Love At First Summer Campby pandaxxusChaptersJust Getting Started...Starting OverThe Storm BeginsLet The Rain FallThunder StrikesJust Getting Started...Author's Note Welcome to a new story! I’m not kidding when I say I wrote this chapter three different times, and decided to rewrite it. It’s going to be SoarinDash this time! Yay! -This does NOT have ANYTHING to do with any of my past stories. So no crazy connections or theories just yet -This story will also switch the different points of view throughout chapters (mostly between Soar and Dash, but I will make sure to let you guys know when it will. -Since I barely ship these two, it’s going to be a little hard for me to write. So please tell me what I’m doing right and wrong here. (I’m talking to you SoarinDash experts!) -Okay, I’ll try my best to update this as fast as I can. On top of school, this is my third story I’m working on so bear with me. (I’m done talking now, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!) Just Getting Started... Cloudsdale Kick. I've been coming to this place since I was seven years old. It’s a popular summer camp in Cloudsdale, and even after almost ten years, I still can feel my excitement bubbling up inside me the minute I enter the camp. You see, this camp was mainly for kids who wanted to play soccer. However, there are still other alternatives if you aren't interested in the sport. I am very invested in soccer. My cousin is Spitfire! She is the captain of one of the best teams of all time, the Wonderbolts. Being the younger cousin of such a legend, I, Soarin Skies, consider myself fairly popular. However, most people don't know until I tell them who I am. I have a dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. Spits says that if I practice enough, I will definitely earn a spot on the team. I've been practicing since the second grade. That's how I was introduced to Cloudsdale Kick. Spitfire had told me that she had went here when she was younger, and when seven year old me heard, I begged my parents to let me go. I went with another cousin of mine, Fleetfoot. She was only a year younger than I was at the time and also wanted to be like Spitfire. When my dad dropped me off on that first day of summer, I looked around at all of the other kids running around with huge smiles on their faces. There were also some teenagers laughing with their friends at the various picnic tables placed around the area. I could see a lake area, and kids were swimming and passing a ball around. Then, there was a large soccer field in the distance. My eyes lit up as if I had found a pot of gold. Fleetfoot and I immediately ran to the field and started kicking a ball around, and we both soon realized that this is what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. I've come here every year since, and I'm now sixteen. Fleetfoot had also come with me every single time, and we both have created many memories together. I believe that I've improved massively in terms of playing soccer, and it's only a matter of time before I finally join the team. “Soar? Soarin!” I heard Fleetfoot’s voice and it snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked into her bright pink eyes that were glaring at me. “Soarin, you need to stop spacing out like this. Kids are gonna get creeped out because they think that you're smiling at them!” she spread her arms out dramatically as she scolded me. After running her hand through her short, snow white hair, she put some dark shades on and looked at me. “You look a mess too!” She nagged. Fleetfoot proceeded to ruffle my own short navy blue hair, and nearly poked my green eyes while doing that. She tugged at my dark blue t-shirt before I stopped her. “I think I look just fine, thank you very much.” I grumbled. “I know, I just wanted to mess with you.” she laughed, before tugging at her shorts. I looked around the camp again, and saw a spare soccer ball resting near a flagpole. I smiled before picking it up and turning to my cousin. “Hey Fleet, wanna toss this around like old times?” I asked, throwing the ball in the air. “Sure, but aren't we supposed to go out in the field to do this?” she asked, pointing in the direction of the field. “Come on,” I sighed, “It's not like we're going to hurt anyone!” Fleetfoot smirked and rolled her eyes before giving in and signaling for me to kick the ball over to her. We tossed it around calmly for a few minutes, however, Fleetfoot kicked the ball a little too hard for my liking, and it went past me. I took it as a competition, and kicked the ball harder towards her. Soon, it turned into an actual game, and we fought to try to get the ball past one another, as if there was an imaginary goal behind each of us. This continued until I kicked the ball so hard, it flew past Fleetfoot into the air, and we watched as it almost left our sight. I shut my eyes and began laughing, thinking I had won. My laughter was cut short as both Fleetfoot and I heard a sound. “Ow!” a feminine voice rang from the other side of the camp. Both Fleetfoot and I looked at each other, horror written on our face. The ball I kicked must have hit someone, and I kicked that ball hard. In an instant, my cousin and I bolted in the direction of the scream, hoping that whoever I hit wasn't injured. We stopped as we saw a girl with soft pink hair helping another girl beside her off of the ground. I looked and found my soccer ball not too far away from them. The pink haired girl had light yellow skin, and teal eyes full of worry. Next to her, was a girl with light blue skin, like mine. I took a step back as I saw her hair. It was a beautiful long rainbow, and it fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. I couldn't say anything, it was breathtaking. Her face, well her eyes were shut tight in pain, and she held her head. That brought me out of my spell, and I ran over to the injured girl. “Uh...hi.” I said sheepishly. I originally planned to apologize the minute I got close enough, but the words seemed to die the minute I looked at her. The pink haired girl looked at me, confused. The rainbow haired girl finally opened her eyes, and I almost froze in my place. She looked at me with large magenta eyes. It could have just been me, but it looked like they sparkled as they stared at me. I got a better look at her face. Her nose was small and cute. Her eyes were big and she had long lashes. Her mouth was small as well. That combined with her gorgeous prismatic hair made her one of the most prettiest girls I have ever seen. All that was left now was to talk to her, but I couldn't. “That's gonna leave a bruise…” she muttered. Her voice was raspy and it cracked in some places. It was different, and it made me fall for her even more. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow, and my knees felt weak. “Is...that yours?” she asked me, pointing at the ball that I had unintentionally hit her with. I stared at her before finally finding my voice. “Uh...yeah actually. I'm real sorry about that.” I said awkwardly. Fleetfoot seemed to finally catch up to me and must have seen my struggle. “I'm so sorry about that. My idiot cousin doesn't understand the meaning of not hurting anyone.” She glared at me. “It’s okay. I guess.” The rainbow haired angel smiled a bit. She looked at the pink haired girl and watched as she clutched onto her arm before looking back at us. “Is this your first time here? I've never seen you in all of my years of going to this camp.” Fleetfoot asked the girls. The pink haired girl hid behind her hair as Fleet made eye contact with her. “Yeah, actually. But it's not our first time at a summer camp.” the rainbow haired girl answered for her. “Really? Where did you go?” The girl scratched the back of her head with her free arm. “We actually went to Junior Speedster’s like a few blocks away.” she said. Fleetfoot backed away in disgust. “You guys are Junior Speedster's?! They are our enemies!” she shouted. “Yeah...I know. But as you can obviously see, I don't go there anymore.” she smirked a bit. “Why not?” “I maybe kind of...got expelled?” she said and the tone of her voice got higher. Fleetfoot snorted. “How do you get expelled from a summer camp?” “It’s possible.” the girl replied, glaring a little, “And to be fair, I was like, ten.” “Well what about her? She does not seem like the type to get expelled..” Fleetfoot pointed at the timid girl who still has yet to speak. “That's because she isn't. She's just crazy nice enough to stick with me, even if I seem like the worst person in the entire world.” she looked at her friend, and I saw a new look in her eyes. It looked as if she admired this silent girl, and proud of her. “Well, I guess, welcome to Cloudsdale Kick! I'm Fleetfoot, I've been coming here since I was in kindergarten. I came here for its main purpose, soccer. What about you?” she asked the rainbow haired angel. “Me too. I’m totally going to get a spot on the Wonderbolts team, and I'm going to need all the practice I can get. Even if I am perfect already.” She said proudly, and I could agree. Both of our eyes widened when we heard that she had the same dream as us, but neither of us said anything. It was almost perfect. She was beautiful and she had the same interests as I had. “What about your friend? No offense, but she doesn't seem like the soccer kind of gal.” Fleetfoot asked. “She isn't.” “Well, we have things like arts and crafts. Maybe she'd like that?” I watched as the pink haired girl’s eyes almost brightened as she heard Fleetfoot, but she still kept silent. “Well, I’m Rainbow Dash, and this is my best friend Fluttershy.” She introduced. Rainbow Dash. I had a feeling that her name would not be leaving my mind anytime soon. “And yours is?” she spoke again, this time looking at me. I froze up again, but managed to speak. “S-Soarin.” I stuttered, and mentally kicked myself for being so awkward. “Well Soarin,” she smirked, “I assume you are also here for soccer? That was a pretty hard kick there..” “Oh uh...yeah. Sorry again.” I looked down. What was wrong with me? She laughed for the first time. It was like music to my ears. “That's the second time you apologized, its okay!” she smiled. I didn't know how much more I could take before I melted completely. “So, uh. Where do we sleep?” Rainbow asked. “Oh! We have cabins! Four people per cabin.” Fleetfoot explained. “Cool, do we get to pick?” she asked. “Uh, not really. They post it on the giant board in the center at around five o’clock. So you can find and get everything ready by the time it's really late.” Fluttershy seemed to grab Rainbow's arm tighter. It was most likely at the fact that there's a chance that she won't get to share a room with her friend. “Well, I guess we're going to go explore a little more, thanks for almost giving me a concussion!” Rainbow evil laughed, before walking away, with Fluttershy clinging to her. “I'm sorry!” I shouted a bit, before Fleetfoot elbowed me in the stomach. “You totally like that rainbow chick.” She snorted. “H-How’d you know?!” my voice cracked with embarrassment. “You looked like a tomato every time the girl moved! You're still red!” She said before doubling over in laughter. I didn't even realize how hot my face had gotten, and I felt it get even warmer. “W-whatever. It's not like I'm going to talk to her anymore either way. After she realizes how big of a bruise I gave her, she won't want to talk to me, or come near me!” I said. “Sure, dork. Sure. You're going to go almost three months without talking to her again?” “Yep.” Fleetfoot laughed before walking away from me. I knew I was screwed. I could have hit anyone else, but it just had to be her. “Soarin, can you please hurry? I want to see who I'm bunking with this summer!” Fleet yelled at me. I ran to catch up. We stood in front of a big wooden board that had many names on it. Other campers were gathered around and started to form their groups. It was time to find out who was going to live together for the summer, and I wasn't too scared. “Soar?” A deep voice called my name and I immediately recognized it. I turned and was met with a teen with messy blue hair and orange eyes. His skin was ash grey. “Thunderlane! Hey!” I shook his hand. He was my best friend at this camp. We've shared bunks a few years here and there, but not all the time. He had come when I was ten years old, and every year, I'd be excited to see him again. “Are we sharing this year?” I asked him. “No, I got this girl named Ditzy though. I hope she's cute.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I chuckled. “Alright enough,” I said, “Too bad we aren't sharing. I'm really looking forward to this year.” “You always are, doofus.” Thunder slapped me on the back, and I pretended as if it didn't hurt. “Well, do you know who you're bunking with?” He asked me, smiling. “No, I’m making Fleet tell me.” I smirked. I looked around to see if I could find her, but my eyes found Rainbow Dash again. She looked as if she was telling Fluttershy something, before Fluttershy hugged her so tight, she almost fell. It looked like they were lucky enough to share a cabin together. “Hey cuz!” Fleetfoot finally appeared, “or should I say roomie?” “We're bunking together?” I asked, surprised. “Yep!” she smiled. “Cool!” I threw an arm around her, “But, who are the other two we are staying with?” I watched as Fleetfoot’s pink eyes sparkled and her mouth formed an evil grin. “So, uh. You kind of smacked her with a soccer ball a few hours ago.” She said, trying not to laugh. My smile immediately disappeared, and I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach. “Of course…” I said with little emotion. “Hold on. You smacked a girl with a soccer ball?” Thunderlane asked, Fleetfoot nodded. “Man,” he sighed, “I’ve never arrived late here ever. And the one time I do, I miss the best thing ever.” Fleetfoot looked at me and laughed a bit. “Oh Thunderlane, this is just getting started.” Starting Over*Written In Rainbow Dash’s POV I looked up to see if we had the right cabin. In front of the small wooden house, there was a sign with a small blue circle. Looking around, each small house had a different color on each signposted. “We are in the blue cabin right?” I asked and looked at my friend. “Well, that's what it said on the board,” she replied softly. “Alright then, come on!” I smiled and grabbed her bags for her. “I'm so happy we are in the same cabin, Dashie.” she smiled as she opened the door. “Me too, Shy,” I replied and looked around. The room was small but cozy. There were two sets of bunk beds on both sides of the room, and one single light hung from the ceiling. Almost everything was made of wood, even the walls. Junior Speedsters’ was run almost like a school, and was strict, whereas here, it almost felt like a second home. I liked it. I could see the bathroom, and it looked like a decent size. There were some closets to hang our clothes, and space to put any other belongings. I already began placing my things on a top bunk. Knowing Fluttershy, she'd be too afraid to climb up, even if it isn't that high. I took one of my bags and began to unpack my clothes. “I'm kind of scared…” I heard Fluttershy say, she was busy unpacking as well. “Of what?” “We still have other people coming in to live with us. What if they make fun of me?” I sighed and tried not to roll my eyes. I placed a shirt down on the bed and looked at her. I had forgotten to look at who else was staying with us when I checked the board. All I had seen was Fluttershy’s name next to mine and immediately went over to tell her. “Shy, most of the people running around here are like six. If we do get two little kids and they say something mean to you, please don't take it personally.” I explained and watched as she looked down. I realized that what I said probably didn't help her much, and sighed again. “But,” I started, “if they are some dumb idiots our age who want to make fun of you, they’ll be lucky enough to meet me and my fist.” I smiled and placed my hand up in the air. “Dashie…” Fluttershy said as if a mother was warning a child. I rolled my eyes. “But before that, I'll ask them politely to stop bothering you. Better?” Fluttershy hummed in response. I may seem like I get annoyed with her sometimes, but when it comes to people picking on her, I get serious. I've never let anyone mess with her and get away with it. She does nothing wrong, and yet, she's everyone's target. Fluttershy is one of the kindest people I know, heck, she is the kindest. I've known her since my first day going to the Junior Speedsters’ camp, and when I stood up for her after seeing some kids bully her, she said it was the first time anyone has ever done that. Ever since Shy had stuck with me, and I vowed to protect and stay loyal to her. Now, here we are, going to Cloudsdale Kick. “Seriously though, Fluttershy.” I started. I watched as Flutters looked up at me immediately. I rarely called her by her full name, unless I was getting deep into something. “If some jerk does have to stay with us, and they say anything to you. Tell me, please. Don’t be afraid that I’ll hurt them.” I looked at her and watched as her gaze softened. “Dash, I would never be afraid of you.” she quickly ran over to me and gave a small squeeze. I pushed some of my colorful bangs out of my face and lightly squeezed back. I frowned as the situation began to remind me of the past. When I began attending Junior Speedsters’ Summer Camp about six years ago, I didn’t really have many friends. The only person I had really gotten along with was my neighbor, a girl named Gilda, and she was the one who had actually introduced me to the camp in the first place. When I met Fluttershy and we had begun to hang out more over the course of the camp, Gilda had begun to get jealous. She didn’t like the fact that I had made a new friend so easily, and that I seemed to be having fun