Rainbow Dash has flown through her life with considerable ease, and it would seem she's explored all the skies of her existence. Yet when something new bubbles up from the surface, it seems there's a place in her heart she hasn't quite discovered yet
There are many things Rainbow Dash has accomplished in her life, and they're all something to be proud of. But if she's honest, there's always a hint of superficiality to their nature. With all the trophies on her shelf, it seems a new goal has appeared to dare itself a spot. Yet, will it be a more vulnerable goal than Rainbow Dash expected?
And if she isn't careful, will this goal threaten everything else that she's already wrought?
Looking for good cover art. Clearly I couldn't do a good job. It would be greatly appreciated if someone helped out with this; i'll give you full credit
Rainbow Dash was snuggled amongst the covers of her magic cloud-comparted bed, pressing her head against the pillows as she found herself - for the very third time in her life - deep in thought.
She reached out a hoof from the mass of blanket that enveloped her to stroke the shell of her pet tortoise Tank, mostly for her own reassurance. The loyal creature would always be curled beside her whenever she turned in for the night or lazily remained in bed come sunrise to read a Daring Do book till evening on her off-days. A slow smile creeping upon his face, Tank craned his neck to return the gesture with a nuzzle.
A few moments passed, assumably of more thought, and then with a special suddenness Rainbow Dash turned almost irritably in her bed in an attempt to adjust her position so that she could face upwards in order to look at the posters that plastered her ceiling. Her gaze drifted across each one until it landed on a particularly recent addition: an advertisement for the Wonderbolt show in Trottingham, her fifth performance ever since she'd joined the ranks of the Elite Fliers. The poster bore an image of the Wonderbolts mid-flight during a practice session, showcasing every flier on the team striking a totally awesome pose that actually came naturally to them, which was all the more flattering. Rainbow Dash mentally listed every flier as they came, pride causing a small smirk to cross her face as she almost forgot about what had been troubling her earlier. Spitfire, Blaze, me... awesome... Fleetfoot, Thunderlane, and...
A flash of some unfamiliar feeling qualmed in her chest and she abruptly shifted to the side and buried her face into the cushiony abyss of her pillow once more, having suddenly remembered the object of her conflict. Tank, disturbed at the loss of Rainbow Dash's comforting hoof on his back, squirmed closer to the mound of blanket that Rainbow Dash had somehow covered herself underneath even further. The tortoise nudged at Rainbow's side, in a gesture to ask what was the matter, and after no response he sighed a very long sigh and curled up tight beside her again. After a tinge of guilt the cyan pony wrapped an arm around her tortoise as a wordless apology, the reach from the angle she was at putting a small strain on her shoulder.
Then the thought hit her again. She closed her eyes and frowned to herself. Stupid. She scrunched up her nose. Sappy.
It took no more than half a milisecond more for Rainbow Dash to groan and leap out of her bed, deciding she needed some fresh air to help her sort her thoughts. Unfurling her wings and giving them a good stretch Rainbow started for the door, then froze and looked over her shoulder to give her poor tortoise a smile. "I'll be back," she said, curtly but gently, making pure example of the odd way she maintained her pride whilst somehow managing to get across her affection at the same time. Tank nodded and then rested his head against his little feet. Smiling, the mare returned her gaze to the door and slipped into the next room quietly, and left the house with seemingly one quick movement.
Already she was gliding through the air, yet with a sort of respect for the quiet of the night that one wouldn't have seen from her at one of her performances. It seemed she was kind of out of her element in most ways tonight, and Rainbow Dash hoped this short flight would help remind her of her awesomeness. She didn't like what she was feeling, whatever it was.
A soft breeze stroked her mane and gave her wings a sort of peaceful ease to their escapade. Shades of deep indigo fading into a royal blue-ish maroon surrounded Rainbow's vision like an encompassing, atmospheric sea, dotted with several glowing stars and a moon high amongst them all, the knowing ruler of the sea-sky gazing upon it's little sparkling subjects and casting white rays all across its empire. Rainbow Dash let her gaze drop to the ground per instinct and examined the sleeping town of Ponyville below her, houses mostly without lights gleaming through the windows; there was always that one All-Nighter who decided sleep was at most optional. Rainbow usually wasn't one for scenery, but she had to admit, the view was pretty sweet. Taking in a deep breath, the cyan mare, fully appreciating the peace of this midnight air-stroll and head fully cleared, returned to her former subject of discomfort.
