Chapters "She's coming this way!" Lorio, a dark brown pegasus of average size, yelled excitedly as a sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail trotted up the path in his direction.
"Geez, calm down man," Rito, his best friend of a dark caramel color, said standing just a few hoofsteps behind him. "It's not like she's coming to see you."
"How do I look? Is my mane ok?" he worried, moving his hooves through his dread-locked mane in a clumsy fashion. "Does my breathe smell bad?" he exhaled near his friend's muzzle, much to his friend's displeasure.
"Dude, Lorio! I feel sorry for your teeth!" he joked as he held one hoof up to his nose.
"Well who asked you?!" he snapped at his friend. "And teeth can't even sme-"
"Hey guys!" The blue pegasus' raspy voice interrupted, having finally made her way to the two. "What are you guys up to?"
Lorio turned away from his friend and stared at Rainbow Dash, slowly taking in her presence. He gazed into her beautiful, magenta eyes that always managed to send his heart aflutter, before averting his attention to her rainbow mane, more vivid and pure than the whitest light refracting off of the purest water droplets could ever produce. The shy, awkward stallion became completely absorbed by the strong aura of confidence that always surrounded her so completely that he always felt himself just out of her reach. He snapped back into reality before giving her a nervous half smile, "H-Hey Rainbow!" he managed to stutter. "W-We're just hangin'...ya know...ehehe.." his cheeks now a rosy red.
Rito stood behind him smiling and waving silently.
"W-Where are you headed?"
"I'm on my way to drop off a package for Pinkie's party later tonight." She opened one of her wings revealing a rectangular shaped box in brown wrapping labeled with a single stamp.
"A party? Is it somepony's birthday?"
"No, it's a welcoming party, but I don't know for who though. She didn't even bother to get his name before running off to throw him a party, but you know Pinkie." She rolled her eyes. "But I do know that if Pinkie's the one throwing it it's going to be awesome! Everypony is invited, so you if guys aren't too busy you should stop by."
"Oh...I'm not su-"
Rito's hoof came over his muzzle silencing him, "We'll be there!"
"Alright I'll catch you two later!" She extended her wings fully and, in one powerful thrust, lifted herself from the ground. She waved at the two as she dashed forward, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.
The two pegasi stood in the midst of the now thin cloud of dust, staring at the rainbow streaks becoming less and less distinct before Rito looked over at Lorio still staring in the direction Rainbow flew with a longing expression. He could tell his friend has had feelings for Rainbow Dash for some time now but because of his timidness had never been able to properly express them.
After a minute or two of silence Rito crept up beside him leaning in close to his ear. "Boo!"
"Ah!" He lept into the air and hovered, glaring down at his laughing friend. "What the hay Rito! What did you do that for?!" He balled his hoof into a form of a fist and shook it threateningly at his friend below.
"You looked like a lovesick puppy...I did it for the sake of your stallionhood!" he wiped a tear from his eyes still chuckling.
"And why did you agree to go to that party? You know I hate big crowds."
"Get over it already. You're way too shy dude, and if you think you have a chance with a mare like that with your self-confidence you're sorely mistaken my friend." Rito said, shaking his head in disappointment.
"I guess you have a point." Lorio agreed as he hovered in the air bringing his attention back to the direction Rainbow Dash had flown, his longing expression occupying his face yet again. "Tonight..." he said under his breath.
"Whazzat?"
"Tonight, before Pinkie's party, I'm going to tell her."
Rito's eyes widened in disbelief and his facial expression twisted into a mix between confusion and surprise, "You're...you're joking, right? There's no way."
Lorio turned his head to his friend, a look of pure determination branded on his face, reassuring what he just said was no joke and he was as serious as could be.
"Come on man, this is you we're talking about. The pony who almost wet himself in class because he was too scared to ask the teacher to go to the bathroom!"
"I'm not a foal anymore! Besides, I can't keep quiet forever. If I don't tell her sooner or later some other stallion will swoop in and take her and I refuse to let that happen." he gently landed on the ground still holding on to his determined look accompanied by light red cheeks.
A hoof came over his shoulder.
"Go for it." Rito smile reassuringly to his friend.
"Thanks." Lorio returned the smile, the two bumped hooves, and trotted on their way laughing.
At sugarcube corner, ponies are seen running around frantically setting up decorations. One pink pony in particular could be seen hyper actively giving instructions to the other frantic ponies and jumping around from place to place in ways that seemed to defy the laws of physics.
Her head popped out of a box leaving the top balancing on her mane and she looks over at a nearby mare holding streamers on her mouth "Careful with those streamers Roseluck! They're fragile!" she ordered to the dumbfounded pony before her head sunk back into the box, the lid on her head closing it. She then appears on a beam on the ceiling next to one of two pegasus ponies who are hanging a "Welcome!" banner each with one end in their mouths. "A little higher Thunderlane!" The pegasus followed her instructions before she zipped to another beam on the side of the other pegasus "Ok now, a liiiiiiiitle lower Cloudchaser" the lavender pony rolled her eyes before doing as she was instructed.
Rainbow Dash then entered through the door with a package beneath her wings. "Pinkie Pie, I picked up your package for you."
She appeared behind Rainbow, walking through the doors where she had just entered through "Hey Rainbow Dash!"
"Ah!" Rainbow jumped into the air quickly maintaining flight and leaving the package twirling in mid-air before landing in the hooves of Pinkie Pie.
"Thanks for picking the package up for me, I've had my hooves full all day setting up this party!"
"Uhh...yeah...don't mention it." still trying to calm herself from the impromptu greeting she received. "I had to go all the way to Canterlot to pick this up, so it must be important right? Come on, spill it, what's in there?"
"Oh Dashie don't be silly!" she replied, as if it's contents were common knowledge. She made quick work of the wrapping around the box, completely ripping it to shreds leaving a single party hat in her hooves. "Here it is!"
"A party hat?! You sent me all the way to Canterlot for one party hat?!"
"Oh Dashie don't be silly!" she repeated with the same everypony-but-you-knows-what-I'm-talking-about tone. "This isn't just a party hat, it's the party hat!" she explained before pulling it around her head and giving a small tug on the string that rounded her chin revealing a variety of party favors and decorations coming from the top of the hat. A confetti explosion, party horns, a banner, and a carousel accompanied by an upbeat melody appeared on top of her head where the party hat once was.
Rainbow Dash stared, mouth agape, at what used to be a party hat in shock before smacking her face with her hoof in aggravation and flying towards the door. "I'll see you at the party tonight Pinkie, but I have to get some rest right now. That trip to Canterlot took a lot outta me."
