A lesson on love

by Darkwings

Rating: everyone
Tags: Romance, Adventure, Slice of Life, Wonderbolts, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Soarin, Rainbow Dash
Length: 8760

Rainbow Dash, the one you'd least expect to fall in love, has a letter to write after a mission.

Rainbow Dash is bitter at her idols after the failed Gala. But can this change?She is send on a mission with other pegasi and the Wonderbolts. Ending up wounded in a rather sticky situation all alone, she thinks that the Wonderbolts wont even notice her disappearance, they would leave, after all they didn't care.
Or not...
What if one of them had always kept an eye on her?

Published 2012-07-21 15:54:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-28 15:38:33 UTC

The mission

Chapter1.
The mission

It was about a week after the Grand Galloping Gala. All the six friends were not so happy with it of course, but Pinkie Pie forgot about it, after pulling out a grand party of her own. So did Fluttershy and Twilight. Hay even Applejack had forgotten about it. Rarity never spoke of her prince charming again, being really annoyed with his behavior. She even thought that the stallions there, in Ponyville,where much, much more delicate and thoughtful towards mares. They at least knew how to act in front of a lady! It took her a few days and of course a rather busy day in the boutique to get back to normal and forget about it. But that didn't stop her from kept brining up that prince in conversations, still being sore about the subject.

Now, one would say Rainbow Dash would forget about it as well, with her attitude towards everything. but that was not the case. She was still bitter about it. After saving their lives in the Best Flier competition AND pulling off a Sonic Rainboom, they simply ignored her in the favor of their fans, taking photographs….and pie.
She still remembered their promise to hang out with them a whole day after the competition. Yet they had a change of plans at the last minute. Dash didn’t think of it as anything at that time, after all they were busy with the shows and all. But the Gala…that was just a bit rude. One didn’t simply invite other ponies to hang out and then bluntly ignore them.
They simply didn’t care. That was what she had concluded. Those thoughts still swirled in her mind like a chaos, especially when she trying to take a nap in the clouds.
Her luck also wasn’t the best. And just because of that (she kept telling herself of course) she had to face them again, right at this moment, in the middle of the night.

Buck, I ‘m going to be late, thought the cyan pegasus while literally dashing through the clouds.

Maybe nature is pulling a prank on us? It's against ME for sure! She shook her head from the silly thoughts and tried to focus.

There had been a few suspicious thunder clouds spotted from all directions, including Fillydelphia, Seaddle, Las Pegasus and the Everfree forest. Pegasi teams were dispatched from all directions to stop them. They didn’t seem normal and all of them were headed to Canterlot. The Wonderbolts would be supervising all the activity there. And Rainbowdash with a few others were chosen from Ponyville to be part of the ‘cloud stopping’ team. She seemed ecstatic at first, and even whooped when hearing of the Wonderbolts, but then she remembered their behavior towards her and sulked, having a small black cloud of doom literally over her head.

However, it didn’t matter, she was going there to help Equestria, and not show off in front of them. She didn’t want that anymore. She knew she was the best flier there, and so did her friends. This was what mattered.

She urged her wings to go faster and winced. Taking a hurried look at her back, she sighed.

A few minutes earlier, she had been shaken awake by a panicked Ditzy, who was blabbering nonstop about what was happening and what was needed to do. Not understanding a thing, but getting the fact that this was an emergency, Rainbow Dash had flown as fast as she could towards where she knew the mayor lived. On the way, she had been distracted by the clouds coming from Everfree forest, and this had cost her to lose balance and crash on the ground. The fact that she had been helping Applejack the day before and had finished only a few hours ago didn’t help the situation.

To her bad luck, she had landed right in front of the mayor’s door. To keep her dignity, she had hurriedly scrambled up to her hooves right before the elder pony had opened the door.
After hearing of the emergency , she had immediately dashed towards the direction where all the pegasi were supposed to meet, completely forgetting about the wing.

It was hurting a bit, but nothing she couldn’t handle herself, after all, Equestria depended on her. And it didn’t matter if she was the Element of loyalty or not. She wouldn’t leave it hanging!

“Alright everypony!”, called the high, authoritive voice of Spitfire, just as Dash came to a halt in midair. She had arrived on time. Wincing a bit at her wing, she looked around. All the six Wonderbolts were there and around them were different pegasi scattered in the air. Rainbow flew towards the three pegasi she recognized and hovered in the air, waiting for instructions.

“We will divide in groups and settle those storms fast. Regrouping here in an hour, let’s hope nothing happens. Good luck!”

The cyan pegasi nodded. Most of the ponies wanted to be in groups with the heroes, and this made her a bit angry. Just why were they here? In a matter of minutes, the pegasi were divided into 6 groups, each group having about five ponies, including the Wonderbolt leaders. Rainbow Dash was left with a few others outside of the groups. This made her blood boil. She was ready to jump on Spitfire and hit her!
Just because they were ordinary ponies with no class didn’t mean they had to look down on them!

Before she could even open her mouth, Spitfire turned to her.

“Rainbow…Dash, right? Can you lead your team? You should know the area around Everfree forest better then anyone”

A smirk crawled like a lizard on her face. “You got it!”

The fact that she was given the most dangerous area didn’t even bother crossing her mind. Nor, from what it seemed, Spitfire’s.

