It was rare to find Rainbow Dash in the pegasus city of Cloudsdale. Once upon a time, she had called this metropolis in the skies home. Several years ago, it wasn't uncommon to spy a little cyan filly with a ridiculously colorful mane zooming haphazardly through the city. She might have even had held a small Cloudsdale flag between her teeth as she tried to hum the anthem. That was awhile ago. The little filly with the messy rainbow mane grew into a mare who lived a little closer to earth. Ponyville was Rainbow Dash's home now, and while that city in the clouds was still dear in her heart, the pegasus didn't often visit unless a special occasion called for it simply due to sheer laziness.

No contest Rainbow Dash would have been interested in entering was scheduled for today. The Wonderbolts were on their off-season so she couldn't have been here to see a derby or an aerobatic show display. Perhaps stranger still was the saddlebag filled with leaflets that hung over her sides, given the pegasus's disdain toward weighty accessories.

Whatever the reason of Rainbow Dash's sudden appearance today, it didn't seem that it was entirely her decision, as demonstrated by her yawning and quiet grumbling.

"This couldn't have waited until later?" she was groaning to nopony in particular. With little enthusiasm, she began to toss flyers from her bag at random passersby, ignoring the glares and confused looks she earned. Rainbow rubbed her eyes furiously as she bit back another yawn. "Twilight owes me big--"

She and the stallion she had flown into (or had flown into her) both grunted in surprise and shock as the two plummeted down onto the soft cushioning clouds. Flyers flew out of her saddlebag and were scattered. Rainbow Dash struggled to stop her eyes from spinning.

"Whoa, sorry 'bout," she heard the stallion say in a carefree tone tempered by concern. "My bad, wasn't paying attention. Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash groaned, her eyes finally focusing, and the pony she collided with coming into view. "Watch where y-y-y--" Rainbow swallowed and began to choke. Her wings flared wide open as a gradual blush painted her face pink. With one hoof she held the worried pegasus back and with the other she pounded her chest. Clearing her throat, she quickly brushed her hair back and tried to smile. "Ahem, uh, I mean, yeah, guess I should have been watching where I was going too, huh Soarin'?"

"You too huh?" the Wonderbolt veteran said, chuckling. "Never thought you were the clumsy type, Rainbow Dash."

"Clumsy, m-me? Psh, as if." As Rainbow Dash waved dismissively, more flyers escaped, one flying right into the face of the blue stallion. She blushed more fiercely as Soarin' peeled the leaflet off and raised an eyebrow. "So, uh, what're you up to? I mean, I didn't think there was a Wonderbolt event today. You signing autographs or something? I mean, if it's supposed to be a secret I can totally keep quiet, Wonderbolt honor and everything." She laughed nervously.

"A little late for that," Soarin' said, nodding to the crowd slowly growing around them. He ran his hoof through his dark spiked mane. "Just here on vacation, but I got lost on my way to this one restaurant." The stallion lowered his voice. "Don't tell anypony, but I'm really bad with directions."

The two pegasus shared a laugh, though Rainbow's seemed forced, even to herself. "So, what are you up here for?" Soarin' asked. "You live in Ponyville, right? I've always kinda wondered why you weren't part of Cloudsdale's team for the Equestria Games."

"Huh, oh yeah, Ponyville. I'm just here passing these things for a friend. Hold on, let me just..." Rainbow grabbed for one of the nearby leaflets.

"Already got one." Soarin' held up the flyer that had landed in his face. "Ponyville public library restoration bake sale," he read, his eyes widening in interest. "Hosted by Princess Twilight Sparkle, all proceeds go to replacing the books lost in the destruction of the Golden Oak Library, at Ponyville on the twenty-fifth to the twenty-seventh, both bits and books are acceptable currencies, cakes and cookies and pies and more." Soarin' quickly wiped the drool from his lips. "Wow, that's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I'm just trying to spread the word."

Another leaflet slipped out of Rainbow Dash's grip and blinded a crossing guard in the distance. She ignored the loud noisy crashes and screams that followed. "So, you thinking about coming?" Rainbow asked.

"A chance to eat pies and do some community service at the same time? Definitely count me in," Soarin' answered, nodding eagerly. "Hey, that one mare from the Grand Galloping Gala, the one in the country accent and hat, she's from Ponyville right? Man, her pies were unbelievably good."

"Oh, yeah? If you thought that was good, you haven't tasted anything yet," Rainbow challenged with a smirk.

"Yeah?" Soarin' exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know you baked."

"Me? Psh, I don't bake. I destroy. They don't call me awesome for no reason, you know," Rainbow said smugly. She wore a grin radiating with confidence. "Yep, I'm a mare of many talents. Bet I could make a pie twenty times better than Applejack's in, like, ten seconds."

"Now I really can't wait for this bake sale," Soarin' said. "There's no way I'm missing out on this." He tucked the flyer under his wing. "Well, guess I'll be seeing you this weekend, Rainbow."

"Y-yeah, see you at there," Rainbow said. She waved her hoof as she watched the light blue stallion fly off. The waving began to halt only after Soarin' vanished from view. As Rainbow Dash slowly brought her hoof back down and finally folded her wings against her sides, her smile disappeared.

The screaming began shortly after. Rainbow buried her head into the clouds. Pegasi flying from every direction quickly changed course to avoid her.

"Stupid stupid stupid stupid..." Rainbow muttered as she pounded the top of her head with her hooves. "...stupid stupid stupid..."

At last, she pulled her head out of the hole she dug in the clouds. She shook her head and sighed.

"I need to learn how to cook," Rainbow Dash declared. Her feathers shivered as her own words sent a chill down her spine.

Author's Notes:

Edited 9-22-2014