The Ember Effect

Rainbow Dash watched the three girls, each almost pulsating with thinly veiled excitement. In a chorus, each one detailed their latest scheme to find their cutie marks:

“There’s gonna be balloons and cake,” Sweetie Belle started.

“Music and games,” Scootaloo added.

“And we even got a DJ for the dance!” Apple Bloom shouted, her eyes bright with excitement from the prospect of this upcoming event.

Pinkie Pie jumped around in a large circle, her excitement apparently supercharged by the contagious energy of the three children. “This is gonna be super fantabulous! It’s been forever since I just went to a party! Usually, I have to throw them.”

Rarity bristled at that. “It’s not a party, Pinkie Pie, it’s a dance. There is a very large difference.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the nit-picking. “So what? If a place has free food and awesome games, I’m there!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying in a tight circle. What could top that? A night of jamming out, eating, party games, and probably showing off her dancing skills. She was totally into this.

“Now hold on, there, Rainbow. The difference between a party and a dance is that a dance requires ya have a date. Sure, you can go on your own, but ya might miss out on a couple of games, and the dancin’ might make it a ‘lil awkward for ya,” Applejack chimed in.

Twilight simply sat there, looking over at Applejack, probably geeking out about the fact this was their first dance, or something sappy like that. Rainbow couldn’t be sure about them, anymore. It was like— Wait. A date? Her mind ground to a halt at the prospect. A date. Like… another pony? Romance? Togetherness?

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I have to get a date?” Rainbow Dash asked, her enthusiasm quickly dying out. Her mind quickly thought back to the last time she had scrounged up a date for a one-off event. How long had it been? She couldn’t even remember. Probably before Twilight even moved to Ponyville. She just didn’t really keep any tabs on anypony like that. “But the dance is in three days! How am I supposed to scrounge up a pony that fast?”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow. I’m sure you’ll find somepony. You always have a couple of tricks up your sleeve.” Twilight reassured, actually taking her eyes off of her girlfriend for the first time in what seemed like forever. Rainbow Dash was honestly shocked she was even paying attention.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This is nuts! I’m never going to be able to find a date in less than three days. I can’t really ask them the day of without looking lame—that just screams ‘desperate’. So that leaves me two days. But what am I supposed to do? Just ask the first pony I see if they wanna go?

Rainbow Dash was a loss at this point. Dropping the bomb of a dance with such short notice was not exactly the coolest thing somepony could have done. Usually when a dance was announced, Rainbow Dash had quite a bit of time—like a week or more—to drag a fan of hers out to the park, show off a few of her latest flying moves, and as an afterthought, ask them to whatever the latest social gathering was. It was easy. She just built the hype, and by the end they thought it was an honor to go with her. But in two days—she’d have to get right on it. And since she had been so preoccupied with all of Twilight Sparkle’s latest antics, she hadn’t been exactly showing off as much as usual, lately.

After the pint-sizes had pitched their latest scheme (apparently “party planner” was their suspected destiny, Rainbow Dash assumed), she really wondered whether she should just not go. Now that Twilight and Applejack had started dating, she really wasn’t feeling up to going to the show on her own. Going stag right after two of your best friends hit it off? That just had “loser” written all over it.

Now that everypony else had dispersed, doubtlessly to go ask that special somepony they had in mind out to the dance, Rainbow Dash just flew up to the nearest, fluffy cloud, collapsing on it with a small ‘huff’. Drowning in her own pity for just a moment, she gazed down to see the slow hustle and bustle of the ponies beneath her. Where were they all off to? To go ask their dates out? To couple up and fawn about their special someponies, planning what they were going to wear and practice their dancing? To giggle and gossip about how great it was to have their date night planned for them?

She sighed, shaking her head as she sat up. “What am I talking about?” She began, trying to shake herself out of this slump. “I’m Rainbow Dash, the coolest pony in Ponyville. I’ll get a date. Somepony has to ask me out.”

Everything would work out; she was sure of it. Besides, who wouldn’t want to go to the dance with a legend?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Apparently, no one wanted to go to the dance with a legend. It had been a whole day—24 hours—and not a single pony had even mentioned the dance to Rainbow Dash. It was like everypony had already paired up, and she was the odd-pony out. Everywhere she went, there were ponies preparing for— despite it being thrown by three little munchkins—what was shaping up to be the biggest dance of the season. They had rented out the ballroom in Twilight’s castle. There was talk of even Princess Cadence and Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, coming out of the Crystal Empire, for heck’s sake!

