The Change in Our Wind

Chapters

Chapter 1 - There's a Rumor in Equestria
Chapter 2 - Totally, Completely, and Entirely Fine
Chapter 3 - Canterlot Part One
Chapter 4 - Canterlot Part Two
Chapter 5 - Canterlot Part Three
Chapter 6 - Reunion
Chapter 7 - Letters
Chapter 8 - Air, Wind, and Sun
Chapter 9 - The Talk
Chapter 10 - Blaze

Chapter 1 - There's a Rumor in Equestria

2 weeks after the events of Why Me?!

Rainbow Dash walked into Sugarcube Corner after a long day of work. First, she had to fix Scootaloo's scooter, then go watch Rarity's boutique while she ran to get new fabrics, move apples into the barn for Applejack, help Fluttershy with cleaning, and then go to work and get Ponyville ready for nothing but rain all day. She then sat down and looked out the window as the rain began to finally pick up. She was going to go home and take a nap, but she was practically starving and wanted to say hi to Pinkie since she'd been too busy this week to stop by. Pinkie knew this and told Dash she was going to make the best cupcakes she had ever made just for the occasion. Dash watched the rain fall as she thought of Soarin.

As of today, it has been two full weeks since the Wonderbolt show that brought Dash and Soarin together. Both made it clear to their friends to keep the relationship secret (which has been hard because of Pinkie and Surprise) for their own reasons. Soarin doesn't want all of Equestria's press to corner Dash with flashing cameras and awkward questions whenever she leaves her home. Dash thinks this could ruin her reputation and maybe even give her too much of an advantage at becoming a Wonderbolt.

The two have been sending letters to each other left and right, talking about whatever was on their mind. How the Wonderbolts tour is going, life in Ponyville, friends, enemies, and the weirdest memories they could muster up. Being the extreme romantic type did not mix well with Dash nor Soarin, so if someone else were to read the letters, they would've thought the two were best friends who simply wanted to talk while Soarin is on tour. To them, it was so much more. Although neither showed it on the outside, they were both very, if not extremely, excited when the mail-ponies delivered the letters.

For some reason, Dash hasn't gotten a letter since last week. Mail-ponies worked quickly, meaning most letters were delivered usually that day or the next. Dash sent a letter almost a week ago, and since Soarin usually wrote back as soon as he got the letter, she was mildly worried that the letter didn't send. Of course, he was also a Wonderbolt, which meant he doesn't have as much free time as Dash does. There could've been a mix up with the letters, and the pony who received the letter was trying to send it to Soarin. Dash also didn't really know how a relationship worked, especially a long distance one, so she could be over thinking this all. She had worse problems happen before, so this was no big deal to her.

Of course, that was until Dash saw someone running quickly to Sugarcube Corner with something in their mouth. This was when Fluttershy came into Sugarcube Corner with a newspaper, soaking wet, and looking quickly for Dash, and looking worried while doing so.

Dash waved over to Fluttershy, who's worried expression only grew.

"Why were you running in the rain? What's up?" Dash motioned for her to sit down next to her.

Fluttershy placed the paper onto the table before sitting down, slightly shivering from being so cold.

"Rainbow, I just got the newspaper for today. I'm assuming you haven't read it yet, though. I asked everyone where you were before you found out. You really should read it, it's pretty bad..."

Dash looked at her quiet friend confusingly. "Um... no, I haven't. What's wrong?"

"It's about," she looked around before lowering her voice more, "Soarin."

Dash immediately thought that he was hurt during a show, and Fluttershy picked that up quickly.

"Nothing like that happened, but, knowing you, I think you're going to wish he was after what he did..."

Dash looked at Fluttershy wondering what she meant. This was Soarin they were talking about. He was Dash's coltfriend. One of the nicest and greatest ponies she had ever met. He never let his fame go over his head, and he was extremely selfless. He loved her more than he loved pie. He was her world, and she was his. They would both give up everything they had if it meant that they could be together. Sure, they haven't been dating long, but all their friends knew they were soulmates. They were meant to be together since they were born. There wasn't one thing the two didn't know about each other at this point in life. So what could be so wrong that had gotten Fluttershy worried?

"Soarin is a good guy, I know he wouldn't do something wrong on purpose. Plus you usually get worried over the tiniest of things. Whatever you think he did, you must've read it wrong."

"Trust me, I read it over and over again just to be sure. Rainbow, I wouldn't be here right now if I wasn't certain about what I read."

"Okay then," Dash's face had a slightly worried expression on, "what happened?"

Fluttershy, without a response, looked away from her friend before unfolding the newspaper to fully reveal the first page, which showed what Fluttershy wanted Dash to see. Fluttershy didn't want to see Dash get hurt, she was one of her oldest friends. She knew how much Dash cared about Soarin, even before they started dating. She remembered how happy Dash was after Manehatten. Soarin was Dash's first love, first friend, first coltfriend, and the whole reason she stands up with her head held high. Dash trusted Soarin. She loved him with all her heart. Fluttershy knew this was going to crush Dash's spirit. Fluttershy thought that if Rainbow Dash found out about this through her, it would be better than hearing rumors about it.

Fluttershy watched as her rainbow-haired friend read the headline. Dash read it over and over again, hoping that her eyes were tricking her.

THE NEW WONDERBOLT POWER COUPLE: SOARIN AND BLAZE

Author's Note

Hey, guys!!!! I'm really excited for this story. I felt that I left the first story too soon, so making a sequel had to be made. I really hope you like it! :rainbowkiss:

Also, please give me constructive criticism. I really love to write and I'm thinking of making it my career, so I would really appreciate it. Thanks for reading! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 2 - Totally, Completely, and Entirely Fine

"No no no no no no that's not true."

Dash didn't understand what she read. This didn't make any sense to her whatsoever.

"Well, maybe the writer is being overdramatic." Fluttershy tried to help.

Rainbow just stared at the headline, trying to figure out what just happened, trying to figure out if it was true, trying to figure out what she did that made him do this to her. Was this why he stopped writing? Was the long distance stressing him out? If that was the case, why didn't he just talk to her? Dash's mind was twisting and turning itself hoping it was all a lie. Everything stopped moving around her, everyone went silent, her mind turned itself off.

"Rainbow?" Fluttershy looked at her now silent friend with more worry than ever.

Dash looked at Fluttershy with a small smile.

"It's no biggie. I'm fine." Just like that, Dash left before Fluttershy could respond.

Fluttershy watched Dash fly through the rain, she jumped as a familiar voice spoke up behind her.

Pinkie looked out the window while holding freshly made cupcakes.

"Where's Dashie going?"

Fluttershy looked back out the window for a second before turning to Pinkie and showing her the newspaper. Pinkie then set down the cupcakes to read it and looked back at the window where they last saw Dash.

"Ohhhhhhhhh."

Fluttershy and Pinkie went to the Friendship Castle to tell the others about Dash and Soarin. When they walked in, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, and Rarity were already inside talking to each other, all looking at a newspaper, the same one Fluttershy had. Rarity looked over to see the two friends walk in.

"Oh darlings, have you heard the dreadful news about Soarin?" Rarity asked as Fluttershy sat down.

"Yeah, I feel so awful for her," Fluttershy frowned.

"I'm sure we all do, I don't understand how he could have done this to her," Twilight looked back at the newspaper.

Rarity shrugged. "Perhaps it's all a misunderstanding. I know we haven't known Soarin as long as Rainbow Dash has, but he does not seem like that type of pony."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Obviously he IS that type of pony! I don't really see ANY GOOD REASON for him to cheat on her!"

Everyone was quiet until Applejack realized something.

"Hang on, does Rainbow know? We can't have her thinking Soarin is as loyal as she is!"

Fluttershy nodded. "I told her not long ago today, I thought it would be best if she heard it from her friend."

"We should probably go check on her," Spike suggested. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Everyone stood in front of Rainbow's door. Each thought of what they should say and what they should do. Twilight knocked on her door with caution. They all waited for a minute until the door opened slowly, Tank looking up at them.