"See ya later!" Pinkie waved to her friend flying out of the door before turning her attention back to the frantic ponies. "Hey, careful with that cake Lyra!" she returned to her orders, Rainbow Dash long gone.
In the streets of Ponyville Rito and Lorio are slowly walking along while Rito gives his friend pointers for his upcoming confession.
"Okay, so remember dude: Confidence is key."
"Got it." Lorio assured
"Remember to be romantic, girls love the romantic type." he continued.
"Got it."
"Keep your cool, don't be nervous, the minute you lose your cool is the minute you lose you're girl."
"Got it."
"And the final, ultimate, most important rule..."
"SWAG!" they both shouted in unison before striking a pose in the middle of the road catching the attention of everypony nearby including Rainbow Dash, who was laying overhead on a cloud, just waking up from her evening nap.
"BWAHAHA!! What're you two doing?!" her voice echoing down from the cloud she rested upon.
"Rainbow Dash! Wha-What are you doing up there?!" his face a bright red from having been caught in the middle of his humiliating pose.
"I was taking a nap..." she explained as she started to float down from her cloud "...but who'd of thought I'd wake up to you two posing like dorks in the middle of street! That was priceless!"
Lorio's blush deepened.
"Remember: Confidence, romance, cool, and swag..." Rito's voice whispered in his ear before fading away.
"Wh-wha-" he turned to where his friend was supposed to be only to be met with an empty space. He looked around in desperation "Rito! Don't leave!"
"Say wha?"
"Rainbow!" he jumped back a bit, caught off guard by her sudden appearance behind him.
"The one and only!" she proudly proclaimed.
"H-How was your n-nap..?" he stuttered.
"It was...alright I guess. I had a dream." a look of slight discontent came to her face going unnoticed by Lorio, staring at the ground, too embarrassed to look her in the eyes he loved so much. "Are you alright though? That's a pretty bad stutter you got there."
A look of realization came over him as he remembered his friends words "Confidence, romance, cool, swag..." he whispered to himself before raising his head. He took a deep breath and faced Rainbow Dash who was standing there a bit confused. "A dream huh? Well don't worry 'cuz I'm your dream come true!" an awkward smile and a wink soon followed his words.
Rainbow Dash stood there face in full confusion as she processed his words.
"What.Have.I.Done?" he thought to himself as his heartbeat became erratic and he started to sweat.
Her expression gradually started to shift from confused to a smile.
"D-Did it work...?" Lorio nervously thought to himself.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!! Just when I thought you couldn't get any funnier!" She fell over on the ground holding her stomach.
Lorio, now the one with the confused expression. "Wha...?"
"That was the corniest thing I've ever heard! Good one Lorio!" still laughing hysterically.
"Y-Yeah..." he disappointingly sighed "...good one." he dropped his head in despair. "She doesn't even take me seriously as a coltfriend." he thought to himself.
After several minutes of laughing Rainbow Dash finally stood up still trying to catch her breath. "Ahh...Celestia knows how long it's been since I laughed that hard!"
Lorio stood, hanging his head silently.
"My dream..." she started.
"Hm?" raising his head.
"Do you want to know about my dream? Pinkie's welcoming party isn't for another hour or so. If you want I could tell you about my dream in the meantime...ya know to pass the time."
A small ray of hope found it's way into the young stallion's heart.
"Uhm...sure! I'd love to!" he regained some of his excitement. "This could be my chance to clearly express myself..." he thought. "It's now or never."
The two started down the road, casually walking along side by side under the orange glow of the sky.
As the sun began to set on Ponyville, many ponies could be seen flocking to Sugarcube Corner. Among them were Lorio and Rainbow Dash, slowly making their way to the location. Lorio was fully engrossed Rainbow Dash's unraveling of her dream, enjoying her company as ponies steadily passed them by.
"Your foalhood friend?" Lorio questioned.
"Yea we grew up together." she casually answered.
"What about her?" continuing his interrogation.
"He was my best friend." she emphasized, giggling a bit at Lorio's assumption of him being female.
"Was...?" he thought to himself, immediately jumping to the worst possible conclusion "Well, what about him?" he asked, nervous as to what the answer might be.
"In the dream we were foals, racing like we always did when whenever we had free time, except this time I was in the lead." she explained.
He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he tried to process the thought of the Rainbow Dash being second to anypony in a race.
"Everything was awesome and I was in top form, he wasn't even in my sight!" she continued explaining, getting a bit excited as she did. "But then..." the tone in her voice became gloomy as she moved her face towards the ground.
"Then...?" he questioned as horrible scenarios filled his mind.
"When I crossed the finish line...he wasn't there..."
"Wha-What happened to him?" he asked, his heart pounding under the suspense.
"Nothing happened after that, I woke up. I think it had something to do with him moving away." her casual demeanor returning to her once again.
"Oh..." he sighed in relief. "He meant a lot to you didn't he?"
"You bet your flank he did!" she exploded with excitement catching Lorio a bit off guard. "I looked up to Mach almost as much as the Wonderbolts!"
"Mach?"
"Yea his name was Mach Speed." she quickly answered before returning to her exciting accounts of her past friend. "He was fearless and loved a challenge! There was nothing he didn't dare to do even when it came to the most extreme stunts, he pulled them off without breaking a sweat! To top it all off, he was the only pegasus in Cloudsdale I couldn't beat in a race, he was my goal! We even made a pact to join the Wonderbolts together one day." her face was beaming with nostalgia and good memories. "But...then he left..." her gloomy tone returning a bit.
Starting to feel a bit of jealousy fester inside of him, Lorio hung his head. "W-Where'd he leave to?" he asked halfheartedly.
"I'm not sure, he just sorta up and left without saying anything." she turned head upwards and began to stare off into the clouds.
"Doesn't sound like a very good friend if he would just leave without even saying anything." his words carried a hint of an attitude. "Or maybe...he's more than a friend." he suggested.
A light pink came over Rainbow's sky blue cheeks "Wha-What's that supposed to mean?! Y-You don't know what you're talking about!" she stumbled, becoming a bit flustered.
"Excuse me, may I pass?" A brown stallion standing behind the two politely asked.
They both looked over their shoulders to see they were now standing at the entrance to Sugarcube Corner which was now packed with ponies, all having a good time dancing and laughing.
"Rainbow over here!" a voice called out.
Rainbow, just entering the building alongside Lorio, looked around the room tracing the voice back to Twilight, smiling and waving at her, surrounded by her other four friends.
"I'll catch ya later Lorio, it was nice talking to ya!" she dashed off to greet her friends before he could reply.
"W-Wait!" he started in her direction only to be stopped by a hoof coming around his neck puling him farther away from Rainbow.