So much for it not being a big deal… Rainbow thought, kicking a hoof through the cloud she had perched on. Looking down at the small town, she wondered how long, exactly, she had been so—alone. I had that one stallion—what was his name? Neon something... She tried to picture the face. What did he look like? He was… okay. Neon… Neon what?

She sighed, staring through the hole in her cloud. Oh what am I talking about? It’s been so long, I can’t even remember the guy’s name…

The thoughts brought her further and further down the mental rabbit hole of self-loathing, until she couldn’t take it anymore. She took off into the late afternoon sky without any particular destination in mind. She had only one objective: get her mind off of how much her life sucked, at that point.

As per her usual routine, she scanned the sky, then the ground, then back up to the sky again as she soared through the air. One by one, she saw her friends, sometimes up close with a wave, and other times far in the distance. Twilight and Applejack, sitting on the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres—Rainbow Dash practically gagged at imagining how mushy their conversation probably was; Fluttershy, walking along the path from the park to her cottage, keeping Angel the bunny company. Thinking on that particular pony, Rainbow Dash assumed Fluttershy probably wouldn’t even attend the dance. She… didn’t really do social events. And then there was Big Mac, walking along with his ‘special somepony’, Cherilee. There were couples out, and those who just wanted to be left alone—and then there was Rainbow Dash, who was neither…

Or maybe she really just wanted to be both, in some weird way. She wanted to have somepony for this dance, but not really wanted it to be a long-term thing. Rainbow Dash was her own entity—she had her own agenda, and her own dreams. She wanted to be free, not held back. It seemed like finding any pony who would let her be her but be waiting when she got home… there weren’t too many ponies in Ponyville who would fit that bill.

Being exact, Rainbow Dash estimated that number to be roughly… zero. Otherwise, she wouldn’t really be alone.

So where did that leave her? Either she needed to find someone fast, or she wouldn’t be going. Her mind tallied each pony that would maybe be willing to go, but probably not scooped up yet. Who would be just as alone as she was? Glancing down at the ground beneath her, not a single target jumped out at her. It was still couples and loners, as far as the eye could see.

She sighed, tilting her head back in annoyance. This wasn’t working. Rainbow Dash, as much as she hated to admit it, needed help. She had to get a date to the dance. And with all of these ponies pairing up, she just couldn’t think through this one on her own. She needed somepony who wouldn’t make a big deal about it, who wouldn’t do something ridiculous. Somepony who wouldn’t go telling all of Equestria... She needed somepony who wouldn’t judge, because they could relate to wanting to be left alone, in a weird way. She needed somepony who would give her as much time as she needed to explain what was going on, who wouldn’t push, and would just hear her out…

Oh my gosh… I need advice from Fluttershy? She thought, wondering if she had finally lost it. I must be desperate. Or nuts…. Probably both, honestly.

Performing a quick U-turn, flawless as always, she raced back to where she had last seen the pink-maned pony, who was only a tad further up the path then she had been previously. Making a slow dive—not wanting to scare the poor girl—she flew gently to Fluttershy’s side, landing only a few feet to the left of her. “Hey, Fluttershy!” she welcomed, slowing down to match the wandering girl’s stride.

The smile was as pure as ever. Rainbow Dash always wondered just how innocently sweet this girl was. She was fragile, like a flower. Like one little touch too hard, and she’d crumble. “Hi, Rainbow Dash. Enjoying the quiet evening air, too?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at the western horizon.

Rainbow looked over at the distant mountains before pausing, wondering what in Tartarus she was supposed to be looking at. They were rocks. Shining, orange-y rocks… but still just rocks. “Something like that…” she answered, her voice fading in disinterest. She turned back to face Fluttershy before continuing: “I just came here for… advice, I guess?” she fumbled, struggling to find the words to fit this situation. She was Rainbow Dash, she wasn’t used to asking for help! This was, like, the second time ever… and hopefully the last.

Fluttershy stopped, turning to face her friend, a look of concern etched on her face. Rainbow Dash almost winced at the sudden gravity her friend was putting on display. This… was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. “Oh, my goodness, this sounds serious. What is it?”

The usually fearless mare kicked at the dirt on the path, unsure of exactly how to phrase this: “It’s nothing big, just…” her voice once again faded as she tilted her head to and fro, beating around the bush. She paused, glancing up at Fluttershy, who hadn’t seemingly even blinked since they last made eye contact. “I—uh—we’re friends, right? And whatever I say—it stays between us?” she asked, seeking confirmation.

Fluttershy paused, glancing almost vacantly at the Pegasus. Rainbow Dash knew the question came out of nowhere, but she had to be sure. This was about her reputation; there wasn’t much that she valued more than that. But in hindsight, she kinda knew the question would probably make Fluttershy freak out even more. Like she was hyping this up to be a disaster-level catastrophe. Just as she was about to calm Fluttershy’s nerves and tell her it wasn’t that big of a deal, she was beat to the punch. Rainbow Dash watched as she nodded, almost dutifully, before finally answering: “Of course, Dashie. You can trust me with anything. If it needs to stay a secret, I won’t tell a soul. And neither will Angel, right?” she asked, looking down at the little rabbit, who merely crossed its arms, tapping its foot in annoyance with this whole ordeal.

She didn’t really see a way to frame the question, so she just blurted it out. Nice, simple, direct, and—most importantly—getting it over with as fast as possible: “It’s… about the dance. I kinda don’t know what to do.”

Fluttershy once again continued down the path. Rainbow Dash saw her almost deflate in relief. Definitely not as life changing as she was expecting, but at least the both of them were back in something a lot closer to their comfort zone. “Okay, what exactly is the problem, Dashie? Did two ponies ask you to it, and now you have to decide?” she guessed, probably assuming Rainbow had a list of people that had asked her out. She wasn’t the only pony who thought that would be the case by now. But apparently, her awesomeness made everypony assume she was already taken.

“That’s just the problem, Fluttershy. The dance is the day after tomorrow, and no pony has asked me out, yet. I just am worried that no one will ask me, and then I’ll go to the dance alone. Do you know how weird that’d be?”

Fluttershy looked at her, her head tilted in confusion. “I thought you went to dances alone all the time? You’ve been the life of the party at every gathering I’ve seen you in, whether you went alone or with your old boyfriend… what was his name, again?”

Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof to dismiss the question, “Couldn’t tell ya, but that’s not important.” She jumped up in the air, hovering just above the ground as she flew backward, a few paces in front of her friend. “This dance is different, Fluttershy. Now that Twilight and AJ are dating, going alone isn’t an option anymore. Once your best friends get hooked up, you have to, too. Otherwise, you just look weird. It’s the golden rule!”

“I…don’t know about that, Dashie.” Fluttershy shook her head with a small smile. The ease that she defused the situation almost frustrated Rainbow Dash. Every bit of negative energy was brought down to almost zero, around her. She was just so calm and quiet, that it was like being upset, even if not at her, wasn’t possible, just because she was around. Rainbow Dash sighed as Fluttershy continued. “Why don’t you just go with one of our friends? You could just go as friends, and you won’t have to worry about finding somepony like that. That’s what Pinkie and I are doing.”

So that’s why none of our friends are talking about it… I bet you Rarity is going with that weird journalist guy that is back in town, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy played the “go as friends” card before I could get to either of them, and the last two are going as girlfriends. Odd pony out? Once again, yours truly. “Well—got any available stallions who need a date at the last minute? Otherwise, I’m staying home.”

Fluttershy gasped, as if this was the worst news she had heard all day. “You can’t do that! This means a lot to the girls. If you don’t go, do you know how crushed Scootaloo would be? She’s been working extra hard on this party, just to impress you.”

Rainbow Dash groaned with a roll of her eyes. That little superstar of a munchkin was probably the coolest kid ever, yet she somehow managed to make Rainbow Dash’s life awesome, and torture, at regular intervals. If Scootaloo was going out of her way to impress her, she definitely had to show up. What kind of an example of loyalty was a mentor setting if she bailed on her own student? “Fine, I’ll just go alone. But I’m not staying long!” she retorted. She turned to fly away when she heard Fluttershy call after her.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!” the small voice cried. She paused, desperately wanting to fly away, but at least looked over her shoulder. She watched for half a moment as Fluttershy struggled to find her words, but at the end… said nothing.

“It’s fine. I should never have even brought it up.”

Flying high, far from any other pony, Rainbow Dash curled up on a large, heavy cloud. Once she touched it, the billowing mist turned dark and foreboding, swirling with the negative thoughts that echoed in Rainbow Dash’s mind. She didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything, at that moment. What did it matter? A little storm wasn’t going to harm anypony. There wasn’t even anypony around this part of town. They were too busy getting ready for the dance.

This party was going to be a really huge bummer…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~