Chapter 6
MLP: FiM
Flying Sky-High
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 6:
Rainbow Dash released a soft, content sigh, followed by a high pitched yawn as her eyes slowly fluttered open. And oh it was the best way to wake up ever. She was nestled into the body of Soarin, who was still sleeping peacefully beside her with smooth steady breaths as his body rose and fell. Having his cute sleeping face be the first thing she saw upon waking officially made the morning the most awesome morning ever, and she hadn’t even looked at herself in the mirror yet.
She had never felt more comfortable either. He was so warm, his hoof draped over her felt nice, and with her ear against his chest she could hear his slow, steady heartbeat. She was a content, tingly ball of joy and inner “yay”. She wouldn’t mind it if she never moved again.
Unfortunately, her eyes suddenly opened in realization. She really had to use the bathroom. After glancing around, she was relieved to see Soarin had a private one. How awkward would it be if she stepped out of Soarin's room and came face to face with some Wonderbolts?
She also refused to wake up the handsome stallion cradling her. She was worried any movement would surely wake him. There was no way to avoid the situation. Disregarding the fact that she really had to go, Dash inched her way as slowly as she possibly could through his soft embrace. After each slight movement she glanced back at his face to make sure he didn’t stir. She gingerly supported his hoof that had been around her as she finally got free, slowly reached for a pillow, and rested his hoof on it. Confident it would feel to him like she was still there, she quickly, but carefully scampered to the bathroom.
That was a close one.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she washed her hooves and wiped them dry with a towel. She looked in the mirror and had to suppress a laugh. She was glad she had woken up first. The makeup Rarity had applied to her was smudged all over, probably from pressing her face into Soarin all night. Her mane was also going absolutely wild. A little more than usual. Since the night of being fancy was over, she decided to get rid of all this girly stuff right away. It took two washes, but she finally got all traces of makeup and mascara off her face, as well as the little bits of lipstick. She sloppily ran her hooves through her mane and shook her head. Until it sort of returned to the way she usually wore it.
Content, she took this moment to do her morning routine: flexing in the mirror and acknowledging her awesomeness. Doing so in Soarin’s room made her feel triple the awesome. The awesome was awesome and awesome with a side of some extra awesome awesome. Couldn’t get much better.
Her ears suddenly picked up a noise outside the bathroom. There was only one pony it could be. She smiled and moved towards the door, but as she reached for the door knob, the noises became clearer. Painful moaning and groaning?
“Soarin?” She opened the door and gasped. It was indeed Soarin. He was writhing violently on the bed, panting furiously, and clutching the pillow Dash had put in her place. He was squeezing it so hard it looked like it would burst. “SOARIN?!” Dash frantically flew over to the bed and looked him over in panic. What was going on? What was wrong with him? Her eyes darted all over him, trying to figure out what the problem was. What would make a pony just suddenly convulse like this? He was thrashing around as if being stabbed over and over again.
“Rainbow… Dash…!” He grunted out while churning and writhing. She thrust herself at him, hugging him tightly with both her hooves and her wings. It was hard to keep her grip at first because of how sporadic his movements were, but she held him close and refused to let go. She could feel his heart beating furiously and his body was burning hot.
Thankfully, soon after she latched onto him, his body seemed to relax, his motions slowly ceased, and his heartbeat slowed down. He was panting and sweating profusely. Dash looked up at his face with deeper concern than she had ever exhibited for anything in the past. What was all that about? She loosened her grip slightly only to feel a sharp pain in one of her hooves.
“Ow!” She winced and looked down to see Soarin’s hoof nearly crushing hers with a grip comparable to a vice. Soarin’s eyes shot open and he bolted upright in bed,
“DASH!!!” He knocked her over on her back. After blinking and frantically glancing around the room with heavy breathing, Soarin locked his eyes on Dash. She stared up at him with extreme worry written all over her face. He quickly dove at her and drew her into a very tight embrace. “Oh Celestia! You’re okay!!!”
“Soarin?” Dash was very confused, she had no idea what had just happened to him, but it was clear he needed comfort. She felt something drip onto her back as she returned the embrace, followed by a sniffle. He was crying? “Soarin, don’t worry, I’m right here.” Dash rubbed her hooves on his back, “I’m here. It’s okay.”
“It was so real,” he shivered, “so painful.”
“What was?” Dash talked to him. She couldn’t be silent. She had no idea what was going on, but she was clearly part of it, and he clearly needed her.
“I—, I—,” he sniffled and held her at arm’s length. The look in his eyes was a mix of terror and despair, both amplified by the tears flowing out of his eyes. The sight absolutely crushed her. “We need to talk about something.” He pulled her in tightly for another brief hug before he looked her in the eyes again. It was definitely something about her. Soarin had not removed his hooves from her since he woke.
