Inside Out

by Sweet_Harmony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Soarin, Other, Romance, Rainbow Dash, Comedy, Wonderbolts
Length: 4234

He hates it, but Soarin has a tendency to be overprotective of his mare; sometimes even jealous. And stallions have a tendency to push all the wrong buttons. So when he loses his cool, it doesn't end well; but Rainbow wouldn't want him any other way.

Soarin and Rainbow Dash have been a known thing for quite some time now. Every interview, every meet-and-greet, every show, and every day, they are faced with the same love and hate from fans all over Equestria. Only the ones who bother to really observe see that the couple is just as innocent, sensitive, loyal, and sweet as they are raunchy, sexy, bold, and confident. Nothing can be a better representation of that than what went on at HQ.

He hates it more than words can express, but Soarin has always had a tendency to be overprotective of his mare, sometimes even jealous. And seeing that Dash happens to be one of the most attractive mares on the face of the planet, he has a good reason to be; stallions always seem to know the right buttons to press to make him feel jealous and threatened. Sometimes it doesn't even matter who the stallion is - if they overstep Rainbow's boundaries, it'll be enough to set him off. So when his cool finally slips around a fellow Wonderbolt, he doesn't expect his day to end very well.

What he doesn't realize is that Rainbow Dash is very aware of how he's like when he sees her with someone else. And she wouldn't change that for the world. She loves him inside-out and will be damned if doesn't know that.

For PimpArtst101's story contest for the given cover piece, and also inspired by Camila Cabello's song "Inside Out" off of her debut self-titled album. First time I've ever done something like this, but Imma tell you, this was SO much fun to do, and I hope you enjoy!

Published 2018-01-20 05:10:06 UTC
Last updated 2018-01-20 05:10:06 UTC

Inside Out

There are always cons that come with having a publicly-known romantic relationship; especially if said relationship is between a pair of celebrities. From the inside looking out, for many couples, there are always the ones that constantly fangasm and desire to know everything, the others that constantly criticize and hate, and the small amount that genuinely could care less. More often than not, the pair tends to lean to the happy-mediums. At least, Soarin and Rainbow Dash do.

The two Wonderbolts have been an icon for a while now; almost three years. How they came to be was a… a rather painful process. At least to their friends, who watched it all happen. Soarin and Dash became easy friends after the prismatic mare was pulled in to fill the flight team’s missing elite spot, and it was no mystery to anypony that what they called “playful banter” and “snark” was, actually, really heavy flirting. It took a long time for their friends to get them to admit their feelings to themselves, and even longer for them to actually do something about it, but after several long months, they finally fit in the final piece of the puzzle.

Looking back on it, Soarin will always laugh; both from amusement and sheepish bewilderment at the fact that he was driven enough to do something so bold. The way he ended up getting her to go out with him was by saying something extremely suave and possessive towards the end of one of their snark/flirt-fests.

“And what would you do if I did end up prancing around with some other guy, Soarin?” Dash had teased, “I mean, not just anypony can handle the awesomeness that is yours truly.” He didn’t know what happened, but the instant those words left her mouth, a sinking feeling fell into the depths of his stomach, his chest clenched as it started beating a mile a minute, and his head was filled with a sudden rush.

“It’s not like I’d let that happen,” he spoke before he even knew he was speaking, his tone an odd concoction of different emotions. “By that point in time, I’d be fighting them off, because that awesomeness you were just talking about would be mine.” Seeing the blush bloom on her face while knowing that he was the one who did it made him feel indescribably cocky and he cheekily stood up, lowering his head to hers as he approached her:

“And anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like sharing…”

He had looked straight into her rosy-pink eyes and spoke with a finality so strong it made her shiver. Rainbow’s feathers had puffed out harshly and he had never seen a blue mare turn to red so quickly before. Her mouth was practically akin to a broken nutcracker, gaping at him with her ever-present blush still wreaking havoc on her face. The rest of the locker room was stuck in a silent shock.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that doing that placed a very large gamble on his head; but whenever he looks to his side to see the rosey-pink eyes he has fallen so deeply in love with, he can’t think of anything better. If it ends with her giving him the same smarmy smirk and teasing glances with the endless affection and unconditional love hidden underneath, he will gladly take it.