"Hey, Tank! Is Rainbow Dash home?" Twilight asked the tortoise.

Tank nodded slowly before moving to let them walk in. He then motioned his head in the direction where Dash's room was, and they walked there.

"Thanks, Tank!" Fluttershy smiled as the tortoise nodded before going back to whatever he was doing.

Twilight was the first to enter, while everyone else followed close behind. To their surprise, Rainbow was laying on her bed, reading one of the newer Daring Do stories.

"What's up?" She asked without looking up.

Dash's friends looked at each other with about the same amount of confusion written on their faces.

"Uh, what's up with you? Fluttershy told us that you know about Soarin." Applejack said, prepared for a sudden emotional outburst.

Dash put down the book and sat up to look at her friends. "Yeah, I know."

"And... you're not upset? At all?" Twilight asked.

Dash shrugged. "I'll admit I was at first, but I'm okay now."

Twilight looked at her friend quizzically then turned to everyone else. "Let me try to talk to her."

Everyone nodded and left the room, leaving Twilight and Dash alone.

"I really don't know why you're making a big deal out of this. I can handle it on my own," Dash shrugged.

"Rainbow Dash, I don't know why you're not making a big deal out of this. This is Soarin. Not some random stranger. It's okay to be upset over it."

"Twilight, I'm not upset over it. He chose Blaze over me. That's it."

"This isn't you. Since when did Rainbow Dash ever give up on something? Every time something was wrong, you tried everything to fix it. If it couldn't be fixed, you would get help from one of us. What happened to Rainbow Dash? What happened to you?"

Rainbow sat in silence as the alicorn spoke. In reality, she was hurt, no, more than hurt. She felt as if everyone she ever loved turned against her. She felt like a loser, like an idiot, like a failure. She felt like she was ongoingly fighting this monster, but it was invisible and powerful. There was no one who could help her.

Except for her friends. She had six amazing best friends who'd help her with anything. They would help her get through these feelings and help her become stronger afterward. She knew this, of course. She knew that her friends wouldn't judge her if she cried it out. They wouldn't judge her for having a heart. She considered getting help from her friends, but none of them could fully understand what it feels like to be cheated on.

Rainbow thought more for a while. Her whole idea of playing it cool wasn't working. She continued to think about how to fix this.

She had to talk to Soarin. How? He was on tour, a different city almost every day. That's when she remembered his last letter.

Dear Rainbow Dash,
Just arrived in Fillydelphia. We should be here for three days, then we'll be in Canterlot for about five days. Don't worry, the tour will be over soon and we'll hang out more. I promise. This is the longest tour we've had, and it's only for two months. If you think about it, a month is only about four weeks, and two weeks have passed. That's almost half way there! I'll be back soon.
~Love,
Soarin

Rainbow thought out loud. "He sent that letter a week ago, which has seven days. Which means they should be done in Fillydelphia. That means they should be in Canterlot right now, and tomorrow is the last day!"

Twilight tilted her head as her friend thought. "What are you saying?"

Rainbow Dash stood up.

"Twilight, we're going to Canterlot!"

Author's Note

Ayyyyyy story progression! :yay:

What could possibly go wrong in Canterlot? How will Soarin feel about this? What about Blaze? So many questions, not enough answers. :moustache:

Also, if you're an artist and want to help make this fanfic a little more interesting, read my recent blog about the story! I really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading!!

Chapter 3 - Canterlot Part One

The Mane Six stood at the Ponyville station waiting for the train that would take Dash and Twilight to Canterlot.

"I don't understand, Rainbow dear. Why not take anything to Canterlot? It is pretty far," Rarity questioned.

"We're not going to be there long. A trip to Canterlot is only two hours and I'd rather get this ordeal over and done with." Dash explained, adding a tone of annoyance at the end.

Twilight waved her hoof towards Rarity as a sign of reassurance. "Don't worry. In case something happens, I already packed everything we'll need if our stay goes longer than expected." Rarity sighed in relief.

Applejack looked at Dash, who anxiously waited for the train, and walked up to her.

"You know, sugar cube, you don't have to go right now if you're not ready."

Dash shook her head. "I have no choice, AJ. Soarin's last letter said he was going to be in Canterlot until tomorrow night. If I don't see him before then, I won't get the answers I need. Plus if he really is with Blaze, I need to break it off before I end up looking like an idiotic fan who just wanted to pretend we were dating."

Applejack looked at her friend quizzically, but then realized what she had meant. She forgot that Dash and Soarin had kept their relationship a secret for the sake of the press. So if this went south, Soarin could easily call her out as a crazy fan who wanted attention, and the press would believe it. Applejack continued to comfort Dash until the train finally arrived.

It had been a silent trip to Canterlot. When they began to walk around the city, Twilight finally spoke up.

"I talked to Princess Celestia, she said that we can stay in the castle while we're here."

Dash, who had been looking at the ground since they arrived, shrugged. "That's cool."

Twilight frowned, then spoke again. "She also said she was going to hold a huge ceremony in honor of your awesomeness."

"That's cool."

Twilight stopped walking, which made Dash finally look up at her.

"Rainbow Dash, what's going on? You never let anything take you this far down. And you've been through so much."

Dash rolled her eyes. "Well, this is different, Twilight! Yes, I have been through a lot, but this isn't the usual 'let's save Equestria for the millionth time this week' situation!" She said angrily.

Twilight looked at her with concern. Dash sighed.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Dash was cut off by a hoof wave from Twilight.

"There's no need to explain yourself. I understand. You don't deserve this, and I know it's taken a toll on you. You acted like it didn't affect you, but I could tell that it's been killing you."

Dash folded her ears. She couldn't hide this stuff from Twilight forever, she's literally the Princess of Friendship. Dash took a deep breath.

"What did I do?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Did I accidentally hurt him or something that made him do this?" Dash's voice cracked.

Twilight pulled her into a hug as Dash let everything out. This was extremely difficult for Dash to deal with. She had always thought she was too good for any stallion. When she began dating Soarin, she thought nothing could stop her. Now, she felt as if she was this weak little mare that couldn't do anything right.

"Listen closely," Twilight pulled away from the hug to face Dash, "we don't know for sure if he really is cheating on you. I'm sure it's a big misunderstanding. If this is true, just know that this is not your fault and you didn't do anything to deserve this. You have me, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie right here for you no matter what."

Dash smiled at her friend then sniffed and wiped the remaining tears away.

When they finally made it to their rooms and Twilight found a good place to put her bags, they began talking about Dash's plan involving Soarin.

"I know the Wonderbolts have a show in an hour, and again tomorrow at the same time. I was thinking I should just talk to him afterward to see what's going on. I know I can get in without any big problem, I am a reserve after all."

"That seems like a good idea. Any idea what to say to him?"

"No, but I'll probably come up with something. I did when I talked to him back in... Manehatten..." Dash's ears dropped at the memory of that night. It was one of the best nights of her life, but now she wasn't so sure.

Twilight pulled her into another hug before speaking again.

"Well, if you want to get to the show, we should head there soon."

Dash nodded as they began getting ready for the show that could either fix everything or ruin Dash and Soarin's relationship.

Author's Note

I really hate it when Rainbow cries :fluttercry:

Ah, it's so sweet seeing a friend help another during times like this. But who knows if Twilight's right about this new relationship being a big misunderstanding? I wonder what kind of excuses Soarin is going to make up once they finally reunite after the show... This is very interesting indeed... :trollestia: :raritywink:

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4 - Canterlot Part Two

Canterlot Stadium, an hour before Rainbow and Twilight arrived
The Wonderbolts flew towards the stadium to get dressed and warm up. While they flew in to get ready for the show, Spitfire, who also read the paper about Blaze, eyed Soarin, who was getting his goggles out of his bag. She flew over and landed next to him.

"What's up, Spits?" Soarin asked as he rummaged through his bag.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Spitfire glared.

Soarin stopped rummaging through his bag and looked at his captain with a questioning expression. Spitfire continued.

