first chapter! yayyy!

chapter takes place after S5 E15, (Rarity Investigates!) and the chapter Royal Garden Opening: II of Moments That Brought Them Together

“Hey Rarity,” Dash greeted, gently opening the door to Canterlot Carousel. She didn’t want to knock down the mannequins and make the unicorn annoyed. Again.

Rarity popped out and smiled. “Hello Rainbow Dash! Give me a minute and we can get going, darling,” she called, poking her head back in to the back room of her boutique.

“Alright, I’ll wait.” A giddy smile spread over face. Ever since last night, Dash had been basically over the moon. She had actually hung out with Soarin last night. Soarin! Co-captain of the Wonderbolts, her idol, and friend. And it wasn’t that he was required to, he had wanted to. With nothing he needed or secretly wanted from her. Not that she blamed him, she was awesome after all.

After the whole ugly mess with Wind Rider which had left her particularly hurt that the other ‘Bolts, especially him, had been so quick to accuse her of sending Spitfire away. He had come to apologize, and he did, profusely.

Soarin.

Dash didn’t know why the thought of the goofy pie lover had brought a smile to her face instantly. Just last night she was angry at him for blaming her, and then he had come to her door and asked to go for a fly.

She had been reluctant for a few seconds, pride and emotions getting in the way. Then Dash had decided to give him a chance . After all, the nervous and regretful look he wore made her believe that he had a reason for asking her to come, and was not simply just there to have some fun with her.
She had been correct.

He had explained and apologized. But what really struck a chord with Dash was how he had dropped his status, told her to be honest and not give a shit about the fact that he was a celebrity.

“Don’t say it’s okay when it isn’t. Don’t lie to my face. I consider you... my friend. Get angry with me. Forget I’m a Wonderbolt. Forget I’m famous. Right now, I’m just Soarin. So talk, say whatever you need to say. Please.”

Those words brought an indescribable feeling to Dash. None of the ‘Bolts, not even Spitfire, a pony whom Dash had the utmost respect for, had ever touched her heart like he did. Soarin was incredibly kind, and despite him never being her favourite member, she was starting to think of him on a higher and different level. Not romantically, but not just as a friend either, although Dash would never admit that to herself. She didn’t have time for boys. She had a goal and nothing would distract her.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. Something told Dash this wasn’t the first time her friend had said her name.

She grinned. “Heh, sorry.”

As they started forward down and away from the streets, out of ear sight from ponies, Rarity finally asked, “Are you okay? What was with the spacing out?”

An excited smile covered Dash’s face. “Okay, okay, guess who came and knocked on my door last night.” She bit back a grin as she remembered their time together, easy and comfortable.

“All your encounters are like, on the same level as Daring Do adventures,” he added.

Her eyes lit up at his comment and she let out a small squeal. “You read Daring Do?!”

“Of course!” he nudged her. “A.K. is my favourite author.”

“Heh, same. Favourite book?”

“I really like The Griffin’s Goblet, but my favourite would have to be Daring Do and The Quest~”

“For The Sapphire Stone!” Rainbow exclaimed. “That’s my favourite too. Twilight introduced me to the series.”

What made him surprisingly even more awesome, was that he was completely normal. And totally cool.

“Oh, I don’t know. One of the Wonderbolts, I presume?” Rarity mused.

“Obviously,” Dash responded. “Which one though?”

Rarity tapped her chin as a delighted smile came to her face. “It wouldn’t happen to be the co-captain who’s pie you saved at the gala now, would it?”

Dash’s mouth hung open. She knew her friend had a knack for detail, but she genuinely hadn’t expected her to get it right on the first try. “How’d you know?” Dash inquired, peering at Rarity.

Her glamorous friend shrugged and waved a hoof. “Oh, please. Did you not see the relief and regret in his eyes when it was revealed that Wind Rider had spent Spitfire away? It was so obvious and so sweet!” she gushed.

Dash blinked as the two made their way over a short green hill. “I guess I didn’t. Too surprised that my idol would actually frame me for something like that,” she muttered. Wind Rider was a jerk, she knew that. But it was hard when you looked up to somepony for so long, only to have them do something awful, especially like when they were trying to get you into serious trouble and make your life-long dream disappear.

Rarity gave her a sympathetic look. “Oh I know, darling. I’m awfully sorry about that,” she apologized.

“Not your fault, Rare.”

The two paused at the very top and looked out at the rolling hills and lakes, accompanied by beautiful green grass and colourful flowers. “Still, it must be awful to have such an idol of yours turn out to be such a....” She made circles with her white hoof, looking for the appropriate word.

Dash grinned as one came to mind. “Dickhead?” she voiced.

Rarity turned her head sharply and let out ‘humph’ at Dash’s wording. “Rainbow Dash! A lady never uses such language.”

Dash simply shrugged. “It’s true.”

After letting out another huff, Rarity began to walk again. “So, as you were saying... Soarin came and visited you last night?”

Dash’s magenta eyes lit up. “Yeah! We hung out for a bit, went for a fly. He... apologized. Told me to get angry, not worry about the fact that he’s a Wonderbolt.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? Well, that sure is saying something,” she remarked. “What did you tell him?”

“I tried to tell him it was fine, but he insisted...” Her voice trailed off. “And I was angry. And I guess a little shocked and hurt,” she admitted. Dash always hated admitting her feelings, even if it was to her closest friends.

“You had every right to be. They treated you unfairly, even if it did seem like you were the one who sent Spitfire the fake note.”

“Right,” she muttered.

“You do, darling,” Rarity assured. “Just because they’re your idols does not mean you have to lose all respect for and doubt yourself. Remember during the Equestria Games trials?”

Dash rubbed her neck, memories resurfacing. “I was pretty great there, huh?”

“Absolutely.” She paused to smile up at her friend before continuing. “So, what else happened on that little night flight of yours?” The unicorn managed to reign in her nosy ways for a little longer and ask a more appropriate question.

Dash smiled. “Well after we cleared everything up, we had a race. I won,” she announced triumphantly.

“One... two... three!” she shouted and blasted off, flying as fast as she could. Soarin quickly caught up to her and passed just for a second. She noticed and laughed. He thought is sounded like music. She weaved her away around the cloud and dashed back. He was hot on her trail and even though it was a super close call, she finished first and he came behind her a second later.

“Yeah!” she cheered, “I’m awesome.” She nudged him. “Nice try, Soarin.”

He laughed. “Yeah, yeah.”

“No ‘good job’?” she asked, still teasing.

He sat down. “No need to boost your ego more.”

“Aw, it’s not that bad. Besides,” she smirked, “I am awesome.”

Racing him had given Dash a thrill. The thrill of being free, no worries, and letting herself fly. Flying was what she lived for. And the fact that she got to do it and feel the way she did around a Wonderbolt was amazing. For once, she did not feel the need to impress him.

She had let herself be free.

“Then we just talked. I told him about the time in the Crystal Empire, Twilight getting the heart, all of that.”

“Oh, yes? How’d he take that?” Rarity asked curiously.

“He loved it! Kudos to me though, cause I’m a great storyteller,” she bragged as they continued their stroll. “Besides that, we just... I dunno, asked each other questions. He likes Daring Do as well!” she exclaimed excitedly. When she had first found out, she had been Pinkie Pie excited, although she played it off as well as she could. “And pie, and he really likes Ponyville and the Crystal Empire. You know he’s been friends with Spitfire and Fleetfoot since they were kids?” Dash rattled off. She always got excited when talking about the team.

“No, I did not,” Rarity chided. “Hmm, that explains why he was so worried about Spitfire.”

“Yeah, they’re definitely close friends,” Dash replied. Soarin cared about his teammates. His friends. He wasn’t fake, not just in it for the money and popularity, unlike a lot of famous ponies.

“Oh, yes yes. How do you feel about that?”

Dash tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, well, clearly Soarin is close with Spitfire,” Rarity said slowly. “Are you... jealous?” She winked as a coy smile took on place her features.

Dash groaned and hoof palmed. Why was Rarity always wondering about stallions and crushes? Didn’t she understand that Dash had more important things to worry about? Keep in mind, Dash knew she was not immune to having romantic feelings or experiencing physical attraction, it just definitely was not something she went out of her way to find. If she wanted pleasure and a good time, it was just a matter of getting a guy who would keep her sex life a secret and indulge with her for a night.

Her first and only coltfriend had not liked Dash’s large ambition. She was constantly practicing her flying or trying to do something that would provide her with excitement. Rocket had been jealous of it, saying she liked the thrill more than him, that she was a terrible marefriend, and not good enough for him.

More like he wasn’t good enough for her, she thought. There were few ponies who could match her awesomeness.

She just realized that love didn’t seem to be her thing, which was fine with her. Most stallions were either turned off or too intimidated by her skill, brashness, and “unladylike” personality. Not that she minded, most couldn’t keep up with her. But Soarin could, and she sort of liked the idea of that...

She smiled. Soarin seemed to like her just the way she was. Enjoyed her spirit and admired her skills, instead of being intimidated by them. Maybe it was cause he could match them, but still… a guy like him was rare. Very rare in my experience.

Blinking, Dash shook her head. Stop it, Dash. Yeah, he’s your friend. And he’s good looking. That’s it. No feelings involved.

“Rarity,” Dash sighed. “He’s just a casual friend, nothing more.”

“I saw him looking at you quite a few times. He even called you the best once!”

She let out a disbelieving scoff. “Yeah, so? Spitfire and Fleetfoot complimented me too. What’s the big deal?”

“Darling,” Rarity chuckled. “Spitfire and Fleetfoot complimented your ability, your skill. Soarin complimented you.”

“You’re the best, Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, well, he was just being nice. I am pretty awesome,” she reminded, voice tinted with pride. “Anyways, I don’t like him like that. What makes you think I do?”

Rarity shrugged. “Oh, just a hunch. Are you sure? I won’t tell anypony, Pinkie Promise,” she swore. The white pony bit her lip, but couldn’t resist adding, “Quite handsome too. I see why he’s popular with the mares.”

She sighed. Rarity was relentless when it came to this stuff. “No,” Dash drawled out in a bored tone. “I don’t like Soarin. He’s just a friend.”

She’s out of her mind.

To her annoyance, Rarity just chuckled. “Whatever you say, dear. Oh! There’s the lovely little restaurant Fancypants was telling me about! Come on!”

Dash followed her friend, glad for the change of subject.

Through lunch, the pair merely discussed the food, the garden opening, and some of their friends back home, but Rarity’s words were stuck in the back of Dash’s mind the entire time.

I don’t like Soarin. I don’t like Soarin. She shook her head to her pondering Rarity’s words. She did not like Soarin.

As they were leaving, Dash looked upward, and the memory of Soarin flying gracefully came to mind. A memory that had her smiling the rest of the way back to Canterlot.

takes place during S5 E20, (Hearthbreakers.) and after the chapter Royal Garden Opening: II

i hope you like it so far! next chapter will start featuring the ‘Bolts :)

“Letter for Rainbow Dash!” Derpy called, dropping a piece of mail in the box.

“Coming,” Dash replied, still half asleep. Why did ponies have to come so early? And for what? A stupid letter?

Rubbing her eyes, she opened the door just in time to see Derpy fly away and take a bite out of a muffin. “Thanks or... whatever,” Dash mumbled and walked towards the mailbox, grabbing the letter and trudging back inside.

As soon as she was back in her room, Dash yawned, not bothering to even read the return address before nodding off back to sleep, entranced in a good dream once again.

A knocking against her bed woke her up quick enough. About to let out an annoyed grunt, Dash stopped short when she realized it was just Tank, who was probably hungry. She smiled affectionately at her pet and hopped out of bed, using her mouth to poor his food from the bag into his bowl.

After she placed it in front of him, she gave him a few gentle strokes on the back. “Morning bud. You sleep good?”

Tank smiled up at her and nodded, slowly going back to his breakfast.

“Good. At least you weren’t interrupted by Derpy this morning,” she chuckled. “I’ll go get some breakfast and then come back.”

After grabbing some leftover pancakes, she headed back to her room and sat next to the tortoise after grabbing the letter.

Dash took a bite and read the return address.

To: Rainbow Dash
From: Commander Soarin Skies
Wonderbolts Headquarters

Dash’s eyes widened as she quickly swallowed her food, shakily tearing open the envelope. “Oh. My. Gosh!” she yelled, unfolding the piece of paper which held a note.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

Hi, it’s me. Soarin.
I hope you’re doing well since we last saw one another in Canterlot.
I really enjoyed hanging out with you that night, and even though I apologized, I’m still sorry about the way I treated you.
So just tell, how’re you doing? How are your friends and Ponyville, the weather team... anything really. It gets a little repetitive up here at HQ. Just practice, our parents visiting and embarrassing us, and some poor excuse for decorations being hung up here.
We’re going to do a show soon by the way, and if you’re not asked to be the reserve, here’s some front seat tickets. I hope you and your friends come.
Anyways, happy Hearth’s Warming Eve to you and your friends. Have a good one.

Soarin

Dash grinned widely, trotting over to her pet and excitedly putting it in front of him. “You see this, Tank? A Wonderbolt sent me a letter!” She flew excitedly around the room for a minute before deciding it wasn’t good for her digestion and promptly gulped down her pancakes. “I’m heading to Twilight’s, see ya later bud!”

“Come on, come on, open up,” Dash mumbled impatiently, too excited to settle herself on the ground.

Finally, the door swung open to reveal Spike. “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash. If you’re here for Applejack and Pinkie Pie... they just left.”

Dash flew in, trying not to buzz with excitement. “Nah, Pinkie came and said goodbye yesterday... I was looking for Twilight. Soarin sent me a letter and I don’t know what to say.” Dash grinned at the little dragon. “You hear that Spike? A Wonderbolt sent me a personal letter!”

Spike scratched his head. “Umm... haven’t they sent you letters before?”

Dash scoffed. “Well yeah. My acceptance to the academy, reserve updates, yada yada... but never a personal one from a friend. This one’s different.”

“Yeah? That’s pretty cool.”

She nodded excessively. “So, you know where Twilight is?”

“Library.”

“Thanks, Spike!”

Dash burst into the library, a smile still etched on her cyan face. “Twilight! Twilight! Guess who sent me a letter!” She looked around, unable to spot her friend. “Uh, where are you?”

“Uh, over here,” Twilight called, sitting at one of the four tables with a couple books open. “I’m just reading about hippogriffs, and they’re really fascinating! Did you know—“

Dash waved a hoof, settling beside her friend. “Cool, whatever. Read this!” She placed the letter and Twilight picked it up with her magic, eyes reading the words carefully.

“So, a letter from Soarin? The Wonderbolt?” she asked, looking up.

“Uh huh. Can you believe it? He wrote me a letter! A personal one! No Wonderbolt has ever done that! Do you think it’s like... like a test. If I answer correctly, I get to be part of the team? Ooh, I hope it is!” Dash smushed her face as she rambled, new ideas forming in her mind.

Twilight raised a brow and chuckled goodheartedly. “Honestly? I think it’s just a friend sending you a letter. Not a test.”

“Oh.” Dash deflated a little, but perked back up a second later. “I don’t know what to say. Normally I would, but he’s almost on the same level of awesomeness as me. What do I say? Do I play it cool and casual? Or professional?” She bit her lip nervously.

Twilight stayed quiet, examining Rainbow Dash. Finally, she brought along a quill, some ink, and a piece of paper, as well as an envelope and placed in front of the pegasus. “How about you just answer his questions? Tell him what’s going on. That is what he asked. It’s a letter to a friend.”

“A Wonderbolt friend.”

The alicorn sighed. She hadn’t seen Dash this nervous in a while. “From what you told me when you and Rarity got back from Canterlot, and from the time at the Equestria Games Tryouts, Soarin doesn’t seem to mind dropping formalities when he’s with you. Pretend you’re just writing to anypony.”

Dash calmed a little at her friend’s words. Part of her nerves were worrying about saying the wrong thing. Ever since Rarity implied that her and Soarin liked each other, she was going to take the extra step to make sure it never appeared that way. And who better to help then Twilight? Somepony who didn’t have a lot of interest in romance, and likely wouldn’t ask Dash too many personal questions or tease her about it, like Applejack or of course, Rarity.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “You ready?”

Twilight nodded, showing the quill was in her magic’s grasp.

“Dear Soarin. Um...” Dash flinched. “Leave out the ums. Doesn’t sound cool,” she said.

After Twilight nodded, Dash resumed.

“I’m doing awesome, as usual. Hope you didn’t expect anything less.” She flinched again. “Does that sound too cocky?”

“Does that sound too cocky...?” Twilight muttered, pretending to write that onto the note.

“Twilight!”

The purple pony laughed. “I’m kidding! Just say what you want, they all have some idea about your...” She bit her lip, trying to find a way to say it nicely. “Ego,” she finished.

Dash rolled her eyes. Ponies were always saying that, and it was true, she wasawesome. “And I’m sure you’re doing well too, besides all the repetition going on there.” She smiled fondly, imagining Soarin’s face as he wrote this. “But if you aren’t for whatever reason, it’ll get better.”

She paused to wait while Twilight wrote it down before continuing.

“Everything in Ponyville is good. Pinkie Pie and Applejack just left to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve together with their families, and AJ made the best apple cider. Too bad you won’t be here to get some first hoof.” Dash tapped her chin in thought. “Everypony else is good too. The weather crew is gonna make the first snowfall today, so hopefully Thunderlane will be on time,” she muttered, half to herself. “And I’ll try to make it to your guys’ show if I’m not asked to be a reserve. But win-win. I get to see it either way.” She smirked. “Have a good Hearth’s Warming with the team or your family or whoever you spend it with. I’m sure it’ll be awesome and completely not like Ponyville’s, which I guess is kind of a shame. Just kidding.” Not sure what else to say, Dash shrugged. “I hope you and Spitfire and everypony else have a good holiday too. From Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight added the last words in and tucked it into the envelope. “That was nice of him to do that.”

“Heh, yeah. I’ve never gotten a personal letter from them before,” Dash remarked.

“Really? He must like you, then.”

Dash inwardly groaned. “Not this again,” she muttered.

Twilight tilted her head, some bangs covering part of her left eye. “Not what again?”

Realizing she didn’t understand where Dash’s frustration came from, Dash shook her head and smiled. “Never mind. Thanks for this.”

“Of course, anytime. I’ll see you later at Fluttershy’s?”

Dash nodded. “You bet! I’m gonna go send this, see ya!” She flared up from the ground and shot towards the door, effectively knocking down piles of books in the process. Sheepishly, she turned around. “Sorry about that.”

Twilight’s purple eyes rolled. “Just go before I make you clean it up.”

Dash took her cue and zipped out of the castle, speedily making her way back home.

“Okay, letter’s written. A good enough letter, hopefully,” she muttered to herself as she addressed it to her friend. “Nah, come on Rainbow Dash. You basically wrote it. It’ll be great.”

To: Commander Soarin Skies
From: Rainbow Dash
Cloudominium, Ponyville

After dropping it in the mail box, Dash sat on her front steps and sighed contently with a small grin. The letter from him had made her day twenty percent more awesome.

takes place after S6 E8, (A Hearth’s Warming Tale.) and after the chapter Crash, Cider, and Cleanups

“Hey, Crash, you coming with us tonight?” Spitfire asked, taking a bite of chicken.

Dash tilted her head curiously. “Coming where?”

Wave Chill stood up, gathering his, Spit’s, Dash’s, Soarin’s, and Fleetfoot’s plates with his wing, confidently balancing them on his back. “Feather’s bar,” he replied, smiling at her. “Well all go there every Friday night.” He walked away at that, carrying the plates towards the dishwashers.

“Oh, well, sure!” Dash said enthusiastically. She was eager to try to find her place on the team, and to do it by not impersonating her friends and ruining shows with crazy stunts.

Fleetfoot nodded and stood. “Let’s go freshen up and get going!”

Faces washed and manes brushed, (which Dash couldn’t be bothered to do), all the ‘Bolts were chatting on the short walk to the bar.

“So,” Rainbow said, catching up to Soarin. “Every Friday night, huh?” She could have easily asked Spitfire or Fleetfoot, but she found herself wanting to talk to him. And she would while Rarity wasn’t around to tease them.

He jumped a little and quickly regained his composure, coughing awkwardly. “Yeah, every week. Kinda like a ritual.”

Dash nodded. “What do you do? Besides drink, of course.”

“Well we’re always talking. Make sure you have some cough drops for tomorrow.” He smiled. “Sometimes we do drinking games, cards or darts or pool. We go back whenever and we get the whole VIP section to ourselves. It’s pretty great.”

She smiled and saw a bar up ahead. “Sounds fun.”

He nudged her as the team made their way through a different door. “They got apple cider.”

Dash’s ears perked up at that, and she cast a sideways smile at him. “Then pick up the pace, Clipper!”

She heard him chuckle as she eagerly made her way into the bar, scanning the whole room. Dash was fairly impressed. It had nice hardwood floors and a solid bar table, with lots of different glasses behind, as well as many different types of booze. There were a few small tables with chairs, a pool table and dart board in the corner, and a black sheet that hid the rest of the place. Flashy lights were flickering a little as the team sat down at the bar, starting to order from the bartender.

The grey coloured bartender made it’s way down the line. “Whatcha looking for tonight, Soarin?” he asked.

The ice blue stallion shrugged. “Just the usual, Feather.”

Feather’s eyes narrowed as Dash watched him bite back a smile. “You have a couple of ‘usuals’,” he teased.

Dash smiled a little as Soarin laughed lightly. It sounded like him, a little indecisive when it came to simpler things. “Scotch on the rocks.”

Feather nodded and moved to Dash. “And for you, Miss Dash?”

“You know my name?” Dash questioned, cocking her brow. It was already starting to become loud, electric dance music pumping and the loud laughter of other ponies.

“You’re kind of a hero, Crash,” Soarin replied casually. “And formally known as our best reserve.” He grinned, green eyes flashing and glowing from the lights.

Those eyes were beautiful, she decided. The exact colour of a light emerald, glimmering with a spark of hope wherever he went, filled with kindness.

“Apple cider, thanks,” Dash ordered, giving a little nod. Seeing as she was at the end, Feather turned and started mixing ingredients, serving Soarin and then Dash.

“Alright Crash!” Lightning Streak yelled, walking over to her. “To you! The most talented flier we’ve ever had!” He raised his vodka and tonic.

“To Crash!” Misty and Fleetfoot shouted and everypony around them echoed.

Dash beamed, taking it all in. Her first few days as a Wonderbolt had been a struggle, bringing loads of bad memories and embarrassment over her nickname. But the nerves had worn off, and she was having the time of her life. Her goal had been accomplished and she was looking forward to setting new ones for herself, ever enjoying the challenge.

“Yeah, yeah, thanks guys,” she acknowledged, taking a sip of her cider. It wasn’t Applejack’s, but it would do for tonight. “And uh, thanks for not kicking me off the team, Spitfire.”

Spitfire shrugged as she gulped back some tequila. “You’re still on probation, newbie. Don’t forget that.”

Dash just grinned, mindlessly tapping her hoof to the beat of the song.

About fifteen minutes later, most of the team was on their second or third drink, and were happily recalling some of the stupidest things they had ever done.

“I can do no wrong,” Fleetfoot announced loudly. Soarin and Spitfire both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Dash smirked. Fleetfoot, while an excellent flyer, had a reputation. Outgoing, sociable, and a bit of a party girl. “What’s the story?” Dash called over the music.

Soarin smiled wickedly. “Fleetfoot here once hit on a teacher in front of half the class ‘cause she thought he liked her.”

Fleetfoot’s purple eyes widened as she smacked Soarin across the head lightly. “You said you wouldn’t tell anypony!”

“I can’t lie to our newest member, Fleet.” Soarin made puppy dog eyes.

Dash snickered. “What was his reaction Flatfoot? Did he fall for you too?” This was not a topic Dash was normally interested in, but it was at the expense of her friend and all in good fun.

“I’ll have all you know that he called me very pretty after class!” Fleet protested.

“You don’t have to lie, Fleet. It’s okay,” Misty reassured sarcastically.

“Anyways, what about you, Crash? Dumbest thing ever. Go,” Spitfire ordered jokingly.

Dash chuckled as she felt all their eyes on her. She had quite a few stories, but preferred to call them adventures or thrill seeking. Not... stupid. Even though Applejack and Twilight had both called her reckless on countless occasions.

“I’ll be happy to share some of my daring exploits,” she offered instead. “Nothing I do is stupid.”

Soarin nudged her jokingly. “What about flying into a trash can twice and messing up your first official appearance as an official celebrity?”

Her gut tightened for a moment, but loosened when they all looked at her with relaxed, teasing smiles. “At least nopony needed to save me when that happened!” she teased, finishing her drink and motioned for a refill.

Soarin slicked his dark blue mane back, and Dash wondered what it felt like. Would it be filled with gel? Or soft to the touch, hairs tickling her hoof as she... Snap out of it, Rainbow.

“You got me there,” he admitted. “But I’m sure saving us only made you more confident. I am a reason of your greatness.” He poked her shoulder.

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Nah, I was just born awesome. Had nothing to do with you guys.”

“We were your inspiration,” he pointed out.

Sensing the two had started talking on their own, the team stopped listening and formed their own hearty conversations, enjoying one another’s company.

Dash scoffed a little. “Were? You still kind of are.” She saw a blush appear on his cheeks at that and smiled. “Don’t you get a lot of compliments, Soarin?”

“Wh-what?” He tilted his head, leaning slightly more forward.

Dash shrugged, drinking some more cider. “You’re blushing,” she noted. While not always, he seemed to blush around her more often than not, despite his usual laid back, calm persona.

“I...” He took a hoof and placed it on his cheek, offering her a weak smile. “I’m just hot,” he said lamely.

Dash raised an eyebrow, not believing him. He’d been acting a little stranger recently. Not too out of sorts, but one minute he’d be her friend, all sweet and smooth, and the next he’d be blushing and making excuses for his behaviour. She decided not to question it, not wanting to worry. Tonight was supposed to be fun. Instead, she just nodded her head and smiled. “Okay.”

After a moment of awkward silence, his flush disappeared and he pierced her eyes with his. “So tell me, what is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?”

“I don’t do stupid things,” she deadpanned. “Too awesome for that.” She sent him a cocky smile that he would interpret as friendly. Soarin seemed to get her. He understood without ever trying hard to do so.

She expected him to nod, but instead he just rolled his eyes. “Everypony does stupid things. Now respectfully... tell me!” he demanded.

Dash raised her eyebrows. She was half expecting him to back down, but that wasn’t exactly Soarin either, despite being usually very relaxed. “Gee, didn’t know you could be so stubborn.”

“Me? What about you?” he asked.

“What about me?” She placed a hoof to her chest.

He smiled. “I may not know you that well Crash, but I know you’re stubborn.”

“Am not,” she huffed, though she smiled. He was right. He didn’t know her that well, but he knew enough. He’d already seen her some of her bad parts, and here he still was, being her friend.

Soarin smirked triumphantly and Dash flattened her ears, understanding what he was trying to insinuate. She was too stubborn to admit that she was stubborn.

“Care to tell me now?” He smirked.

She chuckled a little at how proud he seemed of himself. Dash gave in. It was okay to let your guard down a little sometimes after all… “Dumbest, huh? Probably...” She tapped her chin in thought, recalling events during her younger years. Lots of stories came to mind— much more than a twenty-three year old should have. A memory came to the front of her brain. “Alright, fine. As long as you tell me one of yours,” she proposed.

Soarin pretended to consider before nodding. “Deal.”

She grinned. “Okay, I was thirteen years old, and my parents took me and Fluttershy for a picnic on a mountain. After eating, I decided I was bored.”

He looked her up and down, trying to figure out where she was going with her story.

“Then I saw two pretty solid and wide pieces of wood from a tree trunk, so I grabbed them and tried to make Fluttershy ride down this very rocky mountain with me.” She remembered this day perfectly, still etched into her head.

She saw his eyes widen as he made sense of what she was going to tell him. “You didn’t...”

“I went first and she came after, but Flutters was smart and actually flew back up before she got hurt. Me? I went almost all the way down before crashing into a boulder on my side. Hey, hurt this wing and rib pretty badly.” She motioned to her right side. “My parents? Not impressed.”

“Really?” he mocked jokingly. “I thought they’d be impressed,” he said sarcastically. He turned away for a moment and faced Feather. “Can I have some whiskey?”

The bartender nodded and quickly poured him some, setting it in front of Soarin. “Thanks!”

“Woo hoo! That’s how it’s done!” came a voice.

Soarin and Dash both peered over and saw Rapidfire and Surprise doing some dangerous looking dance, twisting back and forth while moving their hooves around the wood rapidly, while Lightning surprisingly was the one to try and stop them.

“Ah, the rare sight of Lightning Streak being responsible,” Soarin commented.

Dash took the opportunity to not tell him that after she had crashed down the mountain, she had thrown up her lunch due to not waiting after eating to do her stunt.

Eventually, Lightning, with the help of Blaze and Misty Fly, managed to get Surprise and Rapid out the door, signalling their exits for the night.

“Alright Clipper.” Dash tapped him on the back and he turned to face her again. “Story time.”

Spitfire, overhearing them, butted in as she nudged her best friend. “You’re in for a laugh, Crash.”

Soarin shoved her lightly. “Shut up,” he hissed.

The captain just shrugged and winked at Dash, facing Fleetfoot and Wave Chill again.

“So, care to tell?” Dash questioned, resting her chin on both hooves. She was definitely curious now.

Soarin cast one more glare at Spitfire. “It’s not reckless stupid,” he warned. “It’s just...”

“Stupid stupid?” she guessed.

He confirmed it with a nod.

Dash got comfortable, willing to listen. Soarin was entertaining. Surely she’d enjoy whatever he had to tell.

“Okay... Here goes nothing,” he muttered. “I was fourteen, and I decided to try and impress this girl I liked...”

Dash’s mind went a little blank. Something moved on the inside, and she felt weirdly annoyed that Soarin had liked another girl. Currently, she had no interest in seeing him as more than a friend, but a friend could dislike the idea of her attractive, sweet coworker having a crush on another girl, even if it was years ago. Right? Totally.

A hoof waved in front of her face. “Uh, Rainbow Dash? Equestria to Rainbow Dash.”

Blinking, Dash tucked away her thoughts and shook her head. “Sorry. Guess I’m getting a little tired.”

“That’s cool, that’s cool. Means I don’t have to tell you,” Soarin replied nonchalantly, pushing away his glass that was now empty.

Dash frowned and gave him a playful shove with her wing. “I’m gonna have to announce you to the world as a deal-breaker, Clip.” She took the liberty of putting her face closer to his. “Would you like that?”

Soarin presented a facade of horror so real that it took Dash a moment to realize he was just acting . “Not that,” he groaned dramatically. “I give in. Listen closely, young one, to the riveting tale of—“

Dash cackled. “You’re such a dork.” A cute one. She cringed on the inside. Shut up, no he’s not.

“No interruptions!” he bellowed playfully.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Sorry sir,” she quipped sarcastically.

He smiled and relaxed. “That’s better. So anyways, school, fourteen, I decide to try and impress this girl and I dragged Fleet into helping me with it. I’d been practicing my flying every day, so I thought I was ready.”

Dash nodded, showing she was indeed listening.

“At break time, I stood up and put myself in a canon, which Fleetfoot lit for me...”
Dash snorted and shoved a hoof over her mouth. This was going to be hilarious.

“Everypony saw as I blasted into the sky, unable to fly because I was scared shitless and going way too fast.” He looked away. “I cannot believe I’m telling you this.”

“Don’t stop on my account. Keep going,” Dash urged, charmed and amused at his embarrassment.

He sighed and chuckled. “Well, gravity took it’s toll and I started plummeting. Eventually I was able to gain control of my wings, but I was too close to the ground. Fell right on top of her and her apparent coltfriend.”