It was a mutual decision for them to bring their relationship into the light of the public. Rainbow was only going to do it if he wanted to, and he was tired of hiding, so Soarin stallioned up and they put themselves out there. While Rainbow has been, surprisingly, indifferent about the overload of attention to their love-life, Soarin has had heavily mixed feelings about the public knowing. On one hoof, he’s glad they don’t have to watch every single step they take whenever they want to go out to do something. But on the other hoof, it means that Dash isn’t necessarily just his anymore; there will always be somepony (or someponies) that will try and invade their private life. He always feels selfish to admit it, but Soarin loves having Rainbow all to himself; hidden behind closed doors where nothing and no one can bother them. He’s learned to live with it, but it still does irk him a little that it’s not as private as it used to be.

However, within the time they’ve been together, Soarin has made sure to show Dash - and about all of Equestria - just how much he adores every single aspect of her. Their earlier photoshoots from their first year together were all about sex-appeal - sexy poses, suggestive looks, touchy hooves, and raunchy vibes. But come that holiday season where everything was taken to a more touching and emotional level, the public eye saw a different side to the two Wonderbolts; a side that was gentle, sweet, sensitive, and heart-stoppingly innocent. It was in everything they showed that season, and that was when ponies started to view them in a different light.

Soarin and Rainbow Dash project a very bold and sexy kind of confidence wherever they go; but no matter where - a red-carpet walk, a backstage meet-and-greet, sneaky photos taken on the train between cities, or sometimes even something one of their teammates capture around the lounge in HQ - the sensitive innocence is always there. It’s in the way he looks at her and the way she holds him, and that is something that Soarin never wants to let go. Every time he brushes his lips over hers, every time she hides in his chest feathers, every time they fall asleep on the couch while waiting for Fleetfoot or Blaze to come back with the snacks for Team Game Night, it leaves a resonating feeling that never truly goes away - and he lives for it.

Unfortunately for Soarin, his mare happens to be one of the most pined-for mares on the face of the planet - meaning that there are always those stallions that think a little bit of smooth talking will be enough to sway her over to them. She never concedes; if anything, the worst way it’ll end is with someone getting thrown out before she ends up throwing punches. But it’s not much easier for Soarin, either. Since he’s forced to watch it happen about every show over the course of the past three years, it has been increasingly difficult for him to not drag the mare under his wing and keep her there.

If there is one thing that Soarin knows and hates to admit the most, it’s that he is terribly overprotective of the ones who hold his heart, especially his marefriend. Almost to the point where he seems possessive or clingy, and one can even go as far as to say he’s the jealous type; he won’t deny that. Soarin is aware that he feels even the tiniest bit of jealous and threatened whenever he sees Rainbow interacting with a stallion he doesn’t know. Meet-and-greets are always especially hard for him, what with the friendly physical attention and constant conversation with the fans. And Soarin despises how he gets that sinking feeling in his gut whenever a stallion even remotely looks at his mare in the wrong way.

So you can only imagine his sheer and utter joy when the Wonderbolts’ most infamous playcolt attempts to lay a hoof on his mare.

Lightning Streak is, by no means, a terrible stallion; he’s really just a shameless flirt. Soarin has been dealing with Lightning’s harmless flirting with Rainbow even before they became a thing. But, Lightning has a tendency to be... very dense, to put it nicely. Dash has her boundaries, and most ponies know that they usually stop at “unwanted touching”. The playcolt happens to be the only one who isn’t aware of that.

Soarin has never felt the rush of possessive anger and jealousy rush through his system so quickly. He’s out of his seat in an instant and makes his way to his marefriend in the middle of the mess hall, but said marefriend beats him to the punch - literally. He almost misses her right hook to the stallion’s jaw.

Now unfortunately for her, she forgot that while Lightning is a bit more than a clueless dolt, he has impeccable reflexes and is remarkable in hoof-to-hoof combat, and in response to her blow, his hooves instinctively twist her forelegs around and pull her into a headlock. Rainbow responds in kind with a wing to his face, loosening his grip enough for her to wriggle an arm free and deliver a swift blow to his gut. A mini-brawl breaks out, though it shifts from annoyance to entertainment as the two Wonderbolts swap hits and blows. It isn’t until Lightning, while wearing a smarmy grin, manages to pin down Dash chest-first to the ground when Soarin sees the flash of intense discomfort on her face. Before he or anyone else knows it, he’s pinning Lightning to the ground with a tense grip on his shoulder and a stony expression on his face. Then another spat happens; though it escalates quickly. As Rainbow’s catching her breath on the sidelines, she’s watching the two stallions go at it, shoving each other into table edges and chairs and landing hits so hard, bruises bloom almost immediately.