She thought over the last week and the routine practices. Something had definitely changed. When heading to the academy where the fliers would train, her heart would squirm anxiously, beating a thousand miles a minute -- exceeding all Rainbow's expectations of her innate speed. Then there was the one Wonderbolt she never wanted to be around, but then again.... No. Don't even go there. Despite this protest, her thoughts trailed back to the poster and the strange feeling in her chest. Growling at herself, Rainbow Dash flew faster, higher, bursting through a couple of clouds a little too carelessly. No. I won't accept it. This is stupid and pointless... her speed picked up even more, this isn't... me. I don't want it. Suddenly Rainbow Dash snapped out of her thoughts and skidded to a halt, looking about herself and realizing she had no idea where she was. She'd been too preoccupied. Her memory flashed to a conversation with Spitfire that morning.
"...Hey, look, Crash, if there's somethin' going on you gotta tell me... you've been all over the place this week." Spitfire placed a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, a rare display of sympathy. Rainbow Dash shook her head vigorously, her brows furrowed. "No, ma'am, I'm fine. I've just been... I mean... Just... I'll step it up, ma'am. It won't happen anymore." Spitfire narrowed her eyes, not bothering to disguise her concern. "Alright, but if this keeps up, I'm gonna have to make you take a few off. Don't know how long. Depends on how your performance continues. I don't know what went wrong with your practice run with Soarin...." Rainbow Dash snapped her gaze from her hooves, previously unable to meet her superior's eyes during the lecture, and spluttered unceremoniously, "N-no, no worries, ma'am. It was nothing, I promise. My mind's been on a lot lately and I wasn't thinking and I just kinda ran into those storm clouds... It's nothing to do with Soarin. J-just with all the weird stuff in Ponyville... well... yeah. Just distracted... but... but I promise, it won't happen again." Spitfire looked perplexed, but didn't make any comment on her confusion. Instead she said simply, "Well... okay. But you know the deal." "Of course, ma'am."
Rainbow Dash stared blankly at nothing really, her wings flapping absently and her hooves curled around herself similarly to a hug. She squeezed her eyes shut. Soarin isn't the cause of this.
Soarin was totally the cause of this. After spending the following couple of days fighting with the notion and angrily punching clouds, Rainbow Dash found she at least couldn't deny its possibility anymore. She still refused the thought whenever it came, furious at herself for conjuring this mushy idea. The only problem with this was that routine practice was being held today. She had promised Spitfire a complete change... and there was one, yes, but not in the least the one she had been hoping for.
Rainbow Dash, with uncharacteristic anxiety almost making her tremble, finished packing her things and strapped her trademark saddlebag that had been carefully adjusted by Rarity to properly suit flight around her waist. She heaved a long sigh and instinctively looked to her bedside for reassurance from her pet, only to recall that Tank was visiting with Fluttershy who promised to help look after the tortoise whenever Rainbow was away. Well, at least he gets to have a good day, the mare thought gloomily, then shook herself and firmly noted that she would be doing the thing she loved most, and that was all that mattered, no matter who happened to be there. She shouldn't let anything get in the way of enjoying what she loved. I'm gonna make the most of it, she decided, and then lifted her chin and began her journey to Wonderbolt Academy.
The flight seemed longer than normal, but Rainbow Dash breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw the training grounds in sight, glad that the suspense of the task was finally past her. Now on to the hard part. Stuff was about to get real. Curling her wings like a falcon, Rainbow Dash made full-speed towards the area beside the runway, always keeping note in the back of her mind the rule Spitfire had drilled into her head since her first day. A trail of rainbow signified her path, and a little grin spread across the mare's face, admiring herself as much as was possible, before expertly recalling her wings like a parachute and landing with an awesome thud onto her destination, clouds kicking up in her wake. Best entrance ever, Rainbow thought to herself, closing her eyes and drinking in her total wickedness, before opening them again and heading towards the usual spot where every Wonderbolt would gather to listen in on Spitfire's instructions for the day.
Most of the Wonderbolts were already there, all except for Fire Streak, who usually arrived last every session anyways. He had a family of his own and little foals to care for, so there was understanding on that part. Rumor was going around that he'd resign early because of his new responsibilities. Rainbow Dash sighed and returned her thoughts to the present, glancing over every member there, all facing Spitfire who was having a casual chat with some of them as usual before everyone had arrived and the day began. After all, what was the point in having a team you had no relationship with? It was like playing Hoofball with other players that had never interacted before, and knew nothing of each other's quirks or commonalities, which, when having knowledge of such things, really helped in playing off them during routine. It increased the chemistry of the team while keeping morale high, therefore helping performance.
