“Why can’t they LEAVE ME ALONE!” Rainbow Dash yelled internally as she ran from pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies alike with her rainbow colored mane and tail streaming behind her. Rainbow Dash knew she really had only herself to blame because if she really wanted to, she could escape everypony easily –with the exception of Pinkie Pie– but she was torn between receiving praise and escaping it as to avoid another Mare-Do-Well incident. It made her shudder a little at the thought back when her friends tried to teach her a lesson, but it had gone further than it should have which left her feeling humiliated in front of the other Ponyville residents. Knowing if she were to take to the skies, the pegasi would continue to follow and the unicorns would try to use their magic to bring her back down, not that they weren’t trying already.

Seeing a tall, blue box, she stopped in front of the double doors and pull opened the white rectangle reading ‘free for public use’ and quickly picking up the phone inside pretending to talk to Applejack and when she turned to watch in ‘horror’ as the herd stampeded past. To help disguise herself, she wore a fake beard and once the last pony ran past, she hung up the phone and pulled the fake beard off, opting to hover lazily away from the blue box while thinking how clever she was for outsmarting every….
something
“There she is!” A voice behind her called out as the crowd only had gone a little ways and paused to look for her. With an icy chill going down her spine, Rainbow Dash picked up her pace to put much distance between them. Seeing a fountain, she dashed pass it but quickly turned around and jumped into the middle pretending to be a part of it, even keeping a steady stream of water arcing from her mouth until she spat out the last drop. One pony noticed, alerted everyone else and the chase resumed.

She passed by the Cutie Mark Crusaders –Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom– trying on various outfits for the up and coming talent show. Sweetie Belle wore a scarf that was much too long for her, Apple Bloom held a short silver rod with a blue tip on one end and a black tip on the other while she made a warbling noise. “Scootaloo, take that ridiculous thing off your head.” Rainbow Dash yelled as she ran past, the thing being a gold helmet with a single eye stalk protruding from the middle and two lightbulbs on either side of the helmet towards the back of it.

Three ponies sat on a bench, their faces hidden behind their copy of Ponyville Times featuring Rainbow Dash wearing sunglasses and her hooves folded over her chest in her ‘deal with it pose.’ Two of the ponies lowered their papers as the herd ran past before they looked at each other.

“OH MY GOD! IT’S RAINBOW DASH! AHHHH!” They yelled before running after the crowd and it was only then that the last pony lowered her paper revealing Rainbow Dash with a sheepish look on her face. Giving a huff, her facial expression went from ‘sheepish’ to ‘oh buck’ as she glanced over to see the crowd running towards her and she quickly folded the paper and left it besides her on the bench before taking off getting another head start on the ponies chasing her.

Running around a corner, she skidded to a halt before performing a one-eighty turn and flew over the ponies’ heads to avoid getting run over by the Manehattan marching band. “Why are you guys following me!?” She yelled back, not realizing that as she turned back, she narrowly missed the lead pony holding a staff and picking up something.

“Because you have the leadership ribbon.” One of the band members replied. Rainbow Dash looked up to her forehead and saw a cobalt blue ribbon in her mane so she grabbed it and threw it straight while she zipped around a corner between two buildings and immediately ducked behind a barrel to hide herself from view as she leaned against the wall.

Suddenly the top of the barrel opened before two white hooves grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her into the barrel as she cried out in alarm. Inside the barrel, a pony put a hoof to her lips quietly urging Rainbow Dash to not make a noise as the herd ran past. It was as the noise was starting to quiet down, Rainbow Dash and the other pony began to feel the close proximity to one another, causing both mares to blush. It was a little difficult for the second pony to move since Rainbow Dash was on top of her but she managed to open the lid and peek out.

“Okay, coast is clear,” The second mare said and Rainbow Dash climbed out before being followed by the other mare. “I’m sorry I did that, Rainbow Dash,” The blue eyed pegasus said as both she and Rainbow Dash stretched their bodies and wings. Now in the open, it was easy to see the white wings, blue mane and tail, each with black tips. Her cutie mark matched the color of the mane but was a simple blue wing.
“Don’t worry about it kid,” Rainbow Dash said as she looked the other pegasus over some more. “How did you know I going to stop there and why were you in the barrel?”

“I have my ways.” Blue Jay said mysteriously, not really wanting to explain what exactly her mysterious ways were.

“What’s your name?” Rainbow Dash asked after waiting for a moment in case the other mare continued, thinking that mare’s colors reminded her of one of the birds that Fluttershy took care of.

“It’s Blue Jay.” She replied and tilted her head in confusion when Rainbow Dash began laughing, “…um…?”

Rainbow Dash put a fore hoof around Blue Jay’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, it’s a cool name.” She was glad that the other mare perked up a little. “Tell you what. As apology for laughing, and as thanks for helping me out, want to come with me to Cloudsdale to watch the Wonderbolts?”
Blue Jay’s head snapped towards Rainbow Dash’s face so quickly that it was a wonder she didn’t end up with whiplash while her eyes lit up. “Really? That would be super cool. Thank you Rainbow Dash!” She exclaimed before hugging the other mare.

Rainbow Dash went stiff at the hug and awkwardly patted Blue Jay on the back until her new friend released her. “Meet me in front of the train station tomorrow morning,” she said as they broke apart.

“Couldn’t we just fly there?”

“If you want to carry both saddlebags, be my guest.”

“Oh… yeah, not really.” Blue Jay scratched the back of her neck with a hoof.

“Plus I need to take a letter with me from Twilight for somepony and I’d rather not risk it being blown away by the wind.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, “Until tomorrow?” She raised a hoof and Blue Jay hoof bumped her before the two went their separate ways.

Blue Jay walked with a spring in her step until she was sure nopony was around before spreading her wings and jumping into the air yelling “YES! I get to see the Wonderbolts!”

“Aren’t you glad I could help with that?” Paige asked and watched as Blue Jay rocketed to the ground and blushed at being caught.
“Yeah, I’m thankful for your help, Paige.” Blue Jay said as she hugged her friend. “How exactly, Celestia knows, did you know that Rainbow Dash would be passing that way?” She asked once they separated. “On that note, are you finally going to tell me how you suddenly appeared there?”

“I have my ways,” Paige said as she pawed the ground with one hoof while looking away and using her other hoof to push her glasses up, a sign of her being embarrassed and also trying to throw in a mysterious aura in as well. Her dark blue mane and tail were separated in the middle by a navy stripe in the middle. Two connected pages and a blue quill over the right page made up her cutie mark. “And there’s no point in asking me since you know I’m not going to reveal either one.” She said before Blue Jay could insist.

Blue Jay sighed as the question died on her lips before she could voice it. The only thing that annoyed her about Paige was that she never revealed that secret and while she didn’t pry too often, there were a few times she tried to get Paige to slip up and admit it. So far, Blue Jay had no luck. “Fine. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.” She and Paige had become fast friends after an incident involving Paige landing on the door mat outside of Blue Jay’s cloud house, then promptly sunk through the clouds. Since Paige was only half conscious, she didn’t realize she was falling towards the ground at an alarming rate until Blue Jay swooped in and caught her before flying her to the Ponyville hospital.

“Well, I could go for some of that tea you like to brew,” Paige said with a smile, “Plus it would be nice to see your house one day.”

“I can get the tea without any problem, but getting you up there into the house would be difficult.”

“Actually, not anymore.” Paige said as she walked off, heading towards Blue Jay’s home, with Blue Jay walking besides her after a second.
“Why not? Not that I’m grateful, but I’m curious.” Blue Jay asked as she walked besides her friend.

“Well, while you were hiding in a barrel, I was talking to the Princess. I asked if she could help me and she did, as well as giving me the book to let me study it on my own.”

“So we can go up now?”

“Yep. If you want to.” The two stood there for a moment determining which would be the best way to get Paige up there. After a couple minutes, Blue Jay wrapped her fore legs around Paige’s waist and flew them upward. It didn’t take long for them to reach the doormat and Blue Jay held Paige still as she carefully put one hoof down on the fluffy cloud and when she didn’t sink, she put a second hoof down. “I think I’m good.” She told Blue Jay, who let go of her carefully in case Paige did sink through but with four hooves on the clouds, the two friends entered the house.

The house wasn’t anything special on the outside and the inside wasn’t much different. There was a modest size kitchen when somepony walked in, from there was a dining room sitting next to the living room. In the living room, there were two chairs, a couch, and a coffee table. On one side of the living room there was a short hallway that led to a bathroom and a bedroom while on the other side of the living room was a smaller bedroom.

