for…” and she continued the story telling them about how the five wanted to be friends with her even though she herself didn't. And when they entered the Everfree forest, encountering several obstacles, finally leading up to the moment where Twilight realised they were her true friends. They then harnessed the elements to defeat Nightmare Moon and freed Celestia. “…and so, she let me stay in Ponyville for my studies on friendship.” She ended. “What a way to meet! I don't think I've ever done anything as epic!” Soarin whistled. “Except that time where you accidentally caused a full on lightning storm over the Everfree and earned your cutiemark.” Dash chuckled but stopped abruptly as she realised what she said and hoped nopony heard her. Unfortunately, everypony did. “Uh, wow.” Soarin blinked. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shi— “You are such a stalker!” He laughed. Dash blushed. Phew. “Haha, not my fault. It was all over the news!” She played along. She needed to be careful, she couldn't slip up like that again. Author's Note Sorry for the late-ish update, I'm on vacation and my cousins are very distracting! XD So, expect a few more late updates—depends on how busy I'll be (I swear we go out everyday -_-
Chapter 5- Races and Midnight Chats"Never let your fear stop you from giving second chances." —Dusk Writer (Me) “…and that's Ponyville’s local Bowling Alley.” Dash pointed towards a building with a sign that showed a bowling pin and ball. It was a normal day in Ponyville, at least, as normal as it could get. The sky was a clear blue with a few clouds lurking around. It was one of those days where ponies would want to stay outside and bathe in Celestia’s sunlight for as long as it lasted. Which was why, this was the perfect time for a particular tour—or at least, the end of one. “Ponyville has its own Bowling Alley? Geez, was does this place not have?!” Fleetfoot asked in surprise. “An antique store. But, we’re working on it.” “Right,” Soarin rolled his eyes playfully. “So, what's next?” He asked. “Hmm…” Dash mused, thinking over all the things she showed them, “…I think that's it!” “This is a pretty neat little town you have Dash.” Spitfire complimented. “Wouldn't mind living here, seems very peaceful.” Rainbow snorted. “Peaceful. Yeah sure, if you're not getting attacked by Ursa Minors, Cerberus, Bugbears, maniac unicorns and dragons every other week.” She rolled her eyes. “…Nevermind.” “Anyways, I think there's one more place to show you. It's one of my favourite spots in Ponyville.” “Oh?” Soarin perked up. “Yeah. Ever heard of Ghastly Gorge?” She grinned. “…I think we haven't heard of it for a reason, Dash.” Fleetfoot said. Dash scoffed, “pssh, It's not that dangerous. Besides, it'll be fun!” She started to hover above the ground. “Follow me!” “Eh, why not?” The turquoise pegasus shrugged and followed after the rest who had already taken off. They all flew through the bustling crowds towards the western side of the town. The peaceful yet busy atmosphere of Ponyville was strangely calming. If one listened close enough, they could hear the faint sound of drilling and machines. The construction on the stadium had started today. As they flew further and further, the number of buildings started to decrease and the land started to turn barren with grass and hills. “How much farther?” Spitfire asked as they were quite far away from the town. Dash suddenly screeched to a halt making the others stop with her and smirked sideways at Spitfire. “We’re here.” The Wonderbolts looked in front of them and their eyes widened. They didn't know what they were expecting but what lay before them was…breathtaking. The gorge itself was huge with many sharp twists and turns and unsteady paths. There was a large flowing stream with clear blue water and it looked absolutely magnificent with the sunlight hitting it at just the right angle. “Woah…” Soarin breathed. “Yeah, it's pretty cool at this time of year but, don't let its awesomeness fool you. It can be pretty tough, especially if you're a first timer,” she glanced at them. “Wait…what do you mean by ‘first timer’?” Spitfire rose an eyebrow. “We're gonna race through it, duh!” “Wait, what?!” Fleetfoot exclaimed. “What exactly is through there?” “Hmm let's see, there's the Windy Caves, Bramble Bushes—which you need mad agility for—and the Quarry Eels.” She finished. “Uh, are you sure that's safe?” Soarin asked worriedly. Dash flashed a confident smile, “nope!” And with that she took off. “That mare is crazy,” he shook his head and looked the two mares. “Let's go!” They took off at breakneck speeds after the cyan mare, making sharp twists and turns, dodging rocks and other debris until they reached the first obstacle; The Windy Caves. The wind was much more stronger than they had anticipated as they were pushed back by the strong gusts. “How is there such a strong wind current in a random tunnel?!” Fleetfoot grunted. “This is Equestria! Anything can happen! Now, flap your wings faster!” Spitfire commanded. They did as Spitfire told them and quickly pushed through. They looked at each other and silently agreed on one thing. This was going to be hard. Dash sighed contently from the cloud she was laying on. She had finished the course five minutes ago and was resting peacefully. She wasn't expecting the trio to finish the course that easily as even she had trouble the first time. After years of practice, she mastered the natural course through the gorge and could finish it almost under a minute. Oh well, she'd be here when the Wonderbolts came back…eventually. Dash sighed once again. Today really was a great day for a nap. As she was about to doze off, she heard the faint flapping of wings getting closer and closer. She quickly popped one eye open and saw the three pegasi flying their way towards her, panting and wheezing. “Just when I was about to get some shut-eye.” She grumbled under her breath. “What. The. Hell did you just put us through? And when did you get here?!” Fleetfoot exclaimed. “What? It's pretty easy! And about five minutes ago.” Dash stretched on the cloud. Spitfire shook her head. “Never thought I'd see the day when a non-’Bolt gave us a run for our money.” She complimented. “Wait…how long have you trained on this course?” Soarin asked raising an eyebrow. Rainbow chuckled, knowing he had caught her. “Five years?” She smiled sheepishly. Spitfire’s eye twitched. After the little race, the four had just lounged around and flew around different areas in Ponyville. They had once again gotten lunch at Sugarcube Corner, hanging around Pinkie for a while and leaving afterwards even though she insisted they bake cupcakes with her. They relaxed in the evening sun as Dash got her daily dose of naps. After the little break, they had dinner in a small restaurant called ‘Hay Burgers’ and needless to say, they returned late after midnight. Everyone had retreated to bed, wishing each other goodnight and probably fell asleep as their heads hit their pillow. All except one. Dash twisted and turned in her soft cloud bed but no matter what she tried to do, she couldn't sleep. There was this pit of unease in her stomach, like someone had put a massive boulder there and was trying to crush it along with her organs. She sighed, so much for getting enough sleep tonight. Rainbow slowly got up from her bed and looked towards her right. Why not? She walked towards a large window and opened it, being almost immediately greeted by a blast of fresh air. She looked outside and cracked a smile. It was beautiful out tonight. Billions of stars were twinkling out in the light of the full moon. It almost looked surreal. She unfurled her wings and let the soft, cool breeze go through her feathers. It was nights like this she loved. With one mighty flap, Dash flew through the window and into the sky, flying higher and higher above her home. She continued to fly as high as she could go, letting the wind ruffle up her mane and feathers. She finally stopped and quickly found a stray cloud to land upon. “I really need scold the weather team for not doing their job perfectly.” She muttered to herself as she sat on the cloud looking upwards once again. Dash continued to look at the stars for quite a while. Minutes? Hours? She didn't care. Whenever she came up here, she felt free…like she could do anything and take on the impossible by herself. Her ears suddenly perked up as she heard the flapping of wings behind her. She quickly turned around and saw a certain navy-maned pegasus landing on the cloud right behind her. “Soarin? What are you doing up here?” Dash asked curiously. He shrugged and sat next to her. “I could ask you the same thing.” Soarin said. It was her turn to shrug. “Couldn't sleep,” she said simply. He nodded and they looked back up at the stars. Dash wanted to fly off and be alone—if her twitching wings were any indication—but, she didn't. Instead she sat there with him, neither a saying a word until she broke the silence. “When I was young,” she began, catching Soarin’s attention. “I wanted to fly higher and higher with nothing stopping me, no limits. I wanted to keep flying and be the first non-alicorn to step on the moon. I relayed the idea to my best friend…he thought it was foolish, but he said that if anyone could do it, it'd be me.” She cracked a small smile. “After a while I thought it was a foolish idea too and that dream was overshadowed by me wanting to join the Wonderbolts, but that dream, was always in the back of my mind. I came up here everyday to look at the stars but, I guess I must've gotten too busy recently…” she had no idea why she was telling him but it was too late to take anything back. He remained silent for a few moments. Why did that story seem so familiar? He brushed off the thought and said, “well I don't think it's foolish.” Dash looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I think I agree with your friend…I think if anyone could do it, it'd be you.” He flashed a crooked smile at her. “Besides, the sky's the limit, right?” She stared at him not saying a word. Everypony she had said that to had just scoffed and told her nopony has or will ever step on the moon—besides Luna, but even that was still the result of a banishment. “Thanks Soarin,” she smiled softly. Her wings had stopped twitching. He flashed her his crooked smile again, not saying a word and both of them resumed looking at the stars. It really was a beautiful night. Art by me Author's Note Sorry this is a bit late, I was busy working on something else and since I'm going back in 11 days, a lot of people are visiting. But on the bright side, my school doesn't open till the 28th of August so I have like 34 more days of vacation left. So expect more chapters!
