Violet Hill

by TorontoFCBrony

First published 11th of January, 2013

A tragic love story, featuring Rainbow Dash and Soarin.

Rainbow Dash graduates from the Wonderbolt Academy. After many weeks of training, she falls in love with Soarin, her instructor. However, when war breaks out and the Wonderbolts have to join the Equestrian Royal Army, Rainbow Dash and Soarin's love for each other and their loyalty for their kingdom are tested.

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This story was inspired by the song Violet Hill by Coldplay, as well as the rest of the Viva La Vida album. It takes place after the Wonderbolt Academy episode, not including Alicorn Twilight Sparkle or anything after season 3. Rated teen for a few suggestive jokes and moments of intimacy, but nothing mature.

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Artwork by: Bob the Lurker.

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First Story: Violet Hill.
Second Story: Til Kingdom Come.

Chapter 1: A Lifelong Dream

It was a cold December day in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was looking out from her window in her floating mansion on the ponies down below. She could see various Ponyville residents struggling to deal with the cold winds while others were enjoying the winter wonderland that spread as far as she could see. Looking towards the schoolhouse, she could see all of the little fillies and colts playing. Scootaloo had just thrown a snowball into the face of Diamond Tiara. All of the little foals laughed while Diamond Tiara just yelled in response. Rainbow could not hear what she said, but the reactions of all the other little foals made her chuckle.

Rainbow Dash was waiting at home after graduating from the Wonderbolt Academy. It had been a few months since the academy at this point, yet she had not yet been given word from the Wonderbolts if she was accepted to join as a permanent member or not. She was outstanding in the academy, impressing the judges and even Spitfire herself. Dash went on to even set a number of academy records.

Even though she was stellar in the academy, however, the Wonderbolts were still divided in their decision to let Rainbow join them. The reason was unknown to her. ‘I mean, come on! I am the best flier in all of Equestria, so how could they not accept me?’ Thoughts like these went through the minds of the blue pegasus on this day. This was the day that she was promised that she would get her answer. Would she, or would she not join the Wonderbolts? This question was the most important one of her entire life to date.

Rainbow’s nerves were killing her on the inside, and waiting in her home did nothing to help. She looked out the window to see if she could find her friends. That was one of the many good things about living in a home in the clouds. She glanced over to the pond, which was frozen over. There she could see Pinkie Pie skating in her beautiful winter clothing. The pink pony was a natural skater. Her dazzling tricks interested the pegasus looking down. Pinkie performed a few axel jumps and then spun in place for about ten rotations. A certain thought at this moment went through the pegasus’ mind, ‘If I'm accepted by the Wonderbolts, I will have to leave my friends behind. I will never be able to enjoy their friendship in the same way.’ The speedy winged pony put on her rainbow coloured scarf and some winter boots as she prepared herself to leave her cloud home. If this really was her last day with her friends, she would need to make it a good one.

Rainbow left her house and flew down towards the pond. The cold air in her mane was bitter, but the sights from in the air were spectacular. She looked down on all the ponies and they all looked up at her in return. There were ponies in their houses, looking out their windows at the pegasus as she soared majestically through the sky. Everypony in Ponyville knew Rainbow Dash. She was a local hero and a role model to all of the young pegasi. She would wave her hoof down to the Ponyville residents as she made her way to the pond.

With the spreading of her wings to slow down, she landed on all fours in the snow just beside the pond. “Oh, Dashie! It’s so good to see you. Are you coming to skate with me?” asked the cheerful Pinkie Pie, who just finished a long spin but showed no effects of dizziness.

Rainbow flicked her scarf out of her face with her mouth, cleared her throat, and replied, “No, Pinkie. I’m here because… well, it’s hard for me to say.” Pinkie skated over to her friend, who was now standing right beside the pond and looking down at her reflection.

“What’s wrong, Dashie? You need to put a smile on that face,” the happy pink bundle of joy said to Rainbow.

The pegasus responded in a more quiet tone than usual, saying, “Today is when the Wonderbolts will tell me if I join them or not. I'm so nervous. This has been a dream of mine ever since I saw them as a filly, but... but I'm still not sure if I want to get accepted.”

Pinkie jumped off the ice upon hearing this. She took off her skates and gave her friend a massive hug. After she let go of the hug, Pinkie asked, “Why in Equestria would you not want to join the Wonderbolts? That’s so silly! All of us want you to join because we know this will make you truly happy.”

“I know, Pinkie, I know. You guys are the best. But I still worry about leaving. I mean, how can the Element of Loyalty leave her friends?”

Pinkie put a hoof around Rainbow, and said, “Come on, Dashie, let’s go to see the others. That should turn that frown upside down.”

Pinkie led the pegasus to where their other four friends were, which was inside Twilight's library. Soon before they approached the door Rainbow put a hoof on her pink friend to stop her from walking. "Pinkie, I don't know what I'm going to say when I go in there. How are the others going to treat me?"

Pinkie Pie looked back on the blue pegasus and gave her a few words of comfort, "Dashie, they will treat you the same way I did. That's why we are all friends. Even though we are all different, we still treat each other the way friends should. We all just want what is best for each other." This was the first occasion in a very long time where Pinkie had given nice and mature commendation to one of her friends without joking or even bouncing around.

"I guess you're right," Rainbow said in reply to the nice words her friend gave her.

The two entered into Twilight’s library. They shook off the snow from their boots and laid their winter clothing on the rack that Twilight had set up. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were inside the dining room and sitting around the table, having a discussion about Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, darling, excellent timing. We were just talking about you,” Rarity said upon seeing Rainbow Dash walk in.

Twilight Sparkle added, “We were actually just about to leave to come and find you. We want to wait with you to see if you are accepted.”

“We are all mighty excited for you, sugercube,” Applejack said with her strong accent. Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement.

"You guys are the best!" Dash replied. "Can we all go back to my place and wait?".

They all responded in unison with "of course!"

By the time the ponies got on their winter clothing and opened the door to go outside, the snow had started to fall. It was light and pleasant; a truly a beautiful scene. As they looked around at the other houses in Ponyville, it brought the six friends feelings of joy and contentment. They walked over to the mailbox in front of Rainbow Dash’s house, except for Pinkie Pie, who bounced and hopped all the way over. There was quite a bit of snow now where her mailbox was because the worker ponies had shoveled the snow from the path onto the sides. This is where the ponies decided to sit together on the ground. Even though the conditions were not the nicest to be sitting down, they knew it may be their last opportunity to just sit together and talk as a group of six.

The six friends talked about many different things that came to mind. They spoke about what Rainbow would do when she got accepted. Rainbow corrected their thinking and reminded them, "If I get accepted." Rainbow spoke about all the shows she would do, all the friends she would make, and all the young lives she would touch. The thing that seemed to bring her the most pleasure was knowing that she would be a wonderful role model for foals all across the land.

Dash knew she was awesome. She had been assured of it time and again by others. Her track record spoke for itself. She was a saviour of the kingdom on a number of occasions. She even had her own fan club. Yet, still not having an answer was one of the most difficult things

Rarity, who was sitting down on a couch that she made appear magically instead of sitting on the wet snow, could see that Rainbow was obviously concerned. She was twiddling her hooves while the other five friends were having fun talking. To comfort her friend, Rarity said, “Darling, there are only two things that can happen: either you make the Wonderbolts, or you don’t. If you do, you will go with our blessing. If you don’t, we will make you feel ever so good that you may even forget all about it. So you have no reason to worry.”

Rainbow replied, “Hey, thanks guys. It's just hard not being nervous for something like this. You really have always been there for me, and I know you always will be. You've even stood by my side and stuck with me at times when I was a jerk to you.”

Fluttershy spoke up, “You were never a jerk to us, Rainbow Dash. Sometimes you did things without thinking, but we all make mistakes.”

“Yeah,” Applejack added, “We all got on each other’s nerves at some point, sugarcube. The important thing was that we always looked past that and stayed friends and we always will.”

“You guys are the best friends a mare could ask for,” Rainbow said while reaching in for a group hug; a hug that lasted seconds but felt like minutes. The love between these six friends was stronger than any in the whole land of Equestria. It was rare that group of friends with so many differing personalities could be this close to each other.

After they broke away from the hug, they looked to the skies. Coming down from the clouds were two pegasus ponies, both in Wonderbolt uniforms. “Oh my gosh. Girls, this is it!” Rainbow said in anticipation.

When the two pegasi landed on the ground a few feet away from them, Rainbow Dash could recognise one. The pony she recognised was a mare, about the same size as Rainbow, but she had a bright orange and yellow mane going high above her head. When she pulled off her goggles, Rainbow shouted out, “Spitfire! It's so good to see you.” The other pony was a stallion assistant to the captain of the Wonderbolts, but he remained quiet.

Spitfire responded, “It's good to see you too, Rainbow. I am here to bring good news. By now, you probably have already guessed what the news is, I'm sure.” She looked over at the male pegasus beside her, who pulled off a briefcase that was strapped to his side, and gave it to the leader of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire handed it over to Rainbow Dash, who was now biting her hooves out of both excitement and nervousness. “Open it up, Rainbow. You deserve this,” Spitfire said. Rainbow was so excited she ripped open the briefcase, breaking apart the hinges, but that did not matter one bit to her. Inside the briefcase was a suit. It was a suit with the recognizable colours of blue and yellow. There was also a pair of the classic Wonderbolt goggles. “Rainbow Dash, welcome to the Wonderbolts,” Spitfire added while reaching out a hoof to the teary-eyed blue pegasus.

Rainbow could only get out a few words. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Instead of shaking hooves with Spitfire, Rainbow picked her up and gave her a massive hug. She dropped Spitfire, who fell flat to the ground when the hug was done.

Rainbow quickly put on her suit and her goggles, but left them on top of her head. She turned over to her friends, who all had tears in their eyes of both pride and happiness for their friend. “Guys, how do I look?” she asked while spinning around in her new suit.

Pinkie Pie was the first to respond, and she responded by knocking her friend over with a massive hug. “Oh Dashie, I knew you could do it,” she said to the pony who was now underneath her. Their other four friends came over to pick up Rainbow and engage in yet another group hug. This hug was a hug of happiness. Rainbow Dash’s lifelong dream of joining the Wonderbolts was finally reached.

"Wow, sugarcube," Applejack said after the hug, "it looks as if you were born to wear that outfit."

Spitfire interrupted the hug to say, “Rainbow, we know you're emotional right now, since you’re leaving your friends and all, but we must tell you that you need to get all of your things and join us rather quickly. We don't want to waste too much time because you have a lot of training ahead of you. As soon as you’re ready we will leave for our headquarters in Cloudsdale.”

Rainbow Dash flew up into her floating mansion and went into her room to grab all of her important things. She was only going to bring one bag that would hang on her side while she flew to her new home. She packed some nice clothing for fancy occasions, a few items she got from her parents, a picture with her father from he foalhood, her collection of Daring Do books, the loyalty necklace from the Elements of Harmony, and finally, she looked over to the picture on her dresser. It was a picture of Dash and her five friends engaging in yet another group hug. It was taken many years ago, but Rainbow could still remember the exact moment it was taken. It was one of those perfect moments that she would remember forever, just like this day.

As she picked up the picture frame, though, her heart felt softened. ‘Is it really worth it to give up everything to pursue my dream?’ The answer to that question would be decided by time, and time only. Rainbow put the picture into her bag and zipped it up.

The mare looked around at everything else in her house. One positive thing she liked about living in a cloud home was that she didn't have to move any of her cloud furniture. She didn't have too many personal belongings that were sentimental to her, so dropping everything and leaving was actually quite easy.

She went downstairs, closed the door to her cloud home for good, and flew down to her friends.

Rarity, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all had tears at this time. Those tears were both tears of joy and tears of sadness, as they were about to lose one of their best friends in the whole world. Rainbow Dash put down her bag, looked to her friends, and said, “Guys, I’m really sorry that I'm doing this. I know this will be hard for you, but this has been a dream of mine since I was a filly. I will still always and forever be your friend.” Rainbow wiped away the tears from her eyes, and continued, “I want to pretend that I’m not crying, but I don’t even care at this point. I love you all!” The six of them engaged in one final group hug.

“We love you too, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

“Don’t ever forget us, Dashie, even when you’re famous,” Pinkie Pie reminded.

“You will always have a place in my heart, sugarcube,” Applejack informed Rainbow.

“Darling, you simply must visit us regularly,” Rarity mentioned.

“I will write to you whenever I can, if, of course, that’s okay with you,” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow spoke to all of them, “Of course, guys. I will never forget you, I will write when I can, and I will visit you at least once every few months.” After one final group hug with tears, Rainbow looked at her friends and said no more. Nothing more was needed to be said. This was truly one of those moments that they would remember forever; a moment they can leave it at. It was a moment of closure and acceptance.

“Are you ready to go?” Spitfire asked.

Rainbow gave her leader a salute. “I have never been more ready in my entire life,” she tried to say in confidence. The three pegasi spread their wings and took to the air. Rainbow Dash looked down and waved to her friends. She continued to stare at them until she entered the clouds and out of sight for the final time.

Chapter 2: Arrival in Cloudsdale

"All right, Rainbow Dash, here's your room." Spitfire led the excited blue pegasus to her room at the Wonderbolt Headquarters in Cloudsdale. The place was absolutely beautiful. Each member of the Wonderbolts had their own room. There was a large dining room, a recreation room that had anything that the ponies desired for their entertainment, a conference room, a small library, and other smaller rooms with couches and tables for relaxation. Rainbow's room was about ten metres by ten metres, which was large enough for her. She had a bathroom and a small kitchen for herself in the room. Thankfully, she also had a bed, a dresser, and a night table provided. Everything was all made of cloud or cloud-friendly material in the city in the sky. Of course, if it wasn't, things would just fall onto the ground.

"Thank you, Spitfire," Rainbow responded. "When do I start?"

Spitfire gave Rainbow a pat on the back. "You'll have to start training first. Your first show will be in the springtime in Canterlot. You have a long road to go before your first show, but I'm sure you'll love it here and it'll be the time of your life."

Rainbow accepted the fact that she still had a long way to go before being show-ready. She stepped into her room and turned on the light. There was only one light bulb in the ceiling in the middle of the room, but she knew she would change that and make this place her own. "Who will I be training with?" she asked the Wonderbolt captain.

"You will be working with Soarin. I'm sure you know that he is one of our best members," Spitfire informed her while standing with a hoof on the door handle. "I have a lot of work to do. You start with Soarin first thing in the morning." She then closed the door to give the newest member some privacy.

Rainbow waited for the door to close. She then jumped up and down and let out a girlish giggle while clopping her hooves together. Not only had she accomplished her lifetime goal of joining the Wonderbolts, but she also had the privilege of being trained by Soarin, one of the most skilled fliers in history. Soarin was also the stallion that Rainbow had a crush on for a few years, but never wanted to admit it. The two of them had their moments before. Rainbow saved Soarin's pie from falling to its death at the Grand Galloping Gala. Her and Soarin shared a few dances at the royal wedding between Cadence and Shining Armour. They danced to a few quick and fun songs, and also shared in a romantic slow dance. But now she could finally spend some one on one time with him. She could learn about him and see who he truly was on the inside.

Dash was very excited to say the least, but she was also very tired at this point due to her flight all the way from Ponyville to Cloudsdale. Her wings were aching from the flight through the bitter cold winter wings. She took her bag and put it on the bed. She pulled out her pillow and blanket and spread them out. The place was starting to look like home already. She took her Daring Do books and her clothing and put them in her dresser, along with her necklace. She also put mementos from her parents on the dresser.

One final item remained in her bag: the picture of her and her friends. Seeing it again almost brought a tear back to her eyes. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like an eternity since she last saw them. She placed it on her night table. Rainbow lay down in her bed, just looking at the picture that was beside her. All of her memories were now racing through her head.

Suddenly, however, there was a knock at the door. The mare got up, turned on the light, looked in the mirror in her bathroom and quickly cleaned up her mane, and ran over to open the door. To her surprise and excitement, it was Soarin who had knocked. This was the first time Rainbow had seen Soarin without any clothes on, but, of course, ponies don't usually wear clothes. Rainbow looked up at the stallion a few inches taller than her. His fur was just a little brighter version of blue than her's was. His body was muscular from his torso to his flank, with his lightning bolt cutie mark clearly visible.

He stood there was his long, slicked back mane. Rainbow tried to put on the most flirtatious face and body language she could. "Hello there, Soarin. It's a pleasure to see you. I'm looking very forward to starting training with you tomorrow," she said while looking deeply into his green eyes.

"Hey Rainbow Dash," Soarin replied. "It's always been an absolute pleasure when I get a chance to spend time with you. Will you be ready by six in the morning?"

"I was born ready," Rainbow replied while touching her mane with her hoof.

"Good, I will see you in the morning then," Soarin said while taking his leave from outside her door.

Rainbow Dash put her hooves on her face and leaned forward for a second, before jerking her head back. She yelled out loud to herself, "What is wrong with you? 'I was born ready!' What is that? Are you trying to sound proud? Stupid!"

Just then Soarin popped his head back in the door that Rainbow had forgotten to close. "Is everything okay?" he asked in a very kind tone, not wanting to embarrass Rainbow, who was actually blushing in embarrassment at this point.

"Oh, you know, everything's fine," Rainbow replied while trying to lean on the door with one hoof. She did not realise how far she was from it, and momentarily stumbled before catching herself once again and letting out a nervous chuckle in an attempt to save her dignity.

Soarin looked at her with a smirk. He tried to hold back laughter after seeing Rainbow fail at flirting. "All righty then, see you tomorrow," Soarin said with a smile while leaving and closing the door for her this time.

"Wow, that was smooth," Rainbow said sarcastically to herself while swinging her forelegs in the air. It wasn’t her best performance, but she reminded herself that she will have a lot of time with Soarin. She could try to impress him in different ways.

By this point she was very tired and could hardly even take it anymore. The mare liked her sleep, and she needed it now. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out like a light. It was truly an eventful day, one of the most in her entire life. A good night's sleep is what she needed the most for the important day she would have when the morning came along.

Chapter 3: First Day of Training

"Oh Soarin... Yes... Oh yes... I like it with whipped cream on top." Rainbow Dash had a dream that night about baking a cake with Soarin. She woke up with a smile on her face. That smile quickly turned into a weirded out frown after she noticed that her bed sheets were wet. "Ewww, what is this?" she said out loud while lifting up her sheets. She looked over to the open window on her left to see that it was raining outside, which was rare for Cloudsdale, and some of the rain had gone through the open window and soaked her bed. "Why would it be raining up here? The weather factory in Cloudsdale only makes weather for the land," she said out loud while leaning on one hoof and staring out the window.

The weather was very gloomy outside, but at least it was not as cold as the day before. It was warm enough for rain, but just barely. When she stuck her arm out the window to feel the raindrops she could feel how cold they were. Since she was a weatherpony back in Ponyville, she could figure out that it was only about three degrees above freezing point. "Why?" she asked. "Why today? Why on my first day of training?"

Just then she received a knock on the door. She opened it to see Spitfire, who said, "Good morning, new recruit. How do you like the weather outside today?"

"It's a little weird that it is raining in Cloudsdale. I don't even remember it ever raining when I grew up here," Rainbow Dash replied.

Spitfire said in reply, "Well, I'm actually here to tell you that the weather outside is specifically for you. We made the weather factory produce some rain for the area. You're going to meet Soarin on the roof to begin your first day of training for shows. You will have to perform in many different climates when you finish training, and that includes even in horrible weather."

"That's pretty cool actually. I feel pretty special, especially considering you guys changed the weather just for me. I must be pretty awesome," Rainbow said with a little bit of cockiness.

Spitfire said harshly, "Don't get ahead of yourself. The best qualities of a worker in training is their ability to listen, learn, and admit they don't know everything. If you are willing to do that, as well as deal with a little bit of embarrassment from your mistakes, you'll become a fine Wonderbolt. Go up to the roof. Soarin is waiting for you in this rain. You will train for a little bit and then come downstairs for your first breakfast with us." Spitfire then left to go finish some other work that she had to do. A good portion of her work was signing posters and pictures for the team's many fans.

Rainbow Dash went to her dresser to put on her Wonderbolts uniform. It slipped on really nicely, just as it did the first time. The suit was a natural fit for her, just like the job that came with it. She put the goggles on her eyes and flew out of her window and into the rain. The rain was bitterly cold, but Rainbow knew she needed to prepare herself for any kind of weather. She braved the cold and made it up to the roof of the cloud headquarters.

On the roof she could see all of Cloudsdale, including the stadium where she won the Best Young Flyer competition a few years ago; the time she made her first impression to the Wonderbolts. She landed on the soft and puffy grey roof. Soarin was standing there in his suit with his goggles over his head. He was already soaked just from waiting up there for a few minutes. "I'm really sorry if you were waiting long, Soarin," Rainbow said.

Soarin replied after shaking his mane to clear some water away, "No worries, Rainbow. We're only going to train in the rain for one day. It's actually very hard for the weather factory to continue to produce rain for Cloudsdale due to the needs of all the other towns across the kingdom. So let's get started and not waste any time." He walked over to the edge of the roof and nodded over to Rainbow to let her know that she was supposed to join him over there. He then described what they were going to do next. "What you need to prepare for is high speeds in horrible weather. Today there is cold rain and heavy winds. Do you see the clock tower over there?" Soarin pointed over to the clock tower that was made of cloud, of course, and continued, "We're going to race there and back. However, it won't be in a straight line. You will have to dive all the way down to as close to the ground as possible, and then pull straight up. Then you can continue flying to the tower. You spin around the tower and fly straight back here as fast as you can. You ready?" Rainbow saluted in agreement.

"Of course I'm ready." With the spread of his wings, Soarin indicated that they were about to take off. Rainbow spread her wings as well, grinning.

Soarin put his goggles back on his eyes and said, "Ready... set... go!"

The two pegasi shot like lightning straight down towards the ground. The wind and cold rain hit Rainbow hard as she descended. She picked up more and more speed. Her face was showing the struggle she had against the elements. Looking over at Soarin, she could see that he was simply smiling at the joy of flying. He was used to conditions like these and high speeds. Rainbow picked up so much speed that her cheeks went back due to the g-force. The ground was only a few seconds away. Soarin was pulling ahead, but only by a few feet. By the time Rainbow had reached the closest point to the ground as possible, she pulled up. A sudden, ear-piercing noise accompanied with a rainbow shockwave flew across the air just above the ground. The force from it melted the snow that was underneath where it happened. Rainbow Dash looked back to see a rainbow coming from her mane and tail. She had just performed her fifth ever sonic rainboom. She shot up against the rain and raced her way towards the clock tower. Soarin was now behind her, but Rainbow had not even noticed. She spun around the tower, and glided across the sky back to the roof of the headquarters.

Upon landing her feet on the soft roof, Dash panted and gasped for air. She looked back at what she had just accomplished, and it was beautiful. After a few seconds of catching her breath, Soarin landed. Rainbow had won the race by a longshot.