At his ending, a wide smile spread over her face. Dash knew Soarin was smooth and professional, talented and handsome, the apple of plenty of mare’s eyes— but apparently he too could make stupid decisions and have a silly side that she really got to see even more of tonight. All their previous encounters, except for when she started the team, had him being very sweet and focused, never goofy and teasing.

He just felt very easy to be around, somepony Dash has always been able to talk to naturally from the get-go. And while she adored her friends, would do anything for them, she couldn’t say that her first meetings with them had been quite so... natural. Her and Soarin on the other hoof, had a connection, rooted in the thing they shared the same intense passion for— flying. But the other ‘Bolts felt the same way about the activity, so why did her friendship with Soarin seem more special?

“Um… you guys have done tricks in shows that have you going at like, the speed of light.”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t a professional stunt flyer or a Sergeant in the AirForce.”

She always forgot that the ‘Bolts were a part of that. They too, in their own right, we’re non-magical heroes of Equestria. Loyal to their team, Cloudsdale, and Celestia. She liked that. Feeling tired all of a sudden, she let out a yawn and tore her eyes away from him, realizing they were the only ones left. How long had they spent here? An hour? “We haven’t even been here very long...” she managed.

“We don’t always last for a great amount of time,” he replied. “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired.”

Dash nodded, clumsily standing up, alcohol rushing to her head. How many ciders had she drunk? Four? Five? “Me too,” she agreed.

“Let’s head back to HQ,” he suggested and started to walk, Dash following as the two stumbled their way to the door.

“Woah, hey, hey,” a calm voice yelped. Feather flew right in front of them. “You guys aren’t going unescorted. You’re drunk. I’m gonna close down the VIP section and then I’ll take you back. Don’t. Go. Anywhere,” he demanded.

Dash nodded lazily, okay with the idea of just sleeping on the floor. From the dazed look in his green eyes, it seemed like Soarin felt the same way as well.

A few minutes later, Feather took them outside, keeping them close as they made their way back.
“Hey! The sky’s purple!” Soarin shouted, pointing forwards. Feather changed the direction of his hoof to up.

Dash looked up. Indeed the sky was radiating a deep purple over the midnight blue. Soarin turned to her, laughing like a little foal. There was nothing remotely funny about his comment, but being a little drunk always made things seem way funnier. Dash started laughing too, trying not to be mesmerized by his brilliant green eyes, illuminated by the glow of the moon. Good thing she wasn’t drunk enough to say stupid things, or she would have some serious regrets the next day... if she remembered.

“Here ya go, folks,” Feather said, opening the doors to the locker room and gently shoving them inside. “Goodnight.”

Soarin stumbled again. “Night night.”

Dash frowned. “Where’s the beds?” she asked.

Her companion shrugged and just plopped down on the floor. “Too tired to go buy a bed... I’ll sleep here,” he mumbled, shutting his eyes.

Dash could fall asleep anywhere, and promptly took advantage of that fact right now. Settling herself at the opposite end of the room, she fell into fitful sleep, the growing fondness developing further for her second-in-command.

takes place before the flashback events of S6 E9, (Saddle Row Review.) and after the chapter Crash, Cider, and Cleanups

“Seventeen, me, another girl and a guy.” Fleetfoot smirked.

“Threesome for the first time? C’mere!” Misty yelled, raising a hoof, which Fleet eagerly bumped.

Rapidfire rolled his eyes. “Pfft, that’s nothing Flatfoot. My first time? Orgy.”

Spitfire flinched, making a gagging motion and grabbed a towel, wiping her forehead. “Did anypony here have, oh, I don’t know, a normal first time?” she groaned. “Like just you and another pony?”

Done with her shower, Dash walked back into the locker room to chill with her teammates. They were all in the middle of some light conversation, Misty, Fleetfoot and Rapid grinning, while Spitfire and High Winds had on weirded out faces. All she had heard was her leader mention something about having a normal first time. And Dash knew that normal could get boring. Why not give her opinion? “Normal’s boring,” Dash said.

Everyone stopped for a moment and stared, trying to cover their smiles.

Seeing this, she tilted her head. “What?”

Soarin and Fleet snickered. “So, Crash, you, uh, had an...” He waved his hoof around, crimson coating his cheeks. “An unusual first time?”

Dash blinked again. What the hell were they talking about?

Clearly her teammates saw that she hadn’t heard what they were discussing. “Sex, Crash,” Fleetfoot explained, stifling a giggle.

Dash’s eyes widened as she tried not to blush. She had seen over the course of the weeks that her teammates were close and unprofessional behind doors, but they discussed sex? Hell, she barely talked about that with her own friends.

“I... I...”

Soarin chuckled, smiling down at her. “I’m concerned for us too. They’re all too close.”

She saw the team send him unimpressed stares. “So you don’t talk about this stuff?” Dash questioned him, tilting a little to the left.

He shrugged, a small smile growing. “Gotta share some stories. Prepare to humiliate yourself in front of us for the rest of your life.” He winked.

She smirked, shock slowly wearing off. Maybe having the… occasional conversation about this could be entertaining. “So was yours unusual or boring, Clip?”

In the past couple weeks, her initial dislike of Soarin having feelings for another pony had mostly worn off. He was bound to have had crushes in his lifetime, just like she had. Although her list was very, very, small.

Soarin flushed a little. “Well, we’re not wasting any time now, are we?” he teased. “Why so curious?”

She smacked his leg with a swift shake of her tail. “Just joining in on the team bonding.”

“Wouldn’t wanna make you feel inferior to me,” he shot back. “I have great stories.”

Dash’s head raised, eyes narrowing. He could be smooth and suave one minute, sweet goofball the next. “I’ll let you know very discreetly, that you would have loved to be there,” she said in a quieter tone.

Her first coltfriend flashed in her mind. Rocket, a dark grey stallion with purple eyes and a black mane. Truthfully, Dash’s first time having sex had not been the best, but over the years when she had been too horny to ignore her needs, she had gotten pretty lucky with the guys and girls she had been with.

Dash saw her second-in-command blush heavily, his green eyes filled with surprise and an unusual intensity she hasn’t seen before. Was he… really thinking about being there? Wonder what doing it with him would feel li- No! You’re mother fucking Rainbow Dash, get a hold of yourself, she scolded.

“God, go bang already!” Misty shouted, a joking smile on her pale yellow face.

Dash turned to face her teammate, who, along with Fleetfoot, Wave Chill, Lightning Streak, and Surprise, were trying to hide their laughs.

The announcement startled her. Misty could be blunt. Very. “What?!” Dash blurted out, completely unprepared.

Soarin’s jaw dropped a little.

“The sexual tension’s too much to bear,” High Winds joked. She turned to everyone else. “Anyways, my first time was very normal. Just on a bed, one on one, very relaxed and not romantic at all.”

Spitfire let some air out of her nose. “Thank you, Hoof-In-Mouth. Anyone else have a normal one?”

Lightning Streak raised a hoof and rounded closer to Dash. “Nah, but I do know this rather dangerous stunt that’ll take the most daring pony on the team.” He winked at her. “Whatcha say, Rainbow? Up for it?”

Dash rolled her eyes and smiled. Lightning was always a flirt, but unlike Zephyr Breeze, it was funny. “Not. Interested,” she deadpanned. “When you have an actual stunt though... make sure to tell.”

Lightning’s eyes lit up. “Will do.” He grinned and followed Spit, Fleet, Rapid, High, Surprise, and Chill out of the room.

Dash chuckled, watching Soarin out of the corner of her eye, goofy smile on his face. “So,” she prompted. “What’s the smile all about?”

She saw his adam’s apple bob. “Uh, you’re just...”

“Awesome?” She smirked. “Talented? Daring? Cool?” she listed.

He laughed a little. “I guess. Never mind…”

That was a lie plain as day. And Soarin wasn’t usually a liar.

“Okay.” Stepping closer, Dash poked his bare chest. “What’s up with you?”

Soarin avoided eye contact.

Dash was unimpressed. He’d been doing this lately, after the night of her first show when she had taken him to Applejack’s for some evening cider. Up until then, he had been normal.
She wanted to know. It was weird and he only did it around her. Did she make him uncomfortable? Or scared? Or intimidated?

Dash erased the thoughts from her mind. She was going to get to the bottom of this. “Seriously. Out on the field, you’re… I don’t know… calm. And then you turn into this flushed, stuttering pony,” she stated.

Possibly not coincidentally, his cheeks turned red again. “It’s nothing, Crash, really,” he said.

“Really?”

He nodded. “Really.” He went to leave, but Dash stood her ground and stopped him. Curiosity was killing her.

She bit her lip, hovering for a minute as she played events over in her head and recalled Misty Fly’s request from earlier. Embarrassing as the comment was, Dash was determined. Again, it was only around her that he seemed kind of strange.

“Was it what Misty said?” she asked, mouth in a thin line.

He shrugged. “Well…”

She continued. “About you and me? In bed…” She tried not to let her face heat up too much.

“I… no, it was just a joke, right?” he answered awkwardly.

Dash smiled, although inside she felt a little… disappointed? Wait, no, that wasn’t the word. She had no idea. “Then why are you so embarrassed?” She was embarrassed too, but Dash had always been good at hiding her emotions. At least to everypony but her friends.

He swallowed again and started a different subject. “Her house, name was Sadie, just normal sex.”

Dash tilted her head. “Huh?” Is he okay?

“My first time. Everyone else was sharing.”

“Uh, yeah, okay,” she agreed. Definitely acting strange. And in light of that, she decided to say something risky. “You know, dumbest thing, can’t believe I’m telling you this, but Rarity… she thought you liked me.”

Soarin’s mouth opened again. “That’s… ridiculous.”

Really? She ignored his comment. “Is that why you were so embarrassed? Because it’s true?” She wore a cute smirk. Now she was joking. Dash had never really been a “normal” girl, like what a lot of guys preferred, too intimidated to be with someone who was just as good, probably better, than them.
Soarin backed up, and Dash felt something like humiliation wash over rather quickly. What was wrong with her? What was she doing, flirting like this? This was not her style. And she wouldn’t corner a friend over something as unimportant as a little crush. Especially because it was not true. Soarin didn’t like her, and she didn’t like him.

She relaxed her muscles and gave a good hearted smile, concealing her panicked emotions. “Relax, Clipper. I’m kidding. Your reaction though? Kind of funny.”

Soarin breathed out, letting a small smile creep up as he rolled his eyes playfully. “Very nice, Crash. And the reason? I, uh, well… none of them have ever made a comment about me and another teammate,” he confessed.

She raised a brow, finding this hard to believe. “Really? Not even you with Spit or Fleetfoot?”

“Well, not really, surprisingly. Mainly cause I would go on dates or something or I would have a marefriend already.”

“Huh, okay.” She started to make her way to the door with her pre-packed bag. She was leaving to go help Rarity set up her new and upcoming boutique in Manehattan. Technically she didn’t have to leave now, could’ve stuck around for dinner, but didn’t want to hear about Soarin’s last relationships, and didn’t want to hear the team’s teasing. “And seriously, don’t worry about what Misty said. Doesn’t mean anything, right?” She raised a hoof, offering a bump as a farewell.

Soarin calmly nodded, blush and stutter disappeared. So weird. “Uh, yeah, right. I’ll see you in a couple days. Tell Rarity good luck.”

She sighed. “Two days of listening to her freak outs? Big whoop.”

They shared a chuckle, and she was glad for it. “I can make a list of highly trained therapists,” he offered jokingly.

And just like that, as fast as lightning, they were falling back in sync. Maybe they weren’t exactly close, but he was secretly her favourite teammate. “She’ll be fine, as long as she has that ridiculous fainting couch.” She winked and giggled.

He grinned. “Ice cream too, right?”

Dash opened the door, smiling back at him. “Of course. Vanilla oat swirl as always.”

He smiled back. “Goodbye, Rainbow Dash,” he said, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Her name sounded very smooth, very natural coming from him. Silky and flowing. She liked it. “Bye Soarin.”

She gave one last wave before heading back to Ponyville.

takes place after during and/or after the events of S6 E12, (Spice Up Your Life.)

Dash couldn’t sleep. It was unusual that her, out of all ponies, couldn’t. She was infamous for being able to fall asleep anywhere, anytime. She didn’t even know what was keeping her up, but it seemed tonight she had extra energy. But why? Nothing important had happened that day. Yeah, the map in Twilight’s castle was up and running again, but it had been Pinkie and Rarity that were called.
What had happened in the past week? She’d done the usual with her friends; reading with Twilight, hanging out in Town Square, she even got a spa treatment done with Applejack and Rarity. Oh, and of course, dealt with Zephyr Breeze, Fluttershy’s annoying little brother who had had a massive crush on her ever since she could remember. The guy who wouldn’t stop flirting with and bugging her, no matter how many times she rejected him. Zephyr Breeze, the pony who never tried anything and was all about siestas and had actually graduated from mane therapy school. She was proud of him for that, she supposed, but she still found him to be annoying. Especially after she had offered him a job. Just to appease Fluttershy. And that, well, that hadn’t worked out very well.

“Hey, Rainbows, we should totally grab a drink later, you know, after I’m done doing this job.” He made air quotations with his hooves. “That you have for me.”

Dash growled under her breath and faced Zephyr. “For Fluttershy, for Fluttershy…” she mumbled.

“What was that Rainbows?” he asked loudly, smushing his cheek into hers.

Dash shoved him away, making a gagging sound. “There will be no drinks, no anythings. You are here to do a job. And then you will go back home.”

Zephyr just rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay okay. Just show me where to get started.”

“Let’s go,” she grumbled.

But what had happened after?

Soarin came in. And saved her from committing murder.

They had talked while Zephyr cleaned, just about old Wonderbolt shows, except it wasn’t just.

Dash couldn’t do that with her friends. Sometimes Pinkie, sometimes Twilight. But Pinkie only liked the excitement. Twilight being typical Twilight, she enjoyed the history and science behind the flight formations.

But Soarin? He knew all of that and more. He knew what she was talking about when she ‘double aerial twist’ or ‘buccaneer blaze’. All without having to explain it. He got it, because like her, he was a flyer. And she found, that while she also loved talking to any of the ‘Bolts about flying, her favourite to talk to was him.

So here she was now, out in the night, the warm yet comfortably cool breeze flowing through her hair. Dash loved the night sky. She could fly uninterrupted and be in the moonlight, practicing her awesome moves or just relaxing.

Only for so long though, before she got lonely. She liked it best when she was with her friends. The sound of Pinkie Pie and Rarity enjoying punch, Twilight teaching Applejack the names of constellations, her and Fluttershy watching over the animals. Well, that was more Fluttershy’s thing, but it was nice all the same.

Then her ears faintly picked up in the sound of wing beats.

“Oh, hey,” came a voice. A familiar one. A voice distinct and deep enough that she would know it anywhere.

“Hey Clipper.” Dash smiled. “Whatcha doing out here?”

He flew closer. “I was gonna ask you that.”

She shrugged, looking at Luna’s moon and stars. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Soarin scoffed lightly. “You couldn’t sleep? I find that hard to believe.”

Dash snorted. “Oh shut it, you should learn some napping skills from me. You look exhausted, no offence.”

“Hey!” A playful smile made its way onto his face.

“What? It’s true.”

“Rude.”

“Lazy.”

“Cocky.”

“Downer.”

His green eyes widened. “Hey, I am not a downer,” he protested.

Dash giggled. “Eh, I don’t know about that Clip.”

“We all have our moments,” he argued, although he wore a smile.

Dash just chuckled, beginning to fly away from the barracks. “So? What are you doing out here? Couldn’t sleep without my awesome self there?” she asked cheekily.

Soarin rolled his eyes. “Yes, that must have been it,” he said dryly.

“Knew it,” she snarked.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, and saw as he let out a long, slow sigh. “Actually, I came out here cause I needed to be alone.”

She stopped, looking over him. He looked extremely worn out, now that she looked closer. Not to mention completely serious. “Okay.” She nodded. “I can go fly somewhere else.”

Weirdly enough, Soarin looked panicked as he flailed his hooves a little bit. “No, no! You- you don’t have to. Unless you’re going to yell at me like Spitfire does?”

Dash smiled, happy to stay and keep him company. “Nobody yells like Spitfire.”

They both laughed slightly at that, both flying at a steady pace. “You know she actually took some sort of yelling lesson?” he asked.

“What? Seriously?” Dash laughed.

Soarin shook his head, chuckling as he did so. “Not really, no. She just asked the captain before us for tricks on… commanding. But I like to imagine she did,” he said mock wistfully.

Dash nodded, eager to play along. “Who knows… maybe she did.”

Soarin smiled at her. A sweet, calming smile that instantly relaxed her, made her feel at ease. A smile that made her heart warm and do a somersault.

Dash swallowed. “So?” she prompted, wanting to see if she could help him in some way.

He glanced at her, cocking an eyebrow. “So…?”

She motioned to him and the sky around them. “You needed to be alone. What’s up?” She knew it was nosy, but curiosity got the better of her.

“Oh,” he muttered, sighing quietly.

Feeling a little bad, she tilted her head and rubbed her neck. “Sorry. Never mind.”

“It’s nothing, really. Just more harsh criticism from the press.” Soarin shook his head. “Again, it’s nothing. No big deal. I’m used to it.”

“Bad press, huh?” Dash furrowed her brow. “I actually haven’t heard anything about that. Haven’t really had time,” she admitted.

He smiled, but she could tell it wasn’t a genuine one. “I’d prefer if you didn’t, so thank Celestia you didn’t have time.”

Dash cringed slightly as they continued their chat. “What was it about this time? Skills? Friends? Love life?”

“Family,” he answered dully. “I went to have lunch with my mom, and tabloids and magazines came out later today, bashing her about the way she looked and how I was eating.”

“How do they…”

“There will always be some form criticism. I’ve tried to please everypony, and unfortunately, that isn’t possible,” Twilight sighed.

“Did you enjoy your lunch? Before all the press,” she clarified.

He nodded. “Of course I did.”

Dash smiled and placed a hoof on his shoulder, basically touching his mane. “Then that’s all that matters,” she told him and took her hoof off.

He smiled a real smile for a slight moment, something which brought more satisfaction to her than it should have. “I don’t like the fame a lot of the time,” he said, staring straight at her.

Dash opened her mouth to say something ignorant, something insensitive, like asking why. But her brain stopped her mouth from forming words and she had time to think about what he said. “I know. I guess you just have to ignore it,” she offered lamely.

Advice wasn’t always her strong suit, especially when she hadn’t been a Wonderbolt long enough to get criticism like Soarin did. He didn’t say anything.

Dash bit her lip and tried again. “I know I haven’t been shamed yet. I guess I don’t know how it feels, heh.” She looked away. “But they don’t have the right to say those things about you, Clipper. And I’m sorry they happened. I’m sorry that it’ll probably happen again.” She felt a little sappy saying that, but knew it sounded right. She wouldn’t pretend to understand when she didn’t

Soarin’s hoof wrapped loosely around her neck and brought her close to his muscular body. After a moment of her mind going short circuit, Dash returned the hug. She wasn’t usually used to physical touch when it was outside her Ponyville friends and family, but then again, she had hugged Soarin before. And it as just as nice. His fur was warm and soft, his mane smooth against her cheek, his breaths calming her nerves and racing up her heartbeat. He smelled like sweet, cool water, if water could have a scent. Mixed with a slight musk. She wasn’t sure what, but annoyingly thought it was sexy.

“What’s this for?” she asked a little awkwardly.

He shrugged his shoulders under her chin. “For being you.”

She smiled softly. She had said those words to him on the night they went to Applejack’s, the night after her first performance. She had hugged him because despite the humiliation she had experienced, he made her feel better. Had made her smile.

About thirty seconds passed, and Dash pulled away. Though they were alone, she still remembered Rarity’s words. “Alright, we keep this up and I’m gonna go super soft,” she joked.

He grinned. “That wouldn’t be so bad, I’d like to see that.”

Dash stuck her tongue out. “Too bad for you then.”

He chuckled and motioned for her to follow. “What made you want to be one of us?” he wandered, turning to look at her.

Dash raised her brows at the simple yet deep question. “Huh… I had heard of the Wonderbolts when I was a filly,” she started. “And I liked flying. But one day me and this guy I looked up to, Rainbow Blaze, he took me to a show.” She smiled at the memory, remembering her first time seeing the overwhelmingly cool stunts she had witnessed. “It was awesome! One of the best things I’ve ever seen. He began to teach me everything he knew, and I improved quickly with my natural gift,” she boasted, a smug grin taking over. “It’s been my dream ever since.”

Soarin tapped his chin. “Rainbow Blaze? Sibling?”

Dash nodded. “No, he’s not my brother,” she chuckled. “He was my mentor.”

“Huh,” Soarin muttered. After a minute or so, he spoke again. “I never really had one. A mentor.”

Not everyone did, she supposed. She felt a little bad for him, but also felt impressed. Had it been him, Spitfire, and eventually Fleetfoot who had helped each other along the way? And why did they want to become Wonderbolts? She had never asked him. “What made you want to be a ‘Bolt?” she asked, returning the question.

He tapped his chin. “I… I suppose my parents. They were great, always telling me I could be the best. Spitfire and I managed to watch a bit of a show from outside the arena once and that was it for me. We were so young. That was the only thing that I’ve ever wanted to be. Practiced every day, as you know. And it was all worth it when I got into the academy, the—”

“Reserves, the team,” Dash finished

He nodded. “Yeah. Best days of my life.”

Dash smiled. Here was another pony who got her passion for flying. Spitfire did, all the team did. So why did it feel different when she talked about it with Soarin? What made it feel special? She had no idea.

“Mine too,” she replied. “The test for the reserves though…” She shook her and laughed. “If it wasn’t for my friends…”

“What?” He nudged her. “Our number one fan didn’t know the history or something?” he teased.

She smirked and shoved him back gently, not that it did anything. He was built not to be knocked around so easily. “Twilight tried to teach me. Put me in a school in her house. There was a schedule and everything.”

Soarin grinned. “I bet you were waiting for recess?”

“Well that’s pretty presumptuous of you, Clip.”

“So you were paying attention, lost in every word as Twilight wrote on her chalkboard and showed you her flash cards?” he questioned, trying to hide a coy smile.

She scoffed a little. He knew right away. Couldn’t hide everything, after all. Not that her distaste for the ‘normal’ way of learning was a secret. “Oh, fine. I had trouble. They all tried to help. Plays and songs and clothes… but they figured out how I learned and I aced it.”

“Admit it, Crash. You wanted recess at Twilight’s boring school.” He played a feign of innocence. His smile was cute, she thought. Sweet and teasing. I should see a doctor about this… feeling. She had an idea of what it could be, but there was no way Dash would ever admit it to herself.

She rolled her eyes. “Is that my fault? She gets so excited about it. It’s unbearable, to just sit there and listen while she talks and talks and talks,” she groaned and dragged her eyes down with her hooves.

Soarin cleared his throat, a teasingly devilish look taking place. “Ahem,” he announced. “After Princess Luna was banished to the moon, the Earth Pony, Pegasi, and Unicorn formed the E.U.P to protect Princess Celestia. During the celebration of the first annual year of—”

Dash laughed and pressed her hoof against his mouth. “Gosh, it’s like you’re quoting Twi’s exact words!” she giggled. “Is this your intention? Bore me to death?”

He smirked. “How’d you know?”

She mirrored his expression. “I’m just so smart.”

“Eh, I suppose,” he mused casually, looking up at the twinkling stars.

Dash shoved him again, and managed to throw him off balance for a second. As soon as he regained control, his body was illuminated by Luna’s moon. His dark hair was swept, his coat clean, muscles showing through a bit. But it was his eyes that startled her the most. Dash had seen green eyes many times before. Applejack had them. But hers did not shine like his in the moonlight, holding a kindness and playfulness and gentleness and—

The white pony bit her lip, but couldn’t resist adding, “Quite handsome too. I see why he’s popular with the mares.”

Right now, Dash despised Rarity. Because as much as she tried not thinking about it, her friend was correct. Soarin was handsome. And he was great in terms of personality too. She saw why he was popular with the mares, despite Lightning and Rapid being the usual flirts of the team.

These thoughts were confusing, and along with practice and her workouts and the night fly, this made Dash tired, and sleepiness crashed over her, causing her to yawn loudly.

“Finally tired?”

Dash nodded and lazily turned around, the light of the sky’s accessories enough to guide her back to the compound. “Yeah,” she mumbled, wings drooping ever so slightly and causing her to fall. Luckily, she caught herself.

“You look like you’re gonna pass out any time,” Soarin commented. “No way you’ll make it back.”
She still felt a little competitiveness in her. “I’m… me,” she said, too tired to say her name. “I’ll be fine.” She’s be fine. She was mother fucking Rainbow Dash, she could get herself back to HQ.

Dash could see it in the distance as her eyes blinked open, her muscles exhausted, wings flapping a little too slowly. Almost there… She was so close, just a little further. She was doing this, the ground just a few feet away.

But then her body gave up, not even having the energy to close her wings as she started to fall.

There was nothing but a ‘whoosh’ of the wind, and the feeling of somepony’s strong arms underneath her back, a faint sigh, and, “So stubborn,” Soarin whispered, carefully carrying her back to the building.

Mornings takes place after S6 E13, (Stranger Than Fanfiction)

Food Fight takes place during S6 E16, (The Times They Are A Changeling)

Dinner takes place during S6 E19, (The Fault in Our Cutie Marks)

yeah, i know it’s a lame title, but im drawing serious blanks in my head right now, so if u wanna give me shit, do it another day. enjoy :)

“Ugh, what is with our weird practice schedules?” Dash whined to nopony in particular.

She could never seem to keep up. Sometimes practice was split into two one hour sessions, or it was the full two hours in the middle of the day, the morning, and sometimes even at nighttime. Currently, it was her least favourite— the morning.

“Keeps things interesting, Crash. Come on!” Spitfire yelled before trotting out the door.

Dash groaned and wearily rubbed her eyes. Of all times, why did it have to be 6:30 in the morning? She knew nobody who got up that early! Well, except for Applejack. And sometimes Fluttershy. Twilight too. Okay, she knew a few ponies who got up that early. But at least Pinkie and Rarity had the good sense to stay in bed till at least eight. Except when Rarity had to complete an order, or when Sugarcube Corner opened up early. Her shoulder sagged slightly. Forget it, all her friends could be early risers.

She made her way to the bathroom, eyes blinking rapidly as she put a washcloth under the warm water and rubbed it over her face.

“Morning Crash.”

Rainbow put her cloth away and started to give her teeth a quick brush, swishing the toothpaste and brush around her mouth. After spitting it out, she nodded in Blaze’s direction. “Morning.”

They filed out of the bathroom, making their way towards the mess hall for their pre-workout snack.
Soarin stopped eating when he saw the two come in. A goofy grin spread across his face. “Sheesh Crash, I know you aren’t a morning pony but aren’t you supposed to be, oh, I don’t know…” He tapped his chin and smirked. “Fast?”

Dash’s ears perked up, and met his bright eyes with a challenging glare. Feeling confident and daring, Dash swiped Soarin’s protein bar right out of his mouth as fast as possible with her wing and tossed it into a trash can.

“Hey! That was the best flavour!” Soarin grumbled, ears drooping as he realized there was none left.

She smirked, unaware of the affection that danced in her eyes. Dash turned to see his shoulders sag, the light seemed to have gone out of his eyes. He was too cute, she thought. “Pfft, more like the worst,” she scoffed teasingly and picked up a bar for herself, taking a bite. She landed in between him and Blaze and gave him a light shove, smirk on her face. “Hope you learned your lesson, Clip. Do not mess with Rainbow Danger Dash.” A small look of alarm crossed Soarin’s face, but was quickly replaced with a ‘bring it on’ stare. Narrowing his eyes, he simply started walking away.

Dash chuckled, convinced that she had won for now, and quickly caught up to him, taking another bite. She turned to say something to Blaze, when she felt the thinly wrapped piece of food be taken from her. “Hey!”

Soarin had a satisfied smile on his face as he promptly dropped Dash’s snack in the trash can, making his way over to Rapid and Fleetfoot.

Dash’s lips parted slightly before a determined look returned to her eyes and she swept up beside him, gingerly moving her mouth closer to his ear. “I’ll get you back for that.”

Soarin turned quickly, startled, and an unmistakable heat rose on his cheeks at their close contact. His luminous green eyes and startled gaze, doubled with his chest rising in time with his breaths suddenly made Dash blush as well, and she hastily backed up.

“Ugh, Rapid, the flirting’s too much, I can’t take it,” Blaze drawled sarcastically and motioned to Soarin and Dash.

That snapped Rainbow out of her thoughts and she stutteringly regained her senses. “Oh shut up, that’s ridiculous.” She moved to go stand beside Wave Chill, somepony who surely wouldn’t tease her.
She had mixed feelings when Soarin didn’t follow her, instead walking to stand beside Spitfire and join in on the instructing.

But she saw as Rapid nudged Blaze. “Is it though?” he whispered.

A temporary scowl made it’s way onto Dash’s face. Of course it is.

“So, Rainbow Dash, what was that I heard about cookie-crazy zombies back in Ponyville?” Spitfire asked, taking a bite of her chicken.

Dash stared around at her teammates, all who were gathered in the mess hall. It was Friday, which meant they all shoved the tables together to eat before going out to Feather’s bar.

Currently, the question she was being asked had her trying not to flush. Being out-pranked by all of Ponyville was definitely not her proudest moment. “Umm… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she managed, voice muffled from her dinner.

“No, no, we were there. Soarin and me and Spitfire and we overheard some ponies talking about it. Mentioned your name like, a dozen times,” Fleetfoot chimed in.

Curse everypony. “That… was a prank,” Dash replied, deciding not to be specific.

“A… prank?” Wave repeated.

“That’s what she said!” Surprise shouted. “Was it a good one? Did you organize it Crash?” she questioned excitedly.

Dash chuckled at her energetic teammate. It took a bit for her to adjust to Surprise, seeing as she shared the same energy as Pinkie, and had Dash missing her friends. “No, I didn’t.” Her eyes flitted around the room, and rested on Soarin, who was happily eating and roughing it with Lightning Streak. Dash smiled on the inside at seeing Soarin’s pure, simple joy. He was a mix, positive when it came to little things, but when something important was on the line, he was pessimistic to a fault.

“Stop staring, Crash,” Spitfire whispered in her ear and nudged her.

As quick as a hummingbird’s flap, Dash drew her eyes away and went back to focusing on her food. When would this teasing about her and Soarin stop? They were nothing but good friends and it just so happened that their personalities complimented each other’s more than most ponies’ did. That wasn’t her fault. “I’m not staring!” she shouted in a hushed voice, light pink filling her cheeks.

“Whatever you say, newbie,” Spitfire teased.

Dash poked her with a wingtip before bringing her mouth down to eat, but was interrupted by a yelling of sorts.

“Hey! Dude! Totally uncalled for!” Lightning whined. “My mane’s ruined.”

Dash looked up to find Soarin with a wide, triumphant smile and Lightning with a fake frown, lower lip sticking out.

“Well that teaches you not to eat my food!” Soarin teased.

Lightning mimicked his friend’s words and turned back to his own plate. Everyone else started to as well, when the man-whore of the group effectively dumped his gravy all over Soarin’s head and immediately started cackling to himself. The entire team watched as the thick brown condiment rolled down Soarin’s face and over his muzzle.

Dash held her breath as air huffed out of Soarin’s nostrils, eyes narrowed in a stance that made her know that he meant business. Everyone else was silent, waiting to see what the second-in-command would do next. Get angry? Walk away? Laugh it off? Lick it? Infinite possibilities were there when it came to Soarin, who wasn’t always so easily predictable.

Then a sinister, playful smile crossed his face as he wiped the gravy from his hair and eye and shot up to rise all above them. “Food fight!” he yelled.

Spitfire was up there with him in the blink of an eye.“Take that back! We’re gonna be a mess!”

Suddenly, a messy mop of salad landed on her back, and Dash turned to see Misty Fly and Rapidfire snickering.

Spitfire narrowed her eyes, examining her team. She grabbed the lettuce leaves soaked with dressing and promptly threw it back at Rapid, having it land right on his face. “It’s on everypony!” she declared. “Food fight!”

Dash grinned, picking up her plate and soaring to the far corner of the room. Fleetfoot followed and threw an apple she dug out of the trash can right at Dash, which bonked right off her forehead and onto the floor.

Dash smirked deviously, shooting every which way and throwing bits of food onto all of her friends, hearing their shrieks and yelps of laughter. It was joyous and laughable and disgustingly messy, but none of that mattered in the moment, because they were all having fun.

Five minutes had passed of food pelting, and at this point, the ‘Bolts were just using all their leftovers to throw, unable to find any more new food.

“Take this, Rainbow Crash!” came a voice who Dash knew all too well. She felt the back of her head being hit by a sloshy ball of… tomato? A tomato.

Dash laughed and turned to face him, throwing the tomato in his direction, only to have Soarin fly out of the way at the very first second. Sometimes she still forgot she was up against ponies who met her equally in a ability. Except in her and Soarin’s case, speed. She zoomed off, chasing him around the room, both laughing and caught up in getting away that the two didn’t see the other ‘Bolts were starting to stop the fight.

“Get back here Clipper!” she laughed jovially. She was so close, just a little further and she’d be there.

Soarin was fast, very fast, but in terms of the Wonderbolts, he was actually one of the slower ones. Dash, Fleetfoot, and Spitfire were actually the fastest on the team, but Soarin made up for his speed in incredibly impressive strength, endurance and agility. Speaking of which, Dash had finally caught up to him and angled her body so she was under him and started to kick his stomach lightly.

“Playing dirty, huh, Crash?” he yelled and stopped abruptly. That was just what Rainbow needed, and she swiftly flew over top of him, pushing her hooves into the middle of his abdomen and pushing him towards the floor. In reality, it took about ten seconds, but to Dash, it took an hour it seemed like. Soarin’s green eyes pierced hers, his body offering no resistance to her shove. Dash blushed lightly as they landed, effectively on top of him.

It was quiet in the moment, and Dash hoped Soarin’s laboured breathing was from the exercise, because as much as she hated it, hers was definitely not. Stupidly, she removed her hooves, allowing her teammate to stand up, but to her surprise and secret delight, he never broke eye contact with her. And what would have been to her horror and unawareness, her already pink cheeks reddened. But Soarin did not point that out, only looked at her with those beautiful eyes and very, very handsome face.

“Get a room!” Fleetfoot yelled.

That snapped Dash out of her stupor, and she walked away, sticking her tongue out at her turquoise friend. “Shut up.”

Soarin nodded and pointed to Wave and Spitfire. “Tell that to these two. Not me and Crash.”

Wave flushed, Spitfire looked away.

But Dash still heard Fleet mutter, “Bullshit.”

“Thanks for inviting us, Spitfire,” Twilight said. “And you didn’t have to get a caterer just for us,” she added, taking a bite of her bruschetta.

“Oh Twilight, learn to just say ‘thank you’ already!” Rarity exclaimed, smiling a little. “This is absolutely divine.

Dash watched Pinkie nod, dunking her head into a plate of tortilla chips. “Yeah! Whoever ordered this has great taste!” Her blue eyes lit up even more. “Ooh! I’m gonna have to add it to my list of excellent caterers!” She dug into her mane and pulled out a list and a pencil, before giggling sheepishly. “Oops! This is my list of bad caterers.” She placed it back inside of her hair and pulled out a different list.

Surprise perked up and scooted over to Pinkie, bumping Misty, Blaze, Lightning and Rapid down a chair and plopping down. The two excitable ponies began conversing quietly.

“It was no problem. The cafeteria food isn’t exactly… the best we could do,” Spitfire explained. “Besides, we know how highly Rainbow here regards you guys. Wouldn’t wanna disappoint.”

Dash bit her tongue and managed a tight lipped smile. “Heh, yep.” Her friends knew Dash cared, but she still wasn’t the one to show it by doing gestures like getting a caterer for them. That had been Spitfire’s idea, as a way to pay thanks to the princess of friendship and the other elements of harmony.

All her friends just smiled though, and turned back to whatever conversation they were having. Surprise and Pinkie and now High Winds were talking, Rarity and Fleetfoot, Applejack and Blaze, and Fluttershy and… Soarin? Her stomach dropped slightly, and an unfamiliar feeling rolled around inside her. Dash loved Fluttershy like a sister, so why shouldn’t one of her best friends and her favourite teammate talk?

“Jealous, Crash?” Spitfire whispered.

Dash stared her captain up and down. “No.” She blinked. She was so not jealous. Just… It doesn’t matter what I am! Emotions don’t matter here.

Wave nudged the orange mare and instead of glaring at him, she just smiled sweetly, which had Wave flushing from Spit’s abnormal cuteness.

Dash didn’t notice Twilight lean in to her before she whispered, “I didn’t know that Fluttershy and Soarin would get along so well.”

Dash shrugged, glancing at the pair. Fluttershy was laughing softly at something Soarin said, while he just smiled. “Me either,” was all she could muster.

“I suppose it makes sense… they’re both calm and nice.”

The unfamiliar feeling that was so not jealousy rose up in Dash again, this time with a slight lurch in her stomach. Twilight was all about logic and reason, so if she thought they were okay together, there was no reason to doubt her. Dash hated that.

And while she adored Fluttershy, she despised the fact that her friend was one of the prettiest ponies out there. She’d seen Flutters get attention from stallions and mares from afar all the time, pretty much the same amount as Rarity or even Twilight. Who wouldn’t admire her? The yellow mare was sweet and gentle, and undeniably conventionally beautiful. Kind turquoise eyes, a neatly brushed pastel yellow coat, and a long and silky pale pink mane. Not to mention she was graceful and ladylike, unlike her. Dash was bold and daring, sporty and outspoken. Hot headed and reckless. She was too awesome for stallions, so why did she feel like this when it came to him? Soarin deserved somepony like ‘Shy, so why wasn’t she happy for them? And why was she jumping to big romantic conclusions? And most of all, why did she suddenly want to be teased along with him about them liking each other. Why, why, why?

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight’s hoof waved in front of her face, purple eyes darting back and forth. “Are you okay?”

Dash blinked rapidly and smiled calmly. “Yeah of course! Just glad you guys are getting along,” she lied.
Everypony was starting to move towards a group conversation, and for once, Dash didn’t feel like talking with her closest friends, so she excused herself to go to the bathroom, not even noticing that Soarin wasn’t there at the table himself.

“Okay,” Dash muttered to herself, walking in a slow pace around the bathroom. She didn’t need to go, just wanted to get away for a bit, see if she could make any sense out of the lump in her stomach that seemed to take place when she saw Fluttershy and Soarin together, smiling and talking. “What is up with you? I am not jealous of Flutters, she’s my best friend! So… what could I be… oh! Maybe I’m jealous of Soarin because he’s spending time with my best friend. Somepony besides our other best friends or Tree Hugger or Discord is spending time with her. That must be it, that must be it,” she tried. You’re jealous of ‘Shy, just admit it. Dash cringed as her currently very stupid subconscious argued with her. No way! I don’t get jealous over things like this. Not boys. No stallions. You have time for that later, or not at all. Dash couldn’t admit she was jealous of Fluttershy, not to anypony, and certainly not to herself. So there she went again, stepping out of the washroom, completely unaccepting and disapproving of her emotions. She was so frustrated she didn’t even see the ice blue stallion right in front of her.

“Woah,” Soarin said, placing a hoof on Dash’s shoulder, steadying her. As soon as she was, he took it off, but she found herself liking the feel of his warm, softly callused hoof on her. “Head in the clouds?” he asked, smiling at her. Sweet and kind with a hint of confidence in it, like always.

Dash shrugged and gave a convincing yawn. “Just getting sleepy. Fluttershy was actually gonna let me show her some flying tricks tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah, she told me about that.” His eyes shifted towards the clock on the wall and he pointed to it. “Maybe you… I don’t…” He glanced away nervously for a second. “It’s almost nine.”

Dash cranes her neck upwards, eyes widening as she realized he was right. “Aw crap, we should get going. You know, Twilight gets up and does her princessy things and AJ and Rarity run their own thing and—”

“Its okay, Crash. You don’t have to explain,” Soarin said patiently, a tiny amused smile playing on his lips. “You good? You’re not usually the rambling type.” He ran his eyes over her. “Or at least, I hadn’t pegged you for one.”

Dash smirked a little, finding his voice and smile to be soothing. And heart quickening at the same time. “I’m not. But you are.” She nudged his hoof with hers and winked, walking away. “I’ll see you in a few days, Clip,” she called over her shoulder, making her way back to her friends to tell them they should get going.

“That was absolutely marvellous Dashie! You didn’t tell me you Wonderbolts could be so delightful!” Rarity sang happily, trotting in an upbeat manner.

Dash cocked an eyebrow. “You’ve met them all before, Rarity,” Dash pointed out.

“Yeah! You helped Dashie and Spitfire!” Pinkie Pie chirped, bouncing happily beside Applejack and Twilight.

Dash raised a hoof at that. “Actually, Pinkie, I saved Spitfire.”

“Well, I suppose Rarity proved your innocence which allowed you to go after Spitfire and—” Rainbow and AJ both stared at Twilight, who just shrugged. “Just saying.”

Dash rolled her eyes and smiled, letting four of her friends fall into their own chat, while she sought out her oldest friend there. “Hey Fluttershy,” she greeted.

The yellow mare smiled back at her. “Hi Dash.”

“So, how’d you like it? The dinner thing? I know you were a bit… nervous about it,” Dash started. She felt a little bad for trying to prod her friend. She always loved talking to her, but the main reason she was right now was because she was borderline desperate to know what had went on between her and Soarin.

Flutters smiled a little sheepishly. “I suppose I was,” she admitted. “But I did remember a lot of them from flight school or from seeing them around… and Soarin was very nice to talk to,” she added.

Dash was happy Fluttershy was more open to talking to other ponies, and she was grateful Soarin had been kind to her, but right now, she wanted to know more than just that. “Well, he’s nice to everypony,” Dash said. “What’d you guys talk about?”

“Hmm, well he told me a bit about your guys’ upcoming shows.”

Dash tilted her head. “Haven’t I already done that?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes.”

“Then why’d you..?”

‘Shy blushed. “I didn’t want to interrupt him,” she said quietly.

Rainbow couldn’t help but smile. Two of the sweetest ponies she knew put together was an interesting story. “Sounds a little like you,” she teased gently. Unlike some others, Dash mostly knew the appropriate times to tease Fluttershy. Mostly.

“Hey, I’m trying,” ‘Shy shot back, a smile on her pretty face. And for the first time, Dash wished she looked like Fluttershy. By all means, she knew she wasn’t ugly. She just wasn’t delicate like her friend was, and surely Soarin liked mares who weren’t as self-obsessed as she was. Dash had a confident attractiveness, her slim, toned build, straight mane and wide, fierce magenta eyes were all examples of her athleticism and sassy attitude. Something lots of stallions were too intimidated by.

“I know,” she replied, moving slightly closer to her friend.

“Anyways, after that, he, um… actually, he asked about you.”

Dash paused for a moment, an excited bolt of something riding through her body, though she kept her composure on the outside. “Huh?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, he was wondering about our time in flight school and things we did together as fillies.”

Dash cringed slightly. She had no regrets of her actions as a child, yet she couldn’t deny that some of her decisions were, alongside being awesome, were bold and stupid. “Well… what’d you tell him?” Would she want to know?

Fluttershy smiled. “I told him how you were always there for me and stood up for me, and how you were never afraid to be my friend, despite being the Pegasus who couldn’t fly.”

Her answer warmed Dash’s heart. The two landed, and were surprised to see that their friends had all gone their separate ways. Fluttershy opened the door to her cottage. “Would you like to stay the night, Rainbow?”

A night with a friend who was always just as loyal and more kind than she was? “Duh,” she said. “Just please don’t let Angel kick me out. I’m exhausted.”

Fluttershy giggled. “No promises.”

They entered and she showed Dash to the new spare room, which the rainbow maned mare quickly settled into. He asked about me, he asked about me. Soarin asked about me! She blinked a few times. But why does that seem like the best news I’ve ever received? I’m a Wonderbolt.

Figuring she’d worry about her weird thoughts later, Dash drifted off to sleep, a content smile on her face.

takes place after the events of the comic: Friends Forever: Issue 36, and the chapter: Friends Forever: Heart of The Wonderbolts

Dash lay on her bed at HQ, listening to the rhythmic breathing of her teammates who were already sound asleep. Except that it was more like teammate. All her focus was on her friend who slept soundly in the bed next to her. Soarin, her friend, her teammate, her second-in-command.

Soarin.

Soarin, who was sweet and funny and kind and respected and goofy and able to be a downer while still making everypony smile.

“C’mon Soarin! Let’s get out of here before you get yourself seriously injured!” Dash yelled the second he burst through the door.

“No way! I’m going to master this mountain!” He turned to Jett and lifted his chin. “Jett! Gimme a cider.” He flapped his wings in an effort to get the snow off before walking over and sitting next to the prismatic mare.

Soarin stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”

“You sure, kid?”

Soarin nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

He was about to receive a couple instructions when a voice rang out. “He’s not sure!” Rainbow interjected, stepping to him, features hardened.

“Stay out of this, Crash,” Soarin told her.

Shaking her bangs out of her eyes, she looked at Soarin, a believing smile on her face. “C’mon! You’re a Wonderbolt! We’re the best flyers in Equestria. You’ve already proven yourself.” She leaned her head on a hoof.

Soarin looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “Not lately I haven’t.” Her face turned to a frown and he continued. “Proving I’m good enough to be a Wonderbolt is one thing,” he said. “Staying that good is something else. Did you see me at that last show?” he muttered.

“I don’t know... I guess I’ve never completely gotten over Spitfire wanting to replace me during the Equestria Games.”

Soarin, who was stubborn and reckless, bold and daring, relentless and doubtful, hurt and angry. Stupid and determined and persistent. Dangerous and insecure.

Dash had seen Soarin be tough before. He gave orders, and was upset when something really mattered to him. But she had never seen him like this before. So… uncaring for his safety. Today on Mount Everhoot, he showed her a different side of him. One she wouldn’t have believed existed if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, because if she hadn’t, there was no way she could have believed Soarin would be as careless as he was today. Would’ve refused to believe that the guy who tried to be there for everypony could be reckless when it came to himself.

Would’ve refused to believe that he could make her worry like he did today.

After flying back, Dash had been a little lost in thought, barely adding to Soarin and Spitfire’s chitter chatter about upcoming routines. She felt like she could see and understand him better, paint a clearer picture. Sweet and kind, goofy and brave, funny and smart, loyal and respected. All with a heart of pure gold. Stubborn and careless, insecure and negative, stupid and unfaltering, hurt and unsure.

Her second in command had flaws.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot? Sure. The rest of the ‘Bolts? Of course.

But Soarin Skies? Dash wouldn’t have thought it possible. That if he ever showed that side to her, all the ugly, she would have been vastly disappointed.

But she wasn’t.

Because somepony she had admired forever was reminding her a bit of herself, and knowing that they had more in common than just liking the same things made their friendship a little different from hers and Spitfire’s. She felt their connection growing, and she was pretty sure he felt it too. She hoped he felt it too, for seeing him off his game had made him seen even more real. Made him even more awesome.

Today, her admiration for him grew even more.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t as fast as she was. Maybe he didn’t have as much natural talent. Maybe he wasn’t like her in every which way. But he had saved her life today in a quick efficient manner that was so impressive and Prince Charming like, had shown concern for her through his heart-stopping features that had taken her breath away. And though she wouldn’t admit it out loud, Dash thought it made him pretty much just as awesome as she was.

She smiled fondly at his resting state, breathing quiet and steady, chest rising and falling with each breath, dark blue mane covering a little of those striking green eyes that, unfortunately, were closed. Dash wasn’t going to deny it, he was really fucking handsome. Really fucking hot.

Her rosy eyes ran over him, heart warming and doing a secret ‘d’aww’ as he smiled a little in dreams.

“You goof,” she whispered quietly, “thank you. Thank you so much.”

takes place after S6 E26, (To Where and Back Again Part 2.)

“Seriously, Pinkie, I’ll… write,” Dash wheezed out, attempting to pull away from her friend’s never ending hug.

Pinkie just held her tighter. “But you’ll be gone a whole week! One week! Who will be my pranking buddy? Who’ll taste test things for me? How will I see Tank?!” The earth pony shook her hard, leaving Dash dizzy, her friends doubling for a few seconds before she regained her vision.

“Pinkie, darling, it’ll be alright. Rainbow Dash will visit us as soon as she can,” Rarity assured, dragging Pinkie away with her blue telekinesis.

“How are you all so calm about this?” Pinkie sighed loudly.

Rarity glanced back at Applejack, and Dash saw the two exchange what looked like a secret smile. Something she noted that they hadn’t done in awhile.

“RD here goes to HQ all the time. Sometimes a couple days, an afternoon or a week. She always comes back, sugarcube.”

Twilight stepped forward. “She is the element of loyalty after all, Pinkie.”

“B-but after all we’ve been through!”

Dash cringed inwardly as she thought of her and her friends being trapped in the changeling realm, held up in the air by that green gooey stuff. Thank god Starlight and even Discord and Trixie were there for them, even though Dash usually preferred to do the saving herself. Alas, she couldn’t help but smile at Pinkie’s sadness. “Aw Pinks, I’ll be back soon! I’ll even send letters when I can, okay? And Fluttershy can bring Tank down so the pets can all get together.”

Pinkie looked up and nodded, wrapping Dash in a quick last hug, their friends all joining in. “I’ll still miss you,” Pinkie said.

Dash chuckled. “I’ll miss you guys too. But seriously, it won’t be that long. Won’t even know I’m gone.” She hesitantly separated from them and looked back waving one more time.

“Bye Dashie!” Pinkie yelled.

“See you soon, darling!”

“Have fun!” Applejack called.

Twilight smiled. “Bye Dash!”

Dash moved her eyes over to Fluttershy, who meekly smiled. For some reason, her heartstrings tugged a little, and something didn’t feel quite right. Acting on that instinct, she zipped back down to her oldest friend, wrapping an arm around her. “This is so silly, we say goodbye all the time,” Dash mused.

Fluttershy returned the hug. “And we’ve faced awful things like this before.”

Reluctantly, Dash pulled away and smiled at her friends. She always missed them when she left, despite the ‘Bolts being like her second family. But the more prominent disappointment was that her and her Ponyville friends had all had so much fun the past ten days, reading and talking together, picnics, taste testing, hanging out and laughing in the wilderness, watching Fluttershy and Twilight shyly model Rarity’s dresses, much to the fashionista’s delight. She hardly ever said it, but she loved these ponies whole heartedly, thus her endless loyalty to them.

“Alright, this is really sappy,” she chuckled.

“Agreed,” Applejack said, slightly joking. “See ya partner.”

The two bumped hooves. “Okay, now I’m leaving.” She flapped her wings again.

“We’ll miss you Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie called happily.

Dash smiled. “Ditto!”

Dash trailed brilliantly through the sky, leaving her signature rainbow stream in the dust, looping and speeding and turning— just feeling free and flying. This, this above all else, was her happy place. Flying. She was wondrously free, not under any rules or confinements from others who tried and wanted and failed to stop her.

Seeing a figure in the distance, Dash stopped twisting lithely through the air, coming to a bit of a dizzy halt and peered. Someone was getting closer. She could pick out a dark blue mane and body that looked almost… white? Wait, no, it wasn’t white. Ice blue. Dash grinned. She would know that coat anywhere. She lifted a hoof and waved. “Soarin! Hey!”

His body jumped slightly at her voice in their otherwise quiet surroundings, but as soon as their gazes met, his expression changed into one of a shaky smile. “Rainbow Dash!” Again, his features changed, and Dash saw his eyes light up as he flew closer to him.

Her heart melted a little. He was so… cute. She blinked. Did she just think he was cute? Oh well, she’d been having weirder, more caring thoughts about him, so maybe calling him cute wasn’t the worst. “Whatcha doing out here?” she asked and smirked. “Looking for me?”

Despite the slightly funny feeling in her stomach when she was around him, Dash enjoyed teasing him. The playful, simple, flowing smile that he responded with confirmed their comfortable environment with one another. Soarin’s cheeks went a little pink. “Actually, yes.”

Dash raised her eyebrows. “Yeah?”

Soarin nodded. “You might be in a little trouble,” he chuckled, grinning. His smile warmed her heart. “Spitfire was expecting you earlier. Team—”

Dash hoofpalmed. “Team meeting,” she groaned. “Shoot, I forgot.”

“Yeah, you’re cleaning the barracks,” he replied. “All week.”

Dash smirked as they started heading back towards HQ. “Better than doing Lightning Streak’s laundry.”

Soarin chuckled. “Anything’s better than that.”

She stared off and recognized the way they were going. And although she had her saddlebags on, she tapped him anyways. “Race me?”

He fake pouted, sticking out his bottom lip. “So you can lower my confidence even more?”

Dash chuckled and stuck her tongue out. “Do it as a favour to me. You’re helping my already awesome confidence.”

She saw his green eyes roll, a smile on his face. “Fine. I’m counting down though,” he interjected. They flew to a cloud and both lowered themselves into a readying stance. “One,” he counted.

Dash narrowed her eyes.

“Two.”

Sucked in some air and bit her lip.

“Three!”

And they both dashed off, leaving trails of colour and smoke through the sky.

“Explain, Crash,” Spitfire announced sternly, not looking up from the pile of work on her desk.

Although her captain seemed calm, Dash knew to be more concerned when it appeared that way. “W-well ma’am, you see—”

“Clear voice, no stuttering,” she said sharply.

Dash gulped and too, a deep breath. Spitfire was her friend, and this was her job as captain. “I got held up with my friends. I know, poor excuse, but we’ve just been spending more time together since we all got captured by Chrysalis and Pinkie Pie had a hard time saying goodbye.”

“The one who always has a hard time saying goodbye?” Spitfire’s tone wasn’t aggressive, just questioning.

Dash rubbed her neck. “Well yeah, but more than normal. Just when she was getting used to it,” she added.

Spitfire sighed and rubbed her temples with her hooves. “You’re on cleaning duty for a week, Thunderlane will catch you up later about the meeting. You’re excused.”

Dash nodded, expecting the chore to be handed over to her. “Yes ma’am.” She opened the door.

“One more thing, Crash, before you go,” her captain called.

Dash craned her neck, cocking a brow. “Yeah?”

Spitfire removed her sunglasses and smiled. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

Dash turned around fully and nodded. “Me too, Cap. Me too.”

However harsh she was, Dash didn’t think she’d ever lose respect for Spitfire. She was too good a friend.

Dash moved the broom, sweeping up the blown pile of leaves and bits of cloud leftover from the Wonderbolt practice. She knew there was a new routine they had just started and she needed to learn it. Good thing she could catch up quickly when it came to flying, or she’d be leagues behind her teammates. Wonderbolts were fast and efficient, not one to waste time when it came down to training and honing their already highly impressive skills. Dash stopped and looked around. She was almost finished. Just had to finish sweeping and put some cones away and she’d be done. Thank goodness for that, because her shoulders were sore. Her eyes shifted and looked around the empty barracks, the only sound was her own breathing and the slight whistle of the evening wind. Dash loved the peace and quiet for naps or if she was working hard. She loved it when she could sit next to a friend in a comfortable silence. But all alone, only her thoughts to keep her occupied for more than twenty minutes? Not her cup of tea. She got lonely, because at heart, Dash was one who craved excitement and adventure, and she had never really experienced those things when by herself.

She was finished with the broom, and after placing it back in the supply closet, she left to go take care of the cones, placing a rock in front of the door to keep it from closing.

Looking down at the orange pylons, she could estimate that there was about twenty, and decided that three trips would be good to challenge herself without being too dangerous. She flew to her left, managing to pile up seven cones easily, calmly carrying them back. She started again, this time only picking up five. She figured that since she could carry seven easily, she would try for eight on the last trip.

There she went, six cones, seven cones, and... eight cones. “Yes!” she whispered to herself.

Though a little wobbly, she managed to lean them against her, this time along her way to the supply closet a little more slowly. Then Dash saw a cloud that had floated in her way and promptly jerked left to avoid, while a cone stumbled out of her grasp. She waited to hear it clatter to the ground, but it never came.

A male’s voice spoke up. “I know you’re awesome, but you don’t have to make everything a contest.”

Dash felt his hooves brush hers as he lifted three more cones off her pile. Something about his deeper, gentler voice, the beautiful glow of the stars, and their closeness made Soarin’s simple gesture seem more caring, more intimate. Her heart beat a little quicker, she could feel the heat in her neck. And for the first time since these small things had started to happen to her, Dash didn’t find it quite so repulsive. Rather, she liked it.

She hated that she did. “I live for contests,” she answered.

He didn’t reply, and the two made their way to the closet in a steady silence.

Once they were finished and the closet was closed, Dash stared around the barracks and their runway, completely cleared and clean, save for a couple leaves. Despite all her hard work, Dash still felt a little restless. She had spent the day at Sweet Apple Acres, only flying to get to point A to point B, and while usually that wouldn’t stop her from still falling asleep, tonight it did, just like it did a couple months ago when they had taken a flight. Flight, flying. That was just what Dash needed. To clear her mind and maybe rid her body of some of the pent up energy inside.

She went to lift off when she could feel a pair of eyes on her. Without looking, she asked, “What’s up, Soarin?”

“I... haven’t flown in a really long time,” he told her wistfully.

Dash glanced down, smiling as she did so. Here he was, being shy. While she seemed to understand and get him, his emotions were still pretty unpredictable sometimes. But right now, she knew what he wanted, and she wanted it as well. “I can’t wait all night,” she said.

“For what?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“For you to join me.” She tilted her chin to the sky.

She heard his swift, quiet flaps as he rose up to join her. “I don’t have to,” he said as they began to fly. “I just couldn’t sleep.”

Dash chuckled. “You sure you weren’t waiting in the bushes to help me?”

“Very funny,” he quipped sarcastically. Dash noted he didn’t deny it. Was he waiting to help? Maybe he was, though she doubted it was in a creepy way. She didn’t point out that small fact, not wanting to embarrass him too much. She wasn’t even sure if she was in the mood for a deep deep talk, and felt like something a little more lighthearted.

“So, uh,” Soarin cleared his throat. “I heard about you and your friends being captured by Chrysalis.”

She flinched a little. Dash didn’t feel like remembering her and her friends and the princesses being stuck, rendered helpless. When ponies needed a hero, Dash always wanted to be it.

“Any other topics of conversation in mind?”

She watched him frown a little. “Don’t wanna talk, huh?”

Why did he care so much? Not wanting to give a vocal reply, she simply shrugged.

“I get it, it’s okay. Let’s just fly,” he offered.

“Yeah.” Dash flew upwards and Soarin followed, both of them going at the same pace. “I’m not gonna race you tonight,” she told him thoughtfully.

How she felt right now, she wasn’t sure. But she couldn’t say she felt her best. Not her worst, far from it, but how could she feel her best when she was tired, missed her friends, and was confused about her weird feelings whenever she was around Soarin.

A gasp escaped his mouth, a sarcastic one at that. “What?! You aren’t?” He zoomed around to stop her from going on any further. “Are you okay, Crash? You have a temperature or something?”

Her lips parted for a second, a smile breaking out on her face. He was so goofy. So sweet. She played along. “I don’t know, Dr. Skies. Can you check for me?” Dash grabbed his arm and placed his hoof on her forehead, smirking a little as he gawked for a second.

Over the past couple weeks, she had concluded that whatever Soarin thought about her, it definitely wasn’t anything negative. It was more like she impressed him, intimidated him, in the best way possible. She liked the feeling, and was happy that she had actually listened to one of Twilight and Rarity’s talks about how to read ponies’ expressions and mannerisms more closely.

She heard him chuckle, the noise bringing her back to reality. “It seems you’re all good to go Ms. Dash. Your vitals are stable and you show no other signs of concerning symptoms,” he answered in a mock doctor’s voice, smirking as he pulled his hoof away.

Dash snickered. “Thanks.”

His expression turned serious. “Seriously though, are you okay? I don’t know when you don’t want to race me.”

Dash just looked at him, a subtle sign for not wanting to answer.

This time, he obeyed. “Alright, alright,” he agreed.

“Good, wouldn’t want you being nosy like Rarity,” she joked solemnly.

Soarin cleared his throat. “Absolutely not, darling!” he exclaimed in a higher pitched voice, attempting to sound like Rainbow’s fashionable friend.

Dash rolled her eyes, a smile unable to not make it’s way onto her face again. She turned to him and smirked, feeling a little more like herself. Huh, her emotions were on a rollercoaster these days it seemed. “That,” she deadpanned, “was the worst imitation of Rarity I’ve heard in my entire life.”

Soarin’s jaw and arms dropped as he faked offence. “Hey! I’m trying to cheer you up. How ungrateful,” he remarked, shaking his head.

Dash scoffed playfully, though his words had actually meant something to her. “I’m trying to cheer you up.” He was too good, too kind.

Instead, she changed the subject. “Tell me a story, Soarin,” she said, looking below at the ground that was several feet away.

“A story?” he repeated, with a note of confusion. “What kind?”

Dash shrugged, thinking. Any story was fine by her, as long as she got to hear him talk. “Anything. Real or not real, doesn’t matter.”

“Huh, alright,” he mused. She saw his pale blue hoof stretch out and grab hers, causing Dash to do a double take. Soarin noticed. “We have to go sit on a cloud. So you can listen intently in full detail to my amazing, real life story.”

She giggled, allowing him to take her hoof and drag her along the sky quickly, shooting downwards and finding a spacious cloud, surprisingly near the compound. “Real life, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s about how I met my overwhelming, hot headed best friend.”

“Ah, I’ve always wondered how you and Spitfire met,” she mused. She hadn’t heard it before, and knowing he could be very entertaining when he wanted to be, Dash propped her chin up on her hooves. “Come on, then. Get telling!”

He grinned widely, something that she would never admit to finding absolutely adorable. It lightened up his eyes, puffed his cheeks out slightly, ears peeking up like an excited colt. She really liked his smile. His real smile. Not a smirk or a fake beam, just a simple, happy one that showed he was content. He was happy when he was around her, and though she had known that for awhile, it still made Dash feel nice to know that.

“Okay, once upon a time, a little light blue colt was born to Cloudy and Blue Skies. After a few days… they named him…”

Dash stared at him in amusement, mouth in a thin line.

Soarin noticed and smirked, his emerald eyes shining with joy. “Wanna guess what they named him?”

She rolled her eyes playfully, tapping her chin as if she really didn’t know. “Hmm… would it be Indigo?”
“Guess again,” he quipped.

“Zap.”

“Nope.”

“Does it rhyme with Florin?” She laughed.

Soarin clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Ooh, so close, Dashie, so close.”

Dash’s ears perked up, a little heat rising to her face. “Wha- what?”

Lucky for her, she wasn’t the only embarrassed one. “Uh…”

“Only my friends call me that…” she said more quietly, voice trailing off, averting her eyes. Surely if she looked at him now, her cheeks would turn bright red, like one of AJ’s royal red apples.

They stayed quiet for a minute, only the sounds of their breathing audible. Dash’s mind was racing. He has just called her a nickname that only the closest ponies in her life used. ‘Dashie’ was something Pinkie called her out of excitement, when Rarity was cooing over her, or when her parents were proud.

She heard Soarin take a deep, sharp, somewhat unsettled breath. “Rainbow Dash,” he murmured.