“Here,” Dash propped a few pillows up against the headboard. They leaned back against it as Dash grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped the two of them in it. Even through all that, Soarin’s hooves remained on her with no intention of letting go. Dash snuggled up close to him and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. What’s wrong? Please tell me.” She nuzzled his neck lovingly, doing every possible thing she could to comfort him.
“I’ve… I haven’t even told Spitfire all the details on this, but you,” he gave her a light squeeze. “You have to know.” He took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. “Ever since Celestia used dark magic to restore my body, strange things have been happening to me,” he began, “At first things seemed great. I felt like a new stallion. I could fly faster, I felt stronger, my stamina was endless, and I never grew tired. I felt like I could do anything.”
Dash was intrigued. How could that possibly be bad?
“But then there was the first night after we parted,” he continued, “the time went midnight onto 1 a.m. and I was still wide awake. Not a single bit of fatigue in my body. I tossed and turned for hours and eventually the sun rose without me getting a wink of sleep. I prepared for the worst, but despite the lack of sleep my body still felt energized and at full strength.” He let out a heavy sigh. “At first I thought, big deal, if I don’t need sleep, I won’t. But not sleeping does strange things to the brain. My body felt perfectly fine, but my mind was thrown off of everything. I never knew what day it was, I kept forgetting if I was supposed to do things, my internal clock was just completely broken.”
“You haven’t slept in five months?!” Dash exclaimed in disbelief, lifting her head off his shoulder and staring up at him. Soarin shook his head.
“I didn’t for about two weeks, but eventually I figured out how to get a few hours per night. My body was always full of energy, but if I focused on how tired my brain was, I managed to fall asleep, kind of.”
“Kind of?” Dash tipped her head to the side.
“I fall asleep, but I have extremely vivid dreams. They always feel so real, and depending on the dream I’ll sleep for maybe an hour, three tops before something in the dream forces me awake. It’s helped a little, but I’ve felt mentally shot for months.” He ended, drooping his ears.
“Soarin…” Dash couldn’t believe it, she couldn’t even imagine it. She loved sleeping and she knew well how awful it was to not get enough sleep over a few days. Soarin hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep in months? The thought alone was almost too much to bear.
“On top of all that, apparently I started glowing the other day during training, followed by collapsing and waking up in the infirmary. I just don’t know what’s happening to me.” He said with slight anger in his voice. Dash perked up.
“Just now though you were sleeping like a foal! You didn't start thrashing around until I got up.” Dash explained. Soarin shivered as he remembered.
“I noticed last night that, while I was holding you, I felt no need force it. I legitimately felt at ease and fell asleep quickly for the first time in a while. I don't know how or why, but I think having you around eases the effects.” He tightened her hold on her slightly. The thought that she could help him warmed her heart, but she couldn’t stay at the compound with him. She would have to go home eventually and becoming a full Wonderbolt seemed a somewhat far off for her still.
“What about right now? What made you shake so much?” She asked timidly, not sure if he’d be willing to talk about it. Soarin cringed as he thought, snuggling closer to her.
“I’m sorry if this scares you.” He stated before taking a deep breath. “In my dream... It was perfect, just you and me. We were alone in a field of flowers with nopony else around to bother us. It was carefree. We danced, and flew about, just enjoying the company of one another for hours on end. I’ve never had a better dream in my life. At least, until the end.” He shuddered. “Suddenly the sky became dark and the field of flowers turned into a barren wasteland. Two dark figures snatched you up from the ground. You screamed and called out my name. I readied myself to give chase, but my wings were gone. All I could do was watch as the two shadows began to beat you to a bloody pulp, rip your wings to pieces, and leave you in a broken heap at my hooves. Then I woke up.”
Dash stiffened and her eyes widened in horror. What a terrible nightmare to have right after such a perfect night. She shifted in the sheets so she was in front of him, grabbed his face and planted her lips on his. He quickly wrapped his hooves around her and pulled her body in while returning the kiss with equal strength to hers. She slowly pulled back and looked directly into his eyes.
“It was only a dream Soarin. I’m right here, alive and well.” She leaned back in and hugged him tightly.
“I know, but like I said, the dreams are so vivid that I felt every moment of it. The longer I sleep, the more real the dream feels. I guess sleeping for a full night really pulled out all the stops.” He hugged her back, never wanting to let go. Dash leaned back and looked at him with an idea.
“You said it didn’t happen till the very end of the dream right?” She asked. Soarin nodded. “It wasn’t until I got up that you started thrashing around.” Dash pointed out. “And you were fine every night I spent with you in the hospital after the tornado in Ponyville.”
“I think I see a trend.” Soarin smiled as he draped a wing over her. “There may be more to it than this, but after all the evidence I’m convinced you calm my body down. I don't know for sure, but maybe you being a part of Celestia's procedure to save me makes the dark magic shy away. It's afraid of you.” He said with a wink and nuzzled the top of her head.
“Feeling better?” Dash asked, sensing a lighter tone rising in his voice.
“I guess. Sorry, this is a lot to take in. I hope I didn't scare you too much. It was great to finally get it off my chest."
“Soarin, again, it was a dream. I’m here and this is real.” She scrunched her face at him sternly. He chuckled.
“I’m so glad it is and I’m glad I have you. You get right to the point and enforce your presence.” He winked.
“You callin’ me pushy?” She poked him.
“I’m calling you trapped!” Soarin suddenly flung the rest of the sheet over her and pulled her down onto the bed.
“Hey!” She giggled as she flailed beneath the cover. She managed to get a wing free and extended it right to his waist.
“OOH AHH!!!” He instantly backed off as she began to tickle him again.
“Ha!” Dash threw off the sheet and pounced on him, pinning him to the bed.
“That is so not fair.” He playfully complained with a smirk.
“To win a battle you have to exploit your opponent’s weaknesses right?” Dash wiggled back and forth while staring at him slyly. She didn’t see one of his wings reach up just far enough to brush a feather behind her ear.
“Exactly.” Soarin grinned as Dash’s legs wobbled. She blushed furiously, and moaned before plopping down on top of him.
“You evil bastard.” She managed to say as she sighed happily and let him scratch behind her ears. “I’d punch you for this, but I can’t feel my legs.”
“Heehee, damn you must be extremely sensitive behind the ears huh?” He chuckled. She rolled onto her back, still on top of him.
“Get the other one. Now.” She demanded.
“I can’t tell who’s in control anymore.” He did as he was told. Dash tingled all over at his light touch. It sent the best kind of shivers through her and she was covered in goose bumps. But then suddenly the moment was interrupted by a large and deep growling noise that came from directly below her. Her eyes shot open and she turned to look at Soarin. He was looking away, slightly embarrassed.
“Hungry?” She asked while snickering. Soarin sighed.
“Yes.”
“Well we have plenty of time to exploit our weaknesses later. Let’s get that monster some breakfast.” She poked him the stomach and rolled off, fluttering up off the bed and to the floor. “Have any place in mind?” She asked, not knowing Canterlot very well. Soarin thought for a moment.
“Oh! I know a great place. We’re regulars there.” He flopped out of bed. Before he got any further another loud growl sounded through the room. Dash quickly grabbed her stomach and her face turned bright red. Soarin held his breath for all of three seconds before he burst out laughing. Dash avoided eye contact and flinched when he put an arm around her. “Sounds like two monsters have to be fed.” He said with wink before the two stepped up to his window and took flight.
Canterlot was one of the largest cities in Equestria. It was known far and wide for being a high class, elite city populated almost entirely of unicorns. What most didn’t know, was that this particular bit of info actually only covered the very center of the city. As one moved further out from the castle, the city became less super high class and more regular society with a mix of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. Dash observed this as they flew out of the upper class region of the city and into what almost seemed like a bigger Ponyville. The only difference was that it was a little more densely populated and looked a little less friendly.
It didn’t seem like a bad neighborhood by any means, but Ponyville was very unique. You couldn’t pass another pony without them saying hello.
Soarin led her to the ground outside a small diner that looked pretty busy on the inside.
“Here we are.” He motioned towards it. Dash looked up and read the sign.
“Old Rusty’s?” Dash lifted an eyebrow.
“Don’t let the name fool you.” Soarin chuckled. “I don’t know a chef better than Rusty Stove in all of Equestria.” He assured her. Dash didn’t know if the chef being named Rusty Stove helped her first impression of the place, but she trusted Soarin and followed him inside.
The diner seemed even smaller on the inside. From the entrance there were three rows of tables flanked on both sides by booths that ran perpendicular and up against the walls. Past the last row of tables was a bar with the kitchen basically right behind it, built into the wall.
The place wasn’t completely packed, but there were a good number of ponies there. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like there were lots of families there with young colts and fillies. There were three unicorns walking around, helping take orders, but there was one earth pony behind the bar that was moving swiftly around the kitchen. He was a large brown stallion with a dirty grey mane and wearing a white apron. He looked to be a bit past his prime, but didn’t look to be too old. Probably in his mid-fifties. He had a very scruffy face, his chin covered in stubble that gave the impression he had to fight it every morning to remain clean shaven. The way he moved about the kitchen was unreal. Dash had never seen a pony cook so quickly without the aid of unicorn magic.
Soarin led her over to a free booth and they sat down across from each other.
“This place is pretty cozy.” Dash commented while gently bouncing on the cushy booth seat.
“This is our favorite breakfast place. It’s small, low key, friendly, and like I said, Rusty is a master.” He motioned towards the earth pony working the stove like he was in a war zone. “Also be ready, he’s unpredictab—”
“Do I hear ya talkin’ smack about me over here?” A gruff and hearty voice cut him off. Dash yelped as Rusty suddenly rolled up to them on a skate board with a pencil tucked behind one ear and a note pad tucked behind the other.
“You know it!” Soarin replied without flinching.
“Good man!” Rusty grinned and bumped hooves with Soarin. “Good t’see ya Soarin, it’s been a while and—” He looked towards Dash, who was still slightly surprised by the sudden entrance. “Hello, what have we here?” He turned back to Soarin and smirked. “I always see ya with the two lady-wings, but she’s a new one. Do I have to guess?” He nudged Soarin in the arm.
“Well, this one’s, different.” Soarin said with a wink.
“Hey-hey! That’s all you had t’say!” Rusty chuckled while ruffling Soarin’s mane. Soarin motioned to Dash.
“Rusty, meet Rainbow Dash. Dash, meet Rusty Stove.” He introduced them.
“Hiya.” Dash waved with a smile, still a little overwhelmed by this crazy acquaintance of Soarin’s.
“Please to meet—” the stove behind the bar suddenly made a loud POOF noise followed by a fireball rising up from it into the stove vents, “WHOA-HO! Just a sec!” He pushed off from the table and quickly navigated the skateboard back behind the bar.
“Well!” Dash began while finally getting a chance to smooth out her wing feathers, “He’s a wild one.” Soarin laughed and nodded.
“Yep, he’s a hoot. I still don’t know how he does it all at once, but he cooks, brings you your meal, and manages to talk to you all at the same time. The unicorns just help with the orders, hell sometimes he does that too.”
“Dang right I do!” Rusty was suddenly back in front of their table, “Anyway, I know what yer getting’ Soarin. What'll it be for the lovely Miss Rainbow?” He caught her by surprise. Dash glanced around and saw a menu on the inside edge of the table. Soarin snickered as she reached for it.
“Um, I’ll have—” She stopped and blinked as she opened the menu. All it said on the inside was: “I MAKE BREAKFAST” in big letters across both inner pages. Soarin lost it, laughing face down on the table.
“Just name it, and I’ll make it!” Rusty pounded his chest. Dash shrugged and closed the menu.
“Um, a stack of blueberry pancakes and some bacon?” She asked.
“Done!” He pulled two full glasses of water out of his apron pocket that had somehow not spilled when he wheeled over and placed them on the table. He saluted and wheeled back to the kitchen.
“I can see why he’s popular.” Dash chuckled as she took a sip of her water. Soarin glanced out at the other ponies in the diner.
“He gets a lot of business and keeps the place family friendly.” He pointed over to a table with a family of four with two little colts. Rusty zipped up on his skateboard, placed a plate of eggs and bacon shaped like a smiley face in front of one of them and a plate with a dragon shaped pancake in front of the other. The two colts cheered as he ruffled their manes and rolled back to the kitchen.
“I noticed there were lots of families.” Dash commented while smiling at the little scene.
“He’s been at this longer than I’ve been alive apparently. This place is popular because he’s very good with colts and fillies.” Soarin explained as Dash kept watching Rusty go to and fro, making all the kids giggle and the grown-ups smile. He definitely had great charisma.
“So you come here with Spitfire and Fleetfoot often? I figure that’s what he meant by ‘lady-wings’” She asked while leaning closer to him across the table.
“Yep, this is one of the few places we can go with Fleet.” He said with a chuckle.
“What does that mean?” Dash lifted an eyebrow. This would be good.
“Well, Fleet has a history of being...," he tipped his head back and forth, "belligerent in public.” He shrugged, “Rusty is very strict about keeping the diner family safe, so she behaves herself here.”
“Example please!” Dash requested fluttering her wings in anticipation of a good story. Soarin thought for a moment and had to hold his breath to stop laughing. “Oo I sense a good one!” Dash said eagerly.
“A few weeks ago she got thrown out of a bar we like to go to after shows. It's just north of the castle, it's more like a high end club. We like to avoid dive bars for obvious reasons.”
“You drink?” Dash asked out of pure curiosity. He shook his head.
“Nope, I come along to make sure they get home. Spitfire never has more than one. If fleet gets two in her it’s all over.” He chuckled. “Anyway, she had something strong for her first drink the other night and started complaining to the waiters. Her reasons for being upset kept changing so they had no idea what to do. When they finally brought her a second drink, she took a sip, spat it out, walked into the middle of the place and yelled,” Soarin looked around at the occupants of the diner and motioned for Dash to lean in so he could wisper. “She yelled, ‘who’s wang do I have to chung to get a decent drink around here?’”
“PFFFFFFHAHAHAHA!!!!!” Dash fell back into her booth seat, clutching her sides. “Why can I picture her saying that?”
“That’s our Fleetfoot.” Soarin shrugged with a chuckle, “she’s a hooffull, but she’s the life of the crowd and loads fun to have around.”
“Speaking of hooffull’s,” Dash rolled her eyes as she thought of him, “I noticed you didn’t mention Rapidfire in any of that."
“Yeah, he doesn’t really do anything with us besides flying. Not that I care.” Soarin stated with such a flat serious face that it made Dash giggle a little. “Spitfire has really been holding back from kicking him in the face lately, I don’t know how much more she’s gonna put up with.” He suddenly smirked, "Wish you could've seen it, he took a beam to the gut on our new obstacle course a few weeks back. Crash landed and got his head wedged between the safety mats." He took one hoof and shoved it into the crook of his opposite arm.
"HA!" Dash bumped her hooves together. "I do wish I'd seen that." She chuckled. "He's the only pony I genuinely enjoy the misfortunes of. How much of an asshole do you have to be to make that happen?"
"I guarantee you," Soarin pointed at her and nodded, "he's way beyond the required amount of asshole."
“I saw him tormenting some poor pegasus mare at the ball,” Dash brought up, but suddenly remembered the mare, “It’s weird though, I swear I'd seen her somewhere before.”
“What did she look like?” Soarin asked obliviously.
“She was turquoise and had two different shades of orange in her mane.” She described simply and Soarin stuck his neck forward with eyes wide.
“You’re joking.”
“What? Why would I?” Dash was confused. Soarin rolled his eyes.
“Ironic,” he crossed his hooves, “that mare forced me to dance with her before you showed up. It was a disaster. I felt like I was being harassed by a female Rapidfire. If he took her home, jeez, who used who?” He snickered, finding it rather amusing.
“That was the mare that danced with you? Fleet mentioned her. If I find her I’m ripping her head off.” Dash said with a glare and smirk.
“ORDER UP!” Rusty suddenly zoomed past them, and in the instant they both flinched, their food had been set down in front of them. Soarin had a bowl of oatmeal, some scrambled egg whites, and a bowl of fresh fruit. A nice big plate of four stacked blueberry pancakes rested in front of Dash. Everything looked delicious. Dash looked around though, realizing that the bacon was missing.
“Hey, didn’t I order some—”
“BAM! Lookit dat bacon SIZZLE!” Rusty appeared next to her with a pan fresh off the stove. The bacon in the pan was in fact, sizzling. Dash had fallen over into the booth seat in surprise, but when she sat back up, Rusty was gone, and a plate of bacon sat beside her. Soarin couldn’t get enough of it, and barely missed his bowl of oatmeal as his face went to the table again.
“I should introduce him to Pinkie Pie.” Dash chuckled as she sat up, mane all frizzy from getting smashed against the booth seat. She took a good look at the food in front of her. It didn’t look any different than most other meals of pancakes and bacon she had eaten in the past, but the first bite of her pancakes left her speechless. “This. Is. Delicious.” She said plainly, but with starry eyes.
“Thank you kindly.” Rusty wheeled by on his skateboard.
“WOW THIS IS DELICIOUS!” Dash exclaimed as she dug in. They proceeded to enjoy their breakfast, and even more so enjoy each other’s company. Dash really did enjoy spending time with him and experiencing his daily routine. She suddenly wondered if she could practice with them? The mere thought made her giddy as she ate. She'd have to ask Spitfire later.
As she finished her pancakes and began working on the bacon strips, she finally took a good look at what Soarin was eating.
“I sense a question.” He suddenly said as he caught her eyeing his food.
“I’m just surprised actually, that’s not quite what I expected you to order.” She admitted. Soarin looked at his breakfast in front of him.
“Well Dash, here’s one of the biggest pro tips I can offer you.” He began. As soon as he said "pro-tip", Dash had her eyes glued and ears ready. “This is important, especially if you want to get the most out of the strength training you’re doing. What most ponies don’t understand, is that working out or lifting weights is only about a quarter of it. Obviously you need to lift weights to build muscle, but then there's this,” He pointed to his food, “The most crucial part of a training regiment is what you put in your body.” He motioned towards the egg whites, “pure, un-hindered protein for muscle recovery,” then the oatmeal, “clean carbohydrates for energy,” then the fruit, “vitamin C and anti-oxidants for general body function.” He flashed a smile. “And that’s just breakfast.”
“Uh…” Dash blinked. She had never quite thought about her diet. She assumed the term “diet” was reserved for ponies who were lazy and needed to shed a few pounds. “Wow.”
“The Wonderbolts all have a strict diet to keep themselves in top condition, but I have to do a little extra I play a strength role. If you want a strong body, wings and everything else,” He spread his large wings, reached out his arm, and flexed. Soarin had a muscular body already, but Dash’s eyes widened as his muscle swelled up huge from his arm, “You gotta feed the muscles properly. If you don't, all the hard work you do will give sub-par results.” He refolded his wings and went about eating casually. Dash just stared, blushing lightly.
“Could you flex again? That was hot.” She said without hesitation. Soarin chuckled and did so. Dash blinked, her wing feathers fluffing themselves up.
“What? Something on my arm?” He smirked as he bounced the muscle up and down.
“Yeah, a friggen rock!” Dash exclaimed, “how did I miss that last night?” She asked seductively while tipping her head a little.
“I think you were busy tickling me.” He winked as he finished his eggs.
“Well, I’m allowed to, because you're special I guess.” She giggled while waving her hoof about.
“Aw, I’m not that special.” Soarin turned his head to the side comically, but stopped and stared at a little grey pegasus colt that stood right beside their booth. He had a yellow mane styled just like Soarin's and wore a pair of flight goggles along with a light blue Wonderbolt hat. At some point the little guy must have made his way over to them. He was staring wide eyed directly at Soarin. Dash noticed him too.
“Excoose me? Mr. Soawin?” The little colt said shakily. Dash had to hold back massive d’awws. This colt had to be only four or five years old. Soarin quickly wiped out his mouth and smiled.
“That’s me.” He answered. A pegasus mare rushed over from another table and placed a hoof on the colt’s back.
“Swift Gale! Don’t bother people who are eating!” She scolded him before turning to Soarin and Dash. “I’m so sorry,”
“Hey, no one’s bothered here.” Soarin assured the colt’s mother. He got up from his seat and leaned down to the colt. “What’s up?”
“C-c-c-” The colt stuttered nervously and removed the hat, “could you sign my hat pweese?” He reached it up to Soarin.
“Sure little fella.” Soarin smiled and scooped up the hat with his wing. He looked over to Rusty. “Hey Rusty! Got a sharpie lying around?” There was already one flying at him before he finished the sentence. He caught it in his mouth. “Thnks!” He said between the pen. He carefully signed the side of the hat and drew his cutie mark next to it. The little colt started bouncing uncontrollably as Soarin handed it back to him. “There you go!”
Art by: SpicedDemon
“What do you say?” Said the colt's mother.
“Tank you, tank you! The Wondabowlts are da best!” The colt put the hat back on and beamed with delight. He darted back towards his table to show his dad. The mare sighed and turned to Soarin.
“Again, sorry.” She apologized. Soarin shook his head.
“No worries. Cute kid.” He smiled and she went back to her table. Soarin got back into the booth and looked up to see Rainbow Dash, wings spread, leaning forward with her chin resting in her hooves, and staring at him with dreamy eyes.
“What was that about not being special?” She asked.
“What, that?”
“That. Was. Adorable.” She commented.
“The kid had guts, huh?” Soarin chuckled. Dash shook her head.
“Yeah the colt was cute, but you were even better.” She tipped her head to the side slightly and sighed. Soarin snickered.
“Careful Dash, you’re getting super girly on me.” He teased. She stuck her tongue out at him.
“Hey! Last time I checked I had ovaries. I’m allowed to think something is cute and get away with it.” She playfully snapped. Soarin nearly choked on a blackberry as he laughed. “Seriously though Soarin.”
“Hm?” He looked up after patting his hoof against his chest to swallow.
“Sometimes I think you are a little too modest.” She folded her wings and leaned back, crossing her hooves and looking at him smugly.
“What do you mean?” He asked, curious.
“That colt,” she motioned to the table with the happy colt and his new souvenir, “Scootaloo, and even me.” She motioned to herself, “You always talk about how much you dislike the attention you get as a Wonderbolt, but sometimes I think you fail to see the other side of it.” She leaned forward on the table again as Soarin listened intently. “You are a huge inspiration. You’ve done a lot to help not just me and Scootaloo, but I’m sure many other ponies. I bet little Swift Gale over there looks up to you as well. You can’t always discount your status. It may bring a lot of unwanted attention, but it’s also very important to many others.” She smiled, reached over and hooked her hoof with his. “I’m not just in love with a sexy face and body you know.” She said with a wink. “You are special, and if you ever deny it again I’ll kick you.” She ended with a smirk.
“Gosh.” Soarin blushed a little. He had thought about it in the past, but hearing it from somepony else was extremely heartwarming, especially from Dash.
“Okay, I got the bill right WHOA! WRONG BOOTH!” Rusty had come towards them but upon seeing the two with locked hooves, he did a 180 on the skateboard and started in the other direction. Soarin reached out and grabbed his tail before he got too far away.
“It’s alright Rusty, we’re ready for the bill.” He chuckled.
“If ya say so,” Rusty dropped it on the table, “Gotta cook, just leave the bits on the table. Tell the two lady-wings if they don’t come back soon I’ll drag ‘em here.” He saluted Soarin before scooting back to the kitchen.
“Thanks Dash.” Soarin finally answered as he left the amount on the table plus a few extra bits for tip. “That means a lot to me, really. Just like you.” He pulled her into a hug as she got up from the booth. Dash giggled and returned the embrace, planting a small kiss on his cheek as he did.
“You’re such a sap, but I love you anyway.” She whispered into his ear.
“I should probably report to Spitfire. I kinda wasn’t supposed to leave the party last night.” He said with a fake exaggerated wince.
“Lead the way.” Dash laughed as the two left the diner.
--To be continued--
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How sweet.
And part of me thinks Spitfire won't mind and Fleetfoot will be all over him with questions.
DAT was freaking adorable. Another great chapter bro, Keep up the good work. ;)
Love'd it!
Yay!!
Bloody Fantastic
I think they should let Scootaloo in on the secret and I think Soarin should spend time with RD's pet Tank.
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Thank you all!
I wonder what stall- I mean mare, Rapidfire is trying to "Buck in a. Bush"
The D'aww's in this chap..''
My dear lord...
...
Crap, tests showed positive on D'aww flu.
CURSE IT ALL!
Incoming annoyingly awkward questions from Fleetfoot in 3... 2... 1...
I normally don't read SoarinDash, but I must admit, this one is very good.
For once, Dash doesn't get too mushy mushy, I can easily recognize her, mainly in her exchange with others (some are exellent by the way :D).
I like how you depicted Spitfire and Fleetfoot, the only regret is that we don't really see the other Wonderbolts, like Misty Fly for example.
I look forward for the next showdown with Fleetfoot :P
As for the mare who danced with Rapid, I've my little idea, the "she seems framiliar" of Dash put me on the track ;)
PS : Sorry if sometimes my english isn't clear, this isn't my maternal language =/
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I've dropped several hints
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Strap in, there will be more in future chapters
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Everyone at some point in time has known someone that does it
4207295. Oh dear lord... I just ran out of Antidote D:
Let me run to the Parmecy, Kay??
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then all is going to plan mwahaha
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Actually, you're english is pretty good
I'm very strict about keeping Dash in character. She's my favorite of the mane 6 after all.
But in general i feel like keeping the characters in character is something thats too often neglected by fanfic authors. My goal is to tell a story that the fans of these characters can enjoy, so it's important to give them interactions and dialogue that they can see their favorite characters doing
I'm not going to claim to be a master at this though
I will admit front and center that i have a hard time writing for Rarity and Twilight, at least if they are the center of attention (as secondary characters i don't have to think as hard for them) Sometimes i struggle with Pinkie too because it can be rough trying to constantly come up with gags. I love writing for Applejack Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash though. I've written similar personalities in works of mine in the past so they click easily.
As for the wonderbolts, i wrote Head in the Clouds before season three started, so imagine my slight disappointment in the attitudes they gave spitfire and fleetfoot
I pretty much had to make up personalities for them Spitfire "serious and dutiful" Soarin "friendly but too hard on himself" Fleetfoot "Silly and rambunctious" Rapidfire "Douche that gets away with it" I tried to make Rapidfire the polar opposite of Soarin in more ways that one. Not only is his personality the opposite of Soarins (Soarin is polite Rapid fire is not. Soarin cares too much about his career, Rapid doesnt care at all.) I also made him be the colors that contrast Soarin's colors (Soarin Blue Rapidfire reddish orange with a similar color for his mane.) And they have a hard time not killing each other.
You make a good point though, i hadn't really thought much about using more Wonderbolts. I've been pondering ways to extend the outline of my story so i can write more chapters, maybe i'll come up with some ways to include additional Wonderbolts
And i hope most have figured out who the mystery pegasus mare was, because it will be important later 
Rambling a little now
Thanks for reading 
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I'm glad to see we agree on many subjects. Be In Character is really important, if not the most, for me too in fanfiction. Personnally, Pinkie is the hardest to depict.
And as for Spitfire and Fleetfoot characterization, I was disapointed too by their behavior in season 4 : I've always imagined Fleetfoot like an outgoing and exentric mare but relatively sedate. Now, if I must write a fiction on the Wonderbolts, I'll give this character to Misty Fly.
Obviously, I've a more positive view of Rapidfire xD
The "mysterious mare"' will be important in the future ? Now I'm even more impatient !
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Rapid fire all around was sort of a personal decision. When i started writing Head in the Clouds, I originally intended to have him be "Soarin's bro" that backed him up with everything and was always there to help him out.
Then as i wrote the first scene where the wonderbolts appear in sugar cube corner, i realized that there wasn't any sort of conflict between the characters. Making him a tail chasing asshole was sort of a last second decision as i was introducing the character.
It was purely for character conflict reasons and as i worked with it, i found it made the story more interesting. That also allowed me to hand the "Soarin's bro" status to Spitfire, which allowed for more interesting moments when Soarin needs to talk about something. Men and women have very different thought processes after all, it opened up many more options for dialogue and interaction
I've been told many times my depiction of Rapidfire is unlike any others. It was intentional, but i have nothing against the actual show charcter. Purely for story reasons
And i must thank you, im really excited about trying to include a few more wonderbolts as i go on. My initial outline was only going to last two more chapters at the most. Now i think i can fit in a few more. They may not have HUGE roles, but you can expect to see more Wonderbolts now. I'll never turn down the chance to create more original character personalities
4207066 ...... I have Diabeates......
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Wow, that was coincidential xD
MOAR FLUFF!!! nooowww!!! D:
4209783 oh....and U ADDED MOAR FLUFF!!! YESSSSSSSSS!! :D
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And in future chapters you can expect even MOOOAARRRR
4209959 moooooaaaarrrr!!!!!!
Lulz.....take ur time (DONT TAKE UR TIME)
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Well, I'm glad I gave you ideas ! Mainly when it wasn't really goal :D
Wonderbolts always inspired me, we can really create unique personnalities for each of them and thus work their relationships ;)
Funny, it's rare when I want to kick a character so hard, like what's happening with Rapidfire ! With him being a douche, you reached your point ;)
And as for Spitfire and Soarin, I like it too when authors show their friendships.
Good Luck !
Wow, this is one of the best Soarin/Dash stories I have ever read!
I LUV IT!!!
It also deserves a yay
You, sir, have officially made me a fan of SoarinDash.
I hope that bacon was vegie
I like Rusty.
Um rainbow your vegatarian don't eat bacon....oh dear
5185429 HayBacon?
I wish I had the motivation to eat a wholesome, nutritious breakfast like Soarin does. I'm not the athletic type but it still sounds SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!
And while it's unlikely that Derpy could be that colt's mother, I maintain he has an uncanny resemblance to her just without the eyes.
"...and some bacon"
"BACON"
WHAT THE FU-
Okay, I suppose this is a thing that needs explaining.
For those of you concerned about the Bacon not being vegetarian: it's fine, I used a similar thing in one of my stories. The point is that they say "Bacon" but what they mean is "hay bacon" or "tofu bacon" or what-have-you. When you go to have your breakfast at the local IHOP (despite it being, like, one) do you order a plate of "ham bacon" or "pork bacon"? No. Why? Because that would be ridiculous, the waiter can assume you meant bacon that came from a pig. So, in a world like Equestria, where the entire population is herbivorous, the vegan equivalent wouldn't require a specification.
There you go, a simple explanation for a silly author's over-looking of obvious facts.
You're welcome.
I. F
king. LOVE Rusty 
The whole time i was thinking of this song
[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y9u3c65LHIY]
SOOOOOO SOARINDASH! I fu
ing loved it
Well that won't happe for me so I should probably go to sleep soon... how is it almost midnight?!?!?!
I know it's small but aren't ponies vegetarians
RD just ate bacon!
But hay bacon strips are a thing!
Just watch Epic Pie Time from Alligator in the tub
You'll understand what I mean...
Me:
Hay bacon strips, hay bacon strips, hay bacon strips. (Who gets this reference?)
I did not know how much I missed Rusty
This chapter was adorable, this story is adorable, and I'm gonna binge read this thing, because I am now attached. But, um.. Why did Dash ever have the option of ordering bacon if she's a horse? I'm pretty sure they're herbivores. But your stories are awesome, so who cares!
The scene at the diner actually had me grinning by the end of the chapter. Fantastic job!
7315453 that is me everytime Soarin is mentioned
Ok, I totally gotta use this new guy in a story sometime XD
"How did you carry a glass of water in your pockets?"
"Skills, now drink up!"
That is the single most brilliant menu I have ever heard of. Perfect for a small diner, though it would make inventory a nightmare.
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Agreed.
It does make me wonder what would happen if a HiE happened and showed up asking for real bacon and sausage after getting a gander at that menu, though...