The captain of the Wonderbolts nodded and took off with her team, the other following her lead shortly after that.
Rainbow turned to look at the pegasi that were in her team. There was Silver Wings, a stallion with a silver coat and red mane, Feather Dodge, a mare completely white and Cloud Rifle, another stallion with a green mane and a darker green coat.
All three of them were looking at her a bit worriedly, as if expecting a boom. The cyan pegasi just rolled her eyes.

“Alright guy, we can do this!”, yelled Dash, already liking her position of a leader.
The other three nodded.

Rainbow had instructed the others to take care of the small black clouds that were already near Ponyville. She herself was going after the huge cloud near Everfree forest, the one they were instructed to take care of.
She did this because she was worried for the three, they weren’t much of fliers and she didn’t want to danger their life. She could pull off with a stupid cloud. How hard could it be? Besides, the other small ones needed to be taken care of as well.

If only she knew...

Cloud Rifle had finished first and while thinking what to do, was joined by the other two.

“What do we do now? I don’t want to go back to the meeting point…” whined Silver, fluttering his silver wings, which were slowly dropping from laziness.

Dodge thought for a few minutes. “Well, I’m sure Rainbow Dash will go there, we aren’t needed! I mean, it’ll be like checking if everything went ok, like a meeting!”

“It IS a meeting...” deadpanned Cloud. “But I guess you are right, lets go back to sleep, especially when we are so close to home!”

She felt a shiver run down her spine, but ignored it for the favor of staring at the humongous thundercloud. It really didn’t look normal, with all the bluish sparks here and there, and the fact that it was growing like a monster right in front of her eyes!
And from the looks of it, it was headed towards her…like a predator.

Rainbow gulped and racked her brain for a plan, but nothing came. The thing was advancing on her faster and faster. She flew up, away from it, heading towards the mountains. Not the best of ideas, though, because the source of whatever it was seemed to be coming from there. She cursed herself, wishing she had Twlilight's egg-heady mind for once.

“Of course it’d be Everfree forest, everything ALWAYS happens here!!”, she screamed and tried to concentrate.

Her wing was giving painful jabs time after time.The wind from the cloud, which was slowly turning to a hurricane, was making it very hard to fly. She had to back away, or it would simply blow her away.
Her eyes widened. That’s it! If she flew faster and broke the wind barrier, then the hurricane inside would suck her in and then, she would deal with it there!!!

The question of ‘how’ didn’t struck her at that time.

She positioned herself and flew towards the cloud as fast as she could. However, the first wind barrier was too strong. She kept flapping her wings, but it was futile as she was kept in place by the sheer power of nature..or maybe it was magic?

Just who in hay cared now!

“COME…..ON!!!!”, she screamed, gritting her teeth and she pushed harder. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she broke it, appearing inside the dome. But before she could whoop in joy, she was sucked in.

“AAAAAAAgh!!”

She couldnt move her wings. The wind cut into her like blades. She knew she must be bleeding from at least a dozen places now, or else why would she feel like she was on fire, or no..wait, she decided it felt like a thousand of needles on fire were stabbing her. Yes, that was it.

Opening her eyes was a bad idea as well and she clasped them shut right after the first wind blade nearly cost her eyesight.

What to do, what to do!!! Think Dash think!!
If this thing is magical…..then magic can defeat it! Yes!!

A wail escaped her as she remembered that she didn’t HAVE magic. It was Twilight who was good at such stuff!! Hay even Rarity could pull it off...right?

But..wait a second, I AM a pegasi, we have our magic too…
Deciding that facehooving could wait for later, she took a deep breath and urged her wings to fly along with the flow, increasing the speed. Something cracked making her yelp out in pain, but she dismissed it with a small yelp.

She ignored the burning, ignored everything, trying to block it all out, all thoughts focused on one single goal. If this cloud got close to Ponyville, her friends….

Their faces burst in front of her closed eyes like an illusion, each smiling at her, saying reassuring things, laughing.
This warmed her heart. Her friends, she would do anything to keep them safe!
The visions blurred, and to her utter confusion, were replaced by another, yet so familiar face. She didn’t even have time to think ‘why him?’ before a cone started enveloping her front hooves. Yes, she was breaking the barrier! Just a little more!

Come on!!

Second later, an earsplitting BOOM was heard. The rainbow coming up to the sky in swirling motions could be seen even from Canterlot.

As for Rainbow Dash, she was rewarded with a sight she was never going to forget. Her rainbow and the speed of which she was flying hade the hurricane die down, and the cloud first paled, truning into the clearest color of snow, and then...it just broke into small pieces and dispersed as well.

Before she could even think about it more, she crashed heavily on the rocks.

“Ow…”, she mewed and tried to get up. It hardly worked, causing her another wave of pain. She was sprawled on her stomach facing the rocky ground. And it hurt, it hurt so much! She wanted to scream out loud. Her vision blurred as she tried to look back at the state of her wings.
Why is red there…its supposed to be blue..

A distant howl was heard, making her freeze in fear.
Yes, Rainbow Dash, the one who wasn’t afraid of anything, the one who had 'Danger' as her middle name.... was terrified. She didn’t dare look, she simply closed her eyes and welcomed the darkness. She didnt know what will happen, but maybe death was cool too? Like another adventure....
She knew she wouldnt make it to the meeting after an hour. But who the hay cared? The Wonderbolts most likely wouldn't even notice she was missing.