Spitfire, as you would imagine, is far from pleased when she walks into the mess hall to be greeted by the chaos the two stallions created. They are promptly dragged to her office with Rainbow Dash in tow and the three of them go under a brief, but intense lecture from the fiery captain. Seeing as how the team is preparing to start their next tour within the next few days, she can’t afford to give them much more strenuous work, so she puts them on prohibition and cleaning duty for the remainder of the week.

Lightning takes the punishment surprisingly well, accepting the fact that he started the spats in the first place. Dash isn’t too happy about having a mop shoved back into her hooves again, but thinks to herself that it could be worse. But when she steals a glance at Soarin from the corner of her eye, she sees a somber stare in those emerald-green eyes; almost ashamed, maybe even disappointed. When Spitfire dismisses them to go get patched up before practice resumes, he wastes no time booking it out of the office, suddenly keeping to himself as he makes his way to the trainers to clean up the cuts on his face and ice the worst of the bruises. Rainbow watches him carefully - what is running through that stallion’s head?

When he doesn’t come to her for the rest of the day, she knows something is bugging him. She knows his daily routine to the “T”, and she knows that he’s normally exceptionally early to the barracks before everyone else. She catches him lounging back on his bed, tossing a small cloud-ball between his hooves as he stares into space, seemingly lost in thought. Soarin’s ears twitch when he hears her, but his eyes only stay on her for a brief moment before flickering back to the empty space he was staring at before. Letting out a light huff, the mare sits herself down on the bed and gives him a light pointed look.

“Alright, Soarin - what’s wrong?” she asks, getting straight to the point.

“Nothing, babe,” he replies automatically, his expression barely changing and his eyes still not looking at her. Dash rolls her eyes lightly as she pulls her hooves in her lap.

“Right. And Princess Celestia isn’t a cake-aholic,” she deadpans. Soarin scoffs lightly in amusement, but the quirk in the corner of his lips doesn’t last for more than a second. Rainbow’s brow furrows slightly as she looks her coltfriend over and speaks again. “Soarin, you’ve never actively avoided me like this before. I just wanna know what’s going on in that big ol’ head of yours.” He continues to toss the cloud-ball between his hooves, though his eyes flicker down to look at the bed. Seeing how he still isn’t talking, she decides to spitball the first thought that comes to her head.

“Was it about what happened in the mess hall?” He stops tossing the ball and brings his hooves down, closing his eyes and tipping his head back as he sighs through his nose. Bingo, Rainbow thinks to herself. She tips her head to the side in light curiosity and holds his gaze when he cracks his eyes open to look at her, his gaze conflicted and almost sad. Seeing this, Dash scoots closer so she’s sitting in his lap, eye-to-eye with the baby-blue pegasus. She looks directly into his eyes with a look that’s both soft and stern.

“Talk,” she states simply. Soarin scans over her lightly-beaten face before sighing deeply and tilting his head forward, resting his head against her temple as he wraps his forelegs loosely around her.

“I hate it more than words can express,” he says lowly, “but all my life, I’ve been aware that I’m… severely overprotective… borderline possessive, even. I’d even go as far as to say I’m the jealous type. And it literally doesn’t matter who the guy is, if he’s with you, I can’t help but feel… threatened… for reasons I really don’t get.” Rainbow listens carefully as she subconsciously moves her head to lay it on his when he moves to hide his face in the crook of her neck. “It’s gotten to the point where meet-and-greets are a struggle to get through. Because I know somepony’s with you doing something and I can’t do anything about that… And by no means am I saying you’re incapable of handling yourself, I know very well that you are,” he backpedals a little to clarify, “but Dash… honestly, sometimes I wish we didn’t go public…” Dash raises a brow slightly at this but says nothing as he continues to talk. “I always feel so selfish whenever I even think it, but I love having you all to myself… where no one can pry their way in and it’s like nothing else in the world exists or matters. Where I don’t have to worry about someone else trying to throw themselves at you. Where… where I don’t have to deal with the griminess that comes with jealousy and possessive anger…”

It’s silent for a few moments. Rainbow has been lightly tracing patterns over his hooves the entire time, and when a few more seconds of silence pass, she lifts her head and turns to him with a small, knowing smile. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, I’m already aware of that?” she asks. Soarin snorts lightly as he shakes his head at her.