After wondering to herself where exactly she'd gotten all this random knowledge, Rainbow Dash plodded beside Fleetfoot, making sure to keep her gaze away from the direction of everypony-knows-who, and made a fairly smug smile in greeting as she usually did. Fleetfoot laughed in response and nodded to her, and then they began small-talk which lasted until Fire Streak finally showed up, pulling off his aerial flare and making a big deal of himself, producing amiable laughter from the rest of the group.
"Well, it's about time," Spitfire quipped, smiling, and then turned her head to face everyone, lifting an eyebrow before starting off introductory announcements, "Good to see you all here today. We're gonna have a tough line-up since a show is coming up at Canterlot, so we're going to break away from our current routine. I got some new stuff I want you all to master, and it's gonna take a lot of effort. How are you feeling?" "Great, ma'am!" Every Flier responded confidently, awaiting orders with a unique eagerness. Spitfire continued, "As usual, we're gonna be going by teams. Thunderlane and Fire Streak, wait for my instructions. I'll be talking to you first since you guys have the lead. Fleetfoot and Blaze, you'll be at the flank." Spitfire's gaze turned to Rainbow Dash and said, "Crash, you'll be pairing up with Soarin again today. I'm hoping this time will make up for the last incident. Don't let me down." Rainbow Dash nodded determinedly, though she was doing everything in her power not to kick the ground in frustration. A little wince escaped her. Spitfire finished, "All the rest of you, see me in the Mess Hall. We'll discuss your part of the routine there. Alright team, make me proud!" Everyone saluted her and began pairing up or heading off to receive command later. Rainbow Dash stood there, almost doing that weird calm-down-thingy she'd caught Twilight enacting before an imminent freak-out, but then reminded herself that she was too cool for that and that she could handle herself on her own by the sheer power of her awesomeness. To her immense dismay it wasn't working all that well.
Rainbow Dash stood at the edge of the cloud that lead into the training area in the sky, her head ducked a little so that her mane covered part of her face. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Blaze who was standing a couple metres away, watching Fleetfoot carve a cloud into the shape of Blaze's face. The sight would be amusing if Rainbow Dash weren't awaiting her impending doom.
"Hey, Crash," the long-awaited voice appeared, and immediately Rainbow Dash shoved the beating of her heart down into the very depths, hoping her coolness would pile over-top the disgusting feelies of the 5th dimension. She rubbed her face with a hoof for a couple moments, playing it off as a simple itch, before taking in a breath and turning to face the stallion who spelled her demise. "Oh, 'sup, Soarin," she said, lifting her chin and shoving the feelies ever further, conscious of how likely it was that she might explode. At least outwardly she appeared as aloofly-awesome-with-full-knowledge-of-it as she normally did. "You ready to tackle this routine? Hopefully there aren't any storm clouds involved this time," Soarin teased, sounding like a lame surferpony as always. Rainbow Dash smirked. "Yeah," she agreed, "though I could totally handle them. I was just giving 'em a what-for last time. They have no idea what's coming." She nudged him with a wing and made a very mischievous face. She was doing great being her usual self; if only her insides weren't melting. Spitfire saved her life by breaking into the conversation.
"Alright, Team 1! I want you to go off by the Fly-Pole way to the left. We need each team to have their space. Team 2, you go to the Fly-Pole by the right. Team 3, you keep where you are. Since the other two teams already have their instructions I'll stick by you and direct you as you go." The two other teams took this as a sign to start and began their routine. Spitfire plodded by Soarin and Rainbow Dash. "Alright, Soarin, you start with a double-helix twin maneuver. Crash, meet the helix inversely so that you two are flying around one another." Feathers. That sounds like something in a fillyflic movie...
