Rainbow Dash had used her free time before practice to work on Fluttershy’s song—their song. She would have gone back to her dorm to fetch her guitar and let the melodies buoy her ideas, but the walk from her dorm to the soccer field alone would have cut into her creative time. Instead, she sat in the soccer stands, her gaze focused on a torn piece of journal paper. The pattern for every lyric line, derived from the number of syllables on each verse, was easy enough to see—Long, long, short, mid, mid, short, short, mid. The only section that deviated from that was the chorus, and that was going to remain the same. But coming up with feelings and imagery that fit into Fluttershy’s pattern and theme at the same time?

What is she telling me? Rainbow thought with a frown. What’s the song’s point?

She didn’t have to think too long on that:

Craving.

Rainbow Dash blushed as she shifted in her seat.

Okay. So… It’s not just me she’s telling me she wants, though. Shy never writes on one level like that. She keeps talking about how she wishes she were braver and stronger. Rainbow’s brow furrowed. Less lonely.

Her pencil tapped the edge of the binder she was using to write on. Then her eyes widened, and the tomboy scribbled out a broken phrase in a messy scrawl:

Smart.

Rainbow stared down at the word, her throat tightening. A grimace formed on her face. Fluttershy was being honest about her weaknesses. Rainbow’s first instinct was to say she had none to lament, but this was of course, not the case. She didn’t need to be some egghead to see that. After all, how else had she landed this psychology project? Not by being smart, that’s for sure, she thought, her grimace deepening. If she wanted her lyrics to fit Fluttershy’s theme, while at the same time resonating with the girl she was intent on wooing, then she had to give to get a little. Even if it was uncomfortable.

Thus, from the first idea, Rainbow Dash made an arrow from Smart and scribbled, Real. She sighed roughly, now outright glaring at her pencil, as if it had betrayed some kind of secret. Fluttershy was, in many ways, straightforward. Though she wasn’t completely without guile, she wasn’t very good at lying or putting up fronts. Anyone paying attention could easily see her interest, her sadness, her fear, and her joy. Much like Applejack, she never went out of her way to be someone she wasn’t. Sure, she concerned herself with being polite and not making others upset, but her attempts in avoiding stepping on anyone’s toes never translated into adopting a whole different persona. Most of their friends couldn’t claim the same, Rainbow Dash included. There was something enviable in that, the soccer player decided.

With pursed lips, she made another arrow as one more idea struck her. At the arrow’s tip, she wrote: Constant. Rainbow had originally thought of her earlier conversation with Sunset, where the other girl had accused her of being afraid of commitment. Somehow, though, her thoughts skimmed memories of Lightning Dust…

And of her mother.

Steeling herself from these uncomfortable recalls, Rainbow made another arrow leading back up to Smart, creating a kind of triangle. She blinked down at the simple mind map. She didn’t usually brainstorm this way, but she supposed Twilight’s methods from that morning must have rubbed off on her, because she could feel the inspiration rising.

Flipping the paper over, she started to write down the phrases as quickly as she could before they could forever vanish into the ether of her mind. Once she had her shorthand notes down, she endeavored to make them into intelligible lyrics. A great deal of time passed, and she erased so much the paper nearly wore through. But eventually, she came up with something she thought passable. It wasn’t as high brow as Fluttershy’s writing, and that bothered her competitive spirit, but she knew her shy friend was more the poet than she. Rainbow’s strength wasn’t in fancy wordplay—it was in cutting to the heart of the matter. That much she felt she had achieved, at least.

I want to be what
You always know to find
On standby
And with answers primed
Ready, waiting
Ever real
Not a ghost
You cannot feel

I want to be bright
When I’m usually dull
Blast away
The despicable
Be your beacon when
Fog gets dense
Lose my mask
But keep my sense

It’s true
It’s true
You never know
The sum of us may never show
The things we chased but couldn’t see
But to hope, is to sometimes breathe

When she wrote the chorus in after her lines, it was just to see if her ideas flowed well. What Rainbow Dash got was goosebumps. Hastily, she put the paper away. I can work more on it later, she thought with a tight swallow. I can only take so much mushy stuff at once!

It was about time for practice anyway. The girl gathered her things and hurried down to the locker rooms.

---

Rainbow wasn’t interested in her textbook, which was usually the case, but that particular evening her attention was especially focused on her project helper. As they were sitting next to each other, all she could do was look out of the corner of her eye so as to avoid making her friend self-conscious.