"I thought you were with that Rainbow mare."

Soarin then realized what she had meant. He too had known about the papers that said he was dating Blaze and was prepared to explain everything about it.

"I promise it's not what you think."

Spitfire rolled her eyes. "That's reassuring," She responded sarcastically.

"No really, I'm not dating Blaze. I don't even like her in that way at all. I'm telling you, I would NEVER cheat on Dash. She's way too important to me."

"Oh this should be good," Spitfire rolled her eyes again, "Tell me why I should believe you right now."

Spitfire and Soarin had always been best friends for as long as they can remember. They have always worked together since Flight School to get into the Wonderbolts, and when they did and she became the captain, she made Soarin second in command. She knew that Rainbow Dash and Soarin were closer than even he and Spitfire, so she wanted to believe that Soarin was as loyal as his marefriend. She wanted Dash on the team as well, so she hoped that this wouldn't hurt Dash's chances of joining the Wonderbolts.

"It was right after the conference in Fillydelphia. Remember, they had you, Fire Streak, me, then Blaze in that order sitting." Soarin began.

"Yeah, yeah. I know that part. I was there."

"Exactly, and don't you remember when the press began asking questions? First, it was the usual 'how hard was it to pull off that stunt' questions, but then it got more personal?"

Spitfire thought for a moment. Where exactly was Soarin going with this? She remembered most of the questions, at least what they asked her. She remembered when Fire Streak spoke. She remembered the crazy reactions from the reporters. Then she remembered it all.

Soarin sat in the conference room bored out of his mind. He loved talking about his job, but it was as if all reporters had asked the same questions in different ways.

"Soarin, how did you pull off that last stunt?"

"How did you feel when you finally pulled off that last stunt?"

"Any word of advice for how to pull off a stunt like the last one?"

The reporters continued to ask the same question about the same stunt, until one reporter, a mare with light pink skin, green eyes, and poofy yellow hair, spoke up.

"Soarin, you've been quite distracted today since this conference begun. Why is that?"

Soarin tried to think of a good answer. He couldn't say he was annoyed or tired of them, that would kill his image. As he thought, Fire Streak answered for him.

"Well you see, Soarin here has a certain mare on his mind," he said, before immediately covering his mouth with his hooves.

He was not supposed to say anything about that.

All the reporters and photographers quickly focused on Soarin, asking everything about this mystery mare. Blaze, who had been sitting by him, tried to think of something to help the poor stallion. Then she stood up.

"EVERYPONY SHUT UP!"

Everyone stared at her, including Soarin.

Blaze sat back down. "Thank you," she put her arm around Soarin, "No more questions about his love life, he has to stay focused on the tour and he doesn't need to tell anypony about his relationships. Now, let's move on."

Blaze sat back down when Soarin spoke to her.

"Thanks for that, I really can't start talking about us without letting," he lowered his voice so only Blaze could hear, "Dash knowing."

Blaze smiled before lightly punching him in the arm. "Anything for a friend. Plus, it can get pretty stressful for sudden fame, no matter if you wanted it or not."

Spitfire listened to his story, an eyebrow raised the whole time. She remembered Blaze yelling for everyone to shut up, and she remembered Fire Streak saying something about Soarin's relationship with Dash. She just didn't understand one thing.

"How did they get the idea that you and Blaze were a thing then?"

Soarin shrugged. "I don't know. Fleetfoot only told me about the headlines about it, I never actually seen it for myself. She probably still has the paper, I did only find out about it yesterday night."

Spitfire nodded before flying off to find Fleetfoot. She thought about the situation as she flew around.

I know most of what happened in that story is true. I want to believe him, but I just can't until I see the paper.

She had finally landed next to Fleetfoot, who greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, caps! What's shaking?"

"Shaking?" Spitfire tilted her head and smiled.

Fleetfoot shrugged. "I want something that's symbolic for me. Like when ponies hear or see it, they'll think of me immediately!"

Spitfire rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever you say."

Fleetfoot laughed. "Anyway, what do you need?"

"I was wondering if you had the paper about Soarin."

"Oh," Fleetfoot stopped to think, "I should have it somewhere. I was going to show Soarin but he was kinda freaking out over it. Why do you need it?"

"Soarin told me what really happened but I still want to make sure."

"What did he say?"

"Well, everything that he said before Blaze told everypony to shut up was true, but I just don't see where they could've picked up the idea that they're together. He said that after she yelled, Blaze demanded everypony to stop questioning about his love life."

Fleetfoot then began to search through her bag and pulled out the newspaper. She studied the picture and skimmed through the story before giving it to Spitfire.

"Did Soarin mention that?" Fleetfoot pointed to the picture, which shows Blaze wrapping an arm over Soarin. Spitfire nodded.

"He said that she did that after she yelled at the press."

Fleetfoot shrugged. "You should definitely ask Blaze about it. She'd tell you the truth, she's almost as honest as that... apple mare."

Spitfire nodded. "You mind if I hold onto this for a little bit? I don't know if Blaze has one on her like you."

Fleetfoot shook her head. "Go ahead, but you should probably get ready. The show starts in an hour and we kinda need to get dressed and warm up." She motioned her hoof towards the clock.

Spitfire nodded before both mares began to prepare for the show.

Author's Note

Look, a whole chapter with just the Wonderbolts! Fun, right?

So, we now know Soarin's side of the story. Will Blaze say the same? How will Soarin feel when he sees Rainbow Dash? Ooh, things are getting juicy! :pinkiecrazy:

Chapter 5 - Canterlot Part Three

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle arrived at the Canterlot Stadium. As they both landed, Twilight turned to Dash.

"Are you sure you can get in?"

Dash nodded. "I'm a reserve. My job is to fill in for any Wonderbolt that can't fly for whatever reason, so they have to let me in. I got it under control."

"Okay, if you say so."

The two friends flew towards the Wonderbolts entrance when a security guard stopped them with his hoof.

"Sorry, this is Wonderbolts only."

Dash lowered his hoof. "Don't worry, I'm one of the top reserves, and she's with me," she motioned to Twilight.

The security guard rolled his eyes. "I haven't heard that one before," he held up a clipboard, "name?"

"Rainbow Dash."

The guard looked before shaking his head. "Sorry, your name isn't on here."

Dash rolled her eyes before taking the clipboard and looking through it.

"Can I least talk to Soarin?"

"I'm sorry, but he has a show going on. He can't have fans surround him right now."

"But I'm his marefriend, and it's really important!"

The guard laughed and took the clipboard back. "Listen here, what was it, Rainbow Dash? I don't know if you think I'm stupid or something, but I know you aren't Soarin's marefriend. That's Blaze."

Dash glared at the guard at the mention of Blaze. "Will you at least let Twilight in? She's a princess so she has a higher status than the Wonderbolts so..."

The guard shook his head. "Sorry, as much as I do appreciate everything you and your friends have done for Equestria, I can't let you in. Only Wonderbolts and the listed reserves can go in."

Dash flew closer to the guard. "Listen here... whatever your name is... I AM Soarin's marefriend, I AM going to talk to him and you ARE going to let me get through. There is nothing you can do about it."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE HE KICKED US OUT!" Dash yelled angrily as she and Twilight flew away from the stadium.

"Well, you did kinda threaten him back there and started to look like a maniac in front of everypony."

"I didn't threaten him!" Dash defended, "I just said that if he doesn't let me in, I saw a flank whooping in the near future."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I thought you got tickets."

"I thought the reserve thing was going to work. Why didn't you get tickets?"

"Cause you could only buy them up here."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Cause you were busy yelling at the security guard. Seriously, you need to be calmer if you want to do this in the easiest way possible."

"I am calm!"

Twilight took a deep breath. "Dash, I know you really want to sort this out with Soarin, but you can't go up to him like this."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just fine," Dash pouted.

"Do you hear yourself?"

"Well, I'm sorry, Twilight, but my one chance to find out what the hay is going on just blew up in my face," Dash then folded her ears. "I'm tired of feeling like this..."