Chapter 6- Morning Shenanigans"The early bird can have the worm, because worms are gross and mornings are stupid." —yourtango Soarin awoke to the sound of shouting. “Hmm?” He awoke groggily and slowly opened his eyes. Bad idea. He groaned in annoyance as he was met with sunlight directly shining on his face. Soarin closed his eyes once again and peacefully laid there for a few more seconds in silence. Oh sweet silence. The shouting resumed. “That just couldn't last now could it?” He grumbled, now fully awake. “Now, what is the commotion about?” He asked to himself and walked over to the door, yawning. As soon as he stepped out, his attention was diverted by the smell of fresh blueberry pancakes. Soarin’s stomach grumbled and he licked his lips. Breakfast sounded great right now… But of course, the shouting once again got louder at that moment. Who was yelling?! His focus was once again returned to the sound and he followed it to the last room…Fleetfoot’s current room. He opened the door and shoved a hoof in his mouth to stifle his laughter. The pony shouting was Spitfire and the pony being shouted at was an unfazed and still sleeping, Fleetfoot. Spitfire was pulling at her hind legs, trying to drag the apparently heavy sleeper out of bed. But, somehow she still managed to sleep and stay on the bed, snoring loudly. “—FROM ALL THE YEARS OF WAKING UP EARLY FOR WONDERBOLTS TRAINING, ALL IT TAKES IS ONE DAY FOR YOU TO FORGET. ONE. BLOODY. DAY!! I DON’T HAVE A SHITTING CLUE HOW YOU’RE STILL SLEEPING BUT, I KNOW IF I WERE AN ASSASSIN, YOU’D ALREADY BE DEAD BY NOW, KEEP AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, YOU BLOODY GODDAMN—” she kept on going about how Princess Celestia would be disappointed in her and how she wasn't living up to the status of a Wonderbolt. Deciding Soarin had enough of his laughs for the day, he walked up to Spitfire chuckling, and put his hoof on her mouth. “I’d think by now you'd have murdered her,” he joked. She took a deep breath and huffed. “I've been at it a while and I don't know how she's still sleeping. I've literally tried everything!” She growled. The door opened once again to reveal Dash standing in the doorway. “The hell was all that shouting about? And did Fleetfoot sleep all through that?!” She asked, tipping her head in confusion. “Spitfire here, was yelling and trying to wake up an ever sleeping Fleet,” Soarin snickered. “Oh,” Dash rolled her eyes playfully. She proceeded to walk to the bed where the turquoise pegasus was sleeping and turned her on her stomach. She then brought a hoof back and hit her in between both her wings. Spitfire rose an eyebrow. “Uhh, what are you doing?” Fleetfoot suddenly woke up with a jolt causing Spitfire and Soarin to yelp and take a step back in surprise. Fleetfoot yawned and looked tiredly at the three ponies, two of which were looking at her with their mouths agape. “What?” She rose an eyebrow. No response. “Uh,” she shrugged. “Morning? I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.” She got up and casually walked towards the door, closing it behind her. There was a moment of silence as the two remaining Wonderbolts turned their heads and looked at Dash. She smiled sheepishly. “What? You learn a few tricks when one of your best friends’ is a very heavy sleeper.” She stuck her tongue out and walked out the door behind Fleetfoot. “Well then,” Soarin chuckled. “Guess there's a lot more we don't know about her.” “Yeah, I guess.” Spitfire shook her head playfully and walked out with him following close behind. Rainbow Dash, that mare sure is something. A complete mystery, Soarin thought to himself. He continued to walk towards the kitchen but stopped as something caught his eye from the right side of the room, across from the kitchen. A photograph. Curious, Soarin trotted towards the picture and studied it carefully. In the photo, a party was in progress with Dash in the middle backing away from a green, male Pegasus with a pale yellow mane with her friend Fluttershy quietly giggling behind her hoof. That male pegasus looked strikingly familiar… “He is so annoying! He's convinced that we’re gonna end up marrying each other when we grow up! Bleh!!” “Is he that much of an idiot? Though, I don't think you have to worry. I'm pretty sure your undying hate for him will stop you two from marrying each other anyway!” What? That voice in his head almost sounded like… Nah! Soarin shook his head, glancing one last time at the picture before making his way towards the kitchen where the mares had already started eating. “Took you long enough.” Fleetfoot spoke behind a mouthful of food, “did you get lost on the way?” She teased. “Oh, ha ha.” He rolled his eyes and sat down next to Dash. “It's better to arrive late than ugly.” “At least the mirror didn't break when I looked at it.” She lowered her eyebrows with a small smirk. “Point to Fleetfoot!” Spitfire declared while chuckling along with Dash. “Do you do this often?” Dash asked as she resumed eating her food. “Whenever we get the chance.” She then glanced at Soarin, “everypony usually targets Soarin here. He loses easily,” she smirked. “Hey!” He put a hoof on his chest in mock offence. “Oh stop crying you big baby!” Spitfire chuckled. “The world’s against me,” he fake sniffled. “The universe’s against you.” Fleetfoot remarked wryly. “Ha. Ha.” Soarin flattened his brow. “Anyways guys?” Rainbow began while chuckling. “After breakfast, I think we should get started on planning our routine, deciding the moves and such?” “Sure.” Spitfire nodded, “but Dash, there's something I need to ask. Have you ever worked and flew a formation or move with a team or another pony?” She asked. “Not that I can remember.” Rainbow admitted. “Hmm. We’ll have to go over a few things in basic formations to get you comfortable enough in working with others.” “Alright.” Dash shrugged. This is gonna be awesome, she thought. Meanwhile, Soarin was still thinking about that picture. The picture which had mysteriously looked familiar. Who was that? And, why did it feel like he had been there? Author's Note The next chapter is something I am so looking forward to writing!