Fluttershy had showered before their library session that night, resulting in her hair being damp and more fragrant than usual. She was also wearing a new, loose-fitting yellow sweater that seemed to have a mind of its own. Rainbow honestly didn’t know if the clothing was designed to slip off her friend’s delicate shoulders, or if it was simply too big. Either way, Fluttershy absently resisted baring her skin, her hand rising up to slip the cloth back over her shoulders every time it slipped down.

The sweater was new. Rainbow Dash knew this because the price tag was still dangling from the back of the collar. The tomboy chewed her lip as Fluttershy tugged the shirt back over her shoulder, her slim fingers gliding up over her skin. Instead of resting her hand back on the table, the pre-vet let her fingers rest against her neck, where they tapped idly as she scribbled out some note in her journal. Rainbow’s head turned more toward her friend as she stared at the offending sleeve sliding back down.

Before Fluttershy could pull it up again, Rainbow Dash reached over, and with just her index finger and thumb, she tugged it back into place. Her companion gave a start as the back of Rainbow’s knuckle brushed along her skin. The athlete let go quickly, raising her hand as well as her eyebrows. “Woah! Sorry, Flutters. Didn’t mean to scare ya,” she said with a grin.

Fluttershy batted her eyes at her before relaxing. She smiled sheepishly. “N-no! It’s all right. I apologize. I guess I was a bit engrossed in your outline.”

Rainbow gestured at Fluttershy’s sweater. “Rarity bought you that one at the mall, right?”

The other girl frowned. “Yes! But how did you know that? I didn’t show you the things she got me!”

Swallowing down a laugh, Rainbow Dash reached behind her friend, and with her fingers perhaps brushing Fluttershy’s neck more than necessary, she grabbed the price tag and tugged it off. Her friend jumped, her eyes widening as she slapped a hand where the price tag had been.

Fluttershy stared at Rainbow. “Did you just—!?”

Rainbow Dash snickered as she held up the price tag. “Yep! Caught ya. I thought you said you weren’t going to keep any of the clothes Rarity bought you?”

The corners of Fluttershy’s mouth turned down and her brows pushed up in what looked like distress. “I wasn’t going to keep it.” Her voice was ghostly thin. With shaking fingers, she took the price tag from a confused Rainbow Dash. “That’s why I hadn’t taken the price tag off…”

Rainbow paled, grabbing Fluttershy’s wrist to get a better look at the tag. She sucked in air. “Two… Two hundred dollars!?” Now the athlete mirrored her friend’s look of distress. “Rarity paid two hundred dollars just for this sweater? Was she huffing nail polish or something!? Who does that?”

“I’m going to have to pay her back,” Fluttershy whimpered. Tears were clouding her eyes.

Rainbow stiffened, her pupils dilating. Crap! Think!

She said quickly, “Rarity wouldn’t accept it, anyway! Because, y’know—the ‘generosity’ thing!”

“Th-then I’ll just have to insist!” Shy sobbed softly. She dabbed at the corner of her eye with the edge of a knuckle.

Rainbow couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Uh, sure, Fluttershy. I can see you ‘insisting’.” This made Fluttershy look at her like a kicked puppy, her chin crumpling. Rainbow Dash flashed her a look of alarm before slapping a hand to her face. “Damn it, no!” She looked at her friend as the tears started to fall and sputtered out, “That’s not what I—Flutters, I know you can—I was only trying to—argh!” The athlete practically slammed her forehead onto the table. Think, Dash! THINK!

Fluttershy sniffled. “I’m sorry for crying. It’s just… I shouldn’t have been so careless. When I was getting ready tonight, I remembered this sweater, and out of everything Rarity bought me, I liked it the most.” She let out a little moan before sobbing out next, “I’ve taken advantage of her, Rainbow! I shouldn’t have worn it!”

“It’s not your fault,” the athlete groaned.

“It is!”

“It’s not.”

“It is!”

“See? You can insist just fine.” When this failed to cheer up her friend, Rainbow Dash rolled her head to the side, her forehead throbbing. “They might still take the sweater back,” she intoned.

“No, they won’t,” Fluttershy said. “I read the receipts from every store because I wanted to make sure I could return everything without a problem. The store this sweater came from requires the tag.”

“That’s dumb!”

“It’s their p-p-policy!” Fluttershy cried. She covered her face with her hands. “Oh, poor Rarity!”

Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut. It had once been said among their friends that, of all of them, the one who was the worst to listen to crying was Fluttershy. Not because she was loud—Pinkie could easily top her in that department; not because she was dramatic—Rarity clearly won that title; but because hearing the pink-haired girl cry was like a thousand of the saddest songs being played one after the other to a drawn out scene of a scared child looking for their mother in a crowd of indifferent strangers. It was practically unbearable.

Finally, Rainbow couldn’t take it anymore. She whipped upright in her chair and blurted: “I’ll pay for it!”

Fluttershy was already shaking her head. “No, Rainbow, that’s—”

“I’ll pay for it, then I’ll take you out to dinner tomorrow.”

Her friend stared at her, her cheeks turning pink. Her shoulders inched up, making the devilish sweater slip down again. “Dinner?”

Rainbow felt her cheeks color. She shrugged and cleared her throat, her gaze diverting to the table. “Yeah. I was gonna ask if you wanted to go anyway. Y’know, to say thank you for helping me with the project. We’ve been working every day now, and I thought we could use a break.” At Fluttershy’s prolonged silence, she rubbed the back of her neck and glanced at her friend. “I mean, if you can’t go—”

“I’d love to!” Fluttershy said quickly. Rainbow looked at her to see she wasn’t the only one whose blush had intensified. The animal lover wiped the tears away, then started to twirl a lock of hair around her finger as she looked down at her lap. “What did you have in mind?”

Rainbow’s heartbeat quickened. Why didn’t I think of that before asking? She fidgeted in her seat a moment before saying as casually as possible, “It’s a surprise.”

“Oh!” Fluttershy bit her lip. Then she asked tentatively. “I… I won’t need anything formal, right? You’d tell me if I would?”

Rainbow smiled, relief flooding through her. The distraction worked! She stopped crying! Then her smile widened as her chest puffed a little. Heh, of course she’d be cheered up by the prospect of more Dashie!

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’m not Rarity. Where we’re going, you won’t need a cocktail dress,” she assured her friend. Then she paused. Darn, I shouldn’t have said that. I bet Shy would look good in something silky… She gave her head a shake. Woah, focus!

Fluttershy gave her a relieved smile, seemingly unaware of Rainbow’s lapse in attention. “That’s a relief! My closet is a bit light on formal wear. Rarity is always picking on me for it…” Her brow wrinkled and she looked at Rainbow seriously. “It wouldn’t be fair for you to pay for the sweater, Rainbow Dash.”

The tomboy groaned inwardly. Without thinking, she put a hand on Fluttershy’s jean-covered knee. “Shy, will you let it go already? I ripped the tag off! You were gonna return it! It’s my fault! Just stop worrying, and think about—” she broke off as her friend’s wide-eyed look finally registered in her brain. “What?” she asked nervously. She followed Fluttershy’s line of sight to her offending hand and pulled it back like it had been burned. “Woah! Sorry, I—uh—” She scooted her chair closer to the table, despite the fact that doing so practically dug the edge of it into her gut. “All right, enough horsin’ around. We have a project to do…and stuff…”

Fluttershy took a few moments to get over her bewilderment, but she eventually picked up her pen and resumed writing again. The silence between them was thick. Rainbow was brainstorming inventive ways to curse at herself without actually breaking her no-curse Pinkie Promise. She jerked when Fluttershy spoke.

“Thank you,” the shy girl murmured.

Rainbow blinked, then grinned hesitantly. “No prob.”

They resumed their work, though the quiet felt less oppressive somehow. It was later, just when they were getting ready to leave, that a thought struck Rainbow Dash, making her muscles lock up.

Hold up. I don’t have two hundred dollars to give Rarity. She swallowed hard, sweat beading on her brow. I’m going to have to ask my dad when I see him. Crap.

---

From Freenote Library, Rainbow Dash drove straight to her dad’s training facility. Ordinarily, she listened to music as part of her mental preparation for seeing her father. In fact, Rainbow Blaze was the reason his daughter had gotten into guitar playing in the first place. While other kids enjoyed sports as an outlet for frustration and nerves, Rainbow couldn’t say the same.

It wasn’t that she felt anxiety about competing—she loved it, after all. But whatever catharsis she felt from a win was short-lived thanks to Blaze’s single-minded determination to keep thinking of the next game, the next opponent, the next championship. After discovering the respite she found in rock music, Rainbow decided she wanted to take ownership of her own enjoyment by emulating her music heroes. The emulation turned to innovation, as she developed her own style. Then, what had only started as a hobby turned into a passion to rival her thirst for athletic competition.