She turned to face him, hearing her full name on his lips grabbing her attention. Soarin was actually the one pony least likely to call her by her full name, often using “Dash” or “Crash” instead. “We’re friends, right? Good friends?”

She did a double take at the question. How could he think that they weren’t? They had had a bond right from the beginning, were passionate about the same things, their somewhat different personalities aligning perfectly. She had always trusted Soarin, he had never given her a reason not to. “You goof, of course we’re friends. I thought we established that back at Celestia’s garden opening.” She smiled brightly, hoping it would further assure him that their relationship was fine and easy and natural.

He nodded. “I know, but you just said…”

“Only my friends call me that…”

She flushed a little, finally understanding why he had asked her the question. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she said awkwardly. “It’s just that— well, I…”

Why had it taken her by surprise? Soarin was her friend. Maybe it was cause he hadn’t called her that before, or that none of the Wonderbolts did, or that he was technically her boss. Her very attractive boss who would make her heart beat quicker and have butterflies erupt in her stomach, along with blushes on her cheeks. The fact that he was the only other guy besides her father who had ever called her that.

“You don’t have to answer,” he said.

Dash shook her head. “No, no. I guess it’s just that a guy’s never really called me that before is all,” she told him smoothly.

Soarin tilted his head. “Didn’t you say you had a coltfriend?”

“Uh huh, Rocket,” she confirmed. “He called me Rainbow or Rainbow Dash most of the time though. I managed to keep the whole ‘Dashie’ thing between me and my parents.”

“Huh, okay. Sorry ‘bout that.” He grinned sheepishly, but Dash could tell he was still a little embarrassed.

She gave a dismissed wave of her hoof, signalling that it was alright. “Eh, don’t worry. Slip of the tongue, right?”

They smiled at one another, simple smiles without their teeth. She had always liked Soarin’s smile, it seemed to match his sweetness and goofiness just right, highlighting his cheekbones and eyes. Those really, really, amazing eyes.

“Right.” He nodded.

Feeling like they hadn’t quite completed the little mishap, Dash took a step further that she usually wouldn’t take with any normal pony. However, Soarin was no ordinary pony. “We’re very good friends, Soar,” she said more gently, trying to make him aware that she wasn’t trying to tease him in any shape or form. “I’ve always been able to trust you.”

She saw a faint blush on his cheeks appear, and a cheerful, relaxed smile followed. “Soar, huh?”

Dash shrugged. “You called me Dashie,” she defended.

“Yeah, guess we’re even,” he mused and craned his neck upwards. “The sky’s really pretty tonight.”

Dash looked up at the twinkling stars, the dark blue sky tinted purple, and the shimmering white moon. While she usually preferred the day, she had to admit that Luna’s night was stunning.

“Yeah,” she agreed, shaking her head. “So, weren’t you going to tell me how you met our professional yeller of a captain?” she asked with a cheeky smile.

He shook his head. “Yes, but before that, I want to ask you something that I hope you won’t get mad at me for. And I’m asking cause you’re my good friend and teammate,” he explained carefully.

Dash raised a brow. “Alright?” she agreed hesitantly.

Soarin peered into her eyes, his own darting around her face, before a cloud of his breath appeared in front of her, tickling her nostrils with the scent of apples. “Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?” he asked, all serious.

Dash’s ears flicked once. She knew what he was talking about as he looked into her eyes. She felt as if he was looking at her soul, eager to know but somehow, on some level, already had a faint idea. Was she okay? Physically, yes. Mentally, she wasn’t quite sure. It wasn’t the nicest feeling to know that she had been completely helpless, her and her friends trapped, unable to do anything, under the hold of a dangerous villain. She valued her pride, and part of that came from the incredible things her and her friends were able to do. She didn’t know how she felt, and while she was grateful to Starlight and Discord and Trixie, she still berated herself for not being able to do anything, being completely clueless as she was caught by the changeling queen.

She didn’t want to answer for the sake of looking uncool, but Soarin had seen her upset before. Hell, even he had once been the reason for those tears, though it was because he was doing his job, and Dash had long forgiven him for that. She should tell someone, cause she sure as hell was too shy to tell her friends.

“I’m… a little confused,” she admitted. “I’m grateful I was saved.”

He listened quietly, never one to interrupt unless it was necessary.

“But I just can’t believe we actually got caught. If it weren’t for Starlight, we could have been... like, just there for eternity,” she chuckled, not really meaning it.

Soarin’s soft hoof tapped her side. “No matter how much you want to be, Dash, I’ve learned you can’t always be the hero.”

Dash nodded. As much as it stung, he was right. “Yeah. I don’t know, I guess I just like seeing ponies faces when I do. I like when kids look up to me, especially when it’s Scoots,” she explained, keeping her tone as light as she could.

Surprisingly, he just laughed.

She turned to him suspiciously. “What?”

“Scootaloo? That filly adores you, unless you murder somepony, I don’t think you’ll ever lose her.”

His words touched her heart. Scootaloo meant a hell of a lot to her, and she didn’t ever want to lose the girl she was endlessly fond of. “Thanks, you big softie,” she said.

Soarin snorted a little. “Softie? Look at you, telling me your feelings.”

Dash shoved his arm playfully. “Because you asked! And by the way,” she added with a sly, cocky smirk, “you should be honoured. I don’t do that with everypony you know.”

“Yeah, but I’m so awesome, it’s impossible not to talk to me.”

It was her turn to snort. “Sheesh, I must really be rubbing off on you or something,” she joked.

“Yeah, keep your distance from now on, lady,” he shot back.

Dash burst out laughing, her raspy voice echoing softly through the night. That was impossible, seeing as they spent at least a few hours of almost everyday in close quarters of each other, and the whole team had commented at least once at how normal it was to see them together. She lay her chin down on the cloud, trying to breathe more evenly as Soarin joined in, his deep laugh seemed to come from his chest. Dash thought it sounded joyful, wonderfully joyful, and realized that she really did like to hear the sound. He could be so funny, sometimes without even trying. He was just somepony who seemed to match her sense of humour. Again, their friendship to her was natural.

“You never answered my question,” he said after they calmed down.

She turned to him, trying not blush as his eyes illuminated by the moon bore into hers. He was so handsome right now, with that gentle look, pieces of his mane messy and on his forehead, those stunning orbs and muscled arms… Get a hold of yourself. “Ask me again.”

He didn’t move, didn’t blink. And much to her delight and dismay, Soarin’s voice came out in a whisper, a soft rasp within it. “Are you okay?”

Dash had to look away, cause the way he seemed to see her soul unsettled her, made that uncomfortable feeling in her stomach so awesome that she hated it. “I’m okay, Soarin.”

She heard him exhale through his nose, lifting up his body. “Good.”

He smiled, and she smiled back.

But then Dash remembered how they had got here, and her face shifted into a smirk. “Now Clipper, I believe you owe me a story.”

Soarin grinned. “We met when we were five, and god we were so different. In fact… I didn’t even like her at first…”

takes place after S7 E2, (All Bottled Up.)

season 7 y’all, this is where it gets going !

Dash’s body shook, waking her up from a weird dream. She couldn’t remember what it was about, but she knew it was a strange one. One filled with sudden darkness, evil plants and… walking ice cream? Maybe Pinkie was finally having an influence on her.

After lying there for a minute, she wearily opened her eyes and looked around the blue room decorated with trophies and messily made beds that were also blue. Finally, she sat up and stretched her wings, rocking her neck back and forth to get the kinks out. Today’s practice had been tiring, considering that they had an early morning training session the day after she had gotten back from a fun getaway with her friends in Manehattan, solving the puzzle to get out of an escape room. As soon as their exercises were finished, she had had to help Spitfire with a routine, and make a trip back home to spend time with Tank, before flying back to Headquarters again. She had instantly settled on her bed, and in true Rainbow Dash fashion, had fallen asleep.

“Did they really go to the bar without me?” she wondered to herself.

It was Friday, which meant the team had gone out to Feather’s bar for a drink and possibly to play a game of pool or poker, or, if they got drunk enough, have a dance party and a clumsy game of musical chairs.

Blinking, she walked slowly out of the room and started down the hall for a late dinner, hoping one of the cooks would have something left over. Mess hall was so not known for their great food, but anything would be five star to the way Dash’s stomach and head were feeling right now. The hallway smelled of air freshener, and she looked at the closed wooden doors. Bathroom, janitor’s closet, Spitfire’s office, Soarin’s office.

Dash backed up a little, sure she saw something, for the second-in-command’s door wasn’t closed, but open. She silently peered in, and saw Soarin stamping some forms with his hooves, commander shirt on and a pair of sunglasses. Why did the leaders have a fondness for sunglasses as part of their uniform? He didn’t seem to notice her presence, or if he did, chose to ignore it in hopes of finishing his work. She suspected it was the first one though — he was known for being adorably oblivious on occasions. She watched as another sigh escaped his lips, and he set down the autograph photos and moved on to some other paperwork. He very carefully took a pen in that soft looking light blue mouth, and began to write on the paper, looping his letters as neatly as he could. Dash continued staring until he was finished, lost in some sort of trance as Soarin’s taut muscles flexed and his moist, pink tongue licked his lips. What would those lips feel like?

That thought snapped her out of it, and she immediately flushed and berated herself internally for watching him work. She needed to get out of there, but with the eerie silence that was upon them, the only way to not seem like a stalker was to walk completely in front of his door and say something. No biggie, one, two, three. She stepped out and poked her head into the room. “Hey, Clipper.”

Soarin’s blue head popped up rather quickly, causing his shades to fall from his head and clatter on the desk. His eyes flickered with surprise, brows shooting up, before he noticed it was her, and his face calmed and he gave her a relaxed smile. “Hey, Crash. How are you?”

Dash asked with her eyes if it was okay to come in, and it came as a pleasant surprise that he seemed to understand her request, and gave a shake of his head. She did, looking around the pale blue room, adorned with a couple photos, trophies, and ribbons from which he had won, a desk that was currently littered with papers and pens, a comfy enough looking couch or chair, and a coffee machine on a brown side table. Noticing familiar coats in a framed photo on his desk, Dash walked closer and peered at it, smiling when she realized it was Soarin and Fleetfoot, with Spitfire in the middle. Fleetfoot’s hair was a little longer, and she was smiling brightly with silver braces on, while Spitfire and Soarin looked more or less the same, only having slightly more youthful features, and Soarin with a cast around his wing and left arm.

“How’d you get hurt?” she asked him, pointing her hoof at the picture.

He smiled sheepishly. “You know how I tried to impress Cordelia when I was fourteen?”

Dash grinned widely, trying not to laugh. “By pulling that horrific and embarrassing yet totally awesome stunt and almost falling to your death just to find out she had a boyfriend? I recall it,” she said nonchalantly.

He playfully glared at her, setting his forearms on the desk. “Yes, that one. Anyways, picture was taken a couple weeks after.”

“Huh.” She nodded thoughtfully. The three looked like they were enjoying themselves, and something rose up in Dash. She wished there was a word that was just a step down from jealousy, but if there was, Dash didn’t know it. She knew from watching them together that the three were best friends, Soarin and Spitfire having a brother and sister-like relationship, along with Fleetfoot. Dash didn’t view him as a brother, so why the sudden envy? Why couldn’t her and Soarin be that close? They were good friends, no doubt about that, but he would never care for her the same way he did Fleetfoot or Spitfire. Not in the sense of a sister, but about caring as much.

His cough broke the silence. “So whatcha doing here? Miss me?” he teased.

Dash rolled her eyes jokingly. “I was just gonna grab something to eat. I fell asleep for a few hours,” she told him unashamedly.

“That’s our Dash for ya,” he chuckled. “So what? You passed me and decided I looked bored and lonely?” He tilted his head, still smiling at her,

Swallowing thickly, Dash decided to tease back. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

Instead of a coy smirk, Soarin simply smiled at her, those eyes staring into her soul, lighting some sort of storm in her stomach, making Dash hyper aware of her body’s functions. Finally, he got out of the chair and walked over to her. “I kind of forgot to eat too.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You? Forgetting to eat? Nah.”

He huffed a laugh. “Oh shush. Come on, we’ll see what’s left over, yeah?”

She followed him out. “Sure!”

“Tell me Clip. Why does the food here always remind me of my flight school cafeteria?” Dash asked, poking her interesting dinner of a questionable coloured pork, some cold mashed potatoes, and carrots.

Soarin shrugged. “Honestly, the stuff here is better than my flight school cafeteria,” he confessed casually, taking a bite of carrots.

Dash made a gagging sound, and half heartedly swallowed some meat. “That’s gross,” she remarked. “Anyways, I was wondering, why aren’t you out with the rest of the team?” She looked up at him expectantly.

“Work. I was supposed to do it the night you got back after your break, but…”

She nodded, feeling a tingling rise in chest as she remembered the conversation they had had. “Right.”

“And you? You aren’t there ‘cause you fell asleep?” he said with an amused smile.

Dash flexed her wings and took a few more bites. “Duh, I need my naps. It can be hard work when you’re busy being as awesome as me!” she bragged.

“Guess that answers my question,” he mused and glanced down. “Huh, guess you were hungry.”

Dash looked down at her plate, surprised to find she was almost finished. She wasn’t usually a mindless eater, but she guessed the talking and having an apple for lunch and nothing else since then had something to do with it. “Guess I was. Anyways, since the rest of the team are out, what’re we gonna do?”

Soarin, done with his food, took her plate with his wing. “Dunno. You aren’t heading back to Ponyville or anything?” he called as he reached the table, running water over the dishes for a few seconds before turning the tap off.

“No way,” she groaned. “Been going back and forth all day. I’m staying here for at least a couple nights.”

She felt jovial at his delighted reaction. “Well, since we missed hanging out with the team, let’s go have our own fun!” he proposed. He looked cool, but Dash could see a tint of nervousness in his eyes.

“Sure! Whatcha have in mind?” she asked as they walked down the hall and back into the large bedroom.

He shrugged. “We usually play games while we’re there.”

“But we don’t have any…” She fell silent as Soarin flew to the back of the room and opened a cabinet that was higher up. He beckoned with his hoof for her to join him, so she did. As they hovered side by side, Dash’s lips quirked into a small smile. There was a complete shelf dedicated to board games. Board games she’d love to beat him at. This was going to be fun.

“Your choice,” he said to her.

Scanning her options, Dash smirked upon seeing her favourite one and pointed. “That one.”

Instead of seeing a terrified look, Soarin smirked right back and grabbed it. “Get ready to lose, Crash.”
Dash’s eyes narrowed. No way in hell was she losing.

“Sky seven.”

Soarin scanned his board and shook his head. “Aw, so close.” His ears flickered as he realized what he said.

“Wait, no! I mean, uh...” He shut his eyes and sighed in frustration. “Dammit,” he muttered.

Dash giggled. “Too bad for you. I have excellent hearing.”

Soarin made a mock sour expression. “Your turn.”

Dash bit her lip, feeling his eyes on her. Determined to ignore her body’s weird reactions, Dash studied the board. Okay, it’s not sky six or cloud eight, so it’s either cloud six or sky eight. And his bumblebee was on sky eight so... This was it. If she got this, she won the game. “Cloud six.”

Soarin’s brows raised as he looked down, only for his ears to flatten as well. “You zapped my weather pony,” he sighed in defeat.

Dash pumped her hoof in the air. “Yeah! Alright! I knew I’d beat ya,” she added cockily.

He sent her a sly smile. “It’s two to three and I’m gonna assume you didn’t expect to lose the second round.”

“Pfft, whatever,” she said nonchalantly, though a grin almost crossed her features. “Go pick another one, then, Soar. I got all night.”

He shook his head. “No way! Best out of five.”

Dash hardly blinked as she went to work setting up her statues. “Your funeral.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Best out of twenty,” he begged, sticking his bottom lip out and widening his eyes.

If she wasn’t Rainbow Dash, she would have fallen right into those pools of luminous green. Instead, Dash shoved the game away with her wing. “No way, Clip. You’re gonna make me hate this game soon,” she groaned. They had just played best out of fifteen and much to Soarin’s dismay, Dash had won twelve of them.

“Come on.” He gave her that look again. That ‘staring into your soul in a non creepy way’ look. Dash hated that some of her heart melted. Damn him for being so cute sometimes.

However, as much as she loved Battlecloud, she simply wasn’t in the mood anymore. She stood her ground. “Nope, not happening.”

“Please, Crash? I bet you won’t win this time.” He bounced his eyebrows up and down, as if that offer made it more appealing. To Dash, it did.

She chuckled, giving into her competitive nature. “We’re gonna compromise. Best out of seventeen. Technically, I still win, but when we tell the others, it makes you look better.”

Soarin nodded as he began to rearrange the pieces. “Feeling generous? Thought that was Rarity’s thing.”

“I spent a whole day with her not too long ago.”

“So she’s been rubbing off on you like you have with me.”

Dash smiled. “That must be it. Warn me if I freak out over colour clashes or grab a red fainting couch, will ya?”

“Why that would be absolutely awful!” He put his forearm on his forehead and shut his eyes, swaying dramatically.

Dash shoved his chest lightly. “Did I not just say I spent the whole day with my fashionista best friend a couple days ago? Do you need your hearing checked?” she teased, though she was half serious. Even though Soarin wasn’t that much older than her, maybe losing your hearing could happen early sometimes.

“Got it. I’m on ‘making sure Rainbow Dash doesn’t turn into Rarity’ patrol.”

“That’s more like it. You ready?”

He sighed through his mouth, scanning his board before shaking his head. “Let’s do this.”

Two more rounds were played.

Dash won both of them.

Her second-in-command sighed dramatically as he placed the tidied up game back in the shelf. “The only ones who beat me at that game are Surprise and High Winds.”

“And now me,” she said and smirked.

He rolled his eyes. “And now you.”

Smoothing out her hair, Dash made her way to the door. “So I’m gonna go to the bathroom, but choose a game and we can play it when I come back.” She took a hurried glance at the clock and added, “If you want.”

He grinned and nodded enthusiastically. “Of course I want to, I’ve been sitting for what seems like hours.”

Dash instantly felt relief and excitement. She would’ve felt awkwardly disappointed if he had rejected her offer. “Great, I’ll be back in a second.”

“I’ll be here.”

When she returned, teeth brushed and face washed, she gave him an expectant look. “Uh, Soarin? Where’s the game?”

He coyly smiled. “We don’t need equipment for this one.”

She flashed an interested grin. “Alright, what’re we playing?” Whatever it was, she had a feeling it was going to be fun.

“Two truths and—”

“A lie,” Dash finished for him. “I know this one.”

Soarin raised a hoof. “Hold it. Two truths and a lie, plus a question.”

She squinted her eyes and tilted her head. “Plus a question?”

He nodded. “Basically, we play the game, and if say, you guess the lie I told, then you get to ask me a question and I have to answer honestly,” he explained.

Dash’s heart stopped for a moment. What if he asked her embarrassing questions or really personal ones? Like the fact that she enjoyed spa treatments or that she wasn’t always a good flyer or that she liked showing affection to Tank or—

“Dash? You okay?”

She blinked, coming back into focus. “Huh? Yeah. Why?”

Soarin shrugged. “You kind of zoned out there for a minute. Anyways, the questions don’t have to be super personal. It’s supposed to be fun.”

She relaxed, and thanked him mentally for his kindness, his effortless ability to ease her mind and worries, never challenging her too much to freak her out. Only the right amount. “Okay, let’s play. Who goes first?”

He grinned. “Well, as the winner of our Battlecloud rounds, you go.”

Dash sat down and ran through her mind of things she could say. Things that were obvious and not so much. Finally, she picked three and went for it. “I like vodka.” Truth, but she figured he wouldn’t guess that. She did appear to have a thing for alcohol. “I moved to Ponyville when I was eighteen, and... I’ve lost my wings.” The second was a lie. She moved to Ponyville when she was nineteen.

Soarin tapped the ground with his hoof before lighting up. Dash held her breath as he answered, because Soarin was smart and seemed to get her, so maybe he would be able to read through her lies. “You like vodka,” he guessed confidently. “That was easy.”

Dash laughed, thanking Celestia and the higher power. “Wrong.”

His lips parted, brow furrowed. “What? Seriously?”

She confirmed with a nod.

“Well then tell me!”

His curiousness mixed with desperation made her chuckle. “No can do, Clip, not an official rule. Now, you go.”

He held up a large, preened wing. “I swear I won’t tell.”

“No,” she deadpanned. She was Rainbow Dash, and part of staying cool was remaining mysterious. At least somewhat mysterious, so she fought the urge to tell him because she wanted to keep him wondering. Her mind did a double take. Wasn’t that a flirting mechanism? She couldn’t be caught doing that, maybe she should tell him.

Luckily for her and her mind ranting, Soarin cleared his throat, a signal that he was about to speak. “Okay, my parents are divorced.” Dash was pretty sure that was true, she had overheard Lightning and Rapid talking about it once. “I like... blueberry pie. And I love knock-knock jokes.”

Dash stayed silent while she thought. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure Soarin’s parents were divorced, but she was going to say they were. That left the two other options. “I don’t know if you like blueberry pie, the only flavour I’ve even seen you eat is apple,” she said, sticking her bottom lip out.

He simply smiled.

She sighed. It did seem like he had to think about what kind of pie to say, so maybe the second one? On the other hoof, she heard Surprise tell Soarin a knock-knock joke, and all he did was give an awkward chuckle. Another minute and she was still unsure, so she decided to pick one and go for it. “You like blueberry pie.”

He sighed and looked down, and Dash grinned, sure that she has got him, but that grin disappeared as quickly as it came when Soarin looked up and peeled at her with a cocky smile. “Wrong.”

Dash raised her eyebrows. “So you don’t like knock knock jokes?”

“Correct.”

Her mischievousness took over for a minute and she let herself grin again. “Hey, Soarin?”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Knock knock.”

His ears flattened and his mouth immediately formed a thin line, but Dash could tell he wasn’t actually annoyed. He was one of the calmest ponies she knew. “I can’t bother with those. Ever since Surprise told that awful one it’s been haunting me,” he groaned. “And I’ve despised them ever since.”

She chuckled at that. “What a nightmare.”

“Yes,” he joked back. “They’re quite terrifying.” His eyes examined her as a wicked smile formed on her face. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Crash?” he questioned suspiciously. He knew her body language well at this point, and when it came to do acrobatic and muscle challenging stunts for a living, it was rather a good thing to have.

“You know Clip, the best way to get over a fear is to face it, so I was thinking I should make Surprise and Pinkie Pie tell you lots of them until you’re used to it. How does that sound?” She was only mostly teasing, as Soarin wasn’t actually scared of the jokes, just annoyed by them, but she still thought it’d be wonderfully fun to torture him.

He huffed a laugh. “I’ll have you kicked off the team for abuse.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare,” she challenged.

Dash didn’t get the witty comeback she thought she would, and was instead met with something very undesired that had been happening more and more at his looks or words. “I wouldn’t dare,” he mindlessly agreed. “You’re too good to be let go.”

For once, he didn’t blush in embarrassment at his compliments that were directed towards her. He didn’t. She did. Embarrassed and flustered, she attempted to rid the unsettling emotion by talking. “So, my turn. You ready?”

He nodded eagerly. “Lay it on me.”

About half an hour later, Soarin and Dash hadn’t guessed anything correctly. Well, she supposed it was a little hard when they were talking so slowly they could barely get through it. Even after her power nap, she was still feeling sleepy again, and she knew he was as well. They were comfortably leaning against her bed on their backs, staring up at the ceiling.

“Maybe the things we’re putting on the table aren’t interesting enough,” he suggested. “Or we’re tired. Or it’s just tiring to think of ideas.”

Dash agreed with the latter. “Let’s just play something else, this one’s making my head spin in circles. I don’t remember any of the stuff I said. But I do know you hate knock knock jokes and that you like blueberry pie and that your birthday’s April twenty fourth.”

He lazily turned to her. “What about you? When’s your birthday?”

“October twenty eighth,” she replied.

She could feel him smile. “Scorpio, huh?”

“And what? You’re a Taurus. So is Applejack,” she mused. “Guess that explains why you’re both obsessed with apples.”

“You wouldn’t have your cider without those apples,” he quipped playfully. “Oh, I got a game!”

She rubbed her magenta eyes and offered a half smile. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Well, it’s not really a game,” he admitted. “But it’s still fun. It’s called Q & A.”

Huh, she’d never heard of this one. “How do you play?”

“So, I’ll ask a question and you answer, and then you ask a question and I’ll answer.”

Dash ran over the instructions in her head, only to turn to him a second later, trying to stifle a short, loud laugh. “Soarin,” she said slowly, all smiles. “Do you mean... a conversation?”

Her commander’s ears perked up, a pink tint colouring his nose. “No! I mean Q and A,” he said defensively, avoiding eye contact.

“Uh huh,” she droned. “Sure.”

He didn’t back down. “I do though.”

“Whatever,” she laughed. “Come on, let’s play conversation.”

He crossed his arms. “Q and A.”

“Conversation.”

“Q and A.”

“Conversation,” she insisted.

His relentlessness was sweetly hilarious. “Nope, I don’t accept that term. Now, let’s begin. If you could be any other element, what would you be?”

She shrugged. In all honesty, she had never really thought about it. She loved representing loyalty, and all the other elements suited her friends perfectly well. “I don’t know. I like the one I have. Made me even more awesome than I was before, if that’s possible,” she told him smugly.

“Alright, but if you had to choose…?”

She thought hard, she really did. But she could never be honest like AJ, too playful, she would never have the patience of somepony as kind as Fluttershy, and she, while not greedy, had never been as giving and generous as Rarity. As for Laughter? Sure, she was funny, and she enjoyed making ponies laugh and smile, but not on the same level as Pinkie did. Pinkie Pie lived for it, she was the bubbly, happy-go-lucky sweetheart of a party girl who wanted to make other ponies happy. And absolutely nopony could take the element of Magic from Twilight. It suited the princess perfectly.

“I can’t.”

He eyed her up and down at her answer, before nodding his head in understanding. “I suppose it would feel wrong, right? When you all represent your own so well?” Those emeralds flickered in the light.

A content smile spread over Dash’s face. Even though he had asked the question, he still got her hesitancy for answering. “Exactly right, Clip,” she said, a soft note coating her voice.

He too smiled softly and brushed his mane back with a hoof. Was his natural or styled? It seemed to be natural, but she also seemed to always get up later than him, so she was never exactly sure. “My turn. Is your mane… real?”

Soarin snorted and scoffed at the same time. “I know I’m older than you but I’m not thatold,” he protested teasingly.

She shrugged and smirked. “Whatever you say.” She poked him in the chest. “Answer.”

“Yes, I’m all natural,” he said with a small hair flip.

Dash chuckled at his playfulness. “Good to know.”

“And you? I’m just going to assume all colourfulness is natural as well?”

She knew he was teasing her, Dash’s hair colour looked completely natural, blending together so the hair fibres were just right. Even best of the best hairdressers couldn’t make it look like that on any pony. “You know it is.”

“Yeah yeah, just adds to your awesomeness,” he said sarcastically with a sweet roll of his eyes, then blushed.

That was weird, she thought. When they were just teasing he didn’t normally get flustered. It only really did that when a compliment slipped out of his mouth, but what he had just said didn’t sound like a compliment. Unless… She replayed his words in her head, and through the main dry note, there was a small hint of something. Sincerity, almost. Dash blinked. When did she become so observant of ponies’ tones? She was never too detail-oriented, only becoming so if it was very important to her, such as a gift for her friends or family or Tank.

She liked his compliments, always giving her a good, almost tingling feeling that started in the pit of her stomach and caused her neck to heat up. No matter how they came out, shy, confident or stuttering, they had a special way of warming her insides, especially her heart. Dash knew there was something wrong with her, and she had an idea of what it was, but absolutely refused to acknowledge it. The mere thought of falling for somepony made her so uncomfortable that she wanted to scream into a pillow right then and there, but she couldn’t do that, because Soarin was there, and if she did scream he might talk to Spitfire about kicking her off the team due to craziness. So instead, she calmed her racing thoughts and placed a satisfied grin on. “Damn straight it does,” she replied with a wink.

He sent her a smirk. “You’re your biggest fan, aren’t you?”

She waved that away. “That title goes to Scootaloo. I just like to recognize my greatness and supreme talent.”

“Thank Celestia you have it.”

After a laugh, they settled down, both of them yawning. “What’d you like to do when you were younger?”

It was a simple question, because even though they seemed to have a disturbingly good understanding of each other, she found she didn’t know a bunch of small facts. A little, but not a lot. She wanted to know, because that’s what made Soarin, well, Soarin.

He rested his head back again. “Huh, well, there was a time where I devoted all my energy to painting.”

Dash turned, listening with both ears. “Really? Were they good?”

“I thought they were, and my mom and dad told me I was.” He tapped his chin and grinned. “That’s probably because I was under five though.”

An unexpected bark of laughter came out of her. “Oh gosh! Okay, I thought you meant as a teenager or something. Maybe considering becoming a professional.”

He waved a hoof away. “Nah, I told ya on Mount Everhoot I’d wanted to be a Wonderbolt since forever.”

She tilted her head curiously. “Right.”

He nodded and continued. “After my painting phase, there was a lot of board games and races. I would ask my classmates, my parents, Spitfire… I ate a lot just to be energetic when it came to the flying bit,” he said.

Dash grinned. “I can see that,” she answered, eyes quickly scanning him.

Soarin crossed his arms. “Make fun all you want, but I am in great shape,” he finished with a nudge.

Dash laughed a little as his elbow brushed her side. Despite her and the team’s teasing about Soarin’s eating habits, he was exactly right. His smooth, excellently groomed ice blue coat came with hard, smooth muscle underneath and excellent definition. His face held a sharp jawline, and emerald eyes that were playfully youthful, but not so much so, and the dark blue mane…

“I suppose being obsessed with the gym will do that to ya, no matter how many pies you stuff in your face.”

“I do eat stuff other than apple pie,” he defended.

Dash snorted. “What? Like apples?”

He grinned at her. “Exactly.”

They both chuckled. They were kidding, obviously. Being a world class athlete meant that you couldn’t exactly pig out every day of your life, and four to six days of the week had the ‘Bolts eating on the healthier side, trying to fuel their bodies correctly to stay strong and handle the stress.

“Did you win any of the races?” she questioned.

He nodded. “Yeah. Maybe not at first, but then I started playing more sports and going for flies with my parents, and I was the best in my class. Except for Spitfire,” he added quickly. “She was always better than me.”

Dash studied him for a moment. He didn’t seem upset, but he must have felt confused, being happy for and jealous of her at the same time. “Well, you’re stronger than her.”

He snorted lightly. “That’s due to the testosterone she lacks.”

Dash shrugged. “So what? She’s a little faster. Spitfire’s fantastic, really, one of the best ‘Bolts ever. I couldn’t think of a better captain,” she started more quietly. “But you, Soarin, you’re the best too.” Dash smiled encouragingly as he watched her, a sign that he was clearly listening. “You… you try hard. Aren’t defeated so easily, and it’s cool seeing that when you two are so different. Maybe you were never the top at everything, maybe you always had to tie for first or be second, but you were the best.”

When she glanced up again, a warm smile and blush was upon his face, because so rarely did Dash give a detailed compliment like that. Her lips twitched, and she couldn’t control her face evolving into a wide smile as well. His eyes pierced her again, those deep, bright green orbs that were so exquisite she found it hard to breathe.

Instead, she looked at his smile. Big mistake. For that smile too was beautiful, a soothing, soft, and kind one that held a gentleness that seemed to calm her head and set a fire in her stomach.

She hated this feeling.

She loved this feeling.

And then, Soarin tore his eyes away. “Thank you,” he told her and looked back up. “Thank you, Rainbow Crash.” A cocky smile spread over his lips.

Dash’s lips parted, a part of her disappointed, another relieved, and another full of joy. He was just as playful as she was, maybe in a slightly different way, but who cared, because those two different kinds meshed perfectly well. “You, I actually compliment you and you thank me like it’s a joke,” she huffed, pretending to be upset.

