The silence was broken with GS and her friends coming in through the front door.

"You won your love back, haven't you?" GS teased.

She's right, even though she's only teasing... Soarin thought, "Oh come on, it's not my fault no stallion wants to be your friend. Drama queen." Soarin snickered.

GS rolled her eyes, "Whatever." and her and her friends trotted up the stairs.

One friend didn't follow the clique, though.

"Hey," she said, using her hoof to lift up Rainbow's chin, "We can hang out sometime...y'know..." she gave a bedroom eye look, a blush forming to her face.

Then she flew away.

Hoop and Soarin burst out laughing.

What...the...hell? Rainbow thought.

"Whatever. Let's go play hockey. Also, is the pizza out yet?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh yeah!" Soarin said, "Pizza. You like supreme, Dash?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Obviously, don't you remember last night?"

"Nothing but the horrors of that closet." Soarin shuttered.

"I hope Northway doesn't see us ever again. I really hope she moves." Hoop added.

"Agreed." Rainbow said.

Soarin pulled out the pizza and put it on the plates.

Each pony ate their pieces quickly.

"So, hockey. We should have a tournament." Dash said.

"Okay, me versus you then. Then I'll play Hoop. If I win both rounds, then you and Hoop have to play each other again until one wins, and then the last round determines the winner." Soarin said.

They trotted down the stairs, where Rainbow saw the basement.

It. Was. So. Big.

Pool table, TV, Sofa, Popcorn Machine, Ping Pong, and a bar. Not to mention the air hockey.

"Nice basement, Soarin." Rainbow complimented.

"Thanks, although when am I going to be able to get to go to your house?" Soarin asked.

"No idea. It's not as cool, though. Anyways, let's get the game on. First to four goals wins!"  Rainbow said, and raced to one end of the air hockey.

Soarin raced to the opposite, and teasingly said, "Bring it."

Hoop placed a puck in the middle of the table.

"Go!" he yelled.

Rainbow was the first to hit, but Soarin hit it back even faster.

But it wasn't fast enough for Rainbow. She hit it back, but weakly.

Soarin hit it back, a powerful blow, and Rainbow tried stopping it. It got in her goal.

"Dang it!" she hissed.

Soarin grinned.

Hoop placed the puck back in the center, and yelled, "Go!" again.

Soarin managed to hit it first, this time, and sent another flying goal.

"Heh." he said, looking at his frustrated crush.

Then Hoop repeated the process.

Rainbow hit the puck first, and nearly sent a goal. But Soarin managed to stop it and hit it back, but Rainbow hit it back even harder, and it went back and forth for about a minute, until Soarin reached to far and hit it weakly.

Using all of her strength, Rainbow sent a soaring goal.

"Aw, dang it." Soarin muttered.

The same thing happened the next two rounds. Somehow Rainbow learned how to best Soarin.

And then, they were tied.

"This round determines who gets to go to the finales!" Hoop announced.

It was on.

The game was so intense, each pony refused to make a mistake, each trying their hardest to best each other. Rainbow found an opportunity to send a goal; but she hit way too hard.

The puck went flying into Soarin's forehead.

She gasped, "Oh my god! I didn't mean it!"

Soarin was too dizzy to hear.

He almost fell back, but Hoop saved his fall.

"Rainbow, go get an ice pack!" he yelled.

The only thing going through Soarin's mind was amusement. It was so funny, because of what happened in the school year. It was the same feeling he got after getting beat up in school. And Rainbow Dash saved him. But then he got the same dizzy feeling from getting hit by Rainbow Dash with a puck. He fell asleep reliving the moment in a dream...