Soarin looked over at the rainbow that came from Rainbow's backside. He looked in awe, and said, "I was told about the time that you saved me and the others. I was knocked out for the whole thing. This... this is truly amazing. It's a little early to say, but you may very well be the best flyer I have ever seen." He took of his goggles and glanced over at the mare who had just performed the amazing rainboom. Rainbow took off her goggles and shook her head from left to right. Her mane was lowered down due to the wetness. She gave Soarin a stare that was irresistible. It was a sexy stare because of the water in her mane, yet it was natural and unforced. Just the sight of it made Soarin tense up a little bit. He was still at a loss for words. "Rainbow Dash, you- you are really amazing."

"You really think so? You really think that I am amazing?" the wet female pegasus asked him.

"You truly are. You're gonna go far, kid," he said while putting his hoof on her back. Rainbow could not tell if this was a friendly or a flirtatious gesture.

"Can we go inside now? I'm really hungry and wet," Rainbow said to the stallion who still had his arm on her back.

"Yeah, I think it is about time to eat, actually," he responded. He took a glance over to the clock tower. "Yep, it's time. Hopefully they have pie."

"Pie for breakfast?" Rainbow Dash asked with a little bit of disgust. The two shared a laugh, and then looked each other in the eyes for a few seconds. Rainbow added, "Yeah... I'm hungry. Let's get out of here."

They flew down to the main doors, shook themselves off, and entered in. They made their way to the dining room, side by side.

This was Dash's first time in the dining room. There was a large cloud table with about ten chairs, and double doors to the kitchen where the staff made the wonderful meals. Spitfire was sitting at the head of the table. Beside her along the sides were Fleetfoot and Rapidfire, who were two other members of the Wonderbolts, and a few more senior members of the staff. The two seats beside Spitfire and across from Fleetfoot and Rapidfire were reserved for Rainbow and Soarin.

After the two got settled in, Spitfire welcomed and began to speak. "We would like to warmly welcome the newest member of the Wonderbolts, Miss Rainbow Dash." All of the ponies at the table clopped their hooves for the newest member. Rainbow gave them all a cute smile in return. She liked the attention. She always did. But she didn't want to show it yet. Spitfire continued, "She will be training with Soarin and will join us for her first show, which will be in Canterlot in late March. Rainbow, we hope you enjoy your time here. Get to know everypony and make this place your new home."

Rainbow did not know what to say at this point. She was so overwhelmed by how greatly she was treated from the moment she stepped through the doors. She scratched her head and said, "Hey, thanks guys. I really feel welcomed here. I feel like I am a member of a family. Even though coming here was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, I still was worried. I was worried because I did not want to leave my friends and my Ponyville life behind and be disappointed. But you guys have made me feel so good that I don't regret my decision at all."

Spitfire added, "Rainbow, I forgot to tell you. You can have visitors here at any time. If you have any mail to send to your friends back home, all you have to do is give it to me and I will send it for you with no questions asked."

Just then, the staff from the kitchen came out with breakfast. There was a plate made for each pony sitting at the table. A purple female pegasus in an apron came by and placed a plate of food down in front of Rainbow. It had pancakes with syrup from the trees outside of Manehattan, fried potatoes, French toast, and a muffin. It also came with a glass of orange juice. "Enjoy," the server pony said to Rainbow.

And enjoy she did. Rainbow was starving after training so early in the morning. She slammed her face into the food and devoured it as fast as she could. She then drank the whole glass of orange juice in one swig. But only after she finished every drop did she think about how embarrassing she must have just looked in front of the others. She looked over at Soarin, who was face down in a blueberry pie. He lifted his head up and looked back at Rainbow. His face was almost completely purple, along with the scraps of other things stuck to his mouth and cheeks. He and Rainbow shared a chuckle at their embarassment. Spitfire just rolled her eyes with a smile. Dash truly had made herself at home, and was showing it early.

After the breakfast was over, Soarin took Rainbow back out to the roof for some more training. They practiced synchronised flying in the rain and what to do in an emergency situation. They were having far too much fun to even realise that they had been practicing for hours. They had skipped lunch and dinner by accident.

Rainbow Dash looked over at the clock tower to see that it was now eight in the evening. "Hey, what happens if we miss meals? Do we get in trouble?" she asked Soarin.

"No, it's up to each member to do what they want to here. The only things that are mandatory are our performances, training, and always treating our fans and teammates with respect," Soarin informed Rainbow while putting a hoof on her back once again. "Let's go get some food from the kitchen. We've practiced enough for today." Dash had no complaints with that suggestion.

The two of them went to the kitchen and grabbed themselves some of the food that the staff usually sets up for occasions like this, when Wonderbolts were hungry late in the night. Soarin grabbed another pie while Rainbow made herself a veggie sandwich with flowers and salad. They walked down the quiet hallway back to Rainbow's room.

"I had a wonderful time today, Soarin." Rainbow said while looking up at the stallion. "I hope tomorrow will be just as good as today."

Soarin looked back down at the mare. "I promise you it will be," he said. He kissed her on the cheek and wished her a good night.

Rainbow smiled while holding her cheek and watching Soarin walk back down the hallway into his room, his muscular flank moving with every step. She entered her own room, closed the door, and put down her sandwich on the dresser. She stood over her bed with her hooves out and allowed gravity to let her fall onto it.

"What an awesome day," she said out loud. It was only her first full day of training, but she could feel a special connection to Soarin. After eating her sandwich, she fell asleep with the stallion on her mind. She could not wait to see what wonders the next few days would bring her.

Chapter 4: Violet Hill

Dear Dashie,

It has been a few weeks since you joined the Wonderbolts. We still have not heard from you, and that makes me sad! Twilight keeps telling me not to bother you, but I really want to know how things are. Things are so boring here without you. Applejack says 'hi, sugarcube.' Rarity wants to know how the decor is in your new place, whatever that means . Fluttershy really misses you. You are her oldest friend and you really mean a lot to her. OH LOOK! COTTON CANDY! Please write back soon. Five bits? Get outta here!

Love,
Pinkie Pie

Three weeks had passed since Rainbow had arrived in Cloudsdale to join the Wonderbolts. Those weeks went by in a blur. Rainbow got to celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve with Soarin and the other Wonderbolts, as well as the New Year. It was now early in January. Reading this letter brought feelings of both sadness and happiness, followed by laughter. She knew that Spike must have been writing for Pinkie, and he wrote down every word she said. Pinkie was always all over the place.

At this time Rainbow and Soarin had obvious lust for each other, but neither of them were willing to make the first move. Rainbow never came out and told Soarin she liked him; Soarin never asked her out. After receiving the letter from Pinkie, Rainbow's emotions were a little stronger today than usual.

Rainbow's room was starting to look more like home. She bought a couch, a coffee table, and a flat screen television, which were rare in Equestria because of how expensive they were. They were all made out of natural materials mixed in with cloud so that they could stay in the building without falling through the floor.

Even though she was only in training she was still making more money than she ever did back in Ponyville. But something was missing- something that was very special to her. It was her friends. She missed the laughs. She missed the hugs. She missed the adventures.

Contrasting emotions went through the young mare's head. She was happy where she was now but she was also sad about what she lost.

Trying to take her mind off of the emotions, Rainbow went to the window to look at the weather. She was unsure of what training lay ahead on this day. The sky was beautiful, without even a single cloud in the sky. The sun was rising, and it was displaying beautiful hues of orange, red, pink, and light blue. The temperature was warmer than the previous days of the week.

A knock at the door took the mare's attention away from the window. Rainbow let out a quiet sigh, but not out of frustration or annoyance. It was just a sigh due to routine. She didn't feel like doing normal training today. Today she wanted something different; something special. She needed something to lift her spirits to get out of a funk she felt she was getting into. "Just a minute," she shouted out, trying to sound happy.

She walked over to her mirror, made herself presentable, and then walked over to open the door; the same routine as every other day so far.

"Mornin', Rainbow Dash," said Soarin, who was smiling brighter than usual. He was wearing his Wonderbolt suit, as he usually did when coming to Rainbow's room every morning.

"Oh, hey," was the mare's only response. She looked down at her hooves and gave a little kick with her front hoof. She really did not have anything that she wanted to say on this day.

"What's wrong?" Soarin asked with a voice of concern. He proved to be a really sweet and caring stallion when needed to be.

Rainbow picked her head up from looking at the floor and looked the stallion right in the eyes. "I just... I don't know. It's hard to explain. I still miss everypony in Ponyville, but I also feel like today I'm just in a rut. You know what I mean?"

Soarin put a hoof on her cheek to comfort her, and kept it there softly while he said, "I know exactly how you feel. I felt the same way when I came here. I felt like, well... maybe the time isn't right. C'mon, I want to take you somewhere special today. We can train another day."

"Okay," Rainbow Dash said with a new and happy smile. "Let me just grab something first."

"Get some winter clothing on too," Soarin reminded her. "I'm going to change out of my suit. I'll meet you at the front doors in a few minutes." He then left and closed the door for Rainbow to get ready.

The mare went over and changed into her winter clothing. She had bought a new wardrobe here in Cloudsdale. Rarity would be impressed at Rainbow's sense of style. Rainbow Dash always dressed in style, even though she would hate to admit it. She put on her blue winter coat that was made of cotton on the inside, a red scarf, and an orange winter hat. She decided not to wear boots or anything else to cover her hooves at this time. She figured that she was used to the cold by now. She also grabbed one other thing: her letter from Pinkie Pie. She somehow just felt the need for the letter to be with her on this day. It made her felt like she was still at the place she used to call home. She folded it and put it in her coat pocket.

She met Soarin at the front doors. He was wearing just a brown winter coat. "You look lovely, Rainbow," Soarin said to the mare.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," she responded while eyeing him up and down.

"So the place I am going to take you is somewhere special," Soarin said to the mare. "It's a place that I discovered when I was wandering about alone a few years ago. It's a place where... well... I'll tell you more about it we get there. Follow me."

The two of them stepped outside, spread their wings, and took to the air. Soarin led them below the cloud line. He and Rainbow flew side by side over the plains of the area. It was a truly beautiful sight. The ground was completely covered by white, untouched snow. The trees were frozen with the snow on the leaves. It was truly a winter wonderland.

"Soarin, is this what you wanted to show me? Because it's truly beautiful," Rainbow Dash said while looking at the beautiful winter spectacle in front of her eyes.

"It truly is, isn't it?" Soarin replied. "However, this isn't what I wanted to show you. We'll get there in a few minutes."

The two blue pegasi kept flying over the land for a few moments more. Soarin pointed over to a place that was just in the distance. When the two got closer Rainbow was able to see that it was a small hill in an otherwise flat area. It had one large tree on the top of the hill that had lost all of its leaves for the winter.

The two of them spread their wings to slow down and land softly on the top of hill, just under the tree. Rainbow looked around at the beautiful landscape. There was not another pony or even a building in sight. She could see Cloudsdale in the sky in the distance in front of her. Over to her left were the mountains and the city of Canterlot at the edge, many kilometres away with only plains in front of it. It was truly a breathtaking sight.

"Soarin, this place is beautiful," she said to him. "You can see everything. And it's so quiet! How in Equestria did you find it?"

Soarin responded, "It's actually a very long story. We should go lay down under the tree and enjoy moment. I'll tell you another time."

The two of them went over to the tree. Rainbow turned around and laid down forward, facing the area where Cloudsdale was. Soarin came over and laid down right up against her. It was a cold day, but the two felt a true warmth when they were beside each other. They both looked out over the area for a few seconds, without even saying a word. It was a moment that didn't need any words.

Later on, Soarin asked her, "Rainbow, what was bothering you today? You just didn't seem yourself."

Rainbow took out the letter from Pinkie that was in her pocket. "I received a letter from my friends back home. I really miss them, and I still don't fully know if I made the right decision in coming here. It's hard to explain."

"Can I see the letter?" Soarin asked the mare lying down beside him. She agreed and handed it over to him. He read it out loud, "'Dear Dashie,' hmm... Dashie. That's beautiful. Can I call you that?" Rainbow nodded her head with a smile. Soarin smiled back at her and continued to read the letter in his head. After he was done, he looked over at the mare against him and said, "Wow, Dashie. You must be so happy to have such a close group of friends. I can see why it's hard to let them go to pursue your dream."

"Well, what can I do to feel better?" Rainbow asked him.

"I'm not too sure, Rainbow. Only time will tell. You will need to find something that makes you truly happy," he told her. The two of them cuddled up against each other in a few more seconds of silence. Soarin gulped due to a little bit of nervousness. He then said, "I think it's time that I tell you the story of this place, actually."

Rainbow leaned up even closer to him. She was now under his chin, looking up at him with wide, eager eyes and a beautiful, natural smile. Soarin smiled back at her, and then looked off into the distance.

The stallion continued, "Back when I first joined the Wonderbolts, I also missed the life I left behind. I left friends and family. Even though they all supported me and I would go to visit them, I still never felt at home. I guess that's how you feel now. However, I fell in love with a mare who was also a member here. The Wonderbolts were my dream growing up, but she was my new dream. We dated for a few months."

"Aw, that's sweet," Rainbow replied in happiness for Soarin, but felt a pit in her stomach, worrying that he was still interested in this other mare, and not her.

"Well," Soarin continued, "I wanted to marry her, but the mare I knew and fell in love with started to get too into the job. She started to care more about the job than me, and when I pointed that out to her, she dumped me, saying that I didn't care about her or her dreams. I was crushed. I took a few weeks off and wandered Equestria to find a special place that only I knew about; a place where I can just think to myself. That was when I found this place. I called it Violet Hill. It was the springtime, and this place was blooming with beautiful violet flowers. The tree is actually a cherry blossom tree, and it was in full bloom with a beautiful shade of pink. This was the perfect place. It's a place where I can just be with myself with my thoughts. Since then, if I have ever been worried, nervous, sad, or even happy I would come here and just think and look at the scenery. I never thought I would show anypony this place. That is, however, until I met you."

He looked down to the mare. Their eyes met. Rainbow was feeling on top of the world at this point. They leaned in closer to each other, until finally their lips touched. It was Rainbow's first ever kiss.

After their lips detached they opened their eyes and stared at each other for a few seconds. Rainbow said in a quiet voice to the stallion that just took her breath away, "Soarin, my dream was to become a Wonderbolt. I... I think you're my new dream."

"And you are mine," Soarin said in reply.

Rainbow had thoughts and hopes that Soarin liked her, and this day proved those to be true. Rainbow had finally found a stallion to be called her own. She finally had her own coltfriend.

The two of them cuddled against each other for most of the afternoon, telling stories to each other. Even though Rainbow was not in Cloudsdale at this time, she felt like she was on cloud nine with Soarin.

Soarin later took her to Canterlot for a five-star meal at the Canterlot Gardens restaurant for dinner. During the meal was when Rainbow told Soarin all about her time in Ponyville. She told him about each of her friends, about her adventures, and about the times she helped save Equestria. Soarin hardly said anything. He didn't have to. Rainbow was so happy she was talking almost non-stop. She felt so comfortable with him and trusted him enough to even tell him everything on her mind.

They stood at a balcony in Canterlot to watch the sun set, with its beautiful colours shining across the sky. Rainbow leaned in and put her face against Soarin's cheek.

When the sun had gone down and nighttime fell upon them, the two decided to fly back to the headquarters. Soarin walked Rainbow all the way to her door. Rainbow, with one hoof on the door handle, said to Soarin, "This was the best day of my life. Thank you so much. Thank you for- for everything."

Soarin gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I guess I should be going now."

Just then Rainbow stuck her leg out to stop Soarin from leaving. "Soarin... I don't want this night to end. I think we can find something to do inside." She blushed a little bit. Soarin blushed too. He decided to come inside.

They took off their winter clothing and sat down on the bed. "So... what do you want to do?" Rainbow asked while acting rather perky.

"I think we can find something fun to do," Soarin said while winking.

"I know just the thing," Rainbow said after bouncing on the bed in excitement. "We can play Equestrian Arts Hoofball 2013! Or, oh! We could also play Mare-io Kart!"

"Oh Rainbow, you're so innocent. It's adorable. I was thinking of doing something a little more... adult," he said while leaning her down and planting a passionate kiss on her lips.

The sound of the birds of Cloudsdale and the sun shining on her eyes made Rainbow Dash wake up the next morning. Beside her was the stallion that made her dreams come true. "Good morning, Soarin," she said to him.

"Mornin', Dashie," he said in response with a grin.

Soarin had given Rainbow a day she would never forget. Rainbow now had somepony to call her own. She now had a new dream, and a new reason to stay here as a member of the Wonderbolts.

Chapter 5: A Letter to Ponyville

Dear Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack,

I'm really sorry that I haven't written back to you for a month or so. Things have been amazing. They say my first show is going to be the Wonderbolts Derby in the spring. I'm so excited! Hopefully you guys will be able to come out to watch.

I am making amazing progress. I also have something special to tell you: I have a coltfriend. Soarin, that's right, the Soarin of the Wonderbolts. He is the one responsible for training me. We have spent every day together and we have grown closer and closer as the time went on. The day I received your letter was one of the best days of my life. Soarin took me to a special place that only he knew about. He named it Violet Hill after the flowers that grew there. That's where we kissed for the first time. It was so magical. It may be too early to say, but I really think he's the one.

My room is starting to look like home. I've furnished it completely, with the exception of a dinner table because I either eat on the couch or in the main dining room. You guys can visit at any time if you want. This place is huge! I keep finding more and more rooms the more I explore. You guys should come and eat it the main dining room and we can play games. Just make sure you use Twilight's spell so that you can walk on clouds, though. I don't want to have to save you again!

I hope all is well.

Lots of love,
Rainbow Dash

Two weeks after Soarin showed Rainbow Dash Violet Hill, she finished writing her letter back to her friends in Ponyville. Rainbow was becoming a natural at any ability needed to become a successful Wonderbolt. She had a number of dates that went very well. Soarin had taken her to see Neighagara Falls, as well as treated her to dinner a number of nights. He also took her to Canterlot to see a Hoofball match at Canterlot Stadium, which had Real Canterlot face Trottingham Forest. Real Canterlot was historically the best hoofball team in Equestria, having the most trophies out of any team. Every pony who was a hoofball fan would want to visit Canterlot Stadium one day. Rainbow Dash loved it, and she showed Soarin a much more passionate side to her, especially when she sang along with the crowd and heckled the players. Even though both of them cheered for Cloudsdale, it was good to see a neutral match.

In the last few weeks Soarin proved himself to be a very capable coltfriend. He was caring, respectful, and also a good teacher.

After giving the letter a quick read to make sure there were no mistakes, she folded it up, licked the envelope, gagged in disgust, and put the letter in so she can send it off to her friends back in Ponyville. She went towards Spitfire's room so that she could give it to her. Spitfire, as captain of the Wonderbolts, had many responsibilities, with handling the mail being one of them.

Rainbow went up to Spitfire's office. She was about to knock on the door, but she heard a commotion coming from inside. It sounded like two ponies were having an argument. Rainbow leaned in and held her ear against the door to listen to what was being said inside. She recognised the two ponies arguing to be Spitfire and Soarin.

"I don't understand why you're annoyed by this, Spitfire," Soarin said.

"Soarin, you know how seriously I take this job. We are supposed to be role models. We are supposed to always be on our game. How could you be on your game when you're hooking up with another member of the team?" Spitfire replied.

"Rainbow has made massive improvements in everything and I'm still a capable teacher," Soarin said in defence. "Can you please explain to me how us being in a relationship is negative for the team?"

Rainbow leaned back from the door in surprise, feeling a shot of nerves about the whole situation. It didn't sound too good. She leaned in to listen more, hoping to hear some better news.

"Well, at least give us a chance to show you that it won't affect our performance," Soarin pleaded to Spitfire.

"It better not," Spitfire replied sternly. "Otherwise I will assign Rainbow to a new teacher and you two will never be allowed to be partnered up ever again. I'm only doing this for the team, Soarin. I am the captain and I have to remain professional at all times. I also need to make sure all of you are too. I take this job seriously and that is why I am in this position now. If I had stayed emotionally attached to you I wouldn't have made it this far."

Just then Rainbow Dash let out a gasp and stepped away from the door. "Spitfire was Soarin's love? Great. I'm nothing compared to her." she asked herself quietly.

Soarin came out of from Spitfire's office with a frown on his face. He was obviously not pleased with how Spitfire had just treated him. He looked down to his left to see Rainbow looking at him. "How could you not tell me that Spitfire was your love?" she asked him with watery eyes.

Soarin looked back at the hurt mare and said, "Dashie, I'm really sorry you heard that. I didn't know you were listening. I'll explain everything over dinner if you want."

Rainbow Dash looked down, put her two front hooves together, and then stared at Soarin with the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could muster up. "Can we go to Cloud Ten tonight?" she asked him in the sweetest and most innocent voice she could put on.

"Sweetheart, Cloud Ten is the most expensive restaurant in Cloudsdale. Is that really what you want?" Soarin asked her. Rainbow just looked back him and nodded her head with her innocent face still intact. Her mane waved as she nodded. Soarin let out a sigh and said, "Fine, we'll go to Cloud Ten tonight, but only because you're so darn cute!"

Rainbow shouted out, "Alright!" She jumped in the air and pumped her hoof towards the ceiling with a huge grin. Soarin could not help but smile at the joy coming from the mare. But she then remembered her letter to her friends in Ponyville. She asked, "Oh, I almost forgot, the only reason why I overheard you guys was because I need to send a letter to my friends back home. Can you give me a minute?"

Soarin agreed to wait. Rainbow went into Spitfire's office. "Spitfire?" she asked while approaching the desk. Spitfire was busy signing autographs by dipping her hoof in ink and placing it on pictures.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash? I'm very busy, so make this quick," she responded harshly while still looking down at the papers.

"I just want to know if you can send this letter to my friends back in Ponyville," Rainbow said.

"Sure, just leave it on the pile," Spitfire said while continuing her work. Neither made mention of Dash's relationship to Soarin. Rainbow left the letter in the pile and left, closing the door behind her.

"Wow, she can be such a jerk when she's into her job," Rainbow said to Soarin after joining him in the hallway.

"Tell me about it," Soarin replied. "She was the rude one, yet she dumped me. I'll tell you more about it when we get to the restaurant. It needs to be said in a better setting." The two of them went down the hallway and out the front door of the headquarters side by side. They turned their bodies towards the restaurant. "It's just a few clouds over there," Soarin pointed out. They spread their wings and took flight. The day was beautiful in Cloudsdale, even though it was still wintertime. There were no clouds in the sky and the temperature was about ten degrees above freezing point, which was very pleasant for flying at this time of the year.

At the restaurant, the server pony sat Soarin and Rainbow Dash at their seats. They sat out on the outside deck, which had a beautiful view of the sunset in the distance. Soarin opened the menu. The look in his eyes showed the shock that he had. "Fifty bits for salad? Seventy-five bits for vegetables and soup? Dashie, I don't know about this." Soarin put down his menu and looked at Rainbow, who was giving him an interesting stare while resting her chin on her hoof. "What?" he asked her in both confusion and intrigue.

Rainbow gave him the same look for a few more seconds, and then said, "I asked you to come here because you didn't tell me everything. This is your punishment. You really should have told me that you were in love with Spitfire!"

Soarin now understood why Rainbow asked to go here, and she was right. This was her way of punishing him. He really should have told her that he had dated a pony they were acquaintances with. He tried to make it up to her by saying, "Dashie, I'm really sorry I never told you. But the reason why I didn't tell you is important: I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable here. If you knew that I dated Spitfire you might not feel at home here, or at least that's what I thought. I wanted you to feel safe here. I wanted you to know that you're the only mare for me. And at that time, the time I told you the story at our special place, it was perfect. I wanted nothing to ruin the moment."

"I guess you're right," Rainbow replied. "You didn't tell me because you didn't want me to feel bad about myself. You knew that I would think that I'm nothing compared to Spitfire."

"Dashie, that's not true and you know it," Soarin said. "Spitfire is totally two faced sometimes. When we started dating she was everything I ever wanted. Then she started to get proud thoughts of herself. The captain of the Wonderbolts at that time was getting old and Spitfire wanted to do everything to get promoted to be the new captain. All I did was point out to her that she was getting too into her job and she needed to care more about our relationship. I reminded her that she was the best Wonderbolt out of all of us, and she could get that promotion without even trying. That's when she dumped me. She said that she had no time or patience to let anypony else bring her down, and she would do anything it takes to get that promotion."

He looked over to the mare in front of him. He saw the beautiful smile that she had on. She was clearly very interested in what he was telling her. He smiled back to her and continued, "I was crushed. I felt played. I didn't know what Spitfire was the true Spitfire. I felt so stupid for falling for somepony who was totally fake. Don't get me wrong, Dashie, she can be really nice when she wants to be, but that's not the kind of mare I want. I want somepony who is what she is. She must be real. You're real, Dashie, and I love you for it. I am so glad that things never worked out between me and Spitfire. You're not nothing compared to Spitfire; Spitfire is nothing compared to you."

Rainbow had nothing to say about the matter. She just looked at him and looked back at her empty plate, since they still hadn't ordered yet. After a few minutes she finally found a few words to say. "Thank you, Soarin. I love you too, and I am so happy that I have somepony who cares for me so dearly. I guess I shouldn't have felt bad in the first place. I just felt jealous of Spitfire."

Soarin reassured her with another smile, "Don't ever feel jealous of anypony else ever again, you got that?"

"All right," she replied with a nod. She then suggested to her coltfriend, who at this point was probably still wondering how he would pay for the meal, "Hey, you wanna leave? It's too expensive here. I'm not mad at you anymore so I don't want you to spend too much. Let's go back home to get some noodles and we can watch TV at my place."

"Thank goodness. That sounds like a great idea," Soarin replied. They looked around to see if any workers were looking at them. When the coast was clear they spread their wings and flew away so as to avoid the embarrassment of leaving the restaurant in front of the workers.

They got back to Rainbow's room with two cups of cooked noodles and three bags of potato chips. Not knowing what to watch, Soarin gave an idea, "We can watch Mares Gone Wild!" Rainbow gave Soarin a glare that basically said 'you're not serious.' "Yeah, that was a joke," Soarin replied, when it really was just a half-hearted yet hopeful suggestion. He obviously had a different night planned than Rainbow did. She just wanted some time to spend together. The two of them chuckled anyway. They decided to have a quiet night of watching Equestria's Funniest Videos. It wasn't much, but any time spent together was special for this mare and stallion. They didn't need much to be happy. All they needed was each other.

"Spike, can you please get me the History of Equestria book from the second shelf on your left?" Twilight asked her dragon assistant back in Ponyville.

"Sure thing Twilight," Spike responded quickly. He got on his tiptoes to reach the second shelf. "Okay, here it is," he said while handing the book to the purple unicorn. Spike then suddenly leaned forward and let out a loud belch. He spit out a letter from his mouth. The letter floated gently into the open hooves of Twilight.

Twilight read the first few words of the letter quietly. The letter was Rainbow's reply to the previous letter sent by Pinkie. "I think everypony should be here for me to read the whole letter," Twilight said. Her and Spike went out, gathered the others, and returned back to the library.

"Darling, this must be good. I am very busy designing a new clothing line that I will have in my shop," Rarity said.

"Yeah, what's up sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

Twilight responded to the group, "Don't worry everypony, it's important. We received a letter back from Rainbow Dash and I wanted us to all read it together."

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down in place. "Eeeee! This is so exciting! Finally Dashie got back to us."

"This is very exciting, please read it Twilight. That is, if you want to," Fluttershy said.

Twilight Sparkle smiled at the yellow pegasus and said, "Of course I want to read it! This is very exciting for me too. I can't wait to see what she has been up to."

Twilight read the letter aloud to all of her pony friends. "Oh my," was Fluttershy's first reaction to it. "That is so nice to hear that she is doing so well."

"So Rainbow Dash got her very own coltfriend," Applejack said. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Well I always knew that she would be successful one day," Rarity bragged.

"Ooh ooh, can we go to see Rainbow in the Wonderbolts Derby?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

Twilight answered, "I don't see why not! She seems to be really happy, so we should all support her as she lives her dream. That's what friends do."

The five of them made their plans to visit Rainbow Dash at her first show, which was going to happen in just less than two months’ time.

Chapter 6: Apology

Rainbow’s first show was a month away. It was currently near the end of February, and the weather was starting to get warmer. The cold and bitter months of December and January were now over with. Practice was becoming easier for Rainbow, who was improving in every single way possible. Soarin was teaching her the many moves that the Wonderbolts need to please the fans and get the loudest cheers. Rainbow had a few minor falls, but every time she fell, Soarin would pick her up and they would have a chuckle about it.

This day, however, proved to be different. Soarin was teaching Rainbow a new move; a move that was one of the hardest ones to learn. It was a move that all Wonderbolts needed to learn in order to make their fans jump out of excitement and feel that they received a show worth telling others about. The move involved every member of the Wonderbolts. Each member would hold a small smoke machine while they flew at amazing speeds. They were to hold the machine behind them, leaving a trail of smoke to spell the city of which they were performing in. It was the move that got the loudest cheers from the fans, and it was the move that ended each show. Rainbow remembered the time she saw them when she was a filly growing up in Cloudsdale. As the Wonderbolts performed their final move, they spelled out ‘Cloudsdale’ in ten different colours. Rainbow still had chills from remembering that moment, which was the moment that she decided that she would grow up to be a Wonderbolt.

Rainbow Dash on this day had been struggling to perform the move, even after many attempts. Soarin had given her the small smoke machine, and he assigned her to spell out the letter C in the sky at high speeds. C was one of the easiest letters to spell for a Wonderbolt; the exception probably being I. Each time Rainbow went up at her high speeds she just couldn't get it right. During one attempt she flew into the roof of one of the cloud buildings in the area. Another attempt made her almost hurl from spinning too much, and the resulting letter looked more like a two-year-old’s drawing than an actual letter. She was starting to get frustrated with herself, and Soarin was beginning to lose his patience. He was struggling to keep his cool after all the times Rainbow would fail and get up, saying, “It’s okay, I got this. One more time.” He tried to just smile and let her continue, but every time she tried, she failed, and he was getting tired of being out in the cold.

Finally, after being outside for six hours and after over thirty attempts, she asked Soarin while gasping for breath, “Please, Soarin… Let me try one more time. I know I can do it.”

Soarin sighed and replied, “Rainbow, come on. You’re just not getting it for today. We can try again another day.” This was the first time in a while that Soarin had called her ‘Rainbow.’ He usually called her ‘Dashie’ or some of his many other terms of endearment for her as of late. He had called her on many occasions ‘sweetheart,’ ‘my love,’ ‘honey,’ or when a little more excited, ‘baby,’ and sometimes even ‘sexy.’

“Come on Soarin, don’t be like that! Let me just try one more time,” she said to him. She used a sad face that she had learned from Pinkie Pie to try to get Soarin to agree. Soarin stared back at her with a glare. He hadn't succumbed to the cuteness of Rainbow’s face. “Please, let me just try one more time. I promise you that I can do this. Have a little faith in me,” she continued with a tone of some frustration.

“Fine, one more time is all I’ll give you! I’m tired of standing here. It’s still cold outside and I want to go in and eat,” Soarin barked at Rainbow.

The mare looked back at him with a little bit of shock. She was surprised that Soarin had raised his voice at her. He hadn't done that to her before. She responded while looking back up to the sky, “Goodness, I’m sorry I asked. I didn't know you were so grumpy.”

She looked back at him. He had a frown on his face. “Well, are you going to try again or not?” he responded with a voice full of impatience. Rainbow’s jaw opened a little. She was starting to feel hurt by the harshness of Soarin’s tone. She decided to try again anyway.

She spread her wings and took the sky. After stumbling in the air a few times, she turned on the smoke machine and held it in her hooves and faced it behind her. She looked ahead to try and make the C shape that she tried desperately to do all day. She started well, making the bottom part of the letter in the white smoke. She began to increase her speed as she tried to ascend with an upward curve. Her cheeks vibrated from the wind against her. She could feel the force of gravity pulling her down and making it ever harder to go higher. “Come on! Do it you sissy!” she yelled at herself. She began to go higher. She made her way up and around in the curve that she was hoping to make. She turned off her machine and smiled as she came back down to Soarin, who was waiting patiently, or rather, impatiently, on the roof of the headquarters. She landed on her back hooves and dropped the machine from her front hooves. The machine fell off the roof and down. She looked over to see it fall all the way to the ground, which was hundreds and hundreds of metres below. She looked over at Soarin with a face that showed a little nervousness. “Did I at least make the correct letter?’” she asked him.

Soarin raised his eyebrow to her and said, “I don’t know, Rainbow. Why don’t you take a look for yourself?”

The mare, who was now nervous, looked to see what she had just accomplished. The letter that she was initially proud of looked more like a filly had held the machine in her hand and moved her hoof around wildly, creating nothing but a complete mess. She had failed miserably once again. She closed her eyes and moved her head back slowly. She opened her eyes to the sky above her, and said, “I’m sorry, Soarin. I failed again. I just can’t do it.”

Soarin yelled at her, “No kidding you can’t do it! That was horrible! Every Wonderbolt has to be able to do this move. You've failed horribly at it all day! Why am I wasting my time watching you do this? I should have waited longer to ask you to do this, because you clearly aren't ready yet.”

Rainbow had her mouth open as she looked to him. His words had finally hit a soft spot in her heart. She blinked her eyes slowly and had a tear drop along her cheek. She looked down and said to the stallion who had just yelled at her, “I’m sorry I wasted your time.” She began to cry at being yelled it, as well as at failing. She let out a few sniffles and left the roof, flying back into the headquarters and into her room, with tears coming down the entire way. Soarin stood there on the roof, feeling horrible about the pain he had just caused her.

An hour passed since Soarin had yelled at his fillyfriend. He spent the hour in his room, sitting on his chair, just thinking about how he could make this better. Rainbow meanwhile just sat on her bed. She had tears in her eyes even after an hour. She sat forward, leaning on her front hooves. She failed miserably on this day.

Another ten minutes passed. Rainbow was just about to get up and go check herself out in the mirror to see how horrible she looked, but she heard a knock at the door. She went over, and with a sniffle, she yelled out, “Who are you and what do you want?”

Soarin responded through the door, “Dashie, it’s me. Please open the door. I really have something I need to say to you.”

“Why should I open the door? You’ll only yell at me,” she said back to him sadly.

“Dashie, I'm really, really sorry. Please give me a chance,” he said to her. Soarin was very thankful to see Rainbow open the door. She was obviously hurt deeply by his tone from earlier. She looked miserable. Her mane was all messed up and her eyes were red. Soarin continued, “Dashie, you don’t even know how sorry I am. I was so incredibly rude to you. Please, let me make it up to you.”

Rainbow sniffed and then responded, “Soarin, you made me feel horrible about myself. Now I feel like I shouldn't even be here anymore. I’ll never be able to perform if I can’t make that move.”

Soarin put a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder to comfort her. He then said, “Dashie, I really messed up badly. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. I just lost my patience. You're going to be a wonderful Wonderbolt, and you will master that move in time. Please, just let me make it up to you tonight.”

Rainbow wiped both of her eyes, which were getting drier as she stopped crying. “How're you going to do that?” she asked.

“By taking you to see Coltplay tonight in the front row,” Soarin said while holding up two VIP tickets to Coltplay’s show set for tonight at the Cloudsdale Arena. Rainbow Dash had talked about Coltplay being one of her favourite bands. They were from Trottingham and been around for about twelve years, releasing a few great albums that Rainbow had loved to listen to. She also had had a few discussions with Soarin about them before. Both of them loved the band of the four stallions, but only Soarin had seen them live before.

Rainbow looked back at Soarin with wide eyes. “Are you serious? You’ll take me to see them tonight?” she asked, almost in shock.

“You bet!” he replied while still holding the tickets. “Front row, centre, on the floor. We also have backstage passes to meet with the band for fifteen minutes after the show.”

“Oh my gosh,” Rainbow said. She finally had a smile and was starting to show happiness again. “I can’t believe you got tickets the day of the show! I've never been able to see them before!”

“I know,” Soarin replied. “These weren't easy to get, but that doesn't matter to me. This is my way of showing you how sorry I truly am.” Rainbow leaped from her room and into the hooves of Soarin, giving him a massive hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I guess that means I’m forgiven,” he whispered into the ear of the mare in his grasp.

“Yeah, I guess I can forgive you this one time,” she replied with a smile while bending backwards to look him in the eyes.

Rainbow Dash over the next few hours got herself dressed up for her most exciting date yet. She styled her hair and wore the same dress that she wore to the Grand Galloping Gala a few years prior. Soarin dressed in a black tuxedo with a white shirt and a black tie. The two of them met in the hallway of the headquarters. “You look radiant,” Soarin said to the mare.

She giggled and said back to him, “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

The two of them walked outside. Rainbow’s jaw dropped when she saw that Soarin had arranged for a white chariot, pulled by two royal guards from Canterlot, to pick them up and bring them to the arena. She had no words, only a smile as she hopped over and went into the chariot with her stallion. The two royal guards took them to the Cloudsdale Arena, which was a beautiful indoor arena that seated twenty-five thousand and hosted a number of Cloudsdale’s indoor sports teams, as well many shows and events throughout the year. It was in the ground part of the city, along with the other stadiums, a mall, a train station, and a tourist area. Due to the fact that only pegasi can reach the city of Cloudsdale, this section was built down below the city so that earth ponies and unicorns could come visit. It helped to vastly boost Cloudsdale's economy, as ponies from all over would get a beautiful view of the city from the hotels and restaurants built below. All of the stadiums were built in the ground section of the city.

When the couple arrived in front of the arena, the many ponies walking around stopped to look. A number of them took pictures of the couple because of how amazing they looked. A number of ponies realised that Soarin was the stallion. There were a number of members of the media present who also took a few pictures. They could hear some ponies talking to each other, a few of them were talking about how Soarin has a marefriend. Rainbow at this time was still not very famous because she hadn’t made an appearance for the Wonderbolts yet. Soarin waved to the ponies as he and Rainbow made their way into gate seven, which was only used by ponies with VIP tickets to events in the arena. They made their way to where their tickets were. They had two seats on the floor right in front of the stage. Rainbow looked around at the stadium to see the many empty seats as fans of Coltplay were making their way into the arena. Looking around gave her feelings of nostalgias she could remember the time when her father took her to see a Cloudsdale Flyers hockey game, as well as a Cloudsdale Colts basketball game when she was a filly. That was her last time in the arena.

She sat in her seat beside Soarin, almost shaking due to the anticipation she had. She was getting more and more excited as more and more fans came in. The noise was starting to increase as many ponies entered. She could hear the conversations of thousands, and it was almost overwhelming. Soarin could not help but smile as he looked at the mare, who was as excited as a young filly. A server pony came over to take their order, and Soarin bought them both some fries and popcorn for the show. Rainbow saw a pony come out and onto the stage and go over to the drums. “Ahh! Is that Will the drummer?” she asked.

“No, sweetheart, that’s just a worker going to check to see if the instruments are ready for the show,” Soarin said kindly. Rainbow chuckled. The pony on stage was actually the drum technician, and he waved to Rainbow and smiled because he could hear her ask the question to Soarin.

The fans finally all filed in. The arena was completely sold out. Both levels, the floor, and the skyboxes were all filled up; every last seat. The lights went dark, and the screams of thousands could be heard. How could it not be heard? It was almost deafening. Coltplay had taken the stage. They waved to their many fans, who screamed in return. All four members were brown earth ponies. Will, who had a shaved mane and a beard, went over to the drums. Guy, who had a curly black mane, went over to bass guitar. Jonny, who was wearing a green cap, picked up his beautiful guitar that was painted to look like colourful graffiti. Chris, the final member and lead singer with a short brown mane and a microphone, took the stage.

“Holy Celestia, it’s them!” Rainbow shouted out while bouncing up and down. Every pony in the audience got up off their feet to stand for the performance, which was about to begin.

Chris raised his hoof and waved to the crowd. He went over to his piano, which was a beautiful black grand. The crowd erupted as the band started the concert by playing a song from their new album with a beautiful beginning with the xylophone, which was played by Will. Rainbow could hardly contain her excitement as the band performed their first song. Every pony in the audience was given a wristband, each was a different colour from the one beside them. In the dark the wristbands lit up, flashing many colours and making a breathtaking scene as thousands flashed at the same time along with the music. As the first song went on, the lead singer sang and danced around the stage after finishing his piece on the piano. The song finished with a long guitar note that was held for a few seconds as the fans all cheered. “Is everybody okay?” Chris asked to the crowd, which caused a huge roar. He continued in his Trottingham accent, “It's always a pleasure to come back here to play in Cloudsdale, home of the best darn fans in the whole entire world! We are going to play the best frickin’ concert you've ever heard!”

The fans roared again as the band played a few of their earlier songs. As the singing went on, the fans sang the lyrics back, getting loud especially at the various choruses. There was build up in every song as the fans would sing together. Confetti was shot out from many places around the arena. Rainbow Dash looked up with a massive grin as butterfly paper cutouts, confetti, and streamers fell down from the ceiling and onto her and Soarin. She looked at her hoof to see a cute, green, paper butterfly, which was one of the thousands of pieces shot into the air. Rainbow was as happy as can be as she danced and jumped around as the song went on. She had the same reaction for the next three songs, which were all upbeat.

After a little while, Chris sat down at his piano. He tilted the microphone stand close to his mouth and the crowd went quiet. He said to the silent crowd, “You ponies have been un-frickin-believable so far. No wonder Cloudsdale is the best city to play a concert in.” The screams of thousands of pegasi filled the room. Chris raised his hoof for silence once again. He had a huge smile on his face. He continued, “The next song is one of special importance to us. It was a song that I wrote for my love long ago.” He paused for the cheer, and continued once again, “However, tonight we’d like to dedicate this song tonight to a special mare sitting here in the front row, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow’s jaw almost dropped to the floor when she heard the lead singer say her name from the stage. She looked over at Soarin. He looked back at her with a smile and a nod of his head. “I told you I’d make it up to you,” he said while putting his arm around her.

Chris started to play the famous piano from the song dedicated to Rainbow on this night. The crowd was silent as they listened to the soft song with sad and beautiful lyrics. Chris sang into the microphone while playing the piano. He had a certain sparkle in his eye as he looked out at the crowd, who were singing back to him. He looked down at Soarin and Rainbow, who were in each other's grasp at this time.

As the song dedicated to the technicolor pegasus went on, the couple were hugging and swaying to the sound of the music. They looked each other in the eyes and kissed a quick peck. Rainbow had a tear of happiness coming from her eyes.

As the piano went on, the lead singer let out sad and passionate ‘ooohs.’ Rainbow at this point had to wipe her eyes from all the tears. She had never experienced a moment as good as this one. Soarin had apologised to Rainbow in the biggest way he could ever think of. Rainbow didn't even need to say it; the smile she gave to him as he looked into her eyes was enough to tell him that he was fully forgiven for making her cry earlier.

The concert went on for many more songs. The whole night was magical. It was the greatest night of Rainbow Dash’s life. Afterwards, after they watched the whole crowd clear out of the arena, they went backstage to go meet the band.

“Soarin! How’s it going buddy?” Jonny the guitarist said as the two of them walked into the room. The band members were talking and resting from a wonderful performance. Soarin came over and hoof-bumped all four members of the band.

“It’s been a while since we've seen you,” Guy said to Soarin.

Soarin looked over to Rainbow, who clearly had shock on her face. “Soarin, how do you know them?” she asked the stallion.

“The Wonderbolts perform for all of the celebrity ponies in Equestria, and vice-versa,” he explained to her. “Coltplay are one of my favourite bands, and I know all of them personally. They’re really cool ponies.”

Rainbow gulped as she introduced herself to the famous musicians. “H-hi. I’m R-Rainbow Dash,” she said while looking at her hooves. She wasn't normally shy, but speaking to such famous ponies she was extremely shy.

“Hey Rainbow,” Chris said as he came over to hold her hoof. “Soarin told us all about you. He said that he made you cry today and needed to make it up to you. Did you enjoy the show?”

Rainbow Dash looked back at the lead singer with wide, open eyes, and said, “Uh… yes! It was amazing! This was the best night of my entire life!”

“Well we’re glad we could be a part of it,” Chris replied while kissing her hoof. She looked over to see Soarin’s reaction. His smile signaled that it was okay with him.

The two of them conversed with the band members for another few minutes. Rainbow got to spend time with some more of her heroes. Soarin had given her a night she would never forget.

The next morning Rainbow Dash and Soarin went back to the start. They went back to where it all went wrong. Soarin taught her the move properly. He flew beside her, holding her and helping her to make the letters the proper way. She smiled to him while they were in the air. Upon landing, she could see that the two of them had spelled out the entire word of ‘Cloudsdale’ without her even struggling.

Chapter 7: Wonderbolts Derby

It was the night before Rainbow's first show, the Wonderbolts Derby. It was going to be her first performance as a member of the Wonderbolts, so she was understandably nervous. 'Will I be good enough?' was the question she kept asking over and over again. 'Of course you will, Dashie,' was Soarin's answer to that question every time. He didn't mind how many times she asked that question.

Rainbow and Soarin went to the dining room for dinner that night. They sat down at their usual seats. This night proved to be a little different from any other night, however. Spitfire clanged her cup with her spoon to inform everypony that she had a few announcements to make. "Everypony, I have a few announcements to make before the meal comes out. I am happy to say that Rainbow Dash will take part in the Wonderbolts Derby tomorrow, which will be her first show as a member of our team. Who knows, maybe she'll even win it!"

Rainbow smiled while looking at the others. Spitfire seemed to have accepted Rainbow as a valuable member of this team, which was a relief after the day that Rainbow overheard Spitfire and Soarin talking. As of now, everything seemed to be good in her life.

