Moonlit Eternity

Chapter 3

“Oh, blast it!” Rarity exclaimed, as one of the crates on the heavily-stacked wagon she was pulling fell. She had just gotten a new shipment of supplies to use for some dress orders she had recently received. Unfortunately for her, the order was quite the tall one. “Why must this happen to me?” She unhooked herself from the wagon and moved to the side to pick up the crate. It was extremely heavy. Far too heavy for the prim, white unicorn to manage on her own, anyway. To make matters worse, it was drizzling rain, and the moisture was terrible for her mane. The sun was completely hidden behind an overcast of clouds.

“Need some help with that?” She heard a strong voice say behind her. Her ears perked up and her heart skipped a beat. She would recognize that voice everywhere. One that had such a profound effect on her. The voice of Steel Anvil, the new blacksmith stallion in town. She turned to him, his strong features and perfectly muscled body called to her. She looked up at his eyes. Smooth brown, which were accentuated by his slightly scruffy, jet black mane. He smiled at her warmly.

“What me? No, no I…” She began, trying to sound confident. She looked down at the crate, felt her hair start to become unkempt, the water playing down her shoulders. “Yes, please.” She said with a nervous giggle. Steel gave a small chuckle and lifted the heavy crate easily to the top, his height making the task even less difficult. He walked to the front of the wagon and turned to the fashionista.

“Could you hook me up?” He asked her. She nodded silently and moved closer to him. She secured the straps, while silently marveling at his well-toned body, struggling to keep her composure.

“Okay,” Rarity said, nearly out of breath. “it’s secure.” Steel nodded and pulled the wagon down the road to Rarity’s boutique.

“So, what is all this stuff?” Steel asked.

“It’s just some supplies I needed to fulfill a dress order I received.” She responded.

“Must have been quite the order.” Steel said with a smile. Rarity giggled.

“Yes, well, it would appear that I bit off a little more than I could chew. I had no idea it would be raining today. Rainbow Dash neglected to mention it. So, now, I have an enormous dress order, that will most likely take me the remainder of the day to finish if I start as soon as I return to the boutique, and on top of it all, my mane is ruined!” The unicorn half ranted. Steel chuckled.

“You’re pretty with your hair down, in my opinion.” Steel commented. Rarity blushed.

“Oh, you.” She said.

“Yeah…speaking of, that Rainbow Dash sure is a piece of work, huh?” He added. Rarity’s blush left her face and her expression turned slightly sour at the thought of her competition for Steel's affections. She knew Rainbow liked him too.

“She sure is…” She said with a hint of acid.

“So, tell me, what’s she like?” Steel asked her, interest evident in his voice. Rarity huffed in slight anger. Why was he so interested in that tomcolt and not her?

“She’s conceited, she’s a braggart, she’s a showoff, she takes too many risks,” Rarity began, listing all of the negative traits of her rainbow-maned friend. She then remembered plummeting, falling at terminal velocity, all hope of survival lost, screaming herself hoarse, as she fell from the best young fliers competition. At the moment she was sure of her own death, that she would leave this life, somepony caught her. Somepony saved her life. Rainbow Dash. “But,” She continued, “she’s the most loyal pony I have ever met. She would do anything for her friends. She would die for her friends. She nearly died for me once, to save my life…even though I had been extremely selfish and taken her special day at the best young fliers competition away from her. True, she can be arrogant, but she can also be caring, sweet and thoughtful.” Steel seemed to be in deep thought, pondering what Rarity had just said. The boutique was coming into view further down the path.

“Interesting…” He simply said. Rarity sighed and looked forward as they continued walking.

“So, what are you doing out in the rain?” Rarity asked him.

“Oh, I love the rain.” He said to her. “The feel of the water, the sound of it. Plus, it’s amazing for my mane.” He said to her, flipping his mane and taking a model’s stance, knowing of Rarity’s profession. “Didn’t you notice?“ She laughed out loud, something she seldom did. They continued walking to the boutique, finally coming up the walkway to the door. She opened it for him as he pulled the wagon inside.

“Where do you want it?” He asked her.

“Just put it in the right corner, please.” She said to him. “Thank you for this. It means a lot to me. It would have taken twice as long if you hadn’t helped.”

“Oh, no problem,” He said, unhooking himself from the wagon. “You need any help unloading?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” She responded. “Thank you, though.” Steel stepped out of the wagon straps and moved toward the door.

