*Dramatic Flashback Sequence Re-Initiated*

Up on the screen, a brown unicorn held onto the hoof of a grey earth pony, allowing him no chance to pull away. The earth pony moaned in agony, as the chemical burned into his leg.

"No. No I...don't" He begged.

"Listen to me! You have to consider the possibility that Celestia does not like you. She never wanted you. In all probability, she hates you. This is not the worst thing that can happen." The unicorn held tighter.

"It isn't?" The brown one strained out.

"Buck damnation! Buck Redemption! We are Celestia's unwanted foals? So be it!"

"Okay okay! Just give me some water!" The desperation in the earth pony's eyes could not have been more apparent.

"Listen, you can run water over your hoof and make it worse or..." He slammed that hoof into the table, getting the other's attention. "You can use vinegar and neutralize the burn."

"Please let me have it!"

"First you have to know, not fear, KNOW, that someday you're going to die."

"You don't know how this feels!" The pony raged at the unicorn. He in turn raised his own hoof, revealing a furless, lip-shaped scar.

"Its only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything."

Dash was awoken from her awesomeness stupor by a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head and tried to see the pony silhouetted by the projector's blinding light. The pony moved in closer.

"Les?" She whispered. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." he whispered back. "Sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to you."

"Les, I've been waiting for months for this to come out. If I leave I might not get my seat back, even with Gilda here."

A loud SHH was heard from two rows behind, though it died off as quick as it came when Seamless shot them a glare that could melt steel. He turned back to Dash. "Dash this is super important. I really need you to come with me."

Gilda turned in her seat towards Seamless. "Listen dweeb, she already said no, now buzz off!"

Seamless ignored her. "Dash if you come with me I'll give you my autographed Wonderbolt's uniform."

Dash whipped around to stare at Seamless. She was silent for a moment before speaking not so quietly as before. "You mean the 980 Miracle in Air uniform signed by Dave Silks and Bill Balk?" This solicited many a shush from the rest of the audience.

Seamless pressed a hoof to her mouth. "Yes, now come." He grabbed her hoof and dragged her outside. "Now, follow me." He flapped his wings and took off.

"But...What about...!" She hollered after him. When he didn't answer, she grumbled and went after him. "Fine..."

The flight wasn't long, only taking about five minutes. Dash knew exactly where they were going as soon as she saw a large stadium looming in the darkness ahead. They flew in over the stands and landed on a platform overlooking the entire airfield.

"Woody Coltwood Field." She whispered to herself and turned to Seamless. "Alright Seamless, what is so important that I'd have to wait for my movie to out on beta?"

"Dash, I've been wanting to talk to you about this for a long time. I don't really have the courage to tell you...though..." Seamless hung his head and searched for the strength to just say what he wanted to.

Dash walked up to him and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Does this have to do with earlier?"

"Yes, very much so. Dash...I'm just going to come out and say it. I really like you." He smiled up at her.

Dash took her hoof back and backed up a couple steps. "You...you mean like...'like' like?"

"Yes." His face fell at the look on Dash's. She looked fearful, but confused, unsure of what to say or do.

"Les...I-I don't know...what to say."

"Seamless steeled himself and puffed out his chest. "You don't have to say anything Dash. I know how you feel, you don't want to ruin what we have already, right?"

"Yeah Les, I like you a lot too, but what would we do if it didn't work out?"

Seamless' smile returned. "It will work out Dash. We're so alike, you and I. Our only faults are our stubbornness. Think about it, when have we ever fought about anything other than racing?"

"Well, never. And we rarely argue about that too, because you won't race against me."

"That's because we're a team Dash. We shouldn't compete against each other. But I've thought about that too. We're going to settle it here and now, so there is no point in arguing about it in the future. We're going to race, right now."

"Les, I don't know." Seamless stopped her.

"This is it Dash, and these are the rules. You have to go as fast as you can. I've removed all the obstacles from the course, so it should be a breeze for you. But, there are stakes in this race."

Dash gulped as Seamless continued. "If you win, we will stay friends, I won't mind, because hanging out with you will be enough. Not right away though, because I want more. But if I win, you agree to go on one date with me. Just one. If you still feel the same way after the date, then we will act like YOU won the race, okay?"

"Well, that's fair I guess." Dash looked down kicked at the fluffy cloud under her.

Seamless moved closer and lifted her head. "Dash, if you only want to stay friends, I understand. But I can't just act like none of this is real. If you really want to stay friends, then you know you will win this race. But I know we will be great together..." Seamless turned and walked up to the starting line, but not before giving her a playful slap in the face with his tail. "Which means I'm going to win."

"He really knows how to push my buttons," Dash thought. "Alright Les, we'll do this." She stepped up beside Seamless. Looking over at him a determined smile spread across her face. "But I think we would be better as friends, so I'm going to win this race."

Seamless chuckled and waved his hoof towards the stands. A pony Dash hadn't noticed slowly flew up toward them. He landed a little roughly on the perch for the flag pony. "Is that..." Dash started, staring at the

"Woody Coltwood himself. He cleans the place up after races. Doesn't fly much anymore though, getting up there in age." He nodded to the aging stallion who nodded back and pulled out a green flag and a checkered flag. He readied the green flag, raising it above his head.

"You ready for this?" Seamless asked Dash, not too sure himself.

"I guess so." Dash replied, adverting her eyes.

A raspy voice came from the flag pony stand, "On your marks! Get set! GO!"

As they both jumped off the starting line Dash was nearly blown away by the shock wave Seamless created as he shot off around the track. She wavered in the air but kept on course and sped off after him. She held firm, keeping half a furlong between them. Seamless didn't bother to look back, keeping his mind fixated on the goal ahead. He had to beat her, just this once.

Dash stared ahead, bewildered at the speed Seamless put out. It was taking almost all her strength to keep up. "No. We can't do this. I have to beat him, we'll never be the same if we go out, even once!" Dash put every bit of strength she could muster into her wings and put forth a burst of speed that made old Woody's false teeth drop out of his head. She came up inch by inch, closing in on Seamless as they came around the track to the halfway mark.

Seamless heard the buzzing of her wings behind him but blocked it out, his mind still on the task at hand. This one time, he wouldn't let Dash beat him in a race of speed. He strained himself, feeling his muscles tire after an already taxing workout earlier. Beating his wings faster, he managed to ignore the pain and speed up. The increase in speed was noticed as he heard the buzzing of Rainbow Dash's wings fade behind.

Coming into the final stretch of the field, he felt the air pressure build around him, a cone of white peeling off his outstretched hooves. He bent his head into the wind, pushing himself to continue. The air tightened around him, squeezing at his forehooves and head. He less than a hundred meters away from the finish, he was going to win! But quite abruptly, the cone was gone. A sudden tug of air at his head caused him to veer straight down. Caught in the stall, he slowed down significantly. He distinctly swore and turned back up just in time to see Woody wave his checkered flag front of Dash, who rocket across the finish line.

Woody shot Seamless a sad glance as he flew up across the line and landed next to Dash. The old stallion dropped his flags and flew off towards the stands to wait for the young ones to leave. Seamless was too astonished to even pant, his body and mind in shock from what had happened. He stared at Dash, who jumped up and cheered.

"Ha HA! I knew I was the fastest in-" She stopped cheering as she turned and met Seamless' sad face.

"Way to go Dash." He softly said.

"Les. I'm-" Dash started to say, but Seamless cut her off.

"It's okay Dash. You won, as I thought you would." Seamless tried to give her a smile but it only enhanced the grimace.

Rainbow Dash held her breath. She saw the heartbreak in Seamless' eyes, and it physically hurt her. Why, she asked herself. At first she thought it was seeing a friend she could never turn her back to in this much pain. But then a thought intruded the previous. "Could it be...?" She questioned herself.

Seamless turned and beating his wings, floated above the cloud. "Like I said, we'll still be friends. I just...gotta go finish that work for my dad now."

Seamless started to fly off, but was turned around by a forceful hoof. He cried out but was immediately silenced by a pair of lips joining his. Dash stared directly into his eyes, the eyes that held so much sorrow before but now held confusion on increasing joy, and wiped a tear sliding down Seamless' face. She broke away and smirked at the awestruck colt. "Now don't go all sensitive on me Les. Way I see it you beat me before we got-"

Dash was stopped short again, as Seamless threw himself into her. Locking lips once again, they fell to the cloud floor. The two wrestled around, neither willing or able to break the embrace for air. Back in the stands, old Woody looked on and smiled. "Ah young love. Shame it won't last."

eight months later

When pegasi get older, and their legs and wings just are not what they used to be, one would figure they would need some support, right? But what would a pegasus use? Not a wheelchair, too cumbersome. A walker? No, that was for the ponies stuck on the ground. A pegasus uses a cloud, and although the clouds are in complete control of the cloud, it's easier to float near the ceiling of a house so one does not bump into things.

So when Hem looked down on his son, he did so literally as well as figuratively. He glared down at Seamless, attempting to break his resolve, but the young boy stood his ground, or in this case, stood his cloud.

"This matter is solved boy, I forbid it!" He growled.

"I don't care Dad! Nothing you say will change my mind."

Hem rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to go over this with you? It's a tradition among us pegasi of higher affluence! And to break that tradition is not only absurd and unheard of in our family, it outright disgraces us! This is just as bad as you wanting to be a mechanical engineer. Your hooves are made for stitching, not cracking and splitting in some earth factory!"

"I already told you Dad, try as you may, you won't get me to follow in your hoofsteps. That was settled months ago. And traditions change Dad. Did you not once tell me of our ancestors eating meat in Central Equasia because it was tradition there? And how many ponies do you know of now that eat meat over there?"

"That is not the same Seamless! That was nearly eight hundred years ago, this is now! Today! I entertained your little infatuation because I thought you would come to your senses boy. You should throw away the unkempt tramp and move on to somepony worth knowing!"

Seamless let out his own growl and flew up into the face of his father. "Don't. You. DARE say that again Dad! You ever say something like that about her again, I'll BEAT you to where you'll be so incompetent you'll need more than that cloud to get around!"

Hem didn't move a muscle, other than the one twitching below his right eye. "Get out of my house," he hissed.

With that Seamless turned and flew out the front door. He kept flying, aiming for some place he knew he could think in private. Deciding anywhere in Cloudsdale wouldn't work, he flew up towards the sun, high enough to where nopony would come by or come looking for him. He settled on a stray cloud that had broken loose from the weather plant below.

Seamless sighed and stared out over Cloudsdale. Though he still loved his father, after that fight, there was no good outcome of showing his face around here anymore. Hem had many connections, and a fight like that could warrant a disownership from his father. And that wouldn't look good to the other residents. Tradition was tradition, and every time a member of Seamless' family was married, it was a town wide event. What was worse was that he threatened his father. That would get around town soon enough. Might even be a newspaper article on it.

That didn't bother Seamless, it was what he would tell Dash, how could he break the news to her, right after he asks the biggest, most important question of his life? He reached in the bag adorning his back and pulled out a small velvet lined box.  He opened it and examined it once more. It was hard for Seamless not to look at it, he had made it himself. "For a pony using his hooves, I sure did a good job. I hope she likes it." He pondered.

Seamless moved the note suck on top to the side and pulled the long chain out from the box and caressed the silver chain and pendent. It was a simple snake chain, but the pendent stood out. Two wings, crossed and bound within each other, carved and etched from a single solid silver ingot. Seamless had used a rotary tool shipped from Mount Paddock, painstakingly carving each tiny detail. He put more hours into this than any of his projects before.

Seamless put the chain back in the box and into his bags. He sighed and jumped down from his cloud, back to the city below to find Dash.

Dash brooded as she paced around the living room of her small house. It was a nice little house, although too cramped for Dash's style. She had taken residence here to continue weather patrol training. She vowed that as soon as she was done, she would build one heck of a house somewhere.

But what Dash brooded about was not her house, or training for that day, but what had happened between the two destinations. Her face scrunched up at the thought. She was going to have to kick some flank over this. She knew it was Hem's doing but she had no qualms about kicking the head in of an old crippled man, not after what he had done. She had just about resigned herself to going to jail for assault when a knock came at her door.

She thought about just leaving who ever it was alone, letting him or her think she wasn't home, but decided she might as well answer it. Might be something about work. Dash walked to the door and flung it open. And their stood her love, squinting in the sunlight with a huge smile plastered on his face. The smile slid from his face however at the sight of hers.

"Hi Honey." He said as he walked in and kisses her on the cheek.

"Yeah. Hi," she replied, irate.

Seamless kept his bags on and sat down on the couch. He turned and looked at Dash, who was still standing with the door wide open. "Dash, come sit and tell me what's wrong."

Dash slammed the door shut and walked in front of Seamless. "I'll tell you what's wrong Seamless. It's your father. And something YOU did I'm sure. Unless you can tell me what I have done to deserve insults and glares all day from ponies I don't even know?"

"Wow that fight got around fast," he thought. "My father and I may have had a little fight today."

"From what I've been called today it doesn't seem like a 'little' fight Seamless," she said sternly. I never actually thought I'd be called a 'whore' by ponies I don't even know. What the hell were you even fighting about?"

Seamless looked away and mumbled, "We were fighting about you."

Dash groaned and threw herself on the couch next to Seamless. "Les, you said your father was over and past us seeing each other. Did you lie to me about that?"