"I also have one more important announcement," Spitfire said firmly. Everypony at the table looked at Spitfire more intently, ready to listen. She continued, "There have been talks between the kingdoms of Equestria and Saddle Arabia over goods and trade. Saddle Arabia has an abundance of goods that can be very useful for Equestria, but they are so far unwilling to negotiate anything at the moment. As of now things are not too heated, though. If Saddle Arabia is unwilling to negotiate, then the Equestrian forces may go into Saddle Arabia to fight for what we need. If we get into a war, we as the Wonderbolts will have to join the Equestrian Royal Army. Hopefully things will be settled before then, but I thought it was necessary to give you warning now. Okay, now let's eat!"

"Soarin, I was never informed that as a Wonderbolt I would have to fight in the army," Rainbow whispered to her coltfriend as the food was being served.

"Well, it's mandatory for all Wonderbolts to fight for their kingdom in the event of a war because we are the best fliers in Equestria. We are also role models so we need to take the lead. But it hasn't happened as long as I've been here," Soarin replied. He then reassured her, "I doubt anything will happen, though. Princess Celestia and Luna will be able to negotiate something before war would ever be needed."

"I really hope you're right," Rainbow said while looking down at her plate of food, which was mashed potatoes, salad, and cooked carrots. She hardly ate at all. She just sat there with a knot in her stomach. Between her first show being the next day and with new talks of war, she just couldn't handle her nerves at this point. She had to leave her dinner there and go back to her room.

Soarin came by after he had eaten his dinner to comfort Rainbow. She was lying down on the couch with her chin on her front hooves. She was too nervous to even look up at Soarin as he walked in the door. "Dashie, is everything okay?" he asked her.

"Soarin, I feel sick," she said while finally turning to look at him. She had only turned her head towards him, but still remained in the same position. "I am scared about my show tomorrow. What if I suck? And I don't want to be a Wonderbolt if it means I have to fight other ponies simply because they are from another kingdom. I don't want to be a soldier."

Soarin put his hoof on her head and stroked her mane a few times. Her hair felt soft and healthy as he ran his hoof through it. He said to comfort her, "Dashie, you need to take one day at a time. Tomorrow will be your first show, and it will come when it comes. War may or may not happen, but we can't change anything right now. You'll just have to face everything as it comes. You were able to face every challenge with your friends back in Ponyville. Now what you need to do is imitate the qualities you showed then to everything that will come your way in the future. I believe in you."

Soarin's words had a profound effect on Rainbow. She had nothing really to say in reply. All she could say was, "Thanks, you've made me feel a little better, I guess." The two of them sat together on the couch. Rainbow stayed in the same position while Soarin just sat beside her for comfort. Eventually they both fell asleep on the couch in the grasp of each other.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, the Wonderbolts Derby will begin in a few minutes," the announcer said to the many fans at the racetrack in Canterlot. The stands were completely full. Rainbow Dash was in her uniform and readying herself for the big race. She slowly flew around the course to get herself used to the track. She looked up at the many fans in the crowd; a sight that she would have to get used to. She could see many rich ponies in the crowd, but a few ponies in particular stood out. She took a closer look at the ponies who were sitting in the last row of the stands. Rainbow could not help but smile as she realised that those ponies were actually her five friends from Ponyville. She immediately flew up to greet them. "Hey guys! I can't believe you actually came to see my first show," she said excitedly to her friends.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, darling," Rarity assured her Wonderbolt friend.

"We are all so excited for you," Twilight said.

"Sugarcube, you are going to be great," Applejack said with certainty.

"I will be cheering for you the whole time," Fluttershy informed her.

"You are going to be super-duper today," Pinkie Pie said while jumping up and down in place.

Rainbow's smile grew even larger thanks to the kind words from her beat friends. "Thanks guys. I'm going to try my best. I can't promise that I'll win, but I will try my best to put on the best show I can."

"Participants, please make your way to the starting positions," the announcer said over the loudspeaker.

"Well, that's my queue. Wish me luck," Rainbow said while leaving for the field. Her five friends watched as Rainbow went down to the track. They all smiled as they saw her go up to Soarin and give him a kiss on the cheek just before she got in her starting position. That was their first time seeing her and Soarin together.

The contestants all readied themselves at their starting positions. They all lined up with their bodies leaning forward and put on their goggles. The announcer readied them, "On your marks... get set... go!"

The race was on. Rainbow shot like a bullet and went straight into first place. She veered the corners aggressively, but this gave her a sizable lead over second place Spitfire. She made her turns with great speed as the laps went on and on. Reaching the final lap, she was a good five seconds ahead of the competition. She looked over to the stands to see and hear the roar of the crowd. Her five friends were cheering loudly for her, and Fluttershy was making the most noise of all of them. "You can do it! Woooooo!" Fluttershy yelled at the top of her lungs. Rainbow grinned proudly as her mane was blowing back hard from her high speeds. She loved the noise that the crowd made. It felt amazing. She could hear the fans chanting her name as she made her way to the final turn. The noise from the crowd spurred her on. She decided to finish the race at her fastest speed.

She loved the attention from the fans, but that proved to be her downfall. She reached her fastest speed of the whole race on the final turn. She realised that she was going too fast to make the turn safely. She tried her best to pull back on her speed. She groaned as she struggled to do so, but it was too late. The high speed made her miss the turn and he ended up flying hard into the advertisements on the sidelines, just under the bleachers. A large amount of feathers from her wings came off of her like an explosion. The fans all let out a collective gasp as they saw how hard she had hit the wall. Spitfire won the race, but nopony cared as they were too concerned about the possibly injured pegasus.

Soarin was the first to come over to the hurt mare. Rainbow's friends just stood up and watched silently. They were too nervous to say anything.

"Are you okay Dashie?" Soarin asked with genuine concern as he picked her up in his hooves. He held her in his front hooves as he hovered in place. She had cuts on her front and back legs and a bad bump on her head. She was also missing a number of feathers, and didn't open her eyes for a few agonizing seconds that felt like minutes.

"Dashie, please say something," he begged as the mare in his hooves just laid there, motionless. Soarin let out a tear that ended up falling on Rainbow's cheek. The drop from her stallion's eyes made her open her own, though very slowly. "Dashie... Please... Please say something. Please tell me you're okay," Soarin pleaded.

"I... I'm an idiot," was what came out of the hurt mare's mouth.

"It's okay Rainbow," Soarin reassured while leaning over to the mare in his hooves. "It's your first crash as a Wonderbolt. We all fall many times. It's how you pick yourself up that matters most."

Soarin took Rainbow into the locker room and laid her down on the soft, padded bench on the side. She laid there for a few minutes with her eyes closed. She was breathing slowly and didn't say much.

After a few seconds she opened her eyes and said to Soarin, "I can't believe on my first day I failed. I was too focused on winning and pleasing the crowd to care for my safety. I'm just a failure. I'm not cut out for being a Wonderbolt."

Soarin tried his best to make her feel better, but also wanted to be honest. He told her, "Dashie, you fell during your first show. It's okay. Even the best of us fall at times. You just need to bounce back. The crowd loved you, which is great! All you need to do is actually slow down and be a little safer."

Spitfire then came in to see how Rainbow was doing. "Hey kid, you all right? That was some hit you had. You were doing so well too."

Rainbow was able to slowly lift herself up from the bench so that she could sit upright. Soarin remained sitting down while she responded to Spitfire, "I think so. I have a few cuts and I'm really sore, but I don't think a broke anything."

Spitfire had a sigh of relief, and then said, "That's good, that's very good. You did really well for your first try. You had the crowd cheering solely for you, which is very promising . Your next show will be your first organised show. It's in Ponyville in two weeks. Hopefully you'll recover fully by then." Spitfire then left the room to go sign autographs for the many foals that were in attendance.

Rainbow had a smile on her face. Even though Cloudsdale was where she currently lived and was born, Ponyville was her home. She could perform in front of all the residents, who were like family to her. And speaking of family, Rainbow's five friends were allowed access into the locker room to see if she was hurt after her massive crash. They all came over to greet her and gave her a hug individually.

"Thanks so much for coming out to support me, guys. This was such a huge surprise," Rainbow said as they approached. She then looked down in embarrassment and continued, "I'm just so sorry that I failed. I hope you aren't mad at me."

"That was awesome!" Pinkie Pie shouted out. "You went sooooo fast! And then you hit the wall and BOOM!"

Rainbow let out a chuckle at the excited reaction of her pink friend. Applejack came by and gave Rainbow a pat on the shoulder and told her, "We are all mighty proud of you. You would have won if you didn't crash on the final turn. You are going to be a great Wonderbolt, sugarcube. Don't worry about falling. What's important is that you get up and keep trying."

"How are you feeling, Rainbow? You must be sore after hitting the wall very hard," Twilight asked in concern.

"Yeah, I did hit pretty hard," the blue pegasus replied. "But I'm tough. I'm just a little sore and I've got a few scratches, but I'll soldier on."

"When are you going to come visit us in Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow's smile grew even larger as she informed her Ponyville friends, "In two weeks actually. I have a show in Ponyville! I'm going to be performing for you guys."

Her five friends all showed their excitement. Pinkie was bouncing up and down while the others were grinning with joy. Rarity then wanted to change the subject when she looked over to the bench to see Soarin, who was still sitting down. He was watching them converse the whole time. "And who is this fine hunk of a stallion?" she asked while walking over to Soarin.

"Hi, I'm Soarin," is all he said while getting up to shake Rarity's hoof.

"Oh yes, we have heard all about you," Rarity said while smiling at Soarin. "Rainbow told us all in a letter she sent. You seem to be quite the gentlecolt."

Soarin let out a short laugh and said, "Oh no, I'm no gentlecolt. Rainbow has really changed me. She's made me a happier and better pony."

Rarity walked over to Rainbow to tease her, saying, "Oh, he's gorgeous and charming! You have gotten quite the catch, Rainbow."

Rainbow blushed. "O, stop it, you," she said while waving her hoof through the air.

Rainbow and her friends spent the next hour or so catching up on everything that happened since she left Ponyville. Some of those things involved Pinkie re-enacting the time she fell on her face, as well as Fluttershy explaining how she gave Angel a makeover. Rainbow was enjoying her time with her friends, and it made her completely forget about losing the race. It also seemed to make her feel better all around.

Soarin, realizing that it was already almost time for the sunset, went over to interrupt the 'deep' conversation that Rainbow was having with her friends. “And then I got a piece of hay stuck in my teeth for three days,” Pinkie Pie was excitedly explaining to Rainbow.

“Why didn't you just floss it out?” Rainbow asked to her excited friend. She didn't get the answer, however, since Soarin then tapped her on the shoulder.

“I’m really sorry to interrupt you ladies, but Rainbow, we really must get going,” he said.

Rainbow looked back at him and then to the window to see that it was going to get dark soon. She didn’t know why he wanted her to leave at this time, but she went along with it. “Okay, sweetie,” she responded. She turned to her friends and said, “I’m sorry that we have to leave now, I was enjoying my time with you so much. I’ll see you guys in a few weeks though!”

Rainbow and her five friends engaged in yet another group hug. They seemed to do that quite frequently since she received the news that she was leaving Ponyville. The group hugs probably made up for all the individual hugs she would have received on a daily basis.

The six friends said their goodbyes and parted once again. The five Ponyville friends went to their train to go home. Rainbow and Soarin went outside to the main streets of Canterlot. “Where are you taking me, dear?” Rainbow asked her coltfriend.

“There is just something I want to show you, trust me. We’re going to go back to our special place,” Soarin replied. Rainbow knew exactly where that was- Violet Hill.

Soarin took Rainbow back to Violet Hill- the place where they fell in love. The two flew side by side as they made their way over. Upon landing, Rainbow could finally see the true beauty that place. The sun was setting. Rainbow and Soarin went to their tree to rest underneath it. The tree was in full bloom with beautiful pink leaves and flowers. The wind would cause little pink pieces to fall off and dance around in the air as they fell to the ground. The fields around them were exactly as Soarin described. They were filled with the beautiful violet flowers that made him love this place. But this time, it wasn’t the beauty of the place that made Soarin come back; it was having somepony to share it with.

Rainbow and Soarin cuddled while looking at the beautiful sights. The sun was large on the horizon and the sky was beautiful, with many different shades of colour. Butterflies, birds, and other bugs were all around enjoying the beauty.

"This is beautiful," Rainbow said to the stallion cuddling with her.

"It sure is Rainbow, just like you," he replied. He looked at her to see her smiling at his complement. The two of them sat together for quite a bit of time while looking at the lovely sights.

Rainbow had many things on her mind at this time. The sun was just about to disappear over the horizon. She decided to bring up the possibility of war happening. "Soarin, what if there is a war? What should I do? What is going to happen to us?" she asked him.

"Dashie, you should do whatever you feel is right," he replied. "If you don't want to fight, you don't have to. I doubt you will be allowed to stay as a Wonderbolt if you choose not to fight, though. It's a part of the job. We are heroes for many ponies, and we need to support the kingdom when it needs us the most."

"But Soarin, it's so stupid if war is started over something as small as not being able to negotiate trading. I don't think it's right to go kill other ponies for that," Rainbow said.

"I totally agree with you, Dashie. War is a horrible thing. It destroys the lives of everpony involved. I would only fight for Equestria to protect it, and everything in it. If you choose not to go, I will fully support you." Those words were comforting to Rainbow.

The two of them watched the sunset together. They stayed even after night had fallen. The stars were beautiful on this night. There were too many to even count. Rainbow had many worries on her mind, but she knew that she could overcome them with the help of Soarin. Being there with Soarin made everything seem manageable to her. She didn't even have her earlier accident on her mind. The two of them were able to fall asleep in the grasp of each other out on that hill.

Chapter 8: Return to Ponyville

Rainbow Dash was preparing herself for her first organised show. On this day she was leaving the place she used to call home, Ponyville. She had her whole weekend planned. First, she was going to rock the performance and wow the crowds in the town she calls home. Then, she would stay for a few days with her friends at Twilight's library. A slumber party with her five best friends; what could be better?

She packed her bags with everything she needed, which was mostly just the clothes she was going to wear. The clothing involved her uniform for the show, some nice clothes in case they were to go out in the evening, and a robe for when she would stay up all night giggling with her friends. Just the thought of what this weekend was going to be like made Rainbow excited as a young schoolfilly.

She heard a knock at the door as soon as she zipped up her suitcase, which could go on her back. "Just a minute, my love," she shouted out. She knew it was Soarin because of the knock; it was his special knock that he always used to let her know it was him.

Upon opening the door, she saw Soarin, who was in his Wonderbolt uniform already. He had nothing else packed because he was only going for the show and then he'd come back to the headquarters with the others. "Good morning, Dashie," he greeted. "Are you almost ready to go?"

"I'm ready as I ever will be," she responded. "I'm so excited. I'm going to have a weekend with my friends and a show in front of all the ponies I love. It's going to be great!"

"It sure is," he responded. Soarin helped his marefriend by grabbing and holding on to her backpack suitcase. He put it up on his back and shook his head to signal that it was time to go.

The two of them went to the front of the building. Outside waiting was Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Rapidfire. The show in Ponyville was going to feature these five pegasi.

"All right everypony, are you all ready?" Spitfire asked the group. All of them had different responses in what they said, but the answers all meant the same thing. They were all ready and excited for their next show. Rainbow was almost shaking in excitement. She did have some nerves, but her happiness to do a show in front of the town she called home outweighed her nerves.

"Okay then, let's go," Spitfire shouted out to the collective. The five of them flew in a v-formation on their way to Ponyville.

While in the air over the fields and farmland of Equestria, Spitfire flew up beside Rainbow to have a short talk with her. "So, Rainbow, you're planning on staying a few days here, aren't you?" the captain asked the newest member of the team.

"Yeah, I'm planning on staying for a few days with my friends because I haven't seen them for a while. I hope that's okay with you. I know our next show isn't for ten days," Rainbow responded as they flew with the wind blowing back their manes.

"It's totally fine. You can stay as long as you'll be ready for the next show. You'll need some training and practice before every show to prepare the routine, so please don't take longer than three days here," Spitfire requested.

"Sir yes ma'am," Rainbow said while saluting Spitfire with her hoof. The two of them shared a laugh about Rainbow's way of addressing the captain. Rainbow looked back to see Soarin sweating and panting due to holding her heavy backpack for her. "Do you want me to carry it for the rest of the way?" she asked as she flew over beside him.

"Oh... no... pant... I got this... gasp," he said while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Rainbow shrugged and kept flying. "Well, thanks, I guess," she said to him.

The five Wonderbolts made their way to Ponyville. As they flew over the town to get to where the bleachers were set up for the show, Rainbow looked to see where her former house was. She was saddened to see that it had completely blown away, but that is what happens when a cloud home is not taken care of for a few months. Nothing remained of it at all. Rainbow had a face of disappointment, but she had a new home now.

They landed at the location of where the show was going to take place. It was in an empty field located close to Sweet Apple Acres. Bleachers were set up in two sections that were facing each other, with an empty area in the middle. There were about two thousand seats set up. They went to the middle of the setup to make sure everything was set up to their liking. That’s when Rainbow could hear the voice of Pinkie Pie coming from around the corner. “I just saw them land! Let’s go,” she could hear Pinkie yell to the others.

Around the corner came Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike. All of them had wide and eager expressions to see Rainbow in her Wonderbolts uniform in their own town. Rainbow looked back at them with a large and welcoming smile. Scootaloo was the first to come and jump into Rainbow’s hooves for a massive hug. Rainbow picked up the young filly and spun her around in a circle. “How’s it going, squirt? I haven’t seen you in so long! You’re bigger than the last time I saw you,” she said to the filly in her outstretched hooves.

“Oh, Rainbow! I’m so happy to see my big sister again. I can’t wait to see your show today,” Scootaloo said to the pegasus that she looked up to as a hero. The two closed their eyes as they hugged up against each other. Rainbow at this point did not care about what others thought about her. She didn’t care anymore about looking cool. Being with Soarin softened her a little bit, and she finally felt comfortable to act loving in front of others.

Spitfire interrupted the loving hug between Rainbow and Scootaloo to remind her, “We still have a show to put on! You can hug later.”

Rainbow looked back at Spitfire with a frown. She put down Scootaloo and apologised to her friends, saying, “I’m sorry, guys. I’ll just have to see you after the show.” Her Ponyville friends said bye to her and left, allowing the Wonderbolts to finish up their preparation for the show. Rainbow turned to Spitfire and said to her, “You’re right, we have work to do. Sorry that I got distracted.”

“Not to worry, Rainbow,” Spitfire told her. “Interaction with fans is very important, but there is a time and a place for everything. We need to prepare and do the show first, then you can talk to others. Got it?”

Rainbow replied, “Got it. What do you want me to do?”

Spitfire looked over to see Mayor Mare walking up to them. They were supposed to meet her here for the instructions. The mayor came over and said, “I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late. We are all so excited to have you here! What are you planning for the show?”

Spitfire explained to the mayor, “Well, we want you to introduce us as we fly across the sky over the fans. We’ll then come down and I’ll say a few words to the fans. I’ll also have Rainbow Dash here say a few words because Ponyville is like home to her. So we need to set up a small stage.”

Rainbow had a smile on her face because of Spitfire saying that she would be able to have a short speech in front of her fans and friends. Even though it hadn’t happened yet, it felt like an honour already.

Mayor Mare agreed to do what Spitfire had told her. She went and gathered a number of worker ponies to set up a stage. They also set up a small portable room that would act as a change room for the performers. Ponyville did not have a permanent stadium at this time, so they needed to work with what they had available.

While the workers were working on the setup of the stage, Rainbow went up to Spitfire to thank her. “Thanks for the opportunity to perform and speak in front of my town. I really appreciate the chance.”

“Don’t worry about it, rookie,” Spitfire replied. “We always give every member a chance to have the spotlight at different times. All you need to do is say a few things to the fans and then we will begin our show. Just don’t take too long!”

“I promise I won’t, skipper. I won’t need too long to say what I need to say,” Rainbow replied.

About an hour later the stage was set for the show to begin. The fans all filed in, and both stands were full to the max. Rainbow looked out from the door from their trailer on the side to all the fans there. She could name every single individual in the audience. The more she looked, the happier she became. She could see her five friends, the cutie mark crusaders along with all of the other young foals, Big Macintosh with Granny Smith, the Cakes, among many other friends that she considered her extended family.

“All right everypony, time to get this show on the road,” Spitfire announced. Rainbow snapped out of her happy thoughts and put on her game face. She put on her goggles, and so did the others. They went outside and saw Mayor Mare take the stage, which was their key to get going. The Wonderbolts flew over to a field a few hundred metres away to get ready for their big entrance.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” the mayor announced over the microphone to the fans in attendance at the outdoor, makeshift stadium that they set up on this beautifully sunny spring day. “Welcome to the Wonderbolts in Ponyville show!” The fans all shouted out a cheer. That was the Wonderbolts’ queue to start flying. The mayor continued, “Ponyville is proud to announce: the Wonderbolts!” She waved her hoof to the sky just as the five Wonderbolts flew across the sky. The noise they made sounded like jets flying through the sky as they blew past the crowd a few dozen metres above them. The fans shouted in excitement as they flew by in their v-formation. Spitfire was in the middle, with Rainbow and then Soarin to her left, and Fleetfoot and Rapidfire to her right. The show ponies flew around in a large loop and then came down to the middle of the grounds where the stage was set up. They all stuck a perfect landing. The fans all gave the Wonderbolts a standing ovation with clapping and whistling.

“Please welcome the captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire,” the mayor said as she pointed over to the fiery pegasus who was approaching the microphone.

“Thank you, Mayor Mare,” Spitfire said on the microphone. “Hello everypony! We are very happy and proud to be performing a show for you. It’s great to be in the best town in Equestria once again.” The shout-out made the Ponyvillians scream with pride. Spitfire continued while looking at Rainbow Dash, who was standing just off to the side, “We have a new member on the Wonderbolts performing her first organised show today. You may know her very well. Please welcome: Rainbow Dash!”

All of her friends and fan shouted and cheered as Rainbow took the microphone for a few things that she wanted to say. “Hello everypony,” she said and then paused and clenched her teeth because of the loud feedback sound the microphone made on the speakers. She continued, “I'm so happy to be back home and performing for you today. I see all the faces that have supported me over the years in helping me follow my dreams. I love you all and I can’t help but smile as I look at your welcoming faces. Thank you… thank you so much for supporting me. We are going to give you an amazing show today that you will never forget!”

Those words proved to be true. Rainbow and Wonderbolts really did put on an unforgettable show. She dealt with her nerves, which were not as strong as she thought they would be. Performing alongside the ponies she idolised a few years ago just felt natural to her. They performed synchronised flips and spins. They flew fast and individually just above the heads of the ponies watching, sometimes causing wind from their high speeds to blow back their manes. Loud cheers were a regular occurrence during this show.

The time finally came for the final act. The Wonderbolts grabbed their smoke machines to perform the writing of ‘Ponyville’ in the sky with smoke. “Are you ready Rainbow?” Soarin asked. “It’s just like we prepared. You’re going to write the two letter L’s.”