Chapter 8- One Side of the Problem"Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath." —Eckhart Tolle Dash flew as fast she could. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care. The only thing that was occupying her mind was going as far as she could from Soarin. Soarin. She did it. She said what needed to be said. “Fancy also said that after yelling at him, he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He needed that.” Dash growled. Weight lifting off her shoulders? More like a whole brick house placed on her shoulders! She released a deep breath and looked towards the ground and stopped, hovering in place. She was currently above Ponyville Park. It was isolated and no pony was in sight. Deciding she needed a break from flying halfway across Ponyville at near rainboom speeds, Dash swooped down towards the ground, landing shakily. She sat down on a bench next to an oak tree and held her head in her hooves. She just wanted to scream at that bloody, fucking, son of a— “Aghh!!!” Rainbow growled loudly, scaring most of the birds on the tree near her away. Hearing the screams of the small, winged creatures, she turned towards her right, and eyed the tree. She did need to let some steam off… Without a second thought, Dash walked over the tree and stretched her hooves. This was going to be great for her mental health. “What just happened?” Fleetfoot cocked an eyebrow as Soarin flew to his room at an extremely fast pace, locking the door behind him. “I have no idea.” Spitfire blinked. “And where's Dash?” “I don't know…I don't see her…” Fleetfoot looked around then walked to the door of Soarin’s room and started to bang it repeatedly. “Soarin! What happened? Where’s Dash?” “Leave me!!” His muffled voice yelled from the other side. “We just want to help! Let us in!” Spitfire yelled this time hoping to drive some sense into him. “I. Said. Leave!” Soarin yelled once again. Spitfire furrowed her brow in annoyance and opened her mouth once again but was cut off by Fleetfoot. “Spits, you know that's not going to work. He's too stubborn. We can either stay here and scream at the top of our lungs or, get to the bottom of this with some help.” The fiery maned pegasus frowned. “Fine. I'll ask Twilight for help. I don't want to break open the door so we can use her magic to unlock it.” Fleetfoot nodded. “You do that. I'll try to get answers from another source. I'm going to try and find Rainbow to see what happened. But, before that, I'm going to pop over to Rarity’s to see if she knows anything. She was the last pony who saw Dash other than us. Maybe she'll know something.” “Hm,” Spitfire agreed. “Goodluck.” “You too.” Throughout her flight, Fleetfoot thought about her best friend's behaviour. He didn't seem too keen on talking to them. What had happened between Rainbow and him? It definitely had to do with something with his mother…he hadn't ever told anypony…anypony except for those close to him… Did they know each other before? Nah. Fleetfoot striked off that possibility as soon as it came into her mind. Knowing his personality, Soarin would definitely remember a friend. Especially one whom had known something quite personal to him…right? She had no more time to dwell on that idea as she came in for a smooth landing right outside Carousel Boutique. The lights were on inside, she noticed. Walking to the door, Fleetfoot knocked and stepped back, patiently waiting for the pony she knew could help. The door opened to reveal Rarity, “I'm sorry, but the shop is closed right n—” she finally got a proper look at her visitor and stopped. “Fleetfoot? Darling, what are you doing here?” “I need your help.” “I'd be happy to help! Whatever for?” Rarity then paused. “Oh! Mind my manners dear, please come inside.” She beckoned but Fleetfoot shook her head. “Thanks but, I'm in a hurry. Do you know where Dash might be?” She asked quickly. “Rainbow? No. Wasn't she going back to her home?” Rarity asked, puzzled. “She did come back but…she said something quite secret to Soarin and he had asked her how in the world she had known. She wanted to talk in private and they flew out. Soarin returned and locked himself in his room…Dash didn't come back.” Fleetfoot explained, sighing. “Well…that does explain her reluctance in talking about Soarin…and the story with Fancy. Quite ironic.” Rarity mused. “I don't know anything, darling…but I might know where she may be. I did very faintly see a rainbow trail headed towards Ponyville Park. That's our best bet to find her. Oh and I'm coming with you!” “Really? Thanks!” Fleetfoot smiled as Rarity closed the door behind her. “Of course, darling! Rainbow is one of my best friends.” She smiled back and looked towards the east. “No wonder she's at the park. There's rarely anyone at this time of day.” “Well, we better get trotting!” Fleetfoot started walking towards the direction Rarity was pointing and the latter soon followed. There were quite a few ponies outside basking in the cool wind that was starting to pick up. The open skies of Ponyville made it even better. Most of the bustle was in restaurants where couples and families were eating joyfully. The ponies that chose to remain inside were relaxing in the warmth of their home and adults were returning after a long day of work This village was a special place, Fleetfoot had decided. As much as they were enjoying the long walk, they had a much more important matter on their hooves. Standing right outside Ponyville park, they glanced around and indeed it was deserted. “Let's see if she's in there.” Rarity said as Fleetfoot simply nodded. They went inside and looked around calling for Dash as loudly as they could. A few minutes passed and they still had no luck. There was absolutely no sign of her. Sighing, they met back up in the heart of the park. “I think she's not he—” Fleetfoot began but suddenly paused as her ears twitched. “Wait.” She said and looked behind her. “There's a noise coming from over there. It's extremely faint but I can hear it.” She pointed towards an area behind the bushes. They silently tread towards the back through the bushes and gasped at the scene before them, once they emerged. A tree lay completely and utterly broken as if a beast had unleashed its wrath on it. Next to the broken tree was a bench. Everything around it was completely deserted. Almost everything. On the bench sat a lone figure, breathing heavily with her head low and her colorful mane covering her face. Art by Me The two mares away stared at the ‘beast’, wide-eyed, their jaws hanging open. They glanced at each other worriedly. “Rainbow…darling? Are…are you alright?” Rarity asked hesitantly. “Fine. Completely fine.” Dash chuckled dryly. The white unicorn winced at the response. “Dash.” Fleetfoot daringly stepped forward and put a hoof on the said mare’s shoulder, who flinched at the touch. “We're just trying to help. Please…what happened?” “I’M FINE!!” She suddenly yelled causing Fleetfoot to step back in surprise. “I don't need help! I'm fine…I'm…” she trailed off as she saw the flat stares of her friends. “You wanna know that bad? I'll tell you what. It was that fucking son of a bitch. That's what.” She spit out. “Um…” Rarity glanced at a shocked Fleetfoot. “Rainbow dear, I'm sorry if anything upset you but please, we're trying to genuinely help. So, could you, maybe…elaborate?” She cringed hoping, her friend wouldn't yell again. “You're not going to give up…are you?” Dash sighed, stopping the argument before it began. They shook their heads as she grumbled. “Fine. I'll tell you what happened after I left the house with Soarin.” And she recounted all the events that had transpired since then. The revelation, the shouting and how the tree next to her…broke. “I'm so glad Soarin wasn't with her longer.” Fleetfoot muttered to Rarity as Rainbow finished explaining. “So…that's what happened.” She sighed. “I see…” Rarity mused. “That's why you had the sudden interest in Fancy’s story, hmm?” “That's part of it.” Dash rolled her eyes. “Come on Dash, you can't let your weakness overpower yo—” Fleetfoot was cut off by a snort. “My weakness? Tell me, do you know what Soarin’s weakness is?” She glanced at both of them. “Um…no.” “The throat.” Dash said darkly, staring at the broken branches of the tree. Rarity’s and