//------------------------------// // Not Playing Games Anymore // Story: One Bolt, Moving Forward // by Boltsinger //------------------------------// “On your marks…” the official started. Fluttershy was hunched over, tense, beads of nervous sweat dripping down her face. “Get set…” Soarin and Rainbow Dash looked down at their teammate, watching as she slapped her muzzle with her wings in a way reminiscent of another mutual friend. “GO!!!” Fluttershy rocketed forward, her team’s emblem held in her hoof. Beside her soared a pony from Stratosberg, their pace roughly the same as they passed through each hoop. Fluttershy’s training was evident, as she displayed her eagle-like grace with each twist and turn. Unlike her opponent, she effortlessly passed through the obstacles, relishing the opportunity to fly like this with her good friends as she reached out, passing the emblem to the waiting white Wonderbolt. “And there’s the hand-off for Ponyville!” Boltsinger announced, holding his hoof over his eyes. He flew up to get a better look at the race. “But Sky Stinger isn’t far behind in the least! His job is done, and Stratosberg’s second flyer is already off! She and Soarin are neck and neck, and it’s anypony’s game!” The racing ponies showed speed and grace in equal measure, weaving back and forth through the course until they reached their destination. “And it’s a simultaneous hand-off! It’s down to Rainbow Dash versus Vapor Trail, folks, and it shows no signs of slowing down!” “That’s Vapor Trail?” Twilight noted, leaning in to get a better look at the misty white mare. “I didn’t recognize her! I can’t believe she’s the third flyer for her team!” Rainbow and Vapor eyed each other as they ascended towards the finish line, each giving off a smirk. “You’re good, Vapor, but not good enough!” Rainbow gave another hard flap, shooting upward and through the finish line in an instant. “And it’s Rainbow Dash at the finish! Ponyville is the winner!” Boltsinger cried, doing his best to look as unbiased as possible. “Next heat between Cloudsdale and Griffonstone begins in thirty minutes, everypony! Be sure not to miss it!” Rainbow came to a landing with her teammates on the stadium floor, their opponents landing in front of them as they all exchanged respectful hoof bumps. The crowd cheered as the competitors landed, the whole arena turning deafening. Rainbow got ready to speak, but there was one set of cheers that rose up over all of the others. “YYYYYYEAAAH! GO RAINBOW DASH!!!” her parents cheered, sending a turbulent reverberation through the stadium. The flyers all winced, plugging their ears with their wings. “Well, at least they waited until after the race was over!” Rainbow noted, turning to wave at the screaming Pegasi. “We can catch up later, when my parents aren’t drowning us out!” That evening, Rainbow and Soarin sat in Bow and Windy’s living room, deep in discussion. Rainbow was looking closely at a silver medal she held in her hooves, looking around for signs of her parents. “I really think you should do it, Crash.” Soarin insisted, putting his hoof on her shoulder. “It’s only fair.” “You’re right… I can’t keep hiding things from them.” She confirmed, shining the medal to show her reflection in it. “Hiding what from us?” Bow asked, his face showing up on the medal’s surface. “Is there something you wanna tell us?” Rainbow Dash jumped, turning around to see her parents in the doorway. “Oh! Uh… yeah…” She got up, tucking the medal under her wing. “Mom, Dad, I have something I want to give you.” Windy brought her hooves to her cheeks. “Really?! What is it?” Rainbow Dash stepped forward, pulling the medal forth again. “It’s this…” she said, presenting it to the older Pegasi. Bow and Windy eyed the piece of silver in front of them, looking between each other, the medal, and their daughter with a befuddled look on their faces. “Wait… Is this…?” Bow began. Rainbow Dash gave a swift nod, lowering herself to the floor. “Yes! That’s the silver medal I won… at the last Equestria Games…” She looked at her parents, getting up again. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you I was in the Games the last time! It was years ago, and I was still… kind of embarrassed back then… But Soarin is right! It wasn’t fair to you! So… I hope this makes up for it!” Windy picked up the medal, looking at her favorite pony with a frown that quickly gave way to a warm smile. “Of course it does, honey!” She came in for a hug, her husband in tow. “It is a little disappointing that you didn’t want to let us know about something that important… But, no matter what, we love you!” Rainbow accepted the family hug in full, her Wonderbolt colleague resting his head on his hoof as he watched with a dopey grin. “Thanks. I love you, too!” “It’s not hard to understand why you’d want to keep something like that from us.” Bow stated, squeezing the mares tightly. “I’m just happy you told us about it!” He released his daughter, swiping the medal from his wife’s wing. “And that you gave us more to add to our collection! Come on, dear! Let’s find a place for this!” Windy squeed, clapping her hooves as the proud parents galloped to their favorite room. Rainbow sat next to Soarin again, pawing at the couch. “Thanks.” Soarin’s dopey smile faded. “For what?” Rainbow smiled, punching him in the foreleg. “Encouraging me to tell them, being a great flying buddy, getting me to come out of my house and hang out with everypony… pick one.” “Nah, no need to thank me.” He argued, rubbing the spot where she punched him. “I just did what any good friend would do.” That warm fuzzy feeling came again as Rainbow Dash looked into Soarin’s eyes. Those green orbs of his seemed to speak volumes recently, and the feeling she got when looking at them was starting to feel less funny and more welcome. She let herself drift closer to him, the emotions setting in and rousing her mind. All the while, Soarin simply smiled at her, feeding the warmth further. She stopped moving, her eyes going wide with a face so flushed she would have been mistaken for Big Mac. “Uh… I’m... gonna go to bed. Got another race tomorrow!” She backed up, quickly rising to her hooves and running towards her room. “See you in the morning!” Soarin recoiled, more than a little dumbfounded by the sudden change in her actions as he raised a hoof. “Uh… yeah! Good night!” he called, making for his own place to rest for the night. “And, there! It’s done!” Zephyr announced, pulling back. “You weren’t kidding when you said it was hard on brushes, but it’s all fixed, now!” He held up a mirror to show Boltsinger his reflection. His mane was in its straight and streaked form with his bangs parted to one side. The hair on the back of his head was pulled back in a ponytail just at the base, keeping its length, but not getting in his face at the same time. He looked down to see that his tail wasn’t quite so messy as well, then gave the mane therapist a smirk. “I must admit, you do good work.” He told the blue stallion, standing up and trotting over to Twilight. “Now I know who to go to when I need help and Rarity’s not around.” Zephyr Breeze took a bow. “Thank you, thank you very much!” He paused, looking back at the orange and purple ponies. “Wait, what’s this about Rarity?” “Oh, it’s nothing.” Twilight said, smiling and turning to leave. She leaned in towards her husband, putting her hoof up to her mouth. “He doesn’t know that it’s not gonna be like this for long, does he?” “Eh, let him dream.” Boltsinger replied, waving a hoof in front of him. “At least I look better for the announcements, right?” Zephyr trotted past the two, looking back at them and waving his wing. “Well, thank you for your business, but I simply must go cheer on my sweet sister and my darling Rainbows! I’ll see you at the stadium!” Twilight and Boltsinger waved back, smiling at each other and flapping their wings. Within seconds, they flew over Zephyr and were halfway there. Zephyr huffed, continuing his strut. “Show-offs.” “And Fluttershy makes the hand-off, quick as a diving falcon!” Boltsinger announced. The race was in progress, with Ponyville facing off against Fillydelphia in a heated match. Fluttershy landed on the clouds below, wiping the sweat from her brow as she watched the competition continue. “I say, those Wonderbolt friends of yours are doing quite well for themselves!” Fancy Pants declared, Rarity leaning dreamily against him. “Do they practice together often?” Rarity sat up and gave him a dainty nod. “Oh, all the time! They’ve taken to flying together on such a regular basis I hardly see them apart!” She laid on her stomach, putting one forehoof over the other and resting her head on them. “It’s quite charming, if you ask me…” “Hm. Yes, well, I have to say I agree with you, dear!” The noble confirmed, resting similarly. “One could say that Ms. Dash finds her partner quite dashing, indeed!” Rarity and all of the creatures around the couple felt a sudden blast of cold. Prince Rutherford shivered as if he had just been frozen completely, and Thorax quickly changed into a pony with an impossible amount of fluff. Rarity paid it no mind, letting the pun have its place and giving off a mildly less-than-sincere