"Dude, you have to come meet these two mares I've been talking to. They are smokin'." a familar voice suggested as he continued to be dragged away.
"Rito?!" he called out.
"I swear mares like these only come around once in a lifetime." he continued, ignoring his friend.
"Dude! Where were you?!" he questioned as he struggled to force his way out of Rito's grip. "How could you leave me in a situation like that?!" finally managing to break free. "And what was with that advice?! Swag?! She literally fell over laughing at me! Not cool man, not cool."
"Aww don't be like that! I mean, think about how I would've felt being the third wheel and all. Besides, the way I see it, I gave you the perfect chance to spill your guts to her..." he slid next to Lorio giving him two soft jabs in the side with his elbow. "So how'd it go?" he asked nosily adding a devious smile and winking.
Lorio stood in silence for a moment reviewing their conversation in his head. He swiftly smacked his hoof against his face in realization. "I didn't get to tell her..." he moaned, his face still buried in his hoof.
"Are you kidding me? You couldn't have asked for a better opportunity! It was you and her, together, strolling along with the sunset in the distance..." he motioned his hoof across the entire room aimlessly as if to change the room into the scene he was describing. "...and you just forgot?" he ended his romantic scene description, shaking his head.
"I didn't forget!" Lorio snapped. "We started talking about her foalhood friend. His name was Mach Speed."
Rito raised an eyebrow and brought a hoof over his muzzle, rubbing it in a sideways manner as he started to go into deep thought "I know I've heard that name before..." the words echoed in his mind.
"She said she had a dream about them as foals. They were racing and when she crossed the finish line he wasn't there which was because he moved away..." he started explaining to his friend.
Rito, however, was still deep in thought, eyes closed lightly tapping the side of his head repeatedly "Mach Speed...Mach Speed..." he repeated, trying not to lose his train of thought.
"Then she started going on about how much she looked up to him and how awesome he was and got really excited. I got a bit jealous..." he continued.
"Oh I remember!" Rito excitedly yelled as he finally managed to recall the origin of the familiar name.
"Are you even listening?!" Lorio angrily glared at him.
"You say something?" Rito turned to him honestly confused as he had not been paying attention.
Just then the lights went out and the music stopped and one spotlight shone down in the center of the room. There, in the middle of the spotlight stood Pinkie Pie, most ponies surrounded the outside of the light with their attention on her as she began to speak as others were still scattered about the room.
"First, I would like to thank everypony for coming out for tonight's welcoming party!!" she jumped around as she said.
Whispers and looks of confusion came about the room as most ponies didn't even know it was a welcoming party.
Pinkie continued her speech "Now let's give a big Ponyville welcome to tonight's guest of honor...um...uh..."
"Mach" a smooth, deep voice answered for her.
Lorio was in the middle of fussing at Rito for not paying attention to him while he was talking, and Rainbow Dash was drinking an entire bowl of punch that she had lifted to her face, but they both immediately paused what they were doing and steadily turned their attention to the crowd of ponies surrounding the spotlight still unsure if what they had just heard was true.
A tall pegasus with a white coat that rivaled even Rarity's, and a long, flowing light blue mane and tail entered into the spotlight, revealing himself.
"My name is Mach Speed."
Tsss!
A glass shattered into pieces as it fell to the ground, bringing the attention of nearby ponies to the wide-eyed Lorio, who had backed into a table in his shock. No...not him...not now...please. He begged in his thoughts to himself for this not to actually be happening, for all of this to not be real...but it was. He felt the reality of it all too well. There, standing in the middle of the room, was Rainbow's dream, his worst nightmare.
"Mach! Where have you been?!" she yelled as she ran towards him at full speed.
"Dash? Dash, is that y-" he was cut off by Rainbow tackling him to the ground in a friendly, but still rather agressive, manner before she began to wrestle with him, both of them laughing and smiling.
Rito turned to his shocked friend and could only manage a lame joke as a means to cheer him up. "Well, you know what they say: 'Twas better to have loved and lost, than to have never have loved at all' I guess, in your case though, you didn't have her in the first place!" he smiled at his friend only to be met with a look that could only be interpreted as "not now."
The heart-broken pony wiped his face with his forehoof, sighed, and hung his head in a defeated manner as he trotted out the door into the streets of Ponyville under the night sky.
Rito followed a few steps behind him, silently cursing himself for saying such a thing to his heart-broken friend. "Um..." he hesitated. "I'm sorry dude."
"For what?" Lorio's voice hardly had any life in it.
"That stupid joke, it was uncalled for...and the thing with Rainbow Dash."
"Forget it. I think it's time I moved on. Rainbow needs a guy like him, with something to offer. I can't give her anything, she was out of my league anyways." The stallion's tone resembled that of a soldier who had survived a lost war. There was no hope, no need to keep going.
Rito couldn't bear to see his friend in such a defeated state, he knew he had to do something to cheer him up. "You can't just give up! How do you know she even likes that guy? It's been a while since Rainbow has seen him maybe he's changed for the worse or something! How can you say you love her if you're willing to just give up on her that easily?!" the usually goofy and nonchalant Rito was desperately trying to cheer up his friend.
"But...she was so happy when she saw him."
"Happy doesn't mean in love ."
Lorio's head perked up a bit. "Maybe...maybe you're right."
"Maybe's are for babies! We both know I'm right!" he started to revert to his goofy self as he noticed his friend's depression receding.
"Yeah...yeah! I may still have a shot after all!" More life could be sensed flowing back into his voice. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
"She could totally reject you, get with Mach and break your heart into a million pieces, emotionally scarring you for life, leaving you unable to believe in love and being alone for the rest of your life." he answered Lorio's rhetorical question with the worst possible scenario causing Lorio to hang his head once more. "I-I was just kidding dude! You got this ehehe..."
Back inside Sugarcube Corner, one rainbow-maned pegasus was ecstatic to see her long lost friend.
Rainbow Dash was wrestling with her long lost friend "This is payback for all the time you've been gone!" She had him pinned with his stomach to the ground.
"Well, if I remember correctly, racing wasn't the only thing I kicked your flank in." he snidely remarked as he flipped his foalhood friend over the side and pinned her back to the ground.
"Yeah, but I'm not the same mare I was since you left!" Dash managed to slip out one of her wings from the floor and forcefully flapped, batting him in the head and knocking him back.
Mach rubbed his head with his hoof, smiling at his friend letting her know he was alright. "I see you've been practicing huh Dash?" he continued rubbing his head and smiling, not wanting to give in to the pain he was experiencing.
"You don't even know the half of it! There's so much we need to catch up on! You have to meet my friends! We saved Equestria twice! Not too shabby huh?" she bragged a bit before continuing her rambling. "I have so many new tricks to show you, and did you know I could do a double rainboom just like when I got my cutie mark? Oh, and I can clear Ghastly Gorge just like you now...sorta. I've gotten so much better, I bet I could beat even you in a race now! " Her excitement reached it's peak when the idea of racing crossed her mind. "Yeah! A race! Let's go! You and me! Right here, right-"
"Dash!" Mach cut her off, bringing her excitement to a pause. "I'm really happy to see you and all, but racing is a no go." he told the still excited Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, well if your'e not feeling it right now we can wait till tomorrow! I don't want to kick your flank until you've had your rest!" she teased.
"No Rainbow, racing is a no go ever ." He moved his face away from Rainbow in shame.
Dash sat there confused, wondering what he meant. Surely the friend she knew from her foalhood hadn't given up on the one thing he truly loved? The one thing the both loved more than anything. "What are you talking about? You love racing!" she shouted confidently.
"Yeah, but things aren't the same..." Mach spread both his wings fully, revealing one strong, pristine white wing on his left, and one torn wing missing a feather or two on his right. "...at least not for me."
It was already late when Lorio and Rito left the party as they headed back to their homes. The two friends lived really close to each other with only one house in between them. On their way to their places, the topic of conversation changed from Rainbow Dash and Mach, giving Lorio an emotional break for the night. The two walked side-by-side down the dimly lit streets of Ponyville rambling on about anything that happened to cross their minds.
"Yeah, Gusty didn't talk to us for a month after that!" Rito laughed a bit finishing one of many stories he and Lorio shared.
"It was worth it though!" Lorio laughed harder, wiping a tear from his eye. "Hey, whatever happened to Gusty though? I haven't seen him in a while even though he lives right between us." he rubbed his chin with his hoof questioningly.
"You don't remember? Gusty moved to Canterlot last week. He said something about being with his relatives."
"Oh, that's right!" he brought one of his hooves down on the other in realization.
"Yeah dude, someone's already moved into his place."
"Oh really? What's our new neighbor's name?"
"Ma-" Rito quickly shut his own mouth with his hoof before he went any further.
"What?" The brown pegasus asked suspiciously.
"Uh...nothing."
"Sure..." Lorio dismissed his friend's weird behavior.
Rito wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead in relief. "Look we're here!" he pointed ahead at his house. "Come on dude!" Rito dashed towards his house.
"Wait up!" Lorio began to run after him. He dashed after his friend and even overtook him laughing a bit. "I'll catch ya later man!" he yelled as he passed Rito's house, but just as he began to run past the house in between the two he smacked into a solid figure, knocking him on his back. "Oww..." he rubbed his head in pain searching for the figure he ran into. "Who put a wall he-" he stopped as he began to see a familiar stallion with a white coat and blue mane looking down at him.
"Are you ok?" the stallion asked reaching out a hoof.
Lorio could only manage to stare at him in disbelief before trying to confirm the suspicions he held in his head "Mach..?"
"Oh, you must've been at the party. Yeah I'm Mach Speed nice to meet you. You are?" he kept his hoof stretched out to him.
"L-Lorio" he stuttered before grabbing his hoof and being pulled forward with amazing force.
"Well, nice to meet you neighbor!" he gave the still shocked stallion a tight embrace.
"Hey, I'm Rito, your other neighbor." the caramel pegasus introduced himself having finally caught up to his friend.
"How's it going?" he asked before adding him to the embrace not giving him a chance to answer.
Having finally regained his senses and understanding of the situation, Lorio started to wiggle his way out of the well-built pegasus' grip.
"You guys should come in and play some games!" he suggested before releasing both of them, dropping them to the ground. "I think we could all use a little relaxing after what went down at that party right?"
"What are you talking about?" Lorio became a bit lost.
"You mean you didn't see what went down with me and Dash?"
Lorio shook his head. "No, we left."
"Well come in and I'll tell you all about it." he opened the door a bit.
The pegasus reluctantly entered into his rival's home, curious as to what happened between him and Rainbow. Rito eagerly followed behind him, his mind filled with thoughts of gaming. The inside was definitely that of someone who was just moving in. Taped boxes and random items decorated the floor. The only noticeable pieces of furniture was a table with a couch and chair around it.
Lorio and Rito sat in the unoccupied couch as Mach moved over to the chair.
"So, what happened?" Lorio got straight to the point.
"Don't want to waste any time huh?" Mach chuckled a bit. "Well it went like this..."
-------------Flashback-------------
"Yeah, but things aren't the same..." Mach spread both his wings fully, revealing one strong, pristine white wing on his left, and one torn wing missing a feather or two on his right. "...at least not for me."
"Wha...?" Rainbow's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. "H-how did this happen?"
"After I left Cloudsdale I couldn't stop thinking about our promise" he started. "I trained and trained everyday with dreams of flying with the Wonderbolts in my head. I trained my hardest until one day I was selected to try out for the Wonderbolts. You should've seen it Dash! I was in top form! Nopony could keep up with me!" he began to wave his hoof around in his excitement. "I made it down to the last test: An obstacle course race with the other two finalists. Everything was going great, I was clearing every obstacle easy! I was in the lead for most of the race, but then on the last lap I got comfortable and cocky. I didn't see anypony around me and the finish line was just in front of me so I lowered my guard for a bit. The pegasus in second dashed past me while I was caught off guard and it threw me off my course. I lost control and rammed into one of the obstacles. I woke up in the hospital with my wing like this and the doctor telling me there's a good chance I'll never fly again." he lowered his head to the ground.
"But that doesn't mean you can't try!" Rainbow shouted at him in her frustration bringing the music to a stop and everypony's attention to them. "The Mach I knew would never just give up like this!"
"Do you see my wing? It's not about me giving up! It's about being realistic, and realistically I'll never fly again!" he snapped back at her. "Forget my wing Dash, my dream is gone now but you still have a shot. I'll still be there, except instead of flying next to you I'll be cheering from the stands."
"But-" she was cut off before she could argue.
"I won't be flying again Dash, looks like you're the best now." he half-heartedly chuckled.
Rainbow lifted herself into the air, on the verge of tears. "Why did you have to come back?! I hate you! Just leave!" she sped out of the door in a flash leaving her familiar rainbow streaks behind her as she did so.
Mach stood there silently looking at the exit she took, surrounded by whispering ponies.
-------------End------------
"...and that's the story." Mach concluded.
"Oh man...I'm sorry." Lorio felt sympathy for the broken-winged pegasus.
"Nah don't worry about it, I've come to terms with it already. That's life right?"
"What about Rainbow? How is she doing?" he asked, obviously more concerned for her.