Blue Jay took Paige to her room. “The bedrooms are basically the same, except for my room having a bit more decoration.” The bedroom had a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, a small nightstand with a reading lamp on it and a dresser. Her room also had a private bathroom connected to it. What made Blue Jay’s room unique was the miniature figures of the Wonderbolts lined up in a row on the bookshelf and there was another set of them suspended in the air by thin string preforming one of the signature moves, the- “Ponvoorid Starburst. It’s their most spectacular event, and also the most dangerous.” Blue Jay explained and while Paige knew what it was, she didn’t stop her friend. “Five Wonderbolts fly in a circular formation straight up in tight formation, then they cross over the other while charging the cloud trails behind them with electricity to make a star that shines brighter than Celestia’s sun!” Blue Jay then realized that she had flown up to the ceiling during her description so she floated back down.

“Yes, I know what it is.” Paige said as she looked at the figurines until Blue Jay walked in front of her and broke Paige from her trance before walking back to the kitchen.

Blue Jay pulled the kettle off as it started to whistle and poured the boiling water into two mugs before adding tea leaves with a bit of honey.
“Your place is much cleaner than mine.” Paige told her friend as they made for the living room. “I have papers all over the place and it’s a mess.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing it one day.” Blue Jay replied, knowing it was kind of pointless to ask since she doubted Paige would ever consider her house clean enough to invite others over.

”Crap, I’m going to be late!” Blue Jay thought to herself as she flew to the train station fast as she could. Feeling the saddle bags slipping a little, she turned her head around and readjusted them before looking forward and diving in time to avoid a cloud, using the dive to pick up more speed. Seeing the station, she brought her wings in close to her body and shot down, spreading her wings again at the last second for balance and she skidded a few feet across the platform before stopping and frantically looked around for a clock. “Whew, made it.” She wiped away the sweat from her forehead and sat down. To most ponies, she was a half hour early but that was the way she liked to arrive to events.
Fifteen minutes later she heard Rainbow Dash speaking. “Really Twi, I don’t mind traveling in the class coaches. If we were going to Canterlot as a group that would be one thing, but this is just me and another pony going to Cloudsdale.” She then changed her voice to mimic Twilight Sparkle’s voice. “Rainbow, it’s not that big of a deal. You’re an Element of Harmony, that and the fact you’re my friend, means you’re allowed to ride in the Royal coach. Just enjoy it” She broke off when she saw Blue Jay standing on the platform and spoke in her normal voice. “Seriously don’t tell me you’ve been here long?” She asked, though it was a hope statement than a question.

“Yeah….” Blue Jay blushed and looked down the tracks. “Though that’s the way I am.” Though she found herself wishing she could change that.
“You’re weird.” Rainbow Dash said in a teasing manner. “So guess what? We get to ride in the Royal Coach! Because we’re awesome.” Thumping her right hoof to her chest a couple times, she then pointed it to Blue Jay. Right on schedule, the train arrived and the two had the entire coach to themselves since they were riding early.

“Soooo…” Rainbow Dash began when she woke up from her nap, bringing Blue Jay’s attention from the rolling scenery back into the car. “I was dreaming about yesterday.” She stood up and walked to the complementary drink and snack bar before grabbing herself something to drink. “How did you know that I was going to dart that way?” She walked back over with the drink in hoof and putting her free hoof besides Blue Jay. “Have you been spying on me?”

“No! I had no idea.” Blue Jay exclaimed, which was mostly true. “I mean, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Before Rainbow Dash could say anything, the train lurched to a stop causing her to stumble into Blue Jay and the momentum took them both down. Rainbow Dash managed to stop herself before their lips met but they were still close enough to feel the other’s breath on their lips. Then the whistle blew and the conductor explained there was a cow on the line and would resume once the cow was off. Rainbow Dash looked mildly annoyed at the train car like it was to blame for a moment.

“Um, sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash said as she got up and sat on a bench opposite from Blue Jay.

“That’s alright.” Blue Jay replied as she sat up and the train slowly began moving once more but found she couldn’t meet Rainbow’s eyes. “Um, do you think the Wonderbolts will perform the Ponvoorid Starburst?” She asked in an attempt to fill the awkward silence.

“They might. Though it’s dangerous, even with the large amount of airspace Cloudsdale provides. I take it you like that move?

“Yep, it’s my favorite move of all time.”

“Dangerous and flashy with you. Oh boy.”

Blue Jay shrugged. “What about you?”

Rainbow Dash thought for a few minutes. “Besides everything, I think I like the entrances that they make. Each time it’s slightly different, but it announces that they’re there and that there will be at least an hour and a half of non-stop action. Or when three of them fly by and while all heads are turned to follow those three, a fourth shoots past.” The two continued bonding over their love for the Wonderbolts until the train arrived in Cloudsdale, the embarrassing moment having been forgotten.