She heard the howl again athis time accompanied with another voice.
Why was it so familiar…

“Dash!!! Answer, Rainbow Dash please!!”

She didn’t understand, nor did she want to.. The darkness was just too inviting.

Pie Prince...?

Chapter 2
Pie Prince...?

When the Wonderbolts were told about the situation in all Equestria, it came as a big surprise. For Soarin, the surprise was quite literal, as the pie he was searching for fell on top of his head after the ear splitting roar of their manager from the radio. How did that old stallion manage to do that was a mystery, simply because the radio station was miles away from the training base.

The young stallion had hurried off, taking flight right from the window with bits of the forgotten apple pie still adoring his mane.

Spitfire had told them of the situation during the flight to the meeting point. Soon, they were joined by the other pegasi.

And all of them were going fanfilly on them. Yes, even the stallions.

However, Soarin wasn’t interested at all. He didn’t even bother giving them a second glance. His gaze was locked on the horizon, waiting,his mind wondering to the young mare that had saved their lives...and his pie once! Was she even going to be there? From what he understood, the best fliers were chosen for this. There was simply no way she wasn’t going to be there.

Even if she wasn’t chosen, with her spunk it was impossible.

At least, that was what he thought.

A small grin appeared on his face as his sharp green eyes noticed a blue blur in the distance.

Yup, the Pie Saver with a rainbow mane.

Rainbow Dash….

She reached them very fast, just as he thought.

However his smile turned to a frown when he noticed the state she was in. The mare herself probably didn’t know that.
The bags under her eyes indicating tiredness and lack of sleep,and the right wing, bent slightly at an odd angle. What did she do to hurt herself?

His frown deepened with worry, seeing her try to catch her breath.

“All right everypony!”, yelled Spitfire, finally making him turn his attention to her. She was giving instructions. Soarin didn’t even need to listen. They always did the same thing in such cases - divide to groups and deal with the threat. His attention was on a certain mare again.

Even through the fatigue, she looked confident and strong. He resisted the urge to sigh. She probably hated them by now.

They didn’t tend to keep promises. He really wanted to hang out with the pony that saved his life that day, but the manager just had to come up with an excuse to give them more publicity. He hated it. And the Gala as well. First he acted like a total douche, pigging out right in front of her, then he was dragged by fans and his captain to take photos and sign autographs…right at the time when she tried to start a conversation.

And she looked so beautiful that day too….

Shaking his head from the memories, he focused on the orders.

Something didn’t add up. Why was Spit leaving her and a few others outside the decided teams? He wouldn’t have minded having her on his team. He could keep an eye on her, and maybe apologize too…

The frown turned to a small scowl that rivaled a pout when Spitfire asked her to be the leader of her own team, one dealing with the huge black cloud coming from the Everfree forest.

Is she out of her mind? For Celestia’s sake, that cloud is the biggest of them all, and I bet my apple pie the most dangerous! Why is she sending her of all ponies!

Of course, his captains reason was acceptable and made sense.

But that didn't mean he liked it.

Nevertheless, Soarin couldn’t do anything but watch as his pie saver agreed enthusiastically.

Good luck, he thought as he gave her one last worried glance before taking off in the opposite direction.

Now, I just have to finish this quickly, and come back!

A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek as he tried to think of something to do. Nothing seemed to work on the weird black cloud with a hurricane buzzing inside! They were lucky it wasn’t that big, or they would have been goners for sure.

Soarin had thought of everything - flying in circles, trying to squeeze the thing from all directions, cutting it through with high speed, even gathering some normal white clouds and trying to do something with them (this made it worse, making the white clouds darken and add up to the main one).

Nothing worked.

The four pegasi that were on his team were already out of breath, all having the same sour look on their faces.

“Stallion up will you! Our fellow pegasi are risking their lives out there for Equestria! We should too!”, he yelled, using his ‘angry’ voice. Spitfire called it his ‘where the hay did you hide my apple pie’ voice.

Instantly the four stallions strengthened up, guilty faces flashing right in front of him.

He sighed. They really were getting nowhere.

Suddenly, an enormous BOOM was heard and all the ponies turned to face the direction it came from.
They were nearly blinded by the rainbow that had spiraled up to the skies.

“Whoa..”, muttered one of the ponies, in awe.
But for Soarin, a simple ‘whoa’ wasn’t enough.

Pie saver…

Instantly, the cloud behind them paled to a sparkling white and dispersed into nothingness. The hurricane raging inside it died down to a simple spring breeze.

This of course, left all the pegasi there gaping.

The light blue pegasi however, grinned.

I knew you were special….

He returned alone, as the others were too tired. He had decided it would be right to let them get the rest they needed. It was only fair. Plus Spitfire never said they all had to return. Just the leaders were enough for a simple ‘Everything went ok’.

When he arrived, all the other Wonderbolts were there. It seemed that all leaders had let the subordinates go to sleep.

And from what it seemed,it was the Rainboom that had cleared all the hurricane clouds.

