Zephyr’s Bad Moves

Rainbow Dash whooped and hollered as she rode Gladys across the waves. It had been two weeks since she lost her surfboard to Zephyr Breeze’s carelessness, but ever since she ‘borrowed’ Zephyr’s board, surfing had never been better.

After an impressive jump off the crest of a wave, Dash splashed back into the water and rode the surf back to shore, where she unstrapped her ankle and jumped off her board. There, stretching her legs by her lifeguard tower was Applejack, ready to greet her friend.

“All done surfin’ out there?” Applejack asked.

“For now. With this baby, I can’t wait to hit the heavies again,” Dash said, brandishing her board.

“Still prefer doin’ it with Gladys, do ya?” Applejack giggled.

“Aw, cram it, AJ,” Dash grumbled. “It’s only for the rest of today. The guys at the board shop told me my board will be ready to pick up tomorrow.”

“Now, ain’t that somethin’. Most folks don’t have to wait two weeks to get a board repaired. Why’s yers takin’ so long?”

“No reason. I just didn’t take mine in right away. After all, it gave me more time to spend with Gladys. And you can keep your comments to yourself,” Dash said.

“I weren’t gonna say nothing,” Applejack said innocently. “But, don’t ya think Zephyr’s gonna want his board back soon?”

“He can get it back when I get mine back. Simple as that,” Dash answered.

“Alright. ‘Cause ya know he’s just gonna find somethin’ else stupid to do if ya don’t.”

“Well, stupid is as stupid does,” Dash said, before she put her board under her arm and walked away, “I’m going to go hang with the others. Later.”

“I’ll catch ya up,” Applejack said. She continued to stretch, arching her back to the side, where she heard a quiet--

*crick*

“Oooooohhh!! Applesauce…” Applejack groaned, as she suddenly found she couldn’t move her back any other direction.

Rarity and Twilight lounged in their beach chairs, while Pinkie Pie was busily mounding up sand for a sandcastle.

“Let’s see…” Pinkie said, as she turned a discerning eye to her mound of dirt.

Her hands busily whirred about, and made a misshapen structure that crumbled promptly.

Pinkie shook her head, and tried again.

Her hands whorled about through the sand again, only to create another misshapen structure that practically melted into a puddle.

Pinkie growled quietly and tried again.

This was it, she knew. She focused intently on her busywork, and finally produced a grand replica of a triple-masted galleon. Until the front of the galleon’s hull broke off, the ship tilted upward, and sank into the sand like a boat sinking in water.

“Aw, crud!” Pinkie pouted, as she sat back in the sand. “Girls, when’s Fluttershy getting here? She’s probably more fun than this stupid sand.”

“She said she was busy. I’m sure she’ll be here soon, Pinkie,” Twilight said, not even turning to face her friend as she took in the sun.

“Well, whatever she’s doing, I hope she can at least get it to stay up,” Pinkie said, forming a mound with her sand next to her, which ended up popping like a balloon, and covering her with dirt.

“Hey girls!” came a call from the distance. Rainbow Dash was returning from Applejack’s lifeguard tower, and rejoined her friends.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash. The surfing was well, I trust?” Rarity said.

“You know it,” Dash said, placing her board on the ground and sitting on the empty chair next to the others.

“Is this new board still better than your old one, or are you tired of it yet?” Twilight wondered.

“Not even. If Zephyr would let me, I’d buy this thing from him,” Dash said.

“Now, why don’t you just find out where he got his board and buy one yourself?” Rarity said.

“Because, Rarity, that would mean Rainbow Dash would have two surfboards to handle and maintain,” Twilight said, as she blindly reached her hand up, and pulled the release on her beach umbrella to shade herself. “Besides, Dash’s board is almost finished at the repair shop.”

“Yeah. But, every good surfer has a spare board around. I can just keep my old one as a spare, and use a board like this as my new stick,” Dash answered.

“Your what?” Rarity wondered.

Dash groaned and rolled her eyes. “You know. Stick. Deck. Gun. All words for a board,” she explained.

“I see,” was all Rarity said.

Up in the parking lot, Fluttershy finally drove in. Next to her in the passenger seat was her brother, Zephyr.

“Now, Zephyr, you remember what we agreed to, don’t you?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah. No surfing. I’ll just make sandcastles on the beach with you,” Zephyr Breeze answered.

“Okay. And did you remember--”

“Safety goggles. Got it,” Zephyr said, as he held up two pairs of goggles for him and his sister.

“Because you don’t want sand in your eyes. Remember: sand in your eyes makes boys cry,” Fluttershy gently admonished.

“So do mothers serving the wrong kind of chocolate milk,” Zephyr said, referring to an incident from when they were children.

“But...I liked milk chocolate, but mom only made dark chocolate for us both,” Fluttershy defended. She quickly departed the car and made her way to the beach with her brother.

The siblings walked to the beach, and saw where the others were staying. Twilight was the first to notice them coming.

“There’s Fluttershy now. Hi, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, as she waved to her friend.

“Oh no…” Dash muttered to herself.

“Hey there, Dashie. How’s my girl been?,” Zephyr said.

Dash’s stomach turned, remembering the innuendo Zephyr had used for her board weeks before. Quickly, she stood up to confront him.

“Listen: my friends call me Dashie. Jerks that ruin my board, (on purpose) call me Rainbow Dash. Got it,” Dash said.

“Got it,” Zephyr said, though his smile made Dash think he didn’t care about what she told him.

Fluttershy could sense tension between her friend and her brother. Quickly, she intervened to diffuse the situation.