They had just gotten off the train when a light artic blue mare with a light grey main and fuchsia eyes approached them. “Rainbow Dash. Hi.” She greeted causing the two pegasi to stop.

“Fleetfoot! Hey there!” Rainbow Dash greeted and hoof bumped her. “What’s up?”

“Spitfire needs to talk to you urgently.” Fleetfoot replied and noticed Blue Jay was still standing there. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, this is Blue Jay, a friend of mine. She’s cool.”

“Hi Blue Jay, it’s nice to meet you.” Fleetfoot greeted her as they shook hooves.

“Nice to meet you in person.” Blue Jay said hoping she wasn’t being too excited at meeting another Wonderbolt.

“Rainbow, I’m sorry I have to do this, but we need to get to Spitfire right now.”

“But we were just–” Rainbow Dash began.

“It’s okay.” Blue Jay interrupted. “I’ll take our bags to the hotel and meet up with you when you can make it.” A couple seconds later, Rainbow Dash handed over her saddle bags before taking flight with Fleetfoot. Blue Jay watched them fly away before returning her eyes to the ground and while she didn’t know most of Cloudsdale, she knew enough to successfully reach the hotel and check in.

A few hours later, Blue Jay sat in on the fluffy could seats of the VIP section waiting for Rainbow Dash to show up. “Where is she? The show’s about to start?” She muttered to herself before feeling a hoof tap her on the shoulder so she turned around. “Rainbow Dash?” As she looked at the cerulean mare, she noticed that she wore the blue and yellow Wonderbolt uniform.

“Yeah, that’s me. I can’t stay long, but I felt you should at least know why I haven’t been back for the past few hours, nor sitting next to you.” Rainbow Dash said and took a breath. “Two of the Wonderbolts are out sick so Spitfire has been training me to fill in the spots.”
“Aren’t there more members?” Blue Jay asked.

“All of them are busy.” Rainbow Dash managed to say before the announcement that the show would start in ten minutes echoed through the crowd. “Sorry, I need to get back. Wait here and I’ll come pick you up after the show.” Rainbow Dash was about to walk away when Blue Jay stopped her.

“Rainbow? You look fantastic in that uniform.”

“Thanks kid.” This time Rainbow Dash really did leave and Blue Jay settled back, feeling happier knowing where her friend had been.
“Um, excuse me. Is anyone sitting here” A new voice asked and sat down besides Blue Jay when she shook her head.

Looking over at who sat down, Blue Jay blinked a couple of times before saying “whoa.” To describe the pegasus that just sat down, would be to say she was loud.

The pegasus giggled. “Don’t worry, I get that a lot.” Her body was light orange, her mane and tail were a vivid green with a vivid red stripe in middle. Her eyes started out yellow, but half way down they transition into an orange color. To complete her looks, a vivid cyan-lime green bandana was wrapped around her neck and a sweatband matching the bandana was around her front left hoof. “I’m Harmonious Flash.” She introduced herself. “But my friend call me Harmony.”

“I’m Blue Jay. Sorry for saying whoa just now.” Blue Jay replied as they shook hooves.

“It’s fine, really.” Harmony said before looking around. “Are you here with anypony?”

“I was, until she got called away.” Blue Jay replied with a mixture of happiness and sadness but before the conversation could continue, the announcer spoke through the speakers.

“AND NOW EVERYPONY, THE MOMENT YOU BEEN WAITING FOR!” A loud chorus of cheers erupted from the fans the moment the announcer finished speaking.

A large thundercloud rose from the stadium floor, dark and crackling with electricity with the occasional bolt arcing towards the crowd but fading before it got too close to anypony. Suddenly five streaks of cloud pulled away and as most of the cloud evaporated off the pegasi –besides their tales and manes– five ponies all wearing the blue and yellow Wonderbolt uniform could be seen shooting in a different direction.

The group regrouped at one side of the stadium and began flying for the other side in a horizontal line. About a quarter of the way there, the last of the clouds fell away to reveal the different colors of manes and tails of Misty Fly, Soarin, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot. Rainbow Dash then made a figure eight around the other four by flying under and around Spitfire and Fleetfoot, then under and above Misty Fly and Soarin. Right as Rainbow Dash return to the middle, the group broke apart once more and began doing individual and co-op stunts.
“Who’s your favorite Wonderbolt?” Harmony asked.

“I would say Rainbow Dash since she’s in the show, but usually it’s Misty Fly.” Blue Jay replied. “What about you?”

“I love them all.” Harmony laughed. “But if I had to pick one… it probably would be Surprise.” A Pegasus a couple seats away and a row back stiffened at the mention of that name but no pony noticed. “I know she doesn’t fly as much as the others, but she pulls off some pretty sweet tricks.”