Twilight thought for a moment. That was until she realized something.

"Let's go get something to eat, then we can go back there after the show, you know, during the meet and greet?"

Dash tilted her head. "Don't you think the other fans are going to be pretty mad? Plus, I don't think Spitfire is going to let Soarin leave just because I popped out of nowhere, especially right after the whole 'Soarin and Blaze are a thing now' ordeal."

Twilight smiled. "I'm very sure that Soarin would rather talk to you other than random fans. Plus, didn't you say Spitfire and Soarin were best friends? I'm sure she's trying to get it under control too, and she wouldn't want her second in command to be distracted during the tour."

Dash rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's not like Blaze is right there or anything," she mumbled.

Twilight looked at her with concern once again. "Let's just get something to eat. It'll pass the time."

"Okay."

After the Wonderbolt Show

Spitfire looked for Blaze almost immediately after the show. She wasn't in the showers and she wasn't outside yet. Spitfire had finally found her, talking to Soarin, who looked like extremely annoyed.

"Come on, Soar! Do you really think I wanted this all to happen? I hang on everypony, it's common Equestria knowledge!"

"What am I going to do? We all know news like this doesn't just stay in one city when it involves the Wonderbolts. All of Equestria knows, and I'm pretty sure even Dash knows! She's going to hate me forever..."

Blaze folded her ears. "I'll try to fix this, I promise! If I have to, I'll tell Dash personally that we were never a couple and we'll never be. I don't want to ruin your relationship."

Before Soarin responded, Spitfire flew over to them. "We have a ton of fans out there waiting to talk to us. Get out there NOW!" She yelled in her usual drill sergeant ways.

Blaze and Soarin both saluted her before flying off. Spitfire checked to see if there were any remaining Wonderbolts before leaving herself.

As soon as Soarin had flown in the view of all the fans, questions about Blaze started being thrown at him faster than the speed of light. He tried to explain the truth, but nobody let him. Blaze followed not long after when all the questions began to be thrown at her just as fast.

"Listen, everypony," she began, but no one heard her.

Blaze looked around for Soarin, who was lost in the crowd of screaming fans somewhere but saw a very familiar pegasus and an alicorn.

"Oh no."

"There are too many fans, Twilight. Maybe we should just go back to the castle," Dash said as she looked at the huge crowd in front of her.

"We should at least find one Wonderbolt, they could find Soarin for us," Twilight suggested as she looked around.

She then spotted a stallion in the Wonderbolts with a slightly dark coat, dark blue mane, and navy eyes and flew over.

"Excuse me, do you know where Soarin is?" she asked the Wonderbolt.

"Yeah, but I don't think I can pull him away. Most of the fans want to know more about his sudden relationship with Blaze."

"Please try, I have someone who really needs to talk to him as soon as possible."

"Who?"

Twilight nodded her head towards Dash, who was currently looking through the crowd of ponies looking for Soarin.

"Oh no. We have to wait until the meet and greet is done. Everypony here believes that he and Blaze are together, and this will most likely not end well for anypony in public."

"What do you want me to do with her, then?"

The Wonderbolt thought and looked around. "I got it! I'll get Soarin to come back in the stadium, and I'll tell security that you're with us. Don't follow close behind, that'll create suspicion."

Twilight nodded. "By the way, who are you? Sorry, I don't know many Wonderbolts."

"Oh, right. The name's Wind Chill. Princess Twilight Sparkle, right?"

"Yeah, but you can just call me Twilight. I'm not big on the whole 'your highness' act."

Wave Chill laughed before turning around. "I'll get Soarin and you get Dash. I'll signal to you when you can come to the back."

"Okay."

Twilight walked back over to Dash, who still was continuing her search for Soarin.

"I just asked Wave Chill about Soarin. He said he'll get Soarin and we'll follow shortly after so you two can talk about it away from the crowd."

Dash nodded slowly, looking anxious.

"You can do this. I'll be right there if something goes wrong."

"You're right, I can do this... right?"

"You're Rainbow Dash. The holder of the Loyalty Element! Hero of Equestria on countless terms! Fastest flyer in all of Equestria and beyond! You are the toughest pony I've ever met, and I can assure you that I have met many many many many many many many ma-" Twilight was cut off by Dash laughing.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I get it."

Twilight smiled before lightly punching her in the arm. "There's the Dash I know! You can do this. I know it!"

Dash smiled. Yeah, she can do it.

Author's Note

I ended on a happy note for once! :pinkiegasp: :derpytongue2:

Let's just hope this happy note continues on in the next chapter... :trollestia:

Thanks for reading! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 6 - Reunion

She can't do this.

Dash flew behind Twilight after Wave Chill gave his signal to go. The security guards let them in, and Dash could only give the one guard from earlier a smug look as they both passed through. That look quickly went away when she finally saw Soarin. Dash tried to think of something to say, but it was almost impossible. She could just act as if she didn't really know, but he could just play along. She could get straight to the point and tell him off, and as perfect as that sounds to her, she most likely will get too upset to even be able to hear his side of the story. She could send Twilight to talk to him first before she said anything, but Dash would look pathetic and cowardly. She didn't know what to do.

Twilight watched Dash as she tried to think of a solution, and then turned to Soarin, who didn't know she nor Dash were here. Wave Chill had come up with an excuse to get him away from the fans but without telling him about Dash. Twilight then turned back to Dash as she spoke up.

"Let's just go, I can't talk to him. This can only end in disaster," Dash said quietly as she put her head down.

"Just go and say hi."

"But what if-"

Twilight raised her hoof up to Dash. "You are not going to get any full answers until you talk to him. I promise I have your back. I'll be right behind you, okay?"

Dash nodded before cautiously walking towards Soarin. Wave Chill saw this and quickly ended whatever conversation he and Soarin were having.

"Uh... h-hey, Soarin."

Soarin's head immediately turned around and a face of shock was written across his face. He quickly looked at Twilight, then Wave Chill, then back to Dash.

"Rainbow! What are you doing in Canterlot?"

"I, uh... um..." She tried so hard to get it out. She thought she could do it, she had to! There was no turning back now. She took a deep, deep breath.

"I know about you and Blaze..."

"What?"

"I know about you and Blaze."

Soarin still couldn't understand her. He looked at her confusingly.

"I know about you and Blaze."

"Nonononono, Dash, I promise you we aren't together. We never saw each other as more than friends."

"Then why did she have her arm around you at the last press conference?"

Soarin looked at her confusingly once again before he realized what she had meant. "She was trying to defend me after Fire Streak brought up that fact that I'm dating you. He didn't say your name, so everypony began questioning me about it. Blaze tried to help by telling them to stop, and she put her arm around me while she spoke out. I swear to Celestia that you can ask anypony that was at that conference and they'll tell you the same thing. I wouldn't hurt you like that. You're way too important and special to me."

"I really want to believe you, but if you weren't dating Blaze, why didn't you send any letters lately? I know you're busy but a little heads-up would've been nice..."

Soarin looked at her puzzlingly. "What are you talking about? I thought you stopped sending letters after my letter about Fillydelphia."

"My last letter to you was my reply to your last letter to me last week."

"I sent you a letter yesterday though."

Twilight walked forward as she began to think. "Maybe the letters were lost in the mail."

Wave Chill shook his head. "It's not likely for a letter or any mail to get lost for this long when it's being delivered to a Wonderbolt. I'm guessing it's the same with the holders of the Elements of Harmony."

Dash shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Twilight shook her head. "None of this makes sense. Rainbow, are you sure you sent it?"

Dash nodded. "Of course I did, I went to the post office and they sent it to Soarin right away. I watched them do it."

"And you say you never got her letter?" Twilight turned to Soarin, who shook his head in response.

"We have a special mail-mare that takes care of that stuff when we go on tour. I check up on her every day to see if there's any mail for me."

"Who is she?"

