(3) The Dash
- - -
(3) The Dash
- - -
"Pinkie! Pinkie! Pinkie PIE!"
Rainbow Dash knocked the door as hard as she dared, fully aware that most of her friends were still asleep in their rooms. To say nothing of all the strangers further up and down the hall.
"Great. Just great! She must be sleeping like a log in there." Or like a big wad of cookie dough. "I'm done waiting, Pinkie! So you have, like, ten seconds before I go by myself!"
Counting down, Dash could already tell she'd be solo this morning.
Normally, Pinkie was good for a morning run to stretch her legs. It was probably part of why she wasn't the size and shape of her party balloon, no matter how many entire-cakes she inhaled. That and some kind of nuclear monster type metabolism. Something had distracted the fun loving pink pony the other night - probably some trouble she was in - and now she was out like a light come morning.
Heading up to the above decks, Rainbow Dash opened a door to the first class lounges and then jogged down to the promenade. The Eros Dreaming was back at cruising altitude but the weather wasn't as cooperative as it had been the last few days. The sky was marked by a few distant clouds, ones too high to be the work of pegasi. They were wild clouds, then, having drifted in from untamed parts of the country. None of them looked like rain, and they were pretty sparse to boot, though a pony could never entirely tell around self-spawning clouds.
Stretching her wings out, Dash lifted off and began to plot out her circuit around the upper levels of the ship. With all the pegasus guests and workers on board, there had been a special set of rules set down on day one about no-flying zones. It was seriously lame... but then again, flying into an electrical wire or being cut in half by a metal cable was lamer. Those areas were all magically lit up and some had fields to discourage flying.
The best course was a simple oval. The ship's crew had even set up large rings around certain points in the structure, just in case certain restless pegasi felt the need to race around. Rainbow Dash cruised at a good pace at first before accelerating along the set course. A blue hoop shot by and she twirled into a flawless barrel roll, gently banking to the right as she passed by the prow of the mammoth airship. This early in the morning, she had the sky all to herself, and if Pinkie wasn't going to bother coming along, there was no need to land at all.
Wind against her face, Rainbow Dash reveled in the speed and freedom of the air, even if it was on a set course. Briefly deviating, she headed up - ever up - towards one of the wild clouds up in the stratosphere. Even the huge cruise airliner below began to shrink before she turned away and spiraled down in a slow, comfortable dive.
"I wonder if Pinkie ever woke up...?" Dash angled away, checking out the door she had exited the ship from just a quarter hour earlier.
No pink pony.
On the verge of flying off, she just noticed another larger shape galloping along the promenade. A sweep of her wings and she tilted away, making another slower circle of the ship. Coming around, though, she saw the same pony. On the same promenade course.
Dipping and diving, she flew by to get a good look.
"Oh, hey!" Dash said, waiving a hoof as a familiar face turned to find her. "I remember you!"
"Miss... Rainbow Dash, isn't it?" The unicorn stallion kept jogging even as she converted her flying into a sidelong drift. "A pleasure to see you once again."
Still on cruise control, Dash crossed her front legs over her chest. "So what's a big time Canterlot pony like you doing out this morning?"
"The same thing you are, I'd wager," the stallion replied. "A morning constitutional."
"About the only way to keep in shape while I'm stuck on this ship," Dash explained.
"Not much of an indoors mare?" A blue moustache waggled as Fancypants picked up his pace.
"I haven't found that much to do indoors."
"Such a shame," the refined unicorn observed. "The spas?"
"Blegh."
"The pool, then?"
"The high dive was kinda neat, but I prefer the air."
"The theater? The salon? The clubs?"
"Rarity and Pinkie's territory."
Fancypants chuckled as he galloped, keeping up a good pace. "There is an extensive library..."
"You gotta be kidding!"
"Perchance you could enjoy the casino, then?" Fancypants raced ahead, something Dash just couldn't let slide. Dropping down to all fours, taking just a second to stretch out and limber up, she was soon alongside the Canterlot stallion.