Breaking her out of her thoughts Soarin gave her a playful prod to the shoulder as good sportsmanship and shot into the air, following Spitfire's orders. "Alright, Crash, now it's your turn." The cyan mare nodded, spread out her wings, and erupted into the sky, curling around the blue trail Soarin left in his speed with her unique rainbow trail, and couldn't help but admire the harmony of the helix-shape that formed from it. As they flew around each other, Soarin grinned at her from above and then below, and suddenly the routine seemed to move very slowly as they got the hang of the move, nearly like a dance. Think Smash Fortune. Think Smash Fortune. They continued to weave in their makeshift helix till it became natural, and Spitfire called out, "Impressive! Props, Rainbow Dash. Looks like you're doing a lot better today. Alright, time for the next one..." Rainbow Dash nodded as she listened to Spitfire, but her heart and head were pounding and she lowered her head again to hide her face, which she felt was beginning to sprout with heat. Just a little bit longer, and then I'm out of this, she thought, Then I can read Daring Do and hang out with my friends and ... she sighed, realizing she couldn't convince herself, but she tried one last idea. Just pretend it doesn't exist.
Rainbow Dash was beginning to learn that very quickly, like she did everything albeit, but this time - and for the first time - she desired with all her heart that for this particular thing, it wouldn't be the case. Thank the Sapphire Stone she wasn't at Wonderbolt Academy anymore; she'd flown back home after training had ended, and it had managed go to smoothly enough, but she had sensed that couldn't have gone on for much longer. Yet, somehow, the position she was currently in felt no better, and that was the worst of all outcomes, for this reason and this reason alone: she was with her friends. On a picnic. In the park. And she was miserable.
The whole six of them were circled around a picnic blanket - not quite the classic plaid kind - but instead a very plain blue. You could tell Twilight had brought it, and there was no surprise at Rarity's inevitable sigh and disdainful flip of her excessively-styled mane the moment her eyes met the piece of cloth. Each of them had a cup of tea over a plate and a sandwich rested by their hooves, and were moderately conversing with one another, a small break of laughter surfacing every now and then. It was a pretty chill day, superficially, at least, and realistically for five of the ponies attended. Only Rainbow Dash felt out of place, and that only made her all the worse. For a while this went unnoticed, and Rainbow Dash lifted her cup of tea (which, ironically, happened not to be her cup of tea. She was a coffee mare.) and set it back on it's plate several times, absent-mindedly, her head more in the clouds than she could normally say.
Then finally it caught the attention of one of her friends, who addressed Rainbow Dash in front of everyone, though quietly, but the abruptness still caused the cyan mare to flinch: "Oh, um... Rainbow Dash? Are you alright?"
This put the many conversations going on between the five at a halt, and all eyes turned on her. Rainbow Dash shifted a little, and furrowed her brows, not taking her gaze away from her tea. She wasn't really in the mood to be putting up an act anymore, especially because her bond with her friends caused her to be more vulnerable and authentic, so she didn't put effort into the outwardly mask she normally would set, but still resisted by all means to talk about her... "feelings".
So, she nonchalantly responded (after an unnaturally long pause), "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Fluttershy." Fluttershy tipped her head to the side a little, her eyes widening. "O-oh, u-um, well... are you sure? B-because you seem a little..." "Nah, nah, it's nothing," Rainbow Dash broke in, waving a hoof dismissively and hiding her face in her mane, "there's nothing to worry about."
Fluttershy ducked her head, pressing a hoof questioningly to her chin, eyes still wide. Then Rarity covered for her. "I dont know, Darling, you seem a tad 'nervous' if I must say... did your Wonderbolt training go alright, Dear?" Heat flashed in Rainbow Dash's chest at the query hitting too close to home.
"Yes, you have been working a lot lately," Twilight added matter-of-factly, "is the stress getting to you? It's totally normal if it is. It's okay to admit it, too. I mean, sometimes my Princess duties become too much for me and I just need to--" "Twilight's got a point, Sugarcube," Applejack chimed in, cutting off Twilight's rampant speech as she was drawing into a topic that would have gone on for far too long, "Bein' a Wonderbolt is great n' all, an' we're all mighty proud 'a ya, but it has been awful demandin', an' I figure ya probably are feelin' a little toll taken on ya... is that what's goin' on?"
Pinkie pie began to jump up and down, practically screaming: "Oh! Oh! Oh! I bet it is! Yeah, look at her face! All red on her blue! A little weird-looking, but everypony has their days. Aw, you kinda look like Marble Pie when she met Big Mac! How cute! Have you met a new friend? I bet you've met a new friend. Oh, is it a Wonderbolt? I don't think they've added anyone lately though... But after all that time spent there I bet you've been getting to know everypony pretty we--"
"Gosh, everypony, leave me alone!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, jumping to her hooves and turning away so that they couldn't see her face, embarrassed beyond belief at her lame outburst. She pressed a hoof to her forehead, her heart beating with anxiety. What a curse.
