The mares solemnly gathered in a circle, each one of them sensing that something was wrong.
“It’s okay Dash. You know you can tell us anything.”
Her friends were always so supportive but she wasn’t sure how they would react to the news.
“I don’t know how to say this.” the multicolored pegasus said dryly.
“What is it? It couldn’t possibly be that bad. It’s not like you killed somepony!” Applejack chuckled at the absurdity of the comment.
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Dash’s face was still a blank slate that refused to yield any emotion.
“Tell us!” Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly, almost exploding with anticipation.
Dash remained silent while she thought of the best way to phrase it.
“Rainbow Dash, is something wrong?” Twilight offered a sympathetic look.
“Uhmm… not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?” Applejack raised a curious eyebrow.
“Well I’m not so sure that it’s wrong.”
“So what’s the problem, dear?” Rarity chimed in.
“Well…” Dash gulped before continuing, “I met somepony.”
The room was suddenly filled with the echoes of congratulations from the five mares but the rainbow pegasus remained somber.
“Congratulations!”
“I’m so glad!”
“I knew you’d end up meeting somepony eventually!”
“So tell us all about it!”
Dash looked around at each of her friends before tentatively beginning her story.
“Well we met at a Wonderbolts show –“ she began but already her friends were cutting her off.
“How romantic!” Rarity cooed.
“It figures you’d meet somepony there!” Applejack gave her a playful nudge.
“I’m so happy for you.” The quiet voice of the yellow pegasus spoke up for the first time.
“Uhm thanks.” Dash sighed as she continued her story. “Well anyway we met at a Wonderbolts show. It all happened so fast, it was like a dream. I had to pinch myself just to make sure that I was awake.”
Her friends all smiled as they listened to her story. They had never seen the pegasus so giddy before.
“… and I was just about to leave after the show was over. I remember watching them finish their last few loops in the air before I turned around. Everypony was bustling and stampeding about as if they needed to get home in a hurry, so I stepped aside into one of the hallways and waited for it to calm down a bit. That’s when I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around I nearly passed out. They were all there, every single one of the Wonderbolts. I was speechless as they stood there smiling at me before inviting me to join them.”
“Oh my gosh! You got to hang out with the Wonderbolts?!”
“That must’ve been like a dream come true!”
“You have no idea.” Dash grinned down at the floor as she recalled the experience.
“So what happened?”
“Well we all went out to that little pub near the edge of Cloudsdale. You know that one where the sign is always flickering and it looks all broken down and deserted? Well it turns out that there’s actually a huge nightclub underneath it. There’s loud music and a dance floor and everything. Who would’ve guessed it, right? Anyway, we all got drinks and hung out and ended up having a really good time. They all talked about their experiences before they joined the Wonderbolts and I mostly just sat and listened.”
“So did you meet your special somepony there?”
“Kind of…” Dash paused, glancing up at her friends. “I was talking with one of the Wonderbolts when –“
“Wait! You’re in love with one of the Wonderbolts, aren’t you?!” Rarity gasped putting all of the clues together.
The multicolored pony’s cheeks lit up like hot coals as her friends figured it out. “Yeah…” she beamed.
“Oooh which one is it?!” Pinkie was once again bouncing enthusiastically up and down. “Fleetfoot or… AAHHHH!” the earth pony nearly exploded with delight. “Spitfire! Are you in love with Spitfire?! Does she love you back? How did you meet? Did she sweep you off your hooves with some grand romantic gesture? Are you going to get married? Who’s going to be your maid of honor? Have you picked out your dress yet?”
The endless questions bombarded the reluctant pegasus until Applejack finally silenced the pink mare with a well-timed hoof over her mouth.
“Don’t worry about her, you know how Pinkie gets. So Spitfire, huh?” the tan earth pony gave a sly grin.
“Actually it’s not Spitfire.” Dash stroked the back of her mane awkwardly.
“Well that’s okay, I’m sure Fleetfoot is just as good or even better than Spitfire.” Fluttershy murmured as spirited as she could muster.
“It’s not Fleetfoot either.” The room grew quiet as the pegasus’s discomfort weighed down on everypony.
“I don’t understand.” Twilight was the first to break the silence. “I thought you were in love with one of the Wonderbolts?”
“I am.”
“Well if it’s not Spitfire or Fleetfoot then who else could it be? Is there another mare that’s joined the Wonderbolts?”
“Not exactly.” Her words confirmed what all of her friends feared.
“You don’t mean…?” the white unicorn took on a disgusted face.
Dash forced a smile as best she could. Her friends all suddenly mirrored the same disgusted look that Rarity had.
“You… can’t! It’s unnatural!”
“Why?” she glared around at the judgmental mares. “Why can’t I?!”
“It’s just how it is.”
“It’s wrong! Celestia doesn’t want this!”
“It’s sick and you know it!”
“Please Dash, don’t do this.”
Her friends were all against her, there was an unwavering unanimous voice in the room that told her that what she was doing was wrong.
“But I love him!”
“Eww! No mare should ever say that!” Rarity scrunched her nose up in revulsion.
“Why?! Give me one good reason why! The Cakes love each other!”
“Yes but you see how everypony looks at them now. Deep down I’m sure they’re ashamed. As they should be.”
The vile words stung her ears as she looked to each of her friends again. Every single one of them wore a mask of silent contempt at what she had revealed herself as.
“I thought you were my friends?” Dash whimpered.
There was a long pause as the six mares looked back and forth at each other uncertainly.
“I guess not.”
Twilight shook her head before walking away. Each of her friends in turn followed suit, not once looking back at the dismayed pegasus.
And all because she loved a stallion.