"Oh you wanna go, Soarin? Think you're so cool?" a colt a strong build asked, "Me and my buddies could kick your ass." Soarin had gotten himself in a bragging situation, where a few colts then denied his awesomeness. "I'm not scared of some wannabe." Soarin muttered. "That's it! Let's get this kid's dick out of his throat!" the colt yelled. Instantly, Soarin was pushed back into a locker and was being kicked and punched by the trio of colts. He screamed, and tried getting up but couldn't. There was no other ponies around. He was so dead. Or so he thought. Out of nowhere, a stallion was pushed to the ground, by a very angry Rainbow Dash. The other two stallions backed off; they couldn't hit a mare. "What the buck is wrong with you?!" she yelled, landing in front of Soarin. "We-" one began, but Rainbow cut him off. "You know what?! I don't care. Get the buck out!" the stallions left running and grumbling in annoyance and fear. Rainbow looked over Soarin, "You okay?" she asked. But he was too dizzy to respond. She wasn't strong enough to pick up the stallion, only strong enough to drag him across the floor. The bell rang, but Rainbow didn't care. Soarin grumbled as he got up to his hooves, but it was a challenge to keep his balance. Rainbow wrapped a hoof around his back, "Come on, Soarin. Let me take you to the nurse." she said. Soarin just did as told, and still had trouble balancing even though he had Rainbow's support. Once Rainbow walked into the office, and the teachers saw them, they gasped, and said, "Oh my gosh! Bring him to the nurse's immediately." Rainbow didn't make any hesitations, and went through the back of the office into the nurse's office. She was talking to a student. "A couple of stallions were beating him up. I had to help him. He needs help, right away. He looks like he's about to pass out." Rainbow said, concerned. And as if on cue, Soarin did.

Soarin awoke on his basement couch, with a cold ice pack on his forehead and Rainbow and Hoop leaning over him.

"Soarin? You okay?" Hoop asked.

"Yeah...I had a dream...but it was really a memory...it was of Rainbow Dash helping me after I got beat up by those stallions...remember Rainbow?" Soarin asked, yawning.

Hoop smiled at Rainbow, and Rainbow said, "Yeah, I remember. We're so lucky they got suspended."

"Yeah." Soarin said.

"And dude, she so wanted the d!" A voice came from the top of the stairs.

"Not...the...right...time." Soarin muttered.

"Who's that?" Rainbow asked.

"My...brother. Hide!" Soarin whisper yelled. Rainbow quickly found a spot between the wall and the back of the couch.

Then she heard hoovesteps.

"Hey, Hoopster!" the same stallion's voice teased, "What happened to Soarin here?"

"He thought he could fly blindfolded and hit a wall." Hoop lied.

"Why would you do something that stupid?" another voice asked.

"I don't know." Hoop shrugged.

"Well, can you guys go? I need it to be quiet." Soarin moaned like he was sick.

"Haha, no." the first stallion replied, and began playing music from his phone that was technically ear rape.

"Dude, I think I lost my phone behind the couch." the second stallion said, "I'll see if it's behind there."

"No, it's not!" Soarin yelled.

"How do you know?" the stallion asked.

"Because I cleaned out there the other day! I didn't see a phone." Soarin said.

"I can still check." the stallion said, making his way towards the back of the couch.

"No-" but was cut off by, "Uh, Soarin, who's the mare?"

Rainbow saw a stallion; he didn't look like Soarin, and instead had a long-ish black mane, red fur, and yellow eyes.

"Uh...hi." Rainbow said, giving a nervous smile. There was no point in hiding, so the rainbow mare came out of her hiding spot.

She saw Soarin's brother. He had the same fur and eye color, but his mane was more of a brownish than navy blue. He had a smile on his face.

"Soarin, cm'on, get up, let's talk, brother to brother." he said.

Soarin looked with concern, but obeyed, and followed his brother into the other room.

***

His brother closed the door.

"That's a really pretty marefriend, you have there, Soarin. You don't need to hide her. I'm just telling you, I have extra packs and pills at Moonshine's house. I can go pick them up for you." he told his younger sibling.

Soarin's face went hot red, "Blazingbull! She's not my marefriend! I just thought if you found out I had a friend that's a mare, you'd tease me non-stop!"

"Oh, she isn't? Okay, but I can see you have feelings for her." Blazingbull commented.

