Protecting Her

-------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