“I’m ready because I had the best teacher,” she replied as she picked up the machine. They took to the sky and turned their machines on. Spitfire spelled the P and the O in pink. Soarin spelled the N and the Y in orange. Fleetfoot spelled the V and the I in green. Now it was Rainbow’s turn. She flew in the air. She flew upwards, turned around and came down. She pressed the button to let out the yellow smoke. She spelled the first L flawlessly. She turned off the smoke for a second as she went forward. She did a quick turnaround, turned the smoke back on, and began to spell the second L. She made the lower part of the letter, and then quickly shot up in a ninety-degree angle. The force pulled her cheeks back as she went straight up. When she reached the correct height, she turned off the smoke and came to the ground. Rapidfre finished off with the harder letter E in purple.

Rainbow looked to see the ‘Ponyville’ that was spelled in the sky in all capital letters. She smiled proudly as she looked over to see her letters, which were made to perfection. She was astounding during her first ever show. She had given her friends and fans a show they would never forget. Soarin came over and put his arm around her neck and over her shoulder. “You’ve done really well,” he said to her while giving her a kiss on the cheek. Spitfire congratulated Rainbow on her fantastic performance, and so did Rapidfire and Fleetfoot.

After the show, Rainbow got dressed out of her uniform and into her normal clothing, which was actually being completely naked. It was now her time to go and speak to her friends, who were waiting for her behind the bleachers. As soon as she came around the corner she saw her five friends with Spike on Twilight’s back, as well as the cutie mark crusaders, who had waited patiently to see her. They all ran over and gave a group hug. It wasn’t the best hug though, having so many ponies in it. “I did it, guys. I can’t believe I did it,” she said to them.

As the hug ended, each of her friends had words of congratulations to say to her. “You were fantastic, Rainbow. We are so proud of you,” Twilight said.

Spike shook his head in agreement while he stood beside Twilight. “You went so fast! It was really cool,” he said. Rainbow shook her hoof on the young dragon’s head to thank him.

Fluttershy approached Rainbow, “That was amazing. Did you hear me cheering for you? I tried my best to make sure you heard me.”

“Of course I heard you, Fluttershy. It was me who taught you to cheer in the first place, after all,” Rainbow reminded her jokingly.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle then came up to her. “Darling, that was simply wonderful,” Rarity said.

“Yes, darling, that was splendid,” Sweetie Belle said in her best Rarity impersonation. This gave Rainbow a chuckle and Rarity a small glare.

Applejack and Apple Bloom came next. “Sugarcube, I am mighty proud of you,” Applejack said to Rainbow with the tip of her hat.

Apple Bloom then shouted out, “That was super awesome! If only I was a pegasus, I’d get my cutie mark for flying as fast as you!”

Finally Pinkie Pie hopped over and said, “Dashie! You were super-duper awesome-possum! I’m so happy to have a friend like you!”

Rainbow was just so ecstatic at the wonderful reception she had gotten from her friends. Thanks so much guys, I’m so thankful that you enjoyed it.” Rainbow then realised that there was one pony who didn’t talk her yet. “Hey, Scoots,” Rainbow said as she came over and bent down to the young, orange pegasus who was waiting patiently off to the side. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“Oh Rainbow Dash, I loved it!” Scootaloo shouted while hopping and fluttering in the air. She actually flew in the air in a small backflip, the most that Rainbow had ever seen her fly. Rainbow lifted an eyebrow at the sight of that. Scootaloo then continued while standing normally, but with a huge smile, “I want to be a Wonderbolt one day. I want to be just like you!”

“One day you will be, squirt. Just believe in yourself,” Rainbow said inspirationally to the young and excited filly while giving her a soft noogie on the head with her hoof.

“Oh, I’m never washing my hair again,” Scootaloo said as she ran back to her crusader friends.

That was when Soarin came over. He said hello to all of Rainbow’s Ponyville friends, and then said to her, “Fantastic job once again Rainbow. I can’t tell you that enough! I’m going to go back to the headquarters with the others. You’re going to stay here with the others, right?”

Rainbow confirmed his question. They engaged in a hug, and then Soarin gave Rainbow her bag of clothes for the next few days. He said goodbye to her and her friends, and left with the other four Wonderbolts to go back to Cloudsdale.

It was now time for Rainbow to have a nice, relaxing few days with her friends. The six of them went back to Twilight’s library with all of the belongings they needed for the weekend. Rainbow paid for the vegetarian pizza that they had delivered to the treehouse. Finally she had some time just to spend with her friends. It was time to giggle, to tell stories, and to just be friends.

Meanwhile, back in Cloudsdale at the headquarters, Soarin was just getting settled back in after a tiring day of flying to and from Ponyville, as well as the performance itself. He was sore from all the exercise it took to make fans rejoice. He had just gotten out of the shower in his room and dried off. He sat down at the foot of his bed and sighed tiredly. That is when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he shouted out. His door was unlocked.

The pony who knocked was Spitfire. She popped her head through the door. "Soarin, can I come in for a second?" she asked from the doorway.

"Uh... sure, I guess," Soarin responded while still sitting down.

"Thanks," Spitfire replied while walking in. She walked over and sat down on the foot of the bed beside Soarin.

Soarin's eyes widened a little bit. He knew that Rainbow would not like it if she found out that he was in a room alone with Spitfire at night.

Spitfire, after thinking for a few seconds, said to Soarin while still looking down, "I've been thinking a lot about how things have been recently, and I've been thinking about what we used to have and I see how happy Rainbow Dash is with you and, well... I want you back. I want us to be together again, just like old times."

Soarin now had reason for his eyes to be even more open. He looked at the wall, and then to Spitfire. "You know I'm happy with Rainbow Dash, right?" he asked her.

"Yes, I know. But I still want you back," she replied.

"Spitfire, no. I'm really in a good place right now. In fact, I'm the happiest now than I have been in years. She's the one for me, and one day I'll marry her. You broke my heart, and I don't think I will ever be able to fully get over it," he said to her sternly.

"I know, I know," Spitfire said. She continued to talk to Soarin, saying, "But please, Soarin, please give me a chance. I've been so lonely. I've had nopony to call my own. Remind me of why I loved you in the first place. Give me one night with you. Rainbow will never even find out!"

Soarin looked her in the eye and said, "Spitfire, no! I don't care if she would never find out, I can’t do that to her!"

"Come on Soarin, just one night. Let me feel good again," she said. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Just one night," she whispered into his ear.

Soarin had no response. He just sat there silently while looking at the wall, thinking to himself. He looked back at Spitfire, who had the most seductive set of bedroom eyes. She kissed him once on the lips, and then a few times on the neck. Soarin didn't kiss her back, but he didn't resist either.

Spitfire continued to kiss him on the cheek and neck. She then leaned on top of him and whispered in his ear, "Just close your eyes and pretend I'm her. Let me do all the work." She began to kiss him even more. This time he did close his eyes, and when she kissed him passionately on the lips, he returned it. He put his hooves around her back while kissing her with his eyes closed.

As they continued to make out, Spitfire whispered, "Oh Soarin."

"Oh Dashie," Soarin said in return while continued to kiss her. Spitfire's fur felt ever so soft on his hooves, and her tongue tasted like a fiery breath mint in his mouth.

"Taste the Rainbow, Soarin, taste the Rainbow," Spitfire said seductively.

That is what did it for Soarin. He opened his eyes suddenly to realise what he was actually doing. If he was to go any further with her he would never be able to have Rainbow's trust again.

"Spitfire! Get off of me! You nutcase!" he shouted out while pushing her away. She fell over on her back on the bed. Soarin got up and yelled at her again, "Get out of my room! And don't ever try to break up me and Rainbow again."

Spitfire glared at him and said, "Fine. I guess I'm not good enough for you." She began to walk out the door.

Soarin got up to follow her. As soon as Spitfire left the doorway, Soarin stopped her. "Spitfire, wait," he said quietly. Spitfire stopped and looked at him with a smile of hope. "You're darn right you're not good enough for me!" he yelled at her as he slammed the door in her face. Soarin went back to his bed and sat down at the foot of it. He put his face in his hooves. He was so embarrassed and ashamed at how far he went with Spitfire. Even though he did not sleep with her, he still felt horrible.

"Rainbow, I'm sorry," he said to himself as a tear came down his face.

Chapter 9: Returning Home

Three days had passed, and it was time for Rainbow Dash to return home. She had a wonderful time with her friends. The six of them all slept at Twilight's library, not wanting to spend any time apart.

Rainbow and Pinkie Pie played pranks on all of the other residents of Ponyville, and overall they were received quite well. When some of the ponies wanted to get mad, they changed their frown to a smile when they saw that it was Rainbow who was pulling all of the pranks. It was her laughing hysterically on the ground that gave it away every time.

They had a bonfire in the backyard, where Rainbow told a few of her trademark scary stories to the others. She spent two hours on the second day helping Scootaloo learn to fly. Rainbow was so impressed with the young filly's improvement. She could not only hover, now she could actually fly a few feet off the ground. Scootaloo loved having her honorary big sister spend some quality time with her. Scootaloo didn't have a cutie mark yet, but she had proven herself to be quite good for her age at the scooter, as well as a few sports. Rainbow hoped to see her with a cutie mark by the next time she would return to Ponyville.

Rainbow and Twilight spent some time reviewing the whole Daring Do series to date. The others said what they knew about the stories, to join in the conversation, and they didn't judge Rainbow for technically being an egghead according to her own standards.

However, the best thing about the weekend was the time spent doing nothing at all. Just sitting in the room, six friends talking about things that really didn't matter to anypony else. That was something that Dash really missed since she joined the Wonderbolts.

But alas, all good things have to come to an end. She was told to come back after three days, and those three days had passed quite quickly. Hugs were given, tears were shed, not by Rainbow, of course, and goodbyes were said. It was time for her to go back to her new home.

Halfway through her journey home, she realized how heavy her bag really was. "Gosh, no wonder Soarin was tired carrying my bag. This thing is heavy," she grumbled to herself while flying on this sunny spring day. Thankfully the weather co-operated with her trip back to the headquarters.

She arrived at her destination later that night. All was quiet throughout the building. There was nopony in any of the main rooms. It seemed a little odd.

Rainbow went back to her room to put down her bag on her bed. She looked over at the alarm clock on her night table. "Hmm, it's only eight-thirty at night, where is everypony?" she asked herself.

She decided to go to visit Soarin in his room. She walked over and knocked lightly on the door. "Come in," Soarin said from inside the room. Rainbow walked in the see Soarin sitting comfortably on his reclining chair. He was watching the semi-final of the Equestrian Hoofball Association Cup on his medium-sized television with a bottle of cider in one hoof and the remote in the other.

"Uh... hi Soarin," Rainbow said to him as she stepped in his room.

"Oh! Dashie, you're back," he said while stiffening up a little. He didn't even care to check who entered his room at first. Something about him seemed off.

"Is everything all right, sweetheart?" she asked him while walking towards him.

Soarin turned down the volume of the match that was on, which was currently in the seventy-fifth minute. He said to her unconvincingly, "Yeah, everything's okay. How was your visit to your friends?"

Rainbow smiled and answered, "It was fantastic! It felt so good to see them again. But something seems wrong with you. You're not yelling at the television even though the Cloudsdale Rovers are down two to one to the Colton Wanderers. What's going on?"

"Well, the last few days were not too good for me," he replied in a melancholy tone.

"Aw, what happened? What's wrong?" she asked him with genuine concern.

"Well it turns out that talks between Saddle Arabia and Equestria aren't going so well," he responded, but still seemed to be bothered by something else.

"Okay, that's definitely not good news, but something else is wrong. I don't know what, but something," she said while coming up closer to him. She continued as she softly touched him on the top of his head, "You know you can tell me anything, Soarin. What's wrong?"

Soarin had a knot in his stomach. How could he tell her what happened with Spitfire a few nights ago without her getting mad? He clenched his teeth lightly and said, "Well... you said I can tell you anything, right? You won't get mad?"

Rainbow looked back at him sternly, "Well, that all depends on what you are going to tell me next. I can't promise you I won't be mad if it's something horrible!"

Soarin was sick to his stomach now, but he knew that it was better to tell the truth than have Rainbow find out in some other way. "Okay, Dashie, I'll tell you." He gulped because of the nervous feeling inside him. "Spitfire tried to seduce me. She started to kiss me and wanted to go further. I allowed it at first, but then I remembered you and I yelled at her to get out." Rainbow had a shocked expression on her face, but Soarin expected that. "Hey, you said I could tell you anything," he reminded her. Rainbow just continued to look at him. "Oh, please don't be mad, Dashie. I rejected her even though she tried very hard."

Rainbow looked back at him again. She then smacked him across the cheek with her hoof. "I knew you still had feelings for her! I felt the neet to worry at first, but I just felt too good with you to worry. How could you play with my emotions, Soarin?"

"Dashie, please listen to me," he said as he got up and put his hoof around her. She now had watery eyes from both sadness and anger.

"Don't touch me, Soarin," she said sternly without yelling while pushing his arm away. "I should have known not to fall for a stallion like you. I should have known I wasn't good enough for your taste." She turned away from him. She couldn't even look at him.

"Dashie, let me please explain what happened. Please, please, just give me a chance," he pleaded with her.

"I... I think I need some time alone," she said to him. She then left the room to go back to her own.

Soarin felt horrible. He even tried his best to tell the truth, but it wasn't enough. He knew that the time was not right for him to follow her. She was just too upset at this time to listen to him. He sat back down on his chair to finish watching the match.

Over a half hour passed. Soarin was still sitting in his chair. Rainbow knocked on the door and popped her head in. "Soarin, I've thought it over, and I'm willing to let you explain it to me," she told him. She looked at him and saw that he was truly feeling bad for what happened. Soarin was still looking down at his front hooves while he sat in the chair. He didn't even seem to care that Cloudsdale had tied up the match and there were only ninety seconds remaining until a possible penalty shootout. "Soarin, didn't you hear me? I'm willing to give you a chance," she told him as she approached his chair. "And that's not something that most marefriends would do!"

"I don't deserve a chance. I don't deserve you," he said quietly while still looking down.

"Soarin, I love you and I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Now, please, tell me what happened," she said as she sat down on one of the big arms of Soarin's comfy chair.

Soarin looked her in the eyes, and she smiled back at him, giving him the okay to talk. He explained the story, saying, "Dashie, I was in my room, and Spitfire came in. I didn't want her to come in but I decided to give her a chance. She tried to talk me into getting back together with her. I said no because I'm happy with you. Then she tried to plead with me to spend one night with her. She said garbage like how she was lonely and had nopony to call her own. She asked for one night with me and she said you would never have to know."

Rainbow clenched her teeth. "I want to smack her so badly," she said.

"Just, hold on, let me finish," he said. Rainbow agreed, so he continued, "I told her that I didn't even care if you would never know. I would feel horrible with myself regardless. I would not be able to live with myself knowing that I was unfaithful to you. That's when she tried to step it up. She whispered in my ear to close my eyes and imagine she was you. My mistake was listening to her. That was when she began to kiss me. The mood she set made me kiss her back a few times, but when I said 'Oh, Dashie,' I realized what I was doing. I opened my eyes and pushed her away. I kicked her out and slammed the door in her face."

Rainbow had a face that was hard for Soarin to read at this point. It was a face of frustration, but also a face that looked willing to forgive. Soarin then continued, "I have been in my room ever since. I've sat here for three days. I've hardly eaten, I've hardly slept. Just the thought of what could have happened was enough to make me feel sick to my stomach this whole. I understand if you aren't willing to forgive me, and I don't blame you if you can't truly forgive me in your heart."

Rainbow looked back at him in the eyes. "Soarin... I can forgive you. I know it was probably hard to resist her. I can tell you're telling me the truth."

Soarin smiled or the first time since she arrived back from Ponyville. "Really? You really mean it?" he asked her genuinely with a voice full of hope.

"Yes... I can forgive you Soarin. I already have. I want this to work. I want us to make it," she said to him. She raised her hooves and gave him a hug of forgiveness. He reached his forelegs around her back. While they were still in each other's grasp, she leaned back and pointed her hoof at his face and said, "But don't you ever be alone in a room with another mare again, you hear me?!"

"Fair enough, Dashie. I promise you that will never happen again," he told her.

The two of them looked over to the television to see Cloudsdale score on their fifth penalty to win the match and move on to the final. The fans at Cloudsdale Field were celebrating like they already won the title. The two of them looked each other in the eyes with massive grins. They both cheered for Cloudsdale in all sports, and this was the city's first chance at a major trophy in decades.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to take you to the final," Soarin suggested to her.

"Yeah, I think you owe me that," Rainbow replied with a chuckle and a smile.

Soarin had one other thing to say to her. "Oh, I forgot one new thing: please, don't mention the incident to Spitfire. Not that I don't want to be truthful or putting you in an awkward position or anything, but she is your captain, and if you two were to have a fight it would probably only upset you and it could even harm your whole career here. Please, please, don't make an issue out of it, for your own good."

"I understand what you mean, Soarin," she replied. "I'll agree to that. But if she ever does anything like that again, I will stab her in the eye with a fork." Both of them laughed really hard. The real funny thing was that Rainbow probably truly meant it.

Chapter 10: The Cup Final

“Are you almost ready, Dashie?” Soarin asked his marefriend while he was waiting on her couch for her to come out of the bathroom. “The match is starting in an hour. We've got to get going!”

“Yeah, yeah, hold your horses,” Rainbow responded from inside the bathroom. She still was getting ready for the Equestrian Hoofball Association Cup final. Cloudsdale Rovers were taking on the league champions for the past three years, Manechester United. United had also won the Hoofball Champions League the year prior and this cup two years in a row. They were by far the favourites to win, but Soarin and Rainbow were still going to go to Cloudsdale Field to cheer on their Rovers at the top of their lungs.

The last few weeks were very positive for Rainbow, who performed really well in practice, as well as in their shows in Fillydelphia and Las Pegasus. She had done well in respecting Soarin’s plea to her that she would not mention what happened to Spitfire. Things had gone on as usual, and Rainbow had even put what happened in the back of her mind.

Soarin decided to turn on the television for a few more minutes before they left. He was going to turn on the pregame show, but instead was distracted by a breaking news report. “Uh oh,” he said while watching the new disturbing report.

“What’s wrong, Soarin?” Dash said as she got out of the bathroom. She was wearing the home jersey of the Cloudsdale Rovers, the same jersey that Soarin was wearing. She walked over to the television and had the same reaction. “Uh oh.”

They listened in to the breaking report on Cloudsdale News Seven. The light purple female pegasus was holding her microphone while flying in spot in front of the Cloudsdale Clock Tower. She reported, “The biggest news of today has come out of Saddle Arabia, where Equestria has declared war. Reports are currently saying that all talks and negotiations have stopped, and Equestria is about to move in to claim resources from the kingdom. Saddle Arabia has an abundance of oil, which is a newly discovered fuel that can be used to help develop technology around the world, and they refuse to negotiate. Princesses Celestia and Luna are still in Canterlot, but were unable to comment at the time. A ship of both male and female earth ponies, who will be equipped with newly developed weaponry, will leave this afternoon. The ponies are currently being conscripted from Manehattan and Fillydelphia, but ponies from across Equestria will be added to the list soon. Stay tuned for more breaking news.”

Rainbow and Soarin looked at each other with nervous expressions as the anchorpony came back on the screen. “Soarin, what are we going to do? Today is the biggest game I’ll ever see. We’re still going, right?” Dash asked him.

“Well, Dashie,” he replied while putting his hoof on her shoulder, “We’ll just have to take one day at a time from here on in. We still should go to the game. I'm sure everything's fine here. Tomorrow will bring another day and another challenge, so let’s just worry about having fun today.”

Rainbow nodded her head in agreement to the wise words of Soarin, but she still was nervous going out to have fun while other ponies are getting ready for possible death. She was also nervous about the game, which the two of them were now ready to go to. They left the room and Rainbow locked the door behind her.

After a little while, they made it down to the ground part of the city. The hoofball ground that the couple were going to on this day seated forty-five thousand and had four different main stands of two levels that were connected with four corner stands of one level. It was one of the loudest stadiums in the league, despite the team under performing in the last few years. Cloudsdale fans were loud and proud of their sports teams.

While on the ground, with Cloudsdale Field straight ahead of them, they could see the other buildings in the area. The Cloudsdale Arena, where Rainbow and Soarin saw Coltplay, as well as the Cloudome for the Cloudsdale Cardinals baseball team, were close by.

They could hear music blaring from the speakers around the field, which hyped up all of the many fans coming from far and near. As the two of them made their walk around the stadium grounds, they could see the travelling fans from Manechester, who were standing in a circle and bouncing up and down while singing their team songs and preparing for the big game. There didn’t appear to be any concern about the war by all the ponies around them. Everypony was just focusing on the game.

As Rainbow and Soarin made their way to their gate, they signed a few autographs of young colts and fillies who were really excited to be able to see two of the Wonderbolts up close. Rainbow was not used to signing too many autographs, but her recent shows had given her more fame than ever before. She wasn't known by everypony, but she was definitely gaining more popularity the more shows she did.

The two of them showed their tickets to the gate attendant and made their way in and to their front row seats just to the left of the south net. The fans were all starting to pile in. Rainbow and Soarin looked out to the players on the field. Manechester United was by far the better team of the two. They were the most successful Equestrian team of the past twenty years. But the beautiful thing about hoofball was that anything could happen. Soarin pointed over to one of the ponies who was playing for Manechester and said to Rainbow, “Do you see that red pony with the grey mane? That’s Striker. He was basically born to play hoofball and his parents named him that because they wanted him to become a famous player one day. I think he’ll be one of the world’s best players in a few years.”

Soarin told her more information about different players on the field as they were practicing. Rainbow had good knowledge of hoofball, but she had not been to many games before she started to date Soarin. The last time she went to a game was the day before her father’s tragic death. Rainbow was only an older filly at the time, but she had to live the rest of her life in the care of only her mother. She had only sad memories of this place, and it reminded her of her father every time she saw it. It's the reason why he never came back. Cloudsdale in general had many bad memories for her. The reason why she moved to Ponyville was because of her mother’s death much later when Rainbow was a young mare. She had nothing left in Cloudsdale for her but pain, so she decided to move on. Rainbow never did tell the story of her parents to Soarin. She never thought the time was right, and she also didn't want to tell him because she thought that it would just be depressing to him.

Soarin looked over to Rainbow, who actually had a tear in her eye as she looked out towards the field. “Dashie, is everything okay? What’s wrong?” he asked while leaning closer to her.

Rainbow stiffened and tried to suck up the pain she had. “Oh, you know, just bad memories of this stadium,” she told him.

“I understand completely, Dashie,” he said to her. “Cloudsdale has lost so many times here. I almost cry just thinking about it. All the disappointment over the years...”

That was not what Rainbow was thinking of when she was sadly staring off, but Soarin’s comment did get a laugh out of her. One day… One day I’ll tell him, she thought to herself. One day she would be able to tell him about her parents. But she just did not feel like it on this day. This was a day meant to distract her from all the badness around her.

Some time passed, and the crowd filled up. The crowd was in total support of Cloudsdale, except for the travelling fans from Manechester who were sitting behind the net opposite to Soarin and Rainbow. Both sets of fans were chanting and singing, and that created an amazing atmosphere. The cheers from crowd went out as both teams came out of the tunnel together. Manechester United were wearing their red jerseys, and Cloudsdale Rovers were wearing their white jerseys. The sets of players took their team photographs and then shook hooves. Both sets of teams with their eleven players each went to their respective sides.

“Here we go,” Rainbow said to Soarin excitedly. For the next ninety minutes she could put any and all of her worries behind her. The referee blew his whistle to signal the game had begun. The crowd roared with excitement.

Manechester United dominated most of the first half. They had plenty of chances, but just couldn't find the goal. They hit the post twice and the crossbar once, causing the fans to groan and shout. In the thirty-fifth minute Cloudsdale had their chance. Rainbow shouted in excitement and the entire crowd got on their feet as the forward for Cloudsdale was sent in on a breakaway, beating the goalkeeper, and sliding the ball into the net. The fans roared and jumped in sheer joy, and Rainbow and Soarin hugged while looking at the play with large grins on their faces. The cheering quickly turned into booing, however, as the fans realized that the linesmare had raised her flag for offside, causing the goal to be disallowed. The fans booed and shouted harassing words at the linesmare for her decision, which cost Cloudsdale he go-ahead goal. It was a very tough call that had to be made quickly with her best judgement.

The first half ended goalless as both teams went into the dressing rooms to rest for halftime. Rainbow and Soarin sat down for the first time in a while. The game was so exciting that they stood for most of the first half, as with the rest of the fans. Rainbow sat quietly for a few minutes, but the things on her mind continued to bother her. She just kept getting flashbacks of the last time she was here with her father. She had not told anypony about her parents, and when anypony, even her close friends, asked her about her parents, she would always just try to change the subject. But the thoughts and memories were still in her mind. She needed to tell somepony about it. “Um, Soarin, I need to tell you something,” she said to the stallion sitting beside her.

Soarin looked back at her. “Of course, dear, you can tell me anything,” he informed her lovingly.

“Okay, if you say so,” she replied. She looked at the warm smile he was giving her. “The reason why I was crying earlier was because of the memories I had about my parents because of coming here.”

Soarin interrupted, “Yeah, you know something: you never have told me about your family. Where are they?”

“That’s the thing, Soarin. I don’t have any family. You and my friends are the only family I have now,” she told him.

“Dashie, that’s horrible! You must tell me what happened,” he demanded from her, though in a nice way.

Rainbow took a deep breath. She exhaled, and said, “Okay, I’ll tell you. My father used to take me to sports games all the time. The last game I went to was in this stadium. I was still a filly and Cloudsdale had beaten Manechester in a league game. I was so happy. The next day, my father went to work, but he never came back. He died in a work related accident at the weather factory. I loved him so much, and my whole world was just crushed. I had to live the rest of my life without him. I loved both of my parents, but everything was just not the same without my father. This stadium brings me back all the memories of him. I miss him and I want him back, Soarin. But I know that will never happen.”

Soarin could see the watery eyes of Rainbow once again. She didn't show much sadness in her life, but the times that she did, Soarin just knew that something was really bothering her. “Dashie, I’m really sorry. I wish you had told me sooner. We could go home if you want. We can cry together and talk about it.”

“I’m not crying!” Rainbow snapped at him while she clearly was. “Okay, fine, maybe I’m crying a little bit,” she admitted while turning away.

“I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Dashie. There is nothing wrong with crying. You loved him, and I know he loved you too. How is your mom doing? Maybe one day I can meet her,” he told her.

That comment however did not help; in fact, it only made things worse. “Soarin, she died soon after I graduated from high school. She got really sick, and living without a husband and the love of her life, she just did not have enough reason in her to continue living, I guess. She passed away in the hospital.”

Soarin now nearly had tears along with her. “I can’t believe you never told me this before. Why would you ever not tell me this?” he asked her.

Rainbow explained, “I guess it’s because I always fear what others will think of me. I was made fun of in middle school for getting sad at stuff, so I just decided to always play it cool. Putting on a smile and laughing at things made others respect me more, so I did it.”

Soarin hugged her strongly. “Oh, sweetheart, you don’t need to care about what others think of you. You just need to know that I’m here for you, and I always will be. You know, if I knew about all that, I would have never made fun of you.”

When the two of them ended their talk, it was time for the second half to start. Rainbow had felt better knowing that she finally had enough courage to tell another pony about something that she always wanted to keep hidden. There was just something about Soarin that made Rainbow feel safe with him. He was pretty much her only family now, after all. He was the only one she could lean on while in Cloudsdale.

Cloudsdale Rovers had the kickoff for the second half. The chances for both teams were plenty in the second half, with Cloudsdale getting the best opportunities. The Manechester goalkeeper made a major mistake when he gave it away, causing the forward from Cloudsdale to have an empty net, but he missed it wide, probably due to his nerves getting the best of him. The fans all jumped prematurely but let out a loud groan as they saw the final result of this great opportunity.

The score remained deadlocked even into the late minutes of the match. The possibility of extra time and a penalty shootout was becoming more and more of a reality by the look of how things were going. By the eighty-seventh minute, the fans in the stadium were completely quiet. Rainbow and Soarin were holding each other nervously The visitors had a three on two breakaway. The pony with the ball blew past the final defender on the left wing. As he ran down the side he kicked the ball with his front left hoof perfectly to the forward, who was open for a one-timer. As he connected with the ball with his hoof he blasted it, and it went off the crossbar. The fans held their breath. The ball rebounded off the bar and went straight to one of the Rovers' players, who passed it forward. It was a break on the other side now. The forward for Cloudsdale was given the ball, and he made a step-over move to break past the final defender and go one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The fans all stood on their feet and cheered him on. Rainbow and Soarin leaned forward to see what was about to happen in the net right in front of them. The forward moved in and finessed the ball into the lower left corner. It was winning goal in the final minute. The fans rejoiced as the stallion who scored removed his jersey with his front hooves and ran around the field with the biggest smile on his face. His teammates all jumped on him in celebration.

Soarin and Rainbow bounced up and down, screaming and yelling in sheer joy. Glory was finally brought back to a city that desperately needed something to cheer about. Rainbow gave Soarin a kiss on the cheek as the madness in the stadium went on.

This was one of the best moments in Dash’s life, and it completely distracted her from the sadness she had earlier in the day. It was a pleasant moment she waited a very long time for.

"So, Dashie, what are you thinking about right now?" Soarin asked Rainbow as the two of them lay down on their backs against each other under the stars at Violet Hill later that evening. The celebration at the stadium went on for over an hour. They decided to spend the rest of the evening together at their special place.

"Right now I'm not really thinking about anything. I'm just thinking about how happy I am to have you," she replied while turning her head over to see him.

He responded, "You know, I'm really proud of you for what you told me earlier. I know it was probably really hard for you to tell me about your parents, since you seem to not like talking about that kind of thing. I still feel bad, Dashie."

"Well, I feel safe enough to tell you anything," she said with a smile. "You don't have to feel bad for me. Bad things happen, and we can't stop them from happening. What's important is how we deal with those problems."

"That is so true," he said in agreement. The two remained silent for a minute, until they saw a shooting star go across the sky. "Oh, look at that! Make a wish," Soarin told her. Both of them closed their eyes to make their wishes. "What did you wish for, Dashie?" Soarin asked her.

"You know I can't tell you, because I want it to come true," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled. Little did he know that Rainbow's wish was that Soarin would one day propose to her.

"Soarin, what's going to happen with the war?" she asked him.

"I really don't know, Dashie," he responded. "If I have to go, I will. You don't have to go if you don't want to. I don't think you should go. I need to be able to know that you will be safe." Soarin knew that if Rainbow refused to go to war she would be fired from the Wonderbolts, therefore losing her way of income. "If I go I will support you financially. You can go back to live in Ponyville while I'm gone, and we can buy a house together when I get back if you want."

Rainbow paused for a few minutes. She was completely silent, lost in thought. Things could change so suddenly, and the possibility of her dream of being a Wonderbolt being gone was something that she desperately didn't want to happen.

"I guess that can be our plan for now," Rainbow replied. "I'll try to stay a Wonderbolt if I can. Hopefully we won't have to fight at all. But if we are forced to go, I'll quit."

"And that is fine with me, Dashie. You have to do what you feel is right."

"But, if you choose to go, you have to make a deal with me."

"All right, Dashie, what's the deal?"

"Promise me you won't kill anypony if you go," she told him.

"Rainbow, I promise you that. I will protect myself, but I will not take the life of another pony," he said to her.

Rainbow had peace of mind. This day was a good day for her, especially considering the fact that neither of them knew what the next day would bring. They just needed to enjoy each day at a time for now.

Chapter 11: The End of a Dream

The day after the cup final saw the large parade that was held for the Cloudsdale Rovers. Almost every pony in the city came out to the parade, which had floating floats that floated through the floating city. Rainbow and Soarin cheered loudly as the team went by, holding the trophy up high and proudly. Rainbow could see all of the young foals with their parents, cheering for their team. Seeing one little filly with her mother really brought feelings to Rainbow’s heart. The cuteness and love were strong with the mother and daughter that she saw. It reminded her of the times she had with her mom, back when it was just the two of them. One day she would hopefully be able to enjoy the same feelings with a filly of her own.

That night, however, Rainbow just could not sleep. She had a nightmare that the war had spread to Equestria, and eventually to Cloudsdale. She dreamed that the headquarters were under attack, and her and Soarin were both badly injured so that they couldn't fly. Soarin held her hoof as the cloud building was collapsing, about to fall to the ground. “I will never let go,” Soarin said to Rainbow as she held on for her life. That was when the piece of cloud that Soarin was on collapsed from under him, causing him to fall to his death.

Rainbow woke up shaking and screaming out Soarin’s name. “What? What happened?” Soarin asked. Rainbow had forgotten that Soarin had stayed the night in her room.

“I had a nightmare that Cloudsdale was under attack, and you said that you’d never let me go. Then you fell to your death... Soarin, I’m scared. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” she replied while holding her knees with her hooves and rocking back and forth to calm her nerves.

“Aw Dashie, I’m sorry you had a nightmare. But don’t worry about anything. I won’t ever let you go. And the war only started and it is in Saddle Arabia right now. We’re safe where we are,” Soarin reassured her while stroking his hoof through her bed head mane. He looked over to the clock to see that it was still four in the morning. He kissed her on the cheek and said, “Go back to sleep, dear.”

It took a long time for her to back to sleep. She tossed and turned as she thought of things that may or may not even happen. She looked over to Soarin, who was sleeping soundly while snoring as loud as a motorcycle. She groaned and put the pillow over her head to muffle the sounds coming from her stallion.

By the time the morning came, Rainbow was woken up by the sound of commotion coming from the city outside of her window. She decided to get up and take a look outside. She moved her head from left to right, looking at all the ponies talking, flying around quickly, just looking nervous in general. It was not the normal commotion for six in the morning. Rainbow leaned over and gave Soarin a little shove. “Wake up, Soarin, I think something's going on,” she told him.

Soarin replied with a loud belch, and then said after a few seconds of yawning and opening his eyes, “Turn on the television, we’ll see if anything has happened.”

Rainbow grabbed the remote that was beside the bed and turned it to the Cloudsdale news channel. She was completely shocked as she saw that the newspony was talking and the bottom read, “Attack on Manehattan.” The line underneath read, “Thousands of ponies wake up to the sounds of bombs and sirens.” Saddle Arabia retaliated by attacking one of the most populated cities in Equestria. The Saddle Arabian forces used new bombs that they had developed, dropped on the city by pegasi. From the appearance of it, damage was quite widespread.

“Soarin…” Dash said, but she could not come up with a full sentence.

“I think we should go see Spitfire right away,” Soarin suggested. The two of them walked over to Spitfire’s office. Spitfire usually started her normal work day at six in the morning, so it was late enough to go. They knocked on the door and she called them in.

As the two of them walked in the room, they noticed that Spitfire was watching the news on the small television on her desk. “I’m pretty sure I know why you’re here. I’m afraid to inform you two that we are probably going to be conscripted to fight for Equestria in the next few days.”

Rainbow looked up a Soarin. The dejection she felt was very apparent on her face. Soarin tried to ease Rainbow’s nerves by asking Spitfire, “Are you absolutely sure about that? I mean, maybe things will calm down over the next few days.”

“I highly doubt that. Enlistment is low in Equestria, so Luna and Celestia are selecting ponies to go fight from cities all across Equestria. We are the best fliers in Equestria, therefore we will have to join as soon as possible to lead the air attack,” Spitfire informed them while still watching the news.

Soarin looked down at Rainbow, who asked him, “Soarin, can we please go talk about this privately?” Soarin agreed and the two of them left. Spitfire was glued to the television, and she did not even notice them leave.

The two of them walked back to Rainbow’s room and sat down on the bed. “Soarin, what are we going to do? You know I don’t want to fight. I won’t go, I just can’t go.”

“I know Dashie, and I hope you are okay if I still go. I don't really want to either. But I think I need to go, for you more than anything else,” Soarin informed her.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘for me’?” she asked him with confusion.

“Well, if you don’t agree to go to war you will must likely be fired. How will you support yourself in this economy?” Soarin asked her and continued, “If you can’t go, I will, and I’ll send all the money I continue to make as a Wonderbolt back to you. You can go back to live in Ponyville for the duration of the war. Then we can take things from there.”

Rainbow did not like the thought of that. Her whole life was about to be changed once again. In desperation, she asked Soarin, “Wait, why don’t Celestia and Luna just go to war and kick their butts instead of having all their citizens give up their lives?”

Soarin put a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder and said, “Dashie, that’s the government for you. Every kingdom is run by a carnival of idiots. They won't go do that. After all, Celestia just sent you, Twilight, and your other friends to fight their battles, didn't they?"

"That's true," Rainbow replied.

Soarin and Rainbow spent the next little while watching the news while lying down on the bed. There was really nothing to say. Many ponies were interviewed, and the amount of suffering was high. It was something they had seen take place in other places, but they would have thought it would happen in their peaceful Equestria.

After a little while, Spitfire made an announcement over the system to all of the members of the Wonderbolts. “Attention all Wonderbolts: all future shows and performances have been cancelled until further notice. That is all.”

Soarin and Rainbow looked at each other. They knew what this meant. They were both now sure that conscription was imminent. Rainbow’s job was to now ready her mind that any day could be her last day as a Wonderbolt. She was now in a very tough situation, because she finally was able to live her dream, but she did not expect it to end after only a few months.

That night was yet another sleepless night for Rainbow Dash. Soarin snored loud once again, but it wasn't that that kept her up. What kept her up was her own brain. It did not shut down for a second. Her mind kept racing, thinking of the worst possible things for any situation.

But Rainbow thought it over throughout the night. She went through a number of stages in her emotions, including fear, denial, anger, and eventually acceptance. She concluded with herself that if she was to choose between her morals or her job, she would rather stick to what was right to her.

In the early hours of the morning, Rainbow packed her bags with anything that she could carry home with her. All of her furniture would have to stay here, but thankfully she worked up enough savings so that she could survive the next few months without a job and could purchase new furniture for herself if she would be forced to move. All of this preparation may not even be necessary, but Rainbow felt it was smart to prepare ahead of time.

When Soarin woke up, he could see Rainbow pacing back and forth. “Dear, what’s wrong? Wait a minute, you’ve already packed your bags?!” he yelled out.

“Yes, I’m fully prepared that today will be my last day as a Wonderbolt,” she said while still pacing. She was not pacing because she was thinking, she was pacing to try and calm her nerves.

Soarin gathered his thoughts for a few seconds to make sure that he said the right words. “Well, I’m proud of you for preparing yourself. Don’t worry just yet though. Things may work out in the end.”

Contrary to Soarin’s words, Spitfire’s voice then came over the system once again. “Attention: all Wonderbolts, please report to my office immediately.”

“Okay, maybe it is time to worry,” Soarin said as the two of them stiffened up due to the announcement. Soarin walked over to Rainbow and put both of his front hooves on her shoulders. “Are you ready, Rainbow?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know exactly what you are going to say and what your decision will be?”

“Yes.”

“And you won’t be mad no matter what I decided?”

“Of course! Just remember my rule: you can’t kill anypony,” Rainbow reminded him.

Soarin smiled, “I will promise you that I will stick to that rule, no matter what happens.”

The two of them hugged as they readied themselves to go into Spitfire’s office. They walked over and into the room side by side. Inside Spitfire’s office was a new stallion in a suit with many war medals. Spitfire was in the same suit she wore when she taught and instructed ponies who were in the Wonderbolt Academy.

“Thank you all for coming on short notice,” Spitfire said to all of the Wonderbolts in front of her. “This stallion to my left is a general from the Royal Equestrian Army, and he is here because we have been assigned to go serve in Saddle Arabia for three months, starting exactly two weeks from today. We will be leaving by ship from the port of Baltimare, along with ponies from other cities. The general will give you further instructions right now.”

“All right, everypony, thanks for being good sports and willing to serve for your kingdom on such short notice. That is exactly why you are heroes and role models,” the male brown pegasus general said in a deep and tough voice, similar to all generals. He paced back and forth in front of the pegasi, who were all lined up in the office at this point. “You have been assigned to go to Saddle Arabia to serve with the pegasi from across the kingdom. You will have a few assignments there, including rescuing earth ponies and unicorns who will be serving on the ground, delivering supplies to the ponies serving in the trenches…”

Everything that the general said actually seemed to be good to Rainbow. Perhaps she might actually be able to serve in the army. Her heart was softened towards the opportunity in front of her.

The general finished his list by saying, “And finally, being prepared to drop bombs in air raids on Saddle Arabian cities when commanded.” Rainbow gulped at the sound of that.

Spitfire concluded, “This is all part of the job. Your salary as members of the Wonderbolts will continue throughout the war. You must each sign a contract stating that you will join the army, and you must commit your life to serving for Equestria. Please line up in front of my desk to sign.”

The Wonderbolts lined up, with Soarin and Rainbow at the back of the line. “What are you going to do, Rainbow?” Soarin asked her quietly as the other members signed their contracts and received their uniforms, helmets, and knives and other smaller utilities to use for their protection.

“I made up my mind, Soarin. I can’t fight. I’m going to have to say no. But I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to do,” she said without much confidence.

Soarin kissed her on the cheek. “Whatever your decision is is the right decision.”

The time came for Soarin to sign his contract. He grabbed the pen with his mouth and read the contract, including the fine print that he needed to squint and lean down to see. He leaned down as signed his name. Spitfire and the general shook his hoof. “Welcome aboard, Soarin. We are very proud to have an expert flier like you on the team,” the general said. Soarin raised his off above his head for a salute.

Rainbow Dash stepped up. Even though she knew in her mind what her decision was, she still nervously walked towards the desk. She picked up the pen with her mouth, read the contract, and looked up to see Spitfire’s proud face. “Come on, Rainbow, hurry up and sign it,” Spitfire commanded.

The rainbow-maned pegasus opened her mouth and dropped the pen on the desk. “Ma’am, I refuse to sign up for the army,” she said sternly to the general and the captain of the Wonderbolts.

“Uh, what?” Spitfire asked in shock.

“You heard me,” Rainbow responded boldly. “I refuse to go and kill other ponies over an issue that could have been resolved by just proper negotiations.”

The general was shocked. He looked down at her intimidatingly and asked, “Private, let me get this straight, you are refusing to serve for your kingdom?”

“Yes sir, I cannot serve in the army. I do not feel right doing it,” she responded without hesitation.

“Alright then, that means you are fired from the Wonderbolts,” Spitfire informed her. “Pack your bags and leave the premises right away. I can't believe I just said that to Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow nodded her head, knowing that this would happen. It was a moment that she hoped would never come. She had just quit on the Wonderbolts. The Wonderbolts: her lifelong dream. She just decided to walk away from the team. And the weirdest part of all: she did it confidently and without regrets. She said goodbye to the other members of the team, and started to walk out.

“I can’t believe you quit Rainbow,” Spitfire said as Rainbow was leaving the room. She continued, mockingly, “You're supposed to be the Element of Loyalty, yet you just walked away from your kingdom What are you, a coward?”

Rainbow, who was slowly walking out of the room, stopped upon hearing the word ‘coward.’ A corward? Really? she thought to herself. Spitfire really just called Rainbow, one of the most confident and brave ponies in the kingdom, somepony who helped save the kingdom many times, a coward for choosing her morals over keeping her dream job.

“Excuse me? Did you just call me a coward?” she asked, even though she knew the answer Spitfire would give her.

“Yes, I did. A coward. You're a coward Rainbow. Do you need me to spell it out for you?” she said with a very insulting tone.

Rainbow looked down, clenched her teeth, took a breath to calm down, and replied boldly, “If that’s what makes me a coward, then fine, I’m a coward. At least I’m loyal to my beliefs. I’d rather be a coward than a whore like yourself.”

Spitfire was shocked at Rainbow’s reply. Rainbow, who was probably the most respectful member of the team since joining, just insulted her former captain. “Excuse me?” Spitfire asked.

“I know all about the time when you tried to seduce Soarin. I tried to keep it quiet so as to not embarrass you, but you obviously don’t care about others, so why should I?” Rainbow responded.

Soarin then came over to Rainbow. Looking her in the eyes, he grabbed her and said, “I think it’s time to leave now.” Rainbow turned her back and left, never to come back again.

Soarin took Rainbow back into her room so that she could grab her bags. “Rainbow… I don’t know what to say. I’m fine with your decision, but why did you have to leave in that way?” he asked her.

“I’m really sorry Soar, I just, I couldn’t help it once she called me a coward,” Rainbow responded.

“I know, and it was wrong for her to do that, but does that make what you said any better?” he tried to reason with her, still with a little bit of frustration in his voice.

“I know, and I’m really. But I can’t take it back now, though,” Rainbow reminded.

Soarin paced for a few seconds and then stopped. “Fine. I guess you’ll be going to back to Ponyville now?” he asked her. His voice showed that he still was not too happy with how she acted.

“I guess I’ll have to. What are you going to do?” she asked.

“Training starts tomorrow and we leave in two weeks, so I really have nothing else to do,” he reminded her. He continued, “I guess I’ll just see you the day I leave.”

Rainbow could tell that Soarin was really not happy with her, but she also knew that he had a lot of things on his mind. The best thing to do at this point was to leave it and not let things get any worse. “I’ll write to you as soon as I get to Ponyville. I’ll tell you where I’m staying,” she said.

“See you later,” Soarin replied. He left the room, and that was it. He had nothing else to say. Rainbow was now worried. Soarin did not seem too mad, but then again, he may have been holding his anger back.

Rainbow was unsure about what just happened. Did they just break up? Did she just lose her former dream of being a Wonderbolt, and her current dream, to be with Soarin forever, in one day? Her emotions of the very stressful day got to her at this point. She had a few tears, but knew that it was time to leave. She sniffled, grabbed her bags, and left to go fly back to her home.

“Spike, take a letter please,” Twilight Sparkle asked her dragon assistant, who had his paper read. “Dear, Rainbow Dash.” A knock at the door stopped Twilight’s thinking. She walked over to open it. To her surprise, it was Rainbow Dash at the door, tired and wet due to the pouring rain. “Oh goodness, I was just writing a letter to you to make sure everything was okay. I heard on the news that the Wonderbolts are joining the army today. Come in!”

Rainbow came in, put down her bags, and shook herself aggressively to get the water off, which mostly all landed on Spike, soaking him and the paper her was holding. “Twilight, can I please stay here for a little while?” she asked with a tired and scratchy voice due to the long day she had.

“Why, of course!” the purple unicorn responded while grabbing a towel and putting it on the wet pegasus. “But you need to tell me what happened!”

“Well, Twilight, to be honest, I’m not really sure what happened,” Rainbow said while she and Twilight walked over to sit on the table in the kitchen. She continued after sitting down, “I had to leave the team because I refused to go to war. And because of something I said, I think Soarin and I just broke up, but I’m not too sure.”

“Oh Rainbow, I’m proud of you for not going to war to fight other ponies. But I’m really sad to hear that your dream of being a Wonderbolt was cut short so soon,” Twilight said with genuine and loving concern. “And what about Soarin? Is he going to war? Are you sure you two broke up?”

Rainbow, drying out her mane by twisting the water out, said, “Yeah, he’s going to fight. He’s leaving on a boat two weeks from today. He never said that we were breaking up, he just said he’ll see me the day he leaves. It was weird. But that reminds me, I told him I would write him a letter when I got here. I may need some help with what to say.”

“Oh, we should all bring of our friends here to help you write the letter. They need to know that you’re here. It will make you feel much better to be together as a group again,” Twilight suggested.

While Rainbow continued to dry off, Spike and Twilight put on their rain gear and left to go gather the others. After about twenty minutes, they returned with others.

“Dashie! I’m so so so so so so happy to see you,” Pinkie shouted while running up and jumping into Dash’s hooves for a hug. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all equally happy to see Rainbow, but they were calmer about their approach.

“How are you guys doing?” Rainbow asked them.

“Just wonderful,” Fluttershy said. “Well, aside from the news about the war, of course.”

“It’s great to have you back, sugarcube. Fluttershy here forgot to tell you one important thing,” Applejack said while giving Fluttershy a shove.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Fluttershy continued. “I am engaged to Big Macintosh.” She held up her engagement ring to Rainbow.

“Nooooo way, that’s awesome. |That happened so fast! Congratulations!” Rainbow said while hugging the newly engaged mare. After the hug, Rainbow asked Rarity, who was quiet so far, “What about you? How are thing going?”

“Oh things are going just simply fabulous for me. I've been ever so busy designing new clothing lines. I fear that work will be slower due to the war, though,” the white unicorn said. “Darling, why are you here? Where is Soarin?” Rarity asked.

Rainbow and Twilight explained the blue pegasus’ predicament to their friends. They explained how the couple had a little bit of a disagreement, and Rainbow wants to make it up to Soarin. Afterwards, Twilight added, “So Rainbow is going to be staying with me for a while. We brought you here to help her write a letter to Soarin. We need it to be good enough so that he’s not mad at her anymore.”

“Oh darling, you came to the right ponies for this. We’ll make this letter so good he won’t ever be mad at you again,” Rarity said emphatically.

“Spike, grab another letter,” Twilight demanded.

“Sure thing,” Spike replied while taking out his pen and paper. “How do you want to start it?” he asked them.

Rainbow started talking, with Spike ready to write. “How about: ‘My Dear Soarin’. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great!” Spike exclaimed while he began writing.

“How many words do we have so far?” Pinkie asked.

Spike took a quick count, and then a recount, and informed them, “Three.”

Rainbow began to think more and more about what she could say. Fluttershy, who recently became a romantic pony herself, had a few ideas. “Oh, we can say this: ‘I've loved you since the day you came in my life. Before you came into my life I was lost, and without you I am lost. I'm sorry that things were not the best between us today, but that doesn't mean that my love for you has cooled off. I still love you, and I still can’t live without you. Please, don’t be mad at me anymore, because I truly am sorry for getting so mad. Love, Rainbow Dash.’”

Rainbow’s wings popped up, as if she was ready to fly away. “Fluttershy, where in Equestria did that come from?”

Fluttershy responded, “Oh, um, I guess I just used my feelings for Big Macintosh and used it for your situation.”

All of the mares in the room let out girlish giggles at the romantic side shown by Fluttershy. Applejack was happy to see that her quiet brother had found a mare who was shy like him. They were a good match.

“I don’t think I've got anything else to add,” Rainbow said while flying around the room slowly and putting her hoof on her chin to think.

“Alright then, do you want to send it?” Twilight asked Rainbow. Rainbow nodded in agreement and Spike blew his fire, sending the letter straight to the desk of Spitfire, who would hopefully then give it to Soarin.

“And now we wait for a reply,” Rainbow told the others.

“Did he reply yet?” Pinkie asked.

“Uh, Pinkie, we sent it two seconds ago,” Rainbow reminded.

About an hour passed. The mares and Spike took this time to catch up. Fluttershy spoke about her relationship with Big Mac, and Rainbow told the others about all the many wonderful things her and Soarin did together.

Eventually, Spike fell on the floor and belched out a letter. “Did he reply yet?” Pinkie asked again. That was actually the fifteenth time she asked on this night.

“I think so,” Rainbow said while picking up the letter. “Yep, it’s from him,” she informed the others.

“Read it darling,” Rarity told her.

Rainbow started to read the letter. “To my love Dashie. I’m sorry too that things did not go well for you, and I’ve forgiven you. I am also sorry for how I acted. I know that you had to give up something very important to you today: your dream of being a Wonderbolt. I know that must be really hard for you. But the beauty of life is that once one dream ends, you go find another. My dream too was to become a Wonderbolt, and I made it become a reality. But then I went a few years without having any dreams, and my life was almost meaningless after a while. The day you came into my life was the day I knew I would have a new dream. I can’t live without you and I need to see you to be truly happy. Unfortunately, the only day I have off is the day before I leave. I want you to meet me at out special place in the afternoon. I want to spend my final day here with the mare I love the most. Then we can stay at the best hotel in Canterlot, and we’ll go to Baltimare together to say our final goodbyes. I’ll see you in a few weeks, but to me they will feel like centuries. Lots of love, Soarin.”

Rainbow did not take her eyes off of the letter after reading it out loud. She did not cry, but she had no words. Soarin took her breath away even though he wasn’t even in the room. “Sugarcube, I don’t mean to make any decision for you or anything, but he is the one for you. He’s perfect,” Applejack told her.

Rainbow had no response, though. She just held the letter in her hooves and continued to stare blankly. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and by the time she opened them, her friends could see the water in her eyes. But it wasn't a sad cry, it was more like a ‘perfect moment’ few tears of happiness that came from her eyes. It was a rare occasion that they saw a soft side in Rainbow Dash, but that's what Soarin brought out of her.

That night, Rainbow went to be the happiest again. She was happy with her decision.

Soarin went to sleep in his own bed. Even though they were miles apart, they were still closer than ever.

Chapter 12: Lovers in Equestria

Rainbow spent the next two weeks living in Twilight's house with her. Those two weeks proved to be very enjoyable, and it was a good distraction from the horror going on around the world. Ponyville was a nice and quiet place during this time of distress, as it was untouched compared to the bigger Equestrian cities, which were much more affected from the war. Manehattan and Fillydelphia suffered attacks from Saddle Arabia, and ponies from the other major cities were conscripted into the army, while Ponyville life just went on as usual. That was one of the advantages of that small town.

This day, however, was one of the most important days in Rainbow's young life. Today was the day that she was asked to meet Soarin back at Violet Hill, because the next day he was to leave on the ship aboard for Saddle Arabia. This was the last full day with her coltfriend for three long, frightening months.

Her five friends came over early in the morning to prepare her for the big day. They weren't quite sure what was in store for Rainbow on this day, but they knew that it must be big. It was the last day she'd see Soarin for months, after all. They prepared her by styling her mane nice and wavy, which was an unusual but more attractive look to her. She put on a short white summer dress with blue flowers on it, which stopped at her hips. Ponies only wore clothes on special occasions, after all. Something about them wearing clothing made all those occasions a little more special.

Rarity made sure that everything was perfect. "Darling, are you sure you have everything you need?" the fashionable pony asked the colourful pegasus.

"Um... I think so," Rainbow responded while looking in her side bag that she was going to bring.

"Oh Rainbow, you simply must bring protection," Rarity reminded her.

"Protection? What do you mean by that?" Rainbow asked her with a confused look.

Rarity brought over an umbrella and said, "Just in case it rains you can use this to stay dry." She put the umbrella in Rainbow's side bag.

Rainbow was finally ready to leave. It took the whole morning, but her friends prepared her for the big day. They each gave her a big hug, and she was off to fly to Violet Hill.

It was one of the most beautiful days of the year. The summer sun shined down hard, but the light breeze was enough to keep it at a perfect temperature. The wind blew softly on Rainbow's mane as she made the flight over the untouched fields of Equestria and towards the special place, where Soarin was already waiting war eagerly for her, having not seen her for quite a few days.

The weather was so pristine that Rainbow was even wondering why she brought an umbrella in the first place. As she flew she looked down to the ground to see the large shadow she made on the green fields below. As she approached the special place, she looked down on the ground and saw Soarin lying down patiently underneath the cherry blossom tree on top of the small hill. The flowers in the fields around the hill was a beautiful sight from up high.

Rainbow made her descent towards Soarin. He looked up and saw Rainbow coming down like an angel from heaven. Her mane and her summer dress blew in the light breeze as she landed beside him.

"Hello, my dear," Soarin said as Rainbow took a few steps towards him.

"Hi," Rainbow said flirtatiously to the stallion she hadn't seen for two weeks, which was the longest she has gone without seeing him since they started dating. She put her bag down against the tree.

"I missed you, Rainbow. The last two weeks were difficult to get through without you," Soarin told her.

Rainbow walked over and laid down against him. The two laid down while facing forward and looking at the beautiful fields in front of them. "I missed you too, Soar. It's nice to be with my friends in Ponyville again, but things are just different now. When I'm with them I still find myself missing you," Rainbow said.

"Same here," Soarin agreed. "The last two weeks were hard for me. I had to train for battle while thinking of you the entire time; every single moment. I couldn't stop thinking of you, and I know I won't be able to keep my mind off you the whole time I'm overseas."

"Aww, Soarin, you really know how to make a filly happy!" Rainbow said. Sitting beside him, she felt like a young schoolfilly. The butterflies in her stomach that she first had when she met him were now gone, and they were replaced with feelings of pure joy and love. She loved him with her whole being.

The two of them spent the next little while looking at the clouds pass by in the beautiful Equestrian summer sky. The breeze slowly pushed them across the blue sky above them. Rainbow and Soarin gazed in each other’s eyes while lying down. It was another one of those moments where words were not needed. Just being together made the moment perfect.

"Hey, do you see that cloud?" Rainbow asked while pointing to one of the many spaced out clouds.

"I think I know which one you're talking about. It looks like two ponies holding hooves, doesn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking," Rainbow said.

The two of them gazed at more and more clouds as the time went by. Time on this day went by very slowly, but that was just fine with the two lovers in the field.

"Dashie, I don't know how things are over there in Saddle Arabia," Soarin brought up. "I fear that it will be really dangerous. I will keep on fighting, not for Equestria, but for survival, and the chance to see your beautiful face again."

Rainbow blushed while looking at him. She then looked down and said, "You don't even know how nervous I am for you, Soar. I'm also nervous for myself. I don't know how I'll be able to carry on with my life knowing every day can be your last."

Soarin, now reaching his arm over the mare's shoulders and stroking her mane, tried to reassure her, saying, "Dashie, I'll survive simply because I need to live the rest of my life with you. I don't plan on dying any time soon."

Rainbow had a half smile on her face. "But without you everything will just be meaningless. Even though it's only for a few months, they'll feel like years to me. Day to day living will just be boring and dull."

"I think you can survive the few months without me, you're a strong mare," Soarin told her.

A few more minutes passed. Rainbow continued to look at the clouds. "Hey, what does that cloud remind you of?" Rainbow asked while pointing at another cloud.

"Hmm, that is actually a pretty cool cloud. It looks like two ponies gazing into each other’s eyes at a dinner table or something," Soarin observed.

"Yeah, you know, it kinda looks like us the time we went to the Cloud Ten restaurant. But that's just me, to you it could look like something else," Rainbow said.

"You know, I can agree with you on that one," Soarin said with a smile.

"You know, Soarin, lying down here with you, just watching the clouds, I don't think I can find anything I would like to do more," Rainbow said while looking over to the stallion.

"Dashie, I can't think of anything else either," Soarin agreed.

"This is what I'll miss. I'll miss the times where we can just relax together. For every moment that you're gone I'll be worried until I see your face again," Rainbow informed him lovingly.

Soarin smiled as he looked back at her. "Hey, what does that cloud look like to you?" he asked her while pointing to yet another cloud.

"Hmm... It looks like two ponies hugging to me. One is a shorter mare and one is a taller stallion. It looks a little like us when we hugged after the hoofball game a few weeks ago," Rainbow observed.

Soarin looked down at her, and she looked back to him. "How can you think of all that just from one cloud?" he asked her.

"I don't know. I guess I see you in everything I look at," she replied.

The two of them leaned in for a quick kiss on the lips. They stared each other in the eyes for a few seconds.

Soarin looked up to the sky and quickly had one of the biggest smiles he's ever had. "What are you all happy about?" Rainbow asked jokingly. She looked up to see a cloud formation.

"And what do those clouds look like, Rainbow?" Soarin asked her, even though he knew what she would say.

Rainbow said while looking at the clouds, clearly spelling something out, "It says, 'Dashie, will you mar-'" She couldn't even finish the sentence that the clouds spelled out to her. She looked back at Soarin with a face of shock. Soarin held in his hooves a dark blue case.

"Dashie... will you marry me?"

Soarin opened the small case to reveal a large ring that would go over Rainbow's hoof. It had a large diamond on it. Rarity would have fainted if she saw it.

Rainbow looked at the ring, and then at Soarin. She then looked back at the ring to make sure what she saw actually just happened. Looking back at Soarin, she stared at him in the eyes. After closing hers for a second, she opened them, revealing that they were watery from tears of happiness. "Of course I'll marry you," she said.

Soarin grabbed the ring and put it on Rainbow's left hoof. Rainbow was almost shaking in excitement. In fact, she bounced up and down a few times in place. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I can't believe that just happened!" she exclaimed out of sheer joy and happiness.

"That did just happen, Rainbow, and I couldn't be any happier," Soarin informed her.

Rainbow asked excitedly, "Did you arrange the whole thing? The whole cloud formations and all?"

Soarin nodded his head and pointed back to the clouds. Rainbow looked up to see Fleetfoot and Rapidfire waving back to them while on the clouds. The two on the ground waved back at them.

"Soar, I don't even know what to say," Rainbow told him. She looked down at the ring, and then back into his eyes. She bit her bottom lip with her teeth.

Soarin leaned in and wrapped his forelegs around her. “You don’t need to say anything,” he said while gazing into her eyes. He leaned in to kiss her, and she returned the kiss passionately. They kissed a number of times while switching positions with their mouths. It was a moment that Rainbow wished would last forever.

Fleetfoot and Rapidfire initially smiled at the love shown between the couple. They knew that they did their job, and they left to let the couple do theirs.

Rainbow and Soarin watched the sunset together while lying up against each other. Rainbow’s mane at this point was completely messy compared to when she had it styled earlier, but that didn't matter to her. She had a perfect moment with Soarin, and she wanted this day to last forever. She was now engaged to the stallion she loved.

The sunset was magical on this night. The sun was massive on the horizon as it went lower and lower. The sky radiated with many different colours and shades of orange, red, pink, and light blue. The breeze blew and picked up pedals from the tree and flowers. The pedals danced and blew all around them.

The two remained cuddled up against each other until the night came along. That was when Soarin reminded Rainbow that they would be staying at the Canterlot Hotel for the night, the only five-star hotel in the kingdom.

The two of them spread their wings and took to flight in the night sky. They flew up the mountain and into the city of Canterlot. Canterlot was abuzz on this night. As they flew over the brightly lit streets they could see ponies everywhere enjoying themselves and having a good time. It was a surprise to Rainbow, who thought that the streets would have been empty due to the war. But she realised that the ponies in Canterlot were rich and famous and were probably not even asked to go to war.

The two of them landed in front of the hotel that was just across the street from the castle. Soarin cleaned up Rainbow’s mane so that it looked a little more presentable for them to go into the elite building. They got their room key and complimentary bottle of cider and went up to their room on the top floor.

As Soarin slid in the room card key, Rainbow pushed the door open and ran inside excitedly. The room had a large bathroom with a jacuzzi bath tub, a king sized bed in the middle of the room facing a large flat screen television, and the room ended with a floor to ceiling sliding glass door that led to the large balcony. Rainbow ran outside and leaned on the parapet wall of the balcony, looking out to the streets of Canterlot, and in the distance she could see some of the furthest parts of Equestria.

She looked over on the horizon and she could see the lights coming from the Crystal Empire, which was going to host the Equestria Games a year from then. Rainbow remembered when she was with her father waiting for the announcement back in Cloudsdale when she was a filly. Sadly, the Equestria Games was never held in Cloudsdale, and her father was never able to go to see any of the games in any other city. Rainbow vowed that she would go see it one day, and in two years she’d be able to take her soon to be husband, Soarin.

Rainbow turned around to see Soarin holding the bottle of cider and two glasses in his hooves. He stared at her happily. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate a wonderful day,” he suggested.

He served Rainbow a glass of the smooth cider. Upon drinking it, her eyes opened wide. It was the most delicious and smooth cider she had ever tasted in her life. Rainbow gasped for air as she drank the whole glass in one swig. “More please,” she said as she lowered her cup from her mouth and showed it to Soarin.

“Whoa, hold on there Dashie, we need to save it for the rest of the night too,” Soarin told her.

“Well, what are we going to do now?” Dash asked.

“Well, we’re a young couple in a romantic hotel, what else can we do?” Soarin asked rhetorically.

“Order room service?!” Rainbow said excitedly. Soarin chuckled at the burst of excitement from the mare.

Both of them ordered an expensive salad and sandwich to eat on the bed while watching television. The two of them watched a playoff game from the Equestrian Basketball League, which surprisingly continued even though they had talks of cancelling the season due to the war. The league mentioned that fans needed something to be happy about and distract them from the suffering in the world, so they allowed the season to continue after a short delay, where only a few games were postponed. It was game one of the finals, and the Vanhoover Grizzlies were hosting the Las Pegasus Lakers. Both teams held a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks in Fillydelphia and Manehattan.

At half time, Rainbow and Soarin decided to share a drink together together in their jacuzzi bath tub. They clinked their glasses, full of cider once again, and drank it together as the jets pushed the bubbly water against them.

After they were done in the bath, they dried off. At this point it was already late, and they knew that they needed to wake up early to be at the ship before it left the next morning. They fell asleep in each other’s grasp on the bed. It was a perfect day for the young couple, one that made up for not seeing each other for the next few months.

Chapter 13: Goodbye

Rainbow slowly opened her eyes in the hotel bedroom. She faced Soarin, who had just opened his eyes too. The two of them smiled because of the wonderful day they had the day before. Rainbow wore her engagement ring around her hoof proudly.

This was the day that Soarin and Rainbow were going to part, though. The two of them got dressed in the hotel room. Rainbow's nerves were very strong on this day, and she even threw up in the morning.

The two of them dressed in light jackets and Rainbow brought along the umbrella for them to share due to the cloudy and rainy day in the forecast. They flew across the rainy and damp Equestrian fields early in the morning towards Baltimare, where the ship was going to set sail for Saddle Arabia.

Upon their arrival, Rainbow could see that she was not the only one who had to part with a loved one going off to war. There were many mares parting with their stallions, and there were parents watching their sons going off to serve for the kingdom. The two of them landed on the docks in front of the ship. The sky was grey and the rain was falling upon the newly engaged couple. Rainbow took out the umbrella and held it in her hoof for the two of them to share.

“Dashie, I'm sorry. I’m sorry I signed up for this. Trust me, if I could change it, I would, but it's too late now,” Soarin told her.

Rainbow looked back to him straight in his eyes. Her eyes started to water. “I know, Soarin, I know... I... I’m going to miss you so much,” she told him.

“I’m going to miss you too. I will think about you every second. I will write to you every chance I get,” he informed her.

The two of them hugged, and leaned back while still in each other’s grasp to say their final goodbyes. Rainbow’s tears were now streaming down her face.

“Goodbye, my love,” Soarin said to her.

“Goodbye, my hero,” Rainbow replied. They stared at each other in the eyes as Soarin backed away. His hooves slid down her forelegs until he gently let go for the final time. There was no turning back now. Soarin boarded to ship while Rainbow stood on the docks under her umbrella, with the rain still pouring hard on this gloomy day.

Soarin got himself ready on the ship, and just before they were ready to leave, he showed up on the deck and leaned over the sides to face Rainbow. The ship let out the loud horn, signalling that it was time to go.

As the ship pulled away, Soarin waved to his love, and she waved back. Rainbow continued to watch the ship travel across the water and away from the land.

She continued to watch as it got smaller and smaller on the horizon. As it finally disappeared from her sight, Rainbow looked down and closed her eyes. A single teardrop fell from her eye and dropped into a puddle of water on the ground. Rainbow sighed sadly. “Goodbye, my love,” she said quietly while looking at the ground, but it was too late for him to hear. He was already gone.

Chapter 14: A Day With Twilight Sparkle

Rainbow remained standing at the docks for a few hours, just standing while leaning her head and her hooves on the railing, starting off and watching the waves crash. There really wasn't anything in particular that she was thinking of. She just watched the waves come and go. Occasionally she would look down at her engagement ring. The beautiful big diamond sparkled when the sun would break through the heavy clouds and shine on it.

The afternoon came upon her, and she decided it was time to return home. Well, not home, but to Twilight's house, where she was staying while she waited for Soarin to return. She did not have any long term plans on where she and Soarin would live, but that would be decided upon his return.

After a few hours of flying back to Ponyville, Rainbow returned to Twilight's library, where her five friends were waiting eagerly for her. She put down her belongings near the door and walked over to her friends.

"Well darling, how did it go? Please, do tell," Rarity asked.

Rainbow did not say anything; she just lifted her hoof to show the five of them her new engagement ring. The mares all let out girlish screams upon seeing the sheer size of it.

"Gosh, that sure is a mighty fine diamond there, Rainbow," Applejack said.

"I know, I couldn't be any happier," Rainbow replied while looking down at the ring. "It's just too bad he's gone. It will be hard without him"

"That's okay, Dashie. He'll be back before you can say chimi-cherry-changa," Pinkie said cheerfully.

"In the meantime, please tell us the story," Twilight said.