"I don't!" Soarin protested.

"There's no point in lying, Soarin. I'll still pick 'em up. You're a handsome guy. I wouldn't be surprised if she's crushing on you back." Blazingbull responded.

"I'd only do it if she absolutely wanted to!" Soarin growled.

"I know you want to have some fun with that mare, Soarin. I used to fantasize about that, too, but with Moonshine. She didn't want to, either, like your mare. And one day she felt she was ready, so we did. And yeah, it was fun. I was fourteen, can ya believe that? Your age. I'm sure your time is coming soon. So let's just be prepared." Blazingbull patted Soarin on the head with his wing.

"Fine." Soarin said, giving up.

"Good boy. Now how come you aren't dating that pretty mare?" Blazingbull questioned.

"She doesn't like me back, and she doesn't know I like her." Soarin mumbled. The last thing he wanted right now was a being-a-horny-teenage-colt talk from his older brother, but he really had no choice.

"Well then make her like you, Soarin! Make a move. Impress her." Blazingbull exclaimed, "I started dating Moonshine when I was twelve. I'm two years ahead. We even talked about the fun stuff at that age, but she waited two years- until she was fourteen. What I'm saying Soarin, is that you can't wait. Don't finish last. Now go have some fun with your friends."

He opened the door, and using his wing, pushed Soarin out it.

"Hoop and the mare went upstairs." RedWheel, Blazingbull's friend, said.

"Okay, cool. Go catch up with them, Soarin." Blazingbull replied.

Soarin didn't even question.

5 minutes earlier

"I don't know, Hoop. I'm just not feeling a connection between us." she sighed.

"Why not?" Hoop asked.

"I just...ugh, please don't tell Soarin this but... I have a crush on somepony else." Rainbow admitted. She never admitted her crushes before.

Hoop's eyes widened, "Who is it?"

Rainbow rubbed her neck, "I have his number and everything...we're planning on meeting at my house tomorrow night...we're really good friends and just..."

"I didn't ask that. Just tell me who." Hoop said.

"It's..." Rainbow started, "Well, it's Flashing Skies."

Hoop's jaw dropped, "How? You never even talked to him!"

Flashing Skies was one of the most popular pegasi there. He was handsome, funny, nice, just extremely hard to get. And Rainbow snatched him before any mare.

"We actually sometimes got together on weekends, but he said it'd be risking fighting other jealous mares if they found out how close of a relationship we were in. He's really protective of me." Rainbow said, with a blush.

"Does he know about Soarin?" Hoop asked.

"No. But if he found out about Soarin hanging out with me, he'd kill him, for sure." Rainbow grumbled.

Just then, Soarin came trotting up the stairs.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?"

Rainbow looked at him with guilt, and Hoop with even more guilt. Soarin was no match for Flashing Skies, in looks or athletics.

You missed out on a lot, bro. he thought, Oh god, if Soarin ever finds Rainbow with Flashing... a scene of Rainbow walking with Flashing Skies played out in Hoop's head.

"So, a walk 'round the block?" Flashing Skies asked. "Yeah." Rainbow giggled, walking next to her now coltfriend. Meanwhile, Soarin is flying in the air, about to go to Dash's house to invite her over. Then Flashing Skies gives his marefriend a quick peck on the cheek. Soarin sees, and is first full of shock, but then is full of anger when Rainbow giggles and he soars down towards Rainbow and Flashing and lands in front of them. "What the buck do you think you're doing?!" he hisses at Flashing Skies. "Um, Rainbow, who's this?" Flashing Skies asked. "A friend." Rainbow says, annoyed,"Just a friend..." Soarin gets very mad now, and tries to fight the other stallion, but loses, and Rainbow and Flashing spit on his face before walking away, leaving Soarin on the sidewalk.

"Hoop? You okay?" Dash asked, waving her hoof in front of Hoop.

Hoop sighed, with worry and guilt.

"I'm fine..."

Next Chapter: A Real Brawl Estimated time remaining: 44 Minutes