without her. It wasn’t long until she made friends with these two kids, both of them were really stuck up and made them turn on Fluttershy. She had thought if she had started rumors about her, that I wouldn’t hang around her anymore. Obviously, that wasn’t the case and I continued to comfort Shy. When Gilda had seen that her scheme was failing, she decided that it was time to take matters into her own hands. One day, I had come back from swimming to see Gilda cornering Fluttershy in our shared room. I remember seeing Gilda shouting all of these terrible things, and threatening her to stay away. I remember seeing Fluttershy shaking and sobbing. Just taking one look at Fluttershy’s state, I hit Gilda. Long story short, she ended up getting pretty beat up, and I thought she would tell on me immediately. However, she waited for a few days and told kids about me. They all had thought that I was a bully, and were afraid of me. No one would talk to me anymore, play with me, or even come near me. I had thought that I was a monster for hurting Gilda, and it wasn’t long before I believed I was a bully myself. The incident eventually got noticed by the counselors, and they kicked me out. Seeing my parents’ disappointed faces when they came to take me, watching all of the kids cower in fear as I walked by, it all made me feel terrible. I thought that I’d lose Fluttershy, who was now the only friend I had. However, she looked at me and hugged me tightly before I left. “Please don’t be sad,” she said, “I know that you aren’t a bully, you aren’t anything like them. You just made a mistake.” “But I hurt her. Shouldn’t you be scared?” I replied. “Usually I would be scared, Rainbow. But you’re different. You wouldn’t hurt me,” she smiled at me before gasping, “I forgot to tell you. I..um. I live a few houses down from you. I always have seen you and Gilda play with each other, I guess you just never noticed.” When she had said that, I felt guilty once again, but not because I was upset with myself, it was because I never noticed Flutters. However, that would mean that we’d be able to see each other a lot more! I was touched that she had decided to stick with me and trust me enough, even after everything that had happened that summer. Ever since then, I’ve almost always been paranoid and careful with what I say and do when I get angry. I’d joke around and exaggerate sometimes, but I wouldn’t ever hurt anyone unless it was completely necessary. “And of course I’d tell you if something happened to me.” Fluttershy continued. Just as she finished, the cabin door opened. Both Shy and I looked to see who it was, assuming that it was someone who was going to stay with us. “Hey Roomies!” a familiar voice cheerfully greeted as she opened the door with a loud bang. I immediately recognized her from earlier today, it was Fleetfoot. We had met after I had gotten knocked over by that ball a few hours ago. Her hair was very short and messy, and her eyes were a magenta color, like mine. She smiled as she walked in with her own bags. Seeing her suddenly reminded me of the headache that still remained. The noise from the door hitting the wall aggravated it even more. I tried not to flinch as I replied. “Hey, Fleetfoot right?” “Yeah. Isn’t it cool that we got the same cabin?” I laughed slightly and was a bit relieved. Fleetfoot seemed nice enough and I at least knew who she was. I saw Fluttershy visibly relax next to me as well, but she also began to hide behind me again like earlier. “Very cool,” I smiled, but it quickly disappeared as I felt as if something had pierced through my skull. Since I had gotten hit earlier, my headache had just been dull, but since I hadn’t done anything about it, it had gotten stronger. I hissed and closed my eyes for a moment and felt Fluttershy move in front of me. “Dash, your head is still bothering you?” she asked. “A little, but it's okay, Shy,” I replied with the best smile I could manage. I wasn’t going to let something as small as a headache ruin my first day at camp. “He really kicked hard, huh?” Fleetfoot smirked a bit as she walked closer, “But if you need anything, there is a nurse here. I’m pretty sure she might have something for that.” As much as I didn’t want to give in, I knew Fluttershy was going to nag me about it until I took care of this, so I decided that I should go to the nurse. “I’ll go check, be right back!.” I said and headed for the wooden door. However, I didn’t notice the first time that the doors opened inward for some weird reason, and before I had even gotten the chance to grab the doorknob, the door flung open. I immediately felt the impact of the door and was knocked to the floor for the second time that day. I couldn’t hear anything that was going on around me, all my mind was focused on was the feeling of my head pounding even more. I assumed that I had gotten hit with the door, but by who? When I was finally able to open my eyes, I looked up to see a pair of emerald green eyes, filled with worry. It was a boy, with short navy blue hair and light blue skin. It could have just been my head, but I felt like I had known him from somewhere. His mouth was moving, but I was still so shaken up that I couldn’t really make out anything he was saying. After about a minute, it suddenly dawned on me. This was Soarin! He was that kid who hit me earlier. The conversation we had came rushing back, and I soon came back to reality. “Rainbow Dash? Oh gosh, what did I do?” I finally heard him say. He held his head with both hands in frustration, and I realized that Fleetfoot and Fluttershy were around me as well. I finally found the strength to speak. “I’m fine…” I slurred and watched as Soarin turned with widened eyes. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” he spilled and helped me up slowly, “Are you okay? Can you stand up on your own? How many fingers am I holding up?” I placed my hand on his mouth to shut him up, and his cheeks reddened. It must have been from embarrassment. “I told you, I’m fine,” I grumbled. “I just didn’t know that you were behind the door! They open in the wrong direction and its something that they never fix! I swear I’m not doing this to you on purpose, I just-” “Soarin,” I said, raising my voice a bit, “You don’t need to keep apologizing. It’s okay.” He looked down and bit his lip. “Okay..” he muttered. Fluttershy came over to me and examined me for a moment. She softly touched the spot where I had been hit and looked at me when I flinched and moved her hand away. She looked at me and furrowed her eyebrows, and spoke. “You really need to get that checked out,” she said, her teal eyes looking worried yet commanding. “Oh, so she can talk?” Fleetfoot smiled and pointed at Fluttershy. She squeaked and hid behind her hair again. At this point, my headache was becoming unbearable, and all I really wanted was some peace and quiet. When I was smaller, I’d sneak away and find a place that seemed abandoned and it would automatically become my own personal hideout. It would usually be somewhere outside, next to the water. It had always seemed to calm me down most. I thought about trying to find where I could find a spot like that here, without kids invading the place. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I smiled at Fluttershy. “Do you need me to come with you?” “No, it’s fine.” I started heading for the door, but I was stopped by Fleetfoot. “He’s just a little nervous. It’s his first year with three girls in the cabin and he can’t handle it,” she whispered, talking about Soarin. I didn’t even realize that he was also going to be staying with us. “I told him thousands of times, it’s okay,” I assured her, trying not to sound annoyed. “Hey Fleetfoot, you think we’d have some time to play baseball here? I brought my bat!” Soarin suddenly spoke up, swinging a metal bat playfully as he walked up next to me. However, as he was swinging the bat, it slipped out of his hands and fell. I felt the bat land right on my foot, and I gasped as I bounced in pain. This time, Soarin stood in shock, and as the pain calmed down to a dull ache, I balled my hands into fists, trying not to yell at anyone. I saw Soarin open his mouth to speak, but I quickly cut him off. “I’ll be back later.” I hissed and limped away. It had taken me a while to find a quiet place, but as I walked by the lake and watched as kids played, I decided to walk further. It wasn’t long until I found that there were no sounds or trace of kids at all. I looked up a bit to see a giant tree sitting perfectly. Instead of a lake, there was a river now in front. The sun was beginning to set and honestly, the place looked perfect. I sat down against the cool bark of the tree and listened to nothing but the silence. It was so calming. My head still felt as if it were going to explode, and my toes were throbbing. However, as I looked around, I seemed to forget about the pain for a moment. As the sky began to turn orange, it began to get cooler, which seemed perfect to me. After everything that had happened today, I found myself relaxed. My eyes became ten times heavier than usual and I struggled to keep them open. I finally gave in and stopped fighting and allowed myself to relax completely, and I drifted off. “Rainbow Dash?” “Rainbow Dash?” I felt something shaking my shoulders softly. I brushed them off the first few times, desperate to continue my slumber. “Rainbow Dash,” the voice said, clearer than it was before. I reluctantly opened my eyes slowly and saw his green eyes staring at me again. What happened? I looked around and saw that it was dark outside, the stars and moon were out. Did I fall asleep out here? Soarin was kneeling down in front of me, looking concerned. Wait, how did he find me? There were so many thoughts running through my head. “Soarin?” I mumbled groggily. He smirked at me slightly. “Yeah, it’s me.” I looked up at his smiling face and couldn’t help but smile back a bit. The moonlight seemed to be shining directly on him. He ran his hand through his hair and sat down next to me. “Are you okay?” he asked me. I looked at him and stared at his face for a moment. Other than his big green eyes, his smile was bright and he had one single dimple on his right cheek. His face shape was round, yet soft. I wonder if he was popular in his school, especially with the girls. “Rainbow Dash?” he called my name, now shuffling in front of me, his eyes full of concern once again. “Oh, uh...yeah I’m cool. Everything’s fine.” I said looking down, “Sorry.” “Don’t apologize. How’s your head?” he asked. He raised his hand and gently moved some of my bangs so he could see my forehead. I saw him cringe slightly. “I mean, it isn’t hurting as much as before,” I admitted, “Does it look bad?” He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “There’s just a really nasty bruise. Are you sure everything is okay?” “Soarin, I feel fine.” “I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. I hit you twice, hard. You might feel fine, but concussions aren’t a joke.” Soarin said, frowning. “I thought you told us you were going to head to the nurse.” I looked down in shame. “I was going to, but I needed to cool off for a minute first. I found this place and I guess I fell asleep…” I admitted. Soarin smiled at me again and looked down as well. It was the first time I had seen him so calm and collected. I kind of liked it, it was easier to talk to him. “Well, it’s okay. I should probably take you there now though before we head back to the cabin,” he explained. “Fluttershy is really worried for you. She would have come out here herself but she doesn’t know this place well.” he kept talking. “What time is it?” I asked, looking at the night sky. “Almost eleven.” “What?!” I yelped with widened eyes. My voice cracked as I spoke and I shrank back a bit in embarrassment. I hated it when my voice did that. Soarin looked at me and smiled a bit and I noticed that his cheeks had gone red again. I had felt my face heat up a bit as well. “Wait, how did you find me here?” I asked, suddenly confused. It took me a while to get this far. “Rainbow Dash, I’ve been going to this camp since I was six years old. I know this place inside and out.” he laughed a bit, but then his expression turned serious. “Look, Rainbow Dash, I know you said that I should stop, but I’m really sorry about today. It’s your first day here and I don’t think that I made this place seem like the most welcoming camp. I don’t know why or how I was so clumsy today and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or Fluttershy on purpose.” I looked at him again, almost speechless. But, I’m Rainbow Dash, I don’t get choked up over something so...sappy. It was almost like this whole thing was ripped out of the middle of a cheesy romance novel. Besides, Soarin isn’t my type. I unfortunately dated Fluttershy’s brother, Zephyr Breeze once. He was almost a year younger than I was, and he and Soarin were a bit too close for my liking. Despite all of this, I laughed and smiled back. “It’s okay, Soarin. You made a few mistakes, so what? As long as you aren’t planning on killing me anytime soon, we’re good.” Soarin laughed as well, “Cool.” He stood up and extended a hand out to me. I took his hand and stood up as well. Suddenly, pain shot up my left foot and I hissed. I had forgotten about my foot. Soarin caught me as I stumbled a bit, and I held onto his arms to steady myself. His face looked as red as a tomato, but it must have been due to the cool air. “Y-You okay?” he stuttered. “I think I’m good,” I said as I regained my balance. I probably looked really weak right now in front of him. Not that it mattered, of course. “Look, um. We didn’t really meet in the best way earlier. Do you want to start over?” He asked and scratched the back of his neck. I noticed that he still held me with one arm. “Sure,” I smirked and held out my hand, “My name is Rainbow Dash, but you can just call me Dash.” He took my hand and his face remained red. “I’m Soarin, welcome to camp, Dash.” he smiled. Then he winked at me. I think my heart stopped beating. Author's Note Hi everyone! Here is the second chapter of this story! I plan on alternating between everyone's point of view, so the next chapter will probably be seen through Soarin's eyes. Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you next time! The Storm Begins“S-Soarin?” “Hey, Dash…” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In front of me was Soarin, crouching behind one of the bushes not too far from where Fluttershy and I had talked. His green eyes were filled with fear and guilt, and his mouth hung open. Did he hear us? Did he spy on me? I remember seeing him when that Thunderlane guy showed up. Was he the one who sent him over? My heart sunk a little. I didn’t know why I was so hurt behind this. I never can get too close with anyone anymore, they always let me down. I couldn’t believe that I actually started to want to be friends with this jerk. I was already pretty upset from beforehand. When Thunderlane came up and started flirting with me, I froze up. He came in way too strong for me, and it caught me off guard. Before the summer ended, I broke up with this guy I had been dating for a while, his name was Hunter Sprint. We were just friends at first, but soon, I couldn’t help but fall for him. He had peach colored skin and bright, electric blue hair. His eyes were a blazing orange, and his smile could make my heart swell. I, being the awesome person I was, eventually got him to fall for me and we began dating. At this point, I have failed numerous times in relationships, but with Hunter, there was something in me that felt as if things were going to be different. In my eyes, there was nothing wrong with him at all, and I was blind to the obvious red flags. Hunter never seemed to have time for me outside of school. Whenever I asked him out on the weekends, he said he was busy. However, in school, he never left my side. I believed him at first because I thought he was a genuine, hardworking, dedicated person. I never noticed how much he bragged about me to his friends. Well, I did, but at the time I thought he was just being kind. Months passed and I thought that things were getting even better. I was dumb and stupid. Five months into our relationship, Hunter’s birthday came around. It was on a Saturday and I asked him if he wanted me to go over to his house so that we could celebrate. He ended up giving me the normal “busy” excuse, but I had other things planned. I had bought a small cake and wanted to surprise him. I knew that on the weekends, he would tell me that he would help clean up the local park, so I made my way over there. When I got to the park, I saw Hunter surrounded by all of his friends. He didn’t seem to be cleaning anything, and I heard him laughing as he spoke to his friends. “Honestly, she is so annoying, she literally just asked to hang out like twenty minutes ago.” “Can’t she see I’m using her?” “Dash is not only one of the hottest girls in school, she knows how to play every sport. She makes me look good in front of everyone.” “Not only that, I might have a better chance getting sports scholarships in college with her around.” “I think she actually loves me...she’s so stupid.” “I can’t wait to see her face when she realizes that I don’t give a-” I ended up throwing my cake into his face after hearing what he said. I felt humiliated, dumb, and hurt. I should have known, to be honest, I can’t trust anyone anymore. Was I the problem? After all of that, I felt low and insecure, but I never cried or showed that I was upset. I wasn’t going to let him see me upset, it was obvious what he wanted. It’s been a month since I broke up with Hunter, and I’ll admit, it’s terrible. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this bad after any break-up. Obviously, I can’t show it. I don’t need to ruin my image over something small like this, no matter how much I want to just let everything out. Even when I’m alone, and I know that no one could see me, I try and keep it together. However, even though I still feel messed up inside, I’ll admit I am way better than before, during the first week of the breakup. Just a few days after the breakup, I felt really bad about myself. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for anyone. I stayed away from my friends and family, and whenever they did try and talk to me, I snapped at them like they did something wrong. It took about a week of me feeling terrible about myself to realize that I was still the same awesome, amazing, talented, person that I always had been. I realized that it wasn’t anyone else’s fault for the break up except for mine. I should have seen all of the red flags beforehand. I’m still beating myself up about it, but this camp seemed to take my mind off of it. That was until Thunderlane came along and messed with my head. Now, I’m finding out that Soarin isn’t who I thought he was either! “How long have you been here?” I narrowed my eyes, looking at Soarin in disbelief. “Uh…” was all he said. His cheeks were red with embarrassment, and he avoided looking at me. I let out a bitter laugh. I only knew this guy for a day. Why did I feel so hurt by this? “You know what? Nevermind…” I glared at him and turned around to walk away, still angry. All I wanted to do was go back into the cabin and sleep everything off. I know that’s not the way to deal with things, but to be honest, that’s all I really want right now. It’ll help me escape everything. I tried walking away towards the cabins, but I didn’t get very far. “Wait, Rainbow.” I heard Soarin call me, and soon his hand was wrapped around my wrist. Rolling my eyes, I turned around. “What.?” I hissed harshly. I honestly, really didn’t want to talk to him, or even see him for that matter. I saw him recoil a bit and he looked hurt. I didn’t care. “Rainbow, are you okay?” Soarin asked me, still holding onto me. “If I say yes then will you leave?” “Rainbow…” “Soarin, why are you here?!” I snapped finally. I didn’t mean to, but he wouldn’t leave! I’ve always had a short temper and it didn’t take a lot to set me off. Now, I was angry, hurt, and annoyed. “Seriously, what did you gain from all this? Are you really trying to spy on me so you can help your friend!? I’m not like any other girl you can just push around. I’m not stupid, I know what’s going on.” I yelled. Soarin opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he couldn’t. I didn’t want to yell at him like this, He did do something wrong, and I know now that I shouldn’t trust him, but even I think I was being too loud. “Do I really look like I’m dumb?” I slowed down, suddenly realizing that I was just taking everything out on him. Everything that I had felt from the whole Hunter incident was just coming out of me. He stayed silent, and I saw that he didn’t answer my question. I felt as if something had pierced through my stomach, and I didn’t know why. “Wow…” I laughed bitterly, “Don’t come near me ever again...You clearly aren’t worth my time.” I snatched my hand away from him and walked away as fast as I could. My voice had cracked when I spoke those last few words and I felt my eyes sting a little. I wanted to leave as fast as I could just in case I did end up crying, but I was trying my best not to. Eventually, I found Fluttershy, sitting down in front of our cabin door. She looked worried as she played with the ends of her hair. I guess that she had heard me coming because she looked up at me and immediately stood up. “I thought you would have stayed back there for a little while longer,” she said softly. “Yeah, me too,” I muttered weakly and walked past her, heading into the cabin. “Dashie?” I heard her call out to me, but I was already on top of the bunk bed. I shut my eyes as my hands laid on top of my stomach. I heard Fluttershy open the door and walk over to me, but I didn’t open my eyes. “Rainbow Dash, what happened?” Fluttershy asked sternly, I opened my eyes to find her teal orbs looking at me with worry. I clenched my jaw, scared that if I spoke I would start crying. I still didn’t know why Soarin upset me so much, but he did. “I don’t want to talk about it…” I muttered, not looking down at Fluttershy. “Rainbow, please,” Fluttershy whined. Keeping my eyes closed, I finally seemed to be able to speak. “Soarin,” I said simply. “What about him?” “He followed us and listened to every word.” “At the tree?” “Yep..” I sneered, not wanting to speak anymore. All I knew was that Soarin and this Thunderlane guy were friends, I saw them talking with each other on the first day of camp. He probably only talked to me last night to give Thunderlane some information like a creep. That meant I was just being used again. “Why would he spy on us like that?” Fluttershy asked weakly. I could tell she didn’t want to set me off. “I guess to help Thunderlane make more moves on me..” I strained, looking down. I began to feel guilty for yelling at Soarin just a few minutes before. He SPIED ON YOU! You have a right to be mad. He deserved everything he got. Did he? Stop confusing yourself. What he did was wrong. I know but- “Dashie?” I looked over and saw Fluttershy looking at me, her eyes filled with worry. “Yea?” I replied as cool as I could. “What happened? What did you do?” she asked me, curious. “I screamed at him, what else should I have done? I basically told him to stay away from me.” “You don’t seem too happy about it..” “Because”, I sighed, “I thought that we would become friends, I guess. I thought I would be able to trust him but I clearly can’t.” Fluttershy grew silent and stared at me for just a few more seconds before she sighed. “I’ll give you time to cool off,” she said, grabbing onto my hand, “But I’m here if you want to talk to me about anything, okay?” I smiled a bit and squeezed Fluttershy’s hand. “Of course. Let’s just forget this happened,” I said with a pained smile, “This is going to be the best summer ever.” I hope…. Author's Note Tea~ Okay, I’m Back!!! I took a break from writing on this story because I lost motivation and I had NO CLUE where to take this story. I was debating whether or not I should put it on hiatus but I figured it was too early on this story to give up! I will try and update regularly but if I slow down a bit its because I want to make this story as best as possible! I’m sorry for being gone so long! As always, thanks for reading and don’t forget to leave your thoughts! Let The Rain Fall~Soarin’s POV~ Millions of thoughts ran through my mind as I watched Rainbow walk away from me. She thought I was trying to help Thunderlane? Did she think I only attempted to be friends with her to help her hook up with my best friend? I could understand why she assumed this, but I should have explained why I was there. I should have told her the truth instead of staying silent. I wasn’t spying on her, I was worried. When Thunder was talking with her I saw a look in her eyes that was different. Instead of determination and pride, I saw fear and sadness. When she was explaining things to Fluttershy, I knew that this must have been something to do with a past relationship. Who hurt her? Who would even want to hurt her? Whoever it was, they really had an effect on her. Yet it looks like she was holding it all in... I wasn’t upset at the fact that she was mad at me, I completely deserved it after spying on her like that, but I was upset at the fact that she didn’t want me near her any longer. I only knew Dash for a day or two, yet she seemed like the person who would keep their word. If she didn’t want to see me, she would probably avoid me at all costs. How could I fix this? How could I even explain what I did? How do I help her? Does she even want my help? I decided to head back towards camp. Rainbow had probably gone back to the cabins, so I should probably avoid that area for now. I returned to see a crowd of kids playing volleyball over the net in the middle of the camp. Thunderlane was speaking to Fleetfoot with a large, confident smirk on his face, When I approached them, I heard exactly who they were talking about. “You should have seen her,” Thunderlane was explaining, “I’ll have her falling for me in no time,” “I’m not so sure about that Thunder,” Fleetfoot replied, a small smirk appearing on her face as well, “Dash doesn’t seem like any other girl. She’s different.” You could say that again… “Really? How so?” Thunder raised an eyebrow, the smirk never leaving his face. “She seems feisty, fierce. She probably plays hard to get..” “That makes me want her even more.” The entire conversation angered me from the start, but that final sentence from Thunder made me snap, and I cut in. “Are you even listening to yourself? She’s not some trophy you can win…” I sneered. Thunder and Fleetfoot suddenly turned towards me with wide eyes. They didn’t even notice that I was behind them. “Woah...why are you getting so defensive?” Thunder asked me, laughing a bit. “Because you’re being a jerk. You don’t even know her.” I retorted. “And you do? It’s been two days, what more could you possibly know about her?” Thunder asked, getting angry himself. “More than you, I could tell you that.” “Fleetfoot just told me how you almost killed the girl yesterday. I don’t think you learned too much from her.” “ ‘The Girl’? Really? Do you even remember her name? Both Fleet and I said her name like five times…” “Um…” Thunder’s face went blank, and he avoided eye contact with me. “Exactly. I advise you back away from her if you see Rainbow Dash as just some girl you can take to make you look cool.” I frowned. “Oh, no...I see what the problem is now…” Thunder’s face suddenly lit up as if he had gotten a new idea. “What?” “You like her don’t you?” Fleetfoot watched as my face turned red, yet my frown never left my face. Thunder suddenly burst into a peal of loud laughter. I backed down a bit, yet I never stopped glaring at him. “What’s so funny?” I asked. “If you think you have a chance with her, you’re crazy.” Thunder said through his laughter. “I never said anything about ‘having a chance with her’.” “Good. She would never like someone as clumsy and weird as you are.” Thunder sneered, looking me up and down. “Guys stop! You guys are supposed to be friends!” Fleetfoot finally stepped in, afraid that things would escalate further. When she saw that neither of our glares disappeared, she spoke again. “Are you guys seriously going to end your friendship over a girl?” she asked us, looking us both in the eyes. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and managed to calm down. Fleet was right. This wasn’t a good reason to end our friendship, especially after knowing each other for so long. The way he spoke about Rainbow had just angered me, especially after what I had just seen. It wasn’t right and I now realize that this happens all the time, to anyone. I decided I should back off for now, and try and calm down. “No...we aren’t,” I finally answered my cousin's question and looked at Thunderlane. His orange eyes softened as I held my hand out. He gave it a hard shake. “Sorry about that, dude. I was just-” he began. “Don’t explain it. Just be careful okay?” I asked and was relieved that he nodded. We all spent the next hour talking and cracking jokes as we’d always do. I managed to finally stop thinking about Rainbow for the first time since I had seen her. Most of the people in the camp had gone into their cabins, including Thunderlane and Fleetfoot. The sky was now dark, and the moon shone brightly once again. I decided to stay out a bit late to gather all of my thoughts, and have a few moments to myself. It was completely silent, well, except for the sound of my foot kicking the soccer ball between my feet. I suddenly heard the sound of a cabin door open, which had caught me off guard. It was normal for a few kids to come out of the cabins for a snack or to find a counselor, but it was getting pretty late, everyone would usually be asleep by now. Turning around, I saw who had come out of their cabin and my heart fluttered. Rainbow Dash was slowly closing the door while placing earbuds in her ears. Her hair was still tied up in a ponytail, and she was still in the same outfit I last saw her in. Her magenta eyes weren’t filled with the energy or confidence that I always see, and her mouth formed a thin, straight line. She was obviously still in a bad mood and it pained me to know that I was the cause of it all. She began heading down the small set of stairs while looking down at her phone. I watched as she clearly wasn’t paying attention and skipped a step. Rainbow cursed as she had twisted her ankle and she fell down the stairs. I was immediately making my way to run to her, but I stopped when I heard a small sound. Rainbow had ripped the earbuds out of her ears as she remained on the ground. She bit her lip and sniffed once, and soon, I had seen a few tears falling down on her face. My heart shattered seeing her like this. Something tells me that Rainbow wouldn’t normally break down like this and even now she still seems to be holding back. Suddenly Rainbow groaned, still not realizing that I was there. “What am I doing?” she hissed, frustrated, “Stop, Rainbow. You’re better than this.” I watched as the rainbow-haired girl wiped at her face and got up from the ground, still sniffling every few moments. She looked so...out of it. This was different from the Rainbow Dash that I had seen the days prior. Whether she hated me or not, I still cared about her and I was going to fix this. “Rainbow?” I called. She noticeably stiffened and soon her head turned to face me. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. I slowly walked toward her, trying to give her as much space as possible. “I know you said you didn’t want to talk to me but I saw you fall and I wanted to make sure you were okay,” I said softly. Her magenta orbs stared into my green ones for a moment. “I’m fine,” she said simply, wiping at her face. I pretended to act as if I just noticed her tears. If she finds out that I had been around the entire time, she might assume I was spying on her again. “A-Are you okay?” I asked her, looking at her wet cheeks. “Didn’t I just tell you? I’m fine.” she glared at me. I figured I deserved everything I got, considering I did technically spy on her. However, it really wasn’t for the reason that she thinks. “I’m sorry..” I looked at her. “What?” “I said I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run after you and listened into your conversation like that. I wasn’t doing it to help Thunderlane at all. I saw that you were acting different and I wanted to just make sure you were alright. I should have just come up to you instead of spying.” I explained. I didn’t know if she would forgive me, but I just wanted her to at least know the truth. Rainbow looked at her feet as she hugged herself. “I didn’t mean to yell at you like that,” she said quietly, “I was already upset and then you came and I just-” Rainbow stopped herself and my heart broke when I saw her lip quivering. I grabbed her hand, and this time I didn’t feel my face heat up, however, her cheeks lit up a bit. Still holding onto her hand, I guided her to a spot away from camp. We stopped in front of a small pond and I realized that neither of us let go of the others’ hand. Now, I felt my face get hot and my heart sped up. We continued staring at the pond, our hands together until Rainbow must have realized and slowly pulled away. “What’s going on?” I asked her. “Nothing. It’s not a big deal.” Rainbow sniffed, not looking at me. “Rainbow Dash,” I sighed, “This isn’t you, I can tell. I’m your friend and I’m always here. You can trust me, okay?” I told her everything that could have comforted her, and I meant every word. I looked into her eyes and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Soar,” Rainbow gave a weak smile. My heart jumped at the small nickname she gave me. It wasn’t special since many people called me ‘Soar’, but having her say it felt different. “You don’t have to tell me, but just don’t try and pretend that everything is alright. You’ll just feel ten times worse,” I told her. “It’s just-” Rainbow started and hesitated a bit. I placed my hand over hers to show that I was with her and was confused when she turned away from me, “I just broke up with this guy. Apparently, he was just using me the entire time…” I frowned as she finally opened up to me. This is what happened to her? Suddenly, Rainbow let out a bitter laugh. “I know, it’s so stupid and weak of me to be upset over something like this but-” “No!” I cut her off, “No, Dash it’s perfectly normal. Don’t be ashamed.” Rainbow bit her lip before continuing. “It’s just killing me knowing that I was actually falling for him but all this time I meant nothing to him,” she said, her voice cracking. When her eyes were welling up with tears again, I didn’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her in a comforting hug. She didn’t hug back, but she hid her face into my chest, and I felt it beginning to get wet. We stayed like that for a few moments before she stepped back. Tear stains were evident on her cheeks, and she turned away from me. “I’m sorry,” she croaked, sniffling. “Don’t apologize,” I responded. We fell into another awkward silence. Rainbow wiped at her face, trying to calm herself down. She looked extremely embarrassed, which I could expect from her. Every day I learn something new. Rainbow isn’t one to easily express her emotions, and when she does, she hates expressing them in front of others. She turned away from me for a long time and I didn’t know what to do. “You gonna be okay?” I asked her. “Of course,” Dash scoffed, “I’m Rainbow Dash. I’ll bounce back.” I smiled as she turned to face me, her tears were almost completely gone. “I’m glad,” I replied, and stood up, “Maybe we should go back and get some sleep.” Rainbow stood up herself and nodded. We began walking back to the cabins in silence, and just as we were about to head inside, Rainbow tapped me, stopping me from going in. “Hey, Soar,” Rainbow said quietly, looking at me. “Yeah?” “Thanks, I really needed to let that out..” she said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head, “And, I guess its obvious that I’m not mad anymore.” “Good,” I laughed, “And anytime, Dash. As I said, I’m your friend remember? I’m always here,” Rainbow looked up at me, her eyes practically shining. “Yeah...I’ll keep that in mind,” she winked at me and went inside. My heart nearly stopped. I think I’m falling in love... Author's Note I had fun making this chapter! Hopefully, things start heating up soon! Don’t forget to let me know what you thought! I’ll see you all later! Thunder Strikes*Written in Soarin's POV* “You got lucky this time...it doesn’t look like anything serious.” the woman said, examining Rainbow Dash one last time. We sat in the nurse, Ms. GumDrop’s office. I had taken Rainbow there immediately after our conversation to make sure that everything was alright. Rainbow sat on one of the cots that our nurse had, an ice pack on both her head and foot. “How did this happen anyway?” Ms. GumDrop raised an eyebrow as she questioned Rainbow. Her magenta eyes locked with my eyes as she spoke immediately. “I fell on the docks earlier. I must have tripped or slipped on something and wasn’t fast enough to catch myself. Soarin was worried about me so he helped me here.” she slightly smiled and I could barely look at her. My heart rate immediately increased just by seeing her beautiful grin. Her voice was soothing, I could listen to her all day. I can’t deny the fact that I like her. “Well, you should be a bit more careful next time. If this was anything serious, we would have had to send you home.” Ms. Gum Drop explained, writing down something on a slip of paper before giving it to Rainbow. “The pain in your foot should calm down by tomorrow morning. Your headache might last a little longer, but don’t do anything to aggravate it more okay?” Rainbow smiled again before replying. “I won’t. Thanks.” She stood up and I immediately placed my hand around her wrist without even thinking. I wanted to be sure that she wouldn’t fall again, but I didn’t think I’d have such a reflex. I felt my face heat up as she looked at me with her beautiful eyes. She furrowed her brows and hesitated a bit, but she didn’t pull her hand away. “I’m okay, Soar. I think I can walk on my own now.” Rainbow smirked. “R-right.” I stuttered and watched as she headed out. I started following her before Ms. GumDrop called my name. “Yes?” I asked innocently. “I can see the way you look at her, Soarin. You are pretty much giving yourself away.” She chuckled. I stood there in shock as I stared at the blue haired woman. She wore a smug smile on her face as she began to put everything away. “How could you tell?” I asked, baffled. All she did was laugh a bit before continuing. “Honey, I've seen you here thousands of times, with many people. I’ve watched you grow. You have never looked at anyone with so much love and admiration before.” she smiled genuinely. “But I must say, Soarin. This is your first day meeting her right?” she asked me and waited until I nodded to continue, “well, sweetie, get to know her first. She might not turn out to be the way you thought. I don't want to see my favorite little patient getting hurt.” I knew that Ms.GumDrop didn't mean any harm, she was just looking out for me. Honestly, from what I have seen, Rainbow Dash doesn't look like a bad person. I remember she had said that she had gotten kicked out from Junior Speedsters’, but as she said, she was only a kid. I could see in her eyes that she may seem intimidating, and I'm not gonna lie, I’m pretty scared of her, but deep down she is a completely different person. “Of course Ms.GumDrop, I’ll be careful,” I said and left the small building. I saw Rainbow’s colorful hair through the dark, she was sitting on the steps that led to the office. She looked as if she were hugging herself and she stared at the ground blankly. She must have been daydreaming. I walked over quietly and sat next to her. She didn't even notice that I was there until I spoke up. “Sorry about that.” She turned to look at me, and this time I actually had the courage to look her in the eyes. “It’s fine,” she stated and stood up. “Ready to go?” she asked and pointed in the direction of the cabins, which were pretty far. I nodded and stood up for myself. We both began to walk slowly in silence. I stole a few glances at her every now and then but tried not to stare for too long. I’m not sure if she noticed me looking at her, I hope she didn’t, but I couldn’t help it. I obviously didn’t want to just like her because of her looks, and the cabin was still pretty far. I could try to learn more about her now. “So, are you from Cloudsdale?” I asked smoothly. She looked at me and smirked a little. I still haven’t gotten used to that. “Technically, yeah. I was born and raised here until I got to middle school. I moved to Canterlot and stayed there ever since.” she explained, putting her hands in her pockets. “Well, what about your friend, Fluttershy? You two seem really close” Rainbow seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering. “She was born and raised here too. When she got to middle school, her parents told her that they were going to move to Canterlot for a fresh start. She was terrified. I was her only friend at the time and if you can’t already tell, it takes a lot for her to open up to anyone. I knew that she wouldn’t really make it without me, and I don’t blame her ‘cause I’m just that awesome,” she said smirking a bit and flipped her hair. I laughed and took note of her confidence. “But, I asked and begged my parents to let us move to Canterlot too. My mom was looking for a new job at the time anyway and my dad was always complaining about our neighbors. They agreed and when I told Fluttershy that I’d be coming with her, she burst into tears. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy.” she finished with a large grin on her face, but it wasn’t a cocky grin, it was more of a kind one. I thought that I had fallen for her looks, but I honestly don’t think that was the case. She was not only beautiful but confident and loyal. She was willing to leave everything that she had ever known behind in an instant, just so that her one friend wouldn’t be alone. “That was...really sweet of you,” I said looking at her. I found that I wanted to hug her, but I didn’t as it would be weird. I wanted to take her hands and tell her how amazing she was, but then again, I didn’t want to scare her away. Maybe I was moving too fast. I stopped thinking for a moment and felt her playfully punch my shoulder. I know it wasn't meant to hurt, but I had to try to not hold my arm in pain. “Hey. I'm not sweet. I'm cool.” Rainbow said smoothly. “Got it.” I laughed, “So, how long have you been playing soccer?” “Well, my dad always told me that when I was a toddler, I'd always watch the games with him. Then when I was around four or five, I was put one of those kid teams. I haven't stopped playing since.” she smiled again. “Do you have a favorite team?” I asked. “My favorite team? The Wonderbolts! Who else? I wouldn't plan of making it on a team I didn't like.” Rainbow stated proudly, referring to what she had told me when we first met. I suddenly thought about telling her that I was related to the captain of the team, but I didn't want this to end like the previous times. I'd always try and get girls to like me, but in the end, I’d find out that they had only hung out with me to brag that they dated someone who was technically “famous”. I could feel that Rainbow Dash was different. Compared to the other girls, I really felt something different from her. I liked her a lot, and if I was going to get to know her, I want her to like her for me, not because of my cousin. “I like them too.” I said smiling, ”I plan on making it on the team one day like you.” “Cool. We can play together. I wouldn't mind having you as a teammate.” She smiled again and I honestly didn't think I could take any more. “What about you? You haven't told me anything about you yet.” She looked at me with her sparkling magenta eyes. “O-oh. Well, I really like pie?” I said, not knowing what to say in front of her. I mentally slapped myself as she looked at me with a confused look on her face. “Ew,” she said and stuck her tongue out, “You’re a pie lover?” I looked at her and my eyes widened. “Yes!” I said shocked, “Is there a problem??” “I just don't like pie...I hate them.” “How can you not like pie?!” I stopped walking and shouted. She laughed again and I seemed to calm instantly. Her laugh was loud, but to me, it sounded amazing. Everything about her was amazing. “I didn't know you were so obsessed with it,” she smirked at me after she calmed down. “Well, of course, I am,” I replied simply. “I'll keep that in mind then.” As we continued walking, I saw that she became quiet and I caught her yawning. “Tired?” I smiled slightly. “What gave it away?” she said sarcastically and smiled back. We had finally made it to the cabins and I opened the door. Both Fluttershy and Fleetfoot were asleep, and I was sure to be careful and quiet. I watched as Rainbow didn’t hesitate to climb onto her bunk without even changing. “Rainbow?” I called and walked over to find her asleep completely. I couldn’t help but smile. I remembered what had happened just an hour ago. Fluttershy was freaking out when she had come back from the nurse. She had told us that Rainbow never even made it there, and it had been three hours since we had last seen her. Fluttershy had thought she must have fainted or gotten hurt, but she didn’t know where she wandered. I volunteered to go search for her as Fleetfoot calmed Fluttershy. After searching around, I decided to go to one of my favorite spots in camp. There was this beautiful big tree by the river, and that was the last place I would look before panicking myself. Then, I saw her there. The moonlight shone perfectly on her light blue skin. Her breathing was calm and slow. Her multi-colored bangs hung over her closed eyes, and the rest of her hair draped over her shoulders. I didn’t think she could get any prettier, but I was very wrong. I almost felt bad waking her up. I didn’t want to be a creep and watch her as she was resting, so I walked away and got ready for bed myself. The sun was shining once again over Cloudsdale Kick. It was extremely hot outside, so many kids were taking a dip into the lake. I jumped when I felt a pair of hands grip onto my shoulders. “Dude, calm down.” Thunderlane laughed from behind me. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I complained, laughing a little myself. “So, how is camp going? I heard that you got stuck with a bunch of girls,” he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. “First of all, ew. Second, camp is going pretty great so far.” I smiled and thought about Rainbow, “What about you?” “I mean things could be going better, I just wish I could-” Thunderlane stopped speaking and looked at something behind me. He froze and suddenly a smirk appeared on his face. His orange eyes became full of wonder and happiness. I turned to see what he was looking at and my heart immediately dropped. “Who is that?” he asked as if he were out of breath. He pointed to a rainbow-haired girl who was smiling and talking with her friend. I knew the minute I saw her eyes, it was Rainbow. “Um...I share a cabin with her.” I answered honestly and tried to keep smiling. “You know her name?” Thunderlane asked, not taking her eyes off of her. I frowned again and sighed as I looked at Rainbow myself. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and despite the heat, she wore long jeans. “Rainbow Dash,” I said, “her name is Rainbow Dash.” Thunderlane bit his lip as he seemed to be thinking. “Come with me. I'm gonna need your support.” He said quickly and began to walk towards her. “Hey gorgeous,” he smiled as he stopped in front of both Fluttershy and Rainbow. I saw Rainbow’s eyes flash with anger as she looked between both Fluttershy and Thunderlane. She must have thought he was flirting with Fluttershy. However, as she found that he was staring at her, the anger quickly dissolved into confusion. “Wait, is there someone else behind me?” she asked and looked over her shoulder. Thunderlane laughed a bit before speaking again. “I meant you. What? No one's ever called you pretty before?” Thunderlane asked her, still smiling. I have, I thought. I just never got the chance to tell you in person. “Well, not really,” Rainbow replied simply and looked at Thunder. Fluttershy seemed to have a slight smile on her face but remained silent. “Seriously? With those eyes of yours?” he seemed to be saying almost everything I've ever wanted to say to her. Rainbow’s face reddened and she looked at the ground. She looked at Fluttershy for a moment before turning back to Thunder. “N-nope,” she stuttered, “C’mon Flutters, we need to go and do that thing you wanted.” I watched as she gripped onto Fluttershy’s hand and led her away from us. She looked at me and paused for a moment, but she continued on. “Hey, I got her to blush,” Thunderlane smirked. “Yeah, I saw,” I muttered, not really paying attention to anything he had said. Rainbow’s reaction wasn't what I expected from her, especially after seeing her personality the night before. Maybe she was upset about something. “I'm gonna go and see what Fleet’s doing. I'll catch up with you later.” I patted Thunderlane’s back and made my way to where Rainbow was headed. I followed the girls to the tree that I found Rainbow sleeping next to, and they seemed to be talking. I quickly hid behind a nearby bush to listen in. “What was that?!” Rainbow stressed. “I think he likes you.” I heard Fluttershy whisper. “Really?! I couldn't tell!” Rainbow shouted sarcastically. She sighed and seemed to pull at her hair. “What is wrong with me..” “Rainbow, it's nothing bad. You just got a little flustered. I mean, he didn't seem the type to take things slow.” Fluttershy cooed. “Yeah, but do I look like the type to get all mushy because a guy called me pretty?” “Well, to be fair, I don't think you've ever gotten that from anyone before. Not from my brother, or from-” “Ok, I get it! Just don't bring the other one up please.” She cut Fluttershy off. I assumed that the people Fluttershy was talking about were people that Rainbow had dated before, especially with how she had gotten when Fluttershy brought the topic up. “Soarin probably thinks I'm just like all these other girls, sappy and gets all worked up if a guy speaks to her.” I heard Rainbow sigh dejectedly. I wanted to jump from the bushes and tell her that she was wrong and that I thought that she was unique. She was different, and that's what I liked about her. “I get what you're saying, but why does Soarin’s opinion about you matter so much?” Fluttershy questioned. “I-it doesn't! I'm just- ugh!” Rainbow screamed out in frustration. “I can't believe I'm stressing out over a compliment. I should have kept it together instead of getting all worked up.” Rainbow Dash said. “Well, you couldn't control that.” “Yeah but now he thinks I like him back or something.” “Well, now you know what to expect from someone like him. Next time when he tries to make a move, you'll keep cool like normal. You'll be the Rainbow Dash we both know and love. And you'll shut him down easy.” Fluttershy explained, sinking down to Rainbow's level and gave her a hug. Rainbow closed her eyes and seemed to hug her back. Her behavior towards Fluttershy was completely different from her attitude that she gives me and anyone else at camp. “Thanks, Shy,” Rainbow said softly and stood up, “I just want this summer to be completely drama-free. I'm not ready for someone new yet.” “Why do you say that?” Fluttershy asked curiously. “I mean, I guess...I know we broke it off a month ago, but..I’m still pretty upset behind what he did. I know it wasn't even that long but we were together for five months and I thought that this one would work out. I hate his guts obviously but it still-” Rainbow stopped as her voice cracked. I was afraid she was going to cry, and that I would have run to comfort her. Who was she talking about? Why did they hurt her? “Rainbow, you're still hurting!” Fluttershy wrapped Rainbow Dash into another hug. This time, Rainbow didn't respond at all, she closed her eyes and allowed Fluttershy to comfort her. “You know it's okay to cry right?” Fluttershy suggested. “I may be angry and upset, but I am not going to cry. It's what he wants, and I’m not going to give him the satisfaction to see me broken. You got that? Besides, I don't cry, you know that.” Rainbow said dismissively. “You can go on ahead if you want...I'm gonna stay here for a little bit okay?” Rainbow added. Fluttershy was hesitant, but she allowed Rainbow to cool off. Seeing this made me realize a few things. First, I'd have to keep Thunderlane away from Rainbow, or at least stop him from making her uncomfortable. I also saw that if I ever wanted a chance with Rainbow, I'd better take things really slow. And finally, I now know that someone must have done something to Rainbow in a past relationship. I need to show her that I am nothing like them. I’m determined. With all of my thinking, I didn't see that Rainbow had gotten up from the tree and started heading in my direction. I looked up in horror as I felt her get close to me. I looked up to see her widened eyes, they looked tired and upset. “S-Soarin?!” “Hey Dash,” I croaked. Author's Note Oooh, drama. How did you guys like this chapter? Don’t forget to let me know!! Thanks for reading!