“Wait”, Soarin glanced around. “Where is the pie saver?”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash? My team met the ponies from her group on the way. They said they were done and were on the way home, to sleep”, stated Spitfire. “It seems she was the one who did the Sonic Rainboom, cool eh? Who knew it would clear everything!”

This didn’t help the churning of Soarin’s stomach.

“But did they say where she was?”

The yellow pegasus thought for a bit. “No, but she is probably already asleep. Lets just head home as well, our job is done here.”

The worry doubled. “No, you guys go ahead, I’ll come back later.”

One of the stallions gave a chuckle. “Geez Soarin, what do you want to do it such a place anyway? Get some pie?”

Said pegasus narrowed his eyes dangerously (though the goggles prevented that, so the effect was lost).

True, even if they were partners in flight, that didn’t mean he had to be friends with them. In fact, his only friend on the team was Spitfire.

And he didn’t like this particular pony at all. Not one bit.

“Alright, see you later then”, said Spitfire with a slight shake of her head. Soarin knew it meant ‘don’t you start a fight now’.
At least she was letting him of the hook. She could have easily ordered him to return to the base.

Giving her a small ‘thank you’ smile, he dashed off in the direction of the mystical forest. He was headed towards the rapidly disappearing trail of the rainbow.

His eyes widened at the destruction once he neared area.

Torn earth, lightning strikes here and there, rocks scattered everywhere, everything blackened..and something red on it.

He flew to take a closer look.
Blood!!!, he thought frantically as his head darted back and forth in panic. He was searching for some kind of evidence..
But did he want to find it? Hay no, he'd rather this was just another animal......

He landed on the ground and galloped further. He didn’t have to go far as something blue caught his eye.

A single feather.

From a pegasi wing.

He gulped, his heart aching with worry for some reason.

Something had happened to the pie saver for sure!
Where is she!!!
Why did I think she could deal with it alone …after all the evidence that it had dark magic in it?

Killing the guilt inside, he opened his wings and flew further, towards the mountain.

A howl.

Buck it! Daemostera…not now, why now? They shouldn’t even be outside… unless there…is a wounded creature near their lair!

Not even thinking that those monsters were really fast, vicious, had a fetish for blood AND fed off negative feelings, he rushed there as fast as he could, sudden strength returning to him. All he could think about was helping her, the mare with the most beautiful rainbow mane.

He saw her, sprawled on the ground, looking like a mess. Her wings, obviously broken, were crimson from all the blood. Her mane, the multiple colors once gleaming like the sun itself were all messed with twigs, blood and dirt.

And there, peeking through the dark bushes were the monsters.

Their crimson eyes contrasting with the blackness around, focused on their prey.

Her. His pie saver.

“Dash!!!”, he screamed out as he neared her. She didn't stir. His heart started beating uncontrollably. She couldn’t…right?

“Answer, Rainbow Dash please!!”

A slight movement of her eyelids caught his attention, but then it died down. She had either fallen asleep or had fainted from the fatigue and pain.

Another howl echoed through the mountain. Soarin jumped in front of the battered pegasus in a protective manner and growled.

"Get away...from her!", he roared. If one saw him now, they probably wouldn't recognize the happy go lucky, pie obsessed Soarin.

Past and the Present

Chapter 4
Past and the Present

A young mare with a brilliant rainbow mane stirred awake. The first thing she noticed was the uncomfortable stiff bed, and that she was lying on her stomach.

This is not my cloud...., she thought dully and noted the stingy pain all over her body.

Slightly drowsy looking rose orbs opened slowly and instantly focused on the object plopped on the pillow right beside her head. She stared dumbly at it and noticed the small note attached to it a while later.

The message it carried puzzled her. Who gave this to her? Wait, where was she anyway?

Finally tearing her eyes off the present, she stared around as much as her body allowed her to move without pain.

Hospital...just great!!! What in the name of Celestia am I even doing here?

She sneaked a peek at the uncomfortable weight on top of her. The state of her wings in casts nearly freaked her out to the point of jumping off the bed. This however, was not as possible as she thought as a wave of pain hit her. She winced and stopped moving.

"Oww!!!!"

And just like the pain came, unexpected and piercing, so did the memories. The mission with her idols, the weird magic black clouds, her sending her team home, fighting that huge cloud...the Rainboom..

Her eyebrows furred in confusion.

It doesn't add up. I should have been there now, probably dead. What am I doing here? Did somepony find me?

She tried hard to remember, going even as far as screwing her eyes shut in desperate need to know the truth. She hated being saved, it seemed so....girly and uncool. Rarity would love that, being the 'mare in distress', but not her, not Rainbow Dash. She was supposed to be a hero and not a weak pony!

And yet, somepony must have come to get her, she even remembered some howls. Whoever had come for her, had not only saved her from being eaten but also being digested in some creatures stomach!

Cringing a bit at the thought, she plopped on the hard bed. She really, really hated hospitals. They were too white, the smell made her gag and it usually meant she couldn't fly for a while. Her hooves were covered with band-aids, some wounds were wrapped up in bandages.

Heh, I look like a mummy....perfect costume for Nightmare Night, but doesn't match my Shadowbolts one!, she thought gleefully, remembering how she pranked ponies last time.

Her eyes fell on the gift again, and the confused expression returned, the fun forgotten.

It wasn't that she hated the gift, quite the contrary, she loved it, but it confused her a lot. And the note...