“Well, I think I’ll take my leave, then, Rarity.” He said, sending a curt nod her way. “I have a rather large order to fill myself back at the forge.” Before he reached the door, he was stopped by the white unicorn.

“Wait, Steel,” She said quickly. He turned to her. A heavy blush was present on her face, very visible through her white coat. “before you leave could I...tell you something?”

“Sure…” He said. “Fire away.” She looked to her left and cleared her throat, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm just going to come out and say it, because I feel the need to tell you." Steel nodded. "Well, um..." She laughed nervously and blushed a lot harder. "I...like you...quite a bit." Steel's features didn't change a bit. He merely sighed.

"Look, Rarity. I like you too, but as a friend. And I know that sounds really cliche, but I'm interested in somepony else."

"Rainbow Dash...You asked about her...It's her isn't it?" Rarity said, sadness lacing her words. Steel sighed and looked into her eyes again.

“Yes, it is.” He said, obviously aware of Rarity’s huge crush on him. “I’m sorry.” Rarity looked to be nearly in tears. It was hurting Steel to see her like this, but he didn't feel for the unicorn what he felt for Dash. Suddenly, Rarity brightened up, seemingly on command.

“Oh, don’t worry about me!” She said, a small smile gracing her features. She looked at him. “That doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.” Steel smiled at her.

“It would be my honor, miss Rarity.” He said to her. “Goodbye.” He turned to leave, opening the door.

“Goodbye.” She said, a single tear falling from her eye, proving the smile to be a façade. She quickly wiped it as she remembered something. “Oh, Steel, just one more thing.” She called to him. He turned to her.

“Yes?” He said. Rarity smiled warmly at him.

“You couldn’t have picked a better mare.”

_____

A flash of lightning blazed through the sky with a mighty boom, right above the head of Steel Anvil. He did not flinch. He moved slowly through Ponyville, gazing upon the buildings. Their architecture interested him. It was nothing like he was used to in Manehattan. The buildings were much smaller and more quaint, much unlike the towering exuberant buildings he knew from his home town. He eventually came to the outside of Ponyville, heading up a large hill, seeing much of the landscape. He saw Sweet Apple Acres, being pelted by the heavy rain. He looked a little closer and saw two ponies running back and forth frantically. One orange and one red. Applejack and Big Macintosh. They looked like they needed help. Steel immediately broke into a dead sprint, covering much ground in a short amount of time. He quickly reached the gates and fences of the apple farm.

“Get the cart, Big Mac!” He heard Applejack yell, panic evident in her voice. He ran down the path as they came into his view. Applejack and Big Mac were pushing enormous carts full of apples up a hill to their barn. Strain evident on their faces. “We gotta save ‘em!” Steel looked over to see several carts full of Apples, their livelihood, getting battered and bruised by the heavy rain, dangerously close to being flooded over with water. Steel jumped at a cart and began pushing. He moved the cart with no problem moving quickly.

“Steel!” Applejack said when she laid eyes on the red stallion. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“I saw that you guys were in trouble…figured that I would lend a hoof!” He responded, pushing the cart. He eventually got it into the barn, where two other carts were and went back for another. Big Mac and Applejack were managing with their carts, but they were heavy, made to be pulled in on a sunny day, at a normal pace, not rushed in during a torrential downpour. Steel ran and got another cart, pushing it easily, leaving four more to take into the barn. One by one, he brought the carts back, each holding the precious cargo of apples. Big Macintosh and Applejack managed to help with the last two carts. They all ran into the apple family’s house, Steel shutting the door behind them.

“Hoo, dawgies!” Applejack whooped, taking her trademark Stetson off. “You made that job out there a heck of a lot easier, Steel!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Steel responded. “What were you guys doing out there bucking apples in the rain?”

“Well, here’s what happened.” Applejack began. “We went out there to apple buck for the day, and we got a good bit down, but it started to rain. Not the rain we just nearly drowned in, but just normal, light rain. We figured we’d come inside for a lil’ break while the shower ran it's course, and out of the blue, this downpour came outta nowhere! We had to get out there to save the apples. We would have lost a lot if it wasn’t for you comin’ ‘round, Steel. Thank you.” Steel chuckled quietly and nodded at her.

“Ya sure are strong.” Big Mac said. “Those carts were a might heavy.”

“I guess it was just the adrenaline.” Steel responded.

“Even so, you saved us a lot of money, Steel.” Applejack said. “How ‘bout some warm cider?” Steel nodded at her.