"Who knows? I've never seen Rainbow come that close to crying but I'm sure she'll get over it sooner or later. I mean, mares am I r-"
A hoof came down on the table with considerable force, the sound silencing Mach.
"What do you mean 'who knows?' You should! How dare you just turn away from her with her feeling like that?!"
Mach and Rito were stunned by the sudden outburst by the usually reserved Lorio.
Lorio made his way to the door, putting a hoof on it ready to open it before turning back to Mach. "You don't deserve her, and I won't let you have her, because..." the pony grit his teeth and gulped. "...because I love Rainbow Dash!" He pushed the door open as fast as he could, ready to make a run for his home only to be met with a wide-eyed Rainbow Dash with her hoof poised to knock.
"W-What?"
A dream...please let this be a dream. Lorio's thoughts echoed in his head as he tried to get a better grasp on the situation. A confession, not only in the presence of his rival but to his love as well. He begged and searched for any solution that would make this situation disappear, but the clarity of Dash's question confirmed the reality of this moment for him.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Lorio paused for a moment. Maybe Rainbow didn't hear him, maybe there was a way out for him after all he began to consider. But a quick glance at Rainbow's face revealed she heard Lorio's confession loud and clear. Well, there's no turning back now. It's all or nothing. he thought to himself as he took one of the deepest breathes he'd ever taken in his life and stared Rainbow square in the eyes.
"I said I love you...Rainbow Dash." Lorio stood there, frozen, heart in his throat and butterflies in his stomach as Rito and Mach sat in the house half surprised and half anxious for Rainbow's response.
"Aww! I love you too dude!" she smiled and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "I love all my friends." she added.
"Ouch..." Rito and Mach simultaneously cringed at Rainbow's unintentional misunderstanding of Lorio's feelings.
"That's exactly what I was here to say...sort of." Rainbow turned her face to the ground and began to rub the back of her head."I want to apologize to you, Mach. It was kinda selfish of me to push you to race again without thinking about how you-"
Mach wrapped one hoof around Rainbow's neck and proceeded to give her a noogie as he chuckled. "Aww Dash, I don't remember you being this sappy! What happened?" He laughed more.
"Darn it Mach! You know I hate it when you do this!" Rainbow blushed as she struggled to free herself from Mach's grip.
Rito couldn't help but smile at the child-like atmosphere the two gave off from their friendly rough housing before turning his attention back to his best friend who, for the second time that night, trudged out of the door and into the streets, heartbroken. "Lorio wait!" Rito charged after his friend.
"Leave me alone!" Lorio took to the sky leaving his wingless companion on the ground.
Rito was soon joined by Mach and a messy-mained Rainbow Dash.
"Geez, what's his deal?" Rainbow asked only to be answered by blank stares from Mach and Rito. "What?"
The both sighed in unison.
"That was harsh Rainbow." Rito said as he made his way towards his home.
"It looks like you have somepony else to apologize to Dash." Mach added as he walked into his home closing the door behind him.
Rainbow Dash stood alone in the dark streets of Ponyville, confused and deep in thought. "What the hay just happened?! Somepony else to apologize to? Lorio? What did I do to him?" Rainbow paced back and forth trying to answer the many questions that filled her head. "Ahh! Forget it I should just go talk to him!" Rainbow took off with the speed she was very well known for, searching for Lorio.
After circling the skies of Ponyville a few times Dash landed on a nearby cloud to catch her breath. "Where is he? Ponyville isn't that big. Where in Equestria is that little-" Dash's rant was interrupted by the subtle sounds of sniffing and sobbing. There, to her right was Lorio, sitting on a small cloud, head down and eyes teary.
Rainbow silently and swiftly snuck onto the cloud he sat upon "What's the matter with you?"
"Ah!" Lorio went on the defensive in his fright. "Dash! Wha-why?" the startled pegasus struggled to regain his composure.
"Mach said something about apologizing to you. I'm not sure what I did but...sorry 'bout that. So we cool?" Dash's apology was a perfect exemplification of her laid back approach to everything.
Lorio turned away from Rainbow and lowered his head.
Rainbow sighed as she found her place next to Lorio on the small cloud. "Look I know I'm not good at this whole apology thing, especially when I don't know what it is I've done but I already told you at Mach's place: I love all my friends. Just tell me what's wrong and I promise I'll do my best to help."
Lorio couldn't help but be taken aback by the sincerity in Rainbow's voice. Never has he seen her this sentimental. "Can I tell you a story?"
"Huh?" the only response she managed to find in response to his sudden question.
"A story. I want to tell it to you."
"Uhh...sure." Rainbow made herself more comfortable in her position on the cloud.
"There was once a beautiful princess" he started. "All of her stallion friends were in love with her, but because of her view of the world she could only see them as friendly confessions. Everypony began to think the princess didn't know what love was and she would never find her prince. One day, one of her friends walked up to her, kissed his hoof, and placed it over her eyes. When he took his hoof away he said, 'I love you' and the princess' heart fluttered as she knew what he meant. His love for her opened her eyes and her heart." Lorio looked over to Rainbow. He stared in awe as he was met with the most beautiful scene he could ever imagine. The sun had began to rise behind her, the rays of light pointed out from behind her in such a fashion that made her seem like a goddess. Her entire body started to glow as the light from the new sun began to touch her and the sky surrounding them, creating the most beautiful mix of light and beauty around him.
"Lorio, that was a great story, but what does it have to do with you?"
Lorio brought his hoof to his lips, then placed it placed it gently over Rainbow's eyes as he repeated himself for the third time. "I love you."
I'm sorry I've been away for a while but college is...college. It got to the point where I forgot I was writing this I was surprised when I came on to see I was 5 chapters deep in a story. But whatever the case may be thanks to everyone who has been reading and still following. I appreciate it!
Lorio's chest tightened as he withdrew his hoof from Rainbow's eyes. He could tell by the light shade of red the replaced her usual light-blue visage that there was no misunderstandings this time. The two awkwardly sat in silence, neither attempting to make eye contact. Clouds slowly drifted overhead as the two pegasi attempted to sort out their feelings.
"Umm," Rainbow started, breaking the silence, "Ya know, nopopny ever told me they loved me in that way before." Her cheeks were still rosy as she gazed down at the could she sat upon.
'W-Well?" he stammered, eagerly awaiting her response.
"Well...I think it's sweet of you, I really do, but—" She stopped.
The stallion's heart dropped, "But...?"
Rainbow took a deep breath, "But I just don't see you that way," she finished.
The dreads that fashioned Lorio's mane shifted forward at the lowering of his head, covering his expression of despair. "Oh..I see..." His voice cracked a bit. He fought with all his might trying to hold back his tears.