"Pie Saver..?", she murmured, tracing over the name in the note with the tip of her hoof.

Footsteps echoing through the wall made her perk up. The door opened and Dr. Whooves entered with the typical 'doctor' look reserved only for her. It was a look of reprimanding, one that she hated.

So what if she got into accidents a lot? You don't really learn without failing once...or twice.....

Ok, once a month!!! But that's final!

...Fine, weekly accidents it is.

The earth pony came closer to check her condition and vitals.

"Miss Dash, glad to see you awake. Due to your injuries, you will have to stay here for quite a while, and you will need to take the medicine I prescribe as well...and I mean it this time! You could have easily died!"

His glare made her look down in shame. She never really did care for her own health. As long as she pulled off a stunt or helped anypony, it was ok. Plus this time, all Equestria had been depending on her.

The resident doctor sighed and wrote a few things in his notepad.

"You are very lucky Miss Dash, had you not been brought here in time, you might have lost the ability to fly completely"

The cyan pegasus gasped and stared at her battered wings. Not a single feather was visible. Everything was tied up in a bundle of white.

No more flying? If that ever happens, you can kill me then. Flying is my life, she thought frantically.

"The damage your wings took was quite large, but luckily your friend brought you here in time. You have nothing to worry about", the doctor finished with a warm smile.

Rainbow let out the breath she was holding, heart at ease. All she had to do was wait for them to heal and her precious wings would be back to normal!

Something clicked in her mind.

"Uh, doc, who exactly brought me here?", she asked a bit uncertainly. It was probably Twilight, judging from the gift itself. So why was she so....giddy about the answer?

"Oh, a young stallion, in the Wonderbolts uniform"

She froze.

W..what!!

Dr. Whooves put the notepad away and gave another warm smile to the patient.

"I must say I do not know his name, since I do not watch their shows, but he was very careful with you. He even stayed here for a while. If I am not mistaken, this gift is from him."

Ignoring the dumbstruck look on her face, he closed his eyes and pulled medicine out of nowhere. This was the perfect chance. He plopped the white round pill in her mouth, which was conveniently open and made her drink water afterwards.

"You shall take these pills every day for a week. No exceptions."

With one last smirk, he left, leaving Rainbow Dash to choke on the already swallowed medicine.

"It can't be. They don't even notice me. Why would Soarin help me out? After all the ignoring he did? I mean...he was more interested in his pie then anything! And he totally ignored that I saved his food! And when I tried talking to him, he went off to talk to some other pony!!!", ranted the mare, once left alone.

What the earth pony doctor had said was like a bomb dropped on her. She didn't expect THAT of all things!!! And it still didn't add up. They never even keep promises after all! First at the Best Flier of the Year competition, she didn't even get to spend that day with them, and it was supposed to the prize! But no, they just had to have work. And then the gala..just who said 'hang out' and then ditched said pony off? It was just so....

Unfair.

And cruel in a way.

And now, when she suddenly was about to die, one of them rushes to help her.

The realization of what happened nearly made Rainbow Dash wallop in drama or whatever it was the Rarity had walloped in loads of times. And she didn't need to have a couch placed in strategycally right places. She already had the bed.

She was supposed to show how strong she was...and here she showed weakness to the point that she had to be saved by one of them! And it just had to be him.....

True, she no longer wanted to show off in front of them.....but...

Or was that what she had been telling herself?

Mabye somewhere deep inside she knew she still wanted their attention. maybe, just maybe she was just being a silly filly about the whole matter.

Tears prickled the corners of her eyes as she stared helplessly at the note.

"Pie Saver..", she hiccuped.

This was awful, the worst day ever. She didn't know that a few months later, she would refer to this day as 'the bestest day for Celestia's left...ehem...sake ever!'

So..why was there a weird feeling of happiness somewhere in her chest?

The fact that Soarin saved her...made her happy, and not because she stayed alive.

She doubted it would be the same feeling if Spitfire saved her.

"What am I thinking....why am I overthinking it..", she muttered and poked the gift again.

Might as well give it a try. After all, Soarin brought this for me.

Deep down, she knew she could never hate him. Maybe she was just making up reasons for that?

Ignoring the fluttering feeling in her stomach, she opened the object.

"Made it!", breathed Soarin as he landed near the base. And it was a good thing he did. Right in front of him stood Spitfire, glaring and one hoof hitting the ground impatiently.

The stallion gulped and gave her a shaky smile.

Didn't work.

But before she could open her maw to say anything, another pony entered the grounds.

The pegasus was very old and probably reaching his time. But that didn't stop him from watching the youngsters train, spoil their lives and have fun in general.

This was Blazing Hawk, one of the first pegasi to be a Wonderbolt. In fact, the team, which was used to help Equestria during times of need was named 'Wonderbolts' because of him and his first teammates.

Soarin's heart warmed at the sight of the pony.

After all, he was like a mentor to him, like a grandfather figure whom he cherished.

"My dearest Spitfire, would you be a dear and bring me some water? If it's not too much of a hassle..", came the raspy voice of the graying pony.

Spitfire, getting the hint, left.

Blazing's eyes, still sparkling blue as they were in his youth focused on the young colt.

"My my, I never thought I'd live to see the day life returned to your eyes, Soarin. That fire...the one I saw long ago, it's burning up again".