Blaze would never understand, so Rainbow never bothered explaining it to him. Her father might even take offense at the mere suggestion that his exhaustive obsession with being the best led to his daughter taking up a skill he’d have no authority over. He already disliked it. Rainbow Dash wondered nervously if she should keep her latest musical project with Fluttershy a secret. Even if she could spin it as a “trick” to manipulate her friend, Blaze might say that music would distract her from soccer.

She scowled as she pulled into Prism Performance Center’s parking lot. He’d say anything was a distraction from soccer. But she let that thought go, unwilling to let it grow into even more stress. Her last conversation with her father had heralded a stormy meeting at best.

She entered the large building and went straight for his office. When she knocked this time, her father opened the door, his amber eyes cutting through her like a knife.

“Rainbow Dash,” he grunted. He stepped aside and jerked his head. “Get in.”

Rainbow swallowed and did as she was told. As she passed his Wall of Success, she heard the door snap shut behind her, making her wince. With a heavy sigh, she dropped herself into one of the chairs in front of her father’s desk and promptly slouched down into the seat. Blaze, meanwhile, took his time in walking to his high-back office chair. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his khakis and took a deep breath in through his nose as he walked heel-to-toe with lips puckered. When he finally reached the front corner of his desk, he paused to look down at his daughter. “Have you made progress?” he asked. His tone suggested he thought Rainbow couldn’t tie her shoes let alone manipulate another person.

She glared resentfully. “You mean with my project, or using someone like a tool?”

Instead of the anger she expected, Blaze actually laughed. He shook his head and took his seat behind his desk, groaning as he leaned back. “I had a feeling this would happen…”

She bristled. “That what would happen?”

“I’ve been thinking about our last conversation. I know you think I don’t remember details, but I remembered this one for sure. You said this girl was one of your ‘best friends’.”

Rainbow Dash stiffened. Did I say that? She looked down at her lap as her eyes widened. Crap, why did I say that!?

“If I know you, Dash,” her father went on. “You’d lay down in front of an oncoming train if it’d help your buddies out. So when I didn’t hear from you, well… I started assuming the worst. Am I wrong?” She looked at her father sharply. He wasn’t smiling anymore, a predatory glint in his eyes as he laced his hands together and leaned on his desk. “Tell me I’m wrong, Rainbow Dash. Tell me you’ve got your priorities straight.” He said it like a warning.

Rainbow fought to put a smirk on her lips. It would have looked authentic if only her cheek would stop twitching. “Dad, who do you take me for? I know what matters.” She shrugged one stiff shoulder. “I mean, yeah. It sucks having to pull one over on a friend, but she’s not my soul mate or anything. Besides, she’s such a doormat, that I bet with enough buttering up, she’d do my project for me and thank me!” The words got harder to say without grimacing, and her throat constricted as if her body were trying to stop the words from taking flight. Rainbow felt disgusted she could even say such things.

She was even more disgusted with herself for feeling powerless to tell her father how she really felt.

Blaze snorted and crossed his arms. “Then what has this girl done for you so far? The coach said you told him you might have to cut back on soccer time. You know that’s unacceptable.”

Rainbow sucked at her teeth, then fixed her father with a piercing stare to match his own. “I already told you the last time we talked. I can’t just come right out and say, ‘Hey pal, do this thing that’s super boring and takes up all of your free time for me!’ She has to think she’s getting something out of it!”

“Like what?” Blaze challenged. “You know I speak regularly with people at the school. I’ve been hearing about you spending a lot of time with a girl with pink hair. That’s the shy one, right? From high school? The one who can’t even shoot an arrow straight?”

Rainbow Dash felt her body tighten. “She’s not an archer, so what does it matter if she can’t fire an arrow straight?” Then her eyes narrowed. “Wait, you have people spy on me at school?”

“Don’t be dramatic,” her father sneered. “It’s just things I hear from clients and some of my old colleagues.”

“That still doesn’t make it any less creepy, dad!”

“Well it’s the only way I get the full truth, apparently!” he shot back. Blaze sat forward in his chair, his face tightening in an intense scowl. “Why didn’t you mention this was one of your old high school friends?”

She made a face. “I didn’t think it was important, all right?”

“You know how it looks to me, Dash? It looks like you’re getting sweet on her! Are you getting sweet on that girl? Should I just go and hang a ‘closed for business’ sign on the front doors right now?”