A couple moments passed. She took in a deep breath, which resulted in an equally deep sigh, and then whirled around to face her friends. She closed her eyes with defeat. "I'm gonna go home now," She whispered, then after a small apology she flew off in the direction of Cloudsdale, every friend left behind keeping a concerned and surprised gaze on their friend until she finally disappeared from sight.
Rainbow Dash was in the middle of Daring's latest book. "I looked around myself to find a slot or cranny, but there were none. I was trapped, and it didn't look like I was gonna escape." Rainbow Dash gave an impromptu roll of her eyes. "You have it easy," she muttered, "imagine what it would be like in my hooves. Now that's some action-packed drama." She heard a knock on her door.
Closing her book with a slight sulk, Rainbow Dash slid out of her bed and plodded reluctantly to her front door, paused a moment to gather herself, then pulled it open to find Fluttershy, equipped with a pint-sized Tank.
"I've brought Tank home for you," Fluttershy said. "Hey," Rainbow Dash sighed, rubbing her own head with guilt, "sorry about that one thing earlier." Fluttershy didn't respond; she only placed a hoof on Tank's shell and patted it gently. "He missed you a lot while you were away," Fluttershy breathed, looking at the tortoise with affection. Then she looked up at Rainbow and her expression changed. "If there's anything you need to talk about, let me know. The academy has kept you busy lately... and it's really your life now... so if you feel stressed, that's normal. If something is bothering you, you can't keep it in forever. It feels so good just to let everything out on those kinds of days." Rainbow Dash dipped her head like a scolded child and nodded without a word. "Good," the quiet mare replied, then Rainbow brought Tank into her arms, and turned away, ready to pout on her own about the events of her life.
"That wasn't a suggestion," an assertive voice called behind her, making the cyan mare jump in surprise. She returned facing Fluttershy, who had let herself in and was closing the door firmly, before bringing her gaze to meet Rainbow's, bearing the composure of a stern mother - with the best intentions at heart - in the process of setting her recipient of lecture straight.
She drew to Rainbow's side and offered a small side-hug, then said, "I want you to tell me what's been going on. I think you need to get it off your chest." Rainbow Dash stared at the ground, and with frustration, held her tongue, finding that she's been backed into a wall but still too stubborn to turn around. Fluttershy continued, "You know you had an outburst earlier... If you keep it in any longer, it'll only get worse." Rainbow Dash stared at the ground for a moment longer, then sighed, knowing her friend was right. "Fine," she growled, "I'll tell you." Fluttershy smiled. "Alright," the quiet mare said happily, "but let's go to my cottage first. Maybe you'll be more open there, someplace different. If you're here, where you usually keep your thoughts in, it might be harder to open up." Rainbow Dash ducked her head and groaned. "But--" "That wasn't a suggestion," Fluttershy declared.
Once they made it to the cottage Fluttershy seated herself on her simple couch and patted the other side as a gesture for Rainbow to sit down. The cyan mare, with a face that clearly expressed that she felt she was stepping toward her execution, plodded to the couch and flopped onto it, crossing her hooves and pursing her lips.
Fluttershy smiled at her, though her eyes betrayed a bit of guilt at making her friend come here. Yet, she was doing what she felt was best. A firmness crossed her expression once more. "Now, Rainbow, what's been going on?" Fluttershy began, placing a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder in hopes that it would make her more comfortable. "Hmph," Rainbow Dash uttered after a long period of silence. "Now, now, Dashie, take your time," Fluttershy murmured more gently. Rainbow Dash turned her head to the side, her face flushing a little.
Fluttershy looked at her with a bit of surprise, wondering what could have caused such a reaction in her friend. But she didn't pursue the oddity; only waited patiently while Rainbow Dash sat there, uncharacteristically anxious. Deep down, Rainbow Dash began to experience a glimmer of thought that said that maybe she'd feel better, relieved, if she finally let it all out. The revolutionary thought caused her heart to beat a little quicker, realizing she was beginning to open up to the idea of actually... well...opening up, and that in just a little bit Fluttershy could know of the secret that plagued her. Suddenly another thought, another terrible, terrible thought, bubbled up. Would it really be so bad? Rainbow Dash turned to meet Fluttershy's patient, kind gaze, and became suddenly more aware of the trust that existed between them. What's the worst that could happen?