Soarin simply stared, not fully understanding where this was going.

The older stallion laughed.

"You remember the day we met?"

Of course he did. It was a life changing moment for him. One, that decided his destiny, his cutie mark.

"Mommy....."

"There might be a time , when I won't be here anymore"

"What are you saying mommy, you w-..."

"If that happens, I want you to remember, my dearest Sorin....believe in your dreams and never give up, I will always be there, to see you soaring through the skies...embracing the freedom."

"Yes, mother...."

"Promise me Sorin.. that no matter what, you won't give up!"

"Fly high, soar in the sky, keep the promise even after I die!"

"Dad, where is she?"

"She is gone, and will never return!"

"Wh..what! No...why!!"

"Don't cry, you have no right to cry! It is your fault! Reckless kid, because of your stunts.... she died!! You killed her!"

"D..da...."

"Do not!!! Get out, you should have died instead of her! Get lost!"

A young colt could be seen flying aimlessly through the storm. Tears were running down the light blue cheeks, and the green eyes, that used to sparkle with life were dull, almost dead.

He didn't know where to go, what to do.

His mother had died, saving him from death.

And his father had abandoned him.

He no longer had a family.

Was there any point in anything at all?

Yet, the tears wouldn't stop, only adding to the pain. He didn't want this.

His fathers words echoed in his mind like a mantra.

Mind clouded and heart now locked, he didn't see where he was flying, the speed didn't matter, the obsticals, the lightning. Nothing mattered. Maybe he wanted to go where his mother was? Yes, that seemed....right. He could even see the overwhelming darkness, and the clouds were helping him obidiently.

A hoof wrapped around his small torso and dragged him back. Soaking wet and freezing, he was dumped on a cloud, the shape and position of which prevented the rain and lightning from entering.

"Just what do colts think these days ! Are you trying to kill yourself?!", demanded a booming voice.

He shakily looked up, his dull green eyes meeting a pair of piercing blue eyes.

"Maybe..", muttered the colt and looked down.

"Heh......those eyes of yours show nothing but death you know. Everything happens for a reason. Life and death, they are like the sun and moon sisters. Completing each other while being complete opposites. You know, young one, no matter what happens in life, there is always something to live for", he said sagely after a few minutes of assessing the situation.

"But...", started the young pegasus. However, he was shushed by a hoof.

" It can be anything. See, life was granted to you by people you love, you shouldn't so carelessly throw it away. Even memories can be that fire, fire that keeps you alive. Do not look in the past. What happened is already there. You can't change it. But...you can always change the future."

By the time he ended the lecture, the storm had died down as well. And a rainbow was peeking through what was left of the thunderclouds.

.....Remember, my dearest Sorin....believe in your dreams and never give up, I will always be there, to see you soaring through the skies...embracing the freedom....

He stared at it and a small smile appeared on his face.

....Promise me Sorin, that no matter what, you won't give up.....

His mothers words, from long ago entered his mind.

He had a promise to keep.

And suddenly, he no longer saw darkness.

"Fly high, soar in the sky, keep the promise even after I die!", he repeated the words from what seemed like a century ago.

The old stallion just looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"I..I will realize my mothers dream, by following my own!", he stated. "Soaring free in the skies..."

A chuckle rumbled in the through of the older pegasus.

"Lets see if there is any real meaning behind those words!", challenged the pony. He was met a determined gaze. His mothers belief, his own belief, their dreams, he wouldnt let it waste.

His father was a cruel pony, but that didn't leave him alone in the world. He had her memory with him, in his heart, always.

Two pegasi took off in the air, both wet, yet both smiling, each for their own reason.

For the first time in his life, the colt felt something. It was joy of another kind. Freedom, it was intoxicating. He loved it!
And he wanted more.

Ignoring the fact that water weighted down his wings and hindered his flight slightly, he took off, towards his destiny.

"Fly high!!", his eyes spotted a lone thundercloud in the haze of the rainbow. "Soar in the sky!!", he yelled, plumelling towards it, putting all of the emotions crumbled inside him out. "Never give up!" His scream fell dead on his own ears as the only thing he could hear was the wind, deafening him. Closing his eyes, he burst right though it, feeding off the lightning streaks that clashed together. "Till the day I die!", he finished and did a small summersault in the air. The cloud vanished in a puff. At the same time a certain mark appeared on his light blue flank.

"Soar in the sky, never give up till you die eh.... What's your name, young one?"

"Sor.....", he paused and thought of his mother, and the promise. "No, it's Soarin."

Another amused chuckle.

"Soarin...You found yourself today, but..."

"But..?"

"The day you get the spark back and fly like you never did before..I want to be there to see that. And I wont die before I witness that!"

"Huh?"

"Call me....Blazing Hawk"

The old Hawk was staring at him with a knowing eye. Soarin rubbed the back of his mane with his hoof.

"Huh?"

"Oh come oon, why are youngsters so dense these days? Why in my time.....oh Celestia, just tell me who this lucky mare is that brought the fire back!"

Soarin simply crashed on the ground after apperantly tripping. On smooth surface.

What he didn't know was that his face was brilliantly red.

Rianbow Dash smiled gently as she picked up the book.