"No, I didn't lie about it! Really, he did say he was fine with it."

Rainbow dash wasn't convinced. "Then why would he be mad at us together now? Have I done something, have YOU done something?"

"No, no Dash, it was nothing you did." Seamless slid over closer to Dash and wrapped a hoof around her. "It's me Dash, but it's something I haven't done, at least not yet."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I-- can't tell you yet Dash. You'll have to wait until tonight."

Dash groaned and swatted Seamless' hoof away. "And what is just so damned important that you can't tell me now huh? I mean really Les, we've been together for what, more than half a year, and you can't..."

Dash stopped and sighed. She got up and walked to the window, which she stared absentmindedly out of for a moment. "Les. You said we would never fight about anything."

Seamless got up himself and moved beside her. "I know Dashie. I thought it would never happen."

Dash turned to look at Seamless, her vision hazed through watering eyes. "I don't know if I can do this Seamless."

Seamless' heart dropped. "N-no Dash, don't say that! We can work through this, I know we can!" His Voice broke, "Dash, please, we can't just up and end this when things get tough. We need this to work, I need this to work!"

She blinked out a couple of tears. "Seamless, your dad obviously doesn't approve of me. And if I can see it then a lot of other ponies do too. If he did approve then those ponies would think twice about saying anything to me."

"I don't care what he thinks Dash. And you shouldn't either. If the ponies around here don't get that then we should move. Somewhere near by of course. Where was that town you said Fluttershy moved-"

"Seamless!" Dash was visibly blinking tears away from an angry face. "It's not that simple! You're not going to be getting any more of your dad's money if we do go. What will we do for food huh? And besides, I still have a few weeks of training to go for this weather job. I can't live like this, and I for sure can't do it with the rest of my class and even my trainers calling me a WHORE ALL THE TIME!"

Seamless shrank into the wall. Dash wiped her eyes and turned back to the window. "You should go Seamless."

"Dash, I-"

"GO, SEAMLESS!"

He bit his lips and stifled a sob. Seamless opened the door and looked once more at Dash. He took one hoofstep out the door and stopped. After a moment he walked back in and right next to Dash. He pulled out the velvet box and placed it on the windowsill. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek and whispered, "I love you Dash." And with that, he was gone, slamming the door behind him and taking to the skies.

Dash stared at the box for a good ten minutes before finally reaching a hoof up to touch it. She slid her hoof around the soft cover a moment before picking it up and opening it. Picking the note out of the box, she gazed at it until her glazing eyes were too blurry to see from. Her legs grew weak and dropping to the ground, all she could do was cry out, her weeping tears blotting and smearing the words 'WILL YOU MARRY ME?' on the simple note adorning the silver wings.

Seamless had no where to go. Dash was his only hope. "Emphasis on the 'was.'" he thought. He no longer had a home at his father's, nor a home at Dash's. Even Coltwood Field had been torn down after the old geezer passed on. The only place Seamless could think to go was the old flight camp, where he first met his Dash. Flying up to the entrance, he was greeted by a horde of little foals of many ages rushing past to be picked up by their parents. He looked around and spotted one of his old instructors.

"Excuse me, Ms. Canary?" He said meekly. "Do you remember me?"

The young mare just laughed after taking a good look. "How can I forget the son of Hem? It's been a while Seamless, how have things been going?"

Seamless focused on the cloud below. "Oh not so good I guess. I was just wondering...could I maybe just fly around a bit, just for old time's sake?"

"Oh. Of course Seamless, take your time." Seamless nodded and walked out to the track. The track he had first seen his beautiful mare. He looked out over the track, the amazing wave of color spreading across the skies still present in his memory. Flying over to the starting line, he sat down as his mind wondered towards the memories of that day. The pure joy on Dash's face when she landed warmed his heart to this day.

Then his mind flashed back to earlier. Sadness and pain is all he could recall then. He shook his head and stood up. "Only one way to clear my head," he whispered to himself. He cocked his body back, readied his wings, and shot off from the starting point, the metal beams of the flags bending with the force. He rocketed through the air, the cloud rings he passed dissolving with the gusts of wind.

Dash had searched everywhere, the Hem & Seam shop, Seamless' workshop, their local pub, and no where was he to be found. She even tried the Hem mansion. She of course wasn't allowed in, but her and Seamless' trainer was leaving, saying that he wasn't home, so no training for that day. There was only one other place in town she could look, and that was Cloudsdale Flight Camp. She soared off, clutching the silver wings around her neck.

Dash flew across Cloudsdale in less than five minutes, landing on the cloud entrance infront of Ms. Canary.

"Well if it isn't Rainbow Dash! My, my, are all my old students dropping by to say hello today?"

Dash trotted up to her. "Sorry Ms. Canary, it's good to see you but I'm looking for somepony. Have you seen Seamless around?"

"Why yes, he's out on the track right now. He just got here so i assume he's still out there, I-"

Dash didn't wait around to hear what she had to say, and was out on the track in two flaps of a wing. She sat up on the bleachers and looked around, trying to spot the crimson colt.

Seamless was having fun. As much fun as he could, navigating the track of his foalhood. The simple twists, turns, and dives, obviously child's play to Seamless, but it reminded him of days not worrying about his father's constant nagging over Seamless' future. Before it was such a big deal to follow "Tradition." Flying was the only thing he liked, next to tinkering in his own workshop. Finding ways to go faster. Faster, yet still agile.

He saw the drop for the ground level hoop coming up, so he closed his eyes, and dived.

Dash finally spotted him, quite a ways off, but still in sight. She took off from her perch, flying towards the speeding colt.  She flew fast, but not fast enough to whip the chain around and break off. Dash began hollering after him, but saw him dive down towards the ground, so instead she stopped at a passing cloud to watch his dive. He flew fast, faster than Dash had seen him fly since that night so many months before.

It was then she noticed something. That cone she had seen when she made that signature flight. The cone that would become her way towards her cutie mark. Seamless was blur of red streaking towards the ground at neck breaking speeds. But then Dash saw something odd, the cone wasn't as even as hers was. In fact it was wobbling, the increasing speeds casting turbulent air around Seamless.

Then it happened. just before the ground the cone disappeared, and Seamless' nose shot straight down, instead of the angle he should have. His forelegs caught on the hoop, and he spiraled out into the trees.

Maybe, just maybe Seamless could do it. He felt the air compress around him again, tightening around his outstretched legs. The speeds incredible, shaking him back and forth and...this wasn't supposed to happen, Seamless always performed in perfect form, why would the turbulence affect him now? The shaking and tossing increased twisting and turning his wings with every flap, threatening to snap the bones. Seamless tried as hard as he could to keep himself on track, but it was no use. His left wing popped out of it's joint and his speed dropped. Not that he noticed, the pain emanating from his back was too intense. The sudden drop in speed well below mach put him in another stall, and he shot straight down.

He flared out his good wing but it only managed to bring him up a few inches, and he plowed right into the bottom of the hoop. It flipped him around in a tumble that flung him towards the woods nearby. He remembered hitting the first branch, face up towards the clouds. His vision grew black as the last thing he saw, a shadow descending from the clouds, before he passed out.

Dash landed next to the woods, eyeing the devastation before her. Small but whole trees ripped from the ground at the roots, branches shattered and strewn about the ground. She walked into the woods, scanning for any sign of movement.

"SEAMLESS!" she began hyperventilating. She tried listening for a response but her own heavy breaths and thumping heart blocked out any other sound. Her vision blurred, but came back clear as day when she saw a blotch of red. She ran towards it, still calling out her friends' name. Coming closer she saw the outline of a wing laying just behind a tree.

She approached it, on the verge of passing out from lack of air. "Seamless...are you...o-" Upon turning around the tree, she saw that it was indeed Seamless' wing. But only his wing. She backed up, unable to breath. Her whole body shook. She turned and vomited and when all was expelled, she heaved, unable to produce anything.

"Dash..."

Dash's head shot up, still not able to breathe, she heard it again.

"Dash..."

She ran towards the noise. Only a few yards ahead lay Seamless, battered, bruised, and broken. Where one of his wings used to be, only a heavily bleeding stump of bone and sinew remained. His other wing, while still attached, lay twisted underneath him, the odd shattered bone sticking out through leaking holes. All around lay feathers, sticking to leaves and branches with the slick blood coating them.

She stumbled over and dropped beside him. Raising his head up, she gently shook him. His eyes were closed and his breathing ragged, but he was still alive. "Les. Wake up! P-please..."

No answer came from the dying pegasus, only the shallow breaths of a colt on his last legs. Dash leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Please Les, wake up. I-I want to marry you! I want to grow old with you, please Seamless wake up..." She trailed off as her sobbing overtook her. She vaguely registered a voice calling from above.

"I saw him land! Down here, quick!"

Dash tried to stay calm, keep her breathing steady, but her body and mind could no longer take the devastating scene before her, so she laid down next to him and passed out.