Flying Blind Into Loveby TheTalentlessPonyChaptersShe's Just ConfusedShe's Just RacingShe's Just ReadingShe's Just HurtingShe's Just Out of ItShe's Just In LoveShe's Just ConfusedRainbow mane... Light blue body... Lounging back on a cloud in the middle of the day... ...Well, that certainly sounded like Rainbow Dash, but... Said-pony didn't seem quite like herself today. Her confident smile was missing from her snout, and her posture lacked in its usual pride. Though still looking rather comfortable, she wasn't very relaxed, despite there being nothing overly upsetting going on in her life. Why wasn't she happy then? Even she wasn't so sure of the answer. Though originally focused on nothingness, Rainbow Dash directed her gaze to her forehead, where she could see something wrapped around it. After a moment of simply staring at it, she pulled off the object, in spite of it ruffling up her mane in the process. Goggles. They were a simple tan pair of goggles. Simple as they were however, they did indeed hold some importance. They were goggles worn only by the Wonderbolts. With that knowledge, it would be easy for just about anypony to deduce the fact that Rainbow Dash had indeed become a Wonderbolt. It hadn't been easy. She had endured long hours of training, and her limits had been tried and tested repeatedly. But through it all, she had stayed strong and persevered. Because of that fact, she had finally received it. A spot in the Wonderbolts. And it had all been worth it. ...right? Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open a bit as the sudden question entered her head. Of course it was worth it! She was in the Wonderbolts... the Wonderbolts! Her dream had been to be a part of their group! To be adored and looked at by everypony she passed by! So just what was up with her? Rainbow Dash glared down at the pair of goggles, her eyes staring back at her from the reflective material. Why did holding such a thing not bring her the joy it had when she had first got it? Was she upset? Was she just in a weird mood? Was she... Ugh... Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to her head and laid back down. All these questions were getting her nowhere, and only succeeded in giving her a headache; she was never one to enjoy unanswered questions. Unsatisfied by the mere sight of her 'prized possession', she reeled her arm forward and threw the object behind her, allowing it to land wherever gravity pleased. thunk The sound was barely audible, giving Rainbow Dash an odd sense of accomplishment from knowing it had been easily thrown so far away. Though the noise was followed by silence for a few seconds, it didn't last for long. "...Rainbow Dash..." "Hm?" she grunted, hearing her name being called. "Rainbow Dash." That voice... so familiar... Upon recognizing it, she smiled and peered over the cloud, looking downwards to meet with the face of a small orange filly. The filly's purple mane was unkempt and messy, but she didn't seem to care much. "Rainbow Dash!" she cheered, smiling up at her idol. "Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash called back, hopping down from her cloud and floating to the ground. "Are these your goggles?" Scootaloo suddenly questioned, turning her body to reveal the goggles that had landed on her back. "O-oh, uh..." Nervously shifting her gaze around, Rainbow Dash wondered about whether or not she should say what was on her mind. "Be careful with those," Scootaloo said, taking the goggles and handing them back to her idol. "That's Wonderbolt-stuff after all!" she added. "Eheh... yeah..." Upon taking the goggles back, she quickly changed the conversation. "S-so, how's crusading going?" "A-ah..." Scootaloo paused, looking as though she had become a bit discouraged. Rainbow Dash frowned in response. "H-hey now-" "N-no. It's not about that," Scootaloo assured, turning her attention to her flank. "I mean, something's still missing, but..." Something's still missing... "Besides that... I've just been thinkin' lately." "...'Bout what?" "...About what's gonna happen to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Y'know... after we get our marks!" The mention of gaining her cutie mark seemed to spark some life into Scootaloo's face, but she still seemed a little sad. "We wouldn't be the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore!" "Pft. Is that all?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's nothing. You three are still gonna be friends of course, even after you've got your cutie mark. I don't see why you'd break up just cause of that," she said. "Yeah, I know," Scootaloo agreed with a smile. "But... still... it's just that I wondered about what's next." "...What's next?" Rainbow Dash questioned, raising a brow. "Mmhm!" Scootaloo replied, nodding quickly. "Yeah. After our crusading's all over. Where do we go from there? What do we do next?" What's next... where to go... "Something wrong, Rainbow Dash?" "H-huh?" "You were spacing out..." Scootaloo told her, frowning with concern. "Heh. Don't worry about me. I was just thinking too," Rainbow Dash assured with a smile. "Oh yeah? That's new," Scootaloo suddenly teased, smirking as she flapped her wings tauntingly. "Oh... oh?" Rainbow Dash asked, grinning as she mischievously dug her hoof into Scootaloo's mane, earning a giggle from her. "Those are racing words, squirt! You wanna go or somethin'?" she questioned, knowing full-well that Scootaloo had been practicing. Maybe she had time to teach her a thing or two today. However... suddenly... "Well, I don't know about her, but I'd like to go." Rainbow Dash jumped slightly, not expecting the voice. Turning, she quickly stood up straight and saluted. "C-captain Soarin! Is something wrong?" The pale blue stallion simply chuckled in response. "Cool it, Rainbow Dash. You don't have to call me that when I'm not wearing my uniform." "Uh... but you are," Scootaloo told him, directing a hoof at his Wonderbolt suit. "I-I am?" Soarin looked down, noticing that he did still have his uniform on. "S-shoot! I must've slept in this thing!" Taking off like a rocket, the embarrassed stallion flew off to go remove his suit. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo merely stared at each other for a moment, then smirked as they joined together for a good laugh about it. "Heheh! Is he always like that!?" Scootaloo asked, nearly rolling on the ground from laughing so much. "Hah...ha..." Rainbow Dash calmed down first, then just nodded, a small tear in her eye from such joyous laughter. "Yeah, he's a bit of a featherhead sometimes," she replied, grinning. "How did that become captain of the Wonderbolts then?" Scootaloo joked. "You should just be captain, Rainbow Dash! You're a bigger featherhead than he is!" "Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked, grabbing hold of her and pulling her close, tickling her as much as she could. "Maybe you should be captain then, featherhead!" "Oh yeah?" "Yeah!" "Well I-" Suddenly pausing, Scootaloo quickly began looking up at the sky. Rainbow Dash guessed that she was figuring out what time it was. "...Crusader business?" she asked. Scurrying out of her forelegs as fast as she could, Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash apologetically. "Y-yeah! S-Sorry, but I think I'm gonna be super-late!" "Don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash assured. "We'll just talk about your featherheadness later," she teased. Scootaloo shot her a fake glare, then smiled and ran off. ...Hm... Rainbow Dash blinked for a moment, then smiled, looking rather satisfied. While she was sad that she didn't get to teach Scootaloo anything, she had gotten the revelation that she needed from listening to the filly's troubles. Where was she meant to go from here? Yeah, she was a member of the Wonderbolts and all, but what was she meant to do next? Her goal in life had been complete, so what was there left to strive for? The experience had left her feeling... empty? It felt like there was something missing... something else that needed to be done. But what? Just what could it be? Author's Note 'Bout time I get to do a shipfic on my favorite pony. > w < She's Just RacingThe sound of pegasus wings flapping quickly snapped Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts, and she turned around swiftly as said-pegasus landed. However, seeing the intruder of her personal space, she softened her expression and chuckled. "Finally got your suit off, huh?" she asked. Soarin blushed slightly in response, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. "Eheh, you got it!" Rainbow Dash let out a light-hearted laugh in response, then slowly stood up and faced him, puffing out her chest with confidence. "So... you wanted to race me? Me? You're talking to the pony who pulled off a Sonic Rainboom y'know," she said tauntingly. "And you're talking to the pony who became captain of the Wonderbolts y'know," Soarin shot back in response, sharing her wide grin. "Oh, I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash muttered, lightly brushing Soarin's nose with her hoof. "I thought you won that title from a pie-eating competition." "Ohhhh. Is that how this is gonna go?" Soarin asked, holding back a laugh and getting into a take-off stance. Rainbow Dash's grin widened as she copied his pose. "That's how it's gotta go," she replied. "...THREE-TWO-ONE-GO!" Both ponies shouted those words quickly as they took to the skies. It was on now. Oh yes. IT. WAS. ON. Rainbow Dash was the first to take the lead, but with a simple flap of his wings, Soarin gained on her, quickly passing her up like it was nothing. She stared at him for a moment, then grinned. No big deal. She was confident in her abilities. Her rainbow trail hadn't even appeared yet, and she was still able to keep up with him. Granted, she still knew that he wasn't flying at his fastest, but friendly competition or not... it was still competition. And she wouldn't have it any other way. "Going a little slow today, Dash!" he told her, shooting off a smug smirk. "Sorry! I didn't want you to cry, so I thought I'd go easy on ya for a bit!" she said in reply. "Oh yeah? PROVE I-WHOA!" Soarin was quickly interrupted as Rainbow Dash cut him off, shooting upwards into the sky and taking towards the clouds. "See ya!" she shouted. She then heard him laugh and give chase, to which she welcomed wholeheartedly. Oh, the excitement of having a great competitor. This is just what she needed. "Hey, Dash! How do you fly when you're blind like that?" Soarin asked, though with a hint of mischievous intent in his tone. Rainbow Dash turned her head and raised a brow. "What are you getting at-" POMP She had gotten a cloud to the face. It's puffiness stuck to her cheeks and covered her eyes; a classic pegasus cloud-changing move that made clouds rather sticky; not used often, but useful as a prank. This was how he wanted to play? That was fine by her. Stopping for a moment, Rainbow Dash beat the cloud with her hooves at a swift pace. It softened, and she wiped it off with ease and took a second to regain her bearings. Now, where is he... Upon seeing Soarin flying way ahead of her, she grabbed hold of a nearby cloud and took off after him. It was a big cloud that she had grabbed, but it wouldn't be big for long. As she flew after her competitor, her rainbow trail appeared behind her tail while she harshly rubbed her hooves against the cloud, making it rough, yet formable. Upon compressing it into a thick circular object, Rainbow Dash then directed her attention to Soarin. "YO!" she called out to him. Turning his head slightly, he promptly gave a loud yelp of surprise as she threw the compressed cloud towards him. "GOTCHA!" Not quick enough to move, the cloud hit Soarin's stomach, making him flail briefly and lose his momentum. Though it was only for a few seconds, it was more than enough for Rainbow Dash to fly past him and take the lead... in addition to getting a good chuckle. Despite it having stunned Soarin for a moment, it actually hadn't hurt in the slightest. A cloud was still a cloud and, compressed or not, could never be used to actually hurt anypony. Knowing that, it was clear that Rainbow Dash was merely using it to toy with him, just as he had done with her. With that in mind, the race continued on as he gave chase to her, though how much of a race it was grew questionable. They had no set finish line or any real interest in following a set path. And, by now, any thoughts of a serious race seemed to vanish as they flew around each other and laughed. "Ha! Ready to give up yet?" Rainbow Dash asked, teasingly bumping up against Soarin as they flew side-by-side. "Not on your life Dash!" he responded, bumping against her as well. "Alright then! How about this?" she questioned, directing her hoof at a gigantic cloud above. "First one outta that cloud wins!" "Better just give me the win now!" Soarin told her, being quick to shift his angle towards the 'finish line'. "Not happening!" Rainbow Dash shouted back as she changed directions, speeding towards the cloud as well. The two were neck-and-neck, but they knew that one of them had to be less resistant to cloud-diving than the other; no two pegasi were ever the same. They then hit the cloud harshly, driving through it like a drill through dirt. The puffy surface gave way easily, but was still somewhat thick and resistant to their attempt at bursting through. Rainbow Dash, being the weather-pegasus that she was, had an easier time going through. However, while she craved the win, that wasn't the only thing she planned on doing. Getting out first, she merely popped her head out of the cloud, knowing exactly where Soarin would appear, as she had seen the angle he entered at. And then... she ducked and waited... ... ... So when she saw part of the cloud give way... "...I'M OU-" "RAAAAAH!" Rainbow Dash grinned widely as she tackled Soarin, sending the two tumbling onto the large cloud. They wrestled and fought, but gently and with the only intention of good fun. The white fluff of a cloud underneath them bounced and jiggled to their play, but never dared to cave in to spoil their fun. The cool crisp wind harshly whipped at their fur, but they showed no signs of noticing, far too caught up in their little game. After a few minutes though, the two quickly tired out from such rough-housing and gave up on their playful fighting, suddenly taking a preference to resting on the cloud. And, such a task would've been easy for Rainbow Dash... ...had it not been for the fact that she was laying on top of Soarin. "...What? Have I become your bed all of a sudden?" he joked, chuckling at how limp she seemed to be; she must've been comfortable. "Mmm?" Rainbow Dash grunted. Realizing her place on top of him, she quickly chose to get off; while they weren't in uniform, she still felt that it would be wrong to lay against a captain like that. ...However, as she pushed herself up... She stopped halfway, her face mere inches away from his. To be honest, she didn't know why. Her body had just quit listening to her, seeming content with where it was. "..." Rainbow Dash tried to utter at least something, but found that she could do that either. C-come on! Listen to me, stupid body! Her wings clenched to her sides, shuddering slightly as her breath became caught in her throat. She wasn't sure... nor did she understand why, but... Maybe it from her closeness to him... or the way the light reflected off of his face... ...He looked kind of... cool. Not like she used to envision him back when he was just an idol, but... really, really cool. "..." Soarin stared back at her, but merely smiled. "...You okay, Dash?" he asked. "H-huh!?" Snapping back to reality, Rainbow Dash abruptly reeled back, falling back onto the cloud for a moment before quickly regaining her senses and standing up. "U-uh..." Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she attempted to answer him. "No! I mean, yes... er... I-I gotta go!" She then turned away swiftly and took off, leaving a concerned-looking Soarin behind. "...Dash?" She's Just ReadingRainbow Dash fluttered to the ground and looked around. A few ponies around, but not too many. Good. She didn't feel like talking to anypony right now. Not after... whatever just happened. As she trotted across the pathway, she did her best to keep a straight face; not willing to let anyone see the awkwardness she was feeling in that moment. Now... I remember that it was down this way... ahah! Rainbow Dash smiled as she reached it; the Ponyville Library, otherwise known as 'Twilight Sparkle's House'. She hadn't been there in a while, what with the Wonderbolts traning and all, so she was just glad that she recalled the exact location. Though walking up to it confidently at first, she hesitated to knock on the door. Oh, geez... this is gonna be so weird. But, I gotta know. Knock Knock Her ear twitched as she heard the sound of hoofsteps, and she tried to mantain her composure as the door opened up. Screeeee "Oh. Hey, Rainbow Dash. What's u-" "TWILIGHT!" Tackling her inside as quickly as she could, Rainbow Dash positioned herself in the same way she had been in earlier, though with Twilight Sparkle in Soarin's position. "Y-you gotta help me! I think I'm sick or something!" she shouted. After a short pause though, she blinked; she didn't feel weird like she had earlier. "...Huh... it's not happening," she muttered, looking somewhat confused. "Ugh. What are you talking about, Rainbow?" Twilight groaned, rubbing her head from the earlier impact with the floor. Granted though, she had somewhat expected it. Rainbow Dash had always been... impulsive. "I... I dunno!" she admitted, getting off of Twilight and closing the door behind her. "I felt all funny earlier and thought that you'd know what was up!" "...Funny?" Twilight questioned, looking intrigued as she stood up and stretched her wings. "Well..." After looking around for a moment, she magically pulled a book out from one of her shelves and shuffled through it. "...Has anypony told you a good joke lately?" "Not that kind of funny!" Slapping the book out of Twilight's hooves, Rainbow Dash then glared her down; though it came across as more of a pleading glance than anything else. "I-I'm serious!" Twilight merely blinked in response for a moment, then quickly let out a small gasp as a spark went off in her head. "You... you really are serious," she said, pushing the book aside. "I thought you were just messing with me..." Rainbow Dash shook her head in reply. "I'm not! I mean..." Blushing slightly in embarrassment, she averted her gaze to the floor. "O-okay, okay!" Twilight said quickly, realizing how serious the situation was. "W-what's wrong then? What did you mean by 'funny'? I'm sure I'll have a book about it somewhere!" she assured. Rainbow Dash smiled slightly at her attempts to calm her down, despite still feeling awkward about it. "Well, I was with Soarin." "The captain of the Wonderbolts?" "Mmhm." "Alright then." "And we were just having a little race, but then I tackled him and..." She paused. "...?" Twilight noticed her unsureness and chose to pursue the matter further. "And?" "...a-and... well... I felt... funny... I don't know..." Rainbow Dash quickly averted her gaze from Twilight, feeling her cheeks heat up from remembering the moment. "Oh?" Twilight asked, sounding disappointed with the answer. However, she got closer and noticed Rainbow Dash's blush, which suddenly became somewhat of a hint to her. "...You're blushing." "Hmph. Am not," Rainbow Dash told her stubbornly, crossing her forelegs and looking away. "R-Rainbow Dash doesn't blush." "I see," Twilight said, not sounding convinced in the slightest. Rather than getting Rainbow Dash to admit her act, she turned her attention to a bookshelf and briefly scanned over the books that rested inside. Upon seeing one that had a small heart-shaped sticker on the label, she pulled it out and gave it to her friend. "Here." "Huh? What's-" Rainbow Dash paused as she noticed the sticker. Just what she didn't want to see. "...No... no no no," she muttered, glaring at it. "Rainbow..." Twilight said simply, gesturing her hoof out to encourage her to read it. Rainbow Dash paused to stare at her for a moment, then sighed and reluctantly opened the book. "...Warmth..." "...Shortness of breath..." "...Feeling the need to be around said-pony at all times?" She gave Twilight a questionable look at that. "I don't have that." "You don't?" "N...no..." "Rainbow~" Twilight raised a brow at smiled somewhat; it was amusing to see a pony so flustered. "...Oh, ponyfeathers." Rainbow Dash muttered, putting a hoof to her face miserably. She had it bad. "It's nothing to be ashamed about." "I'm Rainbow Dash! RAINBOW DASH!" Hitting the floor with her other hoof, she then avoided Twilight's gaze. "I'm not supposed to be all lovey-dovey over some other pony!" "Why not?" "'Cause it's not cool! That's why!" Twilight stopped for a second to absorb the spoken words, then grinned. "You mean like how reading wasn't cool?" Rainbow Dash flinched slightly. Oh, she went there... "W-well... I... I mean..." Giving into her friend, she sighed once more. "What do I do, Twi?" Twilight giggled. "Isn't it obvious? You tell him!" "W-WHA-" "I know. I know. That's not your style." Scoffing a bit at the word 'style', Twilight chuckled a bit and moved over to a few blank cards laying on a table. "Why don't you give him a card? It might seem a little overdone, but if you don't want to say it-" "I'll tell him." Twilight quickly jerked her head towards Rainbow Dash. Such confidence all of a sudden... "Just like that?" "I'm a Wonderbolt now! I can make anything look cool!" Her smile seemed then to waver for a moment. "E-even though it's... something like this..." "I believe in you, if that helps," Twilight said, smiling to reassure her. "Be sure to tell me how it goes, okay?" Rainbow Dash simply nodded in response. "I will," she promised, promptly flying out of an open window and taking to the skies. Admittedly, she felt a little better; maybe she came to the right pony after all, despite all of her doubts. "HEY! RAINBOW DASH!" She blinked. "Scootaloo?" Looking downwards, she quickly noticed the orange filly waving at her. "Hey! What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked, stopping and landing next to her favorite crusader. "Not much, but whoa! I haven't seen you in Ponyville for so long! You had some business to take care of around here?" Scootaloo questioned. Rainbow Dash quickly became flustered at the question. "O-oh! Uh..." How do I tell her that I like somepony!? She'll disown me as her idol or something! Scootaloo seemed to notice her troubles and softened her expression. "Is it that big of a deal? You can tell me!" she told her, almost in a pleading manner. Rainbow Dash tried to choke out an answer, but only managed to make a few words audible enough to hear. She was barely loud at all, which seemed to catch Scootaloo's attention twice as fast. She might've been young, but she wasn't naive. "Huh?" Scootaloo questioned, her ear twitching as it tried to hear the full of Rainbow Dash's sentence. "...wait... you... what?" she asked, a spark going of in her eyes as she seemed to catch enough of the words. "I... I-" "Is he cool?" Rainbow Dash paused. It seemed like a rude question, but... not the way she had said it. "H-huh?" "Is he cool?" Scootaloo asked again, a teasingly playful grin crossing her face. Rainbow Dash stared blankly at her for a moment, then grinned and sat down, pulling Scootaloo close to her and ruffling up her purple mane. "You bet! He's cooler than cool! Cool as you can get!" "And you're gonna tell him, right? I don't care how cool he is! Nopony can reject your coolness!" Scootaloo exclaimed, grinning wide. "Hah! 'Course I'm gonna tell him!" Rainbow Dash told her, gaining a boost of confidence from the conversation. She then flapped her wings and flew into the air a bit. "In fact, I'm gonna go right now!" "Ohhh! Tell me how awesome your confession is when you're done, okay?" Scootaloo asked. "Heh, you bet." And with that, she was off, now brimming with a new confidence. Ponies don't give that filly enough credit. She's Just HurtingWhile heading to the Wonderbolts' main building however, Rainbow Dash noticed something. Two somethings actually. Two ponies. One of them being Soarin. ! Suddenly panicking that she'd have to say it in front of somepony else if she confessed to him right then, she quickly dove into a nearby tree and poked her head out, eyeing the other pony. Spitfire... "Aw, come on. When are you gonna tell everyone? You know that they're gonna figure out eventually," she said. "I know. But it's only been a week," Soarin told her. "Pft. I guess. It's just... you don't usually wait so long for stuff so... important," Spitfire said, looking at him with a concerned expression. "Hey, don't worry. Tomorrow's the day. Promise," he stated. Ugh! What are they talking about!? "Ooo~ A straight-up promise? You gonna be able to stick to that?" "Don't I always?" "Mmm... I guess so. You've stuck to everything else so far." Soarin then stopped, turning and smiling at Spitfire as he gently nuzzled his cheek against hers. Rainbow Dash felt her wings flare up slightly in jealousy. "Anyway, I gotta go see how our new recruit's doin'. She flew off earlier for some reason." "Oh yeah? Don't forget to come back to me afterwards." Soarin chuckled. "I won't." Then, he leaned towards Spitfire and... It was at that moment that Rainbow Dash wanted to stop watching. She wanted to fly off all of sudden and not look back. Because Soarin had kissed Spitfire on the cheek. It hadn't been a lip-kiss, but the message rang loud and clear for Rainbow Dash. The pony she loved was already taken. Rainbow Dash leaned forward, staring sadly at the sight when... SNAP! "WAH!" The tree branch snapped from underneath her, sending her plummeting to the ground with a loud 'THUMP'! "Ouch..." she groaned, her wings falling flat next to her from the landing. "...Dash?" Rainbow Dash's ears quickly shot up, and she directed her attention towards the voice to see Soarin standing a few feet away, but slowly stepping closer to her. She acted fast, regaining her composure and standing up, her wings flapped up and ready for take-off. "DASH, WAI-" Soarin didn't even get a chance to finish as Rainbow Dash flew away from the two, flapping as hard and fast as she could. "Oh no! You're not getting away this time!" Sensing the seriousness in his voice, she sped up and ducked into a large number of clouds to hide. It seemed like a good idea at first... ...until she was promptly tackled out of the cloud and onto another one. "Oof!" she grunted as her head hit the puffy surface. "Rainbow colors are pretty easy to see through clouds y'know," Soarin told her, holding her down with his front hooves. "And it didn't help that your tail wasn't tucked in." S-shoot. I knew that cloud felt a little thin... Rainbow Dash squirmed slightly, but to no avail, as Soarin had a tight hold on her. Then again, she'd expect nothing less from the captain of the Wonderbolts. "Alright now, Dash. Spill," he demanded. "You flew away from me twice, and I wanna know what's up." "Nothing," Rainbow Dash responded flatly, avoiding eye contact as much as she could. "Dash. Tell me," Soarin said harshly. "..." "Dash. As your captain, I demand that-" "What? Worried about your new recruit?" Rainbow Dash asked sharply, her gaze growing dim. "Well, I'm not in uniform, so tough." "...D-Dash, I-" SLAP! After giving Soarin a quick wing to the face, Rainbow Dash escaped from his grasp and made another attempt to ditch him. This time, she succeeded; he didn't follow. Trying to get something that you never will... What was the phrase again? Chasing rainbows? Rainbow Dash scoffed. Oh, the cruelty of that phrase... Landing in front of her house, she gave a loud sigh and approached the door. The reality of the situation had hit her like a brick. It was as if the whole world was playing a game with her, and she was nothing but a... ... ...Horsefeathers. When did I become so moody and pathetic? Upon opening the door, she was greeted only by darkness. When she flicked the lights on though... click! "RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight and Scootaloo greeted, standing inches away from her with wide grins. "How'd it go?" A frowning face was there only response. Rainbow Dash merely walked between them and headed for the couch, giving it a harsh jab with her hoof. "...Rainbow?" Twilight asked, her look changing to one of concern. "I didn't expect you to fly all the way up here just to ask how it went," Rainbow Dash replied, willing to do anything to change the conversation. "W-well, yes. I wouldn't, normally. But Scootaloo wanted to know how it went right away, so I flew her up here," she explained. "Did you get to confess?" Scootaloo questioned, curious as to what was causing Rainbow Dash to act so unlike herself. "...No. I didn't." she replied, sounding defeated. "Aww, but you said-" "I didn't chicken out or anything." "...But, then... why didn't you-" "'Cause he's already got a marefriend. No..." Rainbow Dash paused to contemplate her choice of words, then sat on the couch and shrugged. "No big deal," she finished, trying to put on a good act for Scootaloo. Twilight was silent at Rainbow Dash's words, knowing full-well that it was a much bigger deal than she had said it was. It was the first relationship she tried to form with somepony. And... to be crushed like that... "...Well, you look tired Rainbow Dash, so Scootaloo and I should probably get going." Magically lifting Scootaloo onto her back, Twilight promptly turned and began to head out. She seemed to mutter something as well, but Rainbow Dash failed to hear it; she guessed that it was meant for Scootaloo. "U-uh... b-bye, Rainbow Dash!" she heard Scootaloo shout nervously. And as the door shut, she laid on the couch and slammed her hooves against the arm of it. UGH! Rainbow Dash, what is WRONG with you!? Needless to say, she was frustrated with herself. She felt dumb; loving somepony who loved somepony else. Normally, she'd shrug such things off and move on, but no. This dumb love she felt was still there. She still liked him, and she could do nothing to change that. Turning her attention to the table that rested beside the couch, she noticed her Wonderbolt goggles; she had left them on the ground earlier, but she assumed that Scootaloo had found them and set them on the table for when she had gotten back. She grabbed them, and, once again, she questioned: What's next? She still had no answer. She had once thought that her dumb love could be the next step, but it seemed more like a step backwards when she recalled the earlier events. knock knock Rainbow Dash glared at the door. She was in no mood to deal with anypony right now. Screeeee "Rainbow Da-OUCH!" the pony at the door furiously rubbed her nose as Rainbow Dash's goggles made contact; she didn't look particularly irritated, but surprise was definitely on her face. "...Spitfire?" Rainbow Dash questioned, squinting at her slightly. Though, whether the squinting was from jealousy or curiosity, she wasn't sure. "Ugh... Rainbow Dash... emergency..." Spitfire muttered, still rubbing at her nose. As she finished however, she quickly grew more serious and glared at her. "Griffons are attacking Cloudsdale and must be dealt with immediately!" she said. "It is of the upmost importance that we-" "Coming," Rainbow Dash stated flatly, already putting on her Wonderbolt uniform, albeit slowly. "...You're sure?" Spitfire questioned, though knowing that Rainbow Dash had no real choice. "You seem rather annoyed." "Don't worry. I'm fine," she lied. I just need to hit something... She's Just Out of ItIt wasn't exactly the right decision to dive into battle, nor was it right to do so when she was so frustrated. But she knew that. "Rainbow Dash." She heard Spitfire mutter her name and looked over to her as they flew. "I don't know what's up with you, or even if there really is anything up with you, but I don't want you to sabotage the mission just because of it." Rainbow Dash grew quiet, then simply adjusted her goggles in reply, as if to say 'Got it. Now let's go'. "Hm," Spitfire grunted, raising a brow. It wasn't like Rainbow Dash to be so quiet. "...I've got my eye on you." "SPITFIRE!" The two turned their heads as a male Wonderbolt approached them, promptly stopping and saluting as he reached them. "Status report," Spitfire ordered sternly. The male pony turned and directed his hoof at the chaos in the distance. "The griffons have called in for back-up it seems. It's as if there's three of them for every one of us!" "Pft! Just three griffons to one pony?" Rainbow Dash questioned, hoping to give her teammates a boost of confidence. "Sounds like the odds are in our favor. We just need to kick some major griffon tail!" "Don't get cocky," Spitfire said as she glared at her. Rainbow Dash merely shrugged, though the words had hit her harder than she showed; mostly because of Spitfire's relationship to Soarin. Don't get her wrong however. She wasn't angry with Spitfire. ...I'm just really, really jealous... "What's the current state of Cloudsdale?" Spitfire questioned. "It has yet to be damaged too terribly. A few cracks in some buildings, but nothing that can't be repaired within a day or two." "Good. Let's keep it that way. MOVE OUT!" Spitfire and the male Wonderbolt then took off, with Rainbow Dash following closely behind as she pondered over where to go. She was immediately drawn to a specific griffon however; one who had made it through the pack and was heading for Cloudsdale Stadium. "I don't think so!" she yelled, flying at said-griffon and giving him a harsh jab to the face. "Ugh!" he yelped, rubbing his now-red cheek. He then glared at Rainbow Dash. "You... you little-" "Bring it on, weak-beak." she taunted. The enraged griffon grunted, then charged at her with evil intent in his eyes. "Too slow!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, dodging and delivering a hit to his back. "Too slow, huh!?" The griffon managed to grab hold of Rainbow Dash's tail with his right claw, then gripped her right foreleg with his left. "H-hey!" she yelled as he switched his right claw to her left foreleg, keeping her in a firm hold. "I've heard about you. You're the new Wonderbolt recruit that everyone was talking about." he said. "Umf! You got that right!" Rainbow Dash told him, trying to sound threatening, despite squirming in the griffon's grasp. "Well, if you ask me, you're the one who's too slow," he said, grinning devilishly. "What? Are you off your game today? Or are you just that bad?" "SHUT UP!" Infuriated, Rainbow Dash lifted her back legs and kicked the griffon with as much force as she could. He grunted harshly in response and put his claws to his stomach, clearly in immense pain. She wasn't done though, oh no. She charged at him and knocked him unconscious, then grabbed hold of his claws and sent him flying into a group of three griffons, who had been fighting another member of the Wonderbolts. "Hey, flaw-claws! Come at me!" she yelled, her hoof gesturing for them to come closer. "I can take on all three of you!" Now focused on revenge for the unconscious griffon beneath them, they unquestionably charged at Rainbow Dash. She was revved and ready though. Charging at them as well, the four began to engage in an intense battle. The three would beat on Rainbow Dash, but she would hit right back. Her frustration only focused her strength. Though, she had to wonder... who was she angry at? Soarin, for being with Spitfire? Spitfire, for being with Soarin? ...Or herself, for believing that she had a shot with Soarin in the first place? Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth as the thought entered her head. She was never so self-conscious to think like that. Why now? Especially during a fight so important! Her inner struggle caused her right hoof to falter slightly, and one of the three griffons took advantage of the opportunity by attempting a cheap-jab to her stomach. They didn't manage though. The female Wonderbolt who had been fighting them earlier swooped in and blocked the shot, proceeding to join Rainbow Dash in giving them a pounding. "Ugh. Thanks," Rainbow Dash grunted, though somewhat reluctant to say so; she would've preferred to get hit... "Don't worry about it!" the mare told her as she hoof-jabbed one of the griffons. "Just fight!" Rainbow Dash nodded and did so, but couldn't help being curious about the state of everyone else. "What's the status on the rest of the Wonderbolts?" "E-everyone's-WHOA!" the female ducked an oncoming claw, then continued. "E-everyone's doing... hmph! ...Just fine!" she replied as the two continued their attempt at holding the three griffons back. "You stuttered!" Rainbow Dash grunted as she rushed into one of the griffons and gave him a swift kick. "What's wrong?" "...The captain is up front and fighting the most griffons. I fear that he won't last much longer," she responded. "Soarin...?" Rainbow Dash questioned. "Yes. He's-HEY, WAIT!" Rainbow Dash didn't listen and flew over all of the griffons as fast as she could, making her way to the front of the line, where Soarin was vigorously fighting off at least eight griffons. She was quick to join in. "W-what are you doing here!?" he asked, looking rather beat up as he attempted to fight off the griffons. "Couldn't let you have all the fun," Rainbow Dash replied, though with no sense of teasing in her tone. "You left your post!" Soarin yelled. "Now return to it!" Rainbow Dash was quiet for a moment, then huffed as her expression softened, despite the fact that she was still fighting. "...I'm not leaving you, captain." Soarin faltered slightly from her words at first, then suddenly toughened up as he glared at her. "It wasn't a suggestion! That was an order!" "What? Refuse to have your new recruit hurt on her first major battle?" Rainbow Dash questioned, still torn from her earlier experience. Was 'the new recruit' really all she was to him? "H-HEY! LET ME GO!" "...?" Hearing Soarin's reply, Rainbow Dash turned around and promptly gasped. The griffons had gotten him. And not just him. All of them. The Wonderbolts were all suddenly laid out on the cloudly ground of Cloudsdale, tied up. Their wings and legs were locked together, ensuring that there would be no escape. They squirmed and struggled, but the rope only slightly gave way; not nearly enough for them to get out just yet. "Just one left, everyone." Rainbow Dash turned to the source of the voice. A much bulkier griffon; most likely their leader. He was surrounded by what seemed to be at least fifty other griffons. She was conflicted to say the least; stay and maybe somehow beat up all these griffons, or fly off and escape? The latter was a choice that she was not fond of making. Taking one last look at Soarin though, she instantly knew what she had to do. "...Rainbow Dash," Soarin muttered, his angry expression fading as he saw the gleam in Rainbow Dash's eyes. How do I do it though... ...wait! I'm the pony who performed the stuff of legends... a Sonic Rainboom! I can do anything! ... ...hey, that's it! "Rainbow Dash!" Soarin shouted loudly. "Whatever you're about to do, don't you dare! As your captain, I forbid it!" But it was too late. Rainbow Dash had already flown off as fast as she could. "Catch me if ya can, fail-tails!" "All of you! After her!" the leader commanded as the griffons gave chase. "DASH, NO!" As Rainbow Dash got as far away as necessary, she landed and turned, pointing herself towards the griffons, who were a fair length away, but charging down at her fast. Perfect. "Alright guys!" she yelled, staring up at them. "I only did this once at a wedding, but it doesn't have to be a special occasion for me to whoop you with it!" She then grinned and positioned herself for take-off. Her eyes were fearless, despite her scared heart. Then, her wings flapped like never before, and she took off at a stunning speed towards the group of griffons, feeling the sound barrier pushing against her body. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" As a rainbow exploded out from behind her, she made contact, and everything went black. She's Just In Love"...Uggggh." Rainbow Dash groaned slightly as she began to regain consciousness. She coughed a bit at first, then rested her hooves on the blanket in front of her. She felt a little sore, but it was nothing compared to everything else she had been through. Silence echoed throughout the room, and she wondered if she was truly alone. She was back in her house, lying flat on the couch with the softest of pillows resting behind her. There was a pulled-up chair nearby, which made her rather suspicious as to if she had any visitors or not. "You're awake." Upon flinching, Rainbow Dash turned her head to see that her suspicions were correct, as the pony of her affections was staring back at her: Soarin. "Wah!" she yelped, grabbing her pillow and throwing it at him out of impulse. He held up his foreleg, which the pillow simply bounced off of. "W-what are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash questioned, shifting about slightly as she pulled the blanket closer to her. "What am I doing here?" Soarin asked. "Making sure you're okay, of course!" She quickly changed the topic. "How are the others? Where are the griffons?" He stared out of her window for a second, then sighed. "E...Everyone's fine. Your Sonic Rainboom knocked all of them out long enough for us to escape and take them away. I, however, took more priority to bringing you back to your house and nursing you back to health," he explained, his cheeks slightly red. "Really? Awesome! I took care of a whole griffon army!" Rainbow Dash cheered, her wings flaring up with pride. "Do you have any idea of how reckless that was!?" Soarin suddenly snapped, looking shocked that she was so proud despite her injuries. Rainbow Dash blinked. It was rare to see him look so serious and get so angry. Had she done something? Or was there something wrong with him? "...Of course I did," she replied flatly, trying to keep her cool. "Then why did you do it!?" he questioned. "I told you to return to your post! I told you not to go crazy like that! But you did it anyway!" After a moment, Rainbow Dash's eyes went slightly wide. Though he had been shouting just a moment ago, she could suddenly feel Soarin's anger fading. His expression suddenly had less rage and more compassion. His eyes were suddenly soft and concerned-looking. He suddenly looked scared. "Why did you do that..." he asked again, his tone weakened. "I had to protect you," she answered, as though it were obvious. There was a abrupt silence between the two after she had said that. She tensed slightly, seeing him mentally fighting with himself as to what to say next. Why was he so calm, yet enraged? What was he fighting with himself about? Rainbow Dash hated not knowing. But finally, Soarin spoke. "...Idiot!" She cringed, closing her eyes as he drew closer in fear that he would hit her. However, the hit never came. Instead, Rainbow Dash felt a warmth around her. Her wings fluttered slightly in gentle excitement, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. The feeling was all too familiar to another moment she had shared with him. Only this time, it was stronger. Much stronger. Because he was hugging her. He had placed himself silently on the couch and held her close to him, his hooves resting on her back and warming her heart. But, despite how comfortable she was, Rainbow Dash could slowly feel her jealousy rising up within her. Reality was sure to remind her that this hug could very well be an impulse, and nothing more. Or maybe a hug from a friend to another friend. She felt special receiving it, but she knew that any love emanating from his body belonged to someone else. She lowered her head in response to the realization, not allowing herself to embrace him in return, in fear of saying something she'd regret. "You're hugging me," she muttered plainly, her tone lacking emotion. He stiffened slightly in response, then just held her tighter. "Do you have any concept as to how worried I was?" he questioned, his voice shaky. "I know you. You're brash and reckless. I knew that you were going to do something insane to take down those griffons, and I told you not to. But... b-but..." His sentence seemed to falter as he choked on his words. Was this the same Soarin from a few minutes ago? "You did anyway. To protect me." He let out a pained chuckle. "Some leader I am. I can't even defend my new..." He trailed off for a moment, then changed his words around. "...my Dash." Rainbow Dash went wide-eyed as he spoke her nickname. Not because of the heat of the moment, no. It was his tone. He had said it with so much compassion. So much love. And... my Dash. My Dash. Spoken as if she belonged to him. Like she was his. She was unsure of how to respond. Thoughts ran through her head, but she quickly breathed in and held in her emotions. She wouldn't let her feelings get in the way of his. "...I saw you and Spitfire earlier. Before you chased me." She felt Soarin's grip on her loosen slightly as she continued. "You two looked happy together. I'm..." She chuckled dimly at her cruel fate, then slowly pulled away from Soarin. "...Dash-" "-I'm happy for ya..." "Dash-" "No, really. I am." She smiled at him through her broken heart. Another long silence dragged on between the two. Rainbow Dash wasn't particularly fond of it, but she stayed quiet anyway. All that should be said, had been said. There was nothing left to say. Nothing... "...I'm not happy," Soarin suddenly admitted. "W-what?" she choked out in response. "B-but... you're-" "-with someone that I don't really care for like that." Grabbing Rainbow Dash's face, he pulled her close and placed his forehead against hers. Their manes mashed together in a tangled mess, but he didn't seem to care. "She came to me a week ago. I knew. I knew she had feelings for me, and I went along with it. It was wrong, but I went along with it." His words were shaky and filled with nervousness. Rainbow Dash didn't want to, but her body wouldn't listen. Her right hoof rested over his left, and her left hoof trailed over his body before stopping at his heart, urging him to go on. "I thought that, maybe... maybe if I got close to her... maybe if I grew a relationship with someone else..." Hesitation. "...Yeah?" "...Then maybe I could forget about the real pegasus I wanted. The one who was outta my league since day one." Rainbow Dash winced. She should've known. There was still somepony else. "...I-I see." "I'm sorry, Dash." She blinked. "Sorry? For what?" "I lied to you," he said. "When I said that I was worried about you. I wasn't worried." "..." "I was terrified." He cringed as he brought his right hoof down to rest on her left. "When you flew off, I panicked. My heart raced faster than my body ever had before. Dash, come back safe. Dash..." He shook his head, but still kept his forehead touching hers. "I felt so helpless, and Spitfire saw that. She came to me after we all escaped and broke up our relationship. She figured it out; that I was crazy for somepony else." After a short pause, he pulled away and tilted Rainbow Dash's head up, his eyes meeting with hers. He was so hesitant. So scared to say what he was about to reveal. "...We had gotten together a week ago; on the same day that somepony else joined our ranks." Rainbow Dash grew stiff. That day... a week ago. That was the day that she had become a Wonderbolt. She had joined their ranks. "...I'm sorry, Dash. But... I had to-" "Just shut up already!" Rainbow Dash's impulses burst out of her as she pulled Soarin in for an intense kiss. Finally. Finally, she could do this. She didn't have to be afraid of his reaction anymore. She knew now. And, as they pulled apart, she stared at him. The kiss hadn't felt great. It felt amazing. He was speechless for a moment, then smirked at her. "...So," he whispered to her, grinning devilishly. Oh, she knew that look well. "Who gets to move into whose house?" Rainbow Dash chuckled, then pulled Soarin closer to her, their noses touching. "Tell you what..." "Yeah?" "I'll race you on it." Author's Note Welp, that's the end everypony! I loved doing it, and I hope you loved reading it!
She's Just ConfusedRainbow mane... Light blue body... Lounging back on a cloud in the middle of the day... ...Well, that certainly sounded like Rainbow Dash, but... Said-pony didn't seem quite like herself today. Her confident smile was missing from her snout, and her posture lacked in its usual pride. Though still looking rather comfortable, she wasn't very relaxed, despite there being nothing overly upsetting going on in her life. Why wasn't she happy then? Even she wasn't so sure of the answer. Though originally focused on nothingness, Rainbow Dash directed her gaze to her forehead, where she could see something wrapped around it. After a moment of simply staring at it, she pulled off the object, in spite of it ruffling up her mane in the process. Goggles. They were a simple tan pair of goggles. Simple as they were however, they did indeed hold some importance. They were goggles worn only by the Wonderbolts. With that knowledge, it would be easy for just about anypony to deduce the fact that Rainbow Dash had indeed become a Wonderbolt. It hadn't been easy. She had endured long hours of training, and her limits had been tried and tested repeatedly. But through it all, she had stayed strong and persevered. Because of that fact, she had finally received it. A spot in the Wonderbolts. And it had all been worth it. ...right? Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open a bit as the sudden question entered her head. Of course it was worth it! She was in the Wonderbolts... the Wonderbolts! Her dream had been to be a part of their group! To be adored and looked at by everypony she passed by! So just what was up with her? Rainbow Dash glared down at the pair of goggles, her eyes staring back at her from the reflective material. Why did holding such a thing not bring her the joy it had when she had first got it? Was she upset? Was she just in a weird mood? Was she... Ugh... Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to her head and laid back down. All these questions were getting her nowhere, and only succeeded in giving her a headache; she was never one to enjoy unanswered questions. Unsatisfied by the mere sight of her 'prized possession', she reeled her arm forward and threw the object behind her, allowing it to land wherever gravity pleased. thunk The sound was barely audible, giving Rainbow Dash an odd sense of accomplishment from knowing it had been easily thrown so far away. Though the noise was followed by silence for a few seconds, it didn't last for long. "...Rainbow Dash..." "Hm?" she grunted, hearing her name being called. "Rainbow Dash." That voice... so familiar... Upon recognizing it, she smiled and peered over the cloud, looking downwards to meet with the face of a small orange filly. The filly's purple mane was unkempt and messy, but she didn't seem to care much. "Rainbow Dash!" she cheered, smiling up at her idol. "Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash called back, hopping down from her cloud and floating to the ground. "Are these your goggles?" Scootaloo suddenly questioned, turning her body to reveal the goggles that had landed on her back. "O-oh, uh..." Nervously shifting her gaze around, Rainbow Dash wondered about whether or not she should say what was on her mind. "Be careful with those," Scootaloo said, taking the goggles and handing them back to her idol. "That's Wonderbolt-stuff after all!" she added. "Eheh... yeah..." Upon taking the goggles back, she quickly changed the conversation. "S-so, how's crusading going?" "A-ah..." Scootaloo paused, looking as though she had become a bit discouraged. Rainbow Dash frowned in response. "H-hey now-" "N-no. It's not about that," Scootaloo assured, turning her attention to her flank. "I mean, something's still missing, but..." Something's still missing... "Besides that... I've just been thinkin' lately." "...'Bout what?" "...About what's gonna happen to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Y'know... after we get our marks!" The mention of gaining her cutie mark seemed to spark some life into Scootaloo's face, but she still seemed a little sad. "We wouldn't be the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore!" "Pft. Is that all?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's nothing. You three are still gonna be friends of course, even after you've got your cutie mark. I don't see why you'd break up just cause of that," she said. "Yeah, I know," Scootaloo agreed with a smile. "But... still... it's just that I wondered about what's next." "...What's next?" Rainbow Dash questioned, raising a brow. "Mmhm!" Scootaloo replied, nodding quickly. "Yeah. After our crusading's all over. Where do we go from there? What do we do next?" What's next... where to go... "Something wrong, Rainbow Dash?" "H-huh?" "You were spacing out..." Scootaloo told her, frowning with concern. "Heh. Don't worry about me. I was just thinking too," Rainbow Dash assured with a smile. "Oh yeah? That's new," Scootaloo suddenly teased, smirking as she flapped her wings tauntingly. "Oh... oh?" Rainbow Dash asked, grinning as she mischievously dug her hoof into Scootaloo's mane, earning a giggle from her. "Those are racing words, squirt! You wanna go or somethin'?" she questioned, knowing full-well that Scootaloo had been practicing. Maybe she had time to teach her a thing or two today. However... suddenly... "Well, I don't know about her, but I'd like to go." Rainbow Dash jumped slightly, not expecting the voice. Turning, she quickly stood up straight and saluted. "C-captain Soarin! Is something wrong?" The pale blue stallion simply chuckled in response. "Cool it, Rainbow Dash. You don't have to call me that when I'm not wearing my uniform." "Uh... but you are," Scootaloo told him, directing a hoof at his Wonderbolt suit. "I-I am?" Soarin looked down, noticing that he did still have his uniform on. "S-shoot! I must've slept in this thing!" Taking off like a rocket, the embarrassed stallion flew off to go remove his suit. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo merely stared at each other for a moment, then smirked as they joined together for a good laugh about it. "Heheh! Is he always like that!?" Scootaloo asked, nearly rolling on the ground from laughing so much. "Hah...ha..." Rainbow Dash calmed down first, then just nodded, a small tear in her eye from such joyous laughter. "Yeah, he's a bit of a featherhead sometimes," she replied, grinning. "How did that become captain of the Wonderbolts then?" Scootaloo joked. "You should just be captain, Rainbow Dash! You're a bigger featherhead than he is!" "Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked, grabbing hold of her and pulling her close, tickling her as much as she could. "Maybe you should be captain then, featherhead!" "Oh yeah?" "Yeah!" "Well I-" Suddenly pausing, Scootaloo quickly began looking up at the sky. Rainbow Dash guessed that she was figuring out what time it was. "...Crusader business?" she asked. Scurrying out of her forelegs as fast as she could, Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash apologetically. "Y-yeah! S-Sorry, but I think I'm gonna be super-late!" "Don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash assured. "We'll just talk about your featherheadness later," she teased. Scootaloo shot her a fake glare, then smiled and ran off. ...Hm... Rainbow Dash blinked for a moment, then smiled, looking rather satisfied. While she was sad that she didn't get to teach Scootaloo anything, she had gotten the revelation that she needed from listening to the filly's troubles. Where was she meant to go from here? Yeah, she was a member of the Wonderbolts and all, but what was she meant to do next? Her goal in life had been complete, so what was there left to strive for? The experience had left her feeling... empty? It felt like there was something missing... something else that needed to be done. But what? Just what could it be? Author's Note 'Bout time I get to do a shipfic on my favorite pony. > w <
She's Just RacingThe sound of pegasus wings flapping quickly snapped Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts, and she turned around swiftly as said-pegasus landed. However, seeing the intruder of her personal space, she softened her expression and chuckled. "Finally got your suit off, huh?" she asked. Soarin blushed slightly in response, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. "Eheh, you got it!" Rainbow Dash let out a light-hearted laugh in response, then slowly stood up and faced him, puffing out her chest with confidence. "So... you wanted to race me? Me? You're talking to the pony who pulled off a Sonic Rainboom y'know," she said tauntingly. "And you're talking to the pony who became captain of the Wonderbolts y'know," Soarin shot back in response, sharing her wide grin. "Oh, I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash muttered, lightly brushing Soarin's nose with her hoof. "I thought you won that title from a pie-eating competition." "Ohhhh. Is that how this is gonna go?" Soarin asked, holding back a laugh and getting into a take-off stance. Rainbow Dash's grin widened as she copied his pose. "That's how it's gotta go," she replied. "...THREE-TWO-ONE-GO!" Both ponies shouted those words quickly as they took to the skies. It was on now. Oh yes. IT. WAS. ON. Rainbow Dash was the first to take the lead, but with a simple flap of his wings, Soarin gained on her, quickly passing her up like it was nothing. She stared at him for a moment, then grinned. No big deal. She was confident in her abilities. Her rainbow trail hadn't even appeared yet, and she was still able to keep up with him. Granted, she still knew that he wasn't flying at his fastest, but friendly competition or not... it was still competition. And she wouldn't have it any other way. "Going a little slow today, Dash!" he told her, shooting off a smug smirk. "Sorry! I didn't want you to cry, so I thought I'd go easy on ya for a bit!" she said in reply. "Oh yeah? PROVE I-WHOA!" Soarin was quickly interrupted as Rainbow Dash cut him off, shooting upwards into the sky and taking towards the clouds. "See ya!" she shouted. She then heard him laugh and give chase, to which she welcomed wholeheartedly. Oh, the excitement of having a great competitor. This is just what she needed. "Hey, Dash! How do you fly when you're blind like that?" Soarin asked, though with a hint of mischievous intent in his tone. Rainbow Dash turned her head and raised a brow. "What are you getting at-" POMP She had gotten a cloud to the face. It's puffiness stuck to her cheeks and covered her eyes; a classic pegasus cloud-changing move that made clouds rather sticky; not used often, but useful as a prank. This was how he wanted to play? That was fine by her. Stopping for a moment, Rainbow Dash beat the cloud with her hooves at a swift pace. It softened, and she wiped it off with ease and took a second to regain her bearings. Now, where is he... Upon seeing Soarin flying way ahead of her, she grabbed hold of a nearby cloud and took off after him. It was a big cloud that she had grabbed, but it wouldn't be big for long. As she flew after her competitor, her rainbow trail appeared behind her tail while she harshly rubbed her hooves against the cloud, making it rough, yet formable. Upon compressing it into a thick circular object, Rainbow Dash then directed her attention to Soarin. "YO!" she called out to him. Turning his head slightly, he promptly gave a loud yelp of surprise as she threw the compressed cloud towards him. "GOTCHA!" Not quick enough to move, the cloud hit Soarin's stomach, making him flail briefly and lose his momentum. Though it was only for a few seconds, it was more than enough for Rainbow Dash to fly past him and take the lead... in addition to getting a good chuckle. Despite it having stunned Soarin for a moment, it actually hadn't hurt in the slightest. A cloud was still a cloud and, compressed or not, could never be used to actually hurt anypony. Knowing that, it was clear that Rainbow Dash was merely using it to toy with him, just as he had done with her. With that in mind, the race continued on as he gave chase to her, though how much of a race it was grew questionable. They had no set finish line or any real interest in following a set path. And, by now, any thoughts of a serious race seemed to vanish as they flew around each other and laughed. "Ha! Ready to give up yet?" Rainbow Dash asked, teasingly bumping up against Soarin as they flew side-by-side. "Not on your life Dash!" he responded, bumping against her as well. "Alright then! How about this?" she questioned, directing her hoof at a gigantic cloud above. "First one outta that cloud wins!" "Better just give me the win now!" Soarin told her, being quick to shift his angle towards the 'finish line'. "Not happening!" Rainbow Dash shouted back as she changed directions, speeding towards the cloud as well. The two were neck-and-neck, but they knew that one of them had to be less resistant to cloud-diving than the other; no two pegasi were ever the same. They then hit the cloud harshly, driving through it like a drill through dirt. The puffy surface gave way easily, but was still somewhat thick and resistant to their attempt at bursting through. Rainbow Dash, being the weather-pegasus that she was, had an easier time going through. However, while she craved the win, that wasn't the only thing she planned on doing. Getting out first, she merely popped her head out of the cloud, knowing exactly where Soarin would appear, as she had seen the angle he entered at. And then... she ducked and waited... ... ... So when she saw part of the cloud give way... "...I'M OU-" "RAAAAAH!" Rainbow Dash grinned widely as she tackled Soarin, sending the two tumbling onto the large cloud. They wrestled and fought, but gently and with the only intention of good fun. The white fluff of a cloud underneath them bounced and jiggled to their play, but never dared to cave in to spoil their fun. The cool crisp wind harshly whipped at their fur, but they showed no signs of noticing, far too caught up in their little game. After a few minutes though, the two quickly tired out from such rough-housing and gave up on their playful fighting, suddenly taking a preference to resting on the cloud. And, such a task would've been easy for Rainbow Dash... ...had it not been for the fact that she was laying on top of Soarin. "...What? Have I become your bed all of a sudden?" he joked, chuckling at how limp she seemed to be; she must've been comfortable. "Mmm?" Rainbow Dash grunted. Realizing her place on top of him, she quickly chose to get off; while they weren't in uniform, she still felt that it would be wrong to lay against a captain like that. ...However, as she pushed herself up... She stopped halfway, her face mere inches away from his. To be honest, she didn't know why. Her body had just quit listening to her, seeming content with where it was. "..." Rainbow Dash tried to utter at least something, but found that she could do that either. C-come on! Listen to me, stupid body! Her wings clenched to her sides, shuddering slightly as her breath became caught in her throat. She wasn't sure... nor did she understand why, but... Maybe it from her closeness to him... or the way the light reflected off of his face... ...He looked kind of... cool. Not like she used to envision him back when he was just an idol, but... really, really cool. "..." Soarin stared back at her, but merely smiled. "...You okay, Dash?" he asked. "H-huh!?" Snapping back to reality, Rainbow Dash abruptly reeled back, falling back onto the cloud for a moment before quickly regaining her senses and standing up. "U-uh..." Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she attempted to answer him. "No! I mean, yes... er... I-I gotta go!" She then turned away swiftly and took off, leaving a concerned-looking Soarin behind. "...Dash?"
She's Just ReadingRainbow Dash fluttered to the ground and looked around. A few ponies around, but not too many. Good. She didn't feel like talking to anypony right now. Not after... whatever just happened. As she trotted across the pathway, she did her best to keep a straight face; not willing to let anyone see the awkwardness she was feeling in that moment. Now... I remember that it was down this way... ahah! Rainbow Dash smiled as she reached it; the Ponyville Library, otherwise known as 'Twilight Sparkle's House'. She hadn't been there in a while, what with the Wonderbolts traning and all, so she was just glad that she recalled the exact location. Though walking up to it confidently at first, she hesitated to knock on the door. Oh, geez... this is gonna be so weird. But, I gotta know. Knock Knock Her ear twitched as she heard the sound of hoofsteps, and she tried to mantain her composure as the door opened up. Screeeee "Oh. Hey, Rainbow Dash. What's u-" "TWILIGHT!" Tackling her inside as quickly as she could, Rainbow Dash positioned herself in the same way she had been in earlier, though with Twilight Sparkle in Soarin's position. "Y-you gotta help me! I think I'm sick or something!" she shouted. After a short pause though, she blinked; she didn't feel weird like she had earlier. "...Huh... it's not happening," she muttered, looking somewhat confused. "Ugh. What are you talking about, Rainbow?" Twilight groaned, rubbing her head from the earlier impact with the floor. Granted though, she had somewhat expected it. Rainbow Dash had always been... impulsive. "I... I dunno!" she admitted, getting off of Twilight and closing the door behind her. "I felt all funny earlier and thought that you'd know what was up!" "...Funny?" Twilight questioned, looking intrigued as she stood up and stretched her wings. "Well..." After looking around for a moment, she magically pulled a book out from one of her shelves and shuffled through it. "...Has anypony told you a good joke lately?" "Not that kind of funny!" Slapping the book out of Twilight's hooves, Rainbow Dash then glared her down; though it came across as more of a pleading glance than anything else. "I-I'm serious!" Twilight merely blinked in response for a moment, then quickly let out a small gasp as a spark went off in her head. "You... you really are serious," she said, pushing the book aside. "I thought you were just messing with me..." Rainbow Dash shook her head in reply. "I'm not! I mean..." Blushing slightly in embarrassment, she averted her gaze to the floor. "O-okay, okay!" Twilight said quickly, realizing how serious the situation was. "W-what's wrong then? What did you mean by 'funny'? I'm sure I'll have a book about it somewhere!" she assured. Rainbow Dash smiled slightly at her attempts to calm her down, despite still feeling awkward about it. "Well, I was with Soarin." "The captain of the Wonderbolts?" "Mmhm." "Alright then." "And we were just having a little race, but then I tackled him and..." She paused. "...?" Twilight noticed her unsureness and chose to pursue the matter further. "And?" "...a-and... well... I felt... funny... I don't know..." Rainbow Dash quickly averted her gaze from Twilight, feeling her cheeks heat up from remembering the moment. "Oh?" Twilight asked, sounding disappointed with the answer. However, she got closer and noticed Rainbow Dash's blush, which suddenly became somewhat of a hint to her. "...You're blushing." "Hmph. Am not," Rainbow Dash told her stubbornly, crossing her forelegs and looking away. "R-Rainbow Dash doesn't blush." "I see," Twilight said, not sounding convinced in the slightest. Rather than getting Rainbow Dash to admit her act, she turned her attention to a bookshelf and briefly scanned over the books that rested inside. Upon seeing one that had a small heart-shaped sticker on the label, she pulled it out and gave it to her friend. "Here." "Huh? What's-" Rainbow Dash paused as she noticed the sticker. Just what she didn't want to see. "...No... no no no," she muttered, glaring at it. "Rainbow..." Twilight said simply, gesturing her hoof out to encourage her to read it. Rainbow Dash paused to stare at her for a moment, then sighed and reluctantly opened the book. "...Warmth..." "...Shortness of breath..." "...Feeling the need to be around said-pony at all times?" She gave Twilight a questionable look at that. "I don't have that." "You don't?" "N...no..." "Rainbow~" Twilight raised a brow at smiled somewhat; it was amusing to see a pony so flustered. "...Oh, ponyfeathers." Rainbow Dash muttered, putting a hoof to her face miserably. She had it bad. "It's nothing to be ashamed about." "I'm Rainbow Dash! RAINBOW DASH!" Hitting the floor with her other hoof, she then avoided Twilight's gaze. "I'm not supposed to be all lovey-dovey over some other pony!" "Why not?" "'Cause it's not cool! That's why!" Twilight stopped for a second to absorb the spoken words, then grinned. "You mean like how reading wasn't cool?" Rainbow Dash flinched slightly. Oh, she went there... "W-well... I... I mean..." Giving into her friend, she sighed once more. "What do I do, Twi?" Twilight giggled. "Isn't it obvious? You tell him!" "W-WHA-" "I know. I know. That's not your style." Scoffing a bit at the word 'style', Twilight chuckled a bit and moved over to a few blank cards laying on a table. "Why don't you give him a card? It might seem a little overdone, but if you don't want to say it-" "I'll tell him." Twilight quickly jerked her head towards Rainbow Dash. Such confidence all of a sudden... "Just like that?" "I'm a Wonderbolt now! I can make anything look cool!" Her smile seemed then to waver for a moment. "E-even though it's... something like this..." "I believe in you, if that helps," Twilight said, smiling to reassure her. "Be sure to tell me how it goes, okay?" Rainbow Dash simply nodded in response. "I will," she promised, promptly flying out of an open window and taking to the skies. Admittedly, she felt a little better; maybe she came to the right pony after all, despite all of her doubts. "HEY! RAINBOW DASH!" She blinked. "Scootaloo?" Looking downwards, she quickly noticed the orange filly waving at her. "Hey! What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked, stopping and landing next to her favorite crusader. "Not much, but whoa! I haven't seen you in Ponyville for so long! You had some business to take care of around here?" Scootaloo questioned. Rainbow Dash quickly became flustered at the question. "O-oh! Uh..." How do I tell her that I like somepony!? She'll disown me as her idol or something! Scootaloo seemed to notice her troubles and softened her expression. "Is it that big of a deal? You can tell me!" she told her, almost in a pleading manner. Rainbow Dash tried to choke out an answer, but only managed to make a few words audible enough to hear. She was barely loud at all, which seemed to catch Scootaloo's attention twice as fast. She might've been young, but she wasn't naive. "Huh?" Scootaloo questioned, her ear twitching as it tried to hear the full of Rainbow Dash's sentence. "...wait... you... what?" she asked, a spark going of in her eyes as she seemed to catch enough of the words. "I... I-" "Is he cool?" Rainbow Dash paused. It seemed like a rude question, but... not the way she had said it. "H-huh?" "Is he cool?" Scootaloo asked again, a teasingly playful grin crossing her face. Rainbow Dash stared blankly at her for a moment, then grinned and sat down, pulling Scootaloo close to her and ruffling up her purple mane. "You bet! He's cooler than cool! Cool as you can get!" "And you're gonna tell him, right? I don't care how cool he is! Nopony can reject your coolness!" Scootaloo exclaimed, grinning wide. "Hah! 'Course I'm gonna tell him!" Rainbow Dash told her, gaining a boost of confidence from the conversation. She then flapped her wings and flew into the air a bit. "In fact, I'm gonna go right now!" "Ohhh! Tell me how awesome your confession is when you're done, okay?" Scootaloo asked. "Heh, you bet." And with that, she was off, now brimming with a new confidence. Ponies don't give that filly enough credit.
She's Just HurtingWhile heading to the Wonderbolts' main building however, Rainbow Dash noticed something. Two somethings actually. Two ponies. One of them being Soarin. ! Suddenly panicking that she'd have to say it in front of somepony else if she confessed to him right then, she quickly dove into a nearby tree and poked her head out, eyeing the other pony. Spitfire... "Aw, come on. When are you gonna tell everyone? You know that they're gonna figure out eventually," she said. "I know. But it's only been a week," Soarin told her. "Pft. I guess. It's just... you don't usually wait so long for stuff so... important," Spitfire said, looking at him with a concerned expression. "Hey, don't worry. Tomorrow's the day. Promise," he stated. Ugh! What are they talking about!? "Ooo~ A straight-up promise? You gonna be able to stick to that?" "Don't I always?" "Mmm... I guess so. You've stuck to everything else so far." Soarin then stopped, turning and smiling at Spitfire as he gently nuzzled his cheek against hers. Rainbow Dash felt her wings flare up slightly in jealousy. "Anyway, I gotta go see how our new recruit's doin'. She flew off earlier for some reason." "Oh yeah? Don't forget to come back to me afterwards." Soarin chuckled. "I won't." Then, he leaned towards Spitfire and... It was at that moment that Rainbow Dash wanted to stop watching. She wanted to fly off all of sudden and not look back. Because Soarin had kissed Spitfire on the cheek. It hadn't been a lip-kiss, but the message rang loud and clear for Rainbow Dash. The pony she loved was already taken. Rainbow Dash leaned forward, staring sadly at the sight when... SNAP! "WAH!" The tree branch snapped from underneath her, sending her plummeting to the ground with a loud 'THUMP'! "Ouch..." she groaned, her wings falling flat next to her from the landing. "...Dash?" Rainbow Dash's ears quickly shot up, and she directed her attention towards the voice to see Soarin standing a few feet away, but slowly stepping closer to her. She acted fast, regaining her composure and standing up, her wings flapped up and ready for take-off. "DASH, WAI-" Soarin didn't even get a chance to finish as Rainbow Dash flew away from the two, flapping as hard and fast as she could. "Oh no! You're not getting away this time!" Sensing the seriousness in his voice, she sped up and ducked into a large number of clouds to hide. It seemed like a good idea at first... ...until she was promptly tackled out of the cloud and onto another one. "Oof!" she grunted as her head hit the puffy surface. "Rainbow colors are pretty easy to see through clouds y'know," Soarin told her, holding her down with his front hooves. "And it didn't help that your tail wasn't tucked in." S-shoot. I knew that cloud felt a little thin... Rainbow Dash squirmed slightly, but to no avail, as Soarin had a tight hold on her. Then again, she'd expect nothing less from the captain of the Wonderbolts. "Alright now, Dash. Spill," he demanded. "You flew away from me twice, and I wanna know what's up." "Nothing," Rainbow Dash responded flatly, avoiding eye contact as much as she could. "Dash. Tell me," Soarin said harshly. "..." "Dash. As your captain, I demand that-" "What? Worried about your new recruit?" Rainbow Dash asked sharply, her gaze growing dim. "Well, I'm not in uniform, so tough." "...D-Dash, I-" SLAP! After giving Soarin a quick wing to the face, Rainbow Dash escaped from his grasp and made another attempt to ditch him. This time, she succeeded; he didn't follow. Trying to get something that you never will... What was the phrase again? Chasing rainbows? Rainbow Dash scoffed. Oh, the cruelty of that phrase... Landing in front of her house, she gave a loud sigh and approached the door. The reality of the situation had hit her like a brick. It was as if the whole world was playing a game with her, and she was nothing but a... ... ...Horsefeathers. When did I become so moody and pathetic? Upon opening the door, she was greeted only by darkness. When she flicked the lights on though... click! "RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight and Scootaloo greeted, standing inches away from her with wide grins. "How'd it go?" A frowning face was there only response. Rainbow Dash merely walked between them and headed for the couch, giving it a harsh jab with her hoof. "...Rainbow?" Twilight asked, her look changing to one of concern. "I didn't expect you to fly all the way up here just to ask how it went," Rainbow Dash replied, willing to do anything to change the conversation. "W-well, yes. I wouldn't, normally. But Scootaloo wanted to know how it went right away, so I flew her up here," she explained. "Did you get to confess?" Scootaloo questioned, curious as to what was causing Rainbow Dash to act so unlike herself. "...No. I didn't." she replied, sounding defeated. "Aww, but you said-" "I didn't chicken out or anything." "...But, then... why didn't you-" "'Cause he's already got a marefriend. No..." Rainbow Dash paused to contemplate her choice of words, then sat on the couch and shrugged. "No big deal," she finished, trying to put on a good act for Scootaloo. Twilight was silent at Rainbow Dash's words, knowing full-well that it was a much bigger deal than she had said it was. It was the first relationship she tried to form with somepony. And... to be crushed like that... "...Well, you look tired Rainbow Dash, so Scootaloo and I should probably get going." Magically lifting Scootaloo onto her back, Twilight promptly turned and began to head out. She seemed to mutter something as well, but Rainbow Dash failed to hear it; she guessed that it was meant for Scootaloo. "U-uh... b-bye, Rainbow Dash!" she heard Scootaloo shout nervously. And as the door shut, she laid on the couch and slammed her hooves against the arm of it. UGH! Rainbow Dash, what is WRONG with you!? Needless to say, she was frustrated with herself. She felt dumb; loving somepony who loved somepony else. Normally, she'd shrug such things off and move on, but no. This dumb love she felt was still there. She still liked him, and she could do nothing to change that. Turning her attention to the table that rested beside the couch, she noticed her Wonderbolt goggles; she had left them on the ground earlier, but she assumed that Scootaloo had found them and set them on the table for when she had gotten back. She grabbed them, and, once again, she questioned: What's next? She still had no answer. She had once thought that her dumb love could be the next step, but it seemed more like a step backwards when she recalled the earlier events. knock knock Rainbow Dash glared at the door. She was in no mood to deal with anypony right now. Screeeee "Rainbow Da-OUCH!" the pony at the door furiously rubbed her nose as Rainbow Dash's goggles made contact; she didn't look particularly irritated, but surprise was definitely on her face. "...Spitfire?" Rainbow Dash questioned, squinting at her slightly. Though, whether the squinting was from jealousy or curiosity, she wasn't sure. "Ugh... Rainbow Dash... emergency..." Spitfire muttered, still rubbing at her nose. As she finished however, she quickly grew more serious and glared at her. "Griffons are attacking Cloudsdale and must be dealt with immediately!" she said. "It is of the upmost importance that we-" "Coming," Rainbow Dash stated flatly, already putting on her Wonderbolt uniform, albeit slowly. "...You're sure?" Spitfire questioned, though knowing that Rainbow Dash had no real choice. "You seem rather annoyed." "Don't worry. I'm fine," she lied. I just need to hit something...
She's Just Out of ItIt wasn't exactly the right decision to dive into battle, nor was it right to do so when she was so frustrated. But she knew that. "Rainbow Dash." She heard Spitfire mutter her name and looked over to her as they flew. "I don't know what's up with you, or even if there really is anything up with you, but I don't want you to sabotage the mission just because of it." Rainbow Dash grew quiet, then simply adjusted her goggles in reply, as if to say 'Got it. Now let's go'. "Hm," Spitfire grunted, raising a brow. It wasn't like Rainbow Dash to be so quiet. "...I've got my eye on you." "SPITFIRE!" The two turned their heads as a male Wonderbolt approached them, promptly stopping and saluting as he reached them. "Status report," Spitfire ordered sternly. The male pony turned and directed his hoof at the chaos in the distance. "The griffons have called in for back-up it seems. It's as if there's three of them for every one of us!" "Pft! Just three griffons to one pony?" Rainbow Dash questioned, hoping to give her teammates a boost of confidence. "Sounds like the odds are in our favor. We just need to kick some major griffon tail!" "Don't get cocky," Spitfire said as she glared at her. Rainbow Dash merely shrugged, though the words had hit her harder than she showed; mostly because of Spitfire's relationship to Soarin. Don't get her wrong however. She wasn't angry with Spitfire. ...I'm just really, really jealous... "What's the current state of Cloudsdale?" Spitfire questioned. "It has yet to be damaged too terribly. A few cracks in some buildings, but nothing that can't be repaired within a day or two." "Good. Let's keep it that way. MOVE OUT!" Spitfire and the male Wonderbolt then took off, with Rainbow Dash following closely behind as she pondered over where to go. She was immediately drawn to a specific griffon however; one who had made it through the pack and was heading for Cloudsdale Stadium. "I don't think so!" she yelled, flying at said-griffon and giving him a harsh jab to the face. "Ugh!" he yelped, rubbing his now-red cheek. He then glared at Rainbow Dash. "You... you little-" "Bring it on, weak-beak." she taunted. The enraged griffon grunted, then charged at her with evil intent in his eyes. "Too slow!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, dodging and delivering a hit to his back. "Too slow, huh!?" The griffon managed to grab hold of Rainbow Dash's tail with his right claw, then gripped her right foreleg with his left. "H-hey!" she yelled as he switched his right claw to her left foreleg, keeping her in a firm hold. "I've heard about you. You're the new Wonderbolt recruit that everyone was talking about." he said. "Umf! You got that right!" Rainbow Dash told him, trying to sound threatening, despite squirming in the griffon's grasp. "Well, if you ask me, you're the one who's too slow," he said, grinning devilishly. "What? Are you off your game today? Or are you just that bad?" "SHUT UP!" Infuriated, Rainbow Dash lifted her back legs and kicked the griffon with as much force as she could. He grunted harshly in response and put his claws to his stomach, clearly in immense pain. She wasn't done though, oh no. She charged at him and knocked him unconscious, then grabbed hold of his claws and sent him flying into a group of three griffons, who had been fighting another member of the Wonderbolts. "Hey, flaw-claws! Come at me!" she yelled, her hoof gesturing for them to come closer. "I can take on all three of you!" Now focused on revenge for the unconscious griffon beneath them, they unquestionably charged at Rainbow Dash. She was revved and ready though. Charging at them as well, the four began to engage in an intense battle. The three would beat on Rainbow Dash, but she would hit right back. Her frustration only focused her strength. Though, she had to wonder... who was she angry at? Soarin, for being with Spitfire? Spitfire, for being with Soarin? ...Or herself, for believing that she had a shot with Soarin in the first place? Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth as the thought entered her head. She was never so self-conscious to think like that. Why now? Especially during a fight so important! Her inner struggle caused her right hoof to falter slightly, and one of the three griffons took advantage of the opportunity by attempting a cheap-jab to her stomach. They didn't manage though. The female Wonderbolt who had been fighting them earlier swooped in and blocked the shot, proceeding to join Rainbow Dash in giving them a pounding. "Ugh. Thanks," Rainbow Dash grunted, though somewhat reluctant to say so; she would've preferred to get hit... "Don't worry about it!" the mare told her as she hoof-jabbed one of the griffons. "Just fight!" Rainbow Dash nodded and did so, but couldn't help being curious about the state of everyone else. "What's the status on the rest of the Wonderbolts?" "E-everyone's-WHOA!" the female ducked an oncoming claw, then continued. "E-everyone's doing... hmph! ...Just fine!" she replied as the two continued their attempt at holding the three griffons back. "You stuttered!" Rainbow Dash grunted as she rushed into one of the griffons and gave him a swift kick. "What's wrong?" "...The captain is up front and fighting the most griffons. I fear that he won't last much longer," she responded. "Soarin...?" Rainbow Dash questioned. "Yes. He's-HEY, WAIT!" Rainbow Dash didn't listen and flew over all of the griffons as fast as she could, making her way to the front of the line, where Soarin was vigorously fighting off at least eight griffons. She was quick to join in. "W-what are you doing here!?" he asked, looking rather beat up as he attempted to fight off the griffons. "Couldn't let you have all the fun," Rainbow Dash replied, though with no sense of teasing in her tone. "You left your post!" Soarin yelled. "Now return to it!" Rainbow Dash was quiet for a moment, then huffed as her expression softened, despite the fact that she was still fighting. "...I'm not leaving you, captain." Soarin faltered slightly from her words at first, then suddenly toughened up as he glared at her. "It wasn't a suggestion! That was an order!" "What? Refuse to have your new recruit hurt on her first major battle?" Rainbow Dash questioned, still torn from her earlier experience. Was 'the new recruit' really all she was to him? "H-HEY! LET ME GO!" "...?" Hearing Soarin's reply, Rainbow Dash turned around and promptly gasped. The griffons had gotten him. And not just him. All of them. The Wonderbolts were all suddenly laid out on the cloudly ground of Cloudsdale, tied up. Their wings and legs were locked together, ensuring that there would be no escape. They squirmed and struggled, but the rope only slightly gave way; not nearly enough for them to get out just yet. "Just one left, everyone." Rainbow Dash turned to the source of the voice. A much bulkier griffon; most likely their leader. He was surrounded by what seemed to be at least fifty other griffons. She was conflicted to say the least; stay and maybe somehow beat up all these griffons, or fly off and escape? The latter was a choice that she was not fond of making. Taking one last look at Soarin though, she instantly knew what she had to do. "...Rainbow Dash," Soarin muttered, his angry expression fading as he saw the gleam in Rainbow Dash's eyes. How do I do it though... ...wait! I'm the pony who performed the stuff of legends... a Sonic Rainboom! I can do anything! ... ...hey, that's it! "Rainbow Dash!" Soarin shouted loudly. "Whatever you're about to do, don't you dare! As your captain, I forbid it!" But it was too late. Rainbow Dash had already flown off as fast as she could. "Catch me if ya can, fail-tails!" "All of you! After her!" the leader commanded as the griffons gave chase. "DASH, NO!" As Rainbow Dash got as far away as necessary, she landed and turned, pointing herself towards the griffons, who were a fair length away, but charging down at her fast. Perfect. "Alright guys!" she yelled, staring up at them. "I only did this once at a wedding, but it doesn't have to be a special occasion for me to whoop you with it!" She then grinned and positioned herself for take-off. Her eyes were fearless, despite her scared heart. Then, her wings flapped like never before, and she took off at a stunning speed towards the group of griffons, feeling the sound barrier pushing against her body. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" As a rainbow exploded out from behind her, she made contact, and everything went black.
She's Just In Love"...Uggggh." Rainbow Dash groaned slightly as she began to regain consciousness. She coughed a bit at first, then rested her hooves on the blanket in front of her. She felt a little sore, but it was nothing compared to everything else she had been through. Silence echoed throughout the room, and she wondered if she was truly alone. She was back in her house, lying flat on the couch with the softest of pillows resting behind her. There was a pulled-up chair nearby, which made her rather suspicious as to if she had any visitors or not. "You're awake." Upon flinching, Rainbow Dash turned her head to see that her suspicions were correct, as the pony of her affections was staring back at her: Soarin. "Wah!" she yelped, grabbing her pillow and throwing it at him out of impulse. He held up his foreleg, which the pillow simply bounced off of. "W-what are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash questioned, shifting about slightly as she pulled the blanket closer to her. "What am I doing here?" Soarin asked. "Making sure you're okay, of course!" She quickly changed the topic. "How are the others? Where are the griffons?" He stared out of her window for a second, then sighed. "E...Everyone's fine. Your Sonic Rainboom knocked all of them out long enough for us to escape and take them away. I, however, took more priority to bringing you back to your house and nursing you back to health," he explained, his cheeks slightly red. "Really? Awesome! I took care of a whole griffon army!" Rainbow Dash cheered, her wings flaring up with pride. "Do you have any idea of how reckless that was!?" Soarin suddenly snapped, looking shocked that she was so proud despite her injuries. Rainbow Dash blinked. It was rare to see him look so serious and get so angry. Had she done something? Or was there something wrong with him? "...Of course I did," she replied flatly, trying to keep her cool. "Then why did you do it!?" he questioned. "I told you to return to your post! I told you not to go crazy like that! But you did it anyway!" After a moment, Rainbow Dash's eyes went slightly wide. Though he had been shouting just a moment ago, she could suddenly feel Soarin's anger fading. His expression suddenly had less rage and more compassion. His eyes were suddenly soft and concerned-looking. He suddenly looked scared. "Why did you do that..." he asked again, his tone weakened. "I had to protect you," she answered, as though it were obvious. There was a abrupt silence between the two after she had said that. She tensed slightly, seeing him mentally fighting with himself as to what to say next. Why was he so calm, yet enraged? What was he fighting with himself about? Rainbow Dash hated not knowing. But finally, Soarin spoke. "...Idiot!" She cringed, closing her eyes as he drew closer in fear that he would hit her. However, the hit never came. Instead, Rainbow Dash felt a warmth around her. Her wings fluttered slightly in gentle excitement, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. The feeling was all too familiar to another moment she had shared with him. Only this time, it was stronger. Much stronger. Because he was hugging her. He had placed himself silently on the couch and held her close to him, his hooves resting on her back and warming her heart. But, despite how comfortable she was, Rainbow Dash could slowly feel her jealousy rising up within her. Reality was sure to remind her that this hug could very well be an impulse, and nothing more. Or maybe a hug from a friend to another friend. She felt special receiving it, but she knew that any love emanating from his body belonged to someone else. She lowered her head in response to the realization, not allowing herself to embrace him in return, in fear of saying something she'd regret. "You're hugging me," she muttered plainly, her tone lacking emotion. He stiffened slightly in response, then just held her tighter. "Do you have any concept as to how worried I was?" he questioned, his voice shaky. "I know you. You're brash and reckless. I knew that you were going to do something insane to take down those griffons, and I told you not to. But... b-but..." His sentence seemed to falter as he choked on his words. Was this the same Soarin from a few minutes ago? "You did anyway. To protect me." He let out a pained chuckle. "Some leader I am. I can't even defend my new..." He trailed off for a moment, then changed his words around. "...my Dash." Rainbow Dash went wide-eyed as he spoke her nickname. Not because of the heat of the moment, no. It was his tone. He had said it with so much compassion. So much love. And... my Dash. My Dash. Spoken as if she belonged to him. Like she was his. She was unsure of how to respond. Thoughts ran through her head, but she quickly breathed in and held in her emotions. She wouldn't let her feelings get in the way of his. "...I saw you and Spitfire earlier. Before you chased me." She felt Soarin's grip on her loosen slightly as she continued. "You two looked happy together. I'm..." She chuckled dimly at her cruel fate, then slowly pulled away from Soarin. "...Dash-" "-I'm happy for ya..." "Dash-" "No, really. I am." She smiled at him through her broken heart. Another long silence dragged on between the two. Rainbow Dash wasn't particularly fond of it, but she stayed quiet anyway. All that should be said, had been said. There was nothing left to say. Nothing... "...I'm not happy," Soarin suddenly admitted. "W-what?" she choked out in response. "B-but... you're-" "-with someone that I don't really care for like that." Grabbing Rainbow Dash's face, he pulled her close and placed his forehead against hers. Their manes mashed together in a tangled mess, but he didn't seem to care. "She came to me a week ago. I knew. I knew she had feelings for me, and I went along with it. It was wrong, but I went along with it." His words were shaky and filled with nervousness. Rainbow Dash didn't want to, but her body wouldn't listen. Her right hoof rested over his left, and her left hoof trailed over his body before stopping at his heart, urging him to go on. "I thought that, maybe... maybe if I got close to her... maybe if I grew a relationship with someone else..." Hesitation. "...Yeah?" "...Then maybe I could forget about the real pegasus I wanted. The one who was outta my league since day one." Rainbow Dash winced. She should've known. There was still somepony else. "...I-I see." "I'm sorry, Dash." She blinked. "Sorry? For what?" "I lied to you," he said. "When I said that I was worried about you. I wasn't worried." "..." "I was terrified." He cringed as he brought his right hoof down to rest on her left. "When you flew off, I panicked. My heart raced faster than my body ever had before. Dash, come back safe. Dash..." He shook his head, but still kept his forehead touching hers. "I felt so helpless, and Spitfire saw that. She came to me after we all escaped and broke up our relationship. She figured it out; that I was crazy for somepony else." After a short pause, he pulled away and tilted Rainbow Dash's head up, his eyes meeting with hers. He was so hesitant. So scared to say what he was about to reveal. "...We had gotten together a week ago; on the same day that somepony else joined our ranks." Rainbow Dash grew stiff. That day... a week ago. That was the day that she had become a Wonderbolt. She had joined their ranks. "...I'm sorry, Dash. But... I had to-" "Just shut up already!" Rainbow Dash's impulses burst out of her as she pulled Soarin in for an intense kiss. Finally. Finally, she could do this. She didn't have to be afraid of his reaction anymore. She knew now. And, as they pulled apart, she stared at him. The kiss hadn't felt great. It felt amazing. He was speechless for a moment, then smirked at her. "...So," he whispered to her, grinning devilishly. Oh, she knew that look well. "Who gets to move into whose house?" Rainbow Dash chuckled, then pulled Soarin closer to her, their noses touching. "Tell you what..." "Yeah?" "I'll race you on it." Author's Note Welp, that's the end everypony! I loved doing it, and I hope you loved reading it!