"Airbrush," Wave Chill answered, "She's a really nice pegasus, very social but also very good at her job. She hasn't messed up once since she began to work with us, and it's been a few years too."

"Where is she?" Dash asked.

"She should be back at our hotel. The meet and greet should be over now, so we can head there."

Twilight nodded and both her and Wave Chill began to walk out of the stadium, leaving only Dash and Soarin. They both sat in silence before Soarin spoke up.

"Dash, I-"

"No, it's cool."

"No, listen to me."

"Why? I heard your side of the story, and I really want to believe you. Once we get this letter thing sorted out, I'll ask the others about it like you said."

"Dash, I love you. I know this sounds way too cliche but I don't ever want to hurt you. You mean so much to me and if I had to throw myself in front of a train to keep you safe I would. I really love you and I swear over my Wonderbolt status that I didn't cheat on you."

"Soarin, I-"

Twilight yelled from the entrance before Dash could really even begin her reply to Soarin.

"Come on, you two, we gotta go!"

Dash nodded before flying up. "Twilight's right. We should go while everypony is busy. Knowing this place, we probably don't have enough time to keep her and Wave Chill waiting."

Soarin nodded before he flew up as well. "Yeah, totally."

They both flew out of the stadium and made their way to the Canterlot Suites.

Author's Note

Whoo! Another Chapter!

So, Rainbow Dash and Soarin finally got to talk to each other since the news, and to me, it doesn't seem as if Rainbow Dash fully believes Soarin just yet. The missing letters, however, are quite intriguing. Who or what could've possibly caused this problem? Will Dash ever believe Soarin? How will they ever fix their relationship after so much trust has fallen down the drain? More importantly, can their relationship even be fixed? Who knows... :trollestia:

Sorry that this chapter was a little late than the others. I was in New York for the first time and saw two of my favorite Broadway shows, Dear Evan Hansen and Anastasia. They were incredible, nothing I could've ever imagined. I couldn't thank my family and a friend enough for letting a dream of mine come true by taking me to see these musicals. My love for both the musicals and these great people has only grown! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 7 - Letters

The flight to the Wonderbolts' hotel seemed to be the longest trip that Dash has ever taken. She thought long and hard about what Soarin had said to her back at the stadium. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to know that he wasn't lying to her and keeping secrets. She just wanted to trust him completely.

The story he gave seemed pretty convincing and he didn't hesitate when telling her. She just didn't understand the letters. Sure, mail-ponies make mistakes too, but for this long? If somebody had gotten a hold of her letter, they would've sent it to Soarin by now, and this wouldn't be an issue. She hoped that whoever had the letter just forgot to send it or sent it to the Wonderbolts Headquarters and that is was on its way there if it hadn't already arrived.

She glanced over to Soarin, who was flying a little above her. He seemed to have the same train of thought going on, and she had realized that no one was talking. How long has it been this silent? She thought of something to say, and then finally broke the tension-like silence.

"So, this Airbrush girl, we can trust her, right?" She asked.

"Totally, she may be a talker, but she gets her work done correctly," Wave Chill said with confidence.

"It IS her special talent, after all," Soarin added.

"How long has she worked with your team?"

"Well, she's been with us for about three to four years I'd say, but she's been in the mail business for about ten years. There was that one year that she took a few months off," Wave Chill answered, "remember that, Soarin?"

Soarin thought for a moment before nodding. "I remember something was going on with her husband, got sick with something serious. Can't exactly remember the name, but he had to be under extreme care. She left to help him, but he died a month after that."

"Oh, that's terrible," Twilight said, "How has she been holding up after that?"

"She took the next month off to prepare his funeral and mourn. She came back with a forced smile but she has definitely gotten better since then. Almost like her old self. Don't worry if you bring him up though, she loves talking about him and his legacy in the Wonderbolts," Wave Chill said, chuckling at his last statement.

Dash stopped, which caused the others to stop as well. "Woah, woah, woah. Airbrush's husband was a Wonderbolt? Who was he?"

Wave Chill shrugged. "I think it was Wind Waker. Yeah, that was it."

Dash raised an eyebrow. "Wind Waker? But I heard he retired after breaking his wing."

Soarin was the next to speak. "He did break his wing a few times throughout his career, but he never retired. Airbrush asked Spitfire to tell the press that he had retired, so she could take care of him in peace."

"She also knew that the chance of his survival was slim, and since she's not the type of mare who goes for the excessive attention, Spitfire told everypony that he retired and moved to a more isolated town in Equestria. They did end up moving to that town though," Wave Chill added.

He looked towards the direction they were to head and say a glimpse of the hotel.

"We should get going now, the hotel is just ahead."

The four ponies walked into the Canterlot Hotel and went up to the sixth floor, where the Wonderbolts were staying. They walked into room 667, where Airbrush, Fleetfoot, Surprise, and Spitfire were staying.

As they walked in, a middle aged mare turned around and smiled. She had a dark magenta mane in a ponytail, light orange skin, and sparkling blue eyes. Her cutie mark was an envelope with wings on both sides and a lightning bolt in the center of the said envelope. She spoke in a southern accent, very similar to Applejack's accent but with a higher tone, almost like a southern belle.

"Why hello there," Airbrush smiled as she walked over to Dash and Twilight, "I wasn't expecting company. I'm Airbrush, the mail-mare for the Wonderbolts."

She then examined the two mares that stood before her, she then realized who they both were. "Oh pardon my manners!" she bowed to Twilight, "Princess Twilight, it's such an honor to meet you. And you must be Rainbow Dash, Soarin has gone on and on about you! I haven't seen him that happy since the Pie Fest back in Appaloosa. He's very lucky to have you!"

Dash smiled awkwardly as Airbrush mentioned Soarin. She couldn't help but snicker quietly as Soarin's face went red with embarrassment.

"It's so nice to meet you, Airbrush, but you can just call me Twilight. I was wondering if you could help us."

"What do you need?"

Wave Chill answered as he walked closer. "Do you happen to have a letter from Rainbow Dash or Soarin? They both never got one and we were hoping that it arrived late or something."

Airbrush thought for a moment. "Well, I know for sure that the last time Rainbow Dash had sent a letter was last week. Blaze said that you sent her to get your mail while you went to practice your stunts. You should've gotten it by now."

Soarin tilted his head as he looked at the mail-mare with confusion. "I never told Blaze to do that, but I DID tell her to give you my letter yesterday. Did you send that yet?"

"Sorry, I never got your letter. Blaze only stopped by to pick her mail up, never even mentioned you or Rainbow."

Twilight thought for a moment before a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Of course!"

The pegasi looked at Twilight before Dash spoke up. "Uh... what?"

"Don't you see? Rainbow Dash, you never got Soarin's recent letter because Blaze never gave it to Soarin. And Soarin, you never got Rainbow's reply because Blaze never gave it to Airbrush!"

Soarin shrugged. "She could've just forgotten. We're all pretty busy around here."

Dash rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. "Of course you're quick to defend her."

Fortunately, only Twilight heard Dash's remark and gave a stern look to the prismatic pegasus, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Anyway... Blaze might've forgotten the first time around, but she would have remembered by now and would have done something already after the news got out about her and Soarin."

"I don't know, Blaze is pretty cool. She wouldn't do something like that intentionally, especially after this ordeal," Wave Chill shook his head as he spoke.

"Then why hasn't she done anything about it?" Dash asked with a slight annoyance tone in her voice.

"Rainbow does a make a point," Twilight said.

"You should definitely ask her about it. If she really did forget, I'm sure she wouldn't mind fixing the situation up. Might also clear up the other events that have been going on recently," Airbrush glared at Soarin at the last sentence.

Wave Chill nodded. "Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Any idea where she is?"

Airbrush nodded. "Heard she was grabbing a bite over at The Tasty Treat. Just go down Restaurant Row, make a left at the first turn you see, and it should be right there. I'll come along so you don't miss it, also I could go for some food right now anyway."

Dash nodded as Twilight spoke up. "Thank you."