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you say anything?” he retorts, his tone not sharp, but hollow and disheartened. Rainbow only let out a brief, breathy chuckle, biting her lip before speaking again.

“Remember what you said when you first asked me out…?” she asks him slowly. Soarin cracks a small smirk, even though it leaves as quickly as it came. He will never be able to forget that day. It was almost by complete accident when he did it. He had been meaning to grow the balls to ask the mare out for a while at that point; he thought of a nice plan for the date and everything since her birthday was coming up back then - he just never knew how to ask. He ended up doing himself a favor eventually.

“I told you I don’t like sharing…” he relays to her.

“Mmhm,” she hums, “and did I ever tell you what I thought about that?”

“Other than you it was damn sexy?” he stabs lightly, smirking a bit wider at the light blush grazing her face.

“Okay, obviously, I didn’t tell you everything,” she avoids with a light chuckle. “But to continue on that note… Soarin, everything you just told me was summed up in that one statement almost three years ago. You said it yourself; you don’t like sharing. I’ve been yours since Day One and I know that you’re never gonna let me go. Not without a fight. And that spoke to me in volumes - loud ones.” She pauses to look over his face before gently laying a hoof on the cut side of his face and continuing. “Honestly, Soarin… if I was forced to make a list of every single thing I love about you, ‘possessive loyalty’ would be the first thing I’d write down.”

The sincerity in her voice causes Soarin to look up at her, and for a few moments, he says nothing. He scans every curve of her face as her words sink in, and when they finally do, he cracks a small smile and shakes his head lightly.

“What did I do to deserve you?” he asks with a light chuckle as he nuzzles her face. She snickers and nuzzles him back with equal affection.

“A lot of things, ya goof,” she teases. She then lifts his head up slightly and presses a brief, sweet kiss on his lips, breaking away with a lopsided smile. “I love you, Soarin. Inside and out. Don’t forget that.” Soarin smirks back and presses another kiss to her mouth before resting his forehead against hers.

“I won’t. So long as you don’t forget that I love you just as much,” he winks at her, prompting her to snicker again and press her face into his neck, instigating the fluffy snuggles she knows he loves so much.

They lay there together for some time, engaged in light-hearted conversation, even when the rest of their teammates file in. Spitfire calls lights out shortly and Rainbow decides to stay with Soarin for the night. She falls asleep quickly, nestled into the side of her beloved and wonders in the back of her mind how the universe decided to pull them together.

Soarin wakes before Rainbow Dash does, and he spends the next few minutes watching over her as he blinks the sleep out of his eyes. He takes in the sight of her peaceful face as an adorably messy bed-head displays itself over the pillow and her shoulder. Soarin lifts a hoof to move a strand away from her nose and wonders if there will ever come a day where he’ll get to wake up to this sight every morning for the rest of his life.

Dash lets out a big yawn when she wakes a few minutes later, and the two have quiet, idle conversation. Most of it consists of Soarin nuzzling her face to get her to keep her eyes open for more than a few minutes so she doesn’t fall back asleep. Then the door opens, and in walks Spitfire and Fleetfoot with trays of coffee balanced on their wings.

“Coffee call!” Fleetfoot sing-songs as she walks in. Several of the other ‘Bolts sit up in their beds while others groan and hide in their sheets.

“Uppity-up! I risked my flank getting Spitty to come with me for morning coffee, be grateful!” Fleet continues in her chipper tone.

“How the hell are you so happy…” Wave Chill groans into his pillow as she sets a cup of coffee on his bedside table.

“You learn how to be when you’re the oldest of five,” she snips back. She catches sight of Soarin and Dash and a smarmy grin breaks out on her face. “And what are my two favorite love-birds up to?” Fleetfoot teases as she trots by with a high bounce to her step, her smile about as bright and jeering as the sun.

“Nothing you don’t already know, Fleet,” Soarin says while rolling his eyes lightly, his voice cracking slightly due to it still being a bit early in the morning.

“Hey, I actually got an answer this time!” Fleet laughs.

“Oh, leave them be, Fleetfoot,” Blaze chuckles, “they were perfectly fine before you decided to stick your nose into their business again.”

“What are we sticking our noses into?” Lightning asks nonchalantly as he walks into the room, shutting the door with a back hoof and a tub of ice cream tucked under a wing.