Fleetfoot’s eyes widened as they arched their necks back. “Woah, woah, woah.” The turquoise pegasus got in front of Rainbow’s face. “I know you really hate him right now but, that's no reason to kill him! Geez!” “Hmph.” “Rainbow, darling.” Rarity spoke up as she walked next to Fleetfoot. “I have to agree with our friend here. You need to calm down. I know words absolutely cannot fix what happened but, a pony does not just do something without a reason. Have you asked him why he did what he did?” She asked. “Well…no.” Dash admitted. “Then go and ask him. Nothing good will happen if you sit here and mope.” Rarity smiled softly. “Yeah.” Fleetfoot nodded. “I know Soarin, and that's not like him. I know that idiot messes up a lot but I'm sure he has an explanation for this.” “I…” Rainbow hesitated. “Who are you?” Rarity suddenly asked. “Uh…Rainbow Dash?” She tilted her head in confusion. “Was that a question? Who. Are. You?” “Rainbow Dash!” She said more confidently. “And is Rainbow Dash a coward?” “No!” “Is the Rainbow Dash going to leave somepony hanging?!” “No!” “Is she going to go after that pony and confront them?!” “Yes!!” “Then go.” Rarity’s voice calmed down and the sudden shift cause Dash to blink. “Ok.” She said and paused for a moment. “What just happened?” Fleetfoot opened her mouth but Rainbow quickly shook her head. “You know what? Nevermind. I need to go.” She got up from the bench and spread her wings. “Thanks guys.” She smiled softly and took off. Rarity and Fleetfoot smiled from the ground and looked at each other. Rarity opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. “Oi! You two! What the hell happened happened to my tree?!” They both flinched and looked behind to see the owner of the park trotting towards them. “Well…uh, who's gonna pay for the tree?” Fleetfoot muttered, faking a smile for the owner. The day was far from over. Author's Note Hey gu— *dodges pitchforks and torches* Woah, woah! I'm so sorry for the late update! With a...2 month delay...'_' I just had school and I honestly didn't have the motivation to write this month and the last... Well, I at least got it out before my birthday on Sunday...if I didn't, you would have had to wait a decade more I hope that a 1700+ word chapter makes up for it...? ^^'
Chapter 9- Why?"You must tell yourself, 'no matter how hard it is, or how it gets, I'm going to make it.'." —Les Brown The town was quiet in this part of Ponyville. No wonder Twilight loved this area, Spitfire thought as she landed right outside the princess’s large castle. The whole reason Spitfire flew all the way from Rainbow’s house to the castle was not only to open the lock of the door with magic, but since Twilight was the princess of friendship and was an expert, she could most definitely help persuade her stubborn friend. But in favour of the former, she was pretty sure Dash wasn't going to appreciate a broken cloud door when she came back. If she came back. Spitfire quickly shook her head and mentally slapped herself. Of course she would be back! She just had to, Fleetfoot would make sure of it! Taking a deep breath, she landed outside the castle doors and knocked, stepping back, waiting. She immediately heard hoofsteps behind the door and it opened with the bright pink aura. “Yes?” Twilight peeked her head out the door. When she saw her visitor, she smiled sweetly. “Oh, Spitfire! I wasn't expecting to see you here! Do you need anything? Do you want to discuss plans going further for the show?” “Not right now. I'm afraid I don't bear the best news. I need you to come with me.” She unfurled her wings and took off, waiting for the princess to follow. A few seconds later, the alicorn came up steadily beside her and they took off in the direction of the cloud home. “So, what's happened?” Twilight asked, trying to keep up her pace and speed with the wonderbolt. Spitfire sighed and explained everything that had transpired between Soarin and Dash. Twilight listened intently and furrowed her brow as she continued her description of the encounter. “This doesn't make sense!” She said after a moment. “My best theory would be that they knew each other before but…why here? Why now?” Spitfire immediately shook her head “That's impossible,” she scoffed. “I've known Soarin for years and he'd surely mention a friend to us! We know everything about him!” “We’ll just have to see, won't we? We’re here.” Twilight shrugged and landed on the cloud porch of the mansion. She stepped forward and opened the door, Spitfire following close behind. Walking up the black staircase, they cautiously proceeded to the second room to the left. They pressed their ears to the door. No sound. Twilight lit up her horn with an ethereal magenta glow and after a moment, they heard the ‘click’ of the door opening. “Come on,” She whispered and they entered. As they walked in, their eyes were immediately drawn by the light blue pegasus sitting on the long window seat, quietly looking outside. “Soarin?” Spitfire looked at him in concern as she walk forward and put a hoof on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at her. “What?” He hissed and she blinked in surprise. “Um…” she glad back at Twilight who nodded in encouragement. “Are you ok?” “Fine and dandy.” Twilight walked next to Spitfire, hoping to add encouragement of her own. “Soarin…listen, we don't know what happened with you and Dash out there but—” she was quickly cut off by Soarin as he looked at her instead and glared. “Dash? What's a ‘Dash’? I don't know a ‘Dash’! Just like I apparently didn't know one until The Best Young Fliers contest!” He huffed and banged his head against the window. “I'm not following. What happened out there?” Spitfire asked softly, which was a rare tone of voice to be heard from the usually ferocious captain. “I…” Soarin sighed. “I screwed up. I screwed up big time.” “Care to elaborate?” He remained silent. “Soarin…” Twilight warned. “We're not going to go anywhere like this.” “Fine…well, Dash and I?…we go way back.” He began. “We knew each other even before I joined the Wonderbolts. She was the one that motivated me to even tryout. And…how do I repay her? I make her a promise I couldn't keep and forget her after I've made it. She made me remember earlier…made me think about a lot of things about before.” He chuckled darkly. “What a friend I am!” “Wow…” Spitfire gaped. “Twilight suggested something like that but I didn't want to believe it…you and…her…” “I agree.” Twilight spoke up. “From what I've seen so far of you, you don't seem like somepony who would take advantage of anyone…what really happened?” “I…” Soarin struggled, “I don't know…” he admitted. “I wanted to see her again but everything…everything beca—” he was cut off of by Twilight. “You know what? We're not the ones that need to hear it…you need to go to Dash, explain everything.” Her eyes softened. “She wouldn't want to see me after this…” his ears flopped down. “Listen to me, Soarin.” Spitfire looked him straight in the eye. “Fleetfoot is out there right now with Rarity to try and reason with Dash. If they fail, you need to go out there and make her see you, or I swear to Celestia…I will make your life a living Tartarus. Got that?!” She growled. “Difficult, how?” Soarin scoffed. “Speed drill, number fifty.” Spitfire smirked as he flinched and gulped. “Yes ma’am!” “But seriously Soarin, I know Dash, and while she may act angry, she's probably as hurt as you right now—most likely more! Her concept of loyalty is strong. Very strong. You need to prove that you're worthy of that loyalty.” Twilight finished, nodding firmly. “Thank you. I'll keep it in mind.” He flashed a crooked smile and looked outside, his eyes full of determination. “I need to find her.” “Good luck.” Spitfire gave him a nod of approval. Soarin gave them a final glance and opened the window, rocketing off at full speed out towards the sky. After a moment, Twilight spoke up. “Come on!” And flew out of the window after him. “We’re following him?” Spitfire asked. “Knowing those two? Definitely!” She nodded. The fiery-maned pegasus smirked. “We're gonna get along well.” Author's Note This is the part where I blame my upcoming exams on Sunday…Grade 8 is really hard ya know! And if I don't pass and pay attention now, Grade 9-12 is gonna be extremely hard!