“I’m good enough to be praised by Rainbow Crash,” he cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

“Alright Clipper, you asked for it.” She was about to place a punch on his shoulder when the sound of the locker doors opened, and hushed voices and stumbles were heard. Dash pulled her hoof away and scrambled up just as Fleetfoot, Thunderlane and Blaze all came in. Fleet’s fuchsia eyes lit up and she clumsily walked over to them. “Hey! My two favourite lovebirds! How are y’all?” she drawled as she placed her forehooves around their necks.

Rainbow blinked before sending an amused glance at Thunderlane who was cheerfully bouncing on his bed, being joined by Surprise who came to jump with the him. Dash peeled Fleetfoot’s hooves off of her and Soarin and pulled her her way. “Come on, Fleet, let’s get you into bed.”

“Me or Spitfire could do that,” Soarin offered.

Dash shook her head, ignoring the burp and giggle that made it’s way out of the turquoise mare. “Nah, I got it. Get some sleep.”

He instantly cringed as a sharp bang elicited from the corner, where Thunder had fallen off and Surprise and Blaze were laughing at him. “I’ll… take care of that instead,” he muttered and walked away.

Dash lead Fleetfoot over to her bed on the other side of the room. “Crash…” Fleetfoot mumbled.

“Yeah, Flatfoot?”

She giggled and hiccuped. “Blaze is pretty.”

Dash’s eyes widened, and she glanced over at Blaze. She bore a look similar to Spitfire, but instead had bright orange hair and wide, purple eyes. Dash probably would have been attracted to Blaze when she was experimenting with both mare and stallions, but since that had blown over, she didn’t find herself to be. “Yes, Blaze is pretty,” Dash echoed. Seeing that Fleetfoot was nestled in comfortably, Dash started to walk away, but was tapped on the back. She turned around. “What’s up, Fleet?”

Fleetfoot yawned and turned on her side. “You and Soarin would be good together,” she mumbled.

At that statement, a spark of annoyance and something else rose up in Dash. She didn’t want to be associated with anypony other than herself, but a part of her felt greatly satisfied in hearing the words too. I hate emotions.

Tucking those words away, Dash went to help Misty Fly.

takes place after S7 E4, (Rock Solid Friendship.)

im pretty sure the bear’s name is Harry...

Dash flipped and turned through the air, smiling to herself as she let her wings and body do whatever came to mind. She would never get enough of flying. As she neared her house, she slowed down and stopped on the front porch, dusting herself off with her hooves before throwing open the door and happily trotting in. “Tank! I’m home!”

Dropping her saddlebags, she zipped up to her room and sighed happily when she saw her best friend sleeping on her bed, wearing the Rainbow Dash slippers Rarity had made for him. Deciding not to wake him, Dash silently moved him to the left side of the bed and placed a blanket over him, before untucking the right side of the bed and climbing in. As she reached over to turn out the light, a note stopped her and she snatched it up.

Rainbow,

I restocked Tank’s food and water and put the dishes away. I hope you don’t mind, I just know how busy you are. I hope you had a good practice today.

Fluttershy

Dash smiled gratefully. Thank Celestia for Fluttershy and her caring ways. She would have to remember to thank her to tomorrow, and was happy she made the decision to fly home late. As much as she loved spending time with the Wonderbolts, who were like her second family, she couldn’t deny that she loved staying in her bed with Tank way more. After all, this was home.

Dash groaned quietly, hastily rubbing her eyes and sitting up. Tank was busy tapping her bedside table repeatedly, trying to get her attention. And why wouldn’t he? Dash had woken up late. It was nine thirty, and she was supposed to be up at eight to do one of her casual weather shifts. She tried to help out as much as she could, her loyalty to her town still there as much as ever. However, being a ‘Bolt, she technically wasn’t required to clear the sky anymore, and wouldn’t be in any huge trouble.

“Sorry, sorry,” she mumbled, climbing out of bed and grabbing a bag of food and a pitcher of water, pouring the contents into his bowl. As soon as she put them back, she quickly checked out the window to make sure nopony was watching her before giving Tank a kiss on the head and an affectionate nuzzle, which he happily returned, giving her a small lick on her cheek, making Dash flush slightly in embarrassment. “I love you, bud,” she said and patted him one last time. “I’ll be back. Your toy’s under my bed.”

Zig-zagging through the cloudless periwinkle sky, Dash made her over to Fluttershy’s cottage on the edge of Ponyville. Even though it wasn’t her thing, she had to admit there was something peaceful and tranquil about Fluttershy’s home, with the green grass and pretty trees, and the mostly sweet animals. Fluttershy’s own personal pet was an exception, as the cute, innocent looking Angel was anything but sweet and innocent, instead playful, demanding, and sneaky. Needless to say, him and Dash weren’t exactly on the best of terms, but had agreed by Dash’s command to put aside their annoyances for Fluttershy.

Glancing down around the property, Dash couldn’t spot her friend from above, and flew down to knock on her door. A muffled voice and a crash later, the wooden door opened, revealing Fluttershy looking slightly frazzled, blue-green eyes wide and some hair out of place. Her face relaxed upon seeing who it was. “Hello Rainbow Dash.”

Dash smiled warmly. “Hey Flutters,” she greeted. “I just stopped in to say—” She stopped her sentence when another crash echoed through the cottage. “What’s that noise?”

A pale pink blush dusted Fluttershy’s cheeks. “Angel’s upset because I sided with Constance over a little issue this morning,” she said softly. “I’m trying to be... more stern with him.”

Dash’s lips quirked up in pride and amusement, relieved Fluttershy wasn’t letting Angel get away with being disrespectful. “Ah well, he won’t stay mad at you for long… Anyways, I’m sure you’re busy. I actually just came to say thanks for what you did yesterday, you didn’t need to do that.”

Fluttershy gave her a soft, sweet smile. “I’m happy to anytime, we all adore Tank, he’s such a sweetheart.”

Dash chuckled, kicking a rock near her hoof. “Yeah, I guess he is.”

Instead of the soft smile that had occupied her face mere seconds ago, Fluttershy’s muzzle now held a frown and a confused lift of her eyebrow. “Um, did you hear that?”

Dash tilted her head, letting her ears perk up more to try and pick up on the sound. It sounded like a roaring sound, muffled, but clear enough. “The only thing that would be roaring is…”

Fluttershy opened her wings. “Did somepony provoke Harry?”

Dash copied her actions, already in the air. “C’mon, let’s go see.”

Fluttershy nodded and shot off at a rather fast pace that she hardly ever did, Dash right on her hooves. However, the yellow mare stopped short upon reaching her backyard, causing Dash to almost crash right into her. “Fluttershy, why’d you… Oh my gosh…”

She followed Fluttershy’s gaze upwards, and saw none other than Soarin standing on a cloud, staring down at the huge brown bear with a confused, baffled, terrified expression on his face. “Clipper!”

Fluttershy jumped a little, before shoving some hair out of her face and flying straight for the bear. “Stop it! There’s no need to be upset!” she uncharacteristically shouted.

Harry stopped and turned to her, grunting a little.

Seeing that he wasn’t about to go on a rampage anymore, Dash tore her eyes away and made her way up to the cloud. “Hey…”

Soarin glanced at her. “Hey, Dash,” he greeted, slightly absentmindedly.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked, trying to figure him out.

Finally, he pointed towards the ground. “A bear was mad at me and now he’s hugging Fluttershy...”

“Yeah, and? That’s kind of her thing!” Dash exclaimed, looking at the bear happily nuzzling Fluttershy like she was a baby.

He nodded and she felt his wingtip brush her side. “You didn’t tell me she was friends with bears!”

Dash chuckled. “This is the pony who softened a manticore, tamed a dragon, stopped some evil chicken, became a vampire bat, and holds a very close friendship with the lord of chaos. Don’t seem so surprised.”

Almost if noticing their looks, Fluttershy tore away gently from the bear’s side and flew up to meet them, a shy smile on her face. “Hello, Soarin.”

He gave a slight tip of his head. “Hi Fluttershy, how are you?”

“I’m well, sorry about before…” Her voice trailed off. “He can get a little protective when it comes to newcomers.”

He waved her away and gave her a little smile. “It’s no problem. I guess I shouldn’t have been practicing near here, it’s just a lot more quiet and calm.”

Fluttershy nodded. “That’s one of the reasons I like it here so much.” She smiled down at the animals running around. “But it’s mainly for them,” she added.

Dash felt slightly awkward being there while the two talked, so gathering up her will power, she prepared to take her leave. “Well, maybe I should—”

A sudden loud bang erupted from inside, followed by a crash and more bangs. Fluttershy winced. “Oh no,” she muttered.

“What is it?” Soarin asked, looking between the two.

“Angel’s upset,” Dash explained. “He can be…” She had the words, but was not going to use them in front of his owner, for as much grief as he caused Fluttershy, they both loved each other dearly.

“Difficult,” ‘Shy mumbled. “I better go deal with this.” She began to fly away, but Dash stopped her.

“Wait, Flutters, I can help,” she offered. “It’s no problem.”

Fluttershy glanced at the ground, considering it, before giving her head a firm shake. “I don’t know if that’s the best, Rainbow…”

Dash deflated a little. “Why not? With me there, surely it’ll be easier,” she protested.

Still, Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s probably better if you don’t help… Angel and you don’t exactly get along…”

Soarin stared amusedly at Dash while she chuckled awkwardly. “Right… well, good luck.”

“Thank you. Goodbye, Dashie. It was um… nice to see you again, Soarin.”

Soarin nodded. “You too.”

“Bye,” Dash called, watching her friend take off before letting a loud sigh escape her lips.

“So… you don’t get along with a bunny?” he said, half stating, half questioning.

Dash rolled her eyes and started to fly away, giving a quick wave of he hoof, telling him to follow. “You haven’t met Angel. He’s demanding and picky.”

“A bunny?”

Dash laughed a little at his disbelief. “Yes, a bunny. Fucking mischevious,” she muttered.

Her stomach lurched when he nudged her with his hoof. “Sounds like somepony I know.”

She gave a shove and smirked, satisfied that he toppled somewhat. “What are you doing here anyways?”

“Practicing some stuff Spit and I have been working on,” he answered.

“Care to show?” she asked hopefully, flying closer and peering at him, clearly eager.

Soarin smiled. “Sorry, Crash. Confidential stuff for the top guys,” he joked, flexing his arm and showing his rather exquisitely toned arm muscle.

“Hey, who was on the top of ‘most popular Wonderbolts within a month’ list?”

He had the perfect comeback for that. “Who made it to second-in-command after being on the team for two weeks?” he shot back, just playing around and not actually bragging about his accomplishments.

She smiled to herself. Once again, Soarin seemed to match her in ability (except speed) and top her in rank. And while he was less vocal about it, he was proud just the same. He was probably one of the most impressive stallions she had met, no, ponies.

All the ‘Bolts were successful, but to be as popular and as well regarded as Soarin and still have a heart of gold? He was the whole package. And as soon as she thought that, she cursed in her head and blushed.

“Yeah, yeah,” she murmured, looking at him. “So do you usually come here to practice?”

“Only recently. I used to do it when the cloudaseum was empty, but honestly? I like it here more,” he explained.

“Even if you end up with a bear screaming bloody murder at you?” She smirked.

He shrugged. “I’ve faced death a couple times, I can handle a bear,” he said confidently.

“I think you would have died if Fluttershy hadn’t calmed him down.”

“You were there too. You’re always there when my life is in peril,” he noted thoughtfully.

She shrugged, a pleased smile taking place. “Except for the time when you were blasted out of a canon.”

His eyes widened at that, left ear twitching. “Right. You think Twilight could cast a spell to make me forget that ever happened?”

Dash giggled. “If she did that I would remind you every day for the rest of your life. It would be the last thing that you’d remember before you died.”

“Next time I have a near death experience, don’t show up please,” he muttered so seriously that if she hadn’t known him better, she would think that he actually wanted to die.

“I’ll show up and save you every time you almost die, Soarin,” she laughed.

He glanced at her, eyebrows raised, a serene look in his eyes. “Yeah?”

She nodded simply, trying to ignore the fact that she had said something kinda sappy. “Duh.”

“Good to know,” he whispered to himself.

“But,” she added, “You will be left to die if you happen to have one of those experiences during my naps.”

“So basically you’ll never save me again,” he quipped with a coy smile.

Dash turned. He really could be a cocky little thing when he wanted. “Shut up,” she told him, giving him a shove.

He did as he was told.

What she had said about saving him was true. If he needed her to save him, she’d be there as quick as she could, but what wasn’t true about her earlier statement was that she would be there even if she was napping. She would do practically anything for her friends.

“So whatcha doing today?” Soarin asked her.

Dash paused midair. She really didn’t have anything to do, no schedules or plans to hang out with her friends except stop by and see Pinkie Pie. The thought to stay at HQ and hang out with the team had interested her, but she found herself missing Ponyville and Tank, so she had flown back home. But now Soarin was here, and that gave her another reason to chill at all her favourite places. “What are you doing today?”

In this case, asking if he had any plans was the better way to not embarrass herself. Dash wasn’t known for taking the safe way, but she found it the best way to keep her dignity high.

“Nothing,” was his reply. “Why?”

Feeling excited and confident again, Dash flashed him an eager grin. “Then you’re coming with me! I’ll show you around.”

Her excitement increased when he matched her smile. “Sure! I mean, I’ve been here before, but you know all the best spots, the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the—” He stopped when he noticed Dash looking at him with a blank expression.

“Right,” she agreed quietly and smirked. How could someone be so hardcore and a total goofball at the same time? Only Soarin.

“Never mind. Where to next, Miss Tour Guide?”

Dash scoffed. “Call me that again and you’ll lose your tour guide.”

She heard him chuckle as they flew side by side. “Okay, Dash.” He said it calmly with a small hint of amusement and care in his voice. The way he said it soothed her soul and brought a warm, pleasant feeling.

Glancing down from below, Dash decided to start with Sugarcube Corner, since Pinkie had asked her to come by and she was getting a little hungry anyways. “Down there.” She pointed to the bakery that had ponies coming in and out of it.

Soarin followed her eyes and nodded, following her down.

Upon landing, wide, excited eyes glanced in their direction. She was a member of Ponyville, so Dash knew she wasn’t the reason for their stares. It was Soarin that had their attention. He kept a cool face and just smiled and waved, keeping close to Dash’s side. However, when he wasn’t looking, Dash inched away from him just a tiny bit, afterall, Rarity’s accusation still bugged her.

Just when they were about to get in, Dash felt a tap on her shoulder and craned her neck. “Oh, uh, hey Daisy,” she greeted. She didn’t know the flower girl very well, but she seemed nice and fairly normal, besides the fact that she usually fainted over plants. “What’s up?”

Daisy smiled excitedly, eyes flitting between Soarin and Dash. “Are you two,” she leaned in closer as if they were friends sharing juicy gossip. “Like, a thing?”

Every sense in Dash’s body instantly became alert, her neck and cheeks feeling hot. “What?!” she asked, not even able to process properly.

Soarin too turned red, but kept his composure much better than Dash did. “No, we aren’t a couple.”

Dash flushed even more, from anger and embarrassment and from the fact that another pony had just made the assumption they liked each other. Was it impossible for a girl and a guy to just be friends? “Please don’t ask that again,” Dash said shortly. She turned to Soarin. “I’ll, uh, meet you inside when you’re done with all your adoring fans.” She resisted the urge to wink as she moved past him into Sugarcube Corner, relieved to see Pinkie and the Cakes there.

“Hey Pinkie Pie!”

At the sound of her name, Pinkie turned around, an instant smile lighting up her whole face. “Hi Rainbow Dash! You came! How are you? How was practice? How was—” She stopped talking and peered out the window, tilting her head curiously at the crowd. Instead of leaving it alone, she bounced up to the door and poked her head outside. “Ooh! A Wonderbolt customer!” With her hooves and a piece of her curls, she tugged Soarin inside and placed him next to Dash. “Hiya! How you doing today, Mr. Soarin? Can I get anything for you?” she asked enthusiastically, brimming with normal Pinkie energy.

Dash chuckled at her friend’s inquiry and turned to Soarin, who had nothing but a relieved look on his face. “Um… thanks for doing whatever you did,” he told Pinkie sheepishly. Dash just figured he was confused, after all, Pinkie took some time to get used to.

“No problem,” Pinkie Pie chirped, eyes flitting around. “Ooh! It’s my lunch break! Wanna go have something upstairs before I get back to work?” she asked, checking her watch.

Dash felt a roll of relief pass through her, and for once was thankful to not have to be the centre of attention. “That sounds great,” she replied. “You up for that Soar?”

“Upstairs?” he repeated.

“It’s where Pinkie lives,” Dash explained. “Guess it’s easier, especially now that she babysits for Pound and Pumpkin.”

“Whatcha waiting for Dashie? Come on!” Pinkie exclaimed, grabbing her hoof and tugging her along.

Dash chuckled and complied, trotting up the stairs with a bounce in her step, feeling the light breeze Soarin’s wings created as he flew behind them. Soarin stared around the brightly decorated room as Pinkie pulled up a table and three chairs. “What can I get for ya?”

Dash shrugged. “Sandwich I guess.”

Pinkie leaned forward. “What kind?” Taking a deep breath, she started a list. “PB and J, egg salad, chicken salad, BLT, veggie, my very own fruit goodness, a chimmy cherry sandwich, ooh! A peanut butter chocolate one, a birthday cake, a—”

Dash raised a hoof. “Chicken salad’s fine,” she chuckled.

“Sure! And for you, Soarin?” Pinkie asked, wide eyed. Then she blinked. “Uh, Soarin?”

Dash also looked around, but instead of not seeing him, he was right by the window looking uncomfortable.

“Clipper,” Dash said. “Are you okay?”

Soarin glanced around nervously and scuffed the ground with his hoof, then mumbled something incoherent.

Well, to Dash it was incoherent.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Oh, Gummy’s harmless!” She bounced over and opened his mouth slightly. “See? No teeth.”

Dash saw him try to relax, but she could tell it did little to ease his mind. A part of her got it, Gummy’s… silent, calm and stoic ways and the fact that he just stared straight ahead most of the time while occasionally biting you was a little unsettling, and even Dash had been wary of him at first. But she grew to accept and like him, seeing how much Pinkie clearly loved him. “So that’s why he’s called Gummy?” Soarin asked, a calmer smile finally starting to take place.

Pinkie tilted her head. “What?”

“Isn’t he called Gummy cause he has no teeth?” Soarin asked.

Pinkie went blank for a moment before shrugging. “Huh, never thought of it that way. I just liked the sound of it.”

Instead of forming a weirded out face, Soarin grinned. “Cool. And I’ll have the same as Dash, by the way, thanks.”

“No problem! I’ll be back in a jiffy!” And with that, she happily bounced out, tucking her notebook in her hair.

As soon as she was gone, Dash waited until Soarin was seated before asking questions.

“Before you ask, I don’t like… alligators,” he admitted half heartedly, then turned to glance at Gummy. “No offence.”

Gummy blinked.

“Aww, you’re scared!” Dash exclaimed, a sly smile in her face.

He flushed in embarrassment, his pupils dilated as he looked at her. Cute. “No, I-I- just don’t like them,” he defended.

Dash only laughed, furthering his blush. “It’s all good, Soarin. You gotta be scared of something.”

He rose his brows and leaned closer. “So what’s your secret fear then?”

Failure, rejection, being made fun of Dash shrugged. “Nothing, really. Although one time I had this really awful nightmare when the Tantabus came around.” She recalled it with a shudder.

“The what?”

“Tantabus,” she repeated. “Princess Luna created it to punish herself for when she was Nightmare Moon, it infected all of our dreams starting with my friends and then all of Ponyville.”

“Cool, kinda, not really,” Soarin muttered. “All of Ponyville, huh? So what, like a connected dream or something?”

Dash nodded. “Exactly, but before that happened, it was just us and—”

“And we all had these really, really scary nightmares that involved an octopus looking thing and turned into our worst fears!” Pinkie finished, setting the sandwiches down and joining them. “I was just hopping from one city to the next when boom! A giant ice cream cone appeared and I ate it with all of Ponyville. Actually, that’s how Luna ended up having to create a super big dream in the first place. My bad,” she giggled and took a large bite of her fruit sandwich.

Dash cleared her throat. “Anyways, yeah. In my scary-ass dream there was singing, smiley flowers playing the flute.”

“That’s not that…” Soarin paused and thought about it some more. “Actually, yeah, no. I’d be weirded out too.” His eyes flitted between the two mares, but Dash caught the extra seconds his eyes stayed on her. “Interesting things happen to you guys.” Soarin took a bite of his sandwich and a smile that Dash rather liked appeared. “This is really good.” He took a few more bites. “Like, really good. You should’ve told me sooner, Dash, I totally would’ve made the trip down here more often.”

Something about Soarin coming to Ponyville more really entranced Dash. “You say that about everything that isn’t from the mess hall,” she joked. “I don’t know if you have that much of a standard when it comes to food, Clip.”

He shot her an evil smile, a playful glint glimmering in his eyes as well.

Dash matched it.

It was a silent staring contest for about twenty seconds before Pinkie let out an excited breath. “Sooo, whatcha guys doing down here?” Pinkie leaned forward on her hooves, eyes wide as if she was a journalist.

“I went to Fluttershy’s house and her bear almost attacked Soarin.”

Soarin rolled his eyes. “I was just practicing,” he defended. “But yeah, thank god I have wings cause if it wasn’t for them I’d probably be… dead.”

Dash nodded with a grin. “Then since him and I had nothing else to do, I thought I’d give him the grand tour of Ponyville,” she finished.

“Wish I’d made time to come here sooner, it’s a really nice place,” Soarin commented. “And the sandwich is really good.”

“Ohhh.” Pinkie nodded understandingly. “So this wasn’t a date or anything.”

Dash’s eyes widened and she was relieved to see that Soarin too had a blush on his face. “No, it wasn’t a date,” she mumbled.

Pinkie’s blue eyes shifted in between them before she finally just shrugged. “Okay.”

“Sorry about Pinkie Pie.”

Soarin frowned. “Why?”

Dash shrugged. “She’s a good pony, really, she’s just very hyper and a little nosy,” she admitted. “But not as nosy as Rarity and she means well—“

She quieted as Soarin raised his hoof, a sheepish smile on his face. “It’s okay, Crash,” he chuckled. “I like your friends, honestly. And come on, we have a pretty close replica of her back at Headquarters.”

Her heartbeat calmed. For some reason, she really wanted Soarin to like her friends and for them to get along. There was no ill-will, but she knew Pinkie could be a lot to handle. “Yeah, but no one’s quite like Pinkie Pie,” she said fondly. Pinkie was her best friend, her pranking buddy, another thrill seeker. Maybe not on the same level as Dash, but they could be similar at moments.

“True, Surprise doesn’t have a toothless alligator.”

“Gummy’s a rare breed.” She smiled. “Come on, let’s go to the lake.”

“So, what made you move to Ponyville?” Soarin asked as they floated leisurely on the water.

Dash thought about it. She loved living in Cloudsdale, so what made her leave as soon as she possibly could? “Honestly, I’m not exactly sure,” she replied. “I love Cloudsdale. Maybe I was just bored. Wanted to be on my own. Live in a place without my family.”

“Do you not get along or something?” he asked, using his wings to propel him further.

Nope, just too supportive. “Nothing like that, we’re close.” She bit her lip. “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted something new.”

“And then more ponies could see your awesomeness,” he mused playfully.

Dash giggled. “There you go. You know me so well.” The way she said it sounded a little sarcastic, but she turned to him and softened her smile gently, letting him know she meant it.

Soarin shrugged. “I don’t know you as well as your friends do.”

“Maybe not,” she admitted, “but you seem to…” She looked away as she said it, “get me, or something. Like you get why I love flying so much. They support me of course, they’re proud, but they don’t get it.” She put emphasis on the word to get her point across.

“It was the same with some of my family,” he confessed. “But I didn’t care.”

Dash turned, watching the way his mane blew in the slight breeze. It didn’t matter how many times she looked at him— Dash found him devilishly handsome every time. “Too far gone, huh?”

He sent her a sheepish grin. “What can I say? Flying is…”

Dash scanned the sky. “Freedom,” she finished softly.

He couldn’t have said it better. “Yeah,” he agreed.

They looked at each other and beamed happily.

“So… Wanna play more conversation from the other night?” she asked, eager to get rid of the fuzzy warm feeling rising up in her chest.

He crossed his arm and gave a couple clicks of his tongue. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Crash.”

Dash frowned. Did he really not remember the laughs and games they had shared? She remembered it so clearly. Why couldn’t he? She wasn’t an unforgettable pony at all. “Don’t you remember the Battlecloud and the two truths and a lie and the Q and A and then our drunk teammates filing in?” she rambled.

One of the sides of his mouth quirked up.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” she asked, licking her lips self consciously, only to grow more self conscious when the rings of green around Soarin’s beautiful eyes grew smaller and was overtaken by the black of his pupils.

“Nothing. Just… what did you call all the games we played?” he asked, smiling innocently enough so she wouldn’t get annoyed.

She rolled her eyes to avoid seeming like she actually fell for the look. “Battlecloud, two truths and a lie, Q and A…”

Dash ran over the instructions in her head, only to turn to him a second later, trying to stifle a short, loud laugh. “Soarin,” she said slowly, all smiles. “Do you mean... a conversation?”

Her commander’s ears perked up, a pink tint colouring his nose. “No! I mean Q and A,” he said defensively, avoiding eye contact.

“Soarin, Soarin, Soarin,” she muttered in fake exasperation, shaking her head while tilting it down to hide the smile that was in the making. Finally, she managed a small, more controlled one that didn’t show how much she found him charming. “Would you like to play Q and A?”

He chuckled. “Sure, let’s—”

“Rainbow Dash, darling!”

Dash turned her head at the higher pitched, trans-Atlantic accent, seeing Rarity, Twilight and Spike head over to them.

She waved. “Hey guys!”

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Spike hurried over while Rarity and Twilight took their time. “They keep talking about Rarity’s schedule and it’s so—” He paused and turned to Soarin. “Oh, uh, hey Soarin,” he greeted, smiling almost shyly. “Good show on Thursday.”

Soarin grinned. “Thanks Spike. It was really all Crash here though.”

“What was all Crash?” Twilight asked, her and Rarity reaching them.

Soarin smirked. “The success of our Ponyville show.”

Dash’s cheeks tinted pink with pride as they all looked at her with smiling faces.

“Well we wouldn’t expect anything less from our favourite flyer,” Rarity complimented. “I wish I could have been there, I would have loved to see the sonic rainboom again. It’s absolutely dazzling every time you do it, Dashie!” she finished with a wide grin.

“I agree,” Twilight said. “Guess you really are the best flyer in Equestria, huh?”

In the presence of her second-in-command and as a close friend of the captain and third-in-command of the Wonderbolts, Dash attempted to downplay her success and talent in order to not sound stuck up. Well, she only downplayed a little.

“Aw, guess so, heh. You were good too, Soar.” She smirked, feeling a little more daring. “Not as good as me, but still,” she finished with a quick wink, hopping out of the water.

Rarity and Twilight looked at each other and giggled, and remembering the accusations from Rarity last year, Dash tucked her playful side towards Soarin away, sensing him near her as they both quickly dried off on the ground. “So how was Canterlot, Rare?” Dash asked her.

Rarity waved a hoof, giggling to herself. “Oh, fine fine. Fancypants and Fleur showed me the absolutely most divine little buildings. I get so many ideas for a new line,” she exclaimed excitedly. She started to rant about her plans for her designs, Twilight listening while Dash… tried.

She was immensely grateful and horrified when Soarin tapped her side and leaned in closer, whispering, “Should I leave so you guys can hang out?”

She suppressed the slight shiver that rippled through her when his breath lightly fanned her cheek. “No, of course not.” She smiled. “I’m not gonna just leave ya.”

“I don’t mind, Crash,” he insisted.

She paused. “Do you want to leave?”

The intensity of her stare caused him to look away. “No…”

Twilight stepped forward, just as welcoming and friendly as always. “Well, then you shouldn’t have to,” she said. “We were going to pick up something to eat and have a picnic near the castle, if you wanted to join us?” she offered.

The idea of Soarin and her friends getting to know each other and become more familiar instantly excited her and made her nervous. As Pinkie would say, nervicited.

Soarin glanced over all of them, before dipping his head. “Thanks, Princess Twilight, I would love to.”

The three mares all immediately giggled at his sudden formality, and once they settled down, Twilight scoffed in a way that Rarity would surely approve of. “You really don’t need to call me that.”

“I’m not one of your friends, though,” he pointed out.

The princess shrugged. “You’re Rainbow’s friend, which is good enough for me.”

Dash felt her happiness rise as Soarin was so easily accepted in. Not that he wouldn’t be, but knowing he would get along with all of them had her feeling good all the same, and the extra bit of high she felt when Soarin’ smile lit his entire face up was there as well.

“Great, so, where we going?” Dash asked. “Hayfields?”

“Sugarcube Corner,” Spike answered
.
“Pinkie Pie’s joining us?” Soarin asked, trotting in between Dash and Twilight.

“Actually, she had something else to do, but insisted on making us dinner and dessert before she left,” Twilight explained.

Dash peeked over Soarin. “Where’s she going?” If Pinkie wasn’t at Sugarcube Corner, she was usually with her friends.

“Visiting Maud or Cheese Sandwich. Probably both…”

“The guy who planned your birthday party despite Pinkie Pie wanting to do it and then they had a contest and solved their problems and threw you one together?” Soarin rushed out.

Dash opened her mouth to reply, but Rarity beat her as a small smirk appeared on her face. “My, you and Rainbow Dash talk a lot, don’t you?”

Dash retained herself from hoofpalming and looked away. She still knew what Rarity was insinuating, and did not appreciate it all. It also didn’t help that Soarin looked a little flushed as well. “We’re friends Rarity, so yeah, we talk,” Dash drawled out. “It’s a normal thing friends do.”

Twilight and Spike giggled a little, while Soarin just plastered on an uncomfortable smile and chuckled awkwardly. Rarity bit back a grimace at the fact that Dash had succeeded in making her sound ridiculous, but being the lady she was, simply smiled and nodded her head curtly. “Let’s get going now, shall we?”

Spike nodded his head excessively. “Absolutely, I’m starving!”

“You just ate,” Twilight pointed out.

The dragon simply shrugged. “I’m a growing dragon, Twilight.”

“True enough.”

Dash rolled her eyes and flew into the air above her friends. “Come on! Last one there has to pay!” she yelled, shooting forward.

She heard Soarin’s gleeful laugh and the sound of Spike telling Twilight to start flying.

“Right behind you, Crash!”

“That was really good,” Soarin yawned, turning and smiling lazily at Dash.

She nodded in agreement. “Especially the lasagna…”

“Don’t tell Spitfire… we were supposed to be training extra for the upcoming shows,” he warned.

Dash chuckled at their “rebellious” stunt. Spitfire wasn’t one to train on restriction, but nonetheless, athletes required lots of good nutrition for strength training and practices, and was especially important during times when they were going harder than usual. “You leave pie crumbs all over your office, Soarin,” she deadpanned. “I don’t think Spitfire is fooled.”

He stuck his tongue out at her. “For your information, I haven’t eaten a pie in four days.”

Dash snorted and clapped her hooves together sarcastically. “Real impressive, Clipper. That a new record or something?”

She waited a few moments for an answer, scanning the skies as she did so, but when he didn’t reply, she finally turned to face him and saw him with an evil smirk on his face. “Better start flying, Crash,” he said, giving her a headstart.

She grinned wickedly, up for the challenge, and zipped away.