Rainbow put a hand on her face and sank even lower in seat. “Aw geez, dad, don’t…”

“You might think this is just all fun and games, Rainbow Dash, but there are real consequences to you messing this up. You and I both know you can’t get that egghead psych teacher’s precious project done and be in top form all the way to the championships! So you had better choose what matters most to you. Me, or your wimpy little friend!”

These last words practically lit a fire in her.

Rainbow kicked at the desk, making the large furniture rock and sending its contents scattering across its surface. “Stop talking about Fluttershy like that!” she snarled.

Blaze stared at her. “So that’s how it is, then…”

The flames in her heart guttered. Rainbow looked down, though her body still remained clenched. “Dad…”

“You’d turn your back on your old man.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes squeezed shut and her shoulders sagged. The fire had become cooling embers now. “Dad, no. Come on.”

“We have nothing else to discuss.”

A lump formed in her throat. She sat forward and said in a low, urgent tone: “Dad, please. I’m going to get the project done. I’m going to kick butt at the championships! I just need you to believe in me!”

Blaze looked coolly at her. “You really think you can handle being a champion and pretending to be an egghead at the same time?”

“I’ll…” Rainbow Dash faltered.

I don’t want to hurt Fluttershy… But I don’t want let my dad down. He’s family.

“I’ll get her to do my project starting on Monday,” she lied.

It’s a small fib if I actually pull this off. I meant what I said to Sunset and Twilight--I don’t want to go through with this stupid plan. But my dad is so damn hard-headed, I can’t get him to change his mind. I’m just going to have to pretend with him for now.

Blaze raised an eyebrow. “You mean it?”

Rainbow nodded jerkily, her bangs flopping into her eyes. “Yeah. I’m serious. It’s as good as done. She’s already started an outline.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Why do you need to wait till Monday?”

“Because!” she said impatiently. “Fluttershy may be a doormat, but I can’t just cut to the chase with her! I have to make her think we’re going to go steady or something. Then I’ll just string her along from there!”

“And you could do it?” Blaze pressed stubbornly. “You could play at being this girl’s new sweetheart without getting in over your head?”

Rainbow Dash feigned a sharkish smile. “Dad, I’m never in over my head.” She even winked. “I was taught by the best, after all!”

Blaze smiled slowly. “All right… I believe you. For now.” He wagged a finger at her. “But I want you to remember that I got eyes everywhere. Understand? One way or another, everything gets back to me!”

Rainbow clenched her jaw. “Whatever.” She straightened and crossed her arms. “Now that that’s settled, I need to ask you for something.”

“For something?” Blaze’s smile took on an edge. “Ballsy of you to ask considering you’re already on thin ice.”

“No guts, no glory,” Rainbow replied with a smirk.

Her father laughed roughly. “All right, Dash. What?”

“I need three hundred dollars.” Two hundred for Rarity. One hundred for a nice dinner. If he wants me to ‘woo’ Shy so bad, then he oughta help invest, at least!

Blaze scoffed. “What am I? A bank?”

“It’s for school.”

“Not for Fluttershy?”

Rainbow Dash turned to leave. “Ugh! Forget it. I’m sure people won’t talk when I have to go around asking for handouts—”

Blaze struck his desk. “Hey!”

The girl stopped and turned, her stomach flipping inside of her. Oh boy… I hope this gamble pays off. “Yeah?” she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Her father glared at her. “Don’t play games with me, Rainbow Dash! What do you really want the money for?”

“I told you,” Rainbow snapped. “For school. I have to replace a textbook, and I have some parking fees to pay.”

Blaze groaned. “Why did I buy you that damn car?”

“Because I’m your favorite daughter?”

“You’re my only daughter, smart ass.”

Rainbow just grinned stiffly. Please fall for it!

The man screwed up his mouth as he reached for his wallet in his back pocket. “If you get another ticket, I’m taking your keys,” he grumbled.

Rainbow resisted the urge to sigh in relief. “Thanks, dad.”

Blaze eyed her beadily. “And take better care of your books. I’m not made of money.” Then he thrust the folded bills toward her.

She strode forward and quickly took the cash. “I will. See you later.”

Before she could make her escape, Blaze hollered after her, “I want you to call me with updates from now on!”

Rainbow Dash grimaced and said over her shoulder, “Uh, yeah. Sure thing.” Then she fled.

As she entered her car, the lyrics she wrote before taunted her in her mind:

I want to be bright
When I’m usually dull
Blast away
The despicable
Be your beacon when
Fog gets dense
Lose my mask
But keep my sense

Next Chapter: Chapter 16 Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 60 Minutes