“That sounds delicious, thank you.” He said to the mare.

“Who’re you?” Steel heard a small voice say from the other side of the room. “What’re you doin’ here?” He looked over to see a small yellow filly with a bright pink bow in her red mane. She was noticeably missing a cutie mark.

“Well, hey there.” He said to her. “My name’s Steel Anvil. And you are?” She looked over at Applejack, who nodded with a stern look on her face.

“Applebloom. Mah name is Applebloom.” She responded. “Why’re you here?”

“He just saved us about five hundred bits worth of apples.” Applejack said. “And he deserves some kinda reward.”

“A cup of hot cider will do just fine, Applejack.” Steel said with a smile.

“Comin’ right up.” Applejack said, heading to the kitchen. Applebloom looked up at Steel, curious about this strange new stallion.

“Where are you from?” She asked him.

“I came from Manehattan looking for a nice quiet place to settle down, and I read in the paper that Ponyville needed a blacksmith. So I moved here.”

“You’re a blacksmith?” Applebloom said, her voice laden with excitement. Her expression slowly turning to confusion. “What’s a blacksmith?” Steel laughed.

“A blacksmith is a pony who makes things out of metal, like tools, decorations or weapons.” He said. “And what’s your story? You look a little old to not have your cutie mark yet.” Applebloom scowled at him.

“You look a lil' weird to be so polite.” Steel chuckled.

“I suppose that’s a sore subject for you?” He mused. Before Applebloom could respond, Applejack came trotting into the living room, a tray with four cups of steaming cider in them. She placed it down on the table. They all took a cup.

“Now then, let’s have some cider, huh?” Applejack said. “Again, Ah would like to thank you for alla your help, Steel. You really helped save our flanks back there.” Steel smiled.

“Eeeyup.” Big Mac added.

“Really, it’s the least I could do for throwing that awesome welcoming party.” He responded, taking a sip.

“Well, me ‘an the girls just figured you were too nice to not welcome to Ponyville with a party.”

“You sure make some amazing cider.” He added.

“Best in Equestria.” The orange mare responded.

_____

At last, after hours of hard rain and cloudy skies, the bright sun peaked through the clouds and shined upon Ponyville. The wet grass seemed to sparkle to Rainbow Dash, who had just finished her work for the day. She flied over the ground, doing a horizontal spin and rising up above the ground. She flew in a large upward-moving arc, closing in on the small town. She flew down and landed on the ground, in front of Rarity’s boutique. Of all ponies, she figured the white stylish unicorn would know where the pony she was looking for would be. Steel Anvil. Ever since that night with the race, she had not been able to stop thinking about him. He just seemed to charm her so. She knocked on the door and waited for a while. She had begun tapping her hoof on the ground when the door was answered by Rarity’s younger sister, Sweetie Belle.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle.” Rainbow Dash said to the filly. “Is your sister home?” Sweetie Belle, aware of the fact that Rainbow Dash rarely came to their house, nodded.

“Sure. Come in.” She turned and led the cyan Pegasus into the boutique. “Rarity! Rainbow Dash is here!”

“Be down in a minute!” Rainbow heard Rarity yell back from upstairs. After the sound of cluttering and banging around rang through the large room, Rarity came out of the design chamber, hair slightly frizzled and face a little drained.

“Rainbow Dash! Darling! How are you?” She said, happy to see one of her best friends in her house, let alone one who so rarely came over to her house. Then, a portion of her happiness was taken from her as she remembered the conversation she had earlier with a certain dark red stallion.

“I’m good.” Rainbow responded. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“What, me? Oh, I’m absolutely fine, just a rather large order I have to fill.” She said. “What can I do for you?”

“Have you seen Steel Anvil today?” The rainbow-maned mare asked.

‘Of course…’ Rarity thought, slightly annoyed. However, she swallowed her annoyance and smiled anyway. “I have actually. I believe he in back at his forge, working on an order that was placed for him.”

“Awesome! Thanks, Rarity! Get some sleep, you look absolutely dreadful.” Rainbow said, smirking and letting out a mischievous giggle. “Bye!” The cyan Pegasus left, a slight happy pep in her steps. Rarity couldn’t help but smile. Rainbow Dash really was a piece of work.

Rainbow flew up over the roofs of Ponyville, scanning for the blacksmith forge. She had remembered seeing it a few times in her regular excursions to Ponyville, but at this moment, she could not quite remember the precise location.