The breeze rippled through her mane as she glided freely through the sun setting sky. A smile was brought to her face as she could hear Soarin yelling teasing words at her, but was not close enough to actually decipher them. She pushed her wings harder, tears starting to form near her eyes from the exhilaration of their chase, heart beating and heavy breathing accompanying her.

There was no harm in stopping, she supposed, another plan was already forming in her head anyways. She slowed the fast rhythm of her wings and spun around, watching Soarin get closer to her. He was slightly slower, but he stayed the same pace, never getting tired. “I’m gonna get you, Crash!”

She laughed. “Not likely.” After sticking her tongue out one more time, Dash skyrocketed straight up, the thrill of the sudden speed surrounding her.

She heard Soarin’s cute laugh as he easily followed up, shooting straight towards her.

Managing to peek her eyes open, Dash made a sharp turn left and started barrel rolling towards a cloud, letting her body straighten out as she touched down on the fluffy white gas. She heard the whooshing sounds of Soarin’s wings seconds later, and jumped out of the way as he landed beside her.

“Okay, I didn’t get you,” he admitted, offering a crooked smile. He reached out and bumped his hoof on her shoulder. “But I tagged you.”

Dash returned his smile, a simple lightheartedness rose up in bubbles inside her chest. Just his smile made her feel like she was euphorically high. “Not the same thing.”

He shrugged and plopped down on the cloud, motioning for her to join him. “So, what were we doing right before we met up with Rarity and Twilight?”

Dash grinned. “Q and A? You really enjoy this game, huh, Clipper?”

“Obviously, it’s fun.”

Feeling an urge to tease that she couldn’t deny, Dash went with it. “Ya know, if you just wanna talk to me, say so.”

He eyed her with amusement. “I was just trying to ask what you wanted to do in the first place. You’re the one who asked me to play.”

“Because we never finished it from the other night!” she exclaimed, trying not to blush. Truth was, she enjoyed the “game” just as much as he did. “It was you who wanted to play it first.”

“Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn,” he mused quietly.

Dash watched him and promptly gave him a shove. “Let’s get this started. Were my friends annoying you?”

His eyes creased in confusion. “No, why would they?”

“Well… you seemed a little…” She bit her lip, trying to find a word.

“Awkward? Shy? Uncomfortable?” he listed.

She confirmed it with a nod.

He chuckled a little, looking down. “I guess I don’t know them too well, but they’re definitely interesting. And cool.” He turned to her with a sudden smirk and poked her arm. “Maybe not as cool as you, though.”

Dash’s heart fluttered a bit, and she grinned uncontrollably. “Glad you’re not going crazy.”

“You’d kick my ass if I did,” he shot back. “And I don’t want to know what an ass kicking is like from the great Rainbow Dash.”

She scoffed. “Now you’re just teasing me.” She sort of liked it.

He unconsciously moved closer to her. “Yeah, ‘cause it’s fun.”

Since they were alone, Dash welcomed him into her space bubble. “You know, I’m sure if you become a lunatic, Spitfire and Fleetfoot would kick your ass too,” she told him thoughtfully. The three’s friendship was a popular and special one, weaved together since childhood.

Instead of agreeing, Soarin kind of just shrugged. “I guess so.”

She frowned. “What do you mean ‘you guess so’? They’re your best friends!” She couldn’t imagine her friends not kicking her ass in a nice way.

“They would, just… not right away. I dunno, I guess our relationship’s a little different.”

Dash made herself a little more comfortable. “Okay, if you don’t mind… do you wanna play an honest Q and A? With me asking the questions?” Some nerves in her made this a little more difficult question to ask, but she wanted to listen and see if she could help him. After all, that was what friends did.

He smiled that sweet smile that she had grown quite fond of. “I want to play.”

She knew what his eyes were saying. I want to open up to you. Dash liked that.

“First of all, what do you mean your relationship’s a little different?”

Soarin rolled his neck a couple times, and Dash’s eyes floated towards the tendons in his shoulders that were being flexed. Celestia did he look good. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s not that we have problems talking or that we aren’t close,” he said. “It just takes more time for them to be... I don’t know…” He stopped talking to try and find the right word.

It seemed apparent after a minute that he was having trouble, so Dash decided to help him out a bit. “Uh, understanding? Getting it? Be sympathetic? Empathetic? Listen?” she asked.

He bit his lip and nodded. “Kind of yeah, it’s like that. They don’t always get it or think it’s not a big deal. Not all the time, but it still happens.”

“Huh,” she muttered. “I’m not trying to defend them, but I guess they are kinda busy.”

“Nah, I know. And Spitfire and I come from different… households. I had a good family. She… didn’t.”

It was obviously private, and something that should come from Spitfire, so Dash didn’t question it. “Yeah, I had a good family too, so I guess I don’t know how it feels.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I mean, we were there for her, but it’s not the same as actually experiencing it.”

“Exactly. I watched Fluttershy get bullied lots but I never knew how it really felt… I mean, I’ve been made fun of, I guess, but not like that.” She glanced up at him.“Sorry, I know that’s not the same thing as Spit’s situation.”

He shook his head. “No, but I guess we were the ones who had to watch it happen again and again… I… kind of wish I had done more,” he said wistfully.

Dash’s heart softened. His struggle was real, seeing somepony he cared about getting hurt again and again, not able to do anything. It made her sure that Spitfire and Soarin’s friendship was something he didn’t want to ruin, something that had her admiring him even more, something that made her wonder… despite all their protests, was their relationship completely just platonic?

She knew Wave liked Spitfire, and she liked him, but what if Soarin liked Spit? It made sense, they’d known each other since forever, knew the other inside and out. Spitfire was great, she deserved someone like Soarin. But Dash didn’t want her to have him. So she prayed he didn’t like her, and when she went to question it, she didn’t have the heart to ask. It was personal, and she didn’t want the unwanted disappointment that could possibly come with finding out if it was true. “Hey, you were her friend. You listened, you and your parents took care of her when she needed it. You were a kid, Soar, it’s okay. You did what you could,” she said, even surprising herself with the gentleness of her voice.

His lids lowered for a minute, brows knitted together as he let out a slow, deep breath. “I guess.”

Pessimistic, hard on himself, caring. Empathy wasn’t one of Rainbow Dash’s main traits, but right now, she felt it strongly. “Soarin,” she murmured, placing a hoof on his side. “Look at me.”

He obeyed, and both their eyes widened considerably at how close their faces were to each other’s. Dash swallowed awkwardly, but was unable to look away from those luminous emeralds that pierced her soul every damn time.

Not able to take his gaze any longer, she made the mistake of looking at his mouth instead, those soft lips calling out to her. How long had it been since she had kissed somepony? She couldn’t remember. Dash peeled her eyes away from his mouth, deciding it was better just to look at his own eyes. Her heart sped faster at the look, the achingly gentle look, he was giving her. “Dash,” he murmured.

Something like tears stung her eyes as the wild emotions enwrapping her in a perfectly-warm-yet-too-warm blanket threatened to tumble out. She knew this feeling, but had never felt it with such a passion before. And after what? Their friendship whee they hung out? Nothing absolutely life-changing had happened between them, well, except for the times she saved him and the one time he saved her and how he always checked up on her and welcomed her to part of the team like it was the easiest thing in the world, how he just talked and laughed with her and made her feel so wonderfully special and looked up to, but was still not afraid to be himself in front of her.

“Dash,” he repeated, voice a little louder this time.

She backed away slightly, blushing to no avail. “Sorry,” she chuckled, grateful she was able to keep her voice cool. “You could probably hypnotize ponies with your eyes,” she joked, eager to get them back to normal.

He grinned. “That should have been my career, huh? A professional hypnotist?”

“Yeah! Screw being a Wonderbolt,” she giggled.

He shook his head in mock exasperation. “I know, why do that when I could have been a supposed hippie who everypony thought was crazy or wanted advice from.”

“We all make mistakes, it’s a shame you didn’t realize your true calling,” she sighed, biting her lip to keep from bursting into laughter.

“Yes, a great tragedy,” he added sarcastically.

They both chuckled, and once they settled down, she decided to ask. “So, do you have a word yet? For Spitfire and you and Fleetfoot?”

He sucked in, thinking, but even then, he couldn’t seem to come up with anything. “Not really,” he admitted. He let his eyes wonder back over to her face, “Usually I have to explain things to them. You, Dash, you usually just get it right away.”

That small hint of softness was in his voice was there again.

And despite her heart telling her to go with it, something got in her way. “Yeah, guess we’re pretty... easy.”

He went along with it, something she was disappointed by and grateful for at the same time. “Yeah.”

He looked out and touched her arm. “The sun’s setting.”

Dash looked out, smiling when she saw the beautiful blend of orange and pinks and golds. Her eyes shifted downwards. “And the moon’s rising.” She pointed to the other side, a series of blues slowly making their way out.

“Huh, it’s really beautiful…” his voice trailed off, and Dash could feel his eyes on her, but she was too awed by the beauty of the sky to look back.

“I don’t want to move,” she mumbled. “It’s so cool out here.” She closed her eyes as a small breeze came in, making little hairs flutter around her.

“So? Sleep out here,” he suggested nonchalantly.

Dash turned to stare at him, but found that he was completely serious. “Seriously?”

He merely shrugged, smiling a little in the process. “What’s wrong with it? You take naps out here all the time anyways.”

Dash rolled her eyes and shook her head. He had a perfect way of teasing her. “Don’t think I haven’t caught you napping with your face down in a pie.”

It wasn’t true, but the horrified expression on Soarin’s face was priceless, so she held in the truth. “Night or day?” he asked all of a sudden.

Dash bit her lip. “I don’t know, honestly. I like the day cause I can see my friends and perform with you guys,” she mused, sending him a smile. “But… I like the night, especially when I’m tired or just feel like being alone.” She chuckled to herself. “That doesn’t happen very often, though. I like the noise and excitement.”

“I kinda like both, but I’ve always preferred the quiet, it’s peaceful,” he replied tiredly.

She nodded. “Yeah, but the noise makes me… feel less alone.” If Dash hadn’t become tired, she probably wouldn’t have admitted that. “Obviously I like it sometimes, but…”

“No, I get it. Sometimes the quiet isn’t needed, especially if it happened when you were in a bad frame of mind.”

Dash rested her head down, and peered up at him through her lashes. “You get it,” she murmured. “I guess you get me.”

He smiled down at her. “Ditto.” His eyes peeled away and looked down. “You’re going to sleep here? Right now?”

She nodded sleepily. “I have a kind of weird sleep schedule,” she yawned. “You can stay if you want, just not too close. I feel like stretching out.”

He nodded. “So it’s okay if I don’t feel like talking then?”

Dash nodded as well. “Duh, are our silences awkward or something?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, I never thought so.” His eyes flittered back and forth nervously. “Did you?”

Dash chuckled, rolling onto her side. “No. Now shut up, I’m trying to sleep.” Her rose eyes shut.

Soarin chuckled, making himself more comfortable. “Night.” She felt his eyes on her as he whispered faintly, probably wasn’t supposed to hear, “Sweet dreams, Dashie.”

takes place after S7 E6, (Forever Filly.)

“Hey guys!” Dash called, landing on the grass.

Applejack and Rarity turned and waved. “Howdy Rainbow! How’re you doin’?”

“Great, thanks,” she replied, settling next to AJ. She looked around and noticed her pink friend wasn’t there. “Where’s Pinkie Pie?”

“Oh, she had something to take care of at the bakery. She’ll be here soon,” Twilight replied nonchalantly, nose buried in a book.

Dash nudged Applejack. “What’s she obsessed with researching this time?”

AJ shrugged, taking a bite of an apple. “Uh, Ah think she’s obsessed with new constellations this time? Honestly,” her southern accent dropped to a whisper, “Ah just tune it out at this point.”

They both snickered at that, but immediately stopped when Twilight lifted her head, raising a brow. “I’m reading, you guys. That doesn’t mean I can’t hear.”

Dash simply shrugged. “That’s usually what it means.” Her hoof connected with her friend’s orange one as the princess rolled her eyes, turning back to her book. She was used to her friends’ teasing, and knew that it was harmless.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack settled into their own conversation, as well as Fluttershy and Rarity, merely updating each other on their lives and the news going around Ponyville.

“Aloe and Vera just released a line of new candles!” Rarity squealed. “One of you must come with me for a spa day soon. Rainbow Dash, how about you, darling?”

Dash blushed a little. While her friends knew she enjoyed the treatments and treated her no differently, she still felt a little awkward about the subject. “Maybe, I’m pretty busy in the next week. Spitfire finally let us have a day off,” she muttered.

Rarity nodded understandingly. “I understand completely, but if you’re able, let me know,” she said with a bright smile.

“Sure!” She was about to go back to her conversation, but a quick bouncing noise interrupted her, a noise all of her friends knew well.

“Hi guys!” Pinkie called, setting down some cupcakes and sandwiches as she joined them rather quickly. “Sorry I was late, I had to finish an order for Mr. Cake, he’s been so busy lately,” she explained.

Fluttershy smiled. “No worries, Pinkie, we’re glad you could come.”

“Yeah, and we’re glad Rainbow finally to some time off,” Twilight added with a smirk. “Guess she’s too busy for us these days.”

Dash grinned. “For you guys? Never. Now come on, I’m starving, let’s eat,” she decided, picking up a panini styled sandwich and taking a bite.

The others followed, each chewing quietly (save for Pinkie), the only sounds their hums of approval.

Dash set her half eaten meal down and looked around. “Where’s Spike?”

Fluttershy grinned. “You just noticing that, Dashie?”

It wasn’t very often that her teasing, playful side emerged, so Dash took full advantage of it. “You seemed to just be arriving when I got here too, Flutters. I didn’t hear you ask for him.”

Fluttershy flushed a little. “I…”

Dash crossed her arms, brows raised triumphantly. “Gotcha,” she teased. “Nice try.”

The rest of their friends giggled. “Come on, let’s finish our sandwiches and then talk,” Twilight proposed.

Nopony argued, seeing as they were all hungry, and eagerly and mostly politely, finished their lunch.

“So Dashie, how’s the team?” Pinkie asked, already biting into a chocolate cupcake with blue frosting.

“They’re all good. Spitfire has us doing these crazy drills, but she says it’s for some special performance. Everypony’s tired. Well,” she added, “except for Surprise. And High Winds. You know, she’s always the same,” she explained thoughtfully. “Kind of scary.”

“Oh, but she’s so calm and friendly! It’s kind of refreshing,” Rarity said.

“And Blaze is so full of life,” Applejack added. “She’s pretty cool if Ah do say so myself.”

Dash’s raised a brow. “Wow AJ,” she snickered. “Never knew ‘cool’ was in your vocabulary.”

A quiet growl escaped Applejack’s lips as she effortlessly shoved Dash right onto the blanket. “Shush, you,” she scolded.

Dash bounced back up and trotted down to sit beside Twilight. “Gotta reign in that temper there, Applesmack.”

The girls both narrowed her eyes, and as quick as it started, Rarity giggled nervously. “Come on now, darlings, you meant no harm, and we don’t have all day.”

“Yeah, we don’t always wanna hear you argue,” Pinkie chirped. “Although sometimes it’s really fun! Especially when you compete, like in that Iron Pony competition and the Running of The Leaves. That was a blast!”

Dash rolled her eyes, but decided to listen. “Contest next time I’m in town, AJ?”

Applejack grinned wildly. “Ah’ll clear my schedule.”

“Great.”

“I’m glad they all welcomed you with open hooves, Rainbow,” Flutters said softly.

“Fluttershy, you’ve been saying that ever since I joined the team,” Dash protested and took a cupcake, trying her hardest to not get crumbs and icing all over face. She didn’t need Rarity to go over the rules of table manners again.

Her Pegasus friend just shrugged. “I know, but it’s true. Even Angel’s proud of you!”

At that, Rainbow very noticeably rolled her magenta eyes. “Now that, I know, is not true.”

Fluttershy turned pink. “Well… he said he hoped you didn’t completely fail,” she said meekly.

Dash grinned. “That’s something.” She turned to the rest of her friends. “Let’s play a game or something, enough with the small talk.”

“Ooh! Pick me, pick me!” Pinkie shouted, causing Rarity to flinch at the pitch of her voice.

“Uh, yes, Pinkie?”

The pink hoof shot down, replaced with an excited smile and a gleam of excitement in her blue eyes. “Truth or dare! Truth or dare!”

“Sure! You guys in?” Dash asked.

“Sure,” Applejack and Twilight replied.

Rarity nodded her answer.

“Umm…” They all turned to Fluttershy who had a nervous expression on her face. “I don’t—”

“We won’t make you do anything we know you aren’t comfortable with, sugarcube,” AJ reassured.

The rest nodded in agreement, and finally, ‘Shy smiled and nodded, looking more relaxed. “Okay, then.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Who’s going first?”

Pinkie raised her hoof again. “I will! Okay…” Her eyes squinted as she peered rather intimidatingly at her friends. Pinkie Pie was unpredictable and could be very sneaky, and that was the reason Dash felt unsure about the truths and the dares that were going to happen.

“Rarity,” Pinkie chose, an evil grin spreading across her face. “Truth or dare?”

Rarity studied Pinkie’s facial expression before scoffing. “I am not so gullible darling, I choose truth! No way will I dip my hooves in mud.”

Pinkie shrugged, not giving her face away. “Okie dokie! Hmm… would you rather eat squid covered lollipops or dirt and worm covered apples?”

Everyone’s heads snapped just in time to see the white unicorn scrunch her nose up in absolute disgust. “My, Pinkie, do you have no manners?” she asked, appalled beyond belief.

Pinkie shrugged. “What? I came up with it on the spot. I was really hoping you’d choose dare so you could dip your pretty hooves in mud,” she explained casually.

Applejack chuckled and wrapped an arm around Rarity. “Aw, come on, Rarity. It’s completely hypothetical.” As soon as she said it, she bit her lip and glanced at Pinkie. “Uh, right Pinkie Pie?”

“Yep!”

Rarity sighed. “I suppose… the dirt and worm covered apples,” she said reluctantly.

Pinkie nodded, not at all grossed out by her answer. “Now it’s your turn.”

“Alright.” Dark blue sapphires scanned Dash and the rest, deciding fickly about who to pick. Finally, her eyes settled on Twilight. “Twilight, truth or dare?”

“Hmm,” Twilight tapped her chin.

Dash nudged AJ. “Two bits she says truth.” Two bits wasn’t much, but it was a game that couldn’t really be considered competitive, so why waste money on it?

“Well, just for that, I choose dare.”

Dash nickered as Applejack held her hoof up, and Dash took two gold coins from her bag and placed them in AJ’s hoof.

“Alright, I dare you to… let me give you a makeover tomorrow,” she dared, eyes lighting up.

Twilight bit her lip. “Okay, I guess.” It was only her and Fluttershy who could really stand to do so. Occasionally Pinkie Pie, but Rarity didn’t often pick her as she needed somepony who could stay still for a long period of time. Rainbow Dash and Applejack just straight up refused, with the exception of having to go somewhere, per se the Grand Galloping Gala.

“Oh, this will be wonderful! Fluttershy, what colour dress? I’m thinking a dark blue, but she’d look gorgeous in white or even a—” Rarity stopped talking when she saw the rest of them staring blankly at her and blushed. “Oh, um, go ahead, dear.”

Twilight chuckled lightly, amused and expectant of Rarity’s excitement. “Hmm... Applejack, truth or dare?”

AJ scanned her friend’s eyes, trying to decipher if there was an ulterior motive. When she decided there wasn’t, she gave an answer. “Ah choose truth.”

Twilight grinned. “Why aren’t you and Coloratura talking?”

This was something Applejack had been unwilling to talk about. Things between her and Rara had been going well ever since they had reconnected when she came to Ponyville, and had stayed in close contact, visiting when they had the time. But AJ hadn’t mentioned her in at least a week, and Pinkie Pie had sent Dash a letter explaining her thoughts, which concluded that they were most likely fighting. Usually Pinkie jumped to unreasonable conclusions, but when she was good, she was good.
The widening of Applejack’s eyes and the way her body tensed suggested Twilight had hit a nerve.

“Ah’m not answering that,” she said stubbornly. “Ah choose dare.”

Lucky for AJ and Twilight, the princess didn’t push, respecting her friend’s privacy. “Fine. I dare you to compete with Pinkie in an apple bucking contest on Wednesday.”

If it was anypony else, Applejack would have had it in the bag. One of her specialities was apple bucking, and she did it good and fast. But Pinkie too had the strength of an earth pony, and, well, no explanation needed, she was Pinkie. She could be faster than Dash on land if she pleased. Only on land. She side eyed Applejack, noticing the slight gulp in her throat before nodding determinedly.

“Ah’m up for it. What do you say, Pinkie Pie?”

The pink pony shook her head enthusiastically. “Sure! Can we do it in the morning though? I have to babysit Pound and Pumpkin after lunch.”

“One apple bucking contest at nine on Wednesday,” Twilight exclaimed cheerfully.

“Yay! Okay, Applejack, your turn,” Pinkie cheered.

Immediately the earth pony turned to Rainbow Dash. “RD, truth or dare?”

Everypony knew her answer before it left her lips. “Dare.”

“Knew it,” Pinkie whispered loudly.

AJ rolled her eyes. “Ah dare you to act like that tree’s your boyfriend. Or girlfriend,” she added quickly.

Dash ignored the last comment, only caring for the actual dare. “What? No! That’s ridiculous.”

“What? Too chicken?”

The word on enunciated was even worse for Dash to hear. If there was one thing she wasn’t, it was cowardly. She got scared of course, no matter how much she tried to convince everyone she wasn’t, but she never, ever gave up. “I choose truth instead,” she grumbled.

Applejack neighed her disappointment, crossing her arms. “You can’t really do that,” she mumbled.
“You literally just did it,” Dash deadpanned, matching her look.

“Yeah, but that was ‘cause the question was private! I asked you to kiss a tree! Big differences.”

Dash glared at her. “Oh yeah? Well—”

Fluttershy sighed loudly. “Girls!” They immediately stopped arguing and turned to her. “Let’s say you’re really uncomfortable with whatever you choose first, you get to choose the other, but you have to answer or do the dare if it’s your second choice.” She looked between them sternly, but soon enough, in true Fluttershy fashion, she backed away a little. “If that’s okay?”

Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie all nodded. “That sounds fair,” Twilight said.

“Totally!” Pinkie smiled.

Rarity did as well. “I agree. Are you two able to put aside your ‘differences’ for now?” she questioned with a teasing smile.

Applejack looked at Rarity as she smirked, and Dash saw her shoulders soften slightly. Though they argued quite a bit, it was clear that both Applejack and Rarity had a soft spot for one another. Applejack gave in first. “Fine. Can you reign in your pride there, RD?”

Even though Dash rolled her eyes, she let a small grin appear as she nodded. “I suppose.”

“So truth then?” AJ asked for confirmation.

Dash crossed her arms, a cocky smile forming now. “Lay it on me.” This would be a piece of cake, she was sure.

Applejack grinned evilly. “Rainbow Dash… do you…”

Dash waited impatiently for her answer. “Do I…?”

“Do you have a crush on yer teammate Soarin?”

As soon as the question was out, Dash was one hundred percent positive everything in her body stopped working, including her speech and her neurotransmitters. Did she have a crush on Soarin? No way! The thought was preposterous. They were just super good friends, and just because he made her tingle inside and had her cheeks heating and all the other crap about butterflies and a good feeling did not mean she liked him.

Realizing her friends were staring at her with wide, curious, expectant eyes, she let out a loud scoff. “What? No way! Have you even met me?”

“Of course! We’ve known you for years!” Pinkie said.

Rarity trotted over. “It’s okay, Dashie, I rather think Soarin likes you too.”

“It won’t lower our opinion of you,” Twilight added.

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, you’ll still be the loyal, gutsy friend with an uncontrollable ego.” Everypony glared at her, but AJ merely shrugged. “I’m just being honest.”

“He is very nice,” Fluttershy murmured.

All of these things were true, but combined with the fact that Dash had brushed this idea off already, just to hit her in the face again was annoying. She was Rainbow Dash. She didn’t need anybody, she liked her life with her friends and family and Scootaloo and having platonic relationships with all the Wonderbolts. “Look, Soarin and I are good friends. I don’t like him like that.”

“Darling, the teasing is all in good fun, we aren’t trying to upset you,” Rarity told her kindly. “We all get crushes.”

“Yeah! Like when Twilight liked that guard or when Zephyr liked you or how Applejack probably likes Rara!”

Everyone immediately turned to Applejack, who turned bright red. “Excuse me! Ah do not like her!”

“Sure you do, you’re good friends with her and sometimes you even talk about her, so that must mean you like her,” Dash said sarcastically, trying to make a point.

“This ain’t about me.”

“I don’t like Soarin!”

Rarity huffed. “Seriously dears, just be honest with yourself for once.”

Dash and Applejack both sighed. “We don’t like them,” they said in sync.

The rest of them, excluding Fluttershy, all shared looks one another before shrugging. “Okay, Dash, your turn.”

Finally, enough of this bullshit.

But maybe what really bothered Dash was that it could be true.

takes place after S7 E7, (Parental Glidance.)

Rainbow Dash stood at the doorway, stunned into silence. What had started out as a simple friendly hangout had turned into an argument, with somepony she treasured and didn’t want to lose. Why had his words affected her so much? The painful ache that tore through her as soon as he had said those words.

Soarin idiotically pressed on. “I’ve seen you upset before, Rainbow. Just once. Because of that nickname. Look, nopony’s going to think less of you because you show emotion, you know? All this ‘reputation’ stuff... why’s it so important to you? It’s a little... shallow,” he responded meekly.

Is that what he really thought of her? That she was shallow? Shallow. As Twilight once called it, a pony that had little depth. Self absorbed, conceited, only looking out for themselves.

Is that was she was to him? Tears welled up in her eyes, but didn’t fall. She didn’t understand why those messy yet crystal clear words had struck such a deep nerve. Was it because they were friends? That somepony undeniably important to her that she cared about didn’t think much of her? They were teammates, they were friends, they got each other.

Or was that only from her side?

“I don’t do stupid things,” she deadpanned. “Too awesome for that.” She sent him a cocky smile that he would interpret as friendly. Soarin seemed to get her. He understood without ever trying hard to do so.

She expected him to nod, but instead he just rolled his eyes. “Everypony does stupid things. Now respectfully... tell me!” he demanded.

“What made you want to be a ‘Bolt?” she asked.

He tapped his chin. “I… I suppose my parents. They were great, always telling me I could be the best. Spitfire and I managed to watch a bit of a show from outside the arena once and that was it for me. We were so young. That was the only thing that I’ve ever wanted to be. Practiced every day, as you know. And it was all worth it when I got into the academy, the—”

“Reserves, the team,” Dash finished

He nodded. “Yeah. Best days of my life.”

His expression turned serious. “Seriously though, are you okay? I don’t know when you don’t want to race me.”

Dash just looked at him, a subtle sign for not wanting to answer.

This time, he obeyed. “Alright, alright,” he agreed.

“Good, wouldn’t want you being nosy like Rarity,” she joked solemnly.

“And you? You aren’t there ‘cause you fell asleep?” he said with an amused smile.

Dash flexed her wings and took a few more bites. “Duh, I need my naps. It can be hard work when you’re busy being as awesome as me!” she bragged.

She rubbed her magenta eyes and offered a half smile. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Well, it’s not really a game,” he admitted. “But it’s still fun. It’s called Q & A.”

Huh, she’d never heard of this one. “How do you play?”

“So, I’ll ask a question and you answer, and then you ask a question and I’ll answer.”

Dash ran over the instructions in her head, only to turn to him a second later, trying to stifle a short, loud laugh. “Soarin,” she said slowly, all smiles. “Do you mean... a conversation?”

Her commander’s ears perked up, a pink tint colouring his nose. “No! I mean Q and A,” he said defensively, avoiding eye contact.

“Uh huh,” she droned. “Sure.”

He didn’t back down. “I do though.”

“Whatever,” she laughed. “Come on, let’s play conversation.”

He crossed his arms. “Q and A.”

“Conversation.”

“Q and A.”

“Conversation,” she insisted.

His relentlessness was sweetly hilarious. “Nope, I don’t accept that term. Now, let’s begin. If you could be any other element, what would you be?”

“I can’t.”

He eyed her up and down at her answer, before shaking his head in understanding. “I suppose it would feel wrong, right? When you all represent your own so well?” Those emeralds flickered in the light.

A content smile spread over Dash’s face. Even though he had asked the question, he still got her hesitancy for answering. “Exactly right, Clip,” she said, a soft note coating her voice.

“Hey, who was on the ‘top of most popular Wonderbolts within a month’ list?”

He had the perfect comeback for that. “Who made it to second-in-command after being on the team for two weeks?” he shot back, just playing around and not actually bragging about his accomplishments.

“No, I get it. Sometimes the quiet isn’t needed, especially if it happened when you were in a bad frame of mind.”

Dash rested her head down, and peered up at him through her lashes. “You get it,” she murmured. “I guess you get me.”

He smiled down at her. “Ditto.” His eyes peeled away and looked down. “You’re going to sleep here? Right now?”

She nodded sleepily. “I have a kind of weird sleep schedule,” she yawned. “You can stay if you want, just not too close. I feel like stretching out.”

He nodded. “So it’s okay if I don’t feel like talking then?”

Dash nodded as well. “Duh, are our silences awkward or something?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, I never thought so.” His eyes flittered back and forth nervously. “Did you?”

Dash chuckled, rolling onto her side. “No. Now shut up, I’m trying to sleep.” Her rose eyes shut.

Those were just a few of so many moments.

She was mad that he had pushed, insulted, borderline humiliated her. But it was her own stubbornness that wouldn’t truly let herself be more vulnerable with him, in the end, it had been her that pushed him away. How could she not? The way his words had struck had her terrified. She had never had someone be so upfront and straight to it, ready to call her out on her ego, and deep down, her fear.

“You know, Crash, in the future when I ask you something personal, just say don’t want to talk about it,” he snapped. “Because this load of crap about being all cool and mysterious can be really annoying! Why can’t you just accept that I care? That you don’t have to be all ‘Oh I’m Rainbow Danger Dash and I’m the best’! That I’m not here to make fun of you! That I would never tell anypony because I want you to trust me, because I li—“ he stopped short, panting and glaring.

What was it that made him stop? ‘I lie’, ‘I like’, ‘I line’. Well, the last one didn’t make sense, but the other two? What could he haves ‘lied’ about? What could he have ‘like’ or ‘liked’? Dash was so confused. She knew she herself could be egotistically annoying, but she never thought that anypony would ever tell her that. Ever call her out. Maybe she deserved it, deserved his harsh words.

Why did she care so much what he thought of her?

Why did she care about him?

She lowered her head. “Why?”

“Oh, um, Rainbow Dash? What a pleasant surprise,” Fluttershy said sweetly. “Come in.” She stepped aside and Dash hurried through the door with Tank following her, the slight hum of his helicopter attachment following them inside. Immediately, he found his and Fluttershy’s friend Constance, and floated over to her.

“Doesn’t she not actually live with you?” Dash questioned, pointing to the bird.

Fluttershy smiled fondly as Tank grinned in the presence of his friend. “She stopped in for a visit.” ‘Shy motioned to the couch. “Would you like some tea?” she offered.

Dash wasn’t a tea drinker, but she knew Rarity drank it to help her relax, and Fluttershy found it soothing, two things she needed right now. “Sure, thanks,” she said, taking a seat on the couch.

Fluttershy left the room just as Dash leaned back, positioning herself more comfortably on the green couch. After failing to figure out by herself why Soarin’s comment had bothered her even more than if one of her friends had said it, Dash had come to the pony she knew would try to help and would never intentionally overstep. Unlike him, she thought bitterly. He had been such an asshole, getting up in her face like that, wanting to know why she acted the way she did.

“Here’s your tea.”

She blinked her way back into reality, taking the mug with a wing and blowing on it. “Thanks.”