"Daring Do and the King of the Changelings"

The book was very old, and the funny thing was that she hadn't seen it even in Twlilights library. And she HAD read all the books about her favourite fictional character!

From what she understood, this was the first book of the series, the very beginning.

Her heart gave a small jump when she thought that it was Soarin who gave it to her.

"How did he even know?", she wondered aloud as her eyes darted to the book enthusiastically. She could have at least one night of reading in solitude.

Soarin......

BA-DUMP

Grr, stupid heart, stop beating so fast, and you, stupid mind, stop thinking of the pie loving idiot!!!

Grumbling to herself, she focused on the chapter. However, her eyebrows furred in confusion. After reading a few lines, they widened to the size of dinner plates. She was gaping like a fish out of water, the pain from her injuries forgotten.

"I knew it!!!! No wonder Twi doesn't have this....how did Soarin get it! Oh well, will find out later, now, to reading!!"

October 17th, EF year 312

My friends suggested I write a journal like this on my way, what if I get bored? They even gave me this book too, so I thought, why not? I might die here after all, why not leave a memory of some kind.

Who knows, maybe centuries later there will be lots of books written about me? That idea is scary though.
I know for a fact I am not going on a silly butterflies quest here.

I am Daring Do, and this is my first day on the way to investigate some weird disappearances that have occured. Wish me luck!

AN.
I know some of you want updates soon and all, this is why I wrote an extra long chap for you guys xD,I wont be here for three days starting tomorrow( going to a vacation xD ) so..yeah just wanted to let the readers know. i dont have a netbook or a notebook to take with me there, there will be no updates till thursday i guess.

Please comment though, i want to know opinions.

Operation " Save Pie Saver!"

Chapter 3
Operation "Save Pie Saver"

Weren't they supposed to be a rumor?, thought the light blue pegasus frantically. The mere growls of the creatures were enough to make him freeze in place.

Daemostera were coal black scaly creatures, with the body built of changelings, only about five times bigger. They were supposed to be a fairy tale, a myth! Meant to bring out negative feelings in a pony, they fed off them, creating illusions of every single bad memory the victim had and growing into their full black forms from the original smoke like matter.
Legend had it that the creatures were carriers of death. They appeared when the smell of a wounded pony caught their attention. After that, the trap was set, starting from the illusions and ending with the blood sucking.

Soarin gulped quite loudly and cursed his memory for bringing up that particular text from the history book. Why couldn't his mind remember something like 'how to defeat mythical monsters that were meant to be a myth while protecting a wounded mare and staying alive?', why?!

Those pupil less crimson eyes, dripping with malice were staring at him in a manner that made him think he was X-rayed.
As a chill ran down his spine all the way to his tail.

In the black void, right under the pair of eyes that was closest to him, something moved.
Two long yellowish fangs appeared, followed by an open jaw, complete with three rows of small sharp teeth. The greenish spit cocooning them was making the whole picture even more scary then ever.

He couldn't stare anywhere but at the smile..promising death, it was drawing him in.

Suddenly, he had an irresistible urge to run, run far away and hide under his bed or in his mothers lap, comforted and away from pain, away from death.

And here he was, surrounded by the warmth of his parents, in their old home.

It was..so warm, and the smell of his beloved apple pie, his favourite flavor, the one his mother made in the past was there. The unruly happiness...it made him smile and laugh of joy.

When was the last time he had sincerely been happy? When he flew?..No, it wasn't the same joy. The feeling of being complete, of having loved ones beside you...it was different. Even his freedom in the sky wasn't complete.

Darkness loomed over him, coating him in it's shadows. His young, innocent eyes widened in fear and he clutched the apron of his mother in a death grip. His eyes, the color of emerald stared up at her, in desperate need of..protection?

"Sorin....my dearest Sorin....."

Her melodic voice made his heart tremble, but when he looked up, he found nothing. His mother was gone, and the voice was fading in the black.
He yelled out in panic and galloped towards the last ray of light he saw - her voice, giving him hope, love, home.

But why wasn't he moving?

Something was wrong.

Looking down, he realized in sheer horror that his hooves wouldn't move. Something..sticky and thorny had them in it's trap.

"Mother!!!"

He followed his own voice as it ripped out of his throat and danced away, taking his soul, his flight, his everything with it.

What am I doing? I am a pegasus for the bucks sake!, he thought and kneeled down on his front legs, eyes focused on the light beam of the voice.

W..what??!!!

The takeoff didn't happen. He looked back at his wings. What he saw would still hunt his nightmares years later.

The light blue feathers were being peeled off, one by one by some invisible force.

And it hurt.

He felt as if his very heart was being peeled off.

His very being was being ripped out of him.

His reason for existing...

His cutie mark....gone with the wind.

It was getting hard to breathe.

The light beams had vanished, leaving him in total darkness.

Just like the day SHE died....

The pain returned, this time as an enormous rock, weighing a ton, if not more, only to crash right through his chest, leaving nothing but an endless hole.

Just like the time when HE left....

The pain doubled.

He wanted it to end.

Right at that time, he heard screaming. Who could scream like that? Like an innocent foal, sheer terror reflected in the voice. No pony should endure such pain, it was soul ripping! The anguish in it could literally kill!

He wanted to help them, whoever they were.