Rainbow Dash's eyes crinkled a moment, and she placed her head in her hooves, struggling with the idea of actually telling somepony that, for the first time in her life, she experienced something for somepony more than just friendly affection. Suddenly words tumbled out.
"Something's different," Rainbow Dash mumbled, her head still in her hooves. Fluttershy stroked her shoulder for comfort a couple times, then said in a silky, reassuring voice, "What's different?" Rainbow Dash's heart beat faster. This is so dumb. Still, she felt the urge to give Fluttershy a chance. "Me," Rainbow Dash responded vaguely, lifting her head but staring at the floor. "You," Fluttershy murmured, then added, "what's different about you?" The cyan mare folded her hooves. "Sappy," she responded, knowing how lame she sounded but deciding not to care. "Is it a stallion?" Fluttershy whispered, guessing Rainbow Dash's heart, making proof of their long friendship. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and groaned, though inwardly was surprised at how a hint of happiness was in Fluttershy's tone at the idea of her friend having a crush.
"Mmmehhhhh," Rainbow groaned, and at this Fluttershy knew it to be true. "Someone from the Wonderbolts?" the shy mare pressed. In response Rainbow Dash only grunted. Silence hung for a couple heart-beats, then to Rainbow's immense shock Fluttershy assured her, "There's nothing wrong with liking someone."
In that moment Rainbow Dash realized how much she'd really needed to hear those words. She looked up with widened eyes to meet the gaze of Fluttershy, who continued, "These things just happen sometimes." Suddenly the quiet pony's gaze shifted to the pillow beside her, branding an image of she and Discord, seeming to be having the time of their life just hanging out. Then Fluttershy looked back at her friend, smiled, and hugged Rainbow Dash, saying as she did so, "I'm proud of you, Dashie. You know it'll be okay. It may be hard at first, a little awkward, but... you'll appreciate the bond that comes out of it. Whether friendship... or something more."
Friendship or something more. That question had been on Rainbow Dash's mind an unreasonable amount of time since her confession with Fluttershy. It was especially on her mind as developments continued to change within the Academy. As the upcoming show in Canterlot drew ever closer to its due date, Wonderbolt practices had ensued to greater intensity - more time with Soarin. While this went on, Rainbow and the other 'Bolts had inevitably become obligated to stay overnights at the Academy. This usually happened before a big show - you'd basically live at the Academy working hard all day until you actually preformed. This was so that each of the Wonderbolts could show off their highest quality of skill. This was also something you trained for at the Academy. If you weren't ready for the grind, forget it - nopony signed up for comfort when they got here.
Rainbow Dash, obviously, was all for pushing herself to the limit. There was only one problem - it was Hearth's Warming in a week. Traditionally, if an overnight practice towards a huge performance skated over a holiday, every Wonderbolt would remain at the Academy and celebrate together. Depending on the holiday, each celebration would last longer or shorter than the others.
Rainbow would be at the Academy every night, within proximity to Soarin, for an entire week.
Perhaps this in and of itself was not an issue, but, while she wasn't the first to admit it, Rainbow could hold up the white flag on the fact that she, despite her lack of intentionality to think, would overanalyze things, and so she'd be thinking about this one issue for the whole of the week: friend, or more?
Rainbow Dash was tucked inside her mildly overly cold dorm, her navy - nearly dull - blue blanket tucked in all round her, her head pressed to the small pillow against the rough bed. While she would have loved the cushiness of her own room and huge comforter and several pillows, she admitted that, considering her previous dilemma, having something soft wouldn't help her think through things this time, and so she might as well be resigned to no preference in this case.
One thing she did miss was Tank. Her faithful friend was with her through everything, and she felt like he might as well be the Element of Loyalty in her place. It's not as though she was all that good at representing it herself.
That thought made Rainbow freeze in her bed. Had she just.... been humble?
No, no. That was false humility.
Rainbow let herself relax and looked at the clock inside the cold white cloud (probably) walls in her dorm. Yup, it was definitely past midnight, and of course she couldn't sleep.
After a minute of casual wrestling over what she wanted to do about this, she quickly decided to go for a nightly lap around the Academy track. It wasn't illegal or anything - she just resolved that she probably shouldn't get caught doing it.