Once Fluttershy was settled next to her, she casually sipped her tea and asked, “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what brought you here?”

Dash leaned on her forearm and let out a quiet sigh, the light in her eyes flickering out.

Fluttershy placed a hoof on hers. “Are you okay, Rainbow?”

Despite their closeness, Dash still felt a little, well, shy. It wasn’t every day she opened up, especially when it was accompanied by confusing emotions consisting of anger and sadness and disappointment. “Well, you see…”

“You don’t have to,” Fluttershy said gently.

Fluttershy would not push her, she would not pressure, she would simply sit there and listen. Dash was sure of that. “Soarin and I… had a fight.” She glanced down at her tea and took a drink of the hot liquid, instead focusing on the slightly bland taste.

“Oh. Do you… want to talk about it?”

Still looking away, Dash nodded her head.

“Okay. Whenever you’re ready, I’m listening.”

Her gentle voice reassured Dash, giving her the confidence to speak. “Well, I invited him to my house to meet Tank,” she started. “And then, you know, I showed him around the place and we were talking and stuff. Anyways, we sort of talking about relationships…” She cringed and flushed. “And I joked about how I would never be too mushy. And then he just asked why I always act the way I do. I just said it was the way I was.” Dash could feel the frustration in her rising up again, recalling the fight had made the feelings much more vivid, her anger much more upfront. “I told him he didn’t understand and asked him to leave. He did.” Her voice shook slightly, for it was what he said later that had really hurt. “Um, a few seconds later, he came back. And told me that my ‘awesomeness—” She used quotations. “Could be annoying cause I never let myself be vulnerable, and was mad because… he cared.” Why can’t you just accept that I care? That you don’t have to be all ‘Oh I’m Rainbow Danger Dash and I’m the best’! That I’m not here to make fun of you! The passion in those words undid her. “Then I told him to leave again. And I came here.”

Finally, she looked up into Fluttershy’s blue eyes to see them contemplative and focused, while also sympathetic. “I’m sorry he said those things, Dashie,” she finally said.

Dash didn’t say anything. “It wasn’t really the fight that was the problem,” she admitted after a few minutes. “It’s just… the words, they, uh, I don’t know…”

“Hurt you?” ‘Shy guessed softly.

Dash flushed a little and gave a slight nod.

“Of course they would. They would hurt anypony, especially from a good friend like Soarin.”

Dash instantly felt defensive. Soarin was a good friend, but she didn’t consider him to be one right now. “He doesn’t get to ask me those questions. They’re personal!” Her voice rose slightly. “Who does he think he is, trying to figure me out like I’m some sort of deep mystery. I don’t like to show all my feelings all the time, so what? And I amawesome. I am worthy, and I don’t deserve to be yelled at like the way he did to me today!” she shouted angrily.

Dash turned to see all the animals staring at her with wide eyes. Even Angel didn’t dare to interrupt Dash’s rage. “I don’t deserve it. We were such good friends, Flutters. How could he say those things?” She sighed again, feeling the weight of some sort of feeling so foreign to her she thought she wasn’t even in her own mind anymore. “How could he say those things?” she repeated softly.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash.” Immediately, her oldest friend was by her side, wrapping an arm around here. “I’m so sorry.”

The kindness she was being shown touched Dash so much that a wave of love for Fluttershy surged through her. She trusted ‘Shy. She could talk. “It felt different, you know,” she whispered, “the feelings. The hurt.”

“How so?”

Dash didn’t answer right away, trying to put into words that didn’t sound like a complete jumble. How could she describe it? “When I fight with anyone else, save for you guys or Scootaloo or my parents, I know I’ll be okay if things don’t work out in the end,” she murmured. “He hurt my feelings, but… I don’t want to lose him. I think… I think he’s one of my best friends or something. I was just so shocked, almost impressed, that he could say those things to me. It was kind of, um…” She paused, not wanting to say it.

Luckily, Fluttershy did. “Scary.”

Dash nodded solemnly. “The way he saw through me. The way he sees through me. Every time he does I just feel happy, that because he cares, right? That’s what he said?”

Why can’t you just accept that I care?

After a few moments, a reply came. “He shouldn’t have said those things to you. But yes, he definitely cares about you.” She could feel ‘Shy’s smile. “He cares a lot.”

Dash blushed, a fuzzy feeling growing in her hooves. “I love being around you guys and him just the same,” she said slowly. Oh my gosh. “But it feels different when I’m with him.” No. “I feel different when I’m with him, and I don’t know what it is.”

That was now a lie. A plain lie. She knew what it was the second those words left her lips. Why she had those heart palpitations, the warmness of her coat when he was near, the way his gaze made her swallow, the very intense fondness she had for him, her dedication to their friendship. She had felt it before, but never like this. Dash knew. And it was awful knowing. But she couldn’t say it yet.

Couldn’t say it out loud.

Not yet.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Oh… um… Rainbow, you… might not like what I’m going to suggest.”

Dash knew what it was, but sometimes ‘Shy had a way of surprising her. “Before you say anything,” she interrupted, “promise me this doesn’t leave your house. Not by you or Angel or anyone. This is so not my thing, I just needed some guidance.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow and turned, only to frown. “Angel! Don’t listen,” she scolded.

Angel tapped his foot, giving her a challenging stare.

Fluttershy held her gaze, eyes narrowing until it turned into a famous look— The stare.

The small bunny immediately hopped away.

Dash coughed awkwardly. “What were you going to say, Flutters?”

“Oh! Well.” She flushed a little. “Um, maybe… you like him?”

Dash frowned and leaned a little closer. “Sorry, what was that?” She had a good idea, but had to head it from somepony else, no matter how embarrassing it was.

“Maybe you like him?” she whispered again.

Dash picked up on the key word, ‘like’. She swallowed. “Speak up.”

“Maybe you like him?”

Oh my… fuck. She thinks so too. “One more time?” Why was she doing this again.

Fluttershy groaned a little in frustration. “Maybe you like him!”

Dash’s ears perked up, a useless defence in her mind. But even then, there was zero point. Her friend was absolutely right.

She liked Soarin. A lot. She couldn’t confront it, it was too embarrassing, having feelings for your boss.
Dash flew over to Tank and gently pulled him away from Constance and headed to the door, opening it.

“Wait, Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?”

Dash couldn’t answer. Didn’t want to answer. The confusion and understanding about herself was too much to process in the company of somepony else, even somepony as comforting as Fluttershy. There was one pony she would gladly talk to, but that wasn’t an option. It was about him. And how she had a crush on him.

She couldn’t do that because they weren’t talking.
She couldn’t do it because she liked him.
She couldn’t do it because she hated him.

Why, why, why?

takes place during S7 E8, (Hard to Say Anything) and S7 E10, (A Royal Problem.)

Okay, no biggie, stay focused today. Soarin doesn’t matter anymore. Dash was combing her mane, something she did much more often now, especially since she had joined the ‘Bolts, not wanting to appear as a total slob, especially to a certain stallion. As he flashed through her mind, the hoof directing the comb allowed it to fall from her grasp. She was trying to impress him still? To make him regret yelling at her? Or to appear confident and pretty? Dash glared at the floor as if it was her greatest enemy, equivalent to Tirek. The answer was both. Shoving the angry thoughts away and reminding herself why she was still upset, she picked up the comb and placed it back on the counter, ignoring the knots in the rest of her hair. Afterall, it didn’t matter what he thought of her. Or so she tried to tell herself.

As she exited the washroom and walked down the hall to get into her uniform, she passed his office to see him hard at work, his mane messy and eyes half lidded.

Dash’s heart fell. Who was she kidding? Despite it all, she liked him. Of course it mattered what he thought.

“Come on, Crash! Weight lifting in the gym!” High Winds called over her shoulder, flying beside Misty and Surprise.

Dash shook her head and rolled her shoulders. “Coming!”

Saving her energy, she casually began to walk down the hall, glancing every so often at the pictures of academy classes and record-breaking Wonderbolts over the years, all framed in gold. She hoped that one day she would be on there, still being a hero to look up to generations of Wonderbolts later.
The faint flapping of wings interrupted her thoughts, and Dash made a point of getting to weight section part of the gym, eager to stretch and get a decent workout. She could already see a lot of the team stretching and warming up through the glass doors, Spitfire and Fleetfoot adjusting the weight machines. Typical morning. She pushed her way through the doors and walked in, but frowned and turned when she didn’t hear the familiar click of it closing. Dash immediately wished she hadn’t turned when she saw who it was— Soarin, breathing slightly out of rhythm, mane a little out of shape, but as usual, the unmistakeable brightness in his eyes. Eyes that she hated.

Emeralds shifted and his gaze locked with hers.

Eyes that she loved.

Dash swallowed and brought back his harsh words to his mind. She hated him. She liked him. She hated him for making her like him.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” he said formally.

Of course Soarin wouldn’t be petty in public. Just like her, he was a Wonderbolt first. “Good morning,” she said icily.

He raised a brow, looking her up and down like she was a weirdo.

Dash glared.

And to her surprise and delight, he forgot his role for a moment and glared right back.

Fleetfoot flew over to them and shoved Soarin. “Come on Clipper, stop staring at her and get to work.”

She stuck her tongue out at Dash and winked. “You too, Crash.”

Dash gave a faint smile. The situation wasn’t fun or simple. It was awkward, bad awkward.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Surprise chirped. “Come sit with us!” She waved her hoof over, motioning to her and High Winds at their usual table.

Dash internally sighed with relief. She normally sat with Wave, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soarin, but ever since the fight... she was wondering who she would have to sit with, praying it wouldn’t be just her alone at a table. “Hi guys,” she greeted, slipping into the seat.

High Winds analyzed her. “What had you looking so lost?”

Dash shrugged and averted her eyes. “I wasn’t looking lost,” she said lamely.

Surprise frowned. “You kinda were. Which is weird, you always sit with Soarin and Spitfire,” she said, pointing to the group of four two tables down.

Magenta eyes followed Surprise’s resting on the chatting group of four of the most elite Wonderbolts. Fleetfoot and Soarin were telling a story, making Spitfire and Wave Chill laugh, leaning slightly into each other. Dash stared with mixed emotions. That was usually the table she sat at, and to see the four all getting along so well and not even look in her direction had her filled with envy and frustration directed towards her crush. She didn’t even understand, never thought that it was possible to be angry with the pony you had romantic feelings for but weren’t in a relationship with, but here she was, angry and liking him.

“So, Crash, did something happen with you and Soarin? You didn’t seem too friendly this morning during practice,” High noted, taking a bite of toast.

Dash felt her walls immediately go up, defence and offence ready to play. “No, we’re fine. Guess we were just busy,” she said nonchalantly, digging into her eggs to avoid talking.

High just tilted her head, not responding, while Surprise just grinned. “Are your friends gonna come up soon? Pinkie Pie and I were gonna have a balloon blowing contest!” she giggled, smiling expectantly.

High Winds green eyes smiled fondly at her best friend. Dash studied them. The green of High’s eyes were slightly mossier, didn’t shine, and they were nice, nice eyes. But they weren’t the beautiful emeralds Dash had grown to love. Silently, she began eating quickly, eager to head back out for a fly before returning to the compound for a routine practice of their next show.

“Here, Hoof-In-Mouth, Slowpoke, I’ll take your plates.”

Dash’s head snapped up, eyes instantly widening when she saw who it was. A heat covered her cheeks as she forced herself to look away from Soarin’s taut body, muscles flexing as he took her friends’ dishes.

“Yours too, Rainbow,” he added, holding his other wing out.

She looked back at him and placed her plate on his strong wing with her mouth. “Thanks.” Her voice was short, clipped, almost cold.

He looked away, and she caught those eyes filled with something almost like regret. Those gorgeous, green, sparkling emeralds. Though they bore the same colour, High Winds eyes were not Soarin’s.

“Um, Spitfire?” Dash knocked on the door again, pressing her ear against it.

The captain had asked Dash to meet her at her office for something quick, but surprising, Spitfire wasn’t there. She was a professional, and to see her late was rare and highly unlikely, even for one as busy as her.

She slumped against the wall, tipping her head back and staring up at the ceiling. It had been ten days since her and Soarin’s fight, and they were still mad at each other. As much as Dash tried to insist she was right and he deserved it, Fluttershy’s words still echoed in the back of her head.

Dash didn’t say anything. “It wasn’t really the fight that was the problem,” she admitted after a few minutes. “It’s just… the words, they, uh, I don’t know…”

“Hurt you?” ‘Shy guessed softly.

The reason she was upset was not because he yelled at her, hell, he could have said it in the most gentlest voice ever, and they still would have punched her in the gut. No one had ever saw so clearly through her act, had called her out on it and her attitude. He had shocked and surprised her and she was unprepared for the walls of her heart to be invaded so unexpectedly.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Crash, we’re here.”

Dash cocked a brow. “We’re? What do you mean? Oh—”

Soarin was right behind her, mouth formed into a thin, serious line. She could tell just from his rigid posture that he wasn’t in the mood for any crap.

Spitfire’s gold eyes flitted between the two of them and she sighed. “I asked you here to see if you wanted to help us come up with a new routine, something a little extra for Cloudsdale.”

Dash’s eyes immediately lightened at the offer, new ideas forming in her head of all the things they could add. Her smile must have shown her eagerness, because Spitfire smirked. “So, that’s a yes?”

“Absolutely, I—” Dash’s eyes shifted to the second-in-command, who’s green eyes were looking at the floor. Her spirits dropped as she watched his brows furrow, a tiny frown on his lips. He doesn’t want you there. Their equal frustration with each other loomed over the three like something you could cut in midair. It was always Spitfire and Soarin who were part of coming up with flight formations, and as much as Dash wanted to, she wasn’t going to take that time away from them, no matter how upset she was or how jealous she felt. In that moment though, she wasn’t sure who she was jealous of. Spitfire for spending time with Soarin, or Soarin for spending time with Spitfire?

“Crash?” Spitfire’s hoof waved in front of her pink eyes.

Blinking back into reality, Dash rubbed her neck with a hoof and gave a cool smile. “It’s okay, you guys do it. It’s kind of your thing.”

“Yeah, but we always switch it up every once in a while,” her captain protested.

Dash kept quiet, gaze steady to show that she would have to help out another time. It was disappointing, but there was no way she was being in the same room with him, especially because they both knew he didn’t want her there.

“No, really, another time. I… think Twilight wanted me for something anyways,” she lied, backing away.

Spitfire sighed. “Seriously?” she muttered.

Soarin sputtered a moment later. “Wait! I’ll, uh, I’ll go.”

Dash turned around, piercing him with her gaze, causing a gulp from him. “It’s fine, Soarin.”

He didn’t back away, instead a small blush forming on his cheeks. “No, it’s fine, Rainbow. I can find something to do, you know, Fleetfoot and Surprise invited me to—“

Dash felt her impatience grow. “No. You go,” she said through gritted teeth.

His eyes closed in frustration. “No. You go.”

“It’s your thing!” Dash exclaimed. “You go.”

Spitfire opened her mouth. “How ‘bout—”

“You never get to do this. Just accept it. You go,” Soarin sighed.

Dash took this to heart and stepped closer. “What? Are you saying I’m not good enough to help?”

“No!” He rolled his eyes. “Just take my offer you—”

Dash rose into the air, finally able to meet him in the eye. “What? What am I, Soarin?”

His handsome face finally grew angry, yet he refused to answer.

Dash wasn’t having it, directing all the hurt she felt towards him and turning it into anger. “Too scared to answer?” she taunted. “Hmm?”

Soarin huffed. “I am your second-in—”

A sharp whistle interrupted. “Enough!” Spitfire roared, shoving herself in between them. “I don’t know the nitty gritty details of your fight, but you will keep it together when you are at work.” Her gaze hardened. “It is your job as Wonderbolts to act professionally, and if I see this again, both your asses will be in big trouble.” She took her hooves off them and Dash immediately backed away, out of respect for her job and for Spitfire.

“Sorry,” they both mumbled.

Spitfire covered her eyes with her sunglasses, her brows low. “Good. And as for the routine, I’ll be working on it myself.”

Soarin raised a hoof. “You can’t plan a whole routine by yourself, Spit,” he argued.

Dash gave a faint nod, a sign she agreed. A subtle sign.

Spitfire just glared again. “Yes I can, and if I happen to want help, I’ll ask for it from somepony else. And it will be that way until you guys figure your shit out. Got it?” Her eyes looked in Soarin’s direction, and his mouth shut again, silencing any protests.

Dash nodded, emptiness taking over as she flew away. She hated this. More than words could express.

takes place after S7 E19, (It Isn’t The Mane Thing About You.)

obviously her convo with Spits and Fleet was a flashback, that’s why it’s in italic !

Dash leaned back into the warm water, savouring the feeling of her muscles loosening and relaxing as she rotated them under the stream of the shower. She let out a small sigh as it rinsed her face, washing away her worries for a couple minutes. Lazily applying the soap and shampoo to her hair and body, enjoying the faint scent of vanilla and soap. Dash remembered all the times she would see Soarin casually walking around after taking one, mane wet and falling in his eyes, the slight drips of leftover water on the ground. He was gorgeous, strong, and totally—

Dash laid her eyes on him speaking to Lightning Streak and Rapidfire and instantly remembered. He was absolutely infuriating.

She stayed in the shadows of the dimly lit hall, waiting until Soarin left to go for a fly. If it was any other time, Dash would have gladly joined him, but since they weren’t on speaking terms, Dash tucked away her wanting for a fly, not even wanting to possibly encounter him in the sky. It was just too awkward, almost painful with the professional way he would look at her, as if after he yelled at her, nothing had ever happened. They hadn’t fought, hadn’t spoken, hadn’t been friends. Like she was just a new cadet whom Soarin hadn’t met before. Like she was anypony else. Despite her anger, she wouldn’t deny that she still wanted to be someone to him, even if it wasn’t a romantic interest. After checking the area, she stepped out of the hall and into the room, smiling at Rapid and Lightning as she entered.

“Hey guys.”

They turned to face her, playful orange and yellow eyes greeting her. “Hey Crash,” Lightning greeted. “How are ya?”

“Great, thanks,” she lied, making her way to her locker. “You?” She opened it and shoved her bag inside.

Rapid stepped forward. “We’re good... What were you doing in the hall for so long?”

“Were you watching us or something?” Lightning added, only curiosity coating his voice.

Dash fought to keep the blush of embarrassment off her face. “No, of course not. That’s so not cool.” She chuckled.

The two best friends exchanged a confused glance, but were quick to shove it off. “Okay…” Rapid said, smirking a little. “We’ll leave in a minute, Light and I just had a question, actually.”

She raised her brows in an attempt to not seem overly interested. “Shoot.”

His orange eyes darted around, clearing his throat awkwardly. “We heard a little bit already, but we wondering if…” He looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

Annoyance sparked Dash, but she kept quiet. She had a pretty good feeling about what they wanted to ask. “Spit it out,” she encouraged, eager to get this over with. While normally she would walk away, Dash respected the Wonderbolts on a different level, despite already being teammates.

Lightning took the reins. “What happened between you and Soarin? We know you two had a fight, but it couldn’t have been that serious…” He glanced up hesitantly.

Dash’s wall around her heart and head hardened, blocking out the memories of what went down between them. Thank god Soarin made it brief, she could thank him for that, even if she wasn’t quite willing to forgive. Right here and now, she had to make her refusal to answer mostly polite. They were friends and teammates of hers after all. “No offense, but I’d like that to stay between me and him,” she replied.

Rapid tilted his head. “It was serious, huh?”

She couldn’t help herself. “What makes you say that?”

Lightning cleared his throat. “Your tone, body language... Besides, you tend to be less secretive when if comes to life experiences.”

Rainbow Dash glared. “Just because I don’t keep secrets all the time doesn’t mean I entertain myself by telling ponies all my personal business,” she said shortly.

Lightning Streak gulped. “I— that’s not what we meant, Crash, we were just curious...”

All her frustration calmed a little. “I know. Look you guys, nothing happened. Nothing important anyways.”

Rapidfire tilted his head. “You... sure? You can talk to us.”

“You’re closer to Soarin than me.”

“So?”

She scoffed a little. “So? I’m not going to taint his image just because we had a bit of a fight.” It was true, that while she was mad, she found it hard to talk truly bad about Soarin, as a teammate, her boss, her crush, and most importantly, her friend. Or possibly former friend.

Rapidfire and Light smiled a little. “Loyal to a fault, huh?”

Not sure exactly how to feel, Dash shrugged.

Lightning smiled teasingly. “Guys always like that.”

“Not really why I do it,” she joked back, though she meant it.

“Come on Streak, let’s get Wave and see your brother,” Rapid prompted.

“My annoying twin? No thanks.”

Dash flapped her wings, rising into the air as she tilted her head. “Didn’t you keep going on all week about how you were excited to see him?”

Rapidfire chuckled as Lightning smiled shyly. The Streak twins had an interesting reputation, opposites, but not quite. Both had the same caring heart and felt passionately when something mattered to them, be it friends, Equestria, or romances, though they had a different way of showing it. Lightning was more laid back, open and friendly, while Fire Streak kept things professional, but made it clear that he cared about his former teammates just as much as his brother did. They were also best friends.

“Yeah yeah, get going, Crash,” he mumbled.

She grinned and slapped him on the back. “That’s the spirit! Say hi for me!”

“Will do!” Rapidfire called back.

It had been happening the entire week. Starting with Rapid and Lightning, Rainbow had been approached by one or two different Wonderbolts each day, all having one question in common. A rather popular one, considering how obvious it was that something wrong had happened between Dahs and Soarin. Truth be told, she wasn’t even sure how she felt about it anymore. She wasn’t angry, but she couldn’t say that she had forgiven him and let it go. The words he had spat in her face were deep and they had cut. Equivalent to being scarred with a knife, herself raw and open and exposed, all without her wanting to be. The interrogation had lead to Thunderlane, High and Misty, Blaze and Surprise, Wave Chill, and Silver Zoom. She had revealed nothing to very little, assuring them that what happened wasn’t a big deal, and they were able to carry on as teammates without any harm coming their way. Even the press didn’t seem to be aware, the distance between Dash and Soarin mentioned once, quickly resolved with the conclusion of their busy schedules, which was partially true. She prayed she would be left alone as she unpacked her things and placed them in her locker, not bothering to fold the uniform. It was skin tight anyways, and wouldn’t leave any noticeable wrinkles.

Having nothing else to do, Dash wandered away from the lockers and into the shared room with all their beds, settling on one. It was Sunday, and each week, they all got to choose a new bed, considering the sheets and blankets and whole room really, had been washed. She settled down on the far end of the room, in between Lightning and Misty. Hey, maybe the former would flirt with her, maybe Soarin would see, maybe she would make him jealous. That was, if behind his frustration, he liked her too.

“Rainbow Dash, hey!”

Dash turned around, yawning and blinking rapidly. “Oh, hey Cap. Flatfoot,” she greeted.

Fleetfoot grinned. “Tired as usual?”

Dash shrugged, smiling a little. “Isn’t that joke a little old?”

“Yes and no,” Spitfire responded. “Wanna take a fly with us?”

“Sure.” She has nothing else to do, and maybe a fly with them would help get her mind off a certain somepony. Maybe. She wasn’t sure if that was possible.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered, landing on a cloud. The fact that it was pouring down rain didn’t matter, in fact, it perfectly suited Dash’s mood. Of course Spitfire and Fleetfoot wanted to talk about what happened between her and Soarin, that’s all any of the ‘Bolts wanted to do. Of course, seeing as they were fairly close with Dash, it had seemed rather innocent at first, but it became clear near the end that it had been their intention all along. She might have expected it from Fleetfoot, but Spitfire? No. And to ask her, why? Because Soarin wouldn’t answer? She wasn’t their backup, or their second pony. Her being popular has nothing to do with being attached to a male’s name, and never would be.

“How was Ponyville?” Fleetfoot asked.

Dash smiled thoughtfully. “It was good. I, uh, mostly just hung out with Pinkie and Tank.” And told my friends about me and Soarin’s stupid fight, she added in her head.

“Anything else?” Spitfire pressed.

Dash, unaware, simply shrugged. “Not really. It was only for two days, and I had to help out the weather team for part of that, so...” Her voice trailed off and she gave them a weak smile. In the past few weeks, it was becoming clearer that it was very possible she and Soarin would not make up, and due to her and his sour pride, they seemed to be incapable of apologizing.

“Makes sense. We didn’t do much over here either,” Fleet yawned. “Just kept working out…”

Dash smiled a little. While she usually preferred spending her time off in Ponyville, she liked spending the occasional free day at the base too. There was usually something interesting going on, and even when there wasn’t, somepony always made it entertaining. “Any new routines?” she asked. Maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to help Spitfire out on this one.

Spitfire nodded. “I’m going to start working on it tomorrow, give the team another day to chill.”

“A night performance to appreciate Princess Luna,” Fleet added. “That means we get to use a bunch of cool glowy stuff!” She giggled like a filly.

Dash grinned. “Cool. Are we gonna use those fireworks you said no to last time?”

Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Maybe… I guess I should so you two and Soarin will shut up about it,” she muttered.

Dash’s stomach recoiled in disappointment. Despite everything, she missed him. She missed their friendship. The little contests and deep talks and banter. Oh, and looking at him. He was really nice to look at.

“Oh... sorry Dash,” Fleet said all of a sudden.

Dash turned to her friends. “What?”

Spitfire shrugged, taking the reins. “We just... didn’t mean to bring up Soarin. We know you two aren’t... getting along,” she murmured.

The awkwardness in the air became almost unbearable. She wasn’t sure why Spitfire and Fleetfoot weren’t mad at her too. Soarin was their best friend, and Dash was pretty sure they knew she had kicked their best friend out of her house. “Oh… Right,” she chuckled awkwardly.

“What happened with you guys anyway?” Fleetfoot blurted out.

Dash stopped moving, wings beating steadily. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to come up with an answer. A short, polite one. Fleet had a tendency to overstep sometimes… maybe this was one of those times. “He didn’t tell you?”

The other two stayed silent, their eyes conflictive and eerie. Finally, Spitfire cleared her throat. “He wasn’t overly specific, to be honest.”

Dash exhaled, internally relieved. She didn’t need anypony to know exactly what was said, and she was glad Soarin kept it that way. “We had a bad fight,” she admitted. “Said some things. Now we don’t talk. I don’t know if we’ll be friends again. But, you know… it’ll be fine.” She shrugged, as if it was okay that they would never be the same.

“It isn’t really,” Spitfire replied, lowering her head. “He adored you, Crash.”

Cyan ears perked up, a hot blush lighting het entire body, and Dash prayed to the sun and moons and stars that she had not turned purple. “I… Well, that probably wasn’t the case.”

Fleetfoot let out a loud snort, nudging her with her wing. “Something’s definitely wrong if you’re being modest. Come on, let’s go.”

But Dash was no longer in the mood. She was done with answering everyone’s questions. Done with the whole argument thing. They just wouldn’t let her forget, would they? She was Rainbow Dash! She was more interesting, had more to say, then just talking about some fight she had with a boy. “No,” she muttered, moving out of wing’s length from them. “I’m just gonna go over there for a bit.” She pointed in a random direction and took off, lost in thoughts and the sound of slowly steadying raindrops tune out Fleetfoot and Spitfire’s apologies.

takes place after S7 E23, (Secrets and Pie.)
also collides with the beginning of my chapter in Moments That Brought Them Together, (Apologies and Pie.)

“Okay, Pinkie,” Twilight laughed. “Maybe give Rainbow Dash here some room to catch her breath?”

Dash kept the smile on her face, careful not to show too much relief when Pinkie reluctantly let her go, using her curly tail to wipe the mud and dirt and grime off herself, coming from Dash’s disgusting, home-made, gigantic pie. In the end, everything had worked out just fine. Pinkie Pie had forgiven her, wasn’t ambushing Dash with pies every second she got, and finally looked relaxed.

Dash gladly took AJ’s hoof, helping her to stand and shake off the smelly ingredients. Green stuff dripped from her wings, tar stuck to her body, and she was pretty sure there were a couple bugs in her hair.

“Um, RD?”

Dash mindlessly answered, attention focused on trying to clean herself up. “Yeah, Applejack?”

Her friend coughed uncomfortably. “You might wanna… take a shower.”

“Oh,” she said blankly. Taking a deep breath, she instantly cringed. “Yeah… um, I do. I guess I should go home and do that.” She spread her wings, praying to take off. “I’ll see you later.”

“Wait! Rainbow Dash!”

Her rainbow head whipped around. “Hmm?”

Pinkie waved and pointed in the direction of her home. “You can shower here! Then you, me, Applejack and Twilight can hang out for a bit.”

Dash brightened at that, not quite ready to simply take a shower and go back to HQ. “Sure, thanks!”

“Well, what’re you waiting for? Get in the shower!” Pinkie grinned. “In the nicest way possible,” she added sheepishly.

Dash grinned right back, sticking her tongue out. “I’ll be out in ten.”

And with that, she headed away.

“No way!” Twilight laughed, setting her cup of lemonade down. “That’s hysterical Applejack.”

“Ah know! And she was so serious about it too!” AJ took off her hat, revealing the messy blondness underneath.

Dash cleared her throat, drying away the rest of the “What’s so funny?”

“Applejack was just telling us this story about how Applebloom was trying to convince her to let—”

With a zip of her magic, Twilight shut Pinkie’s mouth from finishing the sentence. “Sorry Rainbow, can’t tell,” she apologized, flashing a small smile. “It’ll… uh, ruin a surprise.”

Dash’s ears perked up. “Surprise? Oh come on, I’m great at keeping secrets. You know that. I’m not gonna go and spill them like Rarity does for fun,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

Pinkie giggled. “Can we tell her Twilight?”

Both Twilight and Appeck hoof-palmed, muttering under their breath.

“Tell me,” Dash insisted, settling down beside Applejack. “Come on. I won’t say anything.” She lifted her hoof and with a sly smile on her face, repeated the words, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” When she finished, she set her hoof down and gave each of her friends a convincing, unimpressed look by their unwillingness to share.

Finally, after what seemed like a long moment, AJ chuckled. “It’s a surprise one of the crusaders has for you.” She gave Rainbow a knowing smirk.

The answer was obvious straight away. While Sweetie Belle and Applebloom loved Dash, there was only one of the three that really looked up to her. A certain energetic, bright orange filly who was ever eager to impress her. “Scoots? Really?” Dash’s eyes brightened. “Well, what is it?!” The only thing she knew was that it was for her 24th birthday, which was coming up in a month give or take.

Twilight gave her one of those smiles. The smile that said, We can’t tell you, and we are genuinely sorry about that because it’s very exciting.

The rainbow haired Pegasus let out a disgruntled neigh and let her ears plop down.

“It’ll be okay, Dashie!” Pinkie insisted. “Just think about how excited Scootaloo will be to show you!”

Images of being surrounded by her friends and having a wonderful, unknown thing planned for her suddenly filled Dash with excitement, and for Scootaloo’s sake, she nodded in agreement. “Fine, fine. Don’t tell me. Not like I wanted to know too badly anyways.”

The other three all exchanged coy smiles and eye rolls at her statement, but didn’t say anything.

“So, um, how’s things with Soarin going?” Twilight questioned after a few minutes, avoiding eye contact.

Dash cringed, eyes flitting back and forth, finding the walls very interesting all of a sudden. “It’s fine. We still work together good, and that’s what matters,” she finally said, letting out a little sigh. Working together well was what mattered most, but that didn’t make it any less tough to not be able to be normal around who was previously her best friend on the team, one of her comfort ponies. And having a crush and wanting to be around them basically all the time didn’t help matters much either. It was painful to just ignore it, but it was the best thing she could do, buts of pride still getting in the way of reconciling their popular friendship.

“But you guys were so so so so close!” Pinkie exclaimed, eyes big as saucers. “And then you had a big big big big fight and now you’re—”

Applejack shoved a hoof in her fellow earth pony’s mouth. “We just mean that we know he was yer good friend.”

Dash sighed, memories of them flashing in her head. AJ was right. “Yeah, we were. Guess it just wasn’t meant to be long-term,” she said, shrugging.

Twilight’s lips tilted at the corners. “I know what he said to you was harsh, but—”

“But nothing, Twilight. It’s already said and done, let’s move on.”

The firmness of Dash’s tone must have startled her, because Twilight quickly backed off and nodded.
Dash let out a breath. “Thank you.”

The four sat in silence for a couple minutes, Dash’s unhappiness clearly making things awkward within the room.

“Actually, let’s not move on,” Twilight murmured.

Dash’s eyes met bright purple stoically. “Excuse me?”

The princess gave two firm shakes of her head. “Yes. Soarin means a lot to you. And believe it or not, despite what he said—”

Rainbow opened her mouth to interrupt and kindly tell Twilight to shut up, but her friend was one step ahead of her, and very quickly took Dash’s actual mouth with her magic, leaving fumbling and a lot of ‘mmm mmms’ coming from her.

“You mean a lot to him too! He admires you as friend, as a flyer! I saw it every time you saved him, every time we come for dinner up there! Maybe he meant what he said, or maybe he didn’t, but either way he’s sorry. And you guys get along so well, you owe it to your friendship to try. At least once more. Just swallow your pride Rainbow Dash, and go see him.”

Dash blinked and immediately glared, stunned by the words but not by the outburst. Twilight had no right intruding on her relationships or speaking out when she had been asked not to, but being the princess of friendship, she deemed it her solemn duty, and when Dash really thought about it, it was. Annoyingly. And almost more annoyingly, she had no way to voice her opinion. That was one thing that Twilight couldn’t do. Who was she to take away her lips, her mouth, her key to speaking and yelling and singing, if she felt like it. She had no right. And what did she do it for? To blab some more bullshit about how much Soarin and her meant to one another and that they should forgive even if it wasn’t okay and be friends again and— Oh.

Maybe it was good to take her mouth away just this once. Because maybe Twilight was right. Maybe she should swallow her inflated, wonderful, egotistical, stubborn pride and go make up with Soarin. Their friendship meant a lot to her, their work meant a lot to her, fuck, he meant a lot to her. She was the one who kicked him out of her house… pretty reasonable to her still, but harsh nonetheless. The fighting had gone on for a couple months now, and she was tired of making short small talk and watching him eat and laugh with others while she couldn’t even be a part of it anymore. Soarin Skies had made an impact on her life, and she still wanted to be there to make one on his. So she was going to listen to Twilight and take Applejack and Pinkie Pie’s encouraging smiles and go find and talk to him, because he mattered. They mattered, whether or not the thought sounded cringey, no one heard it but her.

And just like that, she found her tongue able to move in and out, signalling the return of her lips. She exhaled and shook her bangs out of her face, giving each of them a small frown. There was one issue to this whole apology thing. “I don’t know where he lives. He went home today and I don’t know where he lives.” She tried to keep her voice steady. She had been filled with hope, only to have it drained out of her two seconds later.

Pinkie returned to her normal bouncing. “So? You ask someone! Like Spitfire! Go up to her and say, ‘hey, Spitfire! Do you know where Soarin lives? You do? That makes sense, you’re his best friend after all! Thanks, see ya later!’” she exclaimed casually, grin getting wider by the minute.

And just like that, Dash was filled with hope again. There was a reason she had these ponies as her best friends. Normally she would’ve hugged them, but she was too hyped up and instead flew to the window and yelled, “Thank you, see you guys soon!”

She had to get to Headquarters as soon as possible.

Taking a deep breath, Dash landed nervously on the cloud steps of a large cloud home, decorated with a pool of water and a small garden that Soarin couldn’t have kept up by himself with all the time he spent away from here. Dash wasn’t sure if she was surprised that his house wasn’t an actual mansion or not. Soarin, despite being a wealthy athlete, had never really let the fame get to his head, and along with being pretty financially practical, it did make sense that he wouldn’t spend millions of bits. Still though, the house was still way bigger than what one pony needed, but when you had that much money, springing here and there didn’t really matter. Just knock on the door, you got this. She so did not have this, but Spitfire had said this was the address, and it matched her description, so Dash shut her eyes tight and gave it three hard knocks. Those knocks were too loud, now he’s gonna hate me even more. She was very much looking forward to getting this over with. Sort of. She wanted to fly away, but Dash wasn’t a scaredy-pony, and wouldn’t start being one now.

The door creaked open, and she reluctantly met his luminous green, surprised orbs. “Rainbow Dash?”

She gulped, finding herself unable to speak.

Soarin asked another question. “What are you doing here?”

takes place after S7 E23, (Secrets and Pies) and right after the chapter in MTBTT, (My Dashie)

He let their bodies touch, and he lowered his mouth to hers, placing a lust filled kiss on her sweet lips. They moved together in sync, and Dash tentatively wrapped her arms around Soarin’s body, crushing him to her. He didn’t resist as he expertly licked her lips, begging for an entrance. He felt her smile and nip his lip before allowing him in, letting him explore the cool taste of her tongue.

She grinned feverishly. “We’re not done yet,” she panted wrapping her hooves around his body, twisting him and flying over on top of him. Her coat shone with a thin sheen of sweat, some of her hair matted, eyes sparkling.

“You’re so beautiful,” he told her, not thinking in the moment.

Her lips parted, and colour took place on her cheeks. “You’re really hot,” she replied, giggling a little.

“I really, really like you, Rainbow Dash,” he murmured.

She sighed. “Me too. I like you too, Soarin,” she murmured back, stepping closer.

“Really?”

She looked away, embarrassed. “Well... yeah.” She traced her hoof on the floor. “We can just... hang out? A lot, in the future, you know, instead of...”

“Dating,” he finished.

He gave her a small smirk, trying to keep his composure as her hot body pressed into him, pressing against his sensitive areas. He gazed at her until understanding dawned in her eyes.

“Oh,” she said softly, pressing her head to his chest and kissed his neck a couple times. “Can’t get enough of me, huh?” she whispered.

His breaths came in short when her lips touched his skin. “I’ll never have enough of you,” he rasped.

Dash blushed, the past few hours’ activities running through her mind. It just wouldn’t stop. She was filled with all these wonderful, unimaginable emotions. The tingles and the smiles and stifled giggles and blushes, the warmness of her heart and the overwhelming appreciation and joy she had whenever she was with him— it was awesome in all the right ways. They had had sex. Sweet, hot, intimate, lust-filled sex. And good god was it worth it— he was amazing, giving her orgasms that she could only achieve the times she did it alone. Mind blowing and explosive and shivering. This was going to be complicated, whatever they agreed to have— sneaking around, secret sessions, stolen glances, coy smiles, flirty, fun filled, deep chats. But it was worth it. Soarin was worth it. Soarin and Rainbow Dash together would always be worth it to her.

God, she had really fell for the goofball. She was worried she was in too deep, but when Soarin shifted to meet her gaze, the worry melted away, and they were both stuck with stupid smiles on their faces.

He was the first to speak. “Can we really do this?”

She knew what he was talking about. “Yeah. I mean, I can. I can do anything,” she teased.

“Maybe with all this new time we’ll have.” He shifted his body to become more comfortable. “Your positive attitude will rub off on me.”

Dash smirked. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

They lay there for a minute, Soarin’s breaths steadying and undoing her at the same time. “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he sighed.

Taking her head out of his elbow, she turned sideways to face him. “When’d you yell at me?”

He copied her actions and blinked lazily. “When we had that fight.”

Oh. That. With all these other thoughts of him, she had almost completely forgot about their argument. But she had already forgiven him and he had forgiven her. At least, it seemed like it. “Shut up,” she whispered. “I forgave you.”

He flashed a small smile. “Okay. Okay.”

Tentative and almost shy, Dash fought the voice in her head that told her not to reach out and brush Soarin’s hair from his eyes as she did it. “I forgive you,” she repeated.

He gave her a sweet smile. “Ditto.”

She swore her heart melted. She had never, without a doubt, felt this way about somepony before. “So what’d you do today?”

“Hmm, let’s see, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork…” He tapped his chin a little. “But I did get to answer Lightning’s question of what three times six was, so…”

Dash looked face up at the ceiling. “So that probably made your day, huh?”

He let out a laugh. “It was worth it. Made me forget about all that hoof stamping and filling in blanks with my name.”

She laughed too. They were good together. “Can I ask you a question? It’s very serious.”

Soarin turned. “I can tell by your tone, Dashie. It’s not. Now, shoot.”

Dammit, he knew her too well. “What’s three times six?”

What could she say? Math was never her strong suit, and while she did learn her times tables, Dash regularly forgot them.

“You’re kidding.”

She shoved him, hoof connecting with his stomach briefly. “Hey, you heard my story. I can’t even pay attention to Twilight’s fake class.”

“Sixteen. Wait, no, eighteen.” She felt him nod. “Yeah, eighteen.”

“Ha! You can’t list it right away either!” she yelled.

“Shut up,” he mumbled.

But Dash could see it. The little smile that lit his face at her teasing. He really did like her. The only thing that seemed to top that news was knowing that she and her friends had saved the day, or getting into the Wonderbolts.

After a couple minutes, Soarin cleared his throat. “You know when you wanna have a conversation and it’s totally not weird between you two but you still don’t know what to say?”

Nopony had ever asked her that before, but she knew what it felt like. It had happened countless times with Rarity and sometimes even Fluttershy. “Like you just know you should talk but your mind goes blank?”

“Basically.”

They both shared a chuckle. “Have you ever wondered what couples talk about?” After her question, Dash felt her cheeks grow hot. “Not that we’re a couple, but like, other couples,” she clarified quickly.

“Face me, Dash,” he murmured all of a sudden.

She raised her eyebrow, but complied anyway, moving so that they were face to face, about six inches in between them.

He simply grinned. “This feels better.”

Not sure what to say, she ignored that. “So? Do you have an answer?” She gave him a cheeky smile.

He shrugged. “You gotta give me an example, are they an old, boring married couple? Or a young teen rebel couple? Or a responsible, mature couple? Oh! Maybe—”

She couldn’t help it, she let out a giggle at his sudden enthusiasm for her sort-of-strange question. “How about when they first meet? Wouldn’t they be too shy to talk?”

“Depends… Were you too shy to talk to me?” he asked half joking, half serious.

Dash scoffed a little. “What? No! Besides,” she added with a smirk, “you were the one who said actual words to me first.”

Soarin’s eyes flitted all over her face, making her gulp a little. “If I recall, you did. What were they? Oh yeah, ‘Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh’,” he squealed, voice going up a couple notes and pressing one hoof to his cheek and shoving it in.

She instantly looked away, embarrassed but somehow not ashamed of how she used to be in front of them. “Can you blame me?” she mumbled. “You were a Wonderbolt!”

He smiled thoughtfully. “Yeah, and you were the Pegasus that did a legendary stunt, saved my life and won a competition,” he retorted sweetly.

Dash blushed a little. He had referred to her as the Pegasus, not the girl who did all those stunts. It was nice to hear for once, someone not thinking it was impressive because a female could pull it off. But she expected nothing less, he was Soarin after all. “I’m awesome, I know. Surprised you didn’t make me a Wonderbolt right there on the spot,” she teased.

Slowly, tentatively, an alice blue wing wrapped lightly around her waist, feathers brushing her hip. “I figured if we did that we would give you a heart attack,” he replied. “Couldn’t be responsible for the death from our number one fan.”

“Yeah, yeah. Back to my question.” She unconsciously moved deeper into his embrace.

His ears flicked or a moment. “I dunno, their day? Or the things they both like? And ponies.”

“How can you not know? You’ve had a relationship before,” Dash protested. Something in her gut twisted at her own words.

“I barely saw them, I was always busy.”

She smirked. “Right, I forgot. Married to the job.”

Soarin raised a brow. “Why do you ask? Afraid you’ll get boring on me?”

Dash immediately scoffed again and attempted to cross her arms. “No, I’m just making sure you’ll make sure not to get boring on me,” she finished.

He chuckled. “How could I get boring? I’m a Wonderbolt, you know.”

Dash fought a wide smile, only letting her lips quirk up a bit. “Really? No, I didn’t.” She felt her heart skip a little by the way he was looking at her and couldn’t help but wrap her wing around him too pressing right up against him in the process. “Besides, that sounds like something I would say.”

Though he blushed, his voice remained confident. “I guess we’re pretty alike, then,” he mused, sending her a coy smile.

Feeling the way his body moved a he spoke, Dash couldn’t help but grind into him and letting her head really nestle into the crook of his neck. “Yeah? Can you name some things that make us… alike?” she murmured into his fur, pressing her lips lightly against it for a couple seconds.

She fully smiled at his sharp intake of breath. “Well, um,” he stuttered out.

Dash pulled her head back and looked at him. Only Soarin could make nerves sexy. Her look intensified his blush, but also seemed to give him the words to speak. He pulled her closer and placed his mouth near her ear. “Starting off easy… we’re both ponies, Pegasi, Wonderbolts.”

Dash’s stomach turned in the most delicious way at the way his hot breath chilled her spine and lips moved against her skin.

“I’d say we’re both good flyers… agility, strength, speed…” He chuckled at that. “Maybe that’s more your thing, but.” He kissed the sensitive spot right under her ear, causing Dash to let out a surprised, pleased gasp. “I really, really enjoy watching you from behind.”

A blush that couldn’t be stopped by magic bloomed on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “…”

She felt him grin. “We both like Daring Do, even though I totally disagree on your choice for worst one.”

Dash snorted at that. The Trek to The Terrifying Tower was awesome, but didn’t trump AK’s other books.

“We’re both good at Battlecloud, we like apple cider, games in general… napping.” He paused and pressed his lips along her jaw, his left back leg gliding over hers.

“Soarin…” She wasn’t even embarrassed for letting the sigh slip out, it felt too good. He felt too good.

“Same sense of humour, we have some of the same friends, oh! We’re both blue, different shades, but still.”

Dash chuckled at his observations. “Anything else?”

It took a moment, but when he finally settled over top of her, careful not to put all his weight on her, something in her mind went through like a rush, creating a feeling of tingles and happiness at his touch. “You’re really good at this,” he murmured, finally kissing her full on the mouth.

She gladly returned his affections, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling Soarin closer, tracing and tasting his mouth and tongue and a bit of his teeth. It was hot and needy and passionate as their heads moved and bodies pressed against one another, but it also felt so safe yet so exciting. He let out a small groan into her, something Dash felt vibrate from his Adam’s apple and against the slight of her neck. She let him pull away for a gasp of air before settling his forehead against hers. “And I’d say from your reaction, that I am too,” he whispered, pecking her lips again.

Dash rolled her eyes. “If you weren’t I’d be making up an excuse to leave.”

“Hopefully there wouldn’t be a heavy snowfall then, huh?”

“I could make it,” she said confidently. Dash had faced way worse before, and while she was aware of the danger, she could handle herself just fine. For the most part.

Much to her disappointment, Soarin chose to roll off of her, but it was eased by the playful smile he shot her way. “There we’re different,” he added slyly. “I’m not as cocky as you are.”

Dash’s lips parted, surprised at his words, and promptly shoved his chest. “Says the stallion who thought he could face Mount Everhoot by himself in the dead winter.”

He shoved her right back, and she vastly appreciated the fact that he didn’t treat her like some delicate doll. “Remind me Dashie, who was the one who saved who that trip?”

Her mind cringed at the mental image of her screaming, falling into that abyss towards her death, and the security she had felt in his arms as he carried her to the nearest cave. Her ego wouldn’t let her comment on it, though. “Who saved you at the competition and Rainbow Falls, and saved your pie?” She tapped her chin mockingly before sticking her tongue out. “Right, that was me.”

He glared playfully. “You’re no fun.”

“Me? I’m so much fun, everypony says so,” Dash bragged in a non-bragging way.

He yawned and huffed. “I’m tired! I work all the time.”

“Exactly, you workaholic,” she teased, softening her voice slightly to let him know she meant no harm.

He gave her the reaction she did not want, green eyes filled with regret, changing the entire mood. “I work a lot.”

Dash tilted her head, not exactly following. “I know?”

Soarin looked at her again, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. “I work a lot.”

“I—” She shut her mouth, brows knitted together as her lips turned slightly upside down. Soarin did work a lot, just as he had said. It all clicked. And he was right. He worked a lot and she worked and they both needed time alone and with their friends... Maybe it wasn’t their best plan.

But they always had so much fun together. Being with Soarin was easy as breathing or flying— familiar and comfortable, but somehow also new and exciting, full of laughs and secret smiles and mini heart attack-like symptoms. She still wanted him, and if he did too, well, they’d make time for each other. “I know. But I don’t care.” Her muscles relaxed as she watched the left side of his mouth quirk up.

“You... don’t?”

She shook her head. “No, we both work and have other responsibilities. I just... don’t know, you’re someone who’s kinda important, so I’ll make time.” His face changed from a sly one to a serious one, and instantly had Dash doubting herself. “Or, you know, if it’s not your thing I get that,” she added swiftly, keeping her tone in check. She wouldn’t let him see her disappointment. Lucky for Dash, she didn’t have to find out.

His hoof reached over and gave her cheek a gentle stroke, causing an immediate smile to break out on her face. “You’re important to me as well.” She bit her lip, wanting him to add something else. And when he did, it brought the largest skip to her heart she ever thought possible. “And I’ll make the time.”

Dash grinned, and Soarin grinned right back.

“So,” he began, “care to tell me about any more exploits you took when you were young?”

She turned on her other side, taking his hoof almost shyly, and wrapping it around her waist so her back was against his chest. Once they were comfortable, she gave him an answer. “Only if you tell me about all your other failed little hobbies when you were a colt.”

Lips brushed the edge of her ear. “Deal.”

takes place after S7 E26, (Shadow Play Part II)

Dash sighed impatiently, mindlessly flapping her wings and attempted to loosen the blindfold currently wrapped around her magenta eyes. Soarin had instructed her to fly straight, so that’s what she was doing. As soon as her first practice back after she was helping Twilight guide the Old Pillars of Equestria, Soarin had waited until nopony was around before grabbing her hoof and whispering something in her ear about a ‘miniature surprise’. It had caught Dash’s interest soon after, and she found herself being willingly dragged along with him. She could only trust they were higher in the sky to avoid too much suspicion.

“Are we there yet?” she groaned, flinging her arms into the air and waved them around the empty space.

She heard his chuckle, which only made her sigh. “Almost there, Crash. And then you can tell me all about Star Swirl the Bearded!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“Can’t wait,” she droned out, but smiled anyway. His excitement was kind of adorable.

“Your eyes are covered, not your mouth. I can see your smile,” Soarin teased, and almost instantly, her mouth shut, only allowing the little quirk of her lips to let him know she was listening and amused.

She didn’t have a reply, and when his hoof reached out and took hers, taking her to the left, the muscles in her body and the worries clouding her brain faded away.

After what seemed like forever, she could feel herself being lowered, the tips of her hooves brushing something soft and fluffy. It was cool to the touch and had the smoothness of Rarity’s silk sheets.

Dash knew what it was and didn’t spend any time expressing her disbelief. “No offense, Soar, but—”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence as the dark blue blindfold was whipped off her face in a fluid motion, and what settled before her eyes left her speechless.

Yes, the cloud was big and fluffy and white just like a perfect marshmallow, spread out so perfectly that there would be enough space for at least four ponies. It wasn’t really the cloud that had caught her breath though— it was the view. Celestia’s sun was slowly starting to set, and in the sky was a perfectly imperfect array of light blues blending into faint purples and pinks, bright and shimmery golds, and finally, the faintest hint of royal blues. There were few oher clouds in the sky, but down below, there were small mountains and large hills decorating the luscious green grass below. The air was cool and warm at the same time, bringing the perfect breeze over and through her body. It was beautiful. Dash swallowed back, tilting her head to the side as she landed gracefully on the cloud. “I c—”

“Yes!” Soarin cheered, raising a hoof in the air. “I made you speechless.” He smirked.

She swallowed again and rolled her eyes. “Not entirely, you interrupted me,” she interjected cheekily.

He gave her a small smile. “Apologies, continue.”

“What’s this place supposed to be?” she found herself wondering.

She watched as his cute blush grazed his cheeks. “Well, uh, you know, Ponyville is your place, HQ is the Bolts’, Cloudsdale is Pegasi’s… And so here,” he gestured to the cloud and its surroundings, “is our place.” Finally, he landed beside her. “Our cloud.”

Their cloud. Dash swore her heart melted right on the spot, and she desperately feared that she would turn into a puddle by the way her heart and stomach were doing flip-flops, the flush that rose all over her body, and the horrendously idiotic smile that was so close to stretching across her face. A smile that rivaled Pinkie Pie’s. “God, Clipper…” her voice trailed off. This really was one of the sweetest things anypony had ever done for her.

“I, uh, hope you like it,” he murmured, sounding suddenly very shy.

Dash snorted and walked to him until there was no more space between them. “It’s awesome.” And when she saw the look of relief and satisfaction in those emeralds, she allowed herself a partly dopey smile.

And finally, finally, he leaned in and kissed her.

Their mouths met halfway, right in the middle, and as soon as their lips connected, a small flame flickered inside her belly. The kiss was soft, light almost— perfectly gentle, but too much pressure to be called a caress. It wasn’t passionate or rough or lust-filled. Just sweet and tender, and a kiss that would put a giddy grin on your face and endless daydreams in your mind.

When they pulled away a few seconds later, Dash blew her bangs out of her eyes and smirked at him. “How long did it take you to find this?”

“Ah… ten days maybe?” He shrugged and became very focused on the cloud, stroking it with his left hoof.

She raised her eyebrows. “Days? Wow.” She blew out a breath. To be honest, she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. This was a fling. Friends with benefits, and feelings. Basically a relationship with no labels. But even though she already liked him, Dash was still scared of the feeling that could happen if he kept taking time to find things for her and laughing and smiling sweetly and kissing her and touching her the way he did.

Love.

“I know… And I also know you already have places, but if you ever need silence or whatever, even when I’m not there for you, you can come here.” He grinned suddenly. “Take your hourly nap.”

Her ears flicked up at his subtle teasing. “That’s it,” she said with a little shove, “no sex for you.”

His grin diminished into a pout. “What?”

She moved past him and swiped her tail under his chin. “You heard me.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to accept it,” he snipped cheekily.

Dash whipped her head around, vibrant colours coming with her. “Accept it.”

Soarin rolled his eyes. “I’ll try.”

Dash sat down and yawned, smiling at him and patting the spot beside her. Quickly, Soarin joined her, the side of his flank touching hers. “I was joking, you know. I wouldn’t care if we didn’t… you know.”

How the hell did he manage to touch her heart multiple times? “Sleep together,” she stated bluntly, earning a small flush of his cheeks as a reaction.

“Yeah.”

She smiled, moving a little closer to his side. “I know.”

He turned and looked down. “Yeah?”

She confirmed it with a nod. “Yeah.”

After a moment, Soarin wrapped his left wing around her, pulling Dash into his chest.

Blushing, she began to speak. “This is incredibly cheesy,” she said, voice muffled.

He only chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll hear about Star Swirl later,” he whispered.

Dash snorted. “Why, so I can take my hourly nap?” she asked sarcastically.

“You know you want to,” he teased.

It was all true, she felt a little tired, but mostly, she just enjoyed napping. “Shut up and let me sleep, you big baby.”

“But first, promise to tell me all about the Old Pillars and pony of shadows?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you’ll get your bedtime story.”

It was quiet, the faint sound of birds chirping and whistling wind in her ears. She closed her eyes. And he leaned his head on hers.

takes place after S8 E2, (School Daze Part II)

i’m sorry for the long wait, i’m trying my hardest really. and i know this chapter is lame, but i’m having writer’s block of late honestly, even though we know what happens overall. so excited for Cheap Thrills to be released so i can edit and wrap up Soarin and Dash’s story! (for now…) if you’re still reading this, thank u sm.

“Dash! I was wondering if you wanna incorporate the sonic rainboom into our next tour, it’s been a while since we’ve done one.”

Dash looked up from the letter her parents sent her, pushing it aside to focus on what Spitfire was saying. “Yeah,” she mused. “Heh, I guess it has been a bit.”

Spitfire nodded, more excited than usual. “And, if you want to help me, Lightning and Soarin work on a special routine for the Ponyville Days Celebration this year…”

Magenta eyes lit up at the offer. “Sure!”

She had worked on routines before, incorporating stunts, formations and flight patterns before, but she hadn’t formed something exclusively for Ponyville… ever. Her hometown was her place, and she was going to use this opportunity to wow everypony in the crowd. Especially her friends. And Scootaloo. And--

“Did she agree?”

Speak of the devil…

Dash tilted her head in what she hoped was a cute way. “Do you know me at all, Clipper?”

Soarin simply smirked, walking over and taking his seat on the left side of Dash. His closeness still made a part of skin crawl in the best way. “I’ll take that as a no, then,” he sighed.

Dash blinked and frowned while Spitfire stared blankly.

His green eyes twinkled in her direction all of a sudden. “Of course I know you, Crash.” He smiled for real this time. “And I know you said yes.”

She scoffed and shoved his chest. “Bad timing, I thought you had dementia or something.”

“Plus, you know, a bad joke all around,” their captain added.

“I’m wounded,” he protested, faking hurt.

Dash averted her eyes to Spitfire. “Whatever,” they replied simultaneously and instantly grinned at each other. The two mares hoof-bumped.

Soarin stood suddenly. “You may make fun of me, but I know you would be lost if I were not here.”

“That sounds too poetic,” Dash quipped cheekily, flashing him her teeth.

“I’m a natural. I’ll see you guys later to start?” he called over his shoulder.

Spitfire nodded absentmindedly, totally absorbed with the documents laid out in front of her.

Dash turned her head towards the exit and unintentionally locked eyes with him. His lips parted a little as she gave him her best smile and winked at him.

He made his way out the door, but the fact that his neck had turned pink had made Dash’s efforts totally worth it to her. As soon as he was gone, she was back to focusing on her friend as best as she could, the tingle in her stomach initiating her excitement for later activities.

“You guys really need to hook up,” Spitfire muttered under her breath.

Dash’s ears pricked up at record speed. She gave a nervous laugh that hopefully didn’t sound like a nervous laugh. “You guys have gotta stop with all this… shipping,” she protested casually, closing her wings.

Spitfire shrugged. “Just saying.”

It was all her fiery friend said about it, drifting back towards their flight routine, and when she wasn’t looking, Dash allowed a small smirk to settle in on her features. Little did her captain know…

“So Misty Fly and High Winds will start off the triple sapphire twist, followed by Rapidfire and Blaze…” Lightning read, going off the sheet of paper Spitfire had placed in front of them.

“Yep, they’ll be the ones who begin… sparkling first,” Spit confirmed. “Then, Fleetfoot and Soarin will begin to cross here.” She pointed to the areas spread out on the blueprint of the cloudaseum. “Me and Lightning will finish then while Surprise and Silver keep swirling around us.”

They all nodded, confirming this is what they had planned so far. “And then Dash will come in with her sonic rainboom!” Lightning finished, grinning wildly at her.

Dash smiled confidently. “As soon as you guys are finished.”

Everypony in the room nodded, gazing at her with proud eyes. But for Dash, the only eyes that mattered to her was his. When did I become such a sap?

“And then we’ll all get a round of applause, and you’ll get extra because you’re the fan favourite,” Soarin stated happily, his voice raising two octaves.

Dash rolled her eyes, though the compliment meant something. She had been declared a fan favourite Wonderbolt many times, but she didn’t yet hold the legacy that the famous trio— or any of the Bolts’ had— for that matter. “Trying to hide your jealousy, Clipper?” she teased nonetheless.

He feigned shock. “Of course not, I’m just a very supportive teammate and friend.”

“Shut up you two.”

They both craned their necks to stare at Spitfire, but when they did, she simply allowed a small smile to cross her features. “Stop flirting and get back to work.”

Dash looked away. “We weren’t,” was all she could muster. They couldn’t be found out.

“Are we done here?” Lightning asked all of a sudden. “Rapid and I have a party to attend somewhere.”

Soarin grinned, while the two girls simply shook their heads.

“Go before I make you clean the entire compound,” Spitfire muttered.

Lightning’s yellow eyes gleamed and as soon as he hoof-bumped Soarin, he was on his way out.

“And you two, leave, I have somewhere I need to be,” she said hurriedly, throwing her sunglasses off.
Dash frowned and turned to Soarin, who wore the same suspicious look on his face.

“Spitfire, are you okay?” Dash questioned.

Her captain looked up and gave the two a small smile. “Yeah. I’m just going to stop at Wave’s for… something.”

A small smile spread across Rainbow’s lips. The story of Wave Chill and Spitfire Flare wasn’t a very public one, but everypony could see they had a soft spot for one another, as friends, and as the team knew, romantic partners. Normally, she would have given a subtle tease at her friend’s expense, but the aura that surrounded Spitfire seemed different. More complicated than just nerves. “Good luck with that.”

Her orange friend smiled at her. “Thanks, Crash.”

“Don’t mess up,” Soarin advised. Dash could feel his gaze more on her than his best friend.

Spitfire’s golden eyes narrowed. “I won’t. Stay out of my business and go eat a pie.” That was the last thing she said before her attempt at calmly flying out of the room.

As soon as she left the room, Dash burst into a fit of giggles at Spitfire’s comeback. “That was a good one.”

Soarin rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Dash opened her mouth to reply when a certain naughty thought came to her head. “Make me,” she taunted cheekily.

Lucky for her, he gave her the reaction she was looking for. Though, it may have had something to do with the way she was talking, adding a slightly suggestive lilt to her tone.

“Happily,” he snarked back, walking quickly towards her and placing his lips on hers. The sparks she felt whenever they kissed hadn’t disappeared in the slightest. In fact, her desire and happiness seemed to grow more. She knew she was awesome, but the fact that Soarin still wanted a brash, overly confident tomboy like her when he could have any mare was still beyond her.

In a rush, her right arm came up and wrapped around his neck, tugging his body closer, their chests touching until she could be sure that there wasn’t any possible way for them to be closer. His lips softened, and soon it could barely be called a kiss, just a feather light touch that had their mouth brushing and making sweet little noises at the end of each one. It felt blissfully nice to be able to do this kind of thing with him, even if it was a secret overall. The thrill his touch gave her and the unstoppable smile whenever he so much as looked at her that way. Dash would have no problem getting lost in Soarin, trying to find her reflection in those emeralds and tracing the scars and muscles of his body.

A hoof waved in front of her magenta eyes, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Hmm?”

Soarin chuckled. “I know I’m charmingly good looking Dashie, but I thought you had a little more resistance than that.”

She blushed at the use of her nickname. “Nothing charming ‘bout you,” she teased. “I was just going over the routine in my head.”

He raised a brow, smirking. He didn’t believe her. And technically, he was right. Not that she’d tell him that.

“Seriously!” she protested, feeling a burst of giggles bubble up inside her.

He nodded. “Okay.”

Dash sighed, still fighting the smile. “Soarin.”

He grinned. “Yes, Rainbow Dash?”

The use of her full name surprised her. Rarely did he call her that. At first he did, occasionally if they were doing an interview, but other than that? ‘Crash’, ‘Dash’, and ‘Dashie’ were her nicknames. She said the first thing that came to mind, possibly ones of the worst comebacks in the history of Equestria.

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

He smirked. She smirked. “Let’s go to your place before I start doing that,” she said, dropping her voice a couple octaves. Flirty, seductive, bold.

Even if her words had affected him for the better, nothing about Soarin’s body language gave him away. Shy and stuttery one moment, smooth and confident the next. For the most part, he was simple and uncomplicated. But never boring.

“Race me?” he asked.

She winked. “See you there, Clipper.”