"You're a really nice guy, seriously, but I live a pretty fast life and I just don't think you'd be able to keep up with me." She tried her best to justify her reasons, but it was apparent that Lorio's heart had already been broken.
He turned to her, and conjured up his best fake smile, "I understand."
She placed a hoof on his shoulder and gently kissed him on the cheek, "I'm sorry," she said as she took off from the cloud, leaving the stallion alone.
Lorio brought his attention to the rainbow streaks she left behind her, the light from the moon giving them a radiant glow. The glow soon became blurred by the tears that reached the rim of his eyes. He brought a hoof to the place on his cheek Rainbow kissed and felt a warm tear trail over it. The heart-broken pegasus continued staring until the streaks were no longer visible, and his only company was the moon.
The door to Lorio's house flung open, startling Rito who had been sleeping on his couch. "Dude, where were you? Do you know what time it is?"
"I was..." he hesitated, recalling the events that took place on the cloud, "I was talking to Rainbow Dash."
Rito gasped in excitement and rushed to his friend, closed the door behind him, and shoved him over to the couch he was resting on. "Don't keep me waiting man, how'd it go?" he anxiously asked.
Lorio sighed and averted his eyes from his friend.
Rito noticed the trail of dried tears on the stallions cheeks accompanied by the redness surrounding his pupils, "Oh...I'm sorry man." he wrapped a hoof around his shoulders in comfort.
He forced another smile out of himself, "It's ok, at least she didn't punch me in the face," he joked.
"So what exactly happened?" Rito asked.
"To make a long story short, I can't keep up with her."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rito scratched his head in confusion.
"I guess it means she's attracted to fast stallions." He slouched into the couch in a depressed manner.
Rito scratched his chin, "Well when it comes to speed you aren't really—" He turned to notice his friend's familiar "not now" face. "Uhh...nevermind," he chuckled.
"Anyways, that's the end of that. I can move on with my life now at least."
His friend jumped from his seat, "Whoa whoa whoa. Just like that? All you have to do is get faster! Dude, I can totally help you out."
"No, that's alright." He rose from his seat, smiled, and placed a hoof on his friend's shoulder. "I finally got my answer and that's enough for me."
Rito sighed and lowered, "No, you can't."
"Hm?"
"Dude, ever since the day I met you you've only done things halfheartedly and were too timid and scared to try any harder. Trying to win Rainbow's heart is the only thing you've ever done with passion, and what kind of friend would I be to let you give up on that?"
Lorio withdrew his hoof from his pal's shoulder, his facial expression warping into that of sadness, "I know that, but what am I supposed to do? I'm just not her type," he argued.
A huge smile came over Rito's face, "Well all you have to do is become faster right? In that case I can help you out."
Lorio raised an eyebrow, "How are you planning to do that? I was only a few numbers ahead of Fluttershy when we we're moving the water to Cloudsdale, and if you didn't notice you're a unicorn. How are you gonna help a pegasus get faster?"
"Don't even worry about," Rito disregarded his friend's points, "I've got it all worked out. You see..." Rito went on to explain his plan to his friend. Lorio's eyes widening as he unraveled his plan further. They both took turns speaking and with each return of words, Lorio became more and more shocked.
At the end of the explanation Lorio stood in silence for a while, deep in thought. "That could work but..." he took a deep breath, "...but I don't know if I can wait the long or even if she will."
"At this point what do you have to lose? She already rejected you so just think of this as you going out with a fight."
"Sounds like a lot of work but if it gives me another chance with Rainbow then I'm all for it!" Lorio threw a balled hoof in the air, filled with passion and excitement for his and Rito's plan.
"That's the spirit!" He threw a hoof in the air along with his friend, "Well, I think I'll be heading home; I'm pretty tired." he yawned.
Lorio checked the clock hanging on his wall, "Whoa, I should probably hit the hay as well." he agreed. "Goodnight man."
"Night." Rito and his friend bumped hooves and waved goodbye as he trotted out the door, closing it behind him.
The door slammed shut and Lorio made his way to his room. He threw himself onto his bed and tossed and turn until he found a comfortable position. He found himself staring directly out the window straight at the moon before dozing off.
BUM BUM BUM
Lorio's eyes half opened, the mysterious sounds breaking his sleep.
BUM BUM BUM
The sounds came louder the second time. The sleepy pegasus rose from his slumber to silence the annoying sound. "The door?" he questioned.
BUM BUM BUM
"I'm coming!" he yelled as he approached the door. He slowly opened the door not surprised to see his cap-wearing friend standing in the entrance with some luggage. "Why are you here so early?" he asked.
"Dude, it's the middle of the day, you were supposed to be ready by now." Rito retorted.
Lorio threw his eyes in the direction of the clock on his wall, "What?!" he shrieked in disbelief, "Aw man just give me a few minutes!" Lorio dashed up to his room, pulled out a brown suitcase, and began furiously throwing anything he could find into the suitcase. "Ok, that should be enough." He stared at the small mountain of objects atop the even smaller suitcase. He began to force the case close just barely able to flip the latch over the opening. Jetting back downstairs with his luggage in hand, he smiled at his friend.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Ready," Lorio confirmed. He turned and locked the door behind him. "Let's go." They both started walking down the street.
"Just so you know," Rito started, "This isn't going to be a walk in the park. In fact, he may even be harder on you because I'm the one asking."
"Yeah, I got it." Lorio answered his friend but his mind was focused on his surroundings. All the ponies trotting about, the buildings, and the sky.
Rito noticed his friend's wandering mind and could guess what he was weighing so heavily on his thoughts. He firmly smacked him on the back, "Cheer up! We'll be back!" he assured his friend.
Lorio almost lost his balance from his friend's assault before catching himself and turning to Rito. "Yeah, I know, I just wish I could say goodbye to Rainbow Dash before I leave."
"Well why don't you? She's right over there." Rito pointed a hoof down the road where Rainbow was standing just outside Sugarcube Corner.
"Rainbow!" He dashed towards her at full speed. Rainbow noticed him running towards her and was backing up a bit as he was getting closer but not slowing down. He noticed he was just a few feet from her before he finally tried to stop himself completely, causing him to stumble and slide to her hooves.
"Umm...Lorio?" she quizzically inquired.
He sprang to his feet, "Uh...I-I," he stuttered, "I-I..."
Rainbow stared at him with a confused look.
He closed his eyes, remembering last night and Rito's plan. He opened his eyes and stared back into hers, causing Rainbow to blush a bit. "Just wait for me okay?"
"W-Wha—" Rainbow was cut off by the feeling of Lorio's lips on her cheeks.
Lorio took off leaving Rainbow standing in front of the candy-made house, face a deep red and her hoof on her cheek.