Chapter 10- Listen…"Promises are the sweetest lies." —unknown Bright emerald eyes scanned the sky, searching. Unfortunately, the pony he was looking for was nowhere to be seen. All around him, were clouds. Soarin kept looking in every direction possible as he flew. No one was around. Where is she? He thought. She couldn't just disappear! Could she? Agh! He was being silly! Nopony could just disappear! He kept looking around, trying to spot Rainbow’s colorful mane. His ears suddenly twitched. Somepony was nearby! Soarin quickly looked around but to his dismay it was just a flock of nine Magpies flying by. He furrowed his brow in annoyance, she was nowhere! Where the hell could she disappear?! Was she actually trying to hide from him or— Soarin’s train of thought stopped abruptly as his ears twitched once again, but the sound he heard was more…distinct. Glancing around, he saw nothing. Suddenly, he saw something rapidly approaching in his peripheral vision. He looked up and saw a blue dot shooting towards him at an incredible speed. He had no time dodge. Shit. This would definitely leave a bruise. “Oof!” Soarin grunted as he felt the rough impact of a body colliding with his and them falling towards the ground. He spread his wings in attempt to slow their fall. The other pony, having the same idea spread their wings as well and both of them roughly landed on a cloud, successfully not hitting it hard enough to condensate. “So sorry! I had to get—” a familiar raspy voice started but then stopped as she got a good look at who she had crashed into. Soarin shook his head, curious to why she stopped. Looking up at her, his question was answered. Rainbow Dash blankly stared at him as she sat opposite to him on the same cloud. Well, he found her…what now? “Um,” Soarin coughed awkwardly. “Fancy bumping into you again!” He forced a tense chuckle. She didn't answer. “Uh,” he was starting to sweat a bit now. “Nice weather we’re having, eh?” She just blinked. “…ha…haha…ha…” No reply. “Alright fine!” Soarin struggled. “I'm sorry! I screwed up! I know I seem like an asshole right now, forgetting everything and remembering after…years, but I have an explanation. It won't justify for everything and would probably make you madder but, it's to say I'm not a heartless bastard who left you just for fame. Please, just listen to me and I'll—” his rambling was cut off with a cyan hoof. He looked up and looked at her as she breathed out through her nose and closed her eyes. “Go ahead.” Dash said simply, removing her hoof from his mouth and waiting. Soarin was surprised at her willingness but, he needed to apologise, tell her why. Even though the ‘why’ was a selfish reason. “Dash…I know what I did was inexcusable, and after all those years of being friends…but it wasn't because of the fame getting to my head. Do you remember how easily…pressured I could be?” Upon her nod, he continued, “well…” Hoofsteps echoed throughout the halls of the Wonderbolt Compound. A young looking, light blue Pegasus trotted down the halls with a slight bounce in his step. It was peak time for the Wonderbolts so almost nobody was in sight as they all were either busy practicing for shows, or training. All except for Soarin who was very new along with two other ponies named Fleetfoot and Spitfire. His week had gone well so far and he had adjusted into the schedule nicely in such a short amount of time. And tomorrow, I can finally see Dash to tell her everything! Soarin thought excitedly. He kept trotting until he reached his new room where he had brought almost all his stuff from back home. Upon opening the door, he entered and was greeted by the bright blue walls he had grown accustomed to and his new furniture. He closed the door behind him and sighed with a smile. His dream had come true. He felt a bit nervous and foreign around the old Wonderbolts as they were already used to everything. His new teammates were mares and he felt like there were no stallion friends to talk to. He missed Dash. But…she was now in Ponyville as she didn't want her results. “We'll see each other again tomorrow,” Soarin muttered, a determined expression on his face. He glanced around his room once again and noticed a small box next to his bed. “Oh! The photographs are in there!” He perked up and crouched next to the box, opening it. The first thing he saw was a photo of him and Rainbow laughing and posing for the camera. He smiled remembering that occasion as his birthday. Soarin broke out of his thoughts by a knock on his door. He closed the box and stuffed it underneath his bed. I'll put those up later, he thought and trotted to the door to open it. Outside stood Spitfire, Fleetfoot and…High Winds! “Hey guys! What brings you here?” He tried to act calm in the presence of High Winds herself! “We’re just here to just invite you to the party taking place tomorrow.” High Winds smiled as Soarin's eyes widened. “Tomorrow?” “Mmhm! It's gonna be epic! We won't get a chance for the whole of next week so we thought, why not tomorrow? You comin’ right?” Fleetfoot asked, her wings fluttering. “…Y-yeah! Totally! I'll be there!” He bit his lip. “Sweet! Later Soarin!” Spitfire grinned and walked away with the other two. “Well…” Soarin said as he closed the door, “I hope you can wait one more week for me Dash…” he muttered. “This is gonna be a disaster…” “…and well, the same thing happened next week. I was just afraid of not impressing them and thinking I was not interested or not good enough. That kept on repeating till…I just forgot.” Soarin admitted, sighing. “Why no letter?” Dash asked softly. “I…didn't have time…” upon looking at the anger and sadness growing on her face, he quickly continued. “Look, I was foolish back then. I thought everything would be fine and I know a simple ‘sorry’ won't do but it's all I have…so please,” he begged. Dash remained silent, her eyes carefully scanning the emerald ones opposite to her. She tried to find something, anything to indicate he was lying, tricking her once again but…she found nothing. The gaze he set upon her was filled with sincerity and it was one she had not seen in a long time. It was a type of gaze that made your heart skip a beat and caused you forget your own words. It was a gaze she missed dearly. Dash sighed and looked down, not saying anything for a while. “Dash?” Soarin called her name and was afraid he'd failed and she'd leave but after another silent moment, she looked up. “You know, I'm an element of harmony, I've faced monsters, forces threatening our very existence, basically gone to Tartarus and back and…I've learnt a lot of things from a lot of different people. But, there's one special thing I learnt about loyalty right when I was a child and, on more than one occasion I've found it to be painfully true…do you want to know what that is?” She asked softly, afraid he'd disappear again if she was any louder. “What's that?” He asked, just as softly. “True loyalty…cannot ever be truly angry with anybody no matter how much they've screwed up, or even if they've straight up tried to kill you. It's almost impossible to be mad with anyone forever.” She finished and looked away. Another painful period of silence washed over both of them as the winds started to blow and the Luna’s moon started to rise. “…so, you forgive me?” Soarin asked hopefully. Dash didn't answer him but instead did the most unexpected thing in this situation. She started to giggle madly. “Um,” Soarin flinched as she threw her head back and started to laugh uncontrollably. “Rainbow?” He looked at her as he sat there awkwardly and she continued chuckling and guffawing. A few moments passed and Soarin furrowed his brows as the sounds from her mouth changed and sounded less and less like laughing. He moved a bit to look at her face and his eyes widened. She definitely wasn't laughing anymore. Instead, tears poured out of her eyes and the sound from her mouth was sobbing. Why was she crying? He…apologised and she forgave him. Did this really hurt her that much? Soarin’s ears flopped down as he brought her in for a hug. She resisted and tried to break free but his grip was too strong. When that didn't work she started hitting his chest with her hooves shouting ‘idiot’ again and again. He didn't mind, he just wanted her to calm down. She kept doing this for a few minutes but her hits got weaker and weaker by the second as she got tired and her endurance ran out. She panted and calmed down as Soarin hugged her even tighter. “I'm sorry,” he closed his eyes. “I really am sorry.” “Well, hopefully everything's fine now,” Spitfire smiled as she and Twilight watched the scene from behind a cloud. “You know, I've never really seen Rainbow fully breakdown like that…except when she had to say goodbye to Tank for the winter.” Twilight said, equally happy both of them had made amends. “Yeah,” she agreed. “But, Twilight. I think we should leave them alone now. Let's go back.” Spitfire was about to take off but she pulled her back. “No! They'll see us if we fly. Let's teleport.” Twilight lit up her horn as her eyes widened. “Oh no…Twilight! I'll vomit if you teleport, don't do it!” But, it was too late. *POOF* Author's Note EXAMS ARE OVER!! WOOO!! They generously gave us a 3 week vacation as well! Also, our English teacher was being super nice for some reason and gave us our marks! I got 92%! So happy! (But I'm also terrified about my Physics marks T.T") I managed to finish it on Tuesday, actually. But, I wrote it during our revision time in my notebook (cause I was bored and finished studying) so I got lazy and kept putting off when I'd write it digitally :P Soarin quickly looked around but to his dismay it was just a flock of nine Magpies flying by. I wonder… …you just searched up what 9 magpies mean, didn't you?
Chapter 11- I Totally Ship It“I came, I saw, I made it awkward.” —unknown A week had passed since the scenario between Soarin and Dash which ended in happy tears and melted hearts. Everything returned to normal after that. Except for the fact that whenever Rainbow saw Soarin, she didn't get the tempting urge to slap him or run away; instead they both grew closer and closer as time passed and caught up on everything they had missed out on in each others lives. Days were passing fast and although forgiveness wasn't completely granted to him, Soarin and Dash were on the road to rekindling their friendship brighter than ever before. Currently, Fleetfoot was asleep on the couch with a magazine on her face and Soarin and Dash were opposite to her conversing and bantering quietly. Their conversation was interrupted as Spitfire exited her temporary room, walking towards them with a notepad and quill. “Guys,” she began, sitting next to Fleetfoot and smacking her on the head to wake her. Fleetfoot blinked as the magazine slipped off her face and she lazily glanced around. Upon seeing Spitfire she straightened up and placed an innocent smile on her face. Rolling her eyes, Spitfire continued. “We're all wasting too much time relaxing. The only thing we've done so far is basic team formations and haven't even started planning the routine. We only have three weeks left so we need to organize and plan our moves today.” “I'm down with that.” Fleetfoot yawned and stretched. “But couldn't you have woken me up more nicely?” She rolled her eyes. “Fleet, you can't be woken up ‘nicely’” “Hmph.” “ANYWAY,” Spitfire shot a glare towards her companion. “We need to start right now. Any ideas for the beginning of the routine?” They all sat in silence for a few moments, each pondering on what moves they could add to the show. “Um, I have a few moves of my own that may fit well,” Dash began. “Although, we would have to alter them a bit to fit us four.” “Moves like?” Spitfire asked, intrigued. “The Buccaneer Blaze, The Fantastic Filly Flash, Speed Smash...The Sonic Rainboom?” “Nice names,” Fleetfoot commented. “Hmm,” Spitfire perked up. “I would love for the Sonic Rainboom to be incorporated into the routine. We could make this work…” “Spits? How about the Thunder Clap? That move we made during the Winter Moon Celebration, a year ago?” Soarin suggested. “Yes, Yes! What about you Fleet? Any ideas?” “Huh?” Fleetfoot flinched and looked around, apparently having zoned out within a few seconds. “What?” “I said, do you have any ideas for our show?” she repeated. “Or are you content to stay inside your fantasy world?” “Oh, um sorry, hehh...what about the...Streak Quad?” “Not a bad idea,” Spitfire said as she jotted down something in her notepad with her quill. “Right, I think this is fine for now, I'll put these together and figure something out. I'll take more suggestions later. Meanwhile, I want you to work on your flying. And Dash? Work on some coordination drills.” She said and trotted back to her room, shutting the door behind her. “I think the coordination drills are gonna be a bit of a problem.” Dash muttered. “I could help you with those you know?” Soarin flashed a small crooked smile. “Really?” “Yeah! I had some problems with those too. Maybe I could give you some tips?” “That'd be awesome! Let's go!” Rainbow grabbed Soarin’s hoof and dragged him to the exit. “Now?!” He asked as Dash opened the front door. “Duh!” and with that they both left, closing the door behind them. “Hm,” Fleetfoot mused, still on the couch. Tank had climbed next to her as she put a hoof on his shell. She had warmed up to the tortoise quite a bit in the past week. Though, only after slowly realizing that he wasn't exactly after her fame, life and fortune as she had initially thought. “You know something Tank?” She grabbed the tortoise and placed him on her lap. “I ship it.” Tank slowly tilted his head. He didn't exactly understand what the weird and wise turquoise pony had told him. “When you ship two ponies, you want them to get together and do cute things,” she explained. “So I ship Soarin and Rainbow!” Pause. “Yes, I ship your owner with some stallion.” Pause. “They would be cute though? Just imagine it my green companion! The beautiful foals they would make!” Fleetfoot stretched out her hoof in the air dramatically. That seemed to convince Tank and he nodded slowly. “See? Even you agree!” Tank’s face moved as he continued to smile and nod. “You and I are going to get along just fine.” Fleetfoot sighed happily. Spitfire groaned and slumped against the desk in her room. This was hard. Knowing what moves to put in the show and actually putting them together were very different things. Why was life so difficult?! She clicked her tongue as she eyed her notes and diagrams. It was a mess. Maybe she just needed a fresh, clean page. She flicked to the next page and stared. … AGGGHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMM— Spitfire sighed. She could use a bit of water to clear her thoughts right now… Looking around her room, she saw she had none. After a few moments of contemplation, Spitfire got up and walked towards the door. As she stepped out, the sight before her caused her to pause and raise an eyebrow. Fleetfoot was rambling on and on to Tank. A tortoise. Curious, she stayed in her spot, in front of her room and listened. “Soarin and Rainbow sitting in a tree,” she sang. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Spitfire tilted her head. Uh…What? “First comes love! Then comes marriage,” Fleetfoot continued singing, holding Tank close to her body. “Then comes Soarin with a baby carriage!” Spitfire stifled her laughter and walked to the couches where she was sitting. “You know I can hear you, right?” The turquoise mare as flinched a shadow fell over her. “You’re not the only one in the house.” “I can explain!” She grinned nervously and turned around. Spitfire stood right behind her with an eyebrow raised. “Uh huh,” she rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk over to kitchen which was located off to the side. She opened the fridge, grabbed a small water bottle under her wing and trotted back to her room. She paused at the entrance and she smirked, “it's not like I don't agree by the way.” “Uh,” Fleetfoot gaped. After a few moments Spitfire could hear her start to giggle, “haha! Yes!” she smiled and brought Tank closer to her body. “We have another shipper on board! Soarbow will sail!” … “It's a working title…” Author's Note Hey guys! It's been…a while… If you don't know why I haven't been updating, please read this Blog. Don't worry, there's no lame excuses, just me explaining that I haven't been updating because I have been writing chapters for this story. Just read it…it explains everything (even gives a few previews for future chapters!) If you've read it, carry on. As you know, I've been writing chapters. THIS DOESN'T MEAN I'M DONE STOCKPILING THEM! THIS IS ONLY PUBLISHED BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU GUYS HAVE WAITED A LONG WHILE AND THIS WAS A SMALL GIFT. Here is the progress so far: Chapter 12: 1572 words Chapter 13: 2259 words (a personal favourite so far) Chapter 14: 2233 words Chapter 15: 1135 words and only halfway through I'm planning to write till Chapter 22 and then start publishing. Hang in there a while longer guys <3
Final ChapterAuthor's Note READ THIS FIRST So, this technically isnt the final chapter, but I kinda lost all the shit I wrote because someone deleted my files, and I’m really not writing it again. So instead of simply cancelling it, I’m gonna end it with telling the story that was SUPPOSED to be written. I’m sorry but I’ve been studying for IGCSE’s and I’m busyyyy af. I only come on here to keep up with PTH. So anyway, here is how this was supposed to go. Final Chapter Over time, Dash and Soarin grew closer as friends, rekindling their broken past and leaving behind old haunts. It was almost like nothing ever happened between them. They go on a flight together where Soarin is teaching Dash some moves for their show and they’re play-fighting all cute and stuff. Soarin pins her down and says he’s won and his reward would be her treating him to dinner. Fleetfoot and Spitfire tease Soarin later, saying it sounds like a date where Soarin, flustered, says it’s definitely not. They go out and it’s awkward at first with both having no clue why, but they get over it and have a good time. There was a lot of development, with them going out stargazing at night and talking just about anything and nothing, content in each other’s presence. It’s all well and good, till they realise, oh, I may have caught feelings for my childhood friend, I’m screwed. They panic to their friends who tell them to suck it up and kiss. It’s the day of the show with both of them flirting with each other heavily in the days leading up to it (like get a ROOM). A few hours before the actual show, they’re lying on the grass in their field and just having a soft conversation. They head to their dressing room after that and they’re the only ones there and Dash exclaims that the sky is really pretty for tonight. Soarin says that’s not the only thing that’s pretty. And Dash turns her head to stare at him and glances at his lips and swallows. In Soarin head he’s like yES, this is IT. There are shadows outside the door but they don’t notice. They lean in and their lips just touch when the door opens where Spitifre and Fleetfoot stand. The both of them break apart, flushed and quickly leave the room with Spitfire and Fleetfoot’s knowing gaze following them. After the performance backstage, they’re greeted by Dash’s parents who congratulate them. Then comes Soarin’s father and grandma, and they’re talking to Soarin but the grandma suddenly looks behind him and gasps. She says Dash’s mothers name and Soarin’s father tenses. Dash’s mother and Soarin’s father make eye contact and suddenly it’s really awkward. Dash clears her throat and asks if they know each other. Dash’s mom looks away and says they used to date. To break the tension Soarin’s father jokes, at least their kids aren’t doing the same and Dash and Soarin stiffen. Dash laughs nervously and says no, they aren’t. Fleetfoot, who’s NOT gonna let soarindash sink before it sails says, friends don’t kiss each other. Now it’s just beyond awkward, and Dash just quickly says to her parents, let me show you around, and they leave. Dash and Soarin start ignoring each other and their friends are so sick of it, like please, you’re in love, get over yourselves. So they plan an intervention but Dash doesn’t listen and goes to the stadium to practice. They manage to get through to Soarin though and he goes after her after finding out where she is. He corners her in the changing room of the stadium and the air is thick with tension. He has to corner her so she doesn’t escape. They share their breaths, and Soarin murmurs, “I like you.” Dash is breathless and whispers back, “oh, oh that’s good,” she nods, dazed. “I like you too.” Soarin finally takes the plunge and leans forward and connects their lips together. But it’s not chaste and sweet like the first time, nononono. It’s hot and messy and as desperate as they felt. Outside the room, Fleetfoot was making her way to check on them but freezes when she hears a moan. She leaves with a small chuckle. They talk to their parents and basically say I know you dated and shit, but I don’t care and we’re in love. Goodbye. The end.
Chapter 7- That Escalated Quickly…"We barely talk without a barrier between us anymore, and the saddest part is, we used to talk everyday." —unknown “Why was that so hard?!” Dash exclaimed in annoyance as she walked through the front door of her cloud home. The four pegasi had tried to do some basic team formations and exercises to help Rainbow get comfortable in working with others to made sure she didn't freeze up or earn any injuries during practice or the show. They had gone outside and tried but…it didn't go very well. “Oh come on, Dash. From what I've heard, you'll get this down in no time!” Soarin smiled and punched her shoulder. Spitfire nodded. “I agree. I haven't seen talent like yours in a long time. I understand it's easy to get frustrated but you just need to practice.” “Honestly though, I never knew it was that hard. You guys make it look so easy! It was just when one of you got really close to me, my wings just reacted and…froze up. I couldn't do anything!” Dash expressed her frustration. “Yeah, it's pretty annoying.” Soarin agreed. “Hm,” she awkwardly forced a smile as he tilted his head and rose an eyebrow. Luckily, Fleetfoot spoke up. “I think I agree with Dash. ‘Hm,’” she quoted. “Not, being very helpful!” “Ha.” Soarin laughed dryly. Rainbow rolled her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat. She glanced at the clock to her right and her eyes widened. “Uh, guys!” She began hurriedly. “I have to go help Rarity with a dress she wants me to model. She'll have my head if I'm late, I'll be back in a few hours. Have lunch and do other shit without me!” And with that, she rushed out the door closing it with a ‘thud’! As she was about to take off, her ears perked up to the sound of hoofsteps behind her. Dash took a glance and saw a bit of navy blue mane exiting the door. She gritted her teeth and took off as fast as she could faintly hearing the baby blue pegasus calling out to her. That was close, she sighed. Back on the clouds of Rainbow’s home, Soarin swore he saw her glance towards him. Carousel Boutique was standing as proud as ever. In light of recent events, Rarity’s boutique had been the talk of Equestria. Her business sales had increased in Canterlot, Manehattan and even Ponyville! Quite a few ponies had visited the boutique and praised her for the amazing quality and rarity of her clothing even in a small town like this. Needless to say, Rarity was very busy most of the day, yet made time to spend with her friends just as much. Today was not one one of those days, but she still found a way. She had asked Rainbow to model a dress for a new clothing range coming up. It was a perfect way to work and hang out with Dash. “Sorry I'm late Rares.” The rainbow maned pegasus entered the boutique in a hurry. “I got caught up in a few things.” She stopped and caught her breath looking at the fashionista who was levitating some different colored materials across the room. “Oh! It's quite alright, dear. Come, we can get started right away!” Rarity pushed her towards the back area making her stand on a small platform, immediately bringing over a few pins and needles. “Careful with those!” Dash eyed the sharp, pointy, metal instruments of death. “Oh don't worry, Rainbow!” Rarity assured. “I will try my best not to poke you.” She levitated over a beautiful magenta colored silk, draping it over her back. “How are the Wonderbolts? Haven't seen them since our lovely lunch!” “They're pretty chill.” She said, trying her best not to squirm. “Probably want a rest from their day to day routine. Spitfire has gotten along with Twilight quite well actually. They hang out sometimes. Fleetfoot’s still a bit scared of Tank—not that she'll admit it—and she's pretty carefree. Also gave me a bit of advice on my speed which was awesome! Soarin…uh, he's pretty cool. He's laid back but, I haven't got a chance to hang out with him much.” Dash winced, hoping Rarity didn't notice her hesitance during the last part. Fortunately, she was too focused on the dress. “That's great dear! I'm sure you'll get the chance to spend time with Soarin, eventually.” “Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. “So, anything new with you?” She asked. “Not really.” She paused. “Come to think of it, Fancy Pants had invited me to dinner and it was absolutely magnificent!” “Fancy Hat? Isn't he the one who was at the party in Canterlot on Twilight’s birthday? The one who was with Fleur-something?” “Fancy Pants.” Rarity corrected with an amused smile. “And yes, he was with Fleur De Lis but they broke up. Why do you ask?” She tilted her head, now sewing the collar of the dress. “Oh please Rare. I'm pretty sure that ‘dinner’ was something a little more. And now that he's back on the market, you wanna fetch him for yourself don't ya?” Dash teased. “Oh, pff, pah, puh-lease, darling! It's nothing like that! He's much more older than me and besides! He was the one who invited me to dinner!” She scoffed with a slight blush, trying to hide it on her white fur. “He's only four years older than you.” Rainbow stated flatly. “So? Just because we went on a friendly dinner doesn't mean we're something more!” She huffed. “Riigght, I believe you.” She said with a smirk as Rarity pouted. “Anyways, what did you talk about?” “Casual things that normal friends talk about.” She waved off. “But, he did tell me about another friend of his who had forgotten a very important day to them. It would’ve been fine but, it was the third year in a row. He snapped and yelled and there was quite a bit of tension between them but after a while, they forgave each other. Fancy also said that after yelling at him, he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He needed that.” That piped Dash’s interest. “Oh? How…how did they forgive each other?” She asked meekly. “Well if I seem to recall, he mentioned that he'd thought about it and whether he actually wanted to let go years of friendship they had built over something that could be done again? Yes, it was a big deal to him yet, in his heart he found a way to forgive and try all over again. Quite the friendship lesson, don't you agree?” “Yeah…quite.” Dash said, deep in thought. “Hmm.” Rarity glanced at her knowingly. For some reason, that glance unnerved her greatly. “So!” Rarity began. “I think I'm almost done with the dress. I'll have to do the finishing touches later but, what do you think?” She smiled and brought a large mirror over. “Woah,” was all that Dash could muster. The dress, although was not done, looked absolutely stunning. The magenta, white and gold dress, hugged her body perfectly and flowed out at the end with some translucent white material and it overall looked amazing. “Rarity,” she began. “This looks…amazing! Even for me! It looks aerodynamic too.” She joked. “Well, I'm glad you like it! It's looks better on you than expected.” Rarity grinned. She carefully removed a few pins and brought the dress apart with her magic, proceeding to levitate it over to a mannequin instead. “Haa,” Dash exhaled. “It's great to be able to move again.” She joked. “I'm sure it is.” Rarity smiled and shook her head. The visit to Rarity’s had taken a bit longer than Rainbow had expected but she wasn't complaining. She appreciated getting to spend some time with one of her best friends. Her and Rarity hadn't always seen eye to eye but they had warmed up over the course of time. At least they weren't as bad as with Applejack… Dash stretched herself out as she landed outside her cloud mansion, humming an unknown tune to herself. She glanced at the sun’s position in the sky and confirmed her suspicions. It was way past lunch time. In fact, it was almost time for dinner. Rainbow shrugged and opened the door. “Hey guys! I'm—” she was cut off by a plastic wrapped sandwich in her line of sight, hurdling towards her. Her reflexes acted on instinct and she caught the sandwich with both hooves almost losing her balance. It wasn't that it was heavy, it just caught her off guard. “Nice catch!” A raspy and playful voice complimented her. “Uhh,” Dash blinked. Soarin and Spitfire were laying on the couch above her and Fleetfoot was standing at the top of the stairs grinning innocently. “Thanks?” “No problem!” She flashed a smile and hopped towards the two others. “That was a weird welcome.” Rainbow muttered to