giggle as the race carried on. “What’s this? Rainbow Dash hasn’t taken off even though the hand-off is a success?” Boltsinger queried. Rainbow was hanging in the air, her hoof on the horseshoe that still lingered in Soarin’s outstretched hoof. “Is she giving her opponent some time to catch up? How sporting of you! Everypony give her a round of applause!” As the crowd clapped, Soarin looked quizzically at his teammate. “Come on, Crash, you need to get moving!” He leaned in close. “What’s going on with you?” The proximity snapped Rainbow from her trance. She pulled her hoof back, the horseshoe right where it needed to be as her opponent took off ahead of her. “Oh! Yeah! Right, I’m off!” She told him, turning around and shooting off at full speed. The course was finished in a matter of seconds. “And there you have it, folks! Yet another Ponyville victory!” Boltsinger declared, landing on the arena floor. The crowd cheered the moment his mouth closed, the parents of Ponyville’s star flyer sounding above them all, and joined by the firing of a number of party cannons littered throughout the entire structure. Rainbow Dash landed next to Fluttershy, panting from the exertion as Soarin came in for his own landing. “Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?” Soarin inquired. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you space out like that during a race before.” Rainbow turned around, heading for the locker room. “I’m fine. Just got distracted for a sec. I’ll be good for the final race tomorrow, I promise!”” Fluttershy observed her foalhood friend closely, the corners of her mouth turning up ever-so-slightly. “I wonder what could have been on her mind that would make her lose focus like that.” She said, looking back at Soarin. Boltsinger came to a landing next to Fluttershy, his own muzzle showing a hint of smugness. “I think I might have an idea.” he told her. “But I don’t want to soar to conclusions.” Fluttershy laughed into her hoof. “Anyway, you all were awesome. Best of luck tomorrow!” He waved his wing, taking off again. Outside the arena, Rainbow waved farewell to her sobbingly proud parents as they left. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for anything that might come next.. “Stay cool, Dash… Stay cool…” “Oh, there’s no need for that Rainbows!” an annoyingly familiar voice told her from behind. “You know you can relax with me!” “Zephyr, I’m really not in the mood for this right now.” She stated, making to fly off. Zephyr smiled confidently, coming up next to the mare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’m just here to congratulate a friend and invite her to dinner! Then we can just go from there and see what happens…” Soarin exited behind Fluttershy’s brother, wondering what he was up to. From behind the lanky stallion, he spotted the telltale tail that told him Rainbow was present. He got ready to walk in the other direction, stopping himself when Rainbow's rasp reared up. “Please, Zeph, I don’t want any of this today. Can you just leave me alone?” “Oh, come, now Dashie, we all know that’s not how you really feel!” The stylist stressed, reaching his wing closer to the mare. “Better to just let your feelings out instead of keeping up that ‘I’m the coolest’ charade you always put on for me!” Rainbow turned to look at Zephyr with a snort, taking a breath so that she could really lay into him how she truly felt. Before the words could come out, though, Soarin cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Zephyr Breeze, right? Zephyr turned around to face the white stallion, his smile showing snarky confidence on every inch. “That would be me. What do you need?” Soarin puffed out his chest and flared his wings aggressively. “I need you to leave my friend alone.” He stepped closer. “It’s obvious she doesn’t want you bothering her right now, and it’s bothering me that you refuse to take the hint! She has a lot to worry about right now, and she doesn’t need your little games making her uncomfortable in the middle of it!” He brought his face close to Zephyr’s, squinting his eyes. “So, please, leave her alone.” Zephyr dropped his rump to the floor, going into a cold sweat and raising his hooves with a nervous laugh. “Uh… Yeah! Yeah, I can do that!” He got up and turned to Rainbow Dash, shakily bowing his head and closing his eyes. “Sorry to bother you, Rainbow Dash!” Small tears started to fall from his eyes as he spread his wings wide. “I’ll be… going now!” He flapped as hard as he could, flying away at his top speed. Rainbow gave Soarin a wide-eyed stare, the anger from before