And with that, Wave Chill, Twilight, Soarin, Airbrush, and Dash all left to finally get to the bottom of this whole mess.

Author's Note

Look, I'm not dead! Sorry I haven't posted for a while. If you haven't seen my blog on it, I became pretty sick and couldn't work on this chapter. I'm all better now so I'm back to work!

What is going on? Surely Blaze wouldn't intentionally do this to Dash and Soarin, she's Soarin's friend! Dash also seems to be losing her cool here... interesting... :trollestia:

I added two references in this chapter. One may be easier to spot because it's from the show, and the other reference is from another favorite cartoon of mine, so it might be a little harder (unless I'm just not as subtle as I think I am :derpytongue2: ).

Thanks for reading!!!

Chapter 8 - Air, Wind, and Sun

"Like I told Wave Chill before, I don't exactly know as many Wonderbolts like Rainbow does. What should we expect from Blaze?" Twilight asked Soarin as they flew towards The Tasty Treat.

"She's pretty laid-back, definitely not on the dramatic side," Soarin answered.

As Twilight asked both Wave Chill and Soarin about Blaze and what to expect, Dash was slowly losing her cool. Everytime Soarin even mentioned her name, Dash would roll her eyes or mutter something to herself. Airbrush, who had been watching Dash's silent reactions, flew closer to her.

"I see you're a little upset over this Blaze and Soarin situation," She spoke in a volume only Dash could here.

"I'm fine," Dash responded flatly.

Airbrush raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Dash, sweetheart, it's okay to be upset over this. I went through something quite similar many years back."

Dash, who had been glaring at the city below them, finally turned to face the mare. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it happened probably around the time you were born. I was a mare around your age and had my stallion. His name was Wind Waker."

Dash nodded. "Yeah, Wave Chill and Soarin were talking about him earlier..." Dash trailed off as she recalled that conversation from just a few hours ago.

Airbrush chuckled quietly. "He was a very good flier, gave the Wonderbolts a new wave of fame when he arrived. He actually invented the Dust Bowl Canon. Anyway, it was before he was officially a Wonderbolt, you know when he was just a reserve. Wind Waker, he had his own Blaze. Her name, though, was Sun Chaser. Now, she was a sweet little thing to everypony. Always helped out when you needed it, kept all promises, she wouldn't ever tell your secrets even if you turned her best friend into a cupcake. When Wind Waker and I had met Sun Chaser, she was already a Wonderbolt, so when she decided to give him 'private training', I didn't think much of it since she was a nice mare."

Dash recognized the name Sun Chaser, but couldn't recall ever meeting her. Airbrush continued.

"One day, I had just delivered mail to the Wonderbolts Headquarters while Wind Waker and Sun Chaser were 'training'. I saw the two, and I went to wave but I saw a very strange exchange broke out between the two. Neither saw me at first, so Sun Chaser thought they were alone. Wind Waker had finally completed a stunt that he troubled with and Sun Chaser's idea was to reward him by trying to kiss him."

Dash blinked. Airbrush had gone through something very similar to her own situation. Usually, Dash wouldn't really care to ask about relationship drama, but this time was different. Airbrush seemed to favor Dash over Soarin, and she was the closest thing Dash had to a mother since she hasn't talked to hers in a good amount of years. This was her best shot at getting the right advice.

"How did you react to that?"

Airbrush chuckled lightly again and shook her head with a smile before continuing. "Sweetie, I was so angry at the moment that I'm surprised my head didn't explode with rage. Of course, Wind Waker rejected the kiss before noticing me, and he flew after me immediately. There were so many emotions going through my head that I could barely see where I was flying off to after that. He did eventually sit me down and told me everything. I confronted Sun Chaser later on, and that sweet mare I thought I knew was gone. She had been using that act to get closer to Wind Waker and steal him from me, but obviously, that didn't work now did it?"

Dash smiled as a reply before another question popped into her mind. "Did you just believe his word? It's really not my place to ask but how did you just believe him?"

Airbrush laughed. "Rainbow Dash, when he said he didn't like Sun Chaser like that I thought he was wasting my time. I'll tell you what, though. The only reason I didn't break up with him on the spot was that there was something in my heart telling me that he was being honest. After talking to Sun Chaser, I knew for sure that this wasn't Wind Waker's fault. About two years after that incident, we got married and had two children of our own. Emerald Skies and Silver Moon," Airbrush sighed happily as she finished her story.

Dash smiled as it grew silent between the two mares. That was until Airbrush spoke up once more.

"Rainbow, I know how you feel. I see in your eyes that you're hurting. We both know Soarin, he's like a son to me. He wouldn't take you for granted. If you saw his face when Fleetfoot told him about the headlines, you would believe him. He may be an idiot most of the time, but he has definitely learned a few loyalty lessons from you over the past few years. He's been trying everything he can to fix this, but it's hard with the tour and events. You being here is making everything a lot easier for all of us."

Dash looked away as a dark question popped into her head, one that has been there since this all started. "What happens if he and Blaze are actually a thing and he's just really good at acting innocent?"

"Do whatever you think is best if that happens. I can tell you that I'll make sure to make his life a nightmare no matter what you choose."

Dash laughed and soon Airbrush joined too. She felt so much better after that talk with Airbrush. She might have just met her that day, but Dash could tell that Airbrush was most likely the backbone of the Wonderbolts, keeping everyone in their places when Spitfire couldn't. All the weight that had been lifted off her shoulders, however, soon returned when The Tasty Treat came into view. This visit could end in two different ways, and Dash was hoping for the best.

Author's Note

I did edit Airbrush into joining the trip just so I could write this chapter. I originally thought of making a flashback chapter instead of this, but I thought I'd get it confused with my plans for the next chapter. :derpytongue2:

~~There's a very good chance that there are a lot of grammatical mistakes because I started this chapter late and finished late and yeah. Just let me know and I'll fix it as much as I can.~~

Also, my little cousins are coming to visit in a few days so I don't know if I'll be able to finish this story before then. I'll try, so don't worry too much just yet. :twilightsmile:

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 9 - The Talk

The four ponies walked into The Tasty Treat. Wave Chill looked around the restaurant as a mare approached them.

"Hello! Welcome to The Tasty Treat! I'm Saffron Masala," Saffron introduced herself.

Twilight waved her hoof. "Hi, Saffron! We were wondering if Blaze was here?"

"Specifically a yellow mare, orange eyes and mane?" Wave Chill added.

Saffron thought. "Yes, I remember her coming in here."

Saffron looked around before turning back to Twilight. "I'm sorry, she must've just left."

Airbrush then walked closer before speaking up. "We can catch up to her later, I'm starving!"

Saffron quietly giggled at the pegasus's exclamation. "Sure thing."

She then lead the four ponies over to an empty table and handed them menus before walking into the kitchen.

Their meals had arrived rather quickly. While they ate, they all broke the silence by talking about casual things going on in life, all except Dash. She continuously looked around for Blaze, hoping that she could get this over and done with. She was getting tired of it.

She looked out the window to see it was starting to get dark. They were running out of time. The Wonderbolts had to leave tomorrow night, and if they didn't get this sorted out who knows when the next chance will appear?

Soarin, who was sitting directly across from Dash, looked at her with concern. He wanted to talk to her more and he felt awful about this whole thing. He wanted to clear this up almost as much as she did, but he understood that Dash had to see for herself that there wasn't anything going on. Still, he had to talk to her.

While Twilight, Wave Chill, and Airbrush continued to talk about whatever, Soarin whispered to Dash, which thankfully got her attention the first time around. He nodded towards the door which Dash nodded in response after a few seconds. They managed to slip out of The Tasty Treat before Dash turned to Soarin.

"What?"

"You okay?" Soarin asked with concern.

"Pfft, of course, I'm okay! I love it when all of Equestria thinks my coltfriend is in a relationship with somepony other than me! It's great! Best feeling in the world!"

Soarin watched her as she spoke. Like Airbrush had seen in Dash earlier, there was pain in her eyes. The more Dash said that everything was fine, the more pain appeared in her eyes. How long was it going to take until she couldn't hide it anymore?

