Chapters Rainbow Dash was snuggled amongst the covers of her magic cloud-comparted bed, pressing her head against the pillows as she found herself - for the very third time in her life - deep in thought.
She reached out a hoof from the mass of blanket that enveloped her to stroke the shell of her pet tortoise Tank, mostly for her own reassurance.
A few moments passed, assumably of more thought, and then with a special suddenness Rainbow Dash turned almost irritably in her bed in an attempt to adjust her position so that she could face upwards in order to look at the posters that plastered her ceiling.Spitfire, Blaze, me... awesome... Fleetfoot, Thunderlane, and...
A flash of some unfamiliar feeling qualmed in her chest and she abruptly shifted to the side and buried her face into the cushiony abyss of her pillow once more, having suddenly remembered the object of her conflict.
Then the thought hit her again.Stupid. Sappy.
It took no more than half a milisecond more for Rainbow Dash to groan and leap out of her bed, deciding she needed some fresh air to help her sort her thoughts.
Already she was gliding through the air, yet with a sort of respect for the quiet of the night that one wouldn't have seen from her at one of her performances.
A soft breeze stroked her mane and gave her wings a sort of peaceful ease to their escapade. Shades of deep indigo fading into a royal blue-ish maroon surrounded Rainbow's vision like an encompassing, atmospheric sea, dotted with several glowing stars and a moon high amongst them all, the knowing ruler of the sea-sky gazing upon it's little sparkling subjects and casting white rays all across its empire.optional.
She thought over the last week and the routine practices. Something had definitely changed.No. Don't even go there. No. I won't accept it. This is stupid and pointless... her speed picked up even more, this isn't... me. I don't want it.
"...Hey, look, Crash, if there's somethin' going on you gotta tell me... you've been all over the place this week." Spitfire placed a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, a rare display of sympathy. Rainbow Dash shook her head vigorously, her brows furrowed. "No, ma'am, I'm fine. I've just been... I mean... Just... I'll step it up, ma'am. It won't happen anymore." Spitfire narrowed her eyes, not bothering to disguise her concern. "Alright, but if this keeps up, I'm gonna have to make you take a few off. Don't know how long. Depends on how your performance continues. I don't know what went wrong with your practice run with Soarin...." Rainbow Dash snapped her gaze from her hooves, previously unable to meet her superior's eyes during the lecture, and spluttered unceremoniously, "N-no, no worries, ma'am. It was nothing, I promise. My mind's been on a lot lately and I wasn't thinking and I just kinda ran into those storm clouds... It's nothing to do with Soarin. J-just with all the weird stuff in Ponyville... well... yeah. Just distracted... but... but I promise, it won't happen again." Spitfire looked perplexed, but didn't make any comment on her confusion. Instead she said simply, "Well... okay. But you know the deal." "Of course, ma'am."
Rainbow Dash stared blankly at nothing really, her wings flapping absently and her hooves curled around herself similarly to a hug.Soarin isn't the cause of this.
Author's Note
This is a little experimental story I thought up one sleepless night. I've never written something like this before so I guess you could say it's... uncharted territory...
Feedback would be cool
Soarin was totally the cause of this.
Rainbow Dash, with uncharacteristic anxiety almost making her tremble, finished packing her things and strapped her trademark saddlebag that had been carefully adjusted by Rarity to properly suit flight around her waist. She heaved a long sigh and instinctively looked to her bedside for reassurance from her pet, only to recall that Tank was visiting with Fluttershy who promised to help look after the tortoise whenever Rainbow was away.Well, at least he gets to have a good day, the mare thought gloomily, then shook herself and firmly noted that she would be doing the thing she loved most, and that was all that mattered, no matter who happened to be there. She shouldn't let anything get in the way of enjoying what she loved.I'm gonna make the most of it, she decided, and then lifted her chin and began her journey to Wonderbolt Academy.
The flight seemed longer than normal, but Rainbow Dash breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw the training grounds in sight, glad that the suspense of the task was finally past her.Best entrance ever, Rainbow thought to herself, closing her eyes and drinking in her total wickedness, before opening them again and heading towards the usual spot where every Wonderbolt would gather to listen in on Spitfire's instructions for the day.
Most of the Wonderbolts were already there, all except for Fire Streak, who usually arrived last every session anyways. He had a family of his own and little foals to care for, so there was understanding on that part. Rumor was going around that he'd resign early because of his new responsibilities.
After wondering to herself where exactly she'd gotten all this random knowledge, Rainbow Dash plodded beside Fleetfoot, making sure to keep her gaze away from the direction of everypony-knows-who, and made a fairly smug smile in greeting as she usually did. Fleetfoot laughed in response and nodded to her, and then they began small-talk which lasted until Fire Streak finally showed up, pulling off his aerial flare and making a big deal of himself, producing amiable laughter from the rest of the group.
"Well, it's about time," Spitfire quipped, smiling, and then turned her head to face everyone, lifting an eyebrow before starting off introductory announcements, "Good to see you all here today. We're gonna have a tough line-up since a show is coming up at Canterlot, so we're going to break away from our current routine. I got some new stuff I want you all to master, and it's gonna take a lot of effort. How are you feeling?"
Rainbow Dash stood at the edge of the cloud that lead into the training area in the sky, her head ducked a little so that her mane covered part of her face. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Blaze who was standing a couple metres away, watching Fleetfoot carve a cloud into the shape of Blaze's face.
"Hey, Crash,"
"Alright, Team 1! I want you to go off by the Fly-Pole way to the left. We need each team to have their space. Team 2, you go to the Fly-Pole by the right. Team 3, you keep where you are. Since the other two teams already have their instructions I'll stick by you and direct you as you go."Feathers. That sounds like something in a fillyflic movie...
Breaking her out of her thoughts Soarin gave her a playful prod to the shoulder as good sportsmanship and shot into the air, following Spitfire's orders.Think Smash Fortune. Think Smash Fortune. Just a little bit longer, and then I'm out of this, she thought, Then I can read Daring Do and hang out with my friends and ... Just pretend it doesn't exist.
Author's Note
Fun fact: I seriously contemplated calling this chapter "Dangit".
I realize this is going by a bit slowly and the chapters are a bit short; that's because I'm really kinda testing the waters with this story. Hopefully you enjoy it anyways. And yes, it's really cheesy... I hate that too... but it's part of the conflict.
Feedback would be cool
It was impossible to pretend it didn't exist.
Rainbow Dash was beginning to learn that very quickly, like she did everything albeit, but this time - and for the first time - she desired with all her heart that for this particular thing , it wouldn't be the case.
The whole six of them were circled around a picnic blanket - not quite the classic plaid kind - but instead a very plain blue. You could tell Twilight had brought it, and there was no surprise at Rarity's inevitable sigh and disdainful flip of her excessively-styled mane the moment her eyes met the piece of cloth.not to be her cup of tea. She was a coffee mare.) and set it back on it's plate several times, absent-mindedly, her head more in the clouds than she could normally say.
Then finally it caught the attention of one of her friends, who addressed Rainbow Dash in front of everyone, though quietly, but the abruptness still caused the cyan mare to flinch:
This put the many conversations going on between the five at a halt, and all eyes turned on her.feelings ".
So, she nonchalantly responded (after an unnaturally long pause),
Fluttershy ducked her head, pressing a hoof questioningly to her chin, eyes still wide.
"Yes, you have been working a lot lately," Twilight added matter-of-factly, "is the stress getting to you? It's totally normal if it is. It's okay to admit it, too. I mean, sometimes my Princess duties become too much for me and I just need to--"
Pinkie pie began to jump up and down, practically screaming:
"Gosh, everypony, leave me alone!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, jumping to her hooves and turning away so that they couldn't see her face, embarrassed beyond belief at her lame outburst. She pressed a hoof to her forehead, her heart beating with anxiety.What a curse.
A couple moments passed. She took in a deep breath, which resulted in an equally deep sigh, and then whirled around to face her friends.
Rainbow Dash was in the middle of Daring's latest book.I looked around myself to find a slot or cranny, but there were none. I was trapped, and it didn't look like I was gonna escape. "that's some action-packed drama."
Closing her book with a slight sulk, Rainbow Dash slid out of her bed and plodded reluctantly to her front door, paused a moment to gather herself, then pulled it open to find Fluttershy, equipped with a pint-sized Tank.
"I've brought Tank home for you," Fluttershy said.
"That wasn't a suggestion," an assertive voice called behind her, making the cyan mare jump in surprise. She returned facing Fluttershy, who had let herself in and was closing the door firmly, before bringing her gaze to meet Rainbow's, bearing the composure of a stern mother - with the best intentions at heart - in the process of setting her recipient of lecture straight.
She drew to Rainbow's side and offered a small side-hug, then said,
Once they made it to the cottage Fluttershy seated herself on her simple couch and patted the other side as a gesture for Rainbow to sit down.
Fluttershy smiled at her, though her eyes betrayed a bit of guilt at making her friend come here. Yet, she was doing what she felt was best. A firmness crossed her expression once more.
Fluttershy looked at her with a bit of surprise, wondering what could have caused such a reaction in her friend. But she didn't pursue the oddity; only waited patiently while Rainbow Dash sat there, uncharacteristically anxious.opening up , and that in just a little bit Fluttershy could know of the secret that plagued her.Would it really be so bad? What's the worst that could happen?
Rainbow Dash's eyes crinkled a moment, and she placed her head in her hooves, struggling with the idea of actually telling somepony that, for the first time in her life, she experienced something for somepony more than just friendly affection.
"Something's different,"This is so dumb.
"Mmmehhhhh," Rainbow groaned, and at this Fluttershy knew it to be true.
In that moment Rainbow Dash realized how much she'd really needed to hear those words.
Author's Note
So I got my first dislike on this story and I'm feeling pretty accomplished.
Anyways I've had pretty bad writer's block lately and I haven't been able to write anything intelligible.
Feedback would be cool
Friendship or something more.
Rainbow Dash, obviously, was all for pushing herself to the limit. There was only one problem - it was Hearth's Warming in a week. Traditionally, if an overnight practice towards a huge performance skated over a holiday, every Wonderbolt would remain at the Academy and celebrate together. Depending on the holiday, each celebration would last longer or shorter than the others.
Rainbow would be at the Academy every night, within proximity to Soarin, for an entire week .
Perhaps this in and of itself was not an issue, but, while she wasn't the first to admit it, Rainbow could hold up the white flag on the fact that she, despite her lack of intentionality to think, would overanalyze things, and so she'd be thinking about this one issue for the whole of the week: friend, or more?
Rainbow Dash was tucked inside her mildly overly cold dorm, her navy - nearly dull - blue blanket tucked in all round her, her head pressed to the small pillow against the rough bed. While she would have loved the cushiness of her own room and huge comforter and several pillows, she admitted that, considering her previous dilemma, having something soft wouldn't help her think through things this time, and so she might as well be resigned to no preference in this case.
One thing she did miss was Tank. Her faithful friend was with her through everything, and she felt like he might as well be the Element of Loyalty in her place. It's not as though she was all that good at representing it herself.
That thought made Rainbow freeze in her bed. Had she just.... been humble?
No, no. That was false humility.
Rainbow let herself relax and looked at the clock inside the cold white cloud (probably) walls in her dorm. Yup, it was definitely past midnight, and of course she couldn't sleep.
After a minute of casual wrestling over what she wanted to do about this, she quickly decided to go for a nightly lap around the Academy track. It wasn't illegal or anything - she just resolved that she probably shouldn't get caught doing it.
Rainbow Dash quietly creeped out of her dorm and closed the door silently behind her, then plodded through the echoey chamber of the hallway, the ground - despite its nature - making a soft echo with each hoofstep. Even though Rainbow would rather not wake anypony, she really didn't care if she was heard.
There was a rather aesthetic line of large windowpanes on the right side of the hallway, (the right having more dorms), and Rainbow took a moment to take in the deep blackish indigo of the night sky which held in it a near transparent clump of clouds surrounding the moon like a mist that was attracted to the light.
The moon at the centre seemed to take up the whole of the sky, like all revolved around it, and despite the unusual circle of clouds round the moon, there were a few bits of stars that dotted the black.
The pale light of the moon reflected through the windows and cast a silky light onto the cold floor that defied explanation with its hard surface, and climbed up the walls on the left like a figure approaching, daring, challenging the dimness within the Academy.
After a moment the cyan mare continued outside and immediately felt the burst of the wind in her face, underneath her fur, through her hair, over and under her wings, and there was an irreplaceable rush of pleasure at it that pushed her heart to ignite her stroll-by-air with an eagerness that only came from a pure passion.
She unraveled her feathers and leapt into the air, catching her wings in the grip of the current of the breeze, and exploded into a tunnel of encompassing zephyr, disappearing into the flight itself, and then there was only this.
She closed her eyes, which might've been against her better judgement, but she couldn't resist completely soaking this in.
Suddenly she heard a voice from somewhere off - she was so wrapped in her transport that she couldn't determine the distance.
"Rainbow Dash."
It was tinted with a gentleness she hadn't caught before in this specific pony.
Of course Soarin would find me out here , thought Rainbow, except somehow she wasn't upset or frustrated or contemplating whether or not this was cliche.
Instead she was relieved.
She turned over in the wind so that the downiness of her feathers was the only thing keeping her afloat, and she relished the way they gently ruffled against the air.
"Hey,"
She said, cocking an eyebrow.
"What are you doing out here?" said Soarin as he caught up, but he didn't seem concerned or curious, really - he was just smiling.
"Why?" Rainbow Dash said, gripping more wind within one wing so that she could playfully bat him with the other, "are you so intent on one-upping me that you gotta follow me around or something this late?"
"Nah," Soarin replied in a vocal wave-off, "I was actually thinking the same thing as you, I guess - needed to get out."
The cyan mare nodded, letting her expression inch a quarter more towards serious.
While they liked to joke around a lot, their friendship had become something much deeper and authentic, and she wanted to make him feel heard.
"Hey," Soarin nudged her suddenly, "look up."
Curious, Rainbow Dash followed his gaze only to see the moon wrapped in the milky clouds. She saw he was pointing in the corner of one of the clouds, where one star was glimmering more brightly than the others.
"That's a planet," he said.
"What?" Rainbow Dash let her voice go full-creaky in her incredulousness, and squinted one eye as she smiled, "a planet? You know those are just old mares tales."
"Yeah, and next you'll tell me Equestria is flat," Soarin replied, laughing.
"Well," Rainbow drew out the word like she were pouring water slowly.
Soarin laughed again and then beckoned her to fly with him. She did so, paying attention to every little detail in the sky below her, above her, around her. Right now, with Soarin, everything was apparent, like she was seeing everything new, and now everything was important.
"Looking forward to Hearth's Warming?" Rainbow muttered, her voice becoming more hushed, but in a way that wasn't concerned - it was a sort of trusting quiet, a tone one only took with their closest friends.
"Yeah, 'guess," replied Soarin, "I'm gonna be missing my family though. I think that's like the only problem with this whole set up - you don't get to spend important time with those important to you."
Rainbow Dash nodded understandingly, furrowing her brows. Then she caught his gaze with bright violet eyes and said half-jokingly so that he wouldn't take it too serious,
"Hey, 'least you got me as family."
"Yeah," Soarin replied with a genuine smile.
It was then that Rainbow Dash's question was answered. The question wasn't friend-or-more. She would always be Soarin's friend, and Soarin's family. If they ever became something more, that piece didn't go away - it only became stronger.
There was no such thing as 'just friends' or 'more than friends'. If they came to like each other, it would be like they were going for a flight and they got caught in a strong current leading them elsewhere - but the fact remained that they were flying.
Now Rainbow only asked, how fast could this be taken? Her only problem now - because she always had to have one, apparently - was that she didn't know whether it was time to glide, or create a sonic rainboom.
Author's Note
Eyyy it's off hiatus now ahaha
Feedback would be cool