Rainbow Dash quietly creeped out of her dorm and closed the door silently behind her, then plodded through the echoey chamber of the hallway, the ground - despite its nature - making a soft echo with each hoofstep. Even though Rainbow would rather not wake anypony, she really didn't care if she was heard.
There was a rather aesthetic line of large windowpanes on the right side of the hallway, (the right having more dorms), and Rainbow took a moment to take in the deep blackish indigo of the night sky which held in it a near transparent clump of clouds surrounding the moon like a mist that was attracted to the light.
The moon at the centre seemed to take up the whole of the sky, like all revolved around it, and despite the unusual circle of clouds round the moon, there were a few bits of stars that dotted the black.
The pale light of the moon reflected through the windows and cast a silky light onto the cold floor that defied explanation with its hard surface, and climbed up the walls on the left like a figure approaching, daring, challenging the dimness within the Academy.
After a moment the cyan mare continued outside and immediately felt the burst of the wind in her face, underneath her fur, through her hair, over and under her wings, and there was an irreplaceable rush of pleasure at it that pushed her heart to ignite her stroll-by-air with an eagerness that only came from a pure passion.
She unraveled her feathers and leapt into the air, catching her wings in the grip of the current of the breeze, and exploded into a tunnel of encompassing zephyr, disappearing into the flight itself, and then there was only this.
She closed her eyes, which might've been against her better judgement, but she couldn't resist completely soaking this in.
Suddenly she heard a voice from somewhere off - she was so wrapped in her transport that she couldn't determine the distance.
"Rainbow Dash."
It was tinted with a gentleness she hadn't caught before in this specific pony.
Of course Soarin would find me out here, thought Rainbow, except somehow she wasn't upset or frustrated or contemplating whether or not this was cliche.
Instead she was relieved.
She turned over in the wind so that the downiness of her feathers was the only thing keeping her afloat, and she relished the way they gently ruffled against the air.
"Hey,"
She said, cocking an eyebrow.
"What are you doing out here?" said Soarin as he caught up, but he didn't seem concerned or curious, really - he was just smiling.
"Why?" Rainbow Dash said, gripping more wind within one wing so that she could playfully bat him with the other, "are you so intent on one-upping me that you gotta follow me around or something this late?"
"Nah," Soarin replied in a vocal wave-off, "I was actually thinking the same thing as you, I guess - needed to get out."
The cyan mare nodded, letting her expression inch a quarter more towards serious.
While they liked to joke around a lot, their friendship had become something much deeper and authentic, and she wanted to make him feel heard.
"Hey," Soarin nudged her suddenly, "look up."
Curious, Rainbow Dash followed his gaze only to see the moon wrapped in the milky clouds. She saw he was pointing in the corner of one of the clouds, where one star was glimmering more brightly than the others.
"That's a planet," he said.
"What?" Rainbow Dash let her voice go full-creaky in her incredulousness, and squinted one eye as she smiled, "a planet? You know those are just old mares tales."
"Yeah, and next you'll tell me Equestria is flat," Soarin replied, laughing.
"Well," Rainbow drew out the word like she were pouring water slowly.
Soarin laughed again and then beckoned her to fly with him. She did so, paying attention to every little detail in the sky below her, above her, around her. Right now, with Soarin, everything was apparent, like she was seeing everything new, and now everything was important.
"Looking forward to Hearth's Warming?" Rainbow muttered, her voice becoming more hushed, but in a way that wasn't concerned - it was a sort of trusting quiet, a tone one only took with their closest friends.
"Yeah, 'guess," replied Soarin, "I'm gonna be missing my family though. I think that's like the only problem with this whole set up - you don't get to spend important time with those important to you."
Rainbow Dash nodded understandingly, furrowing her brows. Then she caught his gaze with bright violet eyes and said half-jokingly so that he wouldn't take it too serious,
"Hey, 'least you got me as family."
"Yeah," Soarin replied with a genuine smile.
It was then that Rainbow Dash's question was answered. The question wasn't friend-or-more. She would always be Soarin's friend, and Soarin's family. If they ever became something more, that piece didn't go away - it only became stronger.
There was no such thing as 'just friends' or 'more than friends'. If they came to like each other, it would be like they were going for a flight and they got caught in a strong current leading them elsewhere - but the fact remained that they were flying.
Now Rainbow only asked, how fast could this be taken? Her only problem now - because she always had to have one, apparently - was that she didn't know whether it was time to glide, or create a sonic rainboom.