“Really, Lightning, already…?” High Winds mutters as she reaches for her coffee.

“Wave, reel him in,” Rainbow attempts to say in deadpan, though the amused smirk on her face betrays what she wants to show.

“Why am I always the one on Playcolt Duty?” Wave Chill asks no one in particular as he flops back on his bed.

“Because no one else here has your patience?” High Winds throws out there as she passes him. Lighting slowly walks into the room, already downing a spoonful of ice cream and completely oblivious to the current conversation.

“So Spitty,” he addresses the captain around a mouthful of ice cream, “you don’t suppose we could--”

“Lightninnggg. That’s my cousin,” Rapidfire warns groggily around a toothbrush at the sinks from the other end of the room. Lightning turns to his other side.

“Yo, Blaze, ya wanna--”

“Lightninnggg. That’s my sister,” Rapidfire calls again with more warning, spitting out the toothpaste into the sink. Lightning turns his head yet again.

“Windy, babyyy, hey--”

“LIGHTNING, THAT IS MY MAREFRIEND!” Rapidfire yells as he whirls around, drops of water still dripping off his chin since he rinsed, but didn’t dry. Lightning turns once again as the room explodes into laughter.

“Surpriiiise--” Lightning is immediately cut off with a pillow to the face.

“Nope!” the white pegasus says in her usual perky manner, sipping her coffee happily.

“Mistyyy, Mamiii--” Lightning’s cut off again with a wing to his face and a bright laugh following.

“Lightning, oh my gods, SHUT UP,” Silver Lining says loudly, holding his wing over the flirt’s face as the citrine-colored mare in question cracks up behind him.

The morning chaos continues as the Wonderbolts go about their morning routines, and the day proceeds as normal. Routines are rehearsed, stunts are added, lines are sharpened, orders are given harshly, and are carried out efficiently. Before they know it, the team is wrapping things up for dinner. Just before Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Lightning Streak step foot inside the locker room, they’re stopped with brooms, their orders being to sweep the tracks clean and clear the sky of clouds for the night before they can hit the mess hall for dinner. The three bruised ponies are tempted to groan, but they quickly bite their tongues; for all they know, Spitfire could easily change them from cleaning the tracks to the bathrooms.

They spend the next half-hour or so outside, bursting stray clouds and sweeping the tracks thoroughly, even making sure that the grass is leveled right. When Lightning’s mission on capturing every single cloud on sight is done, he wastes no time flying into the locker rooms to change and get something to eat, leaving Soarin and Rainbow Dash to clean up after him. But as Rainbow passes him, she trails her tail over his side and intertwines it with Soarin’s for a brief moment, causing him to stop for a brief second and look over his shoulder her. She turns her head to look at him and the two share a warm smile before moving on to finish their job.

Soarin watches the cyan mare finish up her work as he gathers up the last bits of cloud Lightning missed. She watches her blow her bangs out of her face and flex her wings a little bit as she tucks a fraying piece of gauze under her mask and he can’t help but smile. He doesn’t care he’s dizzy because of a black eye or that it hurts to use his left shoulder a little too much; he would receive the same ailments and much worse if it meant that the mare in front of him would still be his.

Soarin watches Rainbow pick up her broom and shake it out as she flies back to the locker rooms to finally change and head to dinner, and as he follows her shortly after, he notices how she fluffs her feathers whenever she folds her wings closed and wonders what he’ll have to do to get her sized for a wing-ring.

Author's Note

Ohhhhh my gawwwwwd, this is so sloppyyyy and ruuuuushed and I hate ittttt :rainbowlaugh: I wanted to do something for this, though, so I pusedh through even though I literally did this in, like, two days :rainbowlaugh: This was actually kinda hard for me to do, for multiple reasons, really. I've never been the best at writing one-shots, and honestly, I've have a rough week. I'm doing better now, thankfully, but hopefully this'll make the cut. If not, oh well, it was a good exercise :rainbowlaugh:

This is actually the first thing I've posted in forever-and-a-half, so I really hope you enjoyed! Again, I apologize for the messiness of it, but when things die down a bit more for me, I'm probably gonna come back and edit it... a lot :rainbowlaugh:

Comment below what you thought, and thank you so much for reading! :pinkiehappy: :rainbowkiss: :raritywink: :heart: :heart: :heart: