Protecting Herby spaztastickChaptersCatching UpThe Grand Tour StartsAdvice and Bad NewsNo Tour Then?Catching Up-------Rainbow Dash's POV------- "Zero! I'm going down to Ponyville! I'll be back later!" I yelled at him. "Why're you going?" he yelled back. "Gotta go get some groceries at the market and some pastries at the Sugar Cube Corner!" I explained. "I can go if you want, babe!" he offered. He is so sweet sometimes. Okay, most of the time. "Thanks, but it's ok, I'll go!" I responded. "Okay then! See ya! I got to finish unpacking!" he yelled from my room. He had recently moved in with me. Kind of quick, but I couldn't say no. "Okay! Love you! Bye!" I yelled back. I took my messenger bag from the coat rack and left off for Ponyville. I flew straight through the cloud that kept my home afloat, you know, to get my hair a little wet. Maybe a little too wet... "Damn, now I have to dry it..." I mumbled to myself as I positioned my body to nosedive. With one strong flap of my cyan wings, I was diving straight down towards the ground at unimaginable speeds. I hope my bag's strap doesn't rip or something. Anyway, as I came screeching down from the sky at incredible speeds (just not fast enough to create a Sonic Rainboom), I pulled off a 90 degree turn towards Ponyville just inches off the ground. I raced through the town, dodging other people, shops, and even entire homes on my way to the Sugar Cube Corner, my first stop. I stopped at the door. "Ok, first thing's first..." I said quietly to myself as I entered the bakery. A bell rang as the door opened, alerting the only employee on duty, Pinkie Pie, that I had arrived. I sat at the counter, she had not noticed it was me. "Welcome to the Sugar Cube Corner! How can I help you?" Pinkie asked eagerly. "I need half a dozen of red velvet cupcakes and your mix platter," I responded. She immediately knew it was me, and came running from the kitchen to the counter. "DASHIE!" she screamed. Pinkie almost jumped over the counter to hug me tight. "I've missed you so much! Where have you been? You rarely come to visit anymore! And you always seem to run off unexpectedly!" she rambled on with questions. I eventually got annoyed and stopped her. "Pinkie! Stop! You're giving me a headache!" I yelled. She seriously was giving me a headache. "Oh, hehe! Sorry, I'll get those pastries baking right away!" she said as she went into the kitchen. She came back minutes later. "Okay, they're in the ovens. So, how have you been?" she asked, trying to make conversation. "Really good! Everything's been awesome!" I responded. "Great! How's Soarin?" she questioned. Damn, I forgot to tell anyone... "Well, now that you bring it up, Pinkie, we-" I was interrupted by the sound of familiar voices entering the bakery. "Rainbow darling, is that you?" said one. "Ah can't believe it!" exclaimed another. "Of course it's her, Rarity! Rainbow, long time no see!" yelled the most recognizable voice in all of Equestria. I turned around on my stool only to be greeted be my best friends. They all ran up to me and gave me a big group hug. "Rarity! Twilight! Applejack! Fluttershy!" I yelled. "I've missed you guys so much!" "You? We are the ones missing you! We never get to see you anymore! Where have you been?!" she asked. "Everything's been awesome!", I responded. "How is Soarin, darling?", questioned Rarity. Well, at least they should know, right? "Well, about a year ago, Soarin and I had a big fight, it ended up getting physical. In the middle of the fight, some stranger came in to break the fight up, Soarin got pissed and fought him instead, and lost. The stranger took me home and stayed the night with me, for security. Time passed and Soarin and I officially broke up, so the stranger and I became close friends. We eventually started dating, and he is an awesome guy! He is so sweet, caring, and everything else I could want! He listens to me, tries to help when he can, and is just an all-around great guy!" I explained. Sure, it wasn't exactly how it happened, but it was better and less embarrassing than saying I had a one-night stand with a complete stranger and ended up dating him, right? "Wow... What's his name?" asked Twilight. "Merzero Rochétt, but he prefers to be called Zero," I responded. "Ooh! Fancy name! Where is he from, dear?" questioned Rarity. "Mexicolt City," I answered. She almost fainted. "Foreigner, huh? Nice. You should tell him to stop by the farm someday! Ah'll give him a taste of the apple cider!" Applejack offered. Maybe I should, I bet Zero's never seen a real farm... "Great idea A.J.! Maybe I'll take him by the library too! How 'bout it Twilight?" I asked her with a smile. "Sounds good to me! Maybe he'll want to check out a book or something!" Twilight said eagerly, as nobody had checked out a book in months, or so I was told. "A-and if he's into animals, he c-can stop at my house... If he wants to, of course..." said Fluttershy in a quiet tone. "If he has a taste for fashion, my men's clothing line is done, so he is welcome to stop by the boutique anytime!" offered Rarity. DING! "Ooh! Your order is ready, Dashie!" yelled Pinkie with a smile on her face, she ran off into the kitchen to get my order. She came back with two boxes filled with pastries. "Here you are!" she said as she placed them on the counter. "Awesome! How much will it be?" I asked, getting my coin purse out of my bag. "Twenty bits please!" she said as she rang it up on the register. I handed her the money, grabbed the boxes, and got ready to leave. "Thanks for listening, girls! I'll see you all later, okay?" I asked them as I got up from the stool I was sitting on. "You're welcome, Dash!" said Twilight. We said our goodbyes and I left the bakery to go to the market for some groceries. *** I walked up to the doorstep of my home and unlocked it. I put my key away and opened the door to find Zero, well, hear Zero on the piano. I set the groceries and the pastries on the kitchen counter and danced my way to the piano, enjoying the music. I came up behind him and hugged him. He stopped playing. "Hey babe," I cooed to him. I rested my head on his shoulder. "How did it go?" he responded. "Good, I met up with the girls in the bakery, I bragged about you, you know. They asked if I could bring you with me and drop by their places. What do you think?" I asked him. "Awesome, we can go tomorrow!" he said excitedly. "Sounds like a plan..." I cooed to him before giving him a kiss on the cheek and heading off to bed. -------Twilight's POV------- As soon as I got home, I rushed to my desk to get some parchment and a quill to write a letter to the princess, as I always do. Dear Princess Celestia, This letter is not a normal report. I need your opinion on something that came up today. I was able to meet up with Rainbow Dash today at the Sugar Cube Corner and have a nice conversation with her. Apparently, she has found a new colt-friend, a young stallion called Merzero Rochétt. She seems to care for him a lot, and him for her. I am very worried as to how her relationship with this colt might affect our friendship, as it happened before with Soarin. I don't want to lose a friend, especially one like Rainbow Dash. I need assurance that she won't forget about the rest of us, so please, answer as soon as possible. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle I rolled up the letter and sealed it. "Spike! I need you to send a letter!" I yelled. He came down, grabbed the letter, and engulfed it with green flames. He started to walk away, but stopped abruptly. BURP! The letter came out of his flames. I snatched it out of mid-air. "You can go now, Spike. Good night." I told him. All I got back were grunts and mumbles as he continued up the stairs. I opened the letter. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am happy that Rainbow Dash was able to find love again. As for your concern, there is no need for it. Rainbow Dash will not forget you or the rest of the girls, she is the Element of Loyalty after all. Soarin was a different case, as he did not want to have anything to do with you or the girls, that is why Rainbow Dash was so distant. Rest assured that her new colt-friend will not come between your friendship with Rainbow Dash. You should actually get to know him better. Who knows, maybe he's a nice guy! I must go, as I have stolen Luna's abacus and need to hide it. Wait, this abacus smells like something strange... Oh dear... Your Mentor, Princess Celestia The Grand Tour StartsMorning came a little too early for me the next day, but I didn't care. I sat up in bed and stretched out, careful not to wake Dash, who was sleeping on the other side of the bed. I got up and walked over to my closet, opening it slowly to avoid making any sound. I looked at the rack of clothing in front of me, trying to choose which t-shirt to wear. "Hmm... No, I wore that one yesterday... Green really isn't my color... Purple? Eh, why not?" I pulled out the purple t-shirt and a pair of jeans, closed the closet, and then walked over to my dresser to grab some undergarments. As I was opening the top drawer, I heard Dash stir in bed. "Hey babe...", she said, promptly yawning afterwards. "How'd you sleep?" "Not very well, woke up with a pain in my neck..." I rubbed the afflicted area on my neck before turning around to face her. She started to giggle like a filly. "What's so funny?" I asked her. "You're naked!" She responded, having a very hard time hiding her laughs. I noticed she was right, blushing as I covered my groin and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I could still hear her giggles through the closed bathroom door. I disregarded them and turned on the shower. You know, I don't know how she does it, but Dash has her home rigged to pre-heat the water going to the showers so you don't have to wait for it to heat up, and it's pretty useful when you are in a hurry. So, with the water on, I set my clothes on the counter and slipped into the shower. "Ahhhh...." The warm water was soothing and relaxing, and it begged me to just lay down and enjoy it, but I had to get ready for the tour I was going to be given today, so I got down to business. The cleaning and scrubbing took about twenty minutes, and then, I got out to get dried and dressed. Promptly after dressing and grooming, I stepped out into my room to find Dash gone, but the smell of pancakes told me where she was. The delicious smell almost lifted me into the air as I walked downstairs to greet Dash in the kitchen. I sat in my chair at our table, waiting for her to bring breakfast. She came by a bit later with a plate containing a tower of rainbow colored flapjacks, and set it in the middle of the table. "Look, I know you usually make breakfast, but I thought I'd make something special for you today!" She pointed at the tower of pancakes, "These are my mother's special recipe, they're called Rainbow Cakes, they are made with an special extra-thick batter that is jam-packed with lots of caffeine. The day I did my first Sonic Rainboom, my mother had made me these for breakfast. So if these things allow me to do mind-bending stunts, they'll surely get you going in the morning!", Dash explained. She went to sit at her side of the table, leaving me to stare at the delicious looking pancakes. "Why are they called Rainbow Cakes?", I asked Dash, seriously wondering why they were called that. "When I was younger, believe it or not, I was not the most energetic kid on the block, and as a matter of fact, I was pretty lazy. But one Sunday morning, we needed to go somewhere in a hurry, and my mom didn't have time for my laziness, so she made pancakes with a lot of sugar and caffeine in them, and she was in such a hurry that she knocked over some bottles of food coloring, and they spilled onto the pancakes. She acted like she had meant to do it and called them Rainbow Cakes, and the name stuck!", she explained with a smirk on her face before grabbing a couple pancakes and dropping them on her plate, I did the same. We both drowned our Rainbow Cakes in syrup before scarfing them down. She wasn't lying about the caffeine, those pancakes got me up and ready for the day, which was good, because it was going to be a long day. *** Once we both were ready, Dash called up all the girls, telling them we were on our way so they could get ready. We grabbed our coats, and headed out the door, locking it on our way out. First stop: Twilight's Library. Dash and I flew down to Ponyville, and headed towards the library. When we arrived at the odd-looking tree, Dash knocked on the door pretty hard. "I'm coming! I'm coming! You don't have to break the door down!", said a voice on the inside, but it wasn't female. What happened next made me jump three feet in the air, it wasn't a pony who opened the door, but a dragon! I've heard stories about them, fierce, menacing, killers that eat ponies for breakfast! I guess he noticed my fear and sighed, "I'm not going to hurt you, man. I'm not like those other dragons, I'm actually pretty harmless!" Dash was the next to speak, "Yeah! I mean look at him! Short, squat, doesn't even have wings yet! Couldn't even hurt a fly if he wanted to!" She started to laugh, I kinda did too, I mean it was pretty funny! "Hey!", the dragon yelled. Just then I heard a female voice yell. "Spike, are you going to just stand there, or are you going to let them in?" Spike I'm guessing is the dragon. Anyway, Spike flinched and stepped aside to let us in. When I saw the amount of books in this place, my jaw dropped in awe. I had never seen so many books in one place before! I could tell I was going to visit often. The young lady who I'm guessing is Twilight spoke once more, "I see you're liking this place!" She extended her arm and hand to shake mine, which I reflexively did. "I am Twilight Sparkle, owner of this library, which I take you will be visiting later, am I right?" I just nodded, still in shock from the sheer amounts of genres this place had. "What is your name?", She asked. I snapped back into reality. "Zero, it's a pleasure, Twilight," I responded. "You have quite the place here! And all inside of a tree? Ha! My friends back in Mexicolt City would call me a liar if I told them about this place!" She blushed and smiled. "Well, that's very nice of you..." She trailed off and then remembered what she was going to say. "We're just gonna wait for the rest of the girls to get here and then we'll get going, sound good?" I nodded affirmatively. "Alright, so, would you like some coffee?" Author's Note I am so sorry this took so long, guys. With school and family issues I just don't have the time anymore. But our finals are coming up soon and the year is almost over, and as soon as it is, I'll get to writing! -Spaztastick Advice and Bad News"I'd love to have some, Twilight, but your friend over here...", I elbowed Dash playfully, and she just chuckled, "Made me the most caffeinated breakfast possible, so any more caffeine might just kill me!" Twilight just smiled. "Alright then," She started, "I'll go get some water for us while we wait," And she went into her kitchen, pouring the water into three glasses. Dash and I just took a seat at the dinner table, waiting for the lavender mare to come back out. When she did, she set the glasses on the table and took a seat. "So, have you two-" BURP! We sat in silence, until Spike came running down the stairs with a scroll in his claw. "Twilight! Its for you!", he yelled as he came over to us. "And you might want to read it too, Rainbow Dash!" That part caught all of us off guard. "Is it serious, Spike?", asked Twilight. Dash and I were probably thinking the same thing. "Very," responded Spike. Twilight looked at Dash, who looked back at Twilight. They got up from the table, Dash gave me a peck on the cheek and told me they'd be right back. Twilight used her magic to take the scroll and they both went upstairs to see what it was about. Spike and I were left alone downstairs, I was the first to break the silence. "Hey man," I started, "Sorry about earlier, I'm just not used to seeing dragons, you know?" "Don't worry, its fine, you get used to it..." His voice trailed off. "Can I ask you something?" He looked at me with a face of sympathy. "Sure! What do you need?", he answered. "You need to promise me that you can't tell anypony, especially not Dash," I said to him. "You have my word," he responded. "I want to propose to Dash, but I'm afraid she won't want to get married... I really love her, but I don't know if I should take that step, you know? I have more than enough bits to buy an engagement ring, but I'm just conflicted..." I saw his jaw drop to the floor. "I know, I know, big shocker. But I'm serious, what should I do?" He snapped back into reality. "I really can't help you with that one, but I do know somepony who can, she's helped me with a lot of issues I've had, and she's a really good listener!" I had no idea who he was talking about. "Where can I find her?", I inquired. "That's the thing, you don't go to her, she comes to you. She will come to you, and she will give you the help you need, whether you choose to follow her advice or not is your decision, but she will be delighted to listen and give you advice!" I'm just gonna have to take his word for it, aren't I? "Well, thanks, Spike. I appreciate it very much," I said to him, not knowing really what else to say. "No problem! Oh! And when you do get to talk to her, remember; she is a bit old and has a tendency to speak in Old Equine, so yeah..." Old Equine? How old is this mare he's talking about? I just nodded. Just then, the girls came back downstairs. "So, what's it about?" I asked Dash. "We'll talk about it later, the rest of the girls are going to be here any minute, so get ready," she responded, but with a tone of voice I've never heard from her before, very serious and frankly, very blunt. I got up and walked over to her. "Dash, is everything alright?" She turned around, bearing the most serious face I've ever seen on anypony before. "I said, we will talk about it later!", she yelled. I was in shock, Dash rarely acts like that with anypony, but never with me. She's never yelled at me, never even raised her voice at me, this must be serious. "Dash, you know you can tell me anything. There isn't a need to yell and scream..." I stared at her with a caring expression, but her face stayed the same. "It's not important!", she yelled once again. She was lying through her teeth. "It is important because if it wasn't, you wouldn't be acting like this, Dash..." I tried to keep my cool, not yell at her. "Just forget it!" She started to walk away, but I grabbed her arm. "Dash, we need to talk-" She turned around and slapped me with her free hand. I hadn't been slapped like that since I was a colt... It hurt when it hit, but the sting afterwards was the real pain. When I looked back at her, she was crying, tears rolling down her face. She reached over to me, but Twilight stopped her. "Rainbow Dash, that's enough!" I couldn't believe it, my Dash had just slapped me... She'd never even threatened to do that, nor had she lifted an arm like if she were about to... "I'm sorry...", I heard her say before Twilight sat her down. Twilight used her magic to levitate the scroll over to me. "You should read it for yourself, just so you know why she... Well, you know...", she said after handing me the scroll. I nodded and unrolled it to see that it was a letter. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I write to you because of unfortunate events that have happened. There was an attack recently on the city of Las Pegasus by a group of stallions and mares who call themselves the Bringers of Havoc. Multiple explosive devices were used all around the city, destroying many buildings and taking many lives. There was an estimated death toll of over three-thousand, but it is yet to be confirmed. I am aware that Rainbow Dash has her family there, but their bodys are yet to be found, if they are indeed dead. The goal of the group is to find and eliminate the Elements of Harmony and the royal families, so I have sent royal guards to keep watch over you and the rest of the girls. Do not worry about your brother, he is fine, however, you cannot have any contact with him because of the security measures he and Princess Cadence have implemented. Please notify the rest of the girls about this situation. Oh, and before I forget, I need you and Zero to come to Canterlot as soon as possible, write back so we can setup a good time. Please stay safe, Twilight, I don't know what I would do if I lost you. Your mentor, Princess Celestia No Tour Then?I just stared at the piece of parchment in disbelief. Dash... Her family... A million thoughts were panicking in my head at once. I dropped the letter and walked over to the love of my life and kneeled down in front of her chair. She was still crying, hard. I bet anyone who would've passed by the library would have heard her. My arms reached out and wrapped around her body, comforting her. She instinctively hugged me tight, not wanting to let go, crying on my shoulder like if I was the only family she had left. "Shh... It's okay, I'm here with you...", I cooed, trying to make her feel better, but she just kept crying her heart out. I started to run my fingers through her hair, her beautiful, multi-colored hair. I wasn't really sure why she was crying, her family wasn't confirmed to be dead, but nonetheless, I was there for her. After a while, her crying became lighter, so I took that opportunity to stand up. Not wanting to let go, she stood up with me, kind of like a young filly. She was still holding on tight, and she didn't look like she wanted to go anywhere today, which wasn't like her, she was usually always doing something, never with time to relax. So, I did what anypony else would do in a situation such as this one, I released my grip on her, placed one arm on her back and one behind her legs, and swept her up into my arms like if she was a foal. She held on to my neck and pressed her face into my chest as I walked over to Twilight's couch and sat down, placing Dash on my lap. I continued to run my fingers through her hair and stroke her gently down her back, and I could tell she was loving it. "I... I love you...", she said quietly. I just smiled, kissing her forehead gently. "I love you too Dash...", I said back to her. She didn't hear me, she was already fast asleep in my arms. I would have fallen asleep with her, but there was a knock on the door. Twilight went to go get it assuming it was the rest of the girls. I saw her step outside and close the door behind her. -------Twilight's POV------- I closed the door softly, carful not to make too much of a ruckus. Standing before me were Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, they were all excited to see Merzéro, or Zero as he preferred, but I guess they were going to be disappointed. Of course, Pinkie was the first to speak... "Heya Twilight! Can we come in?" Her mood was elated, as always. "Yea Twilight, Ah wanna see th' new guy!" Applejack was then followed by Rarity. "Yes my dear, I am just dying to meet him! He's practically from a whole different nation!" Fluttershy was last, shy as ever. "I want to meet him too... If that's okay..." I was going to have to tell them, but not outside, somepony could overhear... "Girls, you will come in, you will come in quietly, Dash is on the couch asleep, don't wake her up, got it?", I instructed with a heavy tone of voice. All of them nodded and we went inside. Fluttershy went to go check on Dash, and the rest of us took a seat at the diner table. -------Fluttershy's POV------- I walked over to the couch to see how Rainbow Dash was, but there was somepony else sitting there... I walked nervously to the front of the couch and the stallion noticed me. "Hey," he started, "You must be Fluttershy, the name's Zero, it's a pleasure," He took one of his hands out of Rainbow's hair and stuck it out for me to shake, which I did gingerly... "H-How is Rainbow Dash? If you don't mind me asking..." He bore a gentle smile on his face. "She's just a bit tuckered out, that's all..." He looked down at Rainbow Dash, who had her face buried in his chest and one arm around his abdomen, the other limp at her side. "Isn't she just the cutest thing? Her face brightens up my day!" I smiled and walked over to Zero, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for taking care of her, I know you two are meant to be together..." As I backed away from him, I noticed that even his black fur couldn't hide the blush he had on his face. I went back to the diner table and sat down. -------Twilight's POV------- "Alright girls, here's the deal. I got a letter from Princess Celestia about 15 minutes ago. Read it for yourselves..." I levitated the letter over to them and they all read it together. Their faces turned from curious to shocked in mere seconds. They put down the letter and sat in silence. Pinkie (of course) was the first to speak. "I guess this means the tour is off, right?", she asked, already knowing the answer. "You are correct...", I responded. Rarity looked behind her at Zero, then looked back at me. "So, what will we do?", Rarity inquired in a flat tone. "Well...", I started, "Princess Celestia wants Zero and I to go to Canterlot as soon as possible, so I was thinking you girls could spend time with Rainbow Dash, treat her to some luxuries, you know, to get her mind off of Las Pegasus. What do you think?" The girls just looked at each other for a few moments, and then looked back at me. They all nodded. "Don't worry dear," Rarity started, "We'll give her 'The Works' while you two are away!" Her answer relieved me. I have such great friends, always looking out for each other... -------Zero's POV------- While the girls were chatting, I just sat there with Dash, caressing her hair and her side, I wondered what she was dreaming about. When I was little, my mother would tell me stories about this alicorn who's job was to walk through the dreams of Equestrian citizens, making sure everything was alright. She'd tell me that sometimes, when you were having troubles or just needed advice, she would appear in your dreams and talk to you, giving you that help you so desperately needed. So, when I had problems, I prayed to Celestia, asking her to send that alicorn my way. Not once did she come, but Celestia always gave an answer to my problems, it's just that she did it through my dreams, not through the alicorn. Even to this very day, I pray to Celestia for the alicorn when I have troubles, and even though the alicorn never comes, the princess never lets me down. Suddenly, a certain somepony broke my train of thought. "Zero, would you mind coming over here for a second?", I heard Twilight call out. "Yeah, let me just set Dash down on the couch here...", I responded as I picked Dash up moved her body to the opposite side of the couch, careful not to wake her up. "Ooh! We finally get a good look at you, dear!", said another of Dash's friends, who I'm guessing is Rarity. After I had set Dash down, I walked over to the table and sat down, introducing myself. "Well, I'm Zero, it's a pleasure to finally meet you all," I said to them, shaking hands with each of them. The pink one, Pinkie Pie was it? Yeah, I think it was... Anyway, the pink one, she had a VERY strong grip, stronger than the orange one, who I think was Applejack... "The pleasure is all ours, dear, I'm Rarity," she gestured her hand to the pink one, "This is Pinkie Pie," her hand moved over to the orange one, "Applejack," and finally to Fluttershy, "And Fluttershy!" "Awesome! Anyway, Twilight, what's the plan here?", I inquired. "Well, Princess Celestia wants you and me to go to Canterlot as soon as possible, so I asked the girls if they could tend to Dash while we were gone, and they said yes! I was thinking we could leave tonight, how's that?", she asked. "Can we leave tomorrow? I was going to take Dash out for dinner tonight, well, before all of this happened, and I still want to go through with it...", I explained. "Awwww!", Pinkie exclaimed in a childish manner. "Sure! That sounds great!", Twilight responded. I looked over at Rarity. "Rarity, I've heard you are the best designer in all of Equestria, and as a matter of fact, my sister dies for your dresses...", I started. "Oh please! You don't need to smother me with compliments!", she exclaimed with an embarrassed yet flattered tone of voice. "But, I don't own any formal clothing, so I was wondering if you could help me with my predicament...", I finished. "Why of course! Stop by my boutique in a few hours and I will set you up with the best I can provide!", she responded. Knowing her work, the best she can do is better than most designers from Canterlot. I wasn't lying about my sister either, she once saved up for two years just to buy one of Rarity's dresses! She'll faint once I tell her that Rarity lives here in Ponyville! "Well, then it's settled, Zero will take Dash out for dinner and we leave for Canterlot tomorrow, leaving the rest of you to tend to Dash until we are back!", summarized Twilight. We all nodded in confirmation. I just hope that whatever it is that the princess wants from me isn't bad or anything...
Catching Up-------Rainbow Dash's POV------- "Zero! I'm going down to Ponyville! I'll be back later!" I yelled at him. "Why're you going?" he yelled back. "Gotta go get some groceries at the market and some pastries at the Sugar Cube Corner!" I explained. "I can go if you want, babe!" he offered. He is so sweet sometimes. Okay, most of the time. "Thanks, but it's ok, I'll go!" I responded. "Okay then! See ya! I got to finish unpacking!" he yelled from my room. He had recently moved in with me. Kind of quick, but I couldn't say no. "Okay! Love you! Bye!" I yelled back. I took my messenger bag from the coat rack and left off for Ponyville. I flew straight through the cloud that kept my home afloat, you know, to get my hair a little wet. Maybe a little too wet... "Damn, now I have to dry it..." I mumbled to myself as I positioned my body to nosedive. With one strong flap of my cyan wings, I was diving straight down towards the ground at unimaginable speeds. I hope my bag's strap doesn't rip or something. Anyway, as I came screeching down from the sky at incredible speeds (just not fast enough to create a Sonic Rainboom), I pulled off a 90 degree turn towards Ponyville just inches off the ground. I raced through the town, dodging other people, shops, and even entire homes on my way to the Sugar Cube Corner, my first stop. I stopped at the door. "Ok, first thing's first..." I said quietly to myself as I entered the bakery. A bell rang as the door opened, alerting the only employee on duty, Pinkie Pie, that I had arrived. I sat at the counter, she had not noticed it was me. "Welcome to the Sugar Cube Corner! How can I help you?" Pinkie asked eagerly. "I need half a dozen of red velvet cupcakes and your mix platter," I responded. She immediately knew it was me, and came running from the kitchen to the counter. "DASHIE!" she screamed. Pinkie almost jumped over the counter to hug me tight. "I've missed you so much! Where have you been? You rarely come to visit anymore! And you always seem to run off unexpectedly!" she rambled on with questions. I eventually got annoyed and stopped her. "Pinkie! Stop! You're giving me a headache!" I yelled. She seriously was giving me a headache. "Oh, hehe! Sorry, I'll get those pastries baking right away!" she said as she went into the kitchen. She came back minutes later. "Okay, they're in the ovens. So, how have you been?" she asked, trying to make conversation. "Really good! Everything's been awesome!" I responded. "Great! How's Soarin?" she questioned. Damn, I forgot to tell anyone... "Well, now that you bring it up, Pinkie, we-" I was interrupted by the sound of familiar voices entering the bakery. "Rainbow darling, is that you?" said one. "Ah can't believe it!" exclaimed another. "Of course it's her, Rarity! Rainbow, long time no see!" yelled the most recognizable voice in all of Equestria. I turned around on my stool only to be greeted be my best friends. They all ran up to me and gave me a big group hug. "Rarity! Twilight! Applejack! Fluttershy!" I yelled. "I've missed you guys so much!" "You? We are the ones missing you! We never get to see you anymore! Where have you been?!" she asked. "Everything's been awesome!", I responded. "How is Soarin, darling?", questioned Rarity. Well, at least they should know, right? "Well, about a year ago, Soarin and I had a big fight, it ended up getting physical. In the middle of the fight, some stranger came in to break the fight up, Soarin got pissed and fought him instead, and lost. The stranger took me home and stayed the night with me, for security. Time passed and Soarin and I officially broke up, so the stranger and I became close friends. We eventually started dating, and he is an awesome guy! He is so sweet, caring, and everything else I could want! He listens to me, tries to help when he can, and is just an all-around great guy!" I explained. Sure, it wasn't exactly how it happened, but it was better and less embarrassing than saying I had a one-night stand with a complete stranger and ended up dating him, right? "Wow... What's his name?" asked Twilight. "Merzero Rochétt, but he prefers to be called Zero," I responded. "Ooh! Fancy name! Where is he from, dear?" questioned Rarity. "Mexicolt City," I answered. She almost fainted. "Foreigner, huh? Nice. You should tell him to stop by the farm someday! Ah'll give him a taste of the apple cider!" Applejack offered. Maybe I should, I bet Zero's never seen a real farm... "Great idea A.J.! Maybe I'll take him by the library too! How 'bout it Twilight?" I asked her with a smile. "Sounds good to me! Maybe he'll want to check out a book or something!" Twilight said eagerly, as nobody had checked out a book in months, or so I was told. "A-and if he's into animals, he c-can stop at my house... If he wants to, of course..." said Fluttershy in a quiet tone. "If he has a taste for fashion, my men's clothing line is done, so he is welcome to stop by the boutique anytime!" offered Rarity. DING! "Ooh! Your order is ready, Dashie!" yelled Pinkie with a smile on her face, she ran off into the kitchen to get my order. She came back with two boxes filled with pastries. "Here you are!" she said as she placed them on the counter. "Awesome! How much will it be?" I asked, getting my coin purse out of my bag. "Twenty bits please!" she said as she rang it up on the register. I handed her the money, grabbed the boxes, and got ready to leave. "Thanks for listening, girls! I'll see you all later, okay?" I asked them as I got up from the stool I was sitting on. "You're welcome, Dash!" said Twilight. We said our goodbyes and I left the bakery to go to the market for some groceries. *** I walked up to the doorstep of my home and unlocked it. I put my key away and opened the door to find Zero, well, hear Zero on the piano. I set the groceries and the pastries on the kitchen counter and danced my way to the piano, enjoying the music. I came up behind him and hugged him. He stopped playing. "Hey babe," I cooed to him. I rested my head on his shoulder. "How did it go?" he responded. "Good, I met up with the girls in the bakery, I bragged about you, you know. They asked if I could bring you with me and drop by their places. What do you think?" I asked him. "Awesome, we can go tomorrow!" he said excitedly. "Sounds like a plan..." I cooed to him before giving him a kiss on the cheek and heading off to bed. -------Twilight's POV------- As soon as I got home, I rushed to my desk to get some parchment and a quill to write a letter to the princess, as I always do. Dear Princess Celestia, This letter is not a normal report. I need your opinion on something that came up today. I was able to meet up with Rainbow Dash today at the Sugar Cube Corner and have a nice conversation with her. Apparently, she has found a new colt-friend, a young stallion called Merzero Rochétt. She seems to care for him a lot, and him for her. I am very worried as to how her relationship with this colt might affect our friendship, as it happened before with Soarin. I don't want to lose a friend, especially one like Rainbow Dash. I need assurance that she won't forget about the rest of us, so please, answer as soon as possible. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle I rolled up the letter and sealed it. "Spike! I need you to send a letter!" I yelled. He came down, grabbed the letter, and engulfed it with green flames. He started to walk away, but stopped abruptly. BURP! The letter came out of his flames. I snatched it out of mid-air. "You can go now, Spike. Good night." I told him. All I got back were grunts and mumbles as he continued up the stairs. I opened the letter. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am happy that Rainbow Dash was able to find love again. As for your concern, there is no need for it. Rainbow Dash will not forget you or the rest of the girls, she is the Element of Loyalty after all. Soarin was a different case, as he did not want to have anything to do with you or the girls, that is why Rainbow Dash was so distant. Rest assured that her new colt-friend will not come between your friendship with Rainbow Dash. You should actually get to know him better. Who knows, maybe he's a nice guy! I must go, as I have stolen Luna's abacus and need to hide it. Wait, this abacus smells like something strange... Oh dear... Your Mentor, Princess Celestia
The Grand Tour StartsMorning came a little too early for me the next day, but I didn't care. I sat up in bed and stretched out, careful not to wake Dash, who was sleeping on the other side of the bed. I got up and walked over to my closet, opening it slowly to avoid making any sound. I looked at the rack of clothing in front of me, trying to choose which t-shirt to wear. "Hmm... No, I wore that one yesterday... Green really isn't my color... Purple? Eh, why not?" I pulled out the purple t-shirt and a pair of jeans, closed the closet, and then walked over to my dresser to grab some undergarments. As I was opening the top drawer, I heard Dash stir in bed. "Hey babe...", she said, promptly yawning afterwards. "How'd you sleep?" "Not very well, woke up with a pain in my neck..." I rubbed the afflicted area on my neck before turning around to face her. She started to giggle like a filly. "What's so funny?" I asked her. "You're naked!" She responded, having a very hard time hiding her laughs. I noticed she was right, blushing as I covered my groin and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I could still hear her giggles through the closed bathroom door. I disregarded them and turned on the shower. You know, I don't know how she does it, but Dash has her home rigged to pre-heat the water going to the showers so you don't have to wait for it to heat up, and it's pretty useful when you are in a hurry. So, with the water on, I set my clothes on the counter and slipped into the shower. "Ahhhh...." The warm water was soothing and relaxing, and it begged me to just lay down and enjoy it, but I had to get ready for the tour I was going to be given today, so I got down to business. The cleaning and scrubbing took about twenty minutes, and then, I got out to get dried and dressed. Promptly after dressing and grooming, I stepped out into my room to find Dash gone, but the smell of pancakes told me where she was. The delicious smell almost lifted me into the air as I walked downstairs to greet Dash in the kitchen. I sat in my chair at our table, waiting for her to bring breakfast. She came by a bit later with a plate containing a tower of rainbow colored flapjacks, and set it in the middle of the table. "Look, I know you usually make breakfast, but I thought I'd make something special for you today!" She pointed at the tower of pancakes, "These are my mother's special recipe, they're called Rainbow Cakes, they are made with an special extra-thick batter that is jam-packed with lots of caffeine. The day I did my first Sonic Rainboom, my mother had made me these for breakfast. So if these things allow me to do mind-bending stunts, they'll surely get you going in the morning!", Dash explained. She went to sit at her side of the table, leaving me to stare at the delicious looking pancakes. "Why are they called Rainbow Cakes?", I asked Dash, seriously wondering why they were called that. "When I was younger, believe it or not, I was not the most energetic kid on the block, and as a matter of fact, I was pretty lazy. But one Sunday morning, we needed to go somewhere in a hurry, and my mom didn't have time for my laziness, so she made pancakes with a lot of sugar and caffeine in them, and she was in such a hurry that she knocked over some bottles of food coloring, and they spilled onto the pancakes. She acted like she had meant to do it and called them Rainbow Cakes, and the name stuck!", she explained with a smirk on her face before grabbing a couple pancakes and dropping them on her plate, I did the same. We both drowned our Rainbow Cakes in syrup before scarfing them down. She wasn't lying about the caffeine, those pancakes got me up and ready for the day, which was good, because it was going to be a long day. *** Once we both were ready, Dash called up all the girls, telling them we were on our way so they could get ready. We grabbed our coats, and headed out the door, locking it on our way out. First stop: Twilight's Library. Dash and I flew down to Ponyville, and headed towards the library. When we arrived at the odd-looking tree, Dash knocked on the door pretty hard. "I'm coming! I'm coming! You don't have to break the door down!", said a voice on the inside, but it wasn't female. What happened next made me jump three feet in the air, it wasn't a pony who opened the door, but a dragon! I've heard stories about them, fierce, menacing, killers that eat ponies for breakfast! I guess he noticed my fear and sighed, "I'm not going to hurt you, man. I'm not like those other dragons, I'm actually pretty harmless!" Dash was the next to speak, "Yeah! I mean look at him! Short, squat, doesn't even have wings yet! Couldn't even hurt a fly if he wanted to!" She started to laugh, I kinda did too, I mean it was pretty funny! "Hey!", the dragon yelled. Just then I heard a female voice yell. "Spike, are you going to just stand there, or are you going to let them in?" Spike I'm guessing is the dragon. Anyway, Spike flinched and stepped aside to let us in. When I saw the amount of books in this place, my jaw dropped in awe. I had never seen so many books in one place before! I could tell I was going to visit often. The young lady who I'm guessing is Twilight spoke once more, "I see you're liking this place!" She extended her arm and hand to shake mine, which I reflexively did. "I am Twilight Sparkle, owner of this library, which I take you will be visiting later, am I right?" I just nodded, still in shock from the sheer amounts of genres this place had. "What is your name?", She asked. I snapped back into reality. "Zero, it's a pleasure, Twilight," I responded. "You have quite the place here! And all inside of a tree? Ha! My friends back in Mexicolt City would call me a liar if I told them about this place!" She blushed and smiled. "Well, that's very nice of you..." She trailed off and then remembered what she was going to say. "We're just gonna wait for the rest of the girls to get here and then we'll get going, sound good?" I nodded affirmatively. "Alright, so, would you like some coffee?" Author's Note I am so sorry this took so long, guys. With school and family issues I just don't have the time anymore. But our finals are coming up soon and the year is almost over, and as soon as it is, I'll get to writing! -Spaztastick
Advice and Bad News"I'd love to have some, Twilight, but your friend over here...", I elbowed Dash playfully, and she just chuckled, "Made me the most caffeinated breakfast possible, so any more caffeine might just kill me!" Twilight just smiled. "Alright then," She started, "I'll go get some water for us while we wait," And she went into her kitchen, pouring the water into three glasses. Dash and I just took a seat at the dinner table, waiting for the lavender mare to come back out. When she did, she set the glasses on the table and took a seat. "So, have you two-" BURP! We sat in silence, until Spike came running down the stairs with a scroll in his claw. "Twilight! Its for you!", he yelled as he came over to us. "And you might want to read it too, Rainbow Dash!" That part caught all of us off guard. "Is it serious, Spike?", asked Twilight. Dash and I were probably thinking the same thing. "Very," responded Spike. Twilight looked at Dash, who looked back at Twilight. They got up from the table, Dash gave me a peck on the cheek and told me they'd be right back. Twilight used her magic to take the scroll and they both went upstairs to see what it was about. Spike and I were left alone downstairs, I was the first to break the silence. "Hey man," I started, "Sorry about earlier, I'm just not used to seeing dragons, you know?" "Don't worry, its fine, you get used to it..." His voice trailed off. "Can I ask you something?" He looked at me with a face of sympathy. "Sure! What do you need?", he answered. "You need to promise me that you can't tell anypony, especially not Dash," I said to him. "You have my word," he responded. "I want to propose to Dash, but I'm afraid she won't want to get married... I really love her, but I don't know if I should take that step, you know? I have more than enough bits to buy an engagement ring, but I'm just conflicted..." I saw his jaw drop to the floor. "I know, I know, big shocker. But I'm serious, what should I do?" He snapped back into reality. "I really can't help you with that one, but I do know somepony who can, she's helped me with a lot of issues I've had, and she's a really good listener!" I had no idea who he was talking about. "Where can I find her?", I inquired. "That's the thing, you don't go to her, she comes to you. She will come to you, and she will give you the help you need, whether you choose to follow her advice or not is your decision, but she will be delighted to listen and give you advice!" I'm just gonna have to take his word for it, aren't I? "Well, thanks, Spike. I appreciate it very much," I said to him, not knowing really what else to say. "No problem! Oh! And when you do get to talk to her, remember; she is a bit old and has a tendency to speak in Old Equine, so yeah..." Old Equine? How old is this mare he's talking about? I just nodded. Just then, the girls came back downstairs. "So, what's it about?" I asked Dash. "We'll talk about it later, the rest of the girls are going to be here any minute, so get ready," she responded, but with a tone of voice I've never heard from her before, very serious and frankly, very blunt. I got up and walked over to her. "Dash, is everything alright?" She turned around, bearing the most serious face I've ever seen on anypony before. "I said, we will talk about it later!", she yelled. I was in shock, Dash rarely acts like that with anypony, but never with me. She's never yelled at me, never even raised her voice at me, this must be serious. "Dash, you know you can tell me anything. There isn't a need to yell and scream..." I stared at her with a caring expression, but her face stayed the same. "It's not important!", she yelled once again. She was lying through her teeth. "It is important because if it wasn't, you wouldn't be acting like this, Dash..." I tried to keep my cool, not yell at her. "Just forget it!" She started to walk away, but I grabbed her arm. "Dash, we need to talk-" She turned around and slapped me with her free hand. I hadn't been slapped like that since I was a colt... It hurt when it hit, but the sting afterwards was the real pain. When I looked back at her, she was crying, tears rolling down her face. She reached over to me, but Twilight stopped her. "Rainbow Dash, that's enough!" I couldn't believe it, my Dash had just slapped me... She'd never even threatened to do that, nor had she lifted an arm like if she were about to... "I'm sorry...", I heard her say before Twilight sat her down. Twilight used her magic to levitate the scroll over to me. "You should read it for yourself, just so you know why she... Well, you know...", she said after handing me the scroll. I nodded and unrolled it to see that it was a letter. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I write to you because of unfortunate events that have happened. There was an attack recently on the city of Las Pegasus by a group of stallions and mares who call themselves the Bringers of Havoc. Multiple explosive devices were used all around the city, destroying many buildings and taking many lives. There was an estimated death toll of over three-thousand, but it is yet to be confirmed. I am aware that Rainbow Dash has her family there, but their bodys are yet to be found, if they are indeed dead. The goal of the group is to find and eliminate the Elements of Harmony and the royal families, so I have sent royal guards to keep watch over you and the rest of the girls. Do not worry about your brother, he is fine, however, you cannot have any contact with him because of the security measures he and Princess Cadence have implemented. Please notify the rest of the girls about this situation. Oh, and before I forget, I need you and Zero to come to Canterlot as soon as possible, write back so we can setup a good time. Please stay safe, Twilight, I don't know what I would do if I lost you. Your mentor, Princess Celestia
No Tour Then?I just stared at the piece of parchment in disbelief. Dash... Her family... A million thoughts were panicking in my head at once. I dropped the letter and walked over to the love of my life and kneeled down in front of her chair. She was still crying, hard. I bet anyone who would've passed by the library would have heard her. My arms reached out and wrapped around her body, comforting her. She instinctively hugged me tight, not wanting to let go, crying on my shoulder like if I was the only family she had left. "Shh... It's okay, I'm here with you...", I cooed, trying to make her feel better, but she just kept crying her heart out. I started to run my fingers through her hair, her beautiful, multi-colored hair. I wasn't really sure why she was crying, her family wasn't confirmed to be dead, but nonetheless, I was there for her. After a while, her crying became lighter, so I took that opportunity to stand up. Not wanting to let go, she stood up with me, kind of like a young filly. She was still holding on tight, and she didn't look like she wanted to go anywhere today, which wasn't like her, she was usually always doing something, never with time to relax. So, I did what anypony else would do in a situation such as this one, I released my grip on her, placed one arm on her back and one behind her legs, and swept her up into my arms like if she was a foal. She held on to my neck and pressed her face into my chest as I walked over to Twilight's couch and sat down, placing Dash on my lap. I continued to run my fingers through her hair and stroke her gently down her back, and I could tell she was loving it. "I... I love you...", she said quietly. I just smiled, kissing her forehead gently. "I love you too Dash...", I said back to her. She didn't hear me, she was already fast asleep in my arms. I would have fallen asleep with her, but there was a knock on the door. Twilight went to go get it assuming it was the rest of the girls. I saw her step outside and close the door behind her. -------Twilight's POV------- I closed the door softly, carful not to make too much of a ruckus. Standing before me were Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, they were all excited to see Merzéro, or Zero as he preferred, but I guess they were going to be disappointed. Of course, Pinkie was the first to speak... "Heya Twilight! Can we come in?" Her mood was elated, as always. "Yea Twilight, Ah wanna see th' new guy!" Applejack was then followed by Rarity. "Yes my dear, I am just dying to meet him! He's practically from a whole different nation!" Fluttershy was last, shy as ever. "I want to meet him too... If that's okay..." I was going to have to tell them, but not outside, somepony could overhear... "Girls, you will come in, you will come in quietly, Dash is on the couch asleep, don't wake her up, got it?", I instructed with a heavy tone of voice. All of them nodded and we went inside. Fluttershy went to go check on Dash, and the rest of us took a seat at the diner table. -------Fluttershy's POV------- I walked over to the couch to see how Rainbow Dash was, but there was somepony else sitting there... I walked nervously to the front of the couch and the stallion noticed me. "Hey," he started, "You must be Fluttershy, the name's Zero, it's a pleasure," He took one of his hands out of Rainbow's hair and stuck it out for me to shake, which I did gingerly... "H-How is Rainbow Dash? If you don't mind me asking..." He bore a gentle smile on his face. "She's just a bit tuckered out, that's all..." He looked down at Rainbow Dash, who had her face buried in his chest and one arm around his abdomen, the other limp at her side. "Isn't she just the cutest thing? Her face brightens up my day!" I smiled and walked over to Zero, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for taking care of her, I know you two are meant to be together..." As I backed away from him, I noticed that even his black fur couldn't hide the blush he had on his face. I went back to the diner table and sat down. -------Twilight's POV------- "Alright girls, here's the deal. I got a letter from Princess Celestia about 15 minutes ago. Read it for yourselves..." I levitated the letter over to them and they all read it together. Their faces turned from curious to shocked in mere seconds. They put down the letter and sat in silence. Pinkie (of course) was the first to speak. "I guess this means the tour is off, right?", she asked, already knowing the answer. "You are correct...", I responded. Rarity looked behind her at Zero, then looked back at me. "So, what will we do?", Rarity inquired in a flat tone. "Well...", I started, "Princess Celestia wants Zero and I to go to Canterlot as soon as possible, so I was thinking you girls could spend time with Rainbow Dash, treat her to some luxuries, you know, to get her mind off of Las Pegasus. What do you think?" The girls just looked at each other for a few moments, and then looked back at me. They all nodded. "Don't worry dear," Rarity started, "We'll give her 'The Works' while you two are away!" Her answer relieved me. I have such great friends, always looking out for each other... -------Zero's POV------- While the girls were chatting, I just sat there with Dash, caressing her hair and her side, I wondered what she was dreaming about. When I was little, my mother would tell me stories about this alicorn who's job was to walk through the dreams of Equestrian citizens, making sure everything was alright. She'd tell me that sometimes, when you were having troubles or just needed advice, she would appear in your dreams and talk to you, giving you that help you so desperately needed. So, when I had problems, I prayed to Celestia, asking her to send that alicorn my way. Not once did she come, but Celestia always gave an answer to my problems, it's just that she did it through my dreams, not through the alicorn. Even to this very day, I pray to Celestia for the alicorn when I have troubles, and even though the alicorn never comes, the princess never lets me down. Suddenly, a certain somepony broke my train of thought. "Zero, would you mind coming over here for a second?", I heard Twilight call out. "Yeah, let me just set Dash down on the couch here...", I responded as I picked Dash up moved her body to the opposite side of the couch, careful not to wake her up. "Ooh! We finally get a good look at you, dear!", said another of Dash's friends, who I'm guessing is Rarity. After I had set Dash down, I walked over to the table and sat down, introducing myself. "Well, I'm Zero, it's a pleasure to finally meet you all," I said to them, shaking hands with each of them. The pink one, Pinkie Pie was it? Yeah, I think it was... Anyway, the pink one, she had a VERY strong grip, stronger than the orange one, who I think was Applejack... "The pleasure is all ours, dear, I'm Rarity," she gestured her hand to the pink one, "This is Pinkie Pie," her hand moved over to the orange one, "Applejack," and finally to Fluttershy, "And Fluttershy!" "Awesome! Anyway, Twilight, what's the plan here?", I inquired. "Well, Princess Celestia wants you and me to go to Canterlot as soon as possible, so I asked the girls if they could tend to Dash while we were gone, and they said yes! I was thinking we could leave tonight, how's that?", she asked. "Can we leave tomorrow? I was going to take Dash out for dinner tonight, well, before all of this happened, and I still want to go through with it...", I explained. "Awwww!", Pinkie exclaimed in a childish manner. "Sure! That sounds great!", Twilight responded. I looked over at Rarity. "Rarity, I've heard you are the best designer in all of Equestria, and as a matter of fact, my sister dies for your dresses...", I started. "Oh please! You don't need to smother me with compliments!", she exclaimed with an embarrassed yet flattered tone of voice. "But, I don't own any formal clothing, so I was wondering if you could help me with my predicament...", I finished. "Why of course! Stop by my boutique in a few hours and I will set you up with the best I can provide!", she responded. Knowing her work, the best she can do is better than most designers from Canterlot. I wasn't lying about my sister either, she once saved up for two years just to buy one of Rarity's dresses! She'll faint once I tell her that Rarity lives here in Ponyville! "Well, then it's settled, Zero will take Dash out for dinner and we leave for Canterlot tomorrow, leaving the rest of you to tend to Dash until we are back!", summarized Twilight. We all nodded in confirmation. I just hope that whatever it is that the princess wants from me isn't bad or anything...