"The casino?" she asked, having to work a little harder to meet his longer stride.
"Of course." He gave her a conspiratorial wink. "This ship has a magical wireless, and I never miss a Wonderbolt Derby."
- - -
That night, Rainbow Dash entered the ship's casino just a tad under-dressed. This being a polite way of describing the fact that she was completely undressed. On the other hoof, she had combed her mane. That counted for something, right? She had thought so on her way over, but most everypony seemed to be wearing something.
She tried not to think too much about that as she descended the steps into the casino floor. The whole place was circular, with a large bar and restaurant in the center and radiating waves of tables and brightly lit slot machines. Booths and doors to showrooms occupied the elevated ring around the floor. Everywhere there was the jingle of bits and the excited beeping and clicking of gambling machines. Every row of them seemed different, with spinning pictures and representations of cards or shapes or places.
Flashing lights and magical illusions danced in the air overhead and Dash could hear the distant sound of music from one of the rooms. It was all a little heady and overwhelming. A cheer rose up from a nearby table with a spinning wheel as one of the ponies there celebrated something. On another, a mare tossed a pair of dice and gaped, distressed, at the result of her roll.
Trotting back up to the outer ring of the casino area, Rainbow Dash nudged open one of the doors to look inside. There was a room beyond, like a theater, with two ponies on stage. One was a large earth pony stallion and the other a much smaller unicorn. The duo seemed to be putting on a magic act, packing a bunch of ponies from the audience into a blue box that looked WAY too small to hold them.
"How the heck are they doin' that?"
Ducking back out, checking the rooms counterclockwise, she found the VIP lounge on the next try. A burly earth pony bouncer checked her room key and ID before letting her through. Inside was a large parlor with an open bar, center stage, and a smattering of wealthy looking ponies. Still feeling a little out of place, Dash sucked in a breath, inflating both her lungs and her confidence, before heading over to the bar.
Sipping from an appletini, she quickly noticed that Fancypants was the center of attention. Everypony seemed to want to hang out around him but he treated the constant attention like it was of little consequence rather than an annoyance or indulgence. She wondered briefly if he had a crazy fan club like she had in Ponyville. It was flattering, yeah, and she was admittedly pretty awesome - but it was kinda weird too. Scootaloo she could see acting like that, but everytime she dropped in on them, there had been a disturbingly large number of adult ponies there, too.
Fancypants had to work a little to get them to disperse enough for him to head over. For once not intending to butt in, Dash just waited. She was here for the Wonderbolts Derby, first and foremost. He was close enough that she was thinking of making some token greeting when somepony turned up the wireless.
"...is set to begin! We're here at the be-utiful Canterlot Hippodrome for what promises to be an afternoon of exciting races! The competitors are making the rounds of the cloud field now, waving to what has to be a packed audience of five thousand cheering ponies mountain-side! The air is electric, folks. And there we have the reigning champions, the Wonderbolts-Blue charioteer team, Cannon Ball and Winter Bora! Oh, you can just feel the roar of the crowd, literally feel the clamor of a thousand hooves, from your ankles to the tips of your ears, ladies and gentlestallions! It sounds like we have a lot of Greens in the audience tonight, and they are really hoping to see these two taken down. But don't worry. Security is on hoof, folks, so hopefully we won't see a repeat of the brawl at last week's race."
"Rainbow Dash," Fancypants said, shedding the last of his tenacious entourage, the crowd of unicorns glaring jealously across the room at the object of his attention.
"Fancy," the weathermare replied, vigorously shaking his hoof in greeting. "Thanks for the heads up! I would've missed the race if not for you."
"No problem at all, my dear." He turned to the bartender. "Manehattan, equals parts dry and sweet." Fancypants then set his attention to the wireless radio. "Are you a Blue by any chance?"
"I kinda wish I was," Dash told him, sipping from her half empty apple martini. "My parents were Reds so I'm a Red, too."