Lorio made it back to his friend, blushing and panting heavily.
"Well shall we go?" Rito asked.
The corner of the brown pegasus' mouth spread from one red cheek to the other, "Yup!"
With no hesitation they both started further down the road past a sign that read, "You are now leaving Ponyville."
~4 months later~
"Run!"
"What do you think I'm doing?!"
"Run faster! We're going to miss it!"
"Don't worry! I'm sure we'll make it in time!"
-----Meanwhile-----
"Okay everypony, listen up! By some sort of weird coincidence Ponyville will be responsible for moving water up to Cloudsdale for a second year in a row!" Whispers could be heard through the fairly large crowd of pegasi that occupied the building. "But all that means is we get a second chance to show the Wonderbolts what we're made of!"
A single cough was heard from the group.
"Thunderlane!" she growled.
The stallion awkwardly smiled as he pulled out out some cough drops and tossed a hoof full of them in his mouth.
"There will be absolutely nopony getting sick this year! Now then, we—"
Boom!
Everypony's head snapped to the back of the room where two panting stallions came rushing in.
"We're here!" the lighter of the two yelled.
"Lorio?! Rito?!" Rainbow Dash's face perfectly reflected just how confused she was.
The two stood in the middle of a small crowd, greeting some of their friends.
Rainbow snapped out of her bewildered state with a quick shacking of her head. "O-Okay! Everypony out to the training grounds!" she ordered. "Except you two!" She pointed a hoof at Lorio and Rito. I need to have a word with you! Once the room was emptied, she flew down to the front of them. She stared at them with a less than pleased look on her face for a while before finally breaking the silence. "Where the heck have you two been?!"
The pair simultaneously cringed at her sudden outburst. "Uhh," Lorio started, "glad to see your doing well, Rainbow. I missed you." The stallion awkwardly chuckled.
She punched him in the shoulder with considerable force, cheeks red as a rose. "Shut up!"
"Ow!" he cried out in pain. "You pack one heck of a punch." He laughed the pain off but still felt the sting of her punch. He wondered how such a beautiful mare was able to generate that much force.
Rainbow eyed the pegasus' body. "You've gotten bigger."
"Guess I have huh?" he agreed, finally noticing the slight difference in their height.
"Yeah, our little wuss has grown into a big wuss," Rito joked.
"I see you haven't changed much, Rito."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
The three ponies' necks twisted towards the door as Mach came barging in.
"Hey, Dash! Am I late for the meeting?" he asked.
Rainbow only responded with a frustrated sigh and a facehoof.
"You're just in time, Mach." Lorio grabbed Rainbow's hoof and lead her towards the door. "We were just heading to the training grounds. Isn't that right Rainbow?"
"S-Sure," she agreed hesitantly as they all headed for the track. "You're gonna answer my questions after this," she whispered to Lorio, receiving only a nod in reply.
Pegasi were scattered about all over the training grounds doing various workouts. Some doing laps around the track, some doing wing-ups, and some doing some stretching. Lorio took note of the absence of Fluttershy, who proved to be really helpful last year.
"Did Fluttershy run away this year too?" Lorio inquired.
"Nah," she answered waving her hoof. "Fluttershy has her own training regimen that she does with all her animal friends. It worked out last year so I figured why not let her go for it again."
"Makes sense."
After a few more minutes of warming up Rainbow was lining up everypony for test flying.
"Alright! Everypony line up! Time for some flight tests." The pegasi obeyed as they lined up at the starting line of the track. Spike and Twilight were standing off to the side at the finish line with their anemometer. "Alright! Who's up first?"
Mach Speed stepped up to the line, earning himself a sideways glance from a few ponies.
"Mach, what about your wing?" Rainbow asked, worried.
"My rehab for the past few months has been going well. I can't ever fly as fast as I used to but I can't still contribute a small amount," he explained.
Rainbow lowered her head. "Yeah but..."
"Trust me, Dash, nopony knows my body better than me!" He smiled reassuringly.
Rainbow smiled back punching him in the shoulder playfully. "Fine, but don't expect me to feel sorry for you if you hurt yourself, idiot."
"I hear ya," he laughed before taking his position on the starting line.
"Whenever you're ready," Rainbow informed.
Mach nodded and lowered himself into a starting position that could only be described as professional. A testament to his former glory. He spread his wings apart and presented a strong, healthy left wing and a right wing that was feeble in comparison. His wing did look much better from the time Rainbow first saw it but she still worried for him.
The entire track was silent as everypony watched the formerly crippled pegasus readying himself at the starting line. His wings began to beat rapidly. Everypony was staring wide-eyed as if they were expecting him to give out at any moment but Mach just kept beating. Soon his hindlegs were off the ground and soon after that he took off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
Rainbow didn't know if it was her imagination but he seemed to be going rather fast. He sped down the track and in a matter of seconds zoomed past Twilight and Spike. The gust of wind he'd generated behind him knocked them off balance and spun the anemometer furiously.
Once Twilight regained her posture she immediately checked the readings. Her mouth hung open in disbelief at the number. "T-Ten point seven wingpower!"
The entire crowd gasped in awe but was soon replaced by cheering. The mare in the crowd were especially cheerful. One loud "I love you, Mach!" cut clear through the crowd.
Rainbow stared in disbelief as the broken-winged Mach speed was still able to break ten wingpower.
After the cheering died down Rainbow continued with the flight tests. "Next!" she ordered.
One by one ponies sped past the anemometer at respectable speeds but Mach held the top speed for the day, a few others only coming close. The number of ponies at the starting line gradually whittled down.
"Anypony left?" Rainbow asked.
"Are you forgetting about me already?" Lorio answered. "I want to show off too."
"Alright then, let's get this over with." she sighed.
"Not so fast." He stuck a hoof in the air. "I want to propose a deal."
Rainbow raised and eyebrow at him. "What kind of deal?"
"The 'if I beat Mach's wingpower you go on a date with me' kind of deal."
This elicited a playful "ooo" from the surrounding ponies, a few whistles became apparent as well.
Rainbow's face was lit a bright red. "I already told you, Lorio, I don't—"
"I'm not asking you to like me, just to go out on a date with me," he interrupted.
Rainbow stood in silent thought for a moment. She turned her head to the group of pegasuses around them. A few whispered "say yes". She turned to Twilight and Spike. They both shrugged simultaneously, not knowing what to do. Finally, she turned to Mach who simply smiled.
Rainbow hung her head and let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, I'll play along."
"Alright!" Lorio exclaimed as the crowd cheered.
"Whenever you're ready."
Lorio immediately took his place on the starting line.