This was when he realized it was his voice. His screaming. His pain.

However, a single sound made him stop. That single sound made the darkness waver. The yelling...it was inside him. His very soul. That single sound made him realize the pain was just an echo of old scars.

A small, barely audible groan, that cleared the darkness away.

The haze from his eyes vanished just enough for him to get back to reality.

The Everfee forest came into view. Everything refocused.
He was still standing over Rainbow Dash, visibly shaking. The mare in question had seemingly stirred awake, long enough to utter a groan of pain and black out again.

Well, no one could argue that the cyan pegasus had the best timing ever.

Along with the worst luck of course.

The Daemosteria were still there, now all of them with their maws open wide and saliva dripping on the rocky ground.

They feed off your worst memories and create an illusion, he reminded himself and shook his head once, to clear the aftereffects of the images his own mind had recreated.

They needed to get out of there and fast before those monsters started their assault on a different level.

He slowly leaned down, never taking his eyes off the red eyed monsters.

The usually playful apple green was a striking emerald now, full of determination.

He wanted them to get out of there alive.

"Sorry fellas, dinner will not be served today", he said a bit sarcastically while trying to glare at them.

A roar escaped the maw of the closest and Soarin backed away instantly.

He lifted Rainbow Dash with his front hooves and plopped her on his back, making sure she was positioned in a way that wont hinder any movement from his wings.

The demons of death all growled at once, scaly claws flying at them at speeds that could equal a Sonic Rainboom.

But Soarin had already disappeared, taking the rainbow maned mare with him.

He lowered the cyan pegasus on a cloud nearby and plopped on it next to her tiredly. It was a first for him, to be out of breath after a flight, but the need to live and the desire to save this mare was all it took for him to go all out.

As his breath returned to normal, he glanced sideways at Rainbow Dash.

Her whole body was marred with angry red slashes, some of them caked with mud. Her wings were battered and feathers kept falling off. The blood on them had dried somewhat. The odd angles of her wings made him wince.

Poor dear, she won't be able to fly at all for a while..

He wasn't much of a doctor, and with him being a klutz, he doubted he could even tend to her wounds properly. If not, he could even make them worse. Broken wings needed extremely tender care, or else the pegasi in question would be stripped of their flying.

"Dash...", he whispered, prodding her muzzle gently with his.
She moved, but didn't open her eyes.

He licked the small cut on her cheek gently and pressed his forehead to hers.
At least she was alive and safe now.

Sighing, the stallion picked her up once more, this time more gently. No monsters after them this time at least.

Her mane dropped like a waterfall of rainbows on his neck, tickling him slightly.He smiled a bit, mind briefly wondering about the softness of it despite the situation. He'd think she wasn't one to take care of her looks, judging from her attitude. Soarin also noted that she weighed like a feather. And he knew she ate quite a lot. When she and her friends had left the gala, he had seen them with princess Celestia in a small restaurant. He remembered wondering at that time what would they be doing with the princess.
And he had seen her eat quite a lot of cakes.

Yet, she was so small and...fragile.

With a shrug, he took off once more, going just as fast.

Her wounds needed to be treated. Everything else could wait, even if it meant a yummy pie or a good sleep.

Dr. Whooves wasn't one to ask questions, especially when the patient was in a bad state. They usually came later. When the earth pony saw the state the young mare was in, he had rushed her in the emergancy room. Soarin was allowed to go in there as well.
Rainbow Dash was still in dreamland, but her Wonderbolt idol was there through all the cleaning , stitches ( she had woken up at that, and had gripped the closest pony with both hooves out of the pain. Was it luck that the pony in question was Soarin? Well, Dash didnt know she was squeezing his hoof so hard that it had turned red) and the bandaging. He even helped turn her over on her belly when they were ready to bndage her wings and put them in casts.

It was past midnight.

The light blue pegasus stared at the occupant of the bed unblinking.

Just why was he staying here now? He could just leave. He saved her...and himself, and even waited while her injuries were tended to.
He wasn't obliged to stay.

Something was just keeping him, as if someone had glued him to the bedside.

He knew, deep inside that he wanted to make sure she was all right. He wanted her to open those pretty magenta eyes of hers.

But I can't stay long, he thought and sulked a bit for reasons he himself didn't know. Spitfire would have his head on a dish if he didn't show up to the base.

Suddenly, and idea struck him. If somepony was awake at that time, she would see a lighbulb right on top of his head. Or was it just an illusion?

Soarin grinned to himself and flew out of the window.

He might stay in the base, but that didn't mean he no longer had his own place in Cloudsdale.

He just didn't stay there, after certain events of his chilhood.

In fact, he hadn't even set hoof there after HE abandoned him.

Shaking his head, he reached the small cloud home. It was located quite high and not noticeable at all. In fact, he doubted other pegasi even knew this was a house.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he stepped in.

The encounter with Daemostera had opened up old scars. Maybe it was time to finally face them.

About half an hour later, Rainbow Dash stirred awake.

She didnt recognize the smell of antithetic, or even feel the stiffness of her wings and the pain that came in spasms.
No, she was busy staring with half lidden eyes at a certain object, propped beside her pillow.

There was a small note attacked to it.

"Hope you like it, Pie Saver"

I admit, I had been listening to "Falling in the Black" by Skillet.