The show continues on with more individual routines blending flawlessly with group routines and splitting off into various groups several times. As Misty Fly, Soarin, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot were joined by Wave Chill and Fire Streak flew over in a V-formation around the stadium, they passed under a rainbow waterfall so each of them left a different color trailing behind them as they flew into a near vertical ascent before looping over and spinning so those pegasi that were on the left were now on the right and the ones on the right went to the left side as they dove down. Pulling up before they would hit the ground, they leveled themselves to fly just over the top of the stands and flew from sight leaving behind nothing but cheering fans.

“That was so cool!” Harmony yelled to Blue Jay over the crowd.

“Yeah! Spectacular!” Blue Jay agreed.

“Hey, I’m sorry I got to bail so quickly, but I need to get going. It was nice meeting you.”

“It was a pleasure, Harmony.” Blue Jay said and they shook hooves before Harmony headed out. “And now to wait,” She said to nopony in particular, “…again.”

Meanwhile the Wonderbolts were stripping out of the flight uniforms and hitting the showers as they congratulated each other on another fantastic show.

“Dude, Rainbow, that was awesome!” Soarin exclaimed.

“Thanks, it was totally AWESOME to be a Wonderbolt, even if it was just for one show.” Rainbow Dash replied as she lazily flew around the locker room a few times.

“You never know, you may have a place here yet,” Misty Fly said before drying off the water that dripped from her body.

“How about we go out and celebrate?” Rapidfire suggested before coughing slightly. “I know a great place to get excellent cider.”

The word was barely out of his mouth when Rainbow Dash screeched to a halt in mid-air. “CIDER!? Aw yeah, I’m so in!”

“Well when you decide to come down here with the rest of us, we can go out.” Spitfire said as she walked into the locker room.

“Yes captain!” In a blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash stood on the tile floor with the rest of the Wonderbolts. “I’m ready.”

“I could tell.” Spitfire said as the others laughed. “Just a fair warning, Soarin will probably drink you under the table.” She warned as they headed out.

“Oh you are so on, Soar!”

“Bring it, Rainbow!”

An hour later, Harmony skidded to a halt just before a set of stairs that would lead to the lower seats of the Cloudsdale stadium. The place sparkled with the setting sun while casting shadows and the occasional pale rainbow. To her, this was her favorite part of the job, and she knew full well there were only a few other places she’d rather be. “Guess it’s time to head home.” She said to the empty stadium and was about to turn away when the shadows shifted revealing a Pegasus with their head down on the other side of the stadium.

Barely fifteen seconds later, Harmony was in the VIP section once more and got a better look at the Pegasus. “Blue Jay?” she asked softly as she could to avoid startling her.

Blue Jay screamed and jumped about a foot in the in air when she heard her name. Turning around, she sighed. “Oh, hi, Harmony. What are you doing here?”

“I’m a janitor for the stadium.” Harmony replied as she sat down in the same spot as before. “It would normally take a team of ten pegasi two-and-a-half hours to clean, but if nopony watches me, I can have this place cleaned in an hour.

“Oh, cool.” Blue Jay replied in a dull voice.

“Hang on, have you been sitting here the entire time?” Harmony asked and watched as Blue Jay nodded. “Ouch. Well, I’m closing the place for the night and my job doesn’t exactly allow ponies to be in here after we close.” She put a hoof around Blue Jay’s shoulders. “Tell you what, why don’t you come hang out with me? I’ll cheer you up and if I don’t, I’ll at least have provided some company.”

“That sounds better than waiting.” Blue Jay replied as she stood up and stretched her body before spreading her wings. “I’m ready.”

Harmony spread her wings and the two took off. “Let’s go get something to eat.” She suggested as Blue Jay’s stomach growled, hers following soon after. “Though it won’t be any place fancy.” The two flew to a small outdoor café and were shown to their seats that had a view of the rainbow falls. “What do you do for work?” She asked trying to keep Blue Jay’s mind in the present.

“I’m sort of in between jobs at the moment. Though I’m hoping to get a job printing the Ponyville Times.” Blue Jay said before the waiter came by and took their orders.

“That doesn’t seem like it would be too difficult. I’ve always wondered how it’s done.”

“Well, there are four different color inks that we use: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. By manipulating the inks in a certain way, we can make most of the colors that the pony eye can see.”

“Wow, you’ll have to show me how it’s done one day. Not every day most ponies get to see that.” Harmony said with a smile.

“I can try, but unless I get the job it won’t happen.” The food arrived for Blue Jay, and arrived, and arrived, and arrived for Harmony. “You’re going to eat all that?”

“Yep. It’s actually normal for me after I use my abilities like that.” Then Harmonious Flash dug into her food eating quickly so the two ended up finishing at the same time.

Blue Jay sat there wide-eyed at the dishes stacked up. “Holy crap. You weren’t kidding.”

“I’ll get the bill since it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to get my portion.”

“You sure? I don’t mind paying for mine.”

“I’ll let you pay next time then. And I promise I won’t order this much food.” Harmonious Flash paid the bill and the two headed out. “Have you been to a club before?”

Blue Jay shook her head. “I’m not real thrilled about clubs. If the DJs would keep the music to a reasonable level, it would be fine but I can’t stand the loudness. Though if it was earlier in the evening, I could go for a little bit when the music isn’t too loud.”

“That’s okay, I wasn’t planning on going there anyway. I was just curious.” Harmonious Flash took her gaze from the street and looked at Blue Jay. “What do you want to do?”

“If you don’t mind, and I really hope I’m not going to be rude, I’d like to head back to the hotel.”

“No, that’s okay. Thanks for having dinner with me.” Harmonious Flash said with a small smile, though inwardly she felt a little crushed that her new friend was going to turn in early. Maybe I can follow her to the hotel? No, bad Harmony. If she invites me I’ll accept but not before then.

“Thanks for inviting me to dinner. Maybe I’ll see you around?” It’s not like I don’t want to hang out with her, but I just don’t feel like I can be cheerful without faking it.

“Yeah, I’ll be here for a few days.” They approached an intersection and Harmonious Flash went one way to find a club while Blue Jay went the other to head back to her hotel room.

An empty cider mug slammed down alongside six more before Rainbow Dash wiped her mouth. “Ready to join the losers, Soarin?”

Soarin shook his head. “You are going to lose… I think.” There were seven mugs and he held a half full mug but now and then he would sway just slightly in his seat.

Fleetfoot watched the two and shook her head. They hadn’t been there ten minutes and the two had already drunk probably half of what the rest of the team would drink tonight. “Hey Rainbow, didn’t you–”

“Can’t talk now, Fleets, drinking contests.” Rainbow Dash interrupted before downing another mug.

A mug of cider was suddenly pushed under Fleetfoot’s nose and she looked at the rest of the team enjoying themselves. One quick drink won’t hurt anything. Hastily she scribbled a note on a napkin before drinking the cider. “Fifty bits on Rainbow.”

“You’re on, Fleets.” Rapidfire said as he put his empty mug on the napkin over the note and soon the rest of the Wonderbolts were betting to see who could out drink the other. Spitfire even upped the ante by declaring the losing side would be paying the bill.

Forty-five minutes later and there was a pyramid of mugs in front of both Soarin and Rainbow Dash and two more mugs slammed down beside it, followed seconds later by two heads hitting the table. The bartender declared the drinking contest was over while the rest of the Wonderbolts waited with abated breath for him to count the glasses. Soarin was ahead by one mug, but since he had another nearly full one in his hooves, that counted against him. Rainbow Dash and managed to finish off most of the cider in the mug she had except for the little bit on the bottom.

“It’s a tie.” The bartender declared and everyone looked at Spitfire.

“Everypony on this team chips in then, including Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire said to a chorus of groans but the team knew better than to complain and were secretly glad to not have to hoof the entire bill.

Fleetfoot moved some of the mugs to make room on the table when she saw the napkin. Cider, condensation, and her drunken state made it difficult for her to make out most of the note. Picking up the napkin she was able to read “Rainbow’s… friend?” Tapping Rainbow Dash on the shoulder, she kept doing it until the other Pegasus opened one eye and looked at her. “Did you have a friend when you got here?”
“A friend? Fleets, we’re all friends here.” Rainbow Dash slurred and began inching closer to Fleetfoot. “But we can be closer if you want to be.”
Fleetfoot put a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s chest to stop her from getting closer. “No… I think her name was… Blue Bird?” She couldn’t help but to giggle as the name sounded silly thanks to the cider.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “Oh, BUCK!” She shouted and got off her seat only to stumble sideways.

“Rainbow Dash, you’re in no state to fly.” Spitfire said sternly and had to raise her voice to get over Soarin’s sudden loud snoring.
“Let me get her.” Fleetfoot offered even though she was only in slightly better shape than Rainbow Dash.

“No, I need to go.” Rainbow Dash staggered to the entrance and took to the sky the moment she could. The cooler air helped her to concentrate but she was far from being able to fly in a straight line especially at her normal speed. After an eternity of flying, she reached the darkened stadium and flew straight for the VIP section. “Blue Jay?” She called out, not realizing she had just missed her by five minutes. With a sadden sigh, she called out her friend’s name and checked the area for a few minutes before giving up and flying back to the bar.

“It’s partly my fault.” Fleetfoot lamented over the loud music. “I should have gone once Rainbow didn’t.”

Rapidfire patted Fleetfoot’s back. “You tried. I think I was the one that got you started.”

“Did you find her?” Misty Fly asked as she saw Rainbow Dash heading towards them.

“No, she was gone when I got there.” Rainbow Dash said with her head held low. “Though I wouldn’t have waited for me after ten minutes.”
Spitfire scooted over on the chair and patted the half that was revealed. “Come sit with me.” She was able to speak a little quieter since Soarin had stopped snoring, but the music wasn’t making things easier.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No, I think I’m going to go back to the hotel for the night and wallow in self-pity over what a horrible friend I’ve been.”
“Rainbow, we have another show two nights from now.” Spitfire said after reclaiming her seat fully. “You don’t need to come and preform, but if you do, we’ll make sure to help you make it up to your friend.”

Rainbow Dash felt liquid pride starting to well up in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away with a fore hoof. “Thanks, Spitfire.” She took a breath and was about to head out when Soarin lifted his head.

“Good match Dashie. But you aren’t off to a good start if you want your friend to taste the rainbow.” The table fell deathly silent after Soarin had spoken. Rainbow Dash and Fleetfoot both blushed as their minds went straight for the gutter, Misty Fly’s mouth hung open in shock, and Spitfire and Rapidfire glared daggers at Soarin. “Sorry, shutting up now.” He wisely said while trying to make himself small as possible.
“It’s probably going to get ugly, you better go now, Rainbow.” Fleetfoot said and Rainbow Dash nodded before being true to her name and dashing out of the bar.

Blue Jay rolled from her stomach onto her back as she stretched out on her bed and she tried reading her book by holding it over her head. With a sigh, she lowered the book onto her chest and propped her head up with her fore hooves, having given up after re-reading the same passage at least four times. I just met Rainbow Dash yesterday… so why does it hurt so much? I can’t possibly like her can I? She questioned and another thought crept into her mind. Does that mean I’m a… fillyfooler? No, I can’t be. I like Stallions through and through. But if that’s the case, why haven’t I felt anything around any of them?

The sound of the door unlocking caused Blue Jay to put the book on the bedside table and quickly turned off the reading lamp before rolling over pretending to be asleep. Rainbow Dash managed to get in and lock the door behind her before realizing how dark the room was. The interior of the room was a modest living area and small kitchenette while a wall separated the living area from the bedroom and bathroom. Being careful not to make too much noise, she made her way to the bedroom and stopped by Blue Jay’s bed.

“Hey Blue Jay, I know you’re probably upset with me for ditching you twice. I don’t think you’re awake, but I do want to apologize and promise to make it up to you somehow.” She stood by the bed for a moment longer with a hoof raised hesitant to pat Blue Jay’s shoulder before climbing into her bed not realizing Blue Jay was still fully awake with watery eyes.

“Oh…” Rainbow Dash groaned as she slowly opened her eyes to reveal the mostly darken room. “My head’s killing me.” She put a fore hoof over her eyes to block out the little light that shone through the curtain was too much light for her. She heard laugher from the other room and stumbled out to find out who was laughing so early. “Can you not laugh so loud please and thank you?” She asked while standing in the doorway that connected the two areas.

Blue Jay was enjoying her book and while she had managed to keep her laughter quiet, one particular passage that was funny amongst a few serious paragraphs had been unexpected and so she wasn’t able to quiet herself down in time. Hearing Rainbow Dash, she stopped laughing and looked away.

“Blue Jay….” Rainbow Dash began.

“Go lay down.” Blue Jay interrupted, her voice sounding harsher than she intended. “I don’t want to hear apologies from a hung over pony.” She didn’t have to look at Rainbow Dash to know the other was sad. “I’ll get us some breakfast, then you’re taking a shower to get the scent of cider off you and afterwards we’ll talk.”

Rainbow Dash nodded sadly and sniffed herself. Though she only had cider, the bar had other scents and barely noticed they clung to her as she walked back to bed, glad to be able to close her eyes and sleep the hangover off. Blue Jay tried to resume reading, but her stomach complained so she got up and headed for the continental breakfast down in the lobby.

“Good morning miss. Can I get you anything?” A hotel employee asked as Blue Jay walked in. He was a blue Unicorn with a blonde mane and black tail and he also sported a goatee.

“Got anything that’s good for a hang over?”

“We sure do. Did you have too much of a good time?”

“No, it’s for my friend.”

“That’s nice of you.” He said and if he noticed anything different about Blue Jay, he didn’t comment on it. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be back with breakfast.” He said before walking away. True to his word, he came back carrying a tray with enough food for two ponies and handed it over to Blue Jay. “Enjoy.” He told her once the tray was out of his mouth.

Blue Jay gave a muffled thanks before heading for the room making sure to keep everything balanced. Roughly halfway there, she was joined by Fleetfoot.

“Morning.” Fleetfoot greeted quietly and walked besides Blue Jay. “I know you can’t say much right now, but I do want to apologize.” Having reached the room, she took the tray from Blue Jay so the other could open the door.

“Thanks, you can come in if you want.” Blue Jay held the door open so Fleetfoot could go in, then she followed behind making sure the door closed. “Rainbow Dash, breakfast is here.”

Rainbow Dash came out of the bedroom looking slightly better and was able to move without stumbling, but she walked slowly to keep herself from falling. “Fleets? What are you doing here?”

“Apologizing to Blue Jay, and checking on you.” Fleetfoot replied as she got a few cups of water and passed them out. “Drink.” She said indicating she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Feel free to have some of my breakfast.” Blue Jay said and pushed her plate towards the Wonderbolt.

“Thanks, but I’m full.” Fleetfoot passed the plate back. “I ate before coming here.”

There was a tense silence as Blue Jay and Rainbow Dash ate breakfast with Fleetfoot reading the book that Blue had been reading until Rainbow Dash announced she was going to take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Rainbow Dash walked out having dried most of the water and was in the process of taming her mane when she sat down. “Blue Jay, I’m sorry.” She said once her mane was straight. “I really didn’t mean to ditch you after the show. I got caught up with the adrenaline from the awesomeness of it all and the fact that it was the first time I ever preformed WITH the Wonderbolts. After that I wanted to celebrate with them and before I knew it, I was in a drinking contest.” She paused for a moment and glanced over at Fleetfoot before looking back at Blue Jay. “Fleetfoot did try to warn me earlier, but I didn’t listen. Fleets, I’m sorry for blowing you off.”

“You’re okay with me Rainbow.” Fleetfoot accepted the apology. “But it’s not me that the full apology should go to.”

“Rainbow Dash.” Blue Jay began and sighed. “I don’t mind if you wanted to go out and celebrate, I just wished you had remembered I came with you and told me so I didn’t sit there for an hour.”

“Wait, you were there for an hour?” Rainbow Dash’s face fell. “That means I just missed you. When I realized I had ditched you, I flew back there only to find you gone.”

“That’s where my fault comes in.” Fleetfoot spoke up. “I didn’t think of it until after a few drinks, but I should had gotten you since Rainbow wasn’t going to.”

“It’s understandable. They say hindsight is twenty/twenty after all.” Blue Jay replied and felt Rainbow Dash put a hoof onto her shoulder.
“Blue Jay, are you mad at me?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly.

Blue Jay shook her head. “Not as much as last night. I really do want to be mad at you and Fleetfoot, but I just can’t. It hurts my heart too much.” Blue Jay put one hoof around Rainbow Dash’s shoulder and her other hoof around Fleetfoot’s shoulder. “Just promise me you won’t do that again, please?”

Rainbow Dash and Fleetfoot looked at each other and nodded before they each put a hoof on Blue Jay’s back. “I promise.” They said at the same time. “Anypony feel up for a flight today to nowhere in particular? Fleetfoot asked.

“Sounds good.” Blue Jay replied happily. “I always wanted to go to nowhere.” The trio soon spread their wings and took to the sky after opening the window.

Author's Notes:

Hello everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read the story and I hope you enjoyed it. I've written before but this is my first MLP story and the first thing I've posted here.

Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony, Hasbro does.
However, I'm pleased to say I do own Blue Jay, Paige, and Harmonious Flash.

Fainthoof is used with permission from Damien, a good friend of mine.

As always, constructive criticism is welcome. It'll help me to improve my writing and seeing what people liked.

Blue Jay's appearance: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14863313/
Paige Turner's appearance: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/15178610/
Harmonious Flash' appearance: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/15125332/