Rainbow smiled at the others and told the story. "Well, we met at our special place. I started to see clouds that looked like the two of us. After a bunch went by, the clouds spelled 'Will you marry me?' That was when he pulled out the ring. It turns out that he asked Fleetfoot and Rapidfire to change the clouds just for me."

The other mares just stared back at her with smiles. "That's such a sweet story," Fluttershy said while closing her eyes.

"Yeah, it really was sweet," Rainbow agreed. "We also stayed at the most expensive hotel in Canterlot. It was really romantic." After a few seconds, she continued, "I'm really going to miss him though. You guys will really need to help me over the next little while."

"Of course, sugarcube. That's what friends are for," Applejack assured.

The next morning, Rainbow felt nauseous and threw up once again, but she felt better after a little while, and was ready to take on a new day. She still worried constantly about her coltfriend, but worrying could do nothing to help. She needed something to distract her.

"Good morning, Rainbow," Twilight said while Rainbow came downstairs. Twilight had set out pancakes for herself, Rainbow, and Spike.

"Wow, thanks Twi. You really didn't have to do this," Rainbow said appreciatively as she sat down at the table.

"It's the least I can for a good friend of mine," Twilight replied happily.

Rainbow sat down and ate her pancakes with the new syrup that the Apple family created. It was one of the best breakfasts that she had ever had. After she finished, Twilight asked her, "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'll find something to do. You are probably busy today," Rainbow replied.

"Not at all, actually. My only job today is to distract you from all your worries," Twilight reassured. "The others are all busy today, but I'm going to help you be as happy as you can be."

"Thanks," Rainbow said while scratching her head. "I'm not really sure what to do though. I kinda forgot what there is to do for fun around here."

Twilight thought for a few seconds, and then suggested, "We can go to the park, we can go visit other friends in Ponyville, or we can just sit here and read Daring Do. Anything you feel like, we can do."

"Can we visit everypony and catch up with them for a little bit?" Rainbow asked.

"Of course!" Twilight replied.

The day was beautiful. It was a sunny and hot mid-summer day. Everypony was busy working and caring for their daily chores around the town. Rainbow and Twilight walked around, waiting to see who they found.

Walking around the middle of the town, Rainbow heard from behind her a familiar voice call her name. It was the voice of that little orange filly. "Rainbow Dash!"

The mare turned around to see Scootaloo running over to her. She held her hooves out and bent down, and the young pegasus jumped into her grasp for a hug. Rainbow looked over to the filly's flank to see that she had finally earned her cutie mark.

"Hey Scoots, I missed you so much. How's it going?" Rainbow said as she put the filly down.

"I earned my cutie mark!" Scootaloo shouted while turning around and showing her hero her cutie mark, which was a wheel with flames on it. "I got it when I was showing my moves on my scooter to other ponies in the town."

"I'm so proud of you, squirt," Rainbow said affectionately while rubbing the filly's mane.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle finally caught up with them. Scootaloo had dashed ahead upon the sight of Rainbow that the other two took a few minutes to catch up.

"Hey Rainbow, it's so good to see you," Apple Bloom said.

"How's everything?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Everything is just great. Soarin and I got engaged," Rainbow said while showing the ring to the fillies, who all awed and smiled at the ring. Rainbow looked at the two other fillies' flanks to see that they had both also gotten their own cutie marks. Apple Bloom seemed to have an apple with a flower on it as a cutie mark, which wasn't really a surprise. Sweetie Belle had a microphone as a cutie mark. "It seems like you two have had some excitement too," Rainbow said to the two other fillies.

"Yeah, I got my cutie mark when I sang at the school talent show," Sweetie Belle told her.

"My cutie mark is so lame. My talent is apples, just like every other pony in the Apple family," Apple Bloom said.

"That's okay Apple Bloom, you should be proud of who you are," Rainbow assured her. She then said to all three of them, "I'm really proud of all three of you. You've really grown up well the last few years."

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash," the three fillies said in unison.

"I have to go see a few others, but I'll catch you guys later," she told the three, who said bye to her and ran off giggling.

"That's so cool to see them doing so well," Rainbow said to Twilight.

"Yeah, things have been pretty good here," Twilight agreed. The two of them moved on, hoping to find others to catch up with.

Rainbow and Twilight decided to go pay Pinkie Pie a visit at Sugar Cube Corner. "Oh, Dashie! Twi! Here, have a free cupcake on me," Pinkie Pie exclaimed when she saw them walk into the shop. The two of them had their cupcakes and conversed with Pinkie at one of the tables. It was one of the most delicious treats that Rainbow had ever eaten.

Rainbow and Twilight walked throughout the town, taking to the many ponies they met. All of them were very excited to see that Rainbow had returned to the place she called home. Things seemed just normal for everypony around the town. The Apple family still worked hard at Sweet Apple Acres, Cheerilee still taught, Lyra and Bonbon still did whatever it is that they did. Everything seemed normal, and the town was peacefully set aside from the warfare.

After a long and nice day, the sunset was upon them. Twilight had given Rainbow a day to remember, because it was a day where she could just forget about her worries. The day ended with the two of them walking by the pond with the sun reflecting on the water. Rainbow and Twilight smiled as they saw some of the older ponies feeding the ducks at the pond, and on the other side some of the fillies and colts were playing around with a ball. All was peaceful as they made their walk around the pond, which was a nice distraction from the sadness Rainbow felt.

Upon coming home, Rainbow thanked Twilight for the wonderful day that he gave her. "I really appreciate it, Twi. If it wasn't for you offering me to stay in your home, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"It's no problem at all, Dashie. We all do things for each other," Twilight replied. Rainbow hugged Twilight to show her appreciation for the wonderful day.

Spike came downstairs to inform Rainbow that she had received a letter from Soarin. He handed it over to the pegasus, who read it out loud for the three of them. "To my love, Dashie. I arrived safely in Saddle Arabia. So far my job is to fly supplies down to the earth ponies engaging in the trench warfare. So far the Equestrian forces are fighting for land that contains a lot of oil. I am just here to do my assignment so that I can come back safely and see your wonderful face again. I miss you already. Lots of love, Soarin."

Rainbow sighed and clutched the paper against her chest. Just reading a letter from Soarin was comforting for her, and it added to the wonderful day she had. If every day was like this one, the next three months would not be as horrible as she first thought.

Chapter 15: Yellow

The first week since Soarin departed for Saddle Arabia went by quite well for Rainbow, who spent most of it catching up with old friends and looking for a job, to no avail. She spent a day with Scootaloo, giving the young orange pegasus some flying tips, which had a great impact on the young filly. Training from a former Wonderbolt, who also happened to be her hero- what could be better for a filly?

But something struck Rainbow on this seventh day since Soarin's departure: she hadn't spent any quality time with Fluttershy, her oldest friend. With this day being a Saturday, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go visit the shy yellow pegasus from Cloudsdale. Even though she had a slight headache, Rainbow decided to pay Fluttershy a visit.

Rainbow was gladly invited in, sat down on the couch, and was served tea by the mare who lived there.

"Hey, I'm really sorry that I haven't spent much time with you lately. I feel like we've just grown apart since I became a Wonderbolt," Rainbow said to Fluttershy, who was sitting in a chair across from her and drinking her tea.

"Oh, that's okay Rainbow, I totally understand. I was so happy for you to follow your dreams. I'm also so happy that you got your very own coltfriend too," Fluttershy replied.

"Yeah, that's kinda why I came here today actually. I want to know the story of what happened between you and Big Macintosh. When are you two getting married?" Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy, while looking at her diamond ring on her hoof, which was much smaller than Rainbow's but she still loved it, answered, "We actually were going to get married next month."

"That's awesome!" Rainbow interrupted.

"But we decided to hold off for a little but," Fluttershy finished.

"Oh really? Why? Did you guys have a fight?" Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled politely. "Oh no, things are going great between us! We decided to wait because we want Soarin to be here for the wedding."

"Really? Fluttershy, that's so sweet of you! Thanks so much," Rainbow said with genuine gratitude.

"I also wanted to know one more thing," Fluttershy continued.

"Oh yeah? What?"

"I wanted to know if you would be my best mare."

Rainbow grinned at that proposition. "I would be honoured!" she replied while getting up to give Fluttershy a hug. She sat back down, and asked, "But there is one thing I need to know: how did things get so close between you two? It seems like it happened overnight."

Fluttershy took a sip of her tea and said, "Well, it went like this..."

A week after Rainbow left for Cloudsdale in December, Fluttershy began to feel lonely. Her oldest friend was now gone, living her dream, but Fluttershy was just stuck living the same quiet life that she loved for many years. She continued to live in her cottage, taking care of the woodland creatures. Doing such a thing became a routine, and she began to feel down. When life gets into a routine, one often starts to get depressing thoughts in their head; Fluttershy was no exception. She began to feel like she was going nowhere in her life.

Applejack needed help one day shovelling snow in front of the ban, so she asked Fluttershy to help her, along with Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom. Fluttershy gladly accepted, because it was a good change in routine. She put on her winter clothing, which involved light blue boots, hat, and scarf. The light blue really made the beautiful pegasus stand out.

As she went and helped the Apple family shovel the snow, she glanced over at Big Macintosh, who was lifting large amounts of snow with his shovel. Fluttershy remembered the time that she came over to talk to Applejack the summer previous, and she glanced over to see how hard Big Mac worked. He pulled a large tractor behind him, he lifted whole barrels full of cider, he could kick trees down with one kick, and he could probably even pull a whole house if he tried! That was something that she appreciated; not his power, but his willingness to work hard. That was something that she always looked for in a stallion. Unfortunately, with both ponies being very shy, she never had a real conversation with him.

However, even though she had butterflies in her stomach, she decided to slowly move over towards him as she shovelled. "He- um... hey Big Macintosh," she squeaked out.

"Hey," he replied while he continued to shovel large amounts of snow over his shoulder in order to clear a path.

"I... um... I really like how hard you work. So, have you always worked this hard?" she asked him.

"Eeyup."

"That's cool. Have... have you always lived in Ponyville?" she asked as she shovelled much smaller amounts of snow in comparison.

"Eeyup."

"Nice." That's all the conversation they really had at first, but it was a start. Applejack had a small smile as she glanced over at Fluttershy trying to talk to her brother.

About a week later, Fluttershy and Applejack were talking casually about things that happened that week, when Fluttershy out of the blue asked, "Hey, do you need any help around the farm?"

Applejack scratched her chin with her hoof, "Can't think of anything right now actually. Why?"

Fluttershy blushed. "Um... n-no reason. Just wanted to know if you needed any help."

A few more days passed, and the pegasus asked Applejack another question upon seeing her in the streets of Ponyville. "How's your sister doing?"

"They're doing fine, Fluttershy. School is going really well for Apple Bloom," Applejack replied.

"And, um... what about Big Macintosh?"

"He's also fine, Fluttershy. Why'd you ask?"

"I just wanted to know how your family was doing, of course," Fluttershy responded, but it was not convincing.

A few more days passed, and Applejack asked her other four friends if they would like to come over for dinner that night. Fluttershy asked, "Will Big Macintosh be there?"

"Fluttershy, do you have a crush on my brother?" Applejack responded while grinning slyly at the shy pegasus.

Fluttershy blushed and turned a bright shade of pink. The other mares let out little sounds both of cuteness and tease. "Darling, you shouldn't be embarrassed to have a crush," Rarity informed Fluttershy.

"Yeah, and Big Macintosh is actually a great worker. I'm happy for you," Twilight said while putting an arm around her.

"To answer your question, Fluttershy, yes. My brother will be there. And if you want, you could sit right beside him," Applejack suggested.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to come between your family," Fluttershy responded.

"It's no problem at all. I always hoped that one day one of my friends would take a liking to my brother. He has been quite lonely lately too," Applejack answered. "Come by at six."

"You simply must come over to my place. I'll get you ready," Rarity said while taking Fluttershy by the hoof and leading her over to the unicorn's boutique.

"Hmm... Too flashy... Too old... Too modern... Too trampy," Rarity continued to say as she helped Fluttershy try on different outfits and manestyles.

"Does it really matter what I wear?" Fluttershy asked as Rarity began to tighten a dress on the pegasus, who ended up becoming short of breath.

"Oops, sorry, that was a little too tight. And yes, it does matter. You want to make a good first impression, don't you?" Rarity asked.

"Of course."

"Good. This look works for you," Rarity said while admiring her work. Fluttershy's mane was now curlier than usual, and she wore a red dress. Rarity prepared her by saying, "Now, you want to make a good impression, but you also have to be as 'you' as possible. You want him to like you, but you also want him to like the real you, not a fake version of yourself."

"I agree with that. Thank you so much," Fluttershy replied.

The time came for Fluttershy to make her good first impression. She and the other ponies went over to Applejack's house. Applejack sat them down at her table, which was nicely set up with a tablecloth and candles. Fluttershy sat down beside Big Mac.

"Hello. It's nice to see you again," Fluttershy said while sitting down and looking at the stallion.

"Eeyup." He never did seem to say much. He appeared just as shy as her, which could have made things go very well, or very awkward; time would tell.

Everypony at the table began to eat the feast of apples, apple dumplings, applesauce, apple fritter, salad with apples cut up, and apples. They also had apples. Fluttershy ate her food very politely, but she looked beside her to see Mac stuffing his whole face into his plate to eat the food. He lifted his face to see Fluttershy looking back at him with a cheerful grin. He looked back at her with miscellaneous apple product on his face, and they two shared a laugh.

Fluttershy stayed over afterwards to play a few games with the Apple family. She had a very pleasant night and was able to spend some time with her crush, and it actually was not too awkward.

Later on, after Fluttershy had left, Applejack asked her brother, "So, what do you think of Fluttershy?"

"She's mighty beautiful and very nice," he replied truthfully.

"Do you like her?" she asked.

Big Macintosh paused for a few seconds. "Eeyup. I think so."

"Well then, ask her out! She likes you too, you know," she told him. Big Macintosh had to think about this one quite deeply. He had never dated anypony before, so this was definitely a big step to take.

The next day Fluttershy was at home taking care of Angel. "Here you go Angel, a nice, healthy salad," Fluttershy said politely as she leaned down to hand the bunny the bowl. Angel 'thanked' the mare by throwing the bowl across the room and hopping into the kitchen. Fluttershy was upset about that, but she didn't let it bother her too much.

Suddenly she heard a knock at the door, so she went over to answer it. To her surprise, it was Big Macintosh who knocked. He was bundled up due to the cold winter day, even though it was sunny and the winds were calm. "Oh my... Hi there, Big Mac," she said with a little bit of embarrassment on her face, since she was not expecting company.

"Uh, hi Fluttershy. I know you weren't expecting me, but..." He swallowed due to nerves. "Um... I was wondering if you would like to join me tonight to get a drink at the new fancy karaoke bar that just opened here. It's called The Hub." Just asking her out was enough to make him blush, but he managed to maintain eye contact with her.

Fluttershy looked back at him and smiled. She was definitely not expecting to be asked out. She didn't have the best self-esteem, and today she wasn't even looking her best, but Big Mac still asked her out regardless. She gladly accepted his offer.

Fluttershy dressed in a classy white dress and prepared her mane in a move waiver style than usual. She took a quick look in the mirror once again to make sure everything was good. When she was satisfied, she looked to Angel and asked, "First date; how do I look?"

Angel gave her the thumbs down, but she really didn't deserve it. Angel was really just a jerk most of the time. Fluttershy was saddened at the bunny's answer, but she had no time to change again. Big Macintosh knocked on the door. As she opened it, she saw his pupils dilate at her beauty. He was only dressed in a black shirt and a pleather jacket for this special occasion, but his mane was more formal than usual. "Are you ready?" he asked her.

"Eeyup," was Fluttershy's reply in her best Big Mac impersonation. The imitation made the stallion smile. Fluttershy got on a light blue winter coat and the two went outside into the cold.

Side by side they walked across the bridge and into the main area of Ponyville where the new bar was located. Upon seeing it for the first time, they marveled at the old style stone walls that it was made of.

As they entered in, the waitress greeted them and asked if they had a reservation, to which Mac answered, "Eeyup, table for two under Macintosh Apple."

"Right this way, Mister and Misses Apple," the waitress said while leading them to their table for two in the corner of the bar. Fluttershy and Mac smiled to each other due to the waitress' honest mistake . They didn't bother to correct her. Even though it was their first date they looked like a cute couple already.

They sat down at their table and were given their menus. Fluttershy ordered an appletini and Macintosh ordered cider with vodka. They watched together as different ponies from the town went up and sang different songs. Most of them seemed quite embarrassed, and the few that looked confident probably had a little too much to drink.

The mare and stallion tried their best to converse, putting aside any butterflies in their stomachs. "So... how is it working on the apple farm?" the yellow pegasus asked.

"In the winter there really isn't much to do. In the summer there is a lot to do, so it balances out," he replied. That was the type of conversation they had for a while. It was very basic, but first dates are not always great dates.

As the night went on, however, things started to get a little more fun. Fluttershy had a few more appletinis, as well as a tequila. She began to seem more and more flirtatious and open, and it made the night a little more fun. She began to laugh at everything and her face became more flushed.

In time, she decided to get up and take the microphone for herself. Mac just watched her and smiled, eagerly waiting to see what was about to happen. She requested an older song from a stallion who was a jazz musician in Canterlot many decades ago.

As the music began, she started to quietly sing the first few lines. She looked around to see all the ponies eagerly watching her sing. Her date was eagerly gazing at her.

She continued to sing the next few lines with her majestic voice. Her confidence grew as the ponies in the room continued to watch her. She came over and continued singing right in front of her date, eventually leaning on the table over him. She momentarily paused to take a swig of Big Mac's drink and then finished the song, swinging her mane and screaming out "Woooo!"

The yellow and usually shy pegasus giggled as she made her way back to her seat beside her date. "How'd I do, sweetie?" she asked the red stallion. For a shy pegasus, she really seemed to open up after a few drinks.

"Great," he replied. The two of them had a few more drinks each. Everything seemed more and more funny between the two of them.

"Hey... *Hiccup* Hey... Hey Big Mac... Wa-wanna see my cutie mark?" Fluttershy flirtatiously asked.

"Eeyup," he responded with a laugh.

That was when the manager of the bar, a stallion earth pony, came up to them and kindly said, "Hey, I think you two have had enough to drink for tonight. Do you need me to help you leave?" He asked them to leave in the kindest way possible, because he knew they weren't a threat to others. The couple left without a fuss, and they stumbled their way back to Fluttershy's cottage.

The birds that stayed for the winter started to chirp in the morning, and their sound woke up Big Macintosh. He slowly opened his eyes, realising that he was not in his own bedroom. He looked to his left to see the yellow mare with pink bed head with her eyes closed beside him. She slowly opened her eyes with a smile. "Hey," she said to him. Her smile and her bedroom eyes quickly became a look of shock and a straight mouth. "Um... Mac... did we..?" she tried to ask him.

Macintosh lifted the blanket and looked in, and then looked over to see their clothes on the floor. "Eeyup."

They both stared at the ceiling while they thought about what they did the night before. "Um… Oh goodness. I'm sorry, Mac. I'm not really like that usually. I guess I had a little too much to drink," Fluttershy apologized.

"Don't be sorry, Fluttershy. I had a good time. I can't wait for our second date," he replied.

The next few months went by a little slower. They went on dates three or four times a week, but they made the commitment to stay away from alcohol. The two of them became closer and closer as a couple, and being together made them more outgoing towards other ponies.

On one clear and warm mid-spring evening, a few months after they started dating, Big Mac asked Fluttershy out on a quiet date at Sweet Apple Acres. What they were going to do was not known to Fluttershy. They didn't have any 'accidents' since that first night they spent together, so it probably wasn't anything like that.

Fluttershy and Big Macintosh did not even wear any clothing this time, setting the tone for what seemed to be just a normal night. Fluttershy met Big Macintosh under the largest tree at the farm. The night sky was beautiful and full of many stars. The couple leaned up and cuddled against each other while lying on their backs in order to look at the stars.

The two of them casually talked about many different things. They spoke about current world events and what the future held for the two of them. Things were going very well for them, and they seemed like a natural fit for each other.

But as the night went on, Fluttershy went quiet as she looked at the beautiful night sky. Big Macintosh leaned up for a second, and bent around the tree. Fluttershy didn't even notice that he had gotten up because of the beauty of the night sky.

However, something caught her eye and she looked over to see Big Macintosh holding a light brown acoustic guitar in his hooves.

"Now, Fluttershy, remember something," he told her. "I've never sang in public before, but I'm willing to give it a try for you."

She started at him with open eyes. The light from the full moon and the stars made everything very visible around then.

Big Macintosh started to play the acoustic guitar. The chords he played sounded very familiar to Fluttershy. After he opened his mouth and began to sing, Fluttershy recognized the song to be an older song by Coltplay. Yellow, to be exact. The female pegasus couldn't help but smile as she instantly thought of the lyrics of the song. They represented all the things that the big red stallion felt for the mare.

However, to Fluttershy's surprise, Big Mac actually began to sing the lyrics to the song. His singing voice was a little higher than his normal speaking voice. It wasn't really fitting to the song he was singing, but it was sweet. It was coming from a stallion who rarely showed any emotion, and rarely said anything other than a "eeyup" or a "nope."

Fluttershy remembered listening a while ago to this rock love song, and she loved it. Having her coltfriend play it for her was extra special. He was able to put away his shyness for her, as she was able to do for him.

As he played the acoustic song, Fluttershy began to have a few tears of happiness.

As he finished singing and playing, he let out a final strum of a chord to finish the song that he had practiced at home for a while. Fluttershy blushed in response, but then lifted up her head and smiled from ear to ear.

Between the starry night, and having the colt of her dreams play guitar and sing for her, she had streaming tears of joy. 'How could this night get any better?' she thought to herself.

"Mac, that was beautiful. I can't believe you learned that song for me. I love you," she said to him.

The stallion put down the guitar beside him, and reached behind him to pull out a ring box. Fluttershy made the most shockingly happy face she had ever made since they started dating.

"I love you too, Fluttershy," Big Mac said while opening the box, revealing a small diamond ring. It was all he could afford, but it still was enough to make the mare clop her hooves in excitement. "And that is why I ask you: will you marry me?"

She let out a few staggered breaths and grabbed the ring, putting it around her hoof. "Yes, yes!" she yelled out excitedly. She leaned in and wrapped her forelegs around him, and gave him a peck on the lips.

"..So that was the story of how Big Mac and I got engaged. It's not fantastic, but that's how it worked out," Fluttershy concluded as Rainbow took another sip of her tea.

"Fluttershy, that was beautiful. It was actually a touching story. I can't believe he sang for you! I'm so jealous," Rainbow said truthfully.

"Oh, it was definitely beautiful," Fluttershy said while smiling and closing her eyes, which was a certain mannerism of hers. "It was the best moment of my whole life."

"Hey," Rainbow said while changing the subject. "I'm kinda craving some pasta with cheese. Do you have any?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," Fluttershy responded.

"No worries, I'll see if I can stop by somewhere to eat on the way home."