Just Getting Started...Author's Note Welcome to a new story! I’m not kidding when I say I wrote this chapter three different times, and decided to rewrite it. It’s going to be SoarinDash this time! Yay! -This does NOT have ANYTHING to do with any of my past stories. So no crazy connections or theories just yet -This story will also switch the different points of view throughout chapters (mostly between Soar and Dash, but I will make sure to let you guys know when it will. -Since I barely ship these two, it’s going to be a little hard for me to write. So please tell me what I’m doing right and wrong here. (I’m talking to you SoarinDash experts!) -Okay, I’ll try my best to update this as fast as I can. On top of school, this is my third story I’m working on so bear with me. (I’m done talking now, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!) Just Getting Started... Cloudsdale Kick. I've been coming to this place since I was seven years old. It’s a popular summer camp in Cloudsdale, and even after almost ten years, I still can feel my excitement bubbling up inside me the minute I enter the camp. You see, this camp was mainly for kids who wanted to play soccer. However, there are still other alternatives if you aren't interested in the sport. I am very invested in soccer. My cousin is Spitfire! She is the captain of one of the best teams of all time, the Wonderbolts. Being the younger cousin of such a legend, I, Soarin Skies, consider myself fairly popular. However, most people don't know until I tell them who I am. I have a dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. Spits says that if I practice enough, I will definitely earn a spot on the team. I've been practicing since the second grade. That's how I was introduced to Cloudsdale Kick. Spitfire had told me that she had went here when she was younger, and when seven year old me heard, I begged my parents to let me go. I went with another cousin of mine, Fleetfoot. She was only a year younger than I was at the time and also wanted to be like Spitfire. When my dad dropped me off on that first day of summer, I looked around at all of the other kids running around with huge smiles on their faces. There were also some teenagers laughing with their friends at the various picnic tables placed around the area. I could see a lake area, and kids were swimming and passing a ball around. Then, there was a large soccer field in the distance. My eyes lit up as if I had found a pot of gold. Fleetfoot and I immediately ran to the field and started kicking a ball around, and we both soon realized that this is what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. I've come here every year since, and I'm now sixteen. Fleetfoot had also come with me every single time, and we both have created many memories together. I believe that I've improved massively in terms of playing soccer, and it's only a matter of time before I finally join the team. “Soar? Soarin!” I heard Fleetfoot’s voice and it snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked into her bright pink eyes that were glaring at me. “Soarin, you need to stop spacing out like this. Kids are gonna get creeped out because they think that you're smiling at them!” she spread her arms out dramatically as she scolded me. After running her hand through her short, snow white hair, she put some dark shades on and looked at me. “You look a mess too!” She nagged. Fleetfoot proceeded to ruffle my own short navy blue hair, and nearly poked my green eyes while doing that. She tugged at my dark blue t-shirt before I stopped her. “I think I look just fine, thank you very much.” I grumbled. “I know, I just wanted to mess with you.” she laughed, before tugging at her shorts. I looked around the camp again, and saw a spare soccer ball resting near a flagpole. I smiled before picking it up and turning to my cousin. “Hey Fleet, wanna toss this around like old times?” I asked, throwing the ball in the air. “Sure, but aren't we supposed to go out in the field to do this?” she asked, pointing in the direction of the field. “Come on,” I sighed, “It's not like we're going to hurt anyone!” Fleetfoot smirked and rolled her eyes before giving in and signaling for me to kick the ball over to her. We tossed it around calmly for a few minutes, however, Fleetfoot kicked the ball a little too hard for my liking, and it went past me. I took it as a competition, and kicked the ball harder towards her. Soon, it turned into an actual game, and we fought to try to get the ball past one another, as if there was an imaginary goal behind each of us. This continued until I kicked the ball so hard, it flew past Fleetfoot into the air, and we watched as it almost left our sight. I shut my eyes and began laughing, thinking I had won. My laughter was cut short as both Fleetfoot and I heard a sound. “Ow!” a feminine voice rang from the other side of the camp. Both Fleetfoot and I looked at each other, horror written on our face. The ball I kicked must have hit someone, and I kicked that ball hard. In an instant, my cousin and I bolted in the direction of the scream, hoping that whoever I hit wasn't injured. We stopped as we saw a girl with soft pink hair helping another girl beside her off of the ground. I looked and found my soccer ball not too far away from them. The pink haired girl had light yellow skin, and teal eyes full of worry. Next to her, was a girl with light blue skin, like mine. I took a step back as I saw her hair. It was a beautiful long rainbow, and it fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. I couldn't say anything, it was breathtaking. Her face, well her eyes were shut tight in pain, and she held her head. That brought me out of my spell, and I ran over to the injured girl. “Uh...hi.” I said sheepishly. I originally planned to apologize the minute I got close enough, but the words seemed to die the minute I looked at her. The pink haired girl looked at me, confused. The rainbow haired girl finally opened her eyes, and I almost froze in my place. She looked at me with large magenta eyes. It could have just been me, but it looked like they sparkled as they stared at me. I got a better look at her face. Her nose was small and cute. Her eyes were big and she had long lashes. Her mouth was small as well. That combined with her gorgeous prismatic hair made her one of the most prettiest girls I have ever seen. All that was left now was to talk to her, but I couldn't. “That's gonna leave a bruise…” she muttered. Her voice was raspy and it cracked in some places. It was different, and it made me fall for her even more. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow, and my knees felt weak. “Is...that yours?” she asked me, pointing at the ball that I had unintentionally hit her with. I stared at her before finally finding my voice. “Uh...yeah actually. I'm real sorry about that.” I said awkwardly. Fleetfoot seemed to finally catch up to me and must have seen my struggle. “I'm so sorry about that. My idiot cousin doesn't understand the meaning of not hurting anyone.” She glared at me. “It’s okay. I guess.” The rainbow haired angel smiled a bit. She looked at the pink haired girl and watched as she clutched onto her arm before looking back at us. “Is this your first time here? I've never seen you in all of my years of going to this camp.” Fleetfoot asked the girls. The pink haired girl hid behind her hair as Fleet made eye contact with her. “Yeah, actually. But it's not our first time at a summer camp.” the rainbow haired girl answered for her. “Really? Where did you go?” The girl scratched the back of her head with her free arm. “We actually went to Junior Speedster’s like a few blocks away.” she said. Fleetfoot backed away in disgust. “You guys are Junior Speedster's?! They are our enemies!” she shouted. “Yeah...I know. But as you can obviously see, I don't go there anymore.” she smirked a bit. “Why not?” “I maybe kind of...got expelled?” she said and the tone of her voice got higher. Fleetfoot snorted. “How do you get expelled from a summer camp?” “It’s possible.” the girl replied, glaring a little, “And to be fair, I was like, ten.” “Well what about her? She does not seem like the type to get expelled..” Fleetfoot pointed at the timid girl who still has yet to speak. “That's because she isn't. She's just crazy nice enough to stick with me, even if I seem like the worst person in the entire world.” she looked at her friend, and I saw a new look in her eyes. It looked as if she admired this silent girl, and proud of her. “Well, I guess, welcome to Cloudsdale Kick! I'm Fleetfoot, I've been coming here since I was in kindergarten. I came here for its main purpose, soccer. What about you?” she asked the rainbow haired angel. “Me too. I’m totally going to get a spot on the Wonderbolts team, and I'm going to need all the practice I can get. Even if I am perfect already.” She said proudly, and I could agree. Both of our eyes widened when we heard that she had the same dream as us, but neither of us said anything. It was almost perfect. She was beautiful and she had the same interests as I had. “What about your friend? No offense, but she doesn't seem like the soccer kind of gal.” Fleetfoot asked. “She isn't.” “Well, we have things like arts and crafts. Maybe she'd like that?” I watched as the pink haired girl’s eyes almost brightened as she heard Fleetfoot, but she still kept silent. “Well, I’m Rainbow Dash, and this is my best friend Fluttershy.” She introduced. Rainbow Dash. I had a feeling that her name would not be leaving my mind anytime soon. “And yours is?” she spoke again, this time looking at me. I froze up again, but managed to speak. “S-Soarin.” I stuttered, and mentally kicked myself for being so awkward. “Well Soarin,” she smirked, “I assume you are also here for soccer? That was a pretty hard kick there..” “Oh uh...yeah. Sorry again.” I looked down. What was wrong with me? She laughed for the first time. It was like music to my ears. “That's the second time you apologized, its okay!” she smiled. I didn't know how much more I could take before I melted completely. “So, uh. Where do we sleep?” Rainbow asked. “Oh! We have cabins! Four people per cabin.” Fleetfoot explained. “Cool, do we get to pick?” she asked. “Uh, not really. They post it on the giant board in the center at around five o’clock. So you can find and get everything ready by the time it's really late.” Fluttershy seemed to grab Rainbow's arm tighter. It was most likely at the fact that there's a chance that she won't get to share a room with her friend. “Well, I guess we're going to go explore a little more, thanks for almost giving me a concussion!” Rainbow evil laughed, before walking away, with Fluttershy clinging to her. “I'm sorry!” I shouted a bit, before Fleetfoot elbowed me in the stomach. “You totally like that rainbow chick.” She snorted. “H-How’d you know?!” my voice cracked with embarrassment. “You looked like a tomato every time the girl moved! You're still red!” She said before doubling over in laughter. I didn't even realize how hot my face had gotten, and I felt it get even warmer. “W-whatever. It's not like I'm going to talk to her anymore either way. After she realizes how big of a bruise I gave her, she won't want to talk to me, or come near me!” I said. “Sure, dork. Sure. You're going to go almost three months without talking to her again?” “Yep.” Fleetfoot laughed before walking away from me. I knew I was screwed. I could have hit anyone else, but it just had to be her. “Soarin, can you please hurry? I want to see who I'm bunking with this summer!” Fleet yelled at me. I ran to catch up. We stood in front of a big wooden board that had many names on it. Other campers were gathered around and started to form their groups. It was time to find out who was going to live together for the summer, and I wasn't too scared. “Soar?” A deep voice called my name and I immediately recognized it. I turned and was met with a teen with messy blue hair and orange eyes. His skin was ash grey. “Thunderlane! Hey!” I shook his hand. He was my best friend at this camp. We've shared bunks a few years here and there, but not all the time. He had come when I was ten years old, and every year, I'd be excited to see him again. “Are we sharing this year?” I asked him. “No, I got this girl named Ditzy though. I hope she's cute.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I chuckled. “Alright enough,” I said, “Too bad we aren't sharing. I'm really looking forward to this year.” “You always are, doofus.” Thunder slapped me on the back, and I pretended as if it didn't hurt. “Well, do you know who you're bunking with?” He asked me, smiling. “No, I’m making Fleet tell me.” I smirked. I looked around to see if I could find her, but my eyes found Rainbow Dash again. She looked as if she was telling Fluttershy something, before Fluttershy hugged her so tight, she almost fell. It looked like they were lucky enough to share a cabin together. “Hey cuz!” Fleetfoot finally appeared, “or should I say roomie?” “We're bunking together?” I asked, surprised. “Yep!” she smiled. “Cool!” I threw an arm around her, “But, who are the other two we are staying with?” I watched as Fleetfoot’s pink eyes sparkled and her mouth formed an evil grin. “So, uh. You kind of smacked her with a soccer ball a few hours ago.” She said, trying not to laugh. My smile immediately disappeared, and I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach. “Of course…” I said with little emotion. “Hold on. You smacked a girl with a soccer ball?” Thunderlane asked, Fleetfoot nodded. “Man,” he sighed, “I’ve never arrived late here ever. And the one time I do, I miss the best thing ever.” Fleetfoot looked at me and laughed a bit. “Oh Thunderlane, this is just getting started.”
Starting Over*Written In Rainbow Dash’s POV I looked up to see if we had the right cabin. In front of the small wooden house, there was a sign with a small blue circle. Looking around, each small house had a different color on each signposted. “We are in the blue cabin right?” I asked and looked at my friend. “Well, that's what it said on the board,” she replied softly. “Alright then, come on!” I smiled and grabbed her bags for her. “I'm so happy we are in the same cabin, Dashie.” she smiled as she opened the door. “Me too, Shy,” I replied and looked around. The room was small but cozy. There were two sets of bunk beds on both sides of the room, and one single light hung from the ceiling. Almost everything was made of wood, even the walls. Junior Speedsters’ was run almost like a school, and was strict, whereas here, it almost felt like a second home. I liked it. I could see the bathroom, and it looked like a decent size. There were some closets to hang our clothes, and space to put any other belongings. I already began placing my things on a top bunk. Knowing Fluttershy, she'd be too afraid to climb up, even if it isn't that high. I took one of my bags and began to unpack my clothes. “I'm kind of scared…” I heard Fluttershy say, she was busy unpacking as well. “Of what?” “We still have other people coming in to live with us. What if they make fun of me?” I sighed and tried not to roll my eyes. I placed a shirt down on the bed and looked at her. I had forgotten to look at who else was staying with us when I checked the board. All I had seen was Fluttershy’s name next to mine and immediately went over to tell her. “Shy, most of the people running around here are like six. If we do get two little kids and they say something mean to you, please don't take it personally.” I explained and watched as she looked down. I realized that what I said probably didn't help her much, and sighed again. “But,” I started, “if they are some dumb idiots our age who want to make fun of you, they’ll be lucky enough to meet me and my fist.” I smiled and placed my hand up in the air. “Dashie…” Fluttershy said as if a mother was warning a child. I rolled my eyes. “But before that, I'll ask them politely to stop bothering you. Better?” Fluttershy hummed in response. I may seem like I get annoyed with her sometimes, but when it comes to people picking on her, I get serious. I've never let anyone mess with her and get away with it. She does nothing wrong, and yet, she's everyone's target. Fluttershy is one of the kindest people I know, heck, she is the kindest. I've known her since my first day going to the Junior Speedsters’ camp, and when I stood up for her after seeing some kids bully her, she said it was the first time anyone has ever done that. Ever since Shy had stuck with me, and I vowed to protect and stay loyal to her. Now, here we are, going to Cloudsdale Kick. “Seriously though, Fluttershy.” I started. I watched as Flutters looked up at me immediately. I rarely called her by her full name, unless I was getting deep into something. “If some jerk does have to stay with us, and they say anything to you. Tell me, please. Don’t be afraid that I’ll hurt them.” I looked at her and watched as her gaze softened. “Dash, I would never be afraid of you.” she quickly ran over to me and gave a small squeeze. I pushed some of my colorful bangs out of my face and lightly squeezed back. I frowned as the situation began to remind me of the past. When I began attending Junior Speedsters’ Summer Camp about six years ago, I didn’t really have many friends. The only person I had really gotten along with was my neighbor, a girl named Gilda, and she was the one who had actually introduced me to the camp in the first place. When I met Fluttershy and we had begun to hang out more over the course of the camp, Gilda had begun to get jealous. She didn’t like the fact that I had made a new friend so easily, and that I seemed to be having fun without her. It wasn’t long until she made friends with these two