*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone, this is my first MLP:FiM fanfic so go easy on me. Don't flame me for spelling/grammar mistakes- I'm only human. Also don't flame me on what characters are wearing- I took the liberty of changing what people are wearing, like Soarin and Spitfire's outfits and Dash's dress.

RD desc. Pretty and petite with rainbow-striped hair and sky blue feathered wings. nineteen years old, and most likely the fastest flyer in Equestria.

Rainbow dash (Dash) POV

Dash combed her fingers through her mane, pulling out all the knots. She normally wouldn't have cared about them, but tonight she and her friends were going to the Grand Galloping Gala, or just the Gala for short. She was going to wear a beautiful dress (compliments of Rarity) and had to make sure she looked pretty to match it, even though she was already gorgeous. Stepping out of the shower, Dash dried off and put on her dress. It was rainbow-colored, and flowed off of her body like water. She could have gotten away wearing the dress just like that, but she wanted to put on some accessories. Using the gold hair tie Rarity gave her, Dash tied back her hair. Something was missing... Makeup! She outlined her eyes in gold eyeliner, and even applied some lipstick, a rare event for her. Being a speed demon and stuntmare meant no makeup, which she was fine with her most of the time, but tonight she had to look beautiful. When she finally looked in the mirror, she gasped. The mare looking back was BEAUTIFUL. Is this how I look all the time? She wondered, because she barely ever looked in a mirror. She opened the door shyly and sidled out. Rarity was the first to notice her. "Darling... Oh my! Dashie, is that you? Oh my goodness, you're positively gorgeous!" she squealed. The rest of her friends turned to look at her, and her face flushed, she was suddenly self-conscious. Surprised gasps and murmurs of "Beautiful!" (or "ooooooh!" from Pinky) flitted around the group. "What?" She asked defensively. Twilight replied: "You just never wear a dress, and it's so... PRETTY on you." "T-thanks." She replied. Why was she being so shy? These were her friends! Maybe she just wasn't used to being called pretty. A little while later, after everyone was dressed and primped, the six friends headed out. Dash's stomach fluttered in excitement. She was going to the Grand Galloping Gala! When they got there, the first thing she noticed was everyone's fancy dresses. For a fleeting moment she feared she was underdressed, but she remembered her dress. Inside, she hung around the VIP section, hoping too see one of the Wonderbolts. And soon she did. She recognized Soarin, a colt with navy blue hair and pale blue wings, wearing a pale blue jacket with a tie and lightning bolts on the collar along with Spitfire, a mare with light and dark orange hair and yellow wings, wearing a green and blue dress that contrasted sharply with her hair. It was strange seeing the Wonderbolts so dressed up. Soarin was carrying one of Applejack's apple pies. He was telling Spitfire something when he slipped and his pie fell to the ground. "My pie!" He cried. Dash raced over and grabbed the pie in the nick of time, right before it hit the ground. Soarin turned to Dash and his mouth fell open a little bit because she was so pretty. "Thanks!" Soarin said, smiling. "You saved my pie!" Dash's heart fluttered a little. His green eyes were so entrancing... "Any time!" She replied. "By the way, my name's Rainbow Dash." "Oh, I remember you!" Soarin exclaimed. "You were the one who saved me and Spitfire's asses at the Best Young Flier Competition!" "That's me!" She said with a wink. The two chatted for a while, and the whole time Dash was thinking: omigosh omigosh omigosh I'm chatting with a Wonderbolt omigosh! After a while, Soarin asked if she wanted to hang out in the VIP section with him. "Sure, sounds fun!" She responded cooly while inside she was going: OH MY DEAR CELESTIA I'M HANGING OUT WITH A WONDERBOLT! "Hmmm... I'm still hungry." Soarin wondered aloud after he finished his pie. "We could get some hors d'oeuvres," Dash suggested. "Good idea!" Soarin replied and the two went over to the table. Dash selected a small cloud cake, stuffed with what looked like zap apple preserves. She took a tentative bite. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "This is great!" After she finished the cake, she reached for another, but the music changed from quiet dinner jazz to peppier dance music, and all of a sudden Pinkie Pie tackled her, squealing, "Let's dance!" Dash gave a long, mournful look at the delicious hors d'oeuvres, but let herself get dragged along, Soarin chuckling behind them. After dancing for a few songs, Pinkie got an odd look on her face, and suddenly jumped up in the air, shrieking, "Gotta go!" and zipping off to a bathroom. A few minutes after she was gone, the music slowed to a slow dance, the song What A Wonderful World. "I see trees of green, red roses, too..." She swayed slightly to the music. She turned to see Soarin behind her, smiling shyly. "W-would you like to dance?" He mumbled quietly. "Of course!" She answered eagerly. Soarin held out his hand, and Dash took it. He swung her in and they danced casually, holding hands, but as the song went on they grew closer, and eventually got into the traditional slow dance position, Soarin's hand on the small of her back and Dash's arms around his neck. Every so often, green eyes would meet magenta, and Soarin would grant her a genuine smile. All the while, her stomach was fluttering like crazy. All she could think about was I'mdancingwithSoarinI'mdancing withSoarinOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOH MYGOSH! After a few slow dances the music changed again, and the two headed over to the bar for a drink. Soarin cut the line easily, being a Wonderbolt and all. Dash looked at the drink menu thoughtfully. Everything sounded good. In the end she picked a rainbow cocktail, though, and it was delicious. She and Soarin talked for a while, waiting in line this time, until they got up to the counter again. This time Dash ordered a shot of sassparilla, enjoying the fiery taste of the liquor as it slid like liquid flame down her throat. The line was getting crowded, so they decided to get some fresh air outside. Dash let out a contented sigh as she inhaled the blissfully cool night air. She noticed that she and Soarin were standing on a cliff at the back side of the castle, a few feet in front of her the ground dropped away, leaving open sky. A sudden thought struck her. "Want to go for a flight?" she questioned Soarin. He agreed immediately, and the two swooped off the cliff, perfectly synchronized. They climbed higher and higher in the violet sky, until they reached a fluffy cloud. Dash and Soarin stopped to rest, both panting from the flight. Dash flopped over on the cloud, and Soarin did too soon after. The moment was perfect: laying on a fluffy cloud, looking up a starry sky, next to an extremely hot Wonderbolt. Dash could somehow sense that Soarin felt the same way. They lay there for a while, just gazing at the sky. After a while, the two got up and soared back to the castle, making conversation on the flight back. When they got back to the castle they continued chatting outside in the garden, as they were both reluctant to go inside. They were standing by a bush heavy with beautiful pink hibiscus flowers. "The flowers here are so pretty!" She admired. "Not as pretty as you." Soarin murmured shyly, tucking a flower behind her ear. She blushed and mumbled "Thanks." After more chatting, the air grew colder and Dash shivered in her thin dress, curling her wings around her for warmth. Soarin shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Hey!" She protested. "Now you'll be cold." "I'm fine." Soarin replied, and although Dash tried to give it back, she accepted the jacket when a cool breeze blew through. Finally it got too cold outside, so they went inside and headed back to the bar to get a few more drinks and chat some more. Another slow dance came on, and the two got up to dance. They clasped hands, attempting a waltz, but due to the cocktails they both had drunk they soon gave up, slipping into a slow dance position. Dash found herself closer to Soarin than she had been on the first dance, and as the song went on she let her head fall against his chest as they swayed gently back and forth. The night wore on, and Soarin and Dash danced the whole time, stopping for a rest and a drink occasionally. The Gala began to dissipate as the sun began to rise, the sky streaked with vibrant streaks of pink and apricot, and swaths of purple cloud. Dash had never felt so tired. She left the Gala with Soarin and they swooped off the cliff again, but this time she fell. She was so tired and rather tipsy from the drinks that her normally strong wings couldn't support her. Soarin caught her and began to carry her home. "Wait..." She protested halfheartedly. "Shhh." Soarin soothed, putting a finger to her mouth. "I'll fly you home. You're in no shape to fly there alone." She snuggled closer to him as he soared through the sky. She was asleep in no time. A while later, after most of the flight, Soarin woke her briefly to ask which house was hers. She pointed vaguely, then dropped back off to sleep. "Dash," Soarin whispered. "Mmph" She replied. "We're here." She tumbled off his back, gave him a slurred thanks for the ride, and after exchanging numbers, Soarin left. Dash trudged up to her room, stripped off her dress, and fell into bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow.