Rainbow Dash. Just her name fills me with venom. I feel so hot I think the book might burn in my hooves. After everything she’s done everything she did

I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I tried to be accepting. What did I get for it?

I hate her hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE HER

I should have left her down there to freeze! Why didn’t I do it? If I had, where would we be? Would Lightning have even known of my involvement? Maybe maybe not. But it would have been bucking worth it!

I feel sick

Hate

She called me

Luna damnthat pony IhopeTartarus takes herevery pony sheever metwould be better offifthatcuntwasdead

—Unsigned, presumed Gulfstream Dust, Book of Shadows XLVIII,

June 3, 1007

Gulfstream pouted as he stared at the equation in his homework scroll. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought steam were rising from his ears. “Math is stupid.”

Summer Showers looked up from her own homework scroll, sitting across from him on a small cloud. “You just need to practice.”

“No, it’s stupid.” He flicked the corner of the paper with a lone hoof, his cheek resting on the other. “These numbers and letters don’t make sense.”

The filly set her scroll down and stood, flexing her wings around her brown jacket. “Let me see.” He didn’t bother to stop her as she flew a small, slow circle and landed beside him. She knelt down and examined the problem at the top of his scroll. “Oh, that’s not so bad.”

“Is too,” he grumbled, cheeks burning. “There’s no way to make that work.”

Summer dropped onto his cloud with a faint floomph. “Just think of it as having a goal.”

He ground his teeth together. She made it sound so easy. “I tried that.”

“Come on, Gulfstream. Let me walk you through it.” She tapped the paper, encouraging him to look. “See, this seven doesn’t have a letter next to it. What does that mean?”

He shrugged. “It’s lonely?”

She giggled. It sounded nice. “Not exactly, but close enough. Now, on the other side of the equal sign, what do you see?”

Her tone made him feel foalish, but he studied the equation anyway. “A five.”

She nudged him gently with her elbow. “And?”

“And… it’s also lonely?”

“Good!” She circled the two numbers with his pencil. “So let’s put them together. How do we do that?”

“I… uh…” He peered at the numbers, half-hoping the answer would rise up from the paper. Eventually he sighed. “Move the seven with the five?”

“Close!” Her wing rub his back. Part of him wanted to knock it away, but only because he didn’t want her to know how much he liked it. “We need to add by seven. See?”

He watched as she wrote a new equation on the scroll. “So… we can just take the seven away?”

“We didn’t take it away.” She tapped the number twelve she’d written. “We added it to five, making twelve. That’s what you do with lonely numbers, you add or subtract them together.”

“So why didn’t we subtract?”

She tapped the negative sign next to the seven in the original equation. “Because we want to make the seven on this side be zero.”

“But… it’s not.”

“Hmm…” Summer tapped her chin, eyes roaming the bright blue sky over their heads. “We have negative seven. Right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What happens when you add seven to negative seven?”

“It becomes…” He paused, squinting at the equation again. “Oooooh. So why don’t we write the zero?”

Her smile turned hopeful. “Because we don’t need it anymore, see? Zero is nothing.”

“Huh… I think I get it.” He thought on it for a few more seconds, cocking his head one way, then another. “So what about the one with the letter?”

“Well, what’s the goal?”

“Oh, right.” He reached for the pencil, which she returned to him, and promptly divided the whole thing by three. “And that makes ‘B’ be ‘four,’ right?”

“You got it!” Summer wrapped a leg around his neck in a brief hug, and he couldn’t resist a smile. He liked how soft her coat was. “See, it’s not that hard.”

“It kinda is.” He fiddled with his pencil, blushing at her smile. “I get confused when you make the equations bigger. There’s all these rules you gotta follow.”

She rubbed her wing along his back once again, and he shivered at the contact. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it. And if you have any trouble, just ask me! I’m happy to help, Gulfie.”

His breath caught in his throat at the nickname. “W-what did you call me?”

Summer winced and pulled her wing back, retreating from him as if afraid of being stung. The cool winter air quickly filled up the space she’d taken up. “I heard Lightning call you that. You don’t like it?”

“It’s not that,” he hurried to reply, raising a placating hoof, but she still had a hurt frown. Scrambling for an explanation, he came up with, “I just didn’t expect to like it when anypony else said it.” He flinched; that didn’t come out at all like he’d intended.

Her worry was traded for a beaming smile. “Then I can keep calling you that?”

“S-sure.” Why wouldn’t his cheeks stop burning? “If you want to, I mean.”

“Aww, thanks, Gulfie!” And then, before he could even think to stop her, she leaned forward and rubbed the tip of her muzzle with his.

His wings popped open more or less immediately. He had no idea why, and that only made his embarrassment more mortifying. He buried his head beneath his legs and moaned. “Please don’t do that!”

She laughed again. If it were any other pony, he’d have considered attacking a semi-legitimate option right about now. Well, anypony other than Lightning. But this was Summer; he liked her and her laugh, so he took it like a big colt and hoped nopony saw.

“You’re cute, Gulfie.” He heard her flap back to her own scrolls. “I’ve gotta go, I have flute practice soon. Can’t be late. If you still don’t get it, come by and ask. You’ll get through it, Gulfie, I guarantee it!”

He waved her off with a lone hoof, the other still over his blushing face. He remained flopped on the ground for a while, willing his wings back into place. It took some time before they started to fold back against his—

Wait, did Summer just call him cute?

Fwoomph.

“Oh, come on!”

It had taken nearly an hour to get his wings back under control. Gulfstream had resorted to building a thick mound of clouds around himself to keep other ponies from seeing, even though he still had no idea why it embarrassed him so much. Every time he’d almost have them folded at his sides, he’d think of how much he liked Summer’s black coat, or how their muzzles touched, or some other seemingly insignificant little thing that made him start all over again. At last he’d managed to keep them down, but only by thinking nonstop about boring things – not math! – and biting hard on his leg whenever Summer so much as crossed his mind.

By the time he felt confident enough to fly home, the sun was low in the sky. He’d blown so much time, and he was supposed to have finished all his homework today. Granted, he only had math left to finish, and Lightning would be okay with that. Or so he believed. What if she wasn’t? What if she asked why he hadn’t finished? He did not want to broach the subject of his traitorous wings with her. Anypony but her.

But coming home after dark would be worse than not having finished his homework. If his homework wasn’t done, she might ask about it. If he came home late, she absolutely would. So, taking the lesser risk, he shoved his school supplied into his pack and left the park for home.

The Cloudsdale suburbs stretched out below him, comprised of hundreds of cloud islands floating along to their own rhythm. Unlike the inner town, none of these were connected by bridges or walkways. Earth pony and unicorn visitors were rare enough there, they certainly had no reason to be out here. Gulfstream liked it this way; letting the clouds float on their own just felt more natural to him.

He glanced at the sun and determined that he had the time. He took a look at the cloud islands below; there weren’t many ponies visible. A quickie wouldn’t hurt anything… and it would help to keep his mind off of Summer.

His mind made up, Gulfstream secured his school saddle, folded his wings… and dove. The frigid wind whipped against his grinning face as he darted around clouds like a red missile, weaving amongst the islands with precision. The few ponies who saw him caught only a blurry glimpse of red.

The wind stung his face, the clouds and structures flashed past! His wings no longer buzzed – they were too big for that now – but their powerful muscles and unusual wingspan more than made up for the loss of flapping speed. He tucked, rolled, cartwheeled, every simple trick in the book. Lightning had taught him well.

With a giddy laugh, he banked, turned upside down and dove, punching through the lowest cloud layer. The winds were harsher here, threatening to knock him around with powerful gusts, but he’d learned from the best. He let the winds propel him, felt their cool caress with his feathers, redirected their strength to maintain his momentum!

With a cry of delight, he broke through. The air was full of fresh snow falling all around. He could feel each snowflake hit him, a fresh sting of needles that invigorated and thrilled. He danced among them, creating swirling tornadoes with his strong wings. Sometimes he would fly upside down and use them to push the snow back up, creating a thin layer of floating snow that followed his own path. Once the layer was too thick for him to hold that way, he’d dart upwards, bursting through like a fish from water. He couldn’t help but imagine the sight as something magnificent.

When he tired of playing in the snow, he lowered his altitude and took in the land below. The world was covered in white, a magical carpet. Sometimes he wondered how it was that the Earth ponies and the unicorns could survive with so much of it, but Lightning always assured him that it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

But it sure was pretty. He wanted to go down to the ground, but knew better; it was too far, and he’d never get home before dark if he did. And Lightning would know if he went that far. She always did, somehow. Still, he’d like to bring Summer down there. She’d never been. He could just imagine her lying in the snow, her black coat—

“No!”

He came to an abrupt stop, hovering in place and whacking himself on the head a few times with both hooves. “Don’t think about her! Now is not the right time!” It took no small effort to keep his wings from locking up.

This had been a foolish thing to do. With his wings behaving so strangely, how could he have even considered flying beneath the cloud cover?

But, just as he started to turn back for Cloudsdale, Gulfstream saw something out of the corner of his eye. When he looked again, all thoughts of Summer and Cloudsdale left him; there were lights coming from atop one of the wooded hills. They were purple, and many of them flew high in the sky, attempting to catch a swirling, diving, corkscrewing rainbow.

His moment of weakness forgotten, Gulfstream watched the display in quiet curiosity. That rainbow could only belong to one pony, and his brain screamed at him to stay away. But the lights? The beams? The way the trees shook? He couldn’t escape the thought that Rainbow Dash was in a fight of some kind, and that had his full attention.

He hovered for some time, indecision weighing him down. How would he explain being late to Lightning if he went down there? Well, if Rainbow was in a fight, and she got hurt, wouldn’t Lightning want to know about it? The thought that Lightning would almost certainly fret over Rainbow’s wellbeing ignited that familiar spark within him. It was almost enough to make him fly back to Cloudsdale and leave Rainbow to her fate.

But… a fight. A real, bonafide, no holds barred fight. Eagerness sent tingles down his spine. This was an opportunity to see something brutal. Could he really pass it up? Ignoring the lecturing voice of Lightning in his head, Gulfstream tucked in his wings once more and flew for the sight, hoping he wasn’t risking his tail for a flashy stunt routine.

If Rainbow noticed his approach, she showed no sign of it. The closer he got, the more her bobbing and weaving looked like dodges, the purple attacks barely missing her. Gulfstream had no intention of joining the fight – a longing, sure, but not an intention – and so flew under the leafless canopy of the forest. He darted amongst the wide tree trunks, eyes shifting upwards on occasion to follow the lights to their source.

He landed as soon as the sound of magic reached his ears. He continued at a trot, hoping his hoofprints in the snow wouldn’t give him away. Black marks began to appear on the trees, and every now and then he’d come across a large circle of melted snow. A grin formed on his lips as Rainbow darted overhead, an angry shout on her lips and a stream of lasers in her wake.

No question now, Rainbow was in a fight. With a unicorn.

Things just got a lot more interesting.

Gulfstream topped a tall hill and came to a stop. There, standing with eyes focused and horn shining like a beacon, was a purple unicorn. The mare’s head swung about to follow Rainbow’s flight, beams shooting from her horn at a rapid pace. Gulfstream dove behind a tree and hoped she didn’t notice the sudden movement.

“You can’t beat me by just dodging,” the stranger shouted.

Rainbow’s counter was mocking. “Wanna bet on that, egghead?”

“Mature.”

Keeping his barrel flat against the tree, Gulfstream peeked around it to watch with bated breath. Rainbow swooped low over the unicorn’s head, making her mane fly up in the backwash. A transparent purple wall formed and tried to get in her way, but was too slow. Though the stranger’s face remained stiff with concentration, she didn’t seem at all frustrated.

She turned to follow Rainbow once more, and Gulfstream got a look at her cutie mark: a large star. He’d seen that somewhere before…

Rainbow weaved through trees that took the brunt of a large ball of energy. “Face it, you can’t stop me! No mere unicorn can, I proved that when I took down that prim and proper fashion pony.”

Gulfstream’s ears perked; this wasn’t the first unicorn she’d fought?

“Rarity?” The stranger scoffed even as she fired more beams. “Her magic is limited. She spends all her time sewing. I study it constantly, every day!”

Rainbow paused overhead just long enough to shout, “And that’s supposed to impress me?” She departed in a blur, easily avoiding a long stream of energy. “What do bookworms know about fights?”

As loathe as he was to give Rainbow any credit, Gulfstream had to admit he was impressed with how easily she danced around the unicorn’s attacks. He couldn’t help but wonder how the pony ever thought she could win. Yet, as he looked at the stranger’s face, he also wondered why she didn’t seem to be trying.

Perhaps this was all staged after all? He glanced around, noting that they were in the middle of nowhere. What was the point of staging a fight if nopony could see it? So maybe it was real?

A flash of colors blew past the other side of his tree, prompting him to duck back behind the trunk. A violet light flashed all around in a noisy eruption of snow, dirt and splintered wood. As soon as the noise died, he glanced around to see a large, charred crater in the tree he was hiding behind.

Definitely real.

It was then that Gulfstream realized that his situation was precarious for many different reasons. Obviously, he should root for the pegasus to beat the unicorn. But that pegasus was Rainbow Dash; could he really bring himself to support her? At the same time, that unicorn wasn’t pulling her bucks. Rainbow could get seriously hurt, and he couldn’t let that happen. Lightning would be crushed!

And then there was the obvious danger he’d put himself in. Gulfstream liked to think that the risks didn’t scare him, but he had to admit that magical blasts leaving holes in trees were intimidating. Even if he accepted the risk and tried to help, would he really be helping or would he just get in the way? He wasn’t so confident in himself to think he could brawl his way out of a fight like this. And of course, he’d be helping Rainbow, the last pony he wanted to help in any situation.

And if Lightning knew he was even considering getting into a real fight?

Luna help him.

Another explosion, this one sending snow and dirt flying in his face. He sputtered and shook off the material, refocusing his attention on the battle. As he did, the stranger’s attacks came to a stop. Smoke rose from the blackened tip of her horn, which she rubbed with a visible wince.

Rainbow’s laughter rained from the treetops. “I knew it, you can’t use magic forever. I’ve got ya now!”

Gulfstream looked up to see Rainbow dropping almost to the ground, approaching the defenseless unicorn with incredible speed. The snow flew up behind her like water in a boat’s wake, and even from this distance he could see the victorious grin.

He looked to the unicorn, who watched the attack come with wide eyes. Her legs locked and her ears folded back, bracing for the hit. Gulfstream couldn’t help but smile.

Then, just before Rainbow struck, things changed. The unicorn’s fear faded to a knowing smile. Her legs loosened up. Her horn flashed, and when it did the snow just before her jumped up.

“Whoa!” Rainbow had no time to dodge, flying right into it.

At the same moment, the unicorn disappeared in a flash of light, only to similarly reappear a few paces back. She spun in a circle, and Gulfstream watched in open-mouthed awe as a magical apparition resembling an absurdly large hammer appeared, swinging around to the movements of her head.

Rainbow burst through the snow, course unchanged, and flew right past her foe. She didn’t even see the magical weapon until it smashed into her side. Her course shifted erratically, she shouted… then her hind legs slammed into a tree with a pronounced whack. Her body spun wildly before she plowed into the ground, bouncing and rolling down the hill. Gulfstream winced with every impact.

The unicorn disappeared in another flash, this time reappearing at the bottom of the hill. Gulfstream hurried to follow, trying his best to stick to the trees.

“You’re so predictable,” the stranger declared, watching Rainbow from a safe distance.

Rainbow clutched at her leg, the one that first struck the tree, and hissed. Blood poured from a large gash above the knee, staining the snow. She tried standing, fell, then tried flying. Her wings got her off the ground, but there was no strength to them; she could barely hover, and the effort had her gritting her teeth. Even so, there was a fire in her eyes that suggested she wasn’t finished quite yet.

Gulfstream had never been so engrossed.

“You’re not going to beat me.” Rainbow shook a hoof at the stranger, lips curled back in a snarl. “You don’t have the right. You gave her up!”

The unicorn stiffened, her expression pained. “I didn’t. I never wanted to. It’s not like I was given a choice.”

“Of course you had a choice! You could have fought for her, but you didn’t.” Rainbow pointed at the pony, steam rising from her nostrils. “And now you have the nerve to come here and tell me that I can’t have Luna? She’s not your bucking property!”

The unicorn stomped, kicking up snow. “You have no idea what’s at stake here, Miss Dash!”

“Don’t give me that crap!” Rainbow flew at her foe, still able to move surprisingly fast considering the pain she was likely in.

Another flash of the horn, and Rainbow’s tail became engulfed in a violet glow that stopped her completely. She flapped her wings even harder, shouting in frustration and reaching with hooves that couldn’t quite touch the unicorn. Her opponent proceeded to shove snow in Rainbow’s face before hitting her point-blank with a concussive magical blast that sent her and the snow flying.

Gulfstream watched, mouth agape, as Rainbow rolled to a stop over a dozen feet away. She stayed down for some time, mane blowing in the wind. At last, she tried to stand. She couldn’t even lift her barrel from the ground, though her legs visibly shook from the effort.

The stranger approached Rainbow slowly. Her head was bowed, a frown adoring her lips.

“No.” Rainbow shook her head and beat at the snow. “You can’t win. She picked me. I won’t let you take her!”

“I never intended to, Miss Dash.”

Rainbow glared up at her, wings flapping feebly against the ground. “Then why? Why are you even here? You think just because you’re some high and mighty Gatekeeper you get to decide things?”

Gulfstream’s ears perked. Gatekeeper? A jolt of electricity seemed to run through him as he at last recognized the unicorn from the newspaper he’d read ages ago: Twilight Sparkle, protégé of Celestia, keeper of the Gates of Tartarus. Former marefriend of Princess Luna. He could only stare at Rainbow, comprehension finally dawning upon him.

Rainbow and Twilight were fighting over the princess.

Twilight stood over Rainbow, sadness etched across her features. She spoke so quietly, Gulfstream barely heard her. “I came here for your sake, Miss Dash. I’m here because I know that if I don’t make you cut ties now, you’re going to be in for a lot more pain than this.”

Rainbow all but screamed at the pony. “Like I’m supposed to believe that? She comes to me in my dreams, she encourages me, she makes everything better! She chose me to represent her! Luna cares, she won’t dump me like you did her. You’ll see, it doesn’t matter what happens here, she’ll still be there for me!”

Gulfstream bristled; she could say that? After what she did to Lightning?

Twilight sucked in a slow, tense breath. “You think I dumped her? It’s was a mutual thing, Miss Dash. If it didn’t happen, my life would be hell, and she’d be back on the moon.”

Though her legs wobbled, Rainbow managed to push herself into a sitting position. She glared at Twilight with a venom Gulfstream was certain he’d never seen in her before. “You didn’t have to do it. You broke up because you’re Celestia’s lapdog. A real marefriend fights for the pony she loves!”

Those words pierced Gulfstream’s brain like a hot knife, igniting the flame within him into an instant blaze. His body shook, his shoulders heaved. His wings snapped open, the gust sending snow flying from him.

The latter was enough; both mares’ ears perked. Their heads jerked towards him as Twilight snapped, “Who’s there?”

Gulfstream froze, anger still threatening to escape him. It was too late to duck back behind the tree. Rainbow’s eyes met his, and her face paled. “G-Gulfie?”

Twilight rounded on her. “You said you’d come here alone!”

“I did!” Rainbow raised her hooves defensively. “Gulfstream, what are you doing here?”

He probably should have thought his reaction out a bit more, but all Gulfstream could think about was the wrongness of what he’d just heard. So he stomped out from around the tree and marched straight to Rainbow, completely ignoring Twilight. He stood before her, glaring into those red eyes and feeling the fire consume him. Rainbow only stared back, her expression a mixture of confusion and worry.

Then, Gulfstream did something he’d always wanted to do; he jumped up, pulled his hoof back and slammed it into her muzzle. The force of the stinging blow proved strong enough to knock the already weakened mare onto her back.

“How dare you?!” He landed on top of her, muzzle pressed to hers as a growl rumbled out of his throat. “You dumped Lightning, made her feel like crap, left her a sobbing mess, and now you’re whining because another pony might do it to you? You don’t have the right to be offended by that!”

Rainbow’s pupils dilated, her hooves raised in a defensive posture once more. “G-Gulfstream, hold on, it’s not—”

“Lightning still loves you!”

Her jaw fell. If her eyes grew any wider they might have broken her sockets.

Gulfstream stomped on her chest, and she hissed at the impact. “I don’t know why, I don’t get it at all, but she still loves you. She’d do anything to get you back, even after what you did. And now you stand there and act like you’re a victim? You selfish, arrogant, bullheaded—”

“I think I’ve heard enough.”

Gulfstream squirmed as a violet aura surrounded and lifted him from Rainbow. He glared at Twilight as she pulled him away. “Let me go! She’s got it coming!” His mouth clamped closed, encased in a purple ring.

Twilight, her expression somber, turned to Rainbow. “Lightning. Celestia’s choice for the coming tournament, am I right?”

Rainbow held a hoof to her bleeding muzzle, but didn’t try to get up from the snow. She stared up at the ever-darkening sky with glassy eyes.

“Rainbow…” Twilight chewed her lip for a few extra seconds. “Listen, Luna’s amazing. I know she is, just like you do. But Nightmare Moon won’t let you be happy. She’s waiting for the perfect opportunity to crush your heart. I guarantee you, pursuing Luna will only cause you pain. I fought you today because I knew, by the rules set in place by Celestia, that if I won you’d lose her. It’s better this way. It’ll hurt less.”

The fallen pegasus closed her eyes, her face scrunching up in effort. She sat up gradually, wincing and whimpering, before finally giving Twilight a determined glare. “You’re wrong. Luna will come through. She's better than me.”

“Against Nightmare Moon?” Twilight shook her head. “She’ll fold. And if she doesn’t, the Nightmare will take over and make it happen regardless. Celestia controls Nightmare Moon, and through her she controls Luna.”

Rainbow hunched forward, anger and hurt plain on her face. She looked to Gulfstream as though she were trying to refute Twilight’s words. He would give anything right then to hit her again, but Twilight’s magic held him firmly.

Twilight took note of his squirming and sighed. “I did what I came to do and said what I had to say. If you want to continue down this path, I can’t stop you short of killing you, which I’m not prepared to do.” She turned back to Rainbow with a deep frown and sorrow in her gaze. “Rainbow, please, just think about what I’ve said. And even if you do keep going, try to understand that I did this for your sake.”

Her attention turned back to Gulfstream, who glared daggers back at her. “She’s already hurt enough. Please, I don’t know what you have against Rainbow, but she’s going to need help getting back to Cloudsdale. Will you help her?”

The magical band around Gulfstream’s mouth faded, and he almost shouted no, but he bit his tongue. Though the anger still burned hot in his mind, he’d had a little time to calm down. She was right, Rainbow had been hit hard, and not just by him. He could do more, but… it would serve no purpose, would it? And he needed to get back to Lightning and spend some time think on everything he’d just seen.

Apparently taking his silence for acceptance, Twilight carefully lowered him to the ground and released. He nearly fell to his knees from the unexpected control he now had, but managed to stay standing. He kicked snow in Rainbow’s direction and turned away from her.

Twilight’s voice was soft. “Goodbye, Miss Dash. I pray you make the right decision.”

Rainbow huffed. “Go to Tartarus.”

Quiet lingered among the trees. A bitter wind picked up, whipping the snow into small flurries and chilling Gulfstream. Eventually there came a flash of light in the corner of his eye. When he turned to investigate, Twilight was gone, only her hoofprints signifying she’d ever been there. Half hoping Rainbow would be gone too, he turned and cursed under his breath at the sight of her. The mare had her back turned to where Twilight had been, her forehooves crossed and a scowl on her lips.

He considered leaving her there. It wouldn’t be hard; just open his wings and fly back to Cloudsdale. Yet, as another chill breeze blew across the snow-covered hills, he looked to see that the sun was already half obscured by the horizon. Flying back home was going to be an unpleasant experience, and he was at full strength. Rainbow…

With a growl, he marched towards the pony and poked her shoulder. “You coming or what?”

Rainbow winced, as if even that small hit hurt. She turned to him, appearing about as pleased to see him as he felt in return. “You’re still here?”

He snorted and thrust his head away from her. “I don’t wanna be, but I can’t leave you here to become a popsicle. Lightning would be pissed.”

“Do you do everything based upon what Lightning would think?”

He returned her glare. “Yeah, I do. Everything I have, I have because of my cousin. I owe it to her to be the best pony I can be in her eyes.”

Rainbow’s frown softened, but didn’t leave. Her gaze fell to the snow at her hooves. “You’re right. Lightning, does she… really still care?”

His brow furrowed. Though his body shook with the effort, he calmed himself before replying. “You’re a bucked up, selfish jerk of a featherbrain… but yes, somehow she still cares.”

Tension filled Rainbow’s form, her eyes shifting as she thought. Her expression drifted from anger to concern to hesitancy, but finally settled on firmness. Standing on stiff legs, she turned that stern gaze upon him. “I need to talk to her.”

“No way.” He shook his head and made a denying gesture with his forehooves. “Not a chance am I letting you anywhere near Lightning.”

Rainbow cringed, but her manner didn’t change. “Look, I know you hate me. I have it coming. But I have to talk to her, the sooner the better. Either you help me get to her now, or I do it later. I’m talking to her, Gulfstream.”

Sucking down a slow breath proved vital to keep him from hitting her again. He closed his eyes and turned his face, letting the steadily growing winds shove an icy chill across his muzzle. Maybe it would be enough to douse the flame. He doubted it, but it was worth a try. It also bought him time to think on Rainbow’s words.

What was he going to do, skip school and hover around Lightning and hope she didn’t notice?

He spoke through gritted teeth. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. But if you hurt her again…”

“I know.”

He opened his eyes. Rainbow was staring at him, and though her expression remained firm he noted something else in her eyes.

He thought it might have been resignation.

Night had long fallen by the time they approached the cloud house. Gulfstream had one of Rainbow’s forelegs over his shoulder, and though she was able to keep herself aloft it had been up to him to get them this high. Rainbow spent the entire flight wincing and grumbling under her breath, but even through the blizzard that had formed she never lost her determination.

Now they were above the buffeting winds and snow. Here the air was calm. The light over the front door of his home was on and Lightning could be seen standing at the edge of their private cloud. Her head turned in slow arcs and her hooves did a small dance. The sight filled him with regret; he should have known better than to worry her. He did know better, and that made it worse.

His wings ached from carrying Rainbow’s weight, but he tried to put on a brave front. Lightning’s head turned their way as they made their wobbling approached, her eyebrows shooting up when she caught sight of them. Gulfstream felt a small spark of frustration upon realizing that her worry wasn’t just for his sake.

“Gulfie, Rainbow!” Lightning launched and met them a few yards out. “What they hay? What happened to you guys? Gulfie, I’ve been worried sick!”

He flinched, eyes dropping to the darkness below. “Sorry, Lightning. I just… uh…”

“I was my fault, LD.”

He turned to Rainbow with ears perked; this was entirely unexpected.

Lightning took Rainbow’s other leg and pulled them towards the front door. “By Celestia, you guys are freezing! Come on, get inside.”

“I don’t think that’s a good—”

“Shut it, RD.” Lightning landed with them before the door and kicked it open. “You’re not going anywhere until you’ve warmed up. Gulfie, think you can get some spare blankets?”

He bristled; so Rainbow was too cold to do anything on her own, but he was just fine? Granted, Rainbow did look as though she’d just been tossed around by a manticore, but still… He did his best not to stomp his way to the storage closet, but one or two may have come out. When he came trotting back, Lightning had forced Rainbow to lay on the couch.

“Thanks, Gulfie.” Lightning patted his head and took one of the blankets. He draped it over Rainbow, who muttered a quiet thanks. “You two stay here and try to get warm. I’ll be right back.”

With Lightning in the kitchen, Gulfstream jumped into one of the two cloud chairs and pulled the blanket around himself so only the tip of his muzzle poked out. He didn’t want to look at Rainbow, much less think about what her being here would do to Lightning. He just wanted to curl up with his cousin and enjoy her warmth. Goddess, but that sounded good right about now.

He heard Lightning come back after a short period of silence. “Here ya go, Gulfie.”

He pulled the blanket from around his eyes and found her holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate before him. Despite everything, he grinned and took it. “Thanks, LD.”

“You deserve it.” She ruffled his mane, then turned to Rainbow. It was then he noticed two more mugs sitting on a tray on Lightning’s back. His pleasure faded a bit as she offered one of the mugs to Rainbow, who accepted it with great hesitancy.

Still, as he took a sip of the sugary beverage and felt his bones thawing, he couldn’t begrudge Lightning too much.

She sat in the seat opposite him, her own cup in her hooves, but didn’t drink. She looked between the two of them with a concerned frown. “Okay, now will you guys please tell me why my cousin just dragged my ex home on a night like this, and my ex looks like she just got thrown around by a manticore?”

Gulfstream couldn’t help but chuckle at her familiar choice of words. He said nothing, figuring Rainbow would have a better story to tell. He didn’t know all the facts, after all.

Rainbow stared into her hot cocoa, lips curled in a dark frown. “I… was in a fight. I didn’t win. Gulfstream saw me from a distance and helped me out.”

“Well, that was good of him to do.” Lightning practically glowed when she turned her smile to him, and he could feel his heart rising in his chest.

But the smile faded as she turned back to Rainbow. “Why were you fighting?”

She was met with silence, Rainbow fidgeting beneath her blanket. She took a long drink of her cocoa. Gulfstream watched her from over his mug, peering as he wondered how she might answer. He had an idea, but he would say nothing until he knew more.

Besides, he had the feeling this was meant to be between them.

Though she continued to stare into her cocoa, Rainbow finally spoke. “Lightning, I need you to understand something. It’s very, very important that you do. You… You’ll listen to me, won’t you?”

Gulfstream bristled at her words. “She shouldn’t.”

Lightning silenced him with a harsh look, then turned back to Rainbow with a soft smile. “Of course I will.”

Rainbow tensed and closed her eyes. She tried to speak, failed, paused to think. “D-despite everything I said before… I want you to know that I still care for you.”

Gulfstream saw the way Lightning’s eye lit up. Those eyes – aimed at Rainbow Dash – ignited the flame into an inferno.

He stood and threw his mug with all the force he could muster. It passed not even an inch from Rainbow’s head and over the couch, shattering against the wall and splashing chocolate everywhere.

“You liar!” He leapt into the air and hovered over her, entire body trembling and vision going red. “You bucked up shit! You never cared about her! I’m gonna—”

“Gulfstream!”

“No!” He landed on the arm of the couch and pressed his muzzle against Rainbow’s, taking in her startled eyes. “I’m not going to stand here and listen to her hurt you again! You hear me, Rainbow? I won’t stand for it!”

Something yanked on his mane, hard. He fell backwards and was caught in Lightning’s forehooves. He squirmed and shouted, but she shoved him to the floor and glared into his eyes. It was enough to shut him down completely; he’d never seen such ferocity in his cousin’s gaze. The fire winked out, leaving him with a cold sensation.

“The only reason I’m not tanning your hide and sending you to your room is because you were good enough to bring Rainbow here in the first place. You are going to clean that mess up, then you are going to sit down, and if I hear so much as a peep from you I’m gonna show you just how red that flank of yours can get, do I make myself clear?”

He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, tears welling in his eyes. Lightning had never threatened him like that before.

She pulled back and returned to her chair, her menacing eyes not once leaving his. Gradually, his ears tucked and his tail between his legs, Gulfstream stood and trudged for the kitchen to get a broom. He’d never felt so… defeated. There wasn’t even an urge to be angry anymore.

He just wanted this night to be over.

“Sorry about that, RD.”

“It’s… okay. He’s not entirely wrong, y’know? I hurt you. I know that.”

He returned to the room, the small broom in his teeth and a dustpan on his back. He didn’t look at either of the mares as he began cleaning up the shattered mug.

“But… did you mean it? About still caring?”

He perked an ear, tensing.

“Y-yeah… I meant it. We had good times. I wish we could go back to that.”

There was that spark again, but it was subdued. Gulfstream was too depressed to conjure anything more significant. Even so, he listened intently to the conversation; if Rainbow slipped her real intentions, he wanted to know it.

Lightning’s voice was so quiet he almost didn’t hear it. “We could. If you really wanted to.”

He paused, dustpan between his teeth, and glanced to the couch. He couldn’t see Rainbow at all from this angle, but Lightning? The sheer hope in her expression was like a knife to his heart. He waited with bated breath, heart pounding. He silently begged Rainbow to say no…

“I’m sorry, LD, but that ship has sailed.”

He gave a silent cheer, happy to ignore the miserable tone of Rainbow’s voice.

“But… why?”

Gulfstream focused on brushing up the last pieces of the mug, if only to not see the hurt expression his cousin wore. He set the dust pan aside and walked back to the kitchen. He moved slowly, not wanting to miss one word, but Rainbow had said nothing by the time he entered the room. He hurried to grab a couple towels and return to the living room.

“There’s somepony else.”

The words left Rainbow’s lips just when he entered the room. He paused, eyes shifting to Lightning. The pain on her face might as well have been his own.

“Oh, I see.” Lightning bowed her head and rubbed her hooves together in a sheepish display. “I… that’s…”

“I know,” Rainbow whispered. “She’s important to me, LD. But you are too. That’s why I asked Gulfstream to bring me here. I had to warn you.”

Gulfstream’s ears perked, but he continued on to the wall. With a gentle flap of his wings, he hovered high enough to begin cleaning it with one of the towels. He kept his head cocked just enough to have one ear pointed in the mares’ direction.

Lightning’s despair was only partially hidden by her surprise. “Warn me about what?”

He had finished with the wall and was cleaning the floor when Rainbow finally spoke up. “I know Celestia picked you to represent her in the Wonderbolts tournament.”

“Y-yeah, she did.” Somehow, Lightning still managed to get a little pride in her voice. “I’ve seen her a few times since she picked me. She’s got high hopes.” A moment of silence. “RD?”

The floor was done. Gulfstream set the towels atop the dust pan and lifted it—

“Luna chose me.”

The dustpan hit the floor, its contents spilling out. Gulfstream stared at the back of the couch, eyes wide. Lightning’s expression matched his own.

Rainbow’s chuckle was a frail thing. “Yeah, I know. Who saw that coming?”

Gulfstream’s jaw almost touched the floor. Now he knew exactly what Rainbow was trying to do. He could almost respect her for it. But if Lightning reacted poorly… He turned his eyes to his cousin and felt his heart sink as she began to smile.

“That’s… that’s great news, Rainbow!”

With a groan, Gulfstream covered his eyes beneath his fetlocks.

Rainbow’s voice suggested she felt much the same way. “Didn’t you hear me? I’m representing Luna in the contest. We’re going to be enemies again!”

Lightning tut-tuted. “Competitors, Dash. Competitors. Big difference.”

“No, it’s not!” Rainbow sat up, her head rising over the back of the couch and allowing Gulfstream to see her frustration. At least they shared something in common. “Lightning, don’t you realize what this means?”

“You bet I do!” Lightning was all smiles. “It means you get another chance. It means you might be able to do great things again. Rainbow, this is your ticket back into the spotlight!”

Rainbow threw her head back and slapped a leg over her face not unlike Gulfstream had done a moment ago. “You just don’t get it. There’s only one grand prize! Only one pony gets to join the Wonderbolts. If I win, you don’t get in!”

“I’m going to get in at some point regardless.” Lightning shrugged, still bearing that insufferable smile. “My future’s set, RD.”

She glanced at Gulfstream and raised an eyebrow. It took him a moment to gather her intent, and he grudgingly re-cleaned his mess and started for the kitchen once more. Thoughts swirled through his head, but he tried to listen as Rainbow spoke up again.

“Lightning, I will do anything to win this for Luna. I mean it, anything.”

With a smug expression hidden by her mug, Lightning asked, “Would you kill?”

“Yes.”

Gulfstream tensed, eyes wide as he listened to his cousin choke on her cocoa. He was rooted to the spot, now taking in every word.

“Rainbow! That’s not something to joke about.”

“I’m not joking, LD.” By her tone, Gulfstream believed it. “Luna means everything to me now. Yes, even more than you. I’ve heard the kind of things we’ll have to do in the tournament. Nothing’s supposed to be lethal, but… possibilities are there.”

Gulfstream turned to look out the kitchen door. Rainbow’s gaze was as hard as stone, her eyes alight with a fire he’d never seen in her before. He didn’t dare say anything – not a peep – but at that moment he really hoped Lightning would listen to reason.

“Rainbow,” she whispered, “nopony’s going to die. Celestia wouldn’t condone that.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Rainbow replied. “That’s why I’m here, Lightning. You can’t compete. You’ve got to drop out. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Now Lightning sounded incredulous. “Come on, do you really expect me to believe that you’re going to hurt me?”

“Not if I can help it.” Rainbow heaved a tired sigh and rubbed a hoof across her face. “But others might not be so nice. Lightning, this is going to be a cut-throat contest. It’s not just stunts and speed, there are jousting matches and duels! There’s going to be some desperate, determined ponies out there, ponies who won’t hesitate to do something permanent if it means they get to advance.”

Lightning scoffed. “And how would you know what the contest is going to include? They haven’t publicized that yet.”

Rainbow stomped, the sound muffled by the couch. “How do you think? I’m with Princess Luna!”

“Wait…” Lightning leaned forward. “You mean, when you said you were seeing somepony else, you meant her? Rainbow, she’s… she’s Nightmare Moon! She’s evil!”

“No, she’s not!” Another stomp from Rainbow. “She’s just lonely and misunderstood. Luna supports me, she encourages me to be the best I can be!”

“Supports…” Lightning’s voice petered out, and Gulfstream couldn’t help slipping behind the wall. His ears folded as he braced for what he knew was about to come.

It came in a shout so loud it made him jump. “Supports you?! What the buck do you mean by that? Didn’t I support you? Didn’t I do everything I could to feed your ego, to make you feel better about yourself, to be your friend? What about that, huh, Rainbow? What about that?”

“Lightning, I—”

“Or maybe it’s because everything I did for you was designed to make me look better. That’s what you think, isn’t it? That my love for you was all one big, bucking sham! Because Lightning’s too good for whiny, self-obsessed Rainbow Dash, is that it?!”

“If you would just let me—”

“So instead you dump me for Nightmare Moon, a pony whose very name is next to the word deceit in the dictionary! What makes her better than me, huh? How is her supporting you any different in your twisted, screwed up head? She’s a traitor! A verified, Celestia-be-damned traitor, and you’re picking that ancient hag over me? What the buck is wrong with you?”

Gulfstream was flat on his barrel, head covered in his trembling hooves. He wanted to tell Lightning that it would be okay, to comfort her and calm her down, but he didn’t dare enter that room. Not a peep. “N-not a peep…”

Rainbow spoke up, her tone calm but pained. “I’m sorry, Lightning. I bucked up, and I know it. One more reason you deserve better.”

Lightning’s words cracked like whips. “Is that all you have to say, ‘you deserve better?’ Spare me your bucking self pity.”

This time Rainbow’s words had a bite of their own. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, LD. I didn’t come here for it. But I do expect you to believe me when I say I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”

“Maybe emotionally. But I’m telling you, Lightning: don’t enter the tournament.”

Lightning’s snarl made Gulfstream whimper. “Why? Because you don’t want the champ getting in your way? Is that the only reason you came here?”

“I’m trying to protect you!”

“You’re doing a lousy job of it.”

“Only because you won’t listen, you featherbrain! What about Gulfstream, huh? I bet even that little psychopath knows you shouldn’t do this.”

The air left Gulfstream. He clutched at his chest, his eyes bulged. Psychopath. Was he a psychopath? He could have sworn his heart had just been encased in ice.

Lightning’s voice became very quiet. “W-what did you just say?”

Rainbow’s reply was uncertain. “Uh… that Gulfstream knows you shouldn’t do this?”

“What did you call my cousin?”

Silence filled the air. Gulfstream fought to breathe.

“Get out of my house.”

“Wha… What did I—”

Lightning’s shout shook the clouds and jolted the air back into Gulfstream’s lungs. “Get out! Get the buck out of my house!”

“Lightning, I’m sorry!”

“Out, out, out!”

Something shattered. Gulfstream didn’t dare move, his head buried beneath his legs once more. He could hear their hoofsteps, the snarls and growls and grunts. Rainbow’s pleas were cut off by the slamming of the front door, which reverberated as somepony banged on it over and over again. She continued to shout through the wood.

Still he didn’t move.

He lay there, tears threatening to escape his eyes. The banging echoed through the house for what seemed like hours, crushing his skull with its harsh presence. Every single hit brought the word back to him: psychopath, psychopath, psychopath.

“I’m n-not a bad pony,” he whispered. “I’m not. I’m g-good. Not bad. Good.”

After a while he realized that the banging had stopped. Sniffing and rubbing his eyes, he looked up to a quiet kitchen. Too quiet; there wasn’t a sound to grace his ears. The silence pressed upon him. The air was still. The world was still. The windows, the furniture, the pots hanging on the wall... nothing moved. He had the disturbing impression that the world was dead.

He wanted to move, but should he? If he saw Lightning now, what would she say? Would she even look at him in the same way? Maybe she’d thought on Rainbow’s words and saw truth in them. Perhaps the reason the world felt so dead was because she’d abandoned him, leaving him alone in his wickedness.

The thought was unbearable. It spurred him to stand up on shaky legs and go out in search of his cousin. Even if she believed Rainbow’s words, he had to see her. He started with her room. Not there. He tried the study. Nothing.

Fear welling within him, he made his way back to the living room… and there she was. She sat with her back to the front door, curled up in a ball with her head pressed against the knees of her hind legs. It didn’t look like a very comfortable position. Lightning’s mane had fallen over her knees, making it impossible to see her face, but he could hear her sniffling. Another shattered mug lay on the floor not far from the door.

He approached slowly, tail tucked and heart heavy. He stood just inches from her, trying to think of something to say. All he managed was a weak, “Lightning?”

Her head slowly rose, revealing bloodshot eyes and moistened cheeks. She gazed at him as if unaware of who he was. Then, she released a ragged breath, her gaze becoming focused and fearful.

“G-Gulfie. I… you…” She paused to rub her eyes, then sat up properly and reached a shaking hoof towards him. It stopped halfway to his face. “I’m so s-sorry, Gulfie. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like th-that. You… you’re not mad at me… are you?”

He took her hoof in his own and pressed it to his cheek. He offered a weak smile. “Never. Not at you.”

Her lips curled into a trembling smile, fresh tears dripping down her cheeks. She pulled him into a tight hug, her chin on his shoulder. “You’re a g-good colt, you know that?”

“I hope so, Lightning,” he whispered in her ear. “I really do.”

“You are.” Somehow, even through her sniffling, she managed to add some firmness to her voice. She squeezed a little tighter. “Don’t let what that… that featherbrain said get to you. You’re a good colt, and don’t ever forget it. I’ve been so, so proud of you these past few months.”

He pressed his cheek to her chest and smiled through his tears. “Th-thanks, Lightning. I mean it. Thank you.”

They remained like that for a little while, but Gulfstream couldn’t help thinking about all that Rainbow had said. Worry began to eat away at him as he thought about all he knew… and all he suspected.

His voice was so quiet, even he almost didn’t hear it. “L-Lightning?”

“Mm-hmm?”

He took a deep breath. Another.

“I… don’t think you should compete.”

He felt her pause. Slowly, she leaned back to look at him with a concerned frown. “Gulfie… You don’t really think Rainbow would hurt me to win, do you?”

Not looking her in the eye, he shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s desperate, and… and I think she meant what she said. About trying to protect you, I mean.”

Another long, unbearable silence.

“Gulfstream, I can’t just quit.” Upon seeing him flinch, she asked, “Does it really scare you that much?”

He nodded, pressing his cheek to her chest once more. “She’s not the only one in the tournament. What if she’s right? What if some other pony…” He sucked down a sob. “I don’t want to lose you too. I’d be nothing without you.”

She sighed and squeezed him again. “You’re a lot stronger than you think, kiddo. But I promise, you won’t lose me anytime soon.”

When he glanced at her face, however, he saw the solemnity in her eyes. “But you still plan on competing?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, staring into the distance. “I… I need to talk to Celestia about it.”

“Can you do that? Just go talk to her?”

Lightning hesitated, but her voice remained firm. “She chose me to be her representative. I think, if I went to Canterlot to ask, she’d see me.” Her smile came back. She relaxed and gave him a peck on the forehead. “Don’t worry, Gulfie. I’m gonna be careful. If I think the risk is too much, I’ll back off.”

His lips curled up into a smile. “Promise?”

There was no hesitation in her response. “I promise.”

Author's Notes:

Two more to go, and I've decided on who will be next. In the meantime, I face another issue: what should I do for the intermission? So many options...