‘Geez, where is it?’ She thought to herself, looking for the small building. She landed and walked around, looking for any kind of sign or direction. Finally, she got tired of looking around. She needed to ask a pony. Her eyes darted back and forth until she finally saw an acquaintance of hers, Amethyst Star.

“Hey! Amethyst Star!” She shouted, and walked up to the pink unicorn.

“Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash. What do you need?” She responded.

“Can you tell me where the blacksmith forge is?”

“Oh, yeah, go down this street, take a left and continue down that street and it’ll be at the end on your right.” She explained. “Isn’t there a new stallion working there now?”

“Yep. Thanks a lot, Amethyst!” Rainbow said quickly before speeding off, eager to see the object of her recent affections. She felt slightly giddy at the thought of his charming smile. She slapped herself in the face.

“Snap out of it!” She said out loud to herself, slapping herself in the face again. She found the forge, already looking better than it did when it wasn’t in use. She walked up to the front door and knocked. When no response came after thirty seconds, she knocked again. Still no response. “Okay, what’s the deal?” She spouted, annoyed. Just then, the mare heard the sounds of metal on metal, the clanging ringing out from what sounded like around the back of the building. She walked around to find Steel, wearing protective goggles on the back patio, at the forge, hammering away at a white hot piece of long iron.

“Hey.” She said. He continued to hit the metal with the hammer, flattening it, not seeming to hear her. “Hey!” She nearly shouted. He looked up quickly.

“Oh, hey there, Rainbow Dash.” He said, smiling. “Let me just get finished with this piece and I’ll be right there.” He continued to flatten the iron pole, working noticeably faster than he was when she arrived. Before long, he had finished. He dunked the red-hot material in the cool vat of water next to him, the metal sizzling loudly. He then laid it down next to six separate iron poles the same length.

“I would have thought the forge would be inside the building.” Rainbow said, walking up to him.

“Yeah, put the fiery blacksmith forge inside a wooden building.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Smart.” She giggled, extremely unlike her. She cleared her throat as she gained control of herself.

“Oh, shut up.” The cyan mare said, slugging his shoulder. He laughed.

“So what's up?”

“Nothing, really.” She said. “I just came to say hey.”

‘Oh, buck my life.’ She thought, mentally slapping herself.

“Oh, well hey.” He responded. “So…I think…I’ll get back to work…” He turned to head back to the forge. He took one of the pieces of metal out of the forge and laid it on the anvil. The stallion began to hit it with the hammer, flattening it to the same extent of the last one.

“Sooo…What exactly are you making?” Rainbow asked him.

“I’m making an iron fence.” He responded, not turning away from his work.

“A fence huh?” She said. “For who?”

“Filthy Rich. Apparently, his fence was destroyed by some diamond dogs, who were told that there were gems on his property. Poor guy’s yard is a mess. Full of holes. He was very specific about how he wanted it made, and it’s gonna take me a while.” He explained.

“Yeah…His daughter gives Scootaloo a lot of trouble because she hasn’t gotten her cutie mark yet.” The mare said. He looked at her, not knowing who Scootaloo was. Rainbow mentally kicked herself. "Scootaloo is this little filly who idolizes me. I kind of look after her because as far as I know, she has no parents. And that little brat Diamond Tiara won't leave her and her friends alone because they haven't gotten their cutie marks."

“She seemed mean-spirited when they came in yesterday.” Steel commented. He finished hammering that piece of metal and dunked it in the water, the sizzling sending steam up into his face. He looked up for a second. "Say, a filly named Applebloom wouldn't happen to be one of Scootaloo's friends, would she?"

"She actually is." Rainbow responded. "How do you know her?"

"Oh, I met her at Sweet Apple Acres earlier."

"What were you doing there?" She asked.

"The downpour earlier was causing Applejack and Big Mac a lot of trouble with their apples, so I thought I'd lend a hoof." He explained. 'So cool.' The mare thought.

“Do you live here?” She asked him.

“Yeah, I do. There’s room for my bed inside, so I sleep there.” He lifted the iron rod out of the water and placed it down next to the others.

“You look like you could use a break.” Rainbow said. This really wasn’t true. Steel looked as good as ever, his mane still well kept, yet slightly disheveled. His muscles pulsing under his skin. “Wanna grab some lunch at Sugarcube Corner? I was going to anyway and company would be cool.”