"Dash, if that was true you would not be here right now."

Dash quickly looked for an excuse. "Well, the joke's on you cause Twilight and I had to come here to... solve a friendship problem!" She smiled, "You're not the only one with a busy life. Ya know because I'm the Element of Loyalty so I have to solve certain problems to keep Equestria from falling apart. Very important stuff here." Yeah, that sounded good.

"Oh really? Then what is this friendship problem you have to solve?" Soarin played along.

"Oh, uh, you know... the problem between... um... you and Wave Chill!"

Soarin looked at her with confusion. "Yeah, I don't think that's true."

"Well, the Cutie Map says otherwise."

"I think the Cutie Map is saying that it made the right choice of not making you the Element of Honesty," Soarin laughed.

Dash rolled her eyes playfully before joining in on the laugh. It was nice to finally laugh for real. Eventually, the laughter died down and Soarin spoke up again.

"Seriously though, I totally understand if you can't trust me anymore. I know that you can't really go with my word with stuff like this."

"I want to believe you, I really do. I don't want to think that you'd do this, but... I don't know what to think right now."

"Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Fire Streak, AND Blaze can tell you that this is all a misunderstanding. They were all there."

"But Spitfire and Fleetfoot have been your friends for how long now?" Dash stopped before she realized something, "Come to think of it, I don't think asking Blaze would help either."

"What do you mean? She's kind of involved in this too."

"Yeah, I know that but if what you've told me is true, she could easily lie and ruin our relationship just like Sun Chaser!"

Soarin tilted his head. "Who?"

"I'll tell you later, it's a pretty long story."

"Oh I love stories!" a new voice came from behind them.

Both Dash and Soarin turned to see who the voice belonged to.

They both stared wide-eyed.

"Blaze?"

Earlier, just after Dash and Soarin went outside

Twilight, Wave Chill, and Airbrush watched both Dash and Soarin from their table.

"How do you think this will turn out?" Twilight asked.

"Knowing Soarin, I'm going to have to lean towards not well. You?" Airbrush said.

"Knowing Rainbow, I'm going to have to say the same thing."

All three of them watched in silence, hoping this was not going to end in a war. That's when something unexpected happened.

The two were laughing. Not an awkward laugh, no quick smiles. Just pure laughter. Something Pinkie would like to see.

Twilight smiled warmly as she watched the positive exchange. "What do you think they're laughing about?"

Airbrush shrugged. "Could be anything, but by the looks of how nervous Rainbow was, I'm going to have to go with something she said."

"This is probably the first time Rainbow Dash had actually laughed since we got here."

Wave Chill, who had been awfully quiet since this started, had a bad feeling in his gut. This was going way too well between the two.

That's when he saw it.

Or her.

"Uh, girls?" he finally spoke up.

Twilight and Airbrush turned to face him. "Yes?"

"I don't know if I'm going crazy from lack of sleep or something, but does that mare look a little bit too much like Blaze?"

Both the girls snapped their heads around as they eyed the suspicious mare. It couldn't be.

But...

"What do we do?" asked Airbrush.

"We should go out there, this could get ugly," Wave Chill said as he began to sit up, but was quickly pulled down by Twilight.

"No. If Blaze really wants to help and fix this mess, we should let her do what she needs to do."

Twilight was right. Blaze wouldn't want to hurt her teammate's relationship. She was a good friend of his. She knew how much Dash meant to him. She wouldn't ruin his happiness.

...

Right?

Author's Note

I needed to get a SoarinDash moment in there, okay? It was KILLING ME. :pinkiecrazy: ~~Wow great self-control there, Sapphire~~ :facehoof:

It's finally time! Dash had been wanting to talk to her all day, and here was probably her only chance. I can't wait to see what Blaze has to say about all this. :trollestia:

Also, I'm thinking that this fanfic is going to have about two more chapters left. I'm thinking of another sequel, but nothing is set in stone yet. ~~And just like the last chapter I finished this later than I wanted to so please forgive me for all the grammatical errors.~~

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 10 - Blaze

"Blaze?" Asked Soarin with shock, although he was trying to cover it up.

"That's me, well, at least the last time I checked," Blaze responded light heartedly.

"What are you doing here?" Dash asked, very curious on what the mare wanted.

"Why do you two seemed so shocked to see me?"

"We just..." Soarin thought of what to say, "didn't expect to see you here."

"Soar, did you forget I'm also a Wonderbolt? Whether I like it or not I'm supposed to be here."

Dash sensed something. No, she didn't know Blaze well but she felt something different about her. She reminded Dash of Fleetfoot, but darker. She was talking and acting like Fleet would, but it seemed forced. Dash put this thought away quickly, for she thought it was the new found anxiety swirling in her mind.

"Anyway," Blaze continued, "Soar, we have to go soon. Wonderbolt emergency."

"What's going on?" Dash asked, curious onto what could've possibly gone wrong.

"None of your business." Blaze quickly stated in a dark tone.

Was Blaze trying to scare Dash? If that was her goal, she was failing miserably. Dash may not have been herself recently, but that wouldn't make her cower.

Soarin looked at Blaze quizzically when she immediately corrected herself.

"I meant it's classified information. Wonderbolt's eyes and ears only." Blaze went back to her previous self and smiled at Dash, who glared in response.

"Well, technically Dash is part of the Wonderbolts..." Soarin said, questioning why Spitfire didn't just come herself.

"I meant real Wonderbolts. No offense, Rainbow Dash. You're a great flyer and all, but it's very important that Soarin comes with me now."

"What about Wave Chill? He's in The Tasty Treat. Want me to go get him?" Soarin offered before Dash could respond. Blaze nodded in response.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

Soarin flew into the restaurant and both mares watched him.

"He's very generous," Blaze began, "such a great coltfriend."

"Yeah," Dash said, not paying much attention of what the yellow Wonderbolt mentioned. That was, of course, the words processed through her mind. Dash whipped her head to Blaze.

"Excuse me?"

"What? You... you didn't actually believe him when he said nothing was going on between us, right?"

Dash looked away in response, which resulted in Blaze falling to the ground laughing.

"Oh my Celestia, you've gotta be kidding me!"

Dash watched Blaze with confusion. Surely Soarin wouldn't lie to her, right?

"What's so funny?"

Blaze wiped a tear and stood back up.

"Rainbow, you're a great flyer, one of the best I've ever seen. Too bad you're so naive. Soarin and I have been together way before you even joined the reserves!"

"That... makes no sense."

"Listen, seriously. The only reason Soarin is 'dating' you is that we both felt sorry for you. I mean, look at you. Messy mane, annoying voice, a Wonderbolt wannabe. I wouldn't even be surprised if your mane wasn't really a rainbow."

Dash knew exactly what Blaze was doing. She was trying to break her confidence. Blaze continued.

"I don't see how you thought he'd be into you. Your attitude is way too much to even put up with for five minutes. If you really think about it, you're not that special. A lot of pegasi can fly just as well as you, maybe even better. That's why they get to be in the Wonderbolts unlike you..."

She's trying to get in your head, Dash. Ignore her.

"You couldn't even fly that well back in Flight School, right?"

Dash lowered her head slightly when the memory began to fade into her mind. The first day of Flight School she barely could do a simple flip without crashing into something. She hated that day with passion.

Blaze, unfortunately, read her mind as she continued once more.

"The whole class, if not the school, was laughing for years after that. Gotta say if there's one thing you do right is making a fool of yourself. Seriously, you came all the way to Canterlot just to see if Soarin was cheating on you? Dear Celestia, Dash. Wasting your bits on the dumbest of things." Blaze shook her head as she smirked.

Dash watched Blaze as she continued to insult her. As soon as Blaze finished, Dash grabbed the opportunity to fire back.

"Why should I believe you? Last time I checked, Soarin has been with me the whole day trying to get me to believe him."

"All acting."

Dash thought quickly.