kids, both of them were really stuck up and made them turn on Fluttershy. She had thought if she had started rumors about her, that I wouldn’t hang around her anymore. Obviously, that wasn’t the case and I continued to comfort Shy. When Gilda had seen that her scheme was failing, she decided that it was time to take matters into her own hands. One day, I had come back from swimming to see Gilda cornering Fluttershy in our shared room. I remember seeing Gilda shouting all of these terrible things, and threatening her to stay away. I remember seeing Fluttershy shaking and sobbing. Just taking one look at Fluttershy’s state, I hit Gilda. Long story short, she ended up getting pretty beat up, and I thought she would tell on me immediately. However, she waited for a few days and told kids about me. They all had thought that I was a bully, and were afraid of me. No one would talk to me anymore, play with me, or even come near me. I had thought that I was a monster for hurting Gilda, and it wasn’t long before I believed I was a bully myself. The incident eventually got noticed by the counselors, and they kicked me out. Seeing my parents’ disappointed faces when they came to take me, watching all of the kids cower in fear as I walked by, it all made me feel terrible. I thought that I’d lose Fluttershy, who was now the only friend I had. However, she looked at me and hugged me tightly before I left. “Please don’t be sad,” she said, “I know that you aren’t a bully, you aren’t anything like them. You just made a mistake.” “But I hurt her. Shouldn’t you be scared?” I replied. “Usually I would be scared, Rainbow. But you’re different. You wouldn’t hurt me,” she smiled at me before gasping, “I forgot to tell you. I..um. I live a few houses down from you. I always have seen you and Gilda play with each other, I guess you just never noticed.” When she had said that, I felt guilty once again, but not because I was upset with myself, it was because I never noticed Flutters. However, that would mean that we’d be able to see each other a lot more! I was touched that she had decided to stick with me and trust me enough, even after everything that had happened that summer. Ever since then, I’ve almost always been paranoid and careful with what I say and do when I get angry. I’d joke around and exaggerate sometimes, but I wouldn’t ever hurt anyone unless it was completely necessary. “And of course I’d tell you if something happened to me.” Fluttershy continued. Just as she finished, the cabin door opened. Both Shy and I looked to see who it was, assuming that it was someone who was going to stay with us. “Hey Roomies!” a familiar voice cheerfully greeted as she opened the door with a loud bang. I immediately recognized her from earlier today, it was Fleetfoot. We had met after I had gotten knocked over by that ball a few hours ago. Her hair was very short and messy, and her eyes were a magenta color, like mine. She smiled as she walked in with her own bags. Seeing her suddenly reminded me of the headache that still remained. The noise from the door hitting the wall aggravated it even more. I tried not to flinch as I replied. “Hey, Fleetfoot right?” “Yeah. Isn’t it cool that we got the same cabin?” I laughed slightly and was a bit relieved. Fleetfoot seemed nice enough and I at least knew who she was. I saw Fluttershy visibly relax next to me as well, but she also began to hide behind me again like earlier. “Very cool,” I smiled, but it quickly disappeared as I felt as if something had pierced through my skull. Since I had gotten hit earlier, my headache had just been dull, but since I hadn’t done anything about it, it had gotten stronger. I hissed and closed my eyes for a moment and felt Fluttershy move in front of me. “Dash, your head is still bothering you?” she asked. “A little, but it's okay, Shy,” I replied with the best smile I could manage. I wasn’t going to let something as small as a headache ruin my first day at camp. “He really kicked hard, huh?” Fleetfoot smirked a bit as she walked closer, “But if you need anything, there is a nurse here. I’m pretty sure she might have something for that.” As much as I didn’t want to give in, I knew Fluttershy was going to nag me about it until I took care of this, so I decided that I should go to the nurse. “I’ll go check, be right back!.” I said and headed for the wooden door. However, I didn’t notice the first time that the doors opened inward for some weird reason, and before I had even gotten the chance to grab the doorknob, the door flung open. I immediately felt the impact of the door and was knocked to the floor for the second time that day. I couldn’t hear anything that was going on around me, all my mind was focused on was the feeling of my head pounding even more. I assumed that I had gotten hit with the door, but by who? When I was finally able to open my eyes, I looked up to see a pair of emerald green eyes, filled with worry. It was a boy, with short navy blue hair and light blue skin. It could have just been my head, but I felt like I had known him from somewhere. His mouth was moving, but I was still so shaken up that I couldn’t really make out anything he was saying. After about a minute, it suddenly dawned on me. This was Soarin! He was that kid who hit me earlier. The conversation we had came rushing back, and I soon came back to reality. “Rainbow Dash? Oh gosh, what did I do?” I finally heard him say. He held his head with both hands in frustration, and I realized that Fleetfoot and Fluttershy were around me as well. I finally found the strength to speak. “I’m fine…” I slurred and watched as Soarin turned with widened eyes. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” he spilled and helped me up slowly, “Are you okay? Can you stand up on your own? How many fingers am I holding up?” I placed my hand on his mouth to shut him up, and his cheeks reddened. It must have been from embarrassment. “I told you, I’m fine,” I grumbled. “I just didn’t know that you were behind the door! They open in the wrong direction and its something that they never fix! I swear I’m not doing this to you on purpose, I just-” “Soarin,” I said, raising my voice a bit, “You don’t need to keep apologizing. It’s okay.” He looked down and bit his lip. “Okay..” he muttered. Fluttershy came over to me and examined me for a moment. She softly touched the spot where I had been hit and looked at me when I flinched and moved her hand away. She looked at me and furrowed her eyebrows, and spoke. “You really need to get that checked out,” she said, her teal eyes looking worried yet commanding. “Oh, so she can talk?” Fleetfoot smiled and pointed at Fluttershy. She squeaked and hid behind her hair again. At this point, my headache was becoming unbearable, and all I really wanted was some peace and quiet. When I was smaller, I’d sneak away and find a place that seemed abandoned and it would automatically become my own personal hideout. It would usually be somewhere outside, next to the water. It had always seemed to calm me down most. I thought about trying to find where I could find a spot like that here, without kids invading the place. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I smiled at Fluttershy. “Do you need me to come with you?” “No, it’s fine.” I started heading for the door, but I was stopped by Fleetfoot. “He’s just a little nervous. It’s his first year with three girls in the cabin and he can’t handle it,” she whispered, talking about Soarin. I didn’t even realize that he was also going to be staying with us. “I told him thousands of times, it’s okay,” I assured her, trying not to sound annoyed. “Hey Fleetfoot, you think we’d have some time to play baseball here? I brought my bat!” Soarin suddenly spoke up, swinging a metal bat playfully as he walked up next to me. However, as he was swinging the bat, it slipped out of his hands and fell. I felt the bat land right on my foot, and I gasped as I bounced in pain. This time, Soarin stood in shock, and as the pain calmed down to a dull ache, I balled my hands into fists, trying not to yell at anyone. I saw Soarin open his mouth to speak, but I quickly cut him off. “I’ll be back later.” I hissed and limped away. It had taken me a while to find a quiet place, but as I walked by the lake and watched as kids played, I decided to walk further. It wasn’t long until I found that there were no sounds or trace of kids at all. I looked up a bit to see a giant tree sitting perfectly. Instead of a lake, there was a river now in front. The sun was beginning to set and honestly, the place looked perfect. I sat down against the cool bark of the tree and listened to nothing but the silence. It was so calming. My head still felt as if it were going to explode, and my toes were throbbing. However, as I looked around, I seemed to forget about the pain for a moment. As the sky began to turn orange, it began to get cooler, which seemed perfect to me. After everything that had happened today, I found myself relaxed. My eyes became ten times heavier than usual and I struggled to keep them open. I finally gave in and stopped fighting and allowed myself to relax completely, and I drifted off. “Rainbow Dash?” “Rainbow Dash?” I felt something shaking my shoulders softly. I brushed them off the first few times, desperate to continue my slumber. “Rainbow Dash,” the voice said, clearer than it was before. I reluctantly opened my eyes slowly and saw his green eyes staring at me again. What happened? I looked around and saw that it was dark outside, the stars and moon were out. Did I fall asleep out here? Soarin was kneeling down in front of me, looking concerned. Wait, how did he find me? There were so many thoughts running through my head. “Soarin?” I mumbled groggily. He smirked at me slightly. “Yeah, it’s me.” I looked up at his smiling face and couldn’t help but smile back a bit. The moonlight seemed to be shining directly on him. He ran his hand through his hair and sat down next to me. “Are you okay?” he asked me. I looked at him and stared at his face for a moment. Other than his big green eyes, his smile was bright and he had one single dimple on his right cheek. His face shape was round, yet soft. I wonder if he was popular in his school, especially with the girls. “Rainbow Dash?” he called my name, now shuffling in front of me, his eyes full of concern once again. “Oh, uh...yeah I’m cool. Everything’s fine.” I said looking down, “Sorry.” “Don’t apologize. How’s your head?” he asked. He raised his hand and gently moved some of my bangs so he could see my forehead. I saw him cringe slightly. “I mean, it isn’t hurting as much as before,” I admitted, “Does it look bad?” He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “There’s just a really nasty bruise. Are you sure everything is okay?” “Soarin, I feel fine.” “I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. I hit you twice, hard. You might feel fine, but concussions aren’t a joke.” Soarin said, frowning. “I thought you told us you were going to head to the nurse.” I looked down in shame. “I was going to, but I needed to cool off for a minute first. I found this place and I guess I fell asleep…” I admitted. Soarin smiled at me again and looked down as well. It was the first time I had seen him so calm and collected. I kind of liked it, it was easier to talk to him. “Well, it’s okay. I should probably take you there now though before we head back to the cabin,” he explained. “Fluttershy is really worried for you. She would have come out here herself but she doesn’t know this place well.” he kept talking. “What time is it?” I asked, looking at the night sky. “Almost eleven.” “What?!” I yelped with widened eyes. My voice cracked as I spoke and I shrank back a bit in embarrassment. I hated it when my voice did that. Soarin looked at me and smiled a bit and I noticed that his cheeks had gone red again. I had felt my face heat up a bit as well. “Wait, how did you find me here?” I asked, suddenly confused. It took me a while to get this far. “Rainbow Dash, I’ve been going to this camp since I was six years old. I know this place inside and out.” he laughed a bit, but then his expression turned serious. “Look, Rainbow Dash, I know you said that I should stop, but I’m really sorry about today. It’s your first day here and I don’t think that I made this place seem like the most welcoming camp. I don’t know why or how I was so clumsy today and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or Fluttershy on purpose.” I looked at him again, almost speechless. But, I’m Rainbow Dash, I don’t get choked up over something so...sappy. It was almost like this whole thing was ripped out of the middle of a cheesy romance novel. Besides, Soarin isn’t my type. I unfortunately dated Fluttershy’s brother, Zephyr Breeze once. He was almost a year younger than I was, and he and Soarin were a bit too close for my liking. Despite all of this, I laughed and smiled back. “It’s okay, Soarin. You made a few mistakes, so what? As long as you aren’t planning on killing me anytime soon, we’re good.” Soarin laughed as well, “Cool.” He stood up and extended a hand out to me. I took his hand and stood up as well. Suddenly, pain shot up my left foot and I hissed. I had forgotten about my foot. Soarin caught me as I stumbled a bit, and I held onto his arms to steady myself. His face looked as red as a tomato, but it must have been due to the cool air. “Y-You okay?” he stuttered. “I think I’m good,” I said as I regained my balance. I probably looked really weak right now in front of him. Not that it mattered, of course. “Look, um. We didn’t really meet in the best way earlier. Do you want to start over?” He asked and scratched the back of his neck. I noticed that he still held me with one arm. “Sure,” I smirked and held out my hand, “My name is Rainbow Dash, but you can just call me Dash.” He took my hand and his face remained red. “I’m Soarin, welcome to camp, Dash.” he smiled. Then he winked at me. I think my heart stopped beating. Author's Note Hi everyone! Here is the second chapter of this story! I plan on alternating between everyone's point of view, so the next chapter will probably be seen through Soarin's eyes. Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you next time!
The Storm Begins“S-Soarin?” “Hey, Dash…” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In front of me was Soarin, crouching behind one of the bushes not too far from where Fluttershy and I had talked. His green eyes were filled with fear and guilt, and his mouth hung open. Did he hear us? Did he spy on me? I remember seeing him when that Thunderlane guy showed up. Was he the one who sent him over? My heart sunk a little. I didn’t know why I was so hurt behind this. I never can get too close with anyone anymore, they always let me down. I couldn’t believe that I actually started to want to be friends with this jerk. I was already pretty upset from beforehand. When Thunderlane came up and started flirting with me, I froze up. He came in way too strong for me, and it caught me off guard. Before the summer ended, I broke up with this guy I had been dating for a while, his name was Hunter Sprint. We were just friends at first, but soon, I couldn’t help but fall for him. He had peach colored skin and bright, electric blue hair. His eyes were a blazing orange, and his smile could make my heart swell. I, being the awesome person I was, eventually got him to fall for me and we began dating. At this point, I have failed numerous times in relationships, but with Hunter, there was something in me that felt as if things were going to be different. In my eyes, there was nothing wrong with him at all, and I was blind to the obvious red flags. Hunter never seemed to have time for me outside of school. Whenever I asked him out on the weekends, he said he was busy. However, in school, he never left my side. I believed him at first because I thought he was a genuine, hardworking, dedicated person. I never noticed how much he bragged about me to his friends. Well, I did, but at the time I thought he was just being kind. Months passed and I thought that things were getting even better. I was dumb and stupid. Five months into our relationship, Hunter’s birthday came around. It was on a Saturday and I asked him if he wanted me to go over to his house so that we could celebrate. He ended up giving me the normal “busy” excuse, but I had other things planned. I had bought a small cake and wanted to surprise him. I knew that on the weekends, he would tell me that he would help clean up the local park, so I made my way over there. When I got to the park, I saw Hunter surrounded by all of his friends. He didn’t seem to be cleaning anything, and I heard him laughing as he spoke to his friends. “Honestly, she is so annoying, she literally just asked to hang out like twenty minutes ago.” “Can’t she see I’m using her?” “Dash is not only one of the hottest girls in school, she knows how to play every sport. She makes me look good in front of everyone.” “Not only that, I might have a better chance getting sports scholarships in college with her around.” “I think she actually loves me...she’s so stupid.” “I can’t wait to see her face when she realizes that I don’t give a-” I ended up throwing my cake into his face after hearing what he said. I felt humiliated, dumb, and hurt. I should have known, to be honest, I can’t trust anyone anymore. Was I the problem? After all of that, I felt low and insecure, but I never cried or showed that I was upset. I wasn’t going to let him see me upset, it was obvious what he wanted. It’s been a month since I broke up with Hunter, and I’ll admit, it’s terrible. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this bad after any break-up. Obviously, I can’t show it. I don’t need to ruin my image over something small like this, no matter how much I want to just let everything out. Even when I’m alone, and I know that no one could see me, I try and keep it together. However, even though I still feel messed up inside, I’ll admit I am way better than before, during the first week of the breakup. Just a few days after the breakup, I felt really bad about myself. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for anyone. I stayed away from my friends and family, and whenever they did try and talk to me, I snapped at them like they did something wrong. It took about a week of me feeling terrible about myself to realize that I was still the same awesome, amazing, talented, person that I always had been. I realized that it wasn’t anyone else’s fault for the break up except for mine. I should have seen all of the red flags beforehand. I’m still beating myself up about it, but this camp seemed to take my mind off of it. That was until Thunderlane came along and messed with my head. Now, I’m finding out that Soarin isn’t who I thought he was either! “How long have you been here?” I narrowed my eyes, looking at Soarin in disbelief. “Uh…” was all he said. His cheeks were red with embarrassment, and he avoided looking at me. I let out a bitter laugh. I only knew this guy for a day. Why did I feel so hurt by this? “You know what? Nevermind…” I glared at him and turned around to walk away, still angry. All I wanted to do was go back into the cabin and sleep everything off. I know that’s not the way to deal with things, but to be honest, that’s all I really want right now. It’ll help me escape everything. I tried walking away towards the cabins, but I didn’t get very far. “Wait, Rainbow.” I heard Soarin call me, and soon his hand was wrapped around my wrist. Rolling my eyes, I turned around. “What.?” I hissed harshly. I honestly, really didn’t want to talk to him, or even see him for that matter. I saw him recoil a bit and he looked hurt. I didn’t care. “Rainbow, are you okay?” Soarin asked me, still holding onto me. “If I say yes then will you leave?” “Rainbow…” “Soarin, why are you here?!” I snapped finally. I didn’t mean to, but he wouldn’t leave! I’ve always had a short temper and it didn’t take a lot to set me off. Now, I was angry, hurt, and annoyed. “Seriously, what did you gain from all this? Are you really trying to spy on me so you can help your friend!? I’m not like any other girl you can just push around. I’m not stupid, I know what’s going on.” I yelled. Soarin opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he couldn’t. I didn’t want to yell at him like this, He did do something wrong, and I know now that I shouldn’t trust him, but even I think I was being too loud. “Do I really look like I’m dumb?” I slowed down, suddenly realizing that I was just taking everything out on him. Everything that I had felt from the whole Hunter incident was just coming out of me. He stayed silent, and I saw that he didn’t answer my question. I felt as if something had pierced through my stomach, and I didn’t know why. “Wow…” I laughed bitterly, “Don’t come near me ever again...You clearly aren’t worth my time.” I snatched my hand away from him and walked away as fast as I could. My voice had cracked when I spoke those last few words and I felt my eyes sting a little. I wanted to leave as fast as I could just in case I did end up crying, but I was trying my best not to. Eventually, I found Fluttershy, sitting down in front of our cabin door. She looked worried as she played with the ends of her hair. I guess that she had heard me coming because she looked up at me and immediately stood up. “I thought you would have stayed back there for a little while longer,” she said softly. “Yeah, me too,” I muttered weakly and walked past her, heading into the cabin. “Dashie?” I heard her call out to me, but I was already on top of the bunk bed. I shut my eyes as my hands laid on top of my stomach. I heard Fluttershy open the door and walk over to me, but I didn’t open my eyes. “Rainbow Dash, what happened?” Fluttershy asked sternly, I opened my eyes to find her teal orbs looking at me with worry. I clenched my jaw, scared that if I spoke I would start crying. I still didn’t know why Soarin upset me so much, but he did. “I don’t want to talk about it…” I muttered, not looking down at Fluttershy. “Rainbow, please,” Fluttershy whined. Keeping my eyes closed, I finally seemed to be able to speak. “Soarin,” I said simply. “What about him?” “He followed us and listened to every word.” “At the tree?” “Yep..” I sneered, not wanting to speak anymore. All I knew was that Soarin and this Thunderlane guy were friends, I saw them talking with each other on the first day of camp. He probably only talked to me last night to give Thunderlane some information like a creep. That meant I was just being used again. “Why would he spy on us like that?” Fluttershy asked weakly. I could tell she didn’t want to set me off. “I guess to help Thunderlane make more moves on me..” I strained, looking down. I began to feel guilty for yelling at Soarin just a few minutes before. He SPIED ON YOU! You have a right to be mad. He deserved everything he got. Did he? Stop confusing yourself. What he did was wrong. I know but- “Dashie?” I looked over and saw Fluttershy looking at me, her eyes filled with worry. “Yea?” I replied as cool as I could. “What happened? What did you do?” she asked me, curious. “I screamed at him, what else should I have done? I basically told him to stay away from me.” “You don’t seem too happy about it..” “Because”, I sighed, “I thought that we would become friends, I guess. I thought I would be able to trust him but I clearly can’t.” Fluttershy grew silent and stared at me for just a few more seconds before she sighed. “I’ll give you time to cool off,” she said, grabbing onto my hand, “But I’m here if you want to talk to me about anything, okay?” I smiled a bit and squeezed Fluttershy’s hand. “Of course. Let’s just forget this happened,” I said with a pained smile, “This is going to be the best summer ever.” I hope…. Author's Note Tea~ Okay, I’m Back!!! I took a break from writing on this story because I lost motivation and I had NO CLUE where to take this story. I was debating whether or not I should put it on hiatus but I figured it was too early on this story to give up! I will try and update regularly but if I slow down a bit its because I want to make this story as best as possible! I’m sorry for being gone so long! As always, thanks for reading and don’t forget to leave your thoughts!
Let The Rain Fall~Soarin’s POV~ Millions of thoughts ran through my mind as I watched Rainbow walk away from me. She thought I was trying to help Thunderlane? Did she think I only attempted to be friends with her to help her hook up with my best friend? I could understand why she assumed this, but I should have explained why I was there. I should have told her the truth instead of staying silent. I wasn’t spying on her, I was worried. When Thunder was talking with her I saw a look in her eyes that was different. Instead of determination and pride, I saw fear and sadness. When she was explaining things to Fluttershy, I knew that this must have been something to do with a past relationship. Who hurt her? Who would even want to hurt her? Whoever it was, they really had an effect on her. Yet it looks like she was holding it all in... I wasn’t upset at the fact that she was mad at me, I completely deserved it after spying on her like that, but I was upset at the fact that she didn’t want me near her any longer. I only knew Dash for a day or two, yet she seemed like the person who would keep their word. If she didn’t want to see me, she would probably avoid me at all costs. How could I fix this? How could I even explain what I did? How do I help her? Does she even want my help? I decided to head back towards camp. Rainbow had probably gone back to the cabins, so I should probably avoid that area for now. I returned to see a crowd of kids playing volleyball over the net in the middle of the camp. Thunderlane was speaking to Fleetfoot with a large, confident smirk on his face, When I approached them, I heard exactly who they were talking about. “You should have seen her,” Thunderlane was explaining, “I’ll have her falling for me in no time,” “I’m not so sure about that Thunder,” Fleetfoot replied, a small smirk appearing on her face as well, “Dash doesn’t seem like any other girl. She’s different.” You could say that again… “Really? How so?” Thunder raised an eyebrow, the smirk never leaving his face. “She seems feisty, fierce. She probably plays hard to get..” “That makes me want her even more.” The entire conversation angered me from the start, but that final sentence from Thunder made me snap, and I cut in. “Are you even listening to yourself? She’s not some trophy you can win…” I sneered. Thunder and Fleetfoot suddenly turned towards me with wide eyes. They didn’t even notice that I was behind them. “Woah...why are you getting so defensive?” Thunder asked me, laughing a bit. “Because you’re being a jerk. You don’t even know her.” I retorted. “And you do? It’s been two days, what more could you possibly know about her?” Thunder asked, getting angry himself. “More than you, I could tell you that.” “Fleetfoot just told me how you almost killed the girl yesterday. I don’t think you learned too much from her.” “ ‘The Girl’? Really? Do you even remember her name? Both Fleet and I said her name like five times…” “Um…” Thunder’s face went blank, and he avoided eye contact with me. “Exactly. I advise you back away from her if you see Rainbow Dash as just some girl you can take to make you look cool.” I frowned. “Oh, no...I see what the problem is now…” Thunder’s face suddenly lit up as if he had gotten a new idea. “What?” “You like her don’t you?” Fleetfoot watched as my face turned red, yet my frown never left my face. Thunder suddenly burst into a peal of loud laughter. I backed down a bit, yet I never stopped glaring at him. “What’s so funny?” I asked. “If you think you have a chance with her, you’re crazy.” Thunder said through his laughter. “I never said anything about ‘having a chance with her’.” “Good. She would never like someone as clumsy and weird as you are.” Thunder sneered, looking me up and down. “Guys stop! You guys are supposed to be friends!” Fleetfoot finally stepped in, afraid that things would escalate further. When she saw that neither of our glares disappeared, she spoke again. “Are you guys seriously going to end your friendship over a girl?” she asked us, looking us both in the eyes. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and managed to calm down. Fleet was right. This wasn’t a good reason to end our friendship, especially after knowing each other for so long. The way he spoke about Rainbow had just angered me, especially after what I had just seen. It wasn’t right and I now realize that this happens all the time, to anyone. I decided I should back off for now, and try and calm down. “No...we aren’t,” I finally answered my cousin's question and looked at Thunderlane. His orange eyes softened as I held my hand out. He gave it a hard shake. “Sorry about that, dude. I was just-” he began. “Don’t explain it. Just be careful okay?” I asked and was relieved that he nodded. We all spent the next hour talking and cracking jokes as we’d always do. I managed to finally stop thinking about Rainbow for the first time since I had seen her. Most of the people in the camp had gone into their cabins, including Thunderlane and Fleetfoot. The sky was now dark, and the moon shone brightly once again. I decided to stay out a bit late to gather all of my thoughts, and have a few moments to myself. It was completely silent, well, except for the sound of my foot kicking the soccer ball between my feet. I suddenly heard the sound of a cabin door open, which had caught me off guard. It was normal for a few kids to come out of the cabins for a snack or to find a counselor, but it was getting pretty late, everyone would usually be asleep by now. Turning around, I saw who had come out of their cabin and my heart fluttered. Rainbow Dash was slowly closing the door while placing earbuds in her ears. Her hair was still tied up in a ponytail, and she was still in the same outfit I last saw her in. Her magenta eyes weren’t filled with the energy or confidence that I always see, and her mouth formed a thin, straight line. She was obviously still in a bad mood and it pained me to know that I was the cause of it all. She began heading down the small set of stairs while looking down at her phone. I watched as she clearly wasn’t paying attention and skipped a step. Rainbow cursed as she had twisted her ankle and she fell down the stairs. I was immediately making my way to run to her, but I stopped when I heard a small sound. Rainbow had ripped the earbuds out of her ears as she remained on the ground. She bit her lip and sniffed once, and soon, I had seen a few tears falling down on her face. My heart shattered seeing her like this. Something tells me that Rainbow wouldn’t normally break down like this and even now she still seems to be holding back. Suddenly Rainbow groaned, still not realizing that I was there. “What am I doing?” she hissed, frustrated, “Stop, Rainbow. You’re better than this.” I watched as the rainbow-haired girl wiped at her face and got up from the ground, still sniffling every few moments. She looked so...out of it. This was different from the Rainbow Dash that I had seen the days prior. Whether she hated me or not, I still cared about her and I was going to fix this. “Rainbow?” I called. She noticeably stiffened and soon her head turned to face me. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. I slowly walked toward her, trying to give her as much space as possible. “I know you said you didn’t want to talk to me but I saw you fall and I wanted to make sure you were okay,” I said softly. Her magenta orbs stared into my green ones for a moment. “I’m fine,” she said simply, wiping at her face. I pretended to act as if I just noticed her tears. If she finds out that I had been around the entire time, she might assume I was spying on her again. “A-Are you okay?” I asked her, looking at her wet cheeks. “Didn’t I just tell you? I’m fine.” she glared at me. I figured I deserved everything I got, considering I did technically spy on her. However, it really wasn’t for the reason that she thinks. “I’m sorry..” I looked at her. “What?” “I said I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run after you and listened into your conversation like that. I wasn’t doing it to help Thunderlane at all. I saw that you were acting different and I wanted to just make sure you were alright. I should have just come up to you instead of spying.” I explained. I didn’t know if she would forgive me, but I just wanted her to at least know the truth. Rainbow looked at her feet as she hugged herself. “I didn’t mean to yell at you like that,” she said quietly, “I was already upset and then you came and I just-” Rainbow stopped herself and my heart broke when I saw her lip quivering. I grabbed her hand, and this time I didn’t feel my face heat up, however, her cheeks lit up a bit. Still holding onto her hand, I guided her to a spot away from camp. We stopped in front of a small pond and I realized that neither of us let go of the others’ hand. Now, I felt my face get hot and my heart sped up. We continued staring at the pond, our hands together until Rainbow must have realized and slowly pulled away. “What’s going on?” I asked her. “Nothing. It’s not a big deal.” Rainbow sniffed, not looking at me. “Rainbow Dash,” I sighed, “This isn’t you, I can tell. I’m your friend and I’m always here. You can trust me, okay?” I told her everything that could have comforted her, and I meant every word. I looked into her eyes and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Soar,” Rainbow gave a weak smile. My heart jumped at the small nickname she gave me. It wasn’t special since many people called me ‘Soar’, but having her say it felt different. “You don’t have to tell me, but just don’t try and pretend that everything is alright. You’ll just feel ten times worse,” I told her. “It’s just-” Rainbow started and hesitated a bit. I placed my hand over hers to show that I was with her and was confused when she turned away from me, “I just broke up with this guy. Apparently, he was just using me the entire time…” I frowned as she finally opened up to me. This is what happened to her? Suddenly, Rainbow let out a bitter laugh. “I know, it’s so stupid and weak of me to be upset over something like this but-” “No!” I cut her off, “No, Dash it’s perfectly normal. Don’t be ashamed.” Rainbow bit her lip before continuing. “It’s just killing me knowing that I was actually falling for him but all this time I meant nothing to him,” she said, her voice cracking. When her eyes were welling up with tears again, I didn’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her in a comforting hug. She didn’t hug back, but she hid her face into my chest, and I felt it beginning to get wet. We stayed like that for a few moments before she stepped back. Tear stains were evident on her cheeks, and she turned away from me. “I’m sorry,” she croaked, sniffling. “Don’t apologize,” I responded. We fell into another awkward silence. Rainbow wiped at her face, trying to calm herself down. She looked extremely embarrassed, which I could expect from her. Every day I learn something new. Rainbow isn’t one to easily express her emotions, and when she does, she hates expressing them in front of others. She turned away from me for a long time and I didn’t know what to do. “You gonna be okay?” I asked her. “Of course,” Dash scoffed, “I’m Rainbow Dash. I’ll bounce back.” I smiled as she turned to face me, her tears were almost completely gone. “I’m glad,” I replied, and stood up, “Maybe we should go back and get some sleep.” Rainbow stood up herself and nodded. We began walking back to the cabins in silence, and just as we were about to head inside, Rainbow tapped me, stopping me from going in. “Hey, Soar,” Rainbow said quietly, looking at me. “Yeah?” “Thanks, I really needed to let that out..” she said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head, “And, I guess its obvious that I’m not mad anymore.” “Good,” I laughed, “And anytime, Dash. As I said, I’m your friend remember? I’m always here,” Rainbow looked up at me, her eyes practically shining. “Yeah...I’ll keep that in mind,” she winked at me and went inside. My heart nearly stopped. I think I’m falling in love... Author's Note I had fun making this chapter! Hopefully, things start heating up soon! Don’t forget to let me know what you thought! I’ll see you all later!
Thunder Strikes*Written in Soarin's POV* “You got lucky this time...it doesn’t look like anything serious.” the woman said, examining Rainbow Dash one last time. We sat in the nurse, Ms. GumDrop’s office. I had taken Rainbow there immediately after our conversation to make sure that everything was alright. Rainbow sat on one of the cots that our nurse had, an ice pack on both her head and foot. “How did this happen anyway?” Ms. GumDrop raised an eyebrow as she questioned Rainbow. Her magenta eyes locked with my eyes as she spoke immediately. “I fell on the docks earlier. I must have tripped or slipped on something and wasn’t fast enough to catch myself. Soarin was worried about me so he helped me here.” she slightly smiled and I could barely look at her. My heart rate immediately increased just by seeing her beautiful grin. Her voice was soothing, I could listen to her all day. I can’t deny the fact that I like her. “Well, you should be a bit more careful next time. If this was anything serious, we would have had to send you home.” Ms. Gum Drop explained, writing down something on a slip of paper before giving it to Rainbow. “The pain in your foot should calm down by tomorrow morning. Your headache might last a little longer, but don’t do anything to aggravate it more okay?” Rainbow smiled again before replying. “I won’t. Thanks.” She stood up and I immediately placed my hand around her wrist without even thinking. I wanted to be sure that she wouldn’t fall again, but I didn’t think I’d have such a reflex. I felt my face heat up as she looked at me with her beautiful eyes. She furrowed her brows and hesitated a bit, but she didn’t pull her hand away. “I’m okay, Soar. I think I can walk on my own now.” Rainbow smirked. “R-right.” I stuttered and watched as she headed out. I started following her before Ms. GumDrop called my name. “Yes?” I asked innocently. “I can see the way you look at her, Soarin. You are pretty much giving yourself away.” She chuckled. I stood there in shock as I stared at the blue haired woman. She wore a smug smile on her face as she began to put everything away. “How could you tell?” I asked, baffled. All she did was laugh a bit before continuing. “Honey, I've seen you here thousands of times, with many people. I’ve watched you grow. You have never looked at anyone with so much love and admiration before.” she smiled genuinely. “But I must say, Soarin. This is your first day meeting her right?” she asked me and waited until I nodded to continue, “well, sweetie, get to know her first. She might not turn out to be the way you thought. I don't want to see my favorite little patient getting hurt.” I knew that Ms.GumDrop didn't mean any harm, she was just looking out for me. Honestly, from what I have seen, Rainbow Dash doesn't look like a bad person. I remember she had said that she had gotten kicked out from Junior Speedsters’, but as she said, she was only a kid. I could see in her eyes that she may seem intimidating, and I'm not gonna lie, I’m pretty scared of her, but deep down she is a completely different person. “Of course Ms.GumDrop, I’ll be careful,” I said and left the small building. I saw Rainbow’s colorful hair through the dark, she was sitting on the steps that led to the office. She looked as if she were hugging herself and she stared at the ground blankly. She must have been daydreaming. I walked over quietly and sat next to her. She didn't even notice that I was there until I spoke up. “Sorry about that.” She turned to look at me, and this time I actually had the courage to look her in the eyes. “It’s fine,” she stated and stood up. “Ready to go?” she asked and pointed in the direction of the cabins, which were pretty far. I nodded and stood up for myself. We both began to walk slowly in silence. I stole a few glances at her every now and then but tried not to stare for too long. I’m not sure if she noticed me looking at her, I hope she didn’t, but I couldn’t help it. I obviously didn’t want to just like her because of her looks, and the cabin was still pretty far. I could try to learn more about her now. “So, are you from Cloudsdale?” I asked smoothly. She looked at me and smirked a little. I still haven’t gotten used to that. “Technically, yeah. I was born and raised here until I got to middle school. I moved to Canterlot and stayed there ever since.” she explained, putting her hands in her pockets. “Well, what about your friend, Fluttershy? You two seem really close” Rainbow seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering. “She was born and raised here too. When she got to middle school, her parents told her that they were going to move to Canterlot for a fresh start. She was terrified. I was her only friend at the time and if you can’t already tell, it takes a lot for her to open up to anyone. I knew that she wouldn’t really make it without me, and I don’t blame her ‘cause I’m just that awesome,” she said smirking a bit and flipped her hair. I laughed and took note of her confidence. “But, I asked and begged my parents to let us move to Canterlot too. My mom was looking for a new job at the time anyway and my dad was always complaining about our neighbors. They agreed and when I told Fluttershy that I’d be coming with her, she burst into tears. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy.” she finished with a large grin on her face, but it wasn’t a cocky grin, it was more of a kind one. I thought that I had fallen for her looks, but I honestly don’t think that was the case. She was not only beautiful but confident and loyal. She was willing to leave everything that she had ever known behind in an instant, just so that her one friend wouldn’t be alone. “That was...really sweet of you,” I said looking at her. I found that I wanted to hug her, but I didn’t as it would be weird. I wanted to take her hands and tell her how amazing she was, but then again, I didn’t want to scare her away. Maybe I was moving too fast. I stopped thinking for a moment and felt her playfully punch my shoulder. I know it wasn't meant to hurt, but I had to try to not hold my arm in pain. “Hey. I'm not sweet. I'm cool.” Rainbow said smoothly. “Got it.” I laughed, “So, how long have you been playing soccer?” “Well, my dad always told me that when I was a toddler, I'd always watch the games with him. Then when I was around four or five, I was put one of those kid teams. I haven't stopped playing since.” she smiled again. “Do you have a favorite team?” I asked. “My favorite team? The Wonderbolts! Who else? I wouldn't plan of making it on a team I didn't like.” Rainbow stated proudly, referring to what she had told me when we first met. I suddenly thought about telling her that I was related to the captain of the team, but I didn't want this to end like the previous times. I'd always try and get girls to like me, but in the end, I’d find out that they had only hung out with me to brag that they dated someone who was technically “famous”. I could feel that Rainbow Dash was different. Compared to the other girls, I really felt something different from her. I liked her a lot, and if I was going to get to know her, I want her to like her for me, not because of my cousin. “I like them too.” I said smiling, ”I plan on making it on the team one day like you.” “Cool. We can play together. I wouldn't mind having you as a teammate.” She smiled again and I honestly didn't think I could take any more. “What about you? You haven't told me anything about you yet.” She looked at me with her sparkling magenta eyes. “O-oh. Well, I really like pie?” I said, not knowing what to say in front of her. I mentally slapped myself as she looked at me with a confused look on her face. “Ew,” she said and stuck her tongue out, “You’re a pie lover?” I looked at her and my eyes widened. “Yes!” I said shocked, “Is there a problem??” “I just don't like pie...I hate them.” “How can you not like pie?!” I stopped walking and shouted. She laughed again and I seemed to calm instantly. Her laugh was loud, but to me, it sounded amazing. Everything about her was amazing. “I didn't know you were so obsessed with it,” she smirked at me after she calmed down. “Well, of course, I am,” I replied simply. “I'll keep that in mind then.” As we continued walking, I saw that she became quiet and I caught her yawning. “Tired?” I smiled slightly. “What gave it away?” she said sarcastically and smiled back. We had finally made it to the cabins and I opened the door. Both Fluttershy and Fleetfoot were asleep, and I was sure to be careful and quiet. I watched as Rainbow didn’t hesitate to climb onto her bunk without even changing. “Rainbow?” I called and walked over to find her asleep completely. I couldn’t help but smile. I remembered what had happened just an hour ago. Fluttershy was freaking out when she had come back from the nurse. She had told us that Rainbow never even made it there, and it had been three hours since we had last seen her. Fluttershy had thought she must have fainted or gotten hurt, but she didn’t know where she wandered. I volunteered to go search for her as Fleetfoot calmed Fluttershy. After searching around, I decided to go to one of my favorite spots in camp. There was this beautiful big tree by the river, and that was the last place I would look before panicking myself. Then, I saw her there. The moonlight shone perfectly on her light blue skin. Her breathing was calm and slow. Her multi-colored bangs hung over her closed eyes, and the rest of her hair draped over her shoulders. I didn’t think she could get any prettier, but I was very wrong. I almost felt bad waking her up. I didn’t want to be a creep and watch her as she was resting, so I walked away and got ready for bed myself. The sun was shining once again over Cloudsdale Kick. It was extremely hot outside, so many kids were taking a dip into the lake. I jumped when I felt a pair of hands grip onto my shoulders. “Dude, calm down.” Thunderlane laughed from behind me. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I complained, laughing a little myself. “So, how is camp going? I heard that you got stuck with a bunch of girls,” he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. “First of all, ew. Second, camp is going pretty great so far.” I smiled and thought about Rainbow, “What about you?” “I mean things could be going better, I just wish I could-” Thunderlane stopped speaking and looked at something behind me. He froze and suddenly a smirk appeared on his face. His orange eyes became full of wonder and happiness. I turned to see what he was looking at and my heart immediately dropped. “Who is that?” he asked as if he were out of breath. He pointed to a rainbow-haired girl who was smiling and talking with her friend. I knew the minute I saw her eyes, it was Rainbow. “Um...I share a cabin with her.” I answered honestly and tried to keep smiling. “You know her name?” Thunderlane asked, not taking her eyes off of her. I frowned again and sighed as I looked at Rainbow myself. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and despite the heat, she wore long jeans. “Rainbow Dash,” I said, “her name is Rainbow Dash.” Thunderlane bit his lip as he seemed to be thinking. “Come with me. I'm gonna need your support.” He said quickly and began to walk towards her. “Hey gorgeous,” he smiled as he stopped in front of both Fluttershy and Rainbow. I saw Rainbow’s eyes flash with anger as she looked between both Fluttershy and Thunderlane. She must have thought he was flirting with Fluttershy. However, as she found that he was staring at her, the anger quickly dissolved into confusion. “Wait, is there someone else behind me?” she asked and looked over her shoulder. Thunderlane laughed a bit before speaking again. “I meant you. What? No one's ever called you pretty before?” Thunderlane asked her, still smiling. I have, I thought. I just never got the chance to tell you in person. “Well, not really,” Rainbow replied simply and looked at Thunder. Fluttershy seemed to have a slight smile on her face but remained silent. “Seriously? With those eyes of yours?” he seemed to be saying almost everything I've ever wanted to say to her. Rainbow’s face reddened and she looked at the ground. She looked at Fluttershy for a moment before turning back to Thunder. “N-nope,” she stuttered, “C’mon Flutters, we need to go and do that thing you wanted.” I watched as she gripped onto Fluttershy’s hand and led her away from us. She looked at me and paused for a moment, but she continued on. “Hey, I got her to blush,” Thunderlane smirked. “Yeah, I saw,” I muttered, not really paying attention to anything he had said. Rainbow’s reaction wasn't what I expected from her, especially after seeing her personality the night before. Maybe she was upset about something. “I'm gonna go and see what Fleet’s doing. I'll catch up with you later.” I patted Thunderlane’s back and made my way to where Rainbow was headed. I followed the girls to the tree that I found Rainbow sleeping next to, and they seemed to be talking. I quickly hid behind a nearby bush to listen in. “What was that?!” Rainbow stressed. “I think he likes you.” I heard Fluttershy whisper. “Really?! I couldn't tell!” Rainbow shouted sarcastically. She sighed and seemed to pull at her hair. “What is wrong with me..” “Rainbow, it's nothing bad. You just got a little flustered. I mean, he didn't seem the type to take things slow.” Fluttershy cooed. “Yeah, but do I look like the type to get all mushy because a guy called me pretty?” “Well, to be fair, I don't think you've ever gotten that from anyone before. Not from my brother, or from-” “Ok, I get it! Just don't bring the other one up please.” She cut Fluttershy off. I assumed that the people Fluttershy was talking about were people that Rainbow had dated before, especially with how she had gotten when Fluttershy brought the topic up. “Soarin probably thinks I'm just like all these other girls, sappy and gets all worked up if a guy speaks to her.” I heard Rainbow sigh dejectedly. I wanted to jump from the bushes and tell her that she was wrong and that I thought that she was unique. She was different, and that's what I liked about her. “I get what you're saying, but why does Soarin’s opinion about you matter so much?” Fluttershy questioned. “I-it doesn't! I'm just- ugh!” Rainbow screamed out in frustration. “I can't believe I'm stressing out over a compliment. I should have kept it together instead of getting all worked up.” Rainbow Dash said. “Well, you couldn't control that.” “Yeah but now he thinks I like him back or something.” “Well, now you know what to expect from someone like him. Next time when he tries to make a move, you'll keep cool like normal. You'll be the Rainbow Dash we both know and love. And you'll shut him down easy.” Fluttershy explained, sinking down to Rainbow's level and gave her a hug. Rainbow closed her eyes and seemed to hug her back. Her behavior towards Fluttershy was completely different from her attitude that she gives me and anyone else at camp. “Thanks, Shy,” Rainbow said softly and stood up, “I just want this summer to be completely drama-free. I'm not ready for someone new yet.” “Why do you say that?” Fluttershy asked curiously. “I mean, I guess...I know we broke it off a month ago, but..I’m still pretty upset behind what he did. I know it wasn't even that long but we were together for five months and I thought that this one would work out. I hate his guts obviously but it still-” Rainbow stopped as her voice cracked. I was afraid she was going to cry, and that I would have run to comfort her. Who was she talking about? Why did they hurt her? “Rainbow, you're still hurting!” Fluttershy wrapped Rainbow Dash into another hug. This time, Rainbow didn't respond at all, she closed her eyes and allowed Fluttershy to comfort her. “You know it's okay to cry right?” Fluttershy suggested. “I may be angry and upset, but I am not going to cry. It's what he wants, and I’m not going to give him the satisfaction to see me broken. You got that? Besides, I don't cry, you know that.” Rainbow said dismissively. “You can go on ahead if you want...I'm gonna stay here for a little bit okay?” Rainbow added. Fluttershy was hesitant, but she allowed Rainbow to cool off. Seeing this made me realize a few things. First, I'd have to keep Thunderlane away from Rainbow, or at least stop him from making her uncomfortable. I also saw that if I ever wanted a chance with Rainbow, I'd better take things really slow. And finally, I now know that someone must have done something to Rainbow in a past relationship. I need to show her that I am nothing like them. I’m determined. With all of my thinking, I didn't see that Rainbow had gotten up from the tree and started heading in my direction. I looked up in horror as I felt her get close to me. I looked up to see her widened eyes, they looked tired and upset. “S-Soarin?!” “Hey Dash,” I croaked. Author's Note Oooh, drama. How did you guys like this chapter? Don’t forget to let me know!! Thanks for reading!