“Sure, why not?” He said. “I just have one more piece left to flatten. If you want to meet me there, I’ll be done in about five minutes.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. I’ll wait.” She said, sitting down. He turned to her and smirked.

“You’ll wait for me, huh?” He said slyly. Rainbow scowled at him.

“Fine. If you don’t want anypony to talk to on the way there, that’s your problem.” She said blushing and standing up to leave.

“I was kidding, okay? Geez, you‘re so sensitive.” He said, going back to his work. “It’d be great to walk there with you.” Rainbow sat back down and watched him slam the hammer into the iron, working it into a flat shape with what seemed like expert precision. After he finished, he dunked it in the water and let it cool. He then put it up with the other poles.

“Okay. Shall we?” He said, walking toward the patio exit. Rainbow stood up and walked with him They left the shade of the patio and walked into the sunlight. Steel let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes for a second, taking in a very deep breath. When they got to the street and got to a steady walking pace, it was Rainbow who spoke first.

“So, how long have you been a blacksmith?”

“Pretty much my whole life. My father back in Manehattan taught me, and his father, him. It’s kind of a family art.” He responded.

“That’s pretty awesome.” She responded.

“It’s alright. Mostly it’s pretty dull work. When you get the technique down for all the different things you can make, its just little things you do that make them all different.” He said.

“How so?” She asked.

“Well, for example, if you make a sword, you take a long piece of iron and thin it out to two very fine edges of each side and an extremely sharp point on the end. If you were to forge a spear, you would use the exact same tecnique, just make it smaller and a little thicker and attach it to the end of a pole. It get’s a lot more complicated than that, but I’m just telling you the gist of it.” He explained to her.

“It still has to be better than weather patrol.” She of course, was overstating by miles, her job was absolutely fine. “I mean, it’s fine and everything, but there are just some days where I just really hate it.”

“To tell the truth, I don’t really love the forge that much. The heat bothers me and there’s a risk of catching on fire. I do it because it’s my calling. The only thing I’m truly good at.” As he finished, they arrived at Sugarcube corner. Steel observed the heavily candy-themed architecture.

“Are you sure they serve lunch here?” He asked. “Seems a little…sweet themed…”

“Yeah, they do. They mostly serve sweets, but Mrs. Cake can make a mean daffodil sandwich.”

“I suppose, Mrs. Cake is the proprietor?” He said.

“Well, her and her husband.” She said as they entered the small building. Mr. Cake was at the counter, counting the day’s profits.

“Hey, there, Rainbow Dash.” He said warmly and with a smile. “I’ll go get Pinkie for you.”

“I’m actually just here for lunch.” She said to him.

“Even so, I’m sure it’ll make her day to see you.”

“No denying that.” The cyan Pegasus said. The lanky, yellow stallion walked into the kitchen. It took a record two seconds for the pink earth pony known as Pinkie Pie to rush out with a huge grin attached to her face.

“Dashie!” She began, positively and impossibly giddily. She saw Steel, and took on an impressed tone of voice. “And Steel! Hiya, guys!”

“Hey, Pinkie Pie. We came for some lunch.” Rainbow Dash responded.

“No problemo, Dashie! What can I get for ya?” Pinkie said.

“I’ll have a daffodil sandwich.” Rainbow said.

“Same here.” Steel added.

“Two daffodil sandwiches…coming right up!” Pinkie said. “It’ll be only a couple of minutes.” They nodded and walked out to a patio seat. Rainbow began walking to a table in the sunlight.

“Uh…can we sit at that table?” Steel said, pointing to a table in the shade.

“Why there?” Rainbow asked.

“I, um…get hot really easily.”

“Don’t you work at a blacksmith forge?” She asked him.

“Okay then, smart one. In the sun it is.” He said, nonchalantly. They sat and waited for their sandwiches.

“Okay. Weather patrol. Tell me about it.” He said to her.

“Well, it’s really not as complex as smithing. Basically, we pegasi read the weather order for the week and shape and mold the clouds based on what that order says. If the order calls for pure sun, we destroy all of the clouds. If it calls for a downpour, like the one we had today, we jump up and down on the clouds, pretty much knocking the rain out of them.”

“Well, that’s cool.” He commented as Pinkie brought the sandwiches out on the tray. She put them down in front of the ponies.

“Thanks, Pinkie.” Rainbow said.

“No problem.” Pinkie said happily. “Actually Rainbow, could you come inside for a second and help me with something?”

“Uhh, sure, no problem.” Rainbow responded. “Be right back.” She said to Steel. He nodded.

“Take your time.” He said. They walked into the building.

“Okay, Pinkie, let’s make this quick. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m here with some-”

“You little love hoarder!” Pinkie nearly screamed in happiness, cutting Rainbow’s sentence short. The cyan mare blushed, looking away.

“What? What’re you talking about? I’m not a-”

“When did he ask you out?”

“He didn’t-”

“How did he do it?”

“Pinkie-”

“Did he kneel down?”

“Pinkie, I-”

“Oh, that would be so romantic if he-”

“Pinkie!" Rainbow didn’t quite yell. Just loud enough to stop the raving party pony. “He didn’t ask me out. We’re just here as friends.” Pinkie frowned slightly.

“So you’re not a love hoarder?” She said, a little sad.

“No, I’m not.” Rainbow said. “At least, not yet.” She gained a smirk. Pinkie immediately perked up.

“So you are interested in him!” Pinkie said happily.

“Yeah, I am.” Rainbow said. “I pretty much have been since I met him. He’s just…so awesome. I don’t know why he hasn’t made a move yet.”

“Well, you did just meet him two days ago.” Pinkie said, slightly giggling.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Rainbow said. “Well, I’d better get back to Steel. I’ll see ya later.”

“Bye, Dashie.” Pinkie said. “Good luck!” Rainbow chuckled as she walked out the door to the patio. Steel wasn’t at the table. Neither were the sandwiches.

“Steel? Where are you?” She called. “I swear, if he took the sandwiches and left, I‘m gonna-”

“Gonna what?“ A voice interrupted her from behind. She looked around the patio until she finally laid eyes on him at the table in the shade he had originally wanted to sit at. He had taken the sandwiches with him.

“You’re a nut.” She said playfully.

“Guilty as charged.” He quipped.

_____

“Don’t worry about the sandwiches, Dashie. They’re on me.” Pinkie said with a bright smile. Rainbow smiled back at her.

“Thanks so much, Pinkie.” Rainbow said happily. As she and Steel began to walk away, Pinkie pulled Rainbow Dash over to her and whispered in her ear-

“Give him a big ol' kiss for me.” Rainbow smiled and chuckled at her. As Rainbow caught up to the stallion, he shot her an inquisitive look.

“What did she say?” He asked.

“Oh, just a joke.” She responded. “You know Pinkie.” Steel chuckled as they made their way back to the forge. The sun was setting in a perfect view from the building’s front door.

“So, I guess I’ll see you later.” He said.

“Yeah, I guess so.” She responded.

“Just one more thing.” He said softly. He began to lean closer to her, his face closing in with hers. Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened slightly. A huge blush crept to her face.

‘Oh, goddesses, is this it?’ She thought to herself. ‘Was that thing Pinkie whispered to me from her Pinkie sense?’ He continued to close the gap between them, a cool, confident look on his face. They were just inches apart and at this point, Rainbow thought that it was safe to close her eyes and just let it happen.

A second…

Nothing.

Another second…

Nothing.

Rainbow waited for what seemed like an eternity. No contact was made however, and she stood there. Suddenly, she felt a gentle puff on her nose. She opened her eyes to find Steel’s face, shaped in a slightly subtle look of adoration, a small blush present. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“You had a bit of dust on your nose.” He turned and walked up the steps to the door. He opened it and looked back at the mare.

“Bye.” He said.

“Bye…” Rainbow nearly whispered, still dumbstruck. He smiled again before he closed the door. It took everything Rainbow Dash had for her knees not to buckle underneath her. She began to fly up to her home in Cloudsdale.

“Wow…” She whispered to herself.

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author’s note: So apparently, many people on this site have a problem with OCs. Why is this, exactly? Perhaps it is because when someone writes an OC story, they're just writing out a fantasy of theirs. This, however, is not the case for me. I legitimately wanted to write a story with a straight Rainbow Dash romance. (I firmly believe that Rainbow Dash is bisexual.) And I just felt that Soardash is a little overdone, and I couldn't really think of anything with Macdash. But with this, I could make the OC stallion anyone I wanted him to be. And, while he does have a personality similar to mine, he is definitely not a pony version of me. I created him because I believe that he would be a good addition to the Friendship is Magic Universe....if it was a little darker that is. He has a secret, and you'll find out eventually what it is. Let's just say that it's nothing good. I really would appreciate a comment on what you think of the story so far. Please, be nice with any criticisms. PEACE.