starting to fade. The stallion in question began to ease up as well, returning to his usual bright-eyed smile. “You… didn’t have to do that, you know. I was handling myself just fine.” Soarin shrugged. “Yeah, I know. That was more to save him from whatever you had to say.” He turned around, making ready to fly. “Besides, it really did bug me.” He went into a hover, looking back at Rainbow Dash. “Anyway, I’ll let you have your alone time. See ya later, Rainbow Dash!” Soarin flew off into the distance, Rainbow sitting there in a flabbergasted fluster. “Yeah. See ya later….” “Are you sure she was that distracted?” Twilight asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “I know she paused a little during the race, but she seemed fine at dinner.” “Let’s just say the look on her face reminded me of how I look at you.” Boltsinger elaborated, picking up their plates. Twilight gasped, leaning in excitedly. “You mean she…?” “Eeyup.” he affirmed, nodding as he came out of the kitchen. “Wow…” she started, walking with her favorite stallion to the door. “It must be bad if it’s distracting her during a race.” She put a hoof on his chest, looking him in the eye with worry. “You don’t think it’ll get in the way today, do you?!” “Nah, she knows what’s on the line. “ he told her. “Racing against the other Wonderbolts, and going for Ponyville gold? Nothing could distract her from that.” The couple continued on their way to the stadium, Twilight pondering for a moment as they went. “What if she’s so confused by her emotions that she forgets to show up? What if she misses her mark? Or the finish line? What if she can’t even keep a hold of the--” “Honey, calm down.” Boltsinger interjected. “I’m sure she’s fine. I know you’re worried, but the worst that can happen is that she gets a silver medal in the Equestria Games.” He looked up at the stadium, taking a preparatory breath. “I mean, it’s not like… I dunno… some rapidly-freezing cloud is falling on top of an entire stadium and threatening to kill everypony inside!” Twilight recoiled, a nervous laugh giving away her thoughts. “Well, actually…” she began. Nerves. Lots and lots of nerves. That is how Rainbow Dash felt in that moment. She sat in the locker room, her team uniform on. Fluttershy sat next to her in much the same way. There was a lot going through Rainbow's mind. This was their chance for Ponyville gold. She was going head-to-head with Spitfire in the final leg of the aerial relay. She was flying alongside Soarin-- and there was the biggest thing. What was with that guy? She knew she was feeling some things about him, lately, but ever since the start of the games, it had gone to a whole new level! No! She had to keep her head on straight! This was for Ponyville! She’d flown with all of the Wonderbolts for a long time, now! Fluttershy had made huge improvements, up to ten point five wingpower since the games began! Everypony was ready, and they were all counting on her! “Yeah… That’s the spirit, Dash! Get out there and crush the competition!” She slammed one hoof into another in a punching motion, a confident smile lining her muzzle. “Crush, huh?” a lower mare’s rasp repeated. Rainbow turned around to see Spitfire looking back with a mildly conceited grin, Fleetfoot and Blaze on either side of her, with all three of them sporting the Cloudsdale team uniform. “Glad you don’t try that at practice, otherwise we’d have to tap into the reserves a lot more!” Rainbow lit up, trotting over to the Wonderbolt leader. “Hey, Spitfire! You… uh… you know I didn’t mean that literally, right?” “Of course I did.” the fiery mare confirmed, looking over Rainbow to get a look at Fluttershy. “I just wanted to get a good look at the competition this time around. From what we’ve seen of you three, so far, you might have a chance to win this thing! Not that we’ll make it easy for you!” “We’ll see!” Rainbow retorted, moving back over to Fluttershy. “But don’t be surprised if we blow you away!” “We’ll see about that, Crash!” Spitfire replied. The five mares stepped out to the stadium, Fluttershy slapping her muzzle with her wings to ease her nerves. “Let’s have ourselves a good race!” As they made their exit, Soarin trotted over, putting his hoof on Rainbow’s back. “Hey, you gonna be okay for this?” he asked. “Yeah! I’ve got this!” She confirmed, splaying her wings with excitement. Soarin beamed, looking up at the course. “Awesome! Just remember, I’ve always got your back, Crash. Always.” Rainbow gave a nod, nudging him with her wing. “Thanks, Clipper.” “Fillies and gentlecolts! It’s at last time for the final race in the aerial relay!” Boltsinger announced, hovering in the center of the stadium. “Will the participants please take their positions?” Fluttershy and Blaze flapped their wings, rising up to the start line while Soarin and Fleetfoot followed suit. Finally, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire smirked at each other, shooting into the sky and taking their places. The official flew into place in front of Fluttershy and Blaze, a single hoof raised. “On your marks…” Fluttershy took a deep breath, tightening her focus. “Get set…” Soarin looked at Rainbow Dash, noting the unflinching determination the mare displayed. “GO!” Blaze shot forward in an instant, sending Fluttershy spinning. The yellow mare quickly righted herself, rocketing forward as fast as she could. She caught up quickly, weaving through every obstacle with practiced ease. “And Blaze is the first to hand it off! Just look at Fleetfoot go!” Boltsinger shouted. Fluttershy looked ahead, picking up her pace and quickly handing the emblem to Soarin. “But Soarin isn’t far behind! It’s Wonderbolt vs. Wonderbolt in the most heated race this pony has ever seen!” Soarin pushed his wings to their utmost, catching up to the small and swift mare with a cocky grin. “I guess all that flying with Crash helped you more than it helped her!” Fleetfoot mentioned, flapping more rapidly. “But it didn’t help enough!” She accelerated further, blowing past Soarin and meeting Spitfire a moment later. Soarin laughed, rearing back for a half-second, then rocketing onward to finish the hand-off. “You got this, Rainbow Dash!” She looked at him for a moment, lingering on his hoof, then turned towards the finish line. Her wings buzzed, and she was off like a lightning bolt. “Go! Go! Go!” Rainbow Dash soared forward, racing towards the finish line. She was excited to be racing, but somehow, she didn’t feel tense like she normally did when competing. There was a new kind of calmness, a serenity that sent her through each obstacle with ease, soon finding herself next to Spitfire herself. She chanced a look in her direction, giving the Wonderbolt leader a mock salute as she looked forward again. With one, steady flap, she shot past the fiery pony, bursting through the finish line. “And Rainbow Dash takes it! Ponyville wins! Ponyville wins!!!” Boltsinger cheered, followed quickly by the crowds. Rainbow kept flying upward, seemingly lost in the moment of victory. When the crowd’s cheering finally reached her, all of that calmness vanished. “YYYYYYYEAH!!!” She exclaimed, twisting in the air. She performed an immelman turn, swooping down to the ground and landing with a skid the puffed up the clouds. Her eyes were wide with joy as she looked around. Both her team and their opponents had gathered around her, Spitfire stepping up. “That was some incredible flying, there!” She said, offering up her hoof. “You sure you wanna keep your break from the ‘Bolts going?” Rainbow gave her friend a solid hoof bump, shaking her head. “I’ll be back once things with my friends aren’t so crazy.” Spitfire nodded understandably, heading back to her teammates. Rainbow looked over at Fluttershy, who was grinning as wide as Pinkie Pie. “We did it, Dashie!” She shouted, jumping into an embrace. “We actually did it! And I didn’t even slow you down!” Rainbow squeezed her fellow flyer as tightly as possible. “We couldn’t have done it without you!” She pulled away, looking at the last of her teammates. As he came into view, the whole world slowed down. Finally, Ponyville gold! She felt so happy she could just… Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Blaze gawked at what they saw. “... Are they…? Did she seriously just…?” “Eeyup.” Boltsinger replied, landing next to them. Soarin had been thoroughly tackled by a certain rainbow-maned mare. Her forelegs were wrapped around his head, her wings were fluffed affectionately, and her lips were thoroughly pressed against his. Soarin’s eyes were wide as can be, but he quickly gave way to the moment. After a moment, Rainbow’s eyes snapped open. She flapped her wings, propelling herself several feet away with a furious blush. “Oh my gosh… I… I’m soooo sorry! I… I didn’t mean to…” She looked around to see several smiling faces, laying her eyes on Soarin again. He had the goofiest smile she had ever seen, but he didn’t seem disappointed. Her heart began racing, and the nerves from before had come back with a vengeance. “I… I’ve gotta go!” she cried, taking off at full speed. Not even a second had passed, and a Sonic Rainboom exploded out above the stadium as Rainbow Dash vanished from view.