"Are you sure about this Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, why not? His wingpower last year was six. Since then he hasn't even trained and just disappeared for almost five months. I don't think I have anything to—"
Rainbow was cut off as she was knocked to the ground by a gust of wind she could've mistaken for a hurricane had she not know the weather team had no such thing scheduled today. The wind swept up a huge cloud of dust and knocked a few ponies back. When the dust finally settled everypony was staring at the track waiting to see what caused such a force.
It was none other than Lorio who was standing at the end of the track. "How fast was that?" he asked, confident he beat Mach's record.
Twilight rushed over to the anemometer still a little dazed from the force of the gust she'd been hit with. Upon viewing the numbers she stood silent, frozen with shock.
"Come on, Twilight! Don't keep us waiting," Spike ordered.
"Eight..."
"Eight?" Rainbow asked, confused."That's it?"
"...teen point five."
"What?!"
Author's Note
Whoooo!!! It's been a while right? Sorry but college is one hell of a thing and honestly Rainbow Streaks being my very first story is also my worst so I didn't really want to write it that much and was thinking about cancelling it but I forgot how much fun I had writing it and as long as someone's reading it then I suppose I have no excuse.
I hope you all enjoy!
"Are you sure you're reading that thing right?" Rainbow trotted up to the anemometer to observe its readings with her own eyes. The mechanism, however, only confirmed Twilight's words. "Eighteen point five? This thing must be busted or something."
"There's no way Rainbow Dash. Anemometers are built to withstand hurricanes and fierce storms. Besides you felt that tailwind just like everypony else."
Rainbow was no match for Twilight's solid logic. She hung her head in defeat. "Fine." Rainbow pointed a hoof at Lorio. "But if I can beat your wingpower by ten points then I don't have to go on the date."
This worried Lorio quite a bit. Rainbow wasn't the self-proclaimed fastest flyer in Ponyville; the simple fact of the matter was she is the faster flyer in Ponyville. To think she could be his score by ten more points wasn't foolish. He was more than sure Rainbow could surpass his score but he wasn't about to back down. "Deal," he said firmly.
Rainbow quickly flew to the starting line and began stretching her wings and limbs which produced numerous cracking sounds.
"Whenever you're ready, Rainbow Dash." Lorio shot her a sly smile.
A blush came across the scowl on her face. What's with him?! she thought. After a few more moments of preparations Rainbow was finally ready to start. She took her stance, almost mimicking Mach, and spread her powerful wings. Soon began beating them. Her wing-beats were too fast to be caught be the naked eye. It was almost as if she was a hummingbird. Her hindlegs and flank soon rose high off the ground, a cloud of dust now forming behind her.
Everypony held their breath in anticipation. Some ponies were bracing themselves on trees and anything else rooted to the ground, waiting for the powerful tailwind that was soon to follow.
Rainbow was now almost perpendicular with the ground. Ponies were beginning to wonder if she'd somehow messed up her position but the thoughts were shattered by the exploding cloud of dust. Those who had a clear view of Rainbow at the starting line found themselves confused when she was gone in an instant.
Mach stared in amazement as he watched his unbelievably fast friend fly across the track. She was already near the anemometer but just before she passed, Rainbow's almost invisible wings became clearly visible for a moment. Did she...?
The tailwind that followed swept up everything, and everypony, in its path. The few ponies with the foresight to brace themselves were spared from the furious winds.
Once everything settled, Twilight and Spike were waiting on the readings from Rainbow's amazing performance.
It was Lorio's turn to be nervous. He waited silently for the results, pleading for Rainbow to not have destroyed his record.
"Well?!" Rainbow shouted impatiently.
After a few more seconds the machine finally processed Rainbow's results. Spike and Twilight turned to face the crowd of ponies behind them. Every pony leaned in expectantly, craving the final results of the bet between the two pegasi.
"The results are..." Twilight started. "Drum roll, please?"
Spike immediately complied, making a drum roll sound effect.
"Rainbow you needed twenty eight point five. The score is...twenty seven point nine!"
Spike ended his drum roll with a "tsss!"
Everypony cheered happily for Lorio, sweeping him up and tossing him into the air.
Lorio was ecstatic. He could almost couldn't believe he actually won.
The cheering crowd took notice of Rainbow slowly walking up to meet Lorio and slowly set him on the ground. Rainbow walked up to him, blushing. She shyly turned her head away from his. "...Next Saturday. Eight o' clock. Sugarcube Corner."
"Got it." Lorio replied.
The crowd began cheering again but it was soon cut off by Rainbow's yelling. "Alright! Enough of that! Back to training everypony!" The blush on her face made the real reason for breaking up the cheering clear.
Everypony let out a simultaneous "aww" and reluctantly returned to their training.
Rito ran up to Lorio and simply gave him a prideful hoof bump.
Twilight, Spike, and Mach all went up to meet Rainbow who was still obviously flustered.
"Congratulations, Rainbow. You got a date!" Twilight hugged her.
"You go girl." Spike added.
"You guys are enjoying this aren't you?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What? Rainbow we're really happy for you!"
"Yeah well glad somepony is," she sighed.
"Rainbow, are you that against going on a date with the guy? I mean, he's seems nice, he's handsome, and to top it all off he's fast. Not as fast as you but then again who is?"
Rainbow smiled proudly. "You got a point there...about being fast, I mean."
"My point is Rainbow at least give the stallion a chance."
"Fiiine," Rainbow groaned, rolling her eyes.
With that Twilight went to tend to her anemometer, testing if it still worked properly. It may have been able to withstand storms but the wingpower of Mach, Lorio, and Rainbow Dash hitting it one after another must've surely knocked a screw loose.
Mach, now alone with Rainbow, finally decided to speak. "You can drop the act now, Dash."
"What act?" she questioned.
"The 'I don't want to go on this date' act," he answered smiling. "I saw you slow down just before you hit the anemometer on the track."
Rainbow's eyes widened, her cheeks reddened, and her voice stuttered. "I-I don't know what you're talking about! Y-You must be imagining things." She laughed nervously.
"You can't fool me Dash! You want to go on this date don't you?"
Rainbow's blush deepened her mouth moved but words didn't come out.
Mach let out a satisfying laugh. "I knew it! Same old Dash hiding her real intentions."
"Sh-Shut up! So what if I do? It's none of your business!" Dash took off into the air and began yelling orders to everypony on the training grounds. Pushing them harder, especially Lorio.
Mach sighed and smiled before noticing Rito walking up next to him.
Rito put a hoof around Mach. "It's tough looking out for these two isn't?"
Mach returned the gesture, putting a hoof around Rito. "You know it."
They stood watching as Rainbow yelled at Lorio with a blush on her face as Lorio smiled.