"Ah, shame."
"The Reds haven't won a championship since when my dad was my age." She shrugged. "I figure I'll probably live to sixty, so there's a fifty-fifty chance they'll win at least once by then."
"You never entertained the notion of switching teams?"
"Nope!" Dash saw his skeptical look and laughed. "Loyalty is loyalty. It'll make it all the sweeter when they do finally pull through. Even if I'm an old granny by then."
Fancypants raised his hoof in a respectful salute. "Admirable, Miss Dash."
On the radio, the announcer began describing the racing sets for the evening, back in Equestria. In a broad sense, virtually all racing fans in Equestria were divided into four camps, though the rivalry was strongest and oldest among the chariot racing aficionados. There were the Blue and Greens, the top two teams, and then there were the Whites and Reds. Sometimes, especially among pegasi, the rivalry between Blues and Greens got... heated. Racing was serious business, after all.
First up, though, were the individual sets: the flat course open-air races and then the obstacle races. Dash heard a cough and noticed the bartender presenting her with a card. She initially thought it to be a bill for her drink... but it was a racing sheet with a fancy quill pen. Fancypants had one as well.
"What say we adjourn to one of the couches?" he suggested, distractedly floating over his Manehattan with a bit of magic.
"Sure."
Dash soon found herself relaxing on a plush couch as the radio announced the upcoming race. Each racer had a number, one through four, and the sheet of paper she had reflected that fact. There were tally marks so she could record things for herself, but the sheet had another purpose...
"A hundred bits on Fleet Foot!"
"Two fifty on Sun Kiss!"
Reclining next to her, Fancypants considered his score card. "I'm inclined to put my money on Ice Queen. I hear she's vastly improved in the four to six lap range."
"That's a good bet," Rainbow agreed. "Ice is a Mareabian pegasus, so her acceleration isn't great. I'd say she needs about a full lap to get up to top speed, but once there, she’s got the endurance to keep going. I've also noticed that she uses angled wing distribution, so she'll benefit from the freshly repaved clouds in the Canterlot Hippodrome."
"First bet of the evening then?"
"Um..." Dash hesitated to say that she didn't really have much money to her name. Then again, these were the Wonderbolts! If she sucked at predicting their races then she deserved to go broke!
"Yeah! Why not?" she marked down a number on the sheet. "One hundred bits on Ice Queen!"
"AAAAND they're off! Sun Kiss takes an early lead! Look at her go! Fleet Foot is hot behind her, pulling up as they head into the corner! Sugar Syrup is in third, followed by Ice Queen. A bit of jostling between Sun Kiss and Fleet Foot, they better watch out, or they'll get their wings tangled! I can see the judge eyeing them now, but there, they're apart and gaining distance! Sun Kiss still in the lead! Fleet Foot in close second! Ice Queen still in the race, picking up steam! Sugar Syrup closing in from behind!"
Cheers rose up among the gamblers as Sun Kiss and Fleet Foot continued to jockey for first place through both the first and second laps. There was a little less vocal competition between Ice Queen and Sugar Syrup in third. Fancypants just listened, intently, nevermind that he had five hundred bits on the race's outcome.
Dash, too, tried to look cool and unworried. It was ‘only’ a hundred bits she'd put on Ice Queen. So about a week's wages. There was totally no need to panic. Finishing her martini in one gulp, as the racers entered the fourth lap, the weathermare totally didn't start chewing on her hooves. That would be uncool. If she did, at least no pony seemed to see it.
"And Ice Queen had finally thrown off Syrup! Ice Queen surges ahead! Ice Queen's nipping at Fleet Foot's tail! Sun Kiss is out of the lock and into the final lap! Sun Kiss, then Fleet Foot, then Ice Queen, then Sugar Syrup! The racers are hot around the bend, and the crowd is on their hooves, mares and stallions! Fleet Foot tries to shake off her - OH! And Ice Queen just slips past! They're into the stretch now, and there's nothing but air between Ice Queen and Sun Kiss! Can Sun Kiss keep the lead?"
Dash could feel her whole body vibrating as she imagined the race in her mind. "Come on... come on..."
"There's no room to jostle or bump! Ice Queen and Sun Kiss are neck and neck, nose and nose, eye to eye! Sun Kiss is beading sweat, but Ice Queen is cool as ever! They're in the home stretch, and, yes, I can see Ice Queen pulling ahead! They're across! It's over! Ice Queen by a foreleg, Sun Kiss, Fleet Foot just crossed, and now Sugar Syrup!"
"YEESSS!" Dash bounced straight off the couch, legs pedaling in excitement and her face flushed with victory. "YES! YES! YES!"
Fancypants laughed as he helped her back down, her wings buzzing.
"The night is still young, Miss Dash!" He put down a bet on the next race. "Juniper Jump! Four hundred bits!"
Across the room, other ponies also began placing their next round of bets. Dash grinned, checking her score card and running the matchup in her head. This one was a short race, only two laps. Fresh cloud turf. Minimal cross breeze. Of the four racers... Juniper Jump was a good bet, but not the best bet.
"Two hundred on Bullet Bill to win!"
"AAAND they're off...!"
A waitress pony came by, refilling her appletini. Dash hardly even noticed, as she tried to keep up her winning streak. Ponies cried and cheered as they lost hundreds of bits in the span of minutes or won twice as much in half the time.
"Four hundred on Breezie to place!"
Another check on her score card.
"Rapid Fire! Two hundred bits!"
The steeple chases came next, a challenging race involving obstacles on the track -
"Four hundred on Globe Trotter!"
"Two hundred fifty on Sky High!"
"A thousand on my girl, Spitfire!"
By the end of the night, Rainbow Dash's score card had far more checks than exes. The chariot races were the end of the derby and the highlight of the competition, but that was where Dash finally drew her line in the clouds. She was a fan of chariot races, but hardly much of an expert on them. Besides, it felt kind of wrong betting against her poor, beloved Red Team... who were basically doomed to get third.
"I think I'm done for tonight, Fancy," Dash said, putting her quill down on the table next to her empty drink. "I'm sure you'll be betting on your stupid Blues to win."
"I'd put money on Discord himself before those dastardly Greens!" He raised a hoof. "Twenty thousand on Wonderbolts-Blue!"
The biggest bets of the night were, naturally, on the charioteers. Cannon Ball and Winter Bora were both incredibly flyers at the peak of their careers and they had been flying in tandem for years. The Green team was good, too, but Dash knew odds favored the Blues. She had seen Cannon Ball and Bora, one of the few male-female teams, perform in Fillydelphia. It was like they could read each other's minds and anticipate every subtle shift in movement.
They were totally comfortable with each other. Like... the perfect couple... in a weird sort of way. Dash didn’t think she could have it in her to meet a guy and not try and out-fly him at every opportunity. She wasn't even sure she'd want a guy who didn't try and outdo her, either. It was the problem she'd always had with colts, either from flight school or Ponyville: they just couldn't keep up. Most never wanted to even try.
She listened with only half an ear as the race started. Fancypants seemed totally into it, his eyes lit up and his mouth slightly open as he listened to the radio. Most of the evening, he had remained totally cool and composed, winning or losing, but bit by bit she had noticed him steadily open up, becoming more energetic and expressive. Hearing the Blue team neck-and-neck with the Greens, he even pumped a hoof, uttering a quiet, "Yes! Go! Go!"
"Hey, Fancy?"
"Yes, Miss Dash?" He grimaced as the Green team pulled ahead in the third lap.
"After this, I'd like to get some fresh air. You wanna come with me?"
- -
"... No wonder you know so much about the Wonderbolts." Fancypants opened the door to the outer promenade, the same place - give or take a dozen yards - where she had flown into him this morning.
"It doesn't sound... you know... kinda obsessive?" Dash asked, walking outside and inhaling the fresh, cool night air. She'd only had a little drink, enough for a nice buzz but not enough to get really light headed. If anything, she was still a little high from all the bits she had won.
"Or weird?" She glanced up at the cloudy sky. "That I've got all this pointless, silly stuff memorized? Stats and races and, heck, birthdays?"
"I find it rather impressive, actually. It could be seen as a true mark that you've found what you love." He chuckled, a deep earthy sound. "Did you know: there are twenty four point six miles of railroad track connecting Canterlot and Ponyville, including five thousand seven hundred and fifty tons of steel rail, nine thousand five hundred tons of spikes, crossties, and tie plates. Building it, ponies had to move eighty five thousand tons of rock, half of which was used as ballast."
"That," he told her, amused by her agape expression. "That, my dear, is a rather useless statistic to memorize. Compared to that, the birthdays of every Wonderbolt on the roster is rather normal, I think."
Dash snorted, not very lady-like, and laughed. "I guess so! What, you build that railroad or something?"
"In part," he answered, leaning over one of the safety rails and looking out off the edge of the Eros Dreaming. "But what matters is that I do what I love, and I think you will, too. Joining the Wonderbolts? A fine goal in life! I dare say, a pegasus of skill seeking a challenge could not find one better."
"I guess that's kind of the point, right?" Dash asked. "To aim as high as you can?"
"Exactly! Many ponies mistake ambition... for ego." Fancypants, by this point completely relaxed around her and feeling no need for pretense, stole a quick self-conscious look at his cutie mark: a trio of crowns. "There is a razor thin line between confidence and arrogance." He returned to her, blue eyes teasing. "So thin, I think, that many miss it entirely."
"Are you speculating on which side I'm on?" The brash element of loyalty winked, coincidentally covering up a faint blush. "You've never seen me fly for real!"
"That's true."
"Check this out!"
With a whoosh, Rainbow Dash took to the sky, adding the trill of flight to the heady high of the evening's festivities. She imagined herself in a Wonderbolt uniform, the announcer calling out to the world as she blasted ahead of another pegasus on her way to the finish line. How many ponies across Equestria would be betting on Rainbow Dash to win?
As she zipped back down, there was no roar of the crowd, but Fancypants did wave as she bombed past and curled up into a loop. Looking back, she could see that she'd ruffled his cerulean blue mane. Good. He looked better without being so Canterlot-refined. The monocle could stay, though, and the bow tie. They were both pretty cool.
He - he was actually pretty cool.
'For a stuffy unicorn from Canterlot,' she thought. Landing on a perch just over the door, Rainbow Dash smiled down at him. 'He's Canterlot's coolest stallion, to hear Rarity gush on about it.'
"How about a bet?" she asked, struck by a sudden, crazy idea. It was her favorite kind of idea, actually.
"A bet?" He leaned his back against the railing, grinning beneath his moustache. "What do you have in mind?"
"I bet I'll make it into the Wonderbolts," she said, crossing her forelegs under her and draping them over the edge. "I bet you twenty thousand bits!"
"Twenty thousand bits, hmm?" Fancypants asked, seeming to consider it. Twenty grand had also been his biggest bet of the night. "Say I give it two to one odds. You'll need to sweeten the pot for me to take that bet."
"Yeah?" Dash's grin only grew wider. "I think I can do that."
- - -
NEXT:
(4) The Rare
- - -
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Blue and green chariot teams, eh? Someone's been taking notes from Byzantine history, it seems.
Er, shouldn't Fancy Pants still think Rainbow Dash is the Wonderbolts' trainer?
FancyDash? Wow. (RainbowPants just sounds weird...)
For some reason I see the Titanic....
"I figure I'll probably live to sixty."
Do ponies have short life-spans or something?
Not bad. Mind you, as one of Dashie's creepy obsessed fans, I'm always ambivalent about unusual pairings with her, but this was done well enough that I shall rein in my fanboyism.
Also, blues and greens, whites and reds? Someone's been reading up on Byzantium.
Also, it reminded me of this song, which I listened to as I read the part about the races.
Good jorb.
Fancy pants is always a basass, in whatever fic he's in.
Rainbow Dash and Fancypants?, well this was completely unexpectd and it looks very good so far, but one question, What happend with Fleur De Lis?, Isn't Fancypants and her where an Item? or just two very good friends and nothing more
This is real crack... I like crack
RainbowPants is now best ship.
560305 Are you kidding?
RainbowPants sounds awesome
It's better than ApplePie (i'm not a fan of the ship, but the name is cool)
560305 wow that. Does sound pretty weird
Isn't Fancy Pants Married?
576104
You mean Fleur? Nothing in canon says she's his wife, that's just the most common fan theory. She's as likely to be his wife as she is just a friend with no sense of personal space.
...well. Congratulations, you successfully found like the one pony left in Equestria that hasn't tasted the rainbow yet.
Oh, the Blues and the Greens!
I bucking love anachronism stew.
576205
Or a temporary lover, or even *cough cough* an escort.
Okay, I see Penn and Teller...
Wow, nice! (Eastern) Roman chariot racing system, transposed. Nice to see the use of ancient culture. Though I have to wonder whether there's a nicker (heh) revolt in the future..
Bullet bill?
good at endurance races, nice acceleration, low high speed
Weakness to plumbers...
Fancy Pants, eh? Veeedy Eeenteresting.
When I can't think of a good enough name for a shipping pair that encompasses parts of both of their names, I always try to name them by aspects of themselves.
For Rainbow Dash, the brash, bold and confident mare with the multicolored mane and tail, and Fancy Pants, the refined, gentlemanly Canterlot stallion,
I dub thee PrismicBounty. I'm sure someone else will come up with something better, but I like mine all the same.
crack parings?
more like crack with heroin and a hint of LSD!
Love the parings. quite predictable
packing a bunch of ponies from the audience into a blue box that looked WAY too small to hold them.
That is totally a reference to the Doctor.
576857 At the start a Dalek would announce "THE DOC-TOR IS IN!"
576234 Oh you went there...
I actually guessed this one
I was wondering who you would pair with Rainbow Dash and though it would be something silly like Fancypants, as it turned out I was right 
You sir, are very weird.
And random.
. . .
I LIKE IT!!!
I read the line "Security is on hoof, folks," and immediately wondered how Blackjack could possibly be here. Who wants to guess what I've been marathoning lately?
In my whole life, I've never, ever had Crack. DAYUM. If I knew Crack was THIS good, I would have tried it YEARS ago! xD
(j/k, btw. Never done drugs, and never will! THEY'RE BAD FOR YOU, KIDS!
)
FancyDash/RainbowPants shipping? It....strangely....works....
Also...
Good chapter
"there had been a disturbingly large number of adult ponies there, too."
Did you just make a brony reference?
558853 dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_rainbowderp_flip.png
560305 RainbowPants dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Rainbow_Dash_lolface.png
I have to admit, RainbowPants is growing on me.
First person to find me a picture of a pair of actual Rainbow Pants gets +1 free internet!
Love the reference to roman charioteer teams.
578860 I feel the same way
BULLET BILL
576857
The monocle could stay, though, and the bow tie. They were both pretty cool.
s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/122/028/bowties%20are%20cool%20doctor%20whooves.png?1305059569
Fancypants?!? I never would have guessed you'd ship him and Dash.
You know between those two and Blueblood/Fluttershy (I'm fully on board with him playing up being a jerk to get rid of potential gold diggers by the way) I almost feel sorry for Rarity when she finds out.
But not sorry enough that I can't wait to see her reaction.
Fancypants?!? I never would have guessed you'd ship him and Dash.
You know between those two and Blueblood/Fluttershy (I'm fully on board with him playing up being a jerk to get rid of potential gold diggers by the way) I almost feel sorry for Rarity when she finds out.
But not sorry enough that I can't wait to see her reaction.
And yay for Doctor cameo, although I am curious as to whom the unicorn with him was.
Fancypants? I'm sorry but NO!
RAINBOW DASH X SPIKE(WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN DONE?)
Another vote for Byzantine chariot racing, woo! Let's just hope Celestia doesn't have to send Shining Armor out to quell a riot started by Wonderbolts Derby fans...
Now: Fancy Pants and Dash? Again, a pairing that seems like it shouldn't work... but why not? He's an unquestionably good guy, and making him a well informed, high-stakes gambler shows a thirst for thrill that surely appeals to Dash. My hat's off to you!
The monocle could stay, though, and the bow tie. They were both pretty cool.
Ha! Bowties are hereby approved by both the Eleventh Doctor AND Rainbow Dash.
I've always known monocles were cool, though.
Also, I'm postively astounded that you managed to hook Dash up with someone new. I was pretty sure you were going to have to go somewhere really weird to come up with something, but you managed it rather well. Made more sense than shipping her with the kitchen sink, at least.
These pairings get weirder and weirder...
578368
I had the same thought (and for the same reason).
Anyways, I really like where these are going. DashiePants is an interesting match.
Awesome, man. Just really freaking awesome. I'm glad someone came up with this.
RainbowPants? (OMC, no)
DashPants? (NO)
RainbowFancy? (Ok)
FancyRainbow? (Odd)
"Bullet Bill"
Mario Kart
I see what u did thar
Chapter 3: The Dash
Hmm... I'm a bit undecided on this chapter. There were parts I liked a lot, it's true, but there were also certain aspects that simply flew past me... Well, may as well start with the Likes.
Rainbow Dash will always be one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, and you portrayed her well. You never overplayed her pride or brashness, which a lot of authors are prone to doing... you made her seem more natural, and I approve of that. This was brought up again in her exchange with Fancy Pants, when he asks Rainbow which side of the "line" she was on... emphasizing that her desire to succeed is more then simple boasting. Again, a lot of authors overlook this. Rainbow Dash is NOT Trixie.
The Wonderbolts. Frankly, they were great! While we never 'saw' their performance, your description of the courses really helped make the sport of Pegasus racing feel legitimate. Rainbow spouting off the strengths and weaknesses of the ponies, and using them to determine which Wonderbolt would be most likely to win any given race, was also a nice touch. Being... not much of a sports fan myself, I never-the-less can appreciate the dedication of a sports fan like her.
The main thing I Disliked about this chapter was Fancy Pants... he just felt... undeveloped. Like he was just a face. Never once did I feel any kind of connection between him and Rainbow Dash... it was almost as if she was hanging around him just for something to do. Her sudden attraction to him didn't help in this regard. Fancy Pants certainly never seemed to show any particular attraction to her. Other then a shared sense of ambition and love for racing, I can see very little to draw them together.
On the whole, it was a good chapter, but so far, In my opinion, it was the weakest of the three I have read so far.
before i even started reading this i jokingly thought to myself o i bet its gonna be fancypants lololoolollol.
it surprised me a little at first that you werent hiding his identity like in the first two, even slightly expected it to turn into a ship with someone else. but this turned out great. ive always loved fancypants, though i was already a fan of rarityxfancypants, this could work too, you really made it sound good to me.
562103 Well, it's all conjecture of course, because to my knowledge we've not really heard the age of any of the elder ponies, but it makes sense that (assuming that ponies live a similar time as humans) pegasi would have a slightly lower than average lifespan. The faster the heart beats in a creature, the shorter period of time it lives generally. Muscle can only take so much stress, after all.
>Bullet Bill
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2604-Luna_saw_what_you_did_there.jpg
t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT62MUSXmL6YL1CQ2cRwtL4bUYfzyRAbQljgJElkz6rv2XcJtu8cOvUaE4X
Bow Ties are cool.
-Delta-