“Um...Zephyr, why don’t we go feed the sea anemones now?” Fluttershy said.

“In a second, sis. I have something I want to do here first. It’ll only be a second, so you go ahead, and I’ll catch up,” Zephyr answered.

“Oh. Alright,” Fluttershy answered.

She hesitantly left, half trusting her brother, but half hoping he wouldn’t do anything rash.

Zephyr simply stayed where he was, without doing anything. Something that greatly irritated Dash.

“So? Go do what you what you wanted to do,” Dash said, impatiently.

“I’ll be honest: I just wanted my sister away, so I could be alone with you,” Zephyr said.

The other girls all groaned loudly.

“I might have known,” Rarity said. She turned toward the direction Fluttershy left, and called after her. “Fluttershy!”

“Hold on! It’s not like that!” Zephyr quickly interjected. “You see, I wanted to make up to Rainbow Dash what I did the last time I was here. You know, try and patch things up. Also, I’d like my board back.”

“Forget it. I’m not interested. You can have your board back when mine’s out of the shop,” Dash answered.

“Dash, don’t you remember what we talked about the last time I was here?” Zephyr asked.

“What are you talking about? We didn’t have any talk the last time you were here,” Dash said.

“Sure we did. In the parking lot. Just before I let you borrow my board.”

It occurred to Dash what Zephyr was hinting toward, and snapped her to attention. Something that was noticed by her friends.

“You and him had a talk in the parking lot? What about?” Pinkie wondered.

“Uh, nothing,” Dash answered, too quickly to be believable. If any of them found out that she had beaten the ever-loving snot out of Zephyr, they would never speak to her again. “Listen, I have to go talk to Applejack about something. Can you wait here with the others?”

“Sure,” Zephyr answered.

Quick as she could Dash ran away from Zephyr Breeze, and felt as if the air grew lighter the further she got from him. When she reached Applejack’s lifeguard tower, she found her friend was still stuck in the same stretch as when she left her.

“Applejack!” Dash called.

“‘Bout time someone came. Ya mind helpin’ me outta this?” Applejack said.

“Applejack, I need to talk to you.”

“Mighty fine, that. Can ya talk while ya gimme a hand?”

“Alright. Fine.”

Dash took Applejack’s nearest hand, and started pulling, while Applejack firmly planted her feet in the sand.

“So, what’s up, sugarcube?” Applejack wondered.

“Zephyr’s back,” was all Dash answered, as she pulled Applejack’s arm by her wrist.

“That guy again? Aw, nuts...He ain’t gonna go breakin’ anyone else’s boards, is he? Hey!”

Dash facilitated the effort back placing the sole of her foot on Applejack’s hips as she pulled her friend’s wrist.

“No. It’s worse than that. He wants to take me out,” Dash answered.

“Then just say no. It ain’t like he’s got any way to force ya to go on a date with him. What the--”

Dash laid Applejack down in the sand, took hold of her wrist and her ankle, and used both soles to push on her friend’s hips.

“That’s where you’re wrong, AJ. He’s kinda...got something on me,” Dash strained.

“Well--What is--it!?” Applejack said, between getting pushed by Dash’s feet.

“Like I’d tell you. You can’t keep--any secret!” Dash answered.

Finally, with a loud pop, Applejack’s back cracked back into place.

“Dang…!” Applejack said, as she and Dash stood up from the sand. “Well, in that case: the only advice I can offer ya is to go out with him anyway.”

“What!? No! Uh-uh! Not happening!” Dash said.

“Well, in that case: whatever he’s got on ya’s gonna spill out in the open. Unless ya wanna tell me now.”

Dash’s gut clenched. That was the last thing that she wanted to happen. If she was to keep her friends, she was simply going to have to suck it up and do the unthinkable: go on a date with Zephyr Breeze.

“Alright...I’ll go with the creep…” Dash said, through clenched teeth.

“We’ll all be rootin’ for ya, sugarcube,” Applejack said, before she returned to completing her stretches. With another crack, she found herself stuck in another stretch. “AW...Dash? D’ya mind?”

“Yes. Yes I do,” Dash said, before she turned around to return to Zephyr, leaving Applejack to hang by her knees on the side of her lifeguard tower to unstuck herself.

When Dash returned to the others, Zephyr was down in the sand with Pinkie. He had taken over building her sandcastles for her, but was failing just as spectacularly.

“Okay. I’m in,” Dash said, when she arrived.

Zephyr’s mound of sand crumbled when he heard those words, and he stood up to face Dash.

“You mean--” he began.

“Yes,” Dash interrupted. “But, on the condition that it’s just this once, and we won’t go out again after I get my board back.”

“Deal. So,” Zephyr said, as he hugged his own board, which was leaning against an umbrella. “How about you and me go for a ride on Gladys.

Dash’s stomach lurched at the idea of being in such close proximity with Zephyr. A sentiment which was shared with the others.

“Nononono! Let’s do that last! You know, best for last kind of deal,” Dash said. In actuality, she figured that it would allow her time to think of a way to get out of the date.

“Alright. I can dig it,” Zephyr said. “How about we get some ice cream first? Like what we did last time.”

Dash’s skin crawled when she felt Zephyr’s arm around her, and was led to the nearby concessions on the boardwalk.

“There goes the bravest girl on the beach,” Twilight said to nobody in particular. “Who knows if she’ll survive this ordeal.”

“Should we start making funeral arrangements?” Pinkie wondered.

Twilight simply shook her head, though she wasn’t sure whether or not they’d be called for.