herself, chuckling and walked up the stairs to see Spitfire reading a newspaper. Probably the one from this morning. Curious to see what today's news had in store, she walked up to the edge of the cloud couch and sat down next to her. Glancing at the current article that was being read, she rolled her eyes. Bugbear attacks were becoming more and more common around the cities and towns near the Everfree. The spot where the creature had bit her still stung. There were a few more things on Las Pegasus, the next Equestria Games, rumours about Blueblood’s fake hair and other things she wasn't interested in. “They wrote an article on Soarin’s mom too.” Spitfire suddenly spoke, looking at Dash. Fleetfoot and the one in question were too engrossed in their conversation to be listening. “Says that they suspect something more and that his mother didn't actually die.” She scoffed giving Rainbow a sideways glance. “Some things that ponies come up with.” “Yeah,” she nodded. “Especially since almost no one knows that his mother left him when he was young.” She casually resumed skimming over the paper waiting for Spitfire to respond. When she got nothing, she lifted her head and was met with surprised stares from all three. “What?” She asked, raising an eyebrow but then her eyes widened as she realised what she had said. Red alert. Shit. No Dash gulped subtly and chuckled nervously hoping they'd just brush her of as a ‘stalker’ again. “How…how did you know?” Soarin asked, the most surprised of them all. “No one…and I mean no one, except my close family and friends know. Then…how?” Rainbow gulped once again. Well, there went that. She messed up. She messed up big time. This was exactly what she hoped wouldn't happen. This was exactly why she had tried to avoid Soarin. “Fancy also said that after yelling at him, he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He needed that.” …Maybe she did too? “I, uh…I.” Dash’s heart started to beat faster and she gritted her teeth. She decided she didn't like this situation. What was she supposed to do? What would her friends do? After a few moments in confliction with herself she gave up and sighed. “Soarin.” Rainbow glanced towards him and started walking towards the exit. “Come with me. You and I have a lot to talk about.” He shot her a confused look and followed after her, shrugging to his two other friends behind him. They flew in silence to who-knows-where. Dash had a determined look on her face as she flew at a steady pace a bit outside Ponyville's borders. Soarin kept wondering where they were going. Rainbow was wondering what she'd do when they got there. The land suddenly cleared out to a beautiful field of grass as they flew further and further. It was quite cloudy, so it wasn't that hard to find a fluffy, soft cloud to land on. Dash recognised the area for two reasons, both of them connected. Soarin strangely recognized it as well, but couldn't quite put his hoof on it. “Do you remember this place?” She asked, facing him as she motioned out to the valley. “It…looks sort of familiar.” He admitted. “Hm, well, let me rekindle your memory a bit.” Dash stepped closer to him, their chests touching. “Do you remember a certain promise you made? A certain promise made not long before you became a Wonderbolt?!” She asked with force behind her words which made Soarin blink in surprise. “A promise?” He muttered to himself, backing a bit away from her as he looked onward at the grass. Everything about it familiar in someway. The smell, the wind, the grass. His eyes widened in realisation. “Promise you'll come back?” “I promise…I'll come back.” No way. Soarin looked at her in utter shock, looking for some confirmation to the unasked question. Dash saw the recognition flash in his eyes and coldly nodded. “Finally coming back, huh?” She stepped closer to him once again but this time, he didn't back away. “This was where it all came crashing down. This is where I waited every bloody, goddamn day waiting for you to come. Waiting for a sign that you remembered me. Every day since you didn't show up, I asked myself, ‘was it really worth it? Was I waiting for nothing?’ Well? Tell me Skies? Was I waiting for nothing?!” “I…we…you…it,” Soarin stuttered still in shock. Dash huffed and turned away from him looking at the horizon. “I stood there and watched as you flew in the direction to Cloudsdale, not looking back.” She chuckled bitterly. “I guess that was just the foreshadowing of the future.” She raised her head and looked at the sky. “Do you remember the reason why I didn't join the Wonderbolts?” “Uh…” it was all coming back to him, like a hazy mirror being cleared of all the mist. And he remembered. “Dash!” A navy maned Colt excitedly called, bursting through the doors of his best friends dormitory. “Hm? Oh hey, Soarin!” Rainbow greeted, turning away from a saddle bag filled to the brim with different things on her bed. “Did ya get your letter from the Wonderbolts? I can't believe it's the final year! The year where one of us gets accepted into the Junior Wonderbolts Academy!” Soarin then waved the light blue letter with a lightning bolt seal in his hoof. “Here's mine! I was hoping we could open it together.” Dash’s ears flopped down. “Soar, I…I declined my results.” She hesitated. The large grin on his face immediately turned upside down. “Wha? Why?” He asked, turning away. “I'm sorry but, I'm moving to Ponyville. I dropped out of Camp just today—thus the saddlebags.” She motioned to the blue pair on the bed. “I was going to tell you later, but you beat me to it by coming here.” “Why? And at the end of the year?” “Fluttershy wants to move to Ponyville but she's too afraid to. I'm going with her. Her destiny lies there. Mine? I have nothing left here in Cloudsdale—besides you, Gilda and the Wonderbolts.—My parents are busy most of the time and I need to be there for her, she's like a little sister. I need a change. But, if you maybe don't get accepted, you could come to Ponyville with us?” Dash asked hopefully. “After finishing the year, of course!” She added quickly. “Maybe.” Soarin sighed. “Oh come on! This is supposed to be your big moment! Don't let me spoil it!” She smiled and snatched the envelope out of his hooves, opening it. He chuckled and rolled his eyes looking at the letter with Dash. “Congrats.” She said after a moment. He looked at her as she managed a watery, sad smile. “You got accepted. “So that's why you knew about how I got my cutie mark? My mother? You…y-you were there.” Soarin finally said after minutes of silence. “Hm.” Rainbow nodded in confirmation. “Why didn't you contact me?” He asked, searching her magenta eyes for answers. Something inside Rainbow snapped. “Why?” She began in a dangerously low voice as Soarin gulped. “Why I didn't contact you?! Oh I dunno, you're a Wonderbolt. That's why. How could I have even gotten ahold of you? When you were training? When you were performing?! The real question is why didn't you?!” She finally looked at him, brushing her bangs out of her face and he could see the rage boiling in her eyes. Rage that had built up over time. “How could you have forgotten so easily? Was I not that important to you?!” She continued. “Do you know how I felt? Hurt! Betrayed by my best friend! I waited here every day after that. Hell, I made this my training spot just so I didn't waste time waiting. And you know what?!” She asked, almost spitting onto him. “This is still my training spot after all those years! Do you know what that kind of commitment feels like?! Coming here even though it hurts so much?!” Soarin had his eyes wide throughout her shouting but as she finished, he narrowed his eyes and pushed back. “Well, some of us aren't as loyal as you, Rainbow Dash.” They stared at each other, not moving a muscle until Dash scoffed and turned away, spreading her wings. “You're right. Some of us aren't.” She said coldly and flew off into the sky. “No, Dash! Wait!” Soarin quickly realised his mistake and yelled out to her but she was too far away. Even if she wasn't, she wouldn't stop. Not for him. He sat there in silence for a while, wondering what just happened. “I screwed up. I screwed up big time.” He muttered to himself, burying his face in his hooves. Out of all of this, Soarin knew one thing. Whatever just happened, was past the point of repair.