"What about the letters, huh? Soarin and I have been writing to each other almost non-stop and the only reason it stopped was that you took them yourself. You lied to Airbrush saying that you were doing a favor for Soarin and you lied to Soarin saying that my letter got lost. I know you have them."

"I never lied about doing Soarin a favor! I did him a favor by getting rid of you!"

Dash took a step back in shock.

"Why would you want to get rid of me?" Dash questioned in a hushed voice.

"Oh please, ever since you became more involved with the Wonderbolts, I've been a shadow. I figured if I could get you and Soarin to break up over something as bad as cheating, I could take him for myself and use his fame to boost my own! The press conference that started it all wasn't part of my plan, I'll admit. I wanted to wait until after the two of you broke up, but hey, take all your opportunities while you can."

"Soarin is going to hate you once I tell him." Dash began to walk towards The Tasty Treat but was stopped by Blaze's hoof.

"You are not going to tell him or anypony anything. You're gonna keep your mouth shut if you want what's best for you. I can ruin your life."

Dash glared at Blaze and moved closer.

"Is that a threat?"

"It won't be soon if you don't get out of my face."

That.

That was it.

Dash had enough of it.

All this sadness turned into anger.

All this anger turned into rage.

Dash had finally snapped.

"I'm telling you, Soar. I'm not going. If it was so urgent, Spitfire would come instead of Blaze," Wave Chill stated.

"Blaze sounded pretty serious. What if Spitfire is hurt or dead?" Soarin tried to pull Wave Chill out of his seat.

"If that was the case, there would be medics and reporters flying everywhere."

"Oh you two, stop it. You're acting like schoolcolts," Airbrush said as she rolled her eyes.

"Airbrush is rig-" Twilight was cut off by a pony running passed their table to the entrance.

"EVERYPONY! THERE'S A FIGHT!" The pony announced.

"Woah who's in it?" asked another.

"You won't believe it, it's Blaze and Rainbow Dash!"

Wave, Airbrush, Soarin, and Twilight all whipped their heads toward the scene.

"Oh no."

"Why did you leave those two alone?!" Wave exclaimed.

"YOU CALL THAT A PUNCH?" yelled Blaze.

"KEEP TALKING BABY HOOVES!" Dash yelled.

"SAYS YOU!"

By the time the four ponies walked out of The Tasty Treat, Dash had Blaze pinned. Both had several bruises and cuts all over them, and both looked as if they were fighting to kill.

"Should we stop them?" asked Soarin.

"No, I want to see who wins. Sixty bits says Rainbow Dash," Airbrush said as she situated herself to watch the rest of the fight.

Twilight rolled her eyes before using her magic to pull the two pegasi apart.

"Twilight! What gives?! I was about to whoop he-" yelled Dash as she was levitated away.

"I don't care what you were about to do. You're both going to stop this now."

Both Blaze and Dash rolled their eyes.

"Good."

Twilight gently set them back to the ground. "Wave Chill, can you go get some band-aids?"

Wave Chill nodded and saluted playfully as he flew off.

"WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON HERE?!" A voice boomed throughout Canterlot.

Spitfire landed between Dash and Blaze, who had been glaring daggers into each other the whole time.

"Soarin, tell me what's going on now," she ordered.

"Blaze came here to tell me that there was a Wonderbolt emergency and to bring Wave Chill with me."

"While he tried to get Wave Chill to follow him back out here, Dash and Blaze were left out here by themselves. Next thing we know is that the two of them are fighting each other," Twilight added.

Spitfire looked at the two angry mares with thought.

"I should have you both kicked out, I don't tolerate this kind of behavior."

Blaze and Dash looked at the captain with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"Spitfire, listen. I don't think it was Dash's fault," Soarin quickly flew in front of Spitfire, "I know she doesn't fight without reason."

"Oh yeah? And this reason, what is it?" Spitfire wasn't convinced, but she needed a good laugh from a bad excuse.

"Ma'am, Blaze wanted to get me away from the Wonderbolts since I first met you guys. She told me that she wanted to use Soarin as her way to gain more fame, and with me in the way she couldn't achieve that," Dash stated.

"Blaze, is this true? If you lie to me, I swear to Celestia I'll make you suffer."

"Well..." Blaze trailed off, "Fine yes. Everything she said is true."

"Alright," Spitfire began, "Rainbow Dash, you're suspended from any show for the next three months. If you complain, you're fired. Blaze, you're fired. After you're bandaged up, you'll be on the next train out of here."

"No no no no no no Spitfire please! Give me another chance!" Blaze pleaded.

"You assaulted a reserve, you don't get a second chance."

Blaze groaned as she walked to Dash.

"Don't think you're off the hook. Remember, I can still ruin your life."

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Dash responded coldly.

"I can't believe you got her good, Dash!" Soarin praised, "I've never seen so many injuries on one pony before!"

Dash laughed a little as Twilight wrapped bandages around her left wing.

"So, what are you going to do now? Equestria still thinks you and Blaze are a thing, Soarin," Airbrush asked.

"We have one last press conference tomorrow. I'll tell them that the Blaze thing is not true."

"What about us?" asked Dash.

"What do you mean?" Soarin looked at his marefriend quizzically.

"Well, are you gonna tell them about us?"

"You sure you want me to do that? I don't have to if you want it to stay a secret."

Dash shrugged. "Do whatever you want. I just think all of Equestria should know that you're with the greatest flyer to ever fly in the world."

Soarin rolled his eyes playfully as he laughed. "Okay, fine. I'll tell them."

Two days later, back in Ponyville
Rarity, Applejack, Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy walked towards the Friendship Castle.

"I simply cannot believe you finally decided to make your relationship public," Rarity said.

"It's way less stressful than keeping it a secret," Dash laughed.

"Too bad you can't perform for the next three months, you must be super duper sad!" exclaimed Pinkie.

Dash shook her head, "I love performing with them, but it was totally worth putting Blaze in her spot."

"I can't believe she tried to ruin your chances of becoming a full Wonderbolt," Applejack shook her head in disappointment.

"I should've known something was up. I'm so quick to blame Soarin for everything," Dash frowned.

"It's only been two weeks since you and Soarin started dating, I'm sure it will get better soon," assured Fluttershy.

Dash responded with a smile as they finally reached the castle. When they walked inside, Spike came out of the Cutie Map room holding three textbooks.

"Twilight's in there, and Rainbow?"

Dash tilted her head. "What's up?"

"Somepony is here for you. Pretty important," Spike continued his way towards the large library down the hall as the rest of the Elements of Harmony entered the Cutie Map room. To everyone's surprise, Soarin stood directly in front of the large table holding flowers.

"Surprise!" He exclaimed with a goofy grin, a grin Dash adored.

Dash smiled brightly as she flew up to him, taking the flowers he had been holding.

"The Wonderbolts are on our way to Las Pegasus, and we stopped here for the day. I was wondering if maybe you wanna go out with me? Like a date?"

Before Dash could respond, Rarity jumped between the couple.

"OF COURSE SHE WOULD! COME ON, RAINBOW DASH, IT'S MAKEOVER TIME!!!" She exclaimed excitedly as she pulled the pegasus out of the castle faster than the speed of light.

Soarin looked at Twilight with confusion written over his face. Twilight laughed as she waved a hoof.

"You'll get used to it. I do suggest that if you propose to Rainbow, you should do it privately, otherwise Rarity's squeals will be heard throughout Equestria and beyond."

Soarin nodded. This was going to be one crazy ride.

And it's totally worth it.

Author's Note

AHHHH I'M SO GLAD I FINALLY FINISHED THIS! :pinkiehappy: :yay:

I really hope you enjoy this story! I really hope it was worth the wait! Thank you so much for reading! :twilightsmile:

By the way, I can officially announce that there will be another sequel! It will take place during season 7. Expect to see Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof!!! :rainbowkiss:

~~I finished this very late so please PLEASE let me know if there are grammatical errors!~~

Once again, thank you so much for reading The Change in Our Wind! :pinkiehappy: :heart: