“What did I do?” Rainbow Dash asked herself. She was sitting in her bed, wearing her robe and clutching the shell of her pet tortoise, Tank. “I know what I did, I guess, but why did I do it?!” Tank poked his head out of his shell, looking up and slowly smiling at her. She scoffed, patting him on the head. “Don’t give me that look! I know what you’re getting at… I just… don't know if it was such a good thing to do.” She stewed on her previous actions for a while longer. She was in such a panic after the race that she flew straight home to her house in Ponyville. The Equestria Games had since ended, and she was hoping against hope that everypony would leave her alone for a while.
The knocking at the door dashed her hopes entirely. Rainbow Dash got up from her bed, slowly plodding her way to the door. She breathed a sigh, opening the door to reveal Twilight and Flash, a warm and patient smile present on the Alicorn’s face. “Hi, Rainbow.” the Princess greeted. “We missed you at the closing ceremonies.”
“Hey, Twi…” Rainbow replied. “What do you need?”
“I just wanted to see how you were doing.” she said, stepping inside and waving a wing at Flash, who turned around to stand guard. “That, and you never got your medal.” She ignited her horn, pulling a brilliant gold medal from a bag that hung from Flash’s back and floating it in front of her friend. “Congratulations, Rainbow Dash. You deserve it!”
Rainbow held out her wing, letting the medal fall into it. She looked at it with a sense of pride. Ponyville gold… Something she had dreamed of since her first run at the Games was now a reality. “So how is everypony?”
Twilight walked past, looking around the house. “For the most part, everyone is worried about you. Boltsinger wanted to come with me today, but I convinced him to let me take care of this.”
Rainbow gave off a chortle, sitting on the couch. “Yeah, I bet he was ready to fly off after me when I left!” Twilight laughed in kind, nodding as she sat next to her. “So… what about Soarin?”
Twilight drew circles on the couch cushion, lowering her head. “He’s… confused. He was really happy about… what you did, but…”
“Doesn’t know why I flew away?” the Wonderbolt finished. She kicked off her turtle slippers, leaning back. “I don’t even understand why I… you know…”
“Kissed him?” Twilight suggested. Rainbow's face went pink with a nervous smile, telling the purple pony all she needed. “I think you know perfectly well why you did it. Is it really that much of a surprise?”
“Yes!” Rainbow shouted, throwing her forelegs apart. Twilight narrowed her eyes, prompting her to lower her limbs and groan. “No… I know why…” She hung her head over the edge of the couch. “Can we talk about something else, please?”
Twilight rolled her eyes, getting up and walking over to the bookshelf. “Okay. But you know where to go if you need to talk.” She pulled out the latest Daring Do book, looking it over and returning to her seat. “So, I finally read this, and…”
Another knock came at Rainbow’s door. The house’s resident looked out her window to see a hot air balloon parked outside. “Who could it be this time?” she asked herself, opening the door to reveal… “Rarity? What brings you over?”
“Do I need a reason to pay my good friend a visit?” the couturier countered, strutting in and looking back. “Why, you took off in such a flash that I never got to congratulate you on your victory! Or congratulate you on your ‘victory’!”
Rainbow furrowed her brow, closing the door and guiding the glamorous one to her kitchen. “Um… Why did you say that twice?”
Rarity giggled, putting a hoof on the racer’s shoulder. “Well, the first time should be obvious. But the second time…” she giggled even more, a hint of enhanced glee coming out in her tone. “The second should be even more obvious! I can’t believe you kissed him in front of that entire crowd! I knew you were bold, Rainbow Dash, but I didn’t know you were that bold!”
An exasperated groan came from the rainbow mare as she put a teapot on the stove. “Why do you have to bring that up?” she asked.
Rarity tilted her confused head. “Why not, darling? Didn’t you know what you were doing?”
Rainbow sat at the table, letting her head fall to the surface with a thud. “I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t want to do it… I mean, I wanted to do it, but I didn’t want to! Ugh… Why does everyone have to bring this up?! Can’t I just talk to my friends about something that’s not so… weird?”
“Darling, if you don’t let it out, you’ll never be able to live with yourself.” the fashionista advised, floating the whistling pot over with a pair of cups. “Besides, I don’t see what’s so bad about you kissing him. He seemed to enjoy it!”
Rainbows head rose from the table. “It’s not about whether or not he enjoyed it. I just… I dunno…” She sat up further, an idea striking her like lightning. “So, How’re things between you and Fancy Pants, anyway?”
Rarity instantly swooned, stars appearing in her dreamy eyes. “Oh, things are going swimmingly, darling! He and I have been going to parties, dinners, all sorts of cultured social events! He’s a perfect gentlecolt, and I’ve expanded both my influence and my customer base at the same time!” She raised her finely-polished hoof, holding it in front of her as she squished her cheek with the other. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he opted to PROPOSE before too long!”
“Propose, huh?” Rainbow repeated, leaning towards the designer. “Don’t you think that's a little fast?”
Rarity leaned her head on her hoof, staring off into space. “Isn’t that the goal, though? Get married, have babies, live happily ever after?”
Rainbow rested on her own hoof. “I guess so. You just don’t strike me as the ‘happily ever after’ type. You’ve got too much planned to just give into some guy for the rest of your life!”
Rarity sipped her tea, musing for a moment. “I believe that depends on the ‘guy’ in question. I mean, take a look at Twilight! She married Boltsinger, and she has yet to ever ‘give into him'.”
“Yeah, but Bolt is… well… Bolt. What’s there to give into?” Rainbow stressed.Rarity stifled a laugh. “But you’re with, well, Fancy Pants.”
“I admit he’s much more commanding than Boltsinger, but he’s extremely supportive!” she continued, crossing her hooves on the table. “He’s introduced me to so many customers, and boasts about me all the time! It’s been simply divine!”
Rainbow crossed her forelegs on the table, resting her head on them. “I guess that’s nice…”
“And now you’re getting together with Soarin!” Rarity cheered.
Rainbows head rose up, her full stare snapping to encompass the Unicorn. “Hey! I didn’t say I was ‘getting together’ with anypony!”
Rarity reared back, taken completely by surprise. “But you kissed him! I just assumed--:
“Yeah, you sure did!” The Pegasus spat, getting up from her chair. “I never said I wanted to do any of that! I just moved, that’s all!”
Rarity followed Rainbow’s lead, getting up and following her. “I… understand, dear. You certainly have a lot on your mind, so I’ll leave you to your thoughts.” She headed out the door, looking back with concern. “It was lovely to see you, Dash. Let’s do it again soon.”
Boltsinger walked alongside Soarin and Big Mac at Sweet Apple Acres. The farm stallion pulled a wagon of apples behind him, sharing a one-sided conversation with the orange Pegasus of the gathering. Soarin hung his head, walking in pace with his friends, but paying little mind to their conversation. Boltsinger looked at the white pony, denoting a hint of sorrow in his usually bright green eyes.
“And then Rainbow Dash said…” he started, getting a confused look from Big Mac as Soarin finally raised his head. “Nothing. I haven’t seen her since the Games.” He looked over at Soarin with a smirk. “Glad you could join us!”
Big Mac glared at Boltsinger, his disapproval more obvious than his response to any given question. “Bolt, don’tcha think that was a bit under-hoofed?” he asked. Boltsinger let out a sheepish smile, nodding back. Big Mac looked over the orange Pegasus to get a look at the white one. “How’re ya holdin’ up, Soarin?”
“Okay, I guess.” he replied, plodding along with his eyes focused firmly on the dirt. “I just don’t know what I did wrong. I mean, why did she have to run away like that? It doesn’t make sense! What do you think?”
Big Mac groaned, shaking his head with annoyance. “I dunno what it is with you Pegasus ponies and comin’ ta me fer romantic advice…” He unbuckled himself from the wagon, walking up to a nearby tree and giving it a hardy buck. “What makes y’all think I’ve got the answers ya need?”
Boltsinger and Soarin each took a deep inhale. “Well, you’re big.” Boltsinger started.
“Strong.” Soarin added.
“Dependable.”
“Humble.”
“Kind.”
“Hard-working.”
“Honest.”
“A good listener.”
“And if Sugar Belle has any insight, easy on a lady’s eyes.” the orange stallion concluded.
Big Mac sat down, putting his hoof to his forehead. “And you think all that matters to Rainbow Dash? Or to any ‘o those mares?” He pointed his hoof at Boltsinger. “Bolt, you ain’t anythin’ like me, and you ended up marryin’ Twilight Sparkle! And that’s one mare that nopony expected to get married!” He turned his attention to Soarin. “An’ you never did anything wrong! If she’s got issues, I’d bet the farm her issues ain’t with you.”
“What do you mean? How are her issues not with me?” Soarin wondered, gesturing to himself.
“No, I think Big Mac has a point, here.” Boltsinger said, planting his rump and putting a hoof to his muzzle. “I mean, the way she was looking at you reminded me of how this one looks at Sugar Belle.” He pointed a wing at Big Mac, who recoiled with a slight flush. “Anypony could tell she wanted to do it…” He pounded one forehoof into the other, standing up again. “I’ll tell you what. Give me a couple days. I’ll talk to her, see what all is going on.”
“Why do you need a couple days to do this?” Soarin asked, following suit. “Why not just go see her right now?”
“I’ve gotta give her time to cool off.” he clarified, picking up a bucket of apples to add to the wagon’s load. “Have you ever stared down an angry Rainbow Dash? Or when she’s flustered? Or any kind of emotion that might turn her aggressive?” Soarin and Big Mac simultaneously shook their heads. “It’s not an easy feat. That mare can take on an army if given the right reason. So I’m gonna let her have her alone time, then I’m gonna go and wreck all of that. Make sense?” The other stallions gave a confirming nod, making their way to the next tree.
Three days since the Games. Three days since her moment of unexpected honesty. Three days since her freak-out. Nopony is gonna pry after this long, right? Rainbow Dash stepped up to her door, opening it and grimacing as audibly as she could.
“What do you want, Bolt?”
Boltsinger stood, smiling, in the doorway. “Just wanted to talk. I haven’t seen you since the Games, and I wanted to make sure everything was cool on your end.”
Rainbow brushed past him, closing her door and preparing for takeoff. “Everything’s fine…”
Boltsinger gave her a look that reminded her of Twilight’s ‘I know something’s wrong and that you’re just trying to hide it’ face. “Fine, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m fine…” she confirmed, taking off. She flew towards town at about half of her top speed. She looked back, certain that Boltsinger had decided not to follow.
“You realize that can mean a lot of things, right?” he continued, keeping pace with her. “I mean, I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, and I don’t blame you if you don’t wanna talk about it.”
Rainbow air-skidded to a stop, yanking on the stallion’s tail to force the same out of him. “Then you’re not gonna pry, right?”
Boltsinger simply smiled and nodded. “No prying. Just flying.”
Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief, starting up again. “Good. Last thing I need is another pony assuming that Soarin and I are suddenly dating.”
“That does sound annoying.” he agreed.
“I mean, I get what happened. I understand why everypony is jumping to that conclusion!” She continued, gesturing angrily with her forelegs. “I acted on impulse, I tackled him, and I planted one on him! But I never said I wanted to start dating him! I don’t want for things to change!”
“I understand. He’s a good friend.” Boltsinger affirmed, smiling and keeping his ears directed towards her.
“Exactly! Why do things have to change? Why can’t we just keep a good thing going?” Rainbow rambled. “I love my friends the way they are! Why should any of that change?”
Boltsinger slowed down, just barely moving forward in his hover. “This isn’t just about the thing with Soarin, is it?”
Rainbow stopped and turned to her friend. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that your feelings for Soarin aren’t what’s bothering you, is it?” he elaborated, moving over to her. “You said something about not wanting things to change. Are you still having issues with… Well, you know what I’m getting at…”
The Wonderbolt hung in the air, rubbing her foreleg with her hoof. “I dunno… Maybe? I haven’t thought about it much…”
“Well, you’re thinking about it now. Why not tell me what’s bugging you?” he suggested, pulling up a cloud. He plopped down onto it, patting the spot next to him.
“I thought you weren’t gonna pry...” she reminded him.
“I wasn’t. Then you put me in a prying mood.” he said with a sheepish smile. “So, spill. I promise you’ll feel better.”
Rainbow looked at the town. It was a good distance away. Nopony was flying around, either. She turned back to Boltsinger, relentingly flapping over to the fluffy cloud and sitting down. “Okay… So, ever since I became a Wonderbolt, life has been… pretty amazing. And when you came along, it didn’t screw with things all that often. Friends, a great job helping Ponyville with the weather, living the dream as one of the Wonderbolts, and saving Equestria with the ponies I like the most! How could it possibly get any better?!”
Boltsinger leaned forward, resting on his fetlocks. “I can think of a few things…”
“But with you two having that foal, that cuts into the adventures!” She flared her wings. “Then there’s all this stuff with Soarin… Why in Equestria does he have to look at me like that?” She hung her head, pawing a small hole in the cloud. “I don’t want to accept it, because that means that things really are changing…”
“And what makes you think these changes are going to be so bad?”
“What are you getting at?”
“I’m getting at this…” Boltsinger stood up, moving closer, slapping his face with his wings. “You were honest with me, so I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think I can do this whole ‘dad’ thing without everypony, you included.”
Rainbow looked flatly at the stallion, raising a hoof to him. “But you are the dad. You’ve been preparing for this for, like, eight months! All the stuff you’ve been doing, all the responsibilities, and the confidence you’ve showed off? How are you not sure about this?”
“Well, you’re right that I’ve been preparing myself.” he stated. “But I haven’t been confident at all. Meeting a Princess? I can do that. Making friends while in a state of utter panic? Not too hard. Facing off against a twisted Alicorn version of the pony that made my life miserable? Easy as pie. Facing the idea that there will be a pony in this word who depends on me for basic needs, molding their mind and morals so that they can be a better pony than I ever was? That is terrifying! Like, nightmares in a regular basis terrifying.”
“Really? But you’re so good with Flurry!”
“That’s being an uncle. Being a father is something else entirely. Twilight and I both believe that we’re going to need everypony’s help.” He jumped off of the cloud, starting to hover again. “Raising a foal is hard work, and we figured it would be good for both us and for the baby to have all of the best friendship teachers in Equestria on deck to help out.” He held out his hoof. “What do you say, ‘Aunt’ Rainbow Dash? You wanna teach that foal some loyalty?”
Rainbow Dash stood up, stewing on what she had just heard. “That doesn’t sound as bad as I thought…” She flapped her wings, hovering over and giving him a solid hoof bump. “Yeah! I’ll give the kid a hoof!”
“Awesome!” He replied, turning towards Ponyville. “Oh, and don’t tell Twilight about my… issues. She has enough on her plate without my little problems.”
“Got it.” She started to follow the stallion, but looked back at the cloud houses behind her. “Hey, you go ahead into town… I think I owe somepony an explanation.”
Boltsinger smiled, waving his hoof. “Sounds good to me. See you later, Dash!” With that, the rainbow streak was off.
“Soarin!” Rainbow Dash called, pounding on the stallion’s door. “Hey! Soarin! You here?!” She stopped her knocking, turning around. “Probably not… He probably doesn’t wanna talk to--”
The door creaked open. “Rainbow Dash?” Soarin answered. Rainbow looked around to see his face, where a sense of uncertainty was made evident. “What do you need?”
“I need to apologize.” she informed him, turning back around.
“What do you need to apologize for?” he retorted, backing into the house. “For kissing me? For making me think I had a chance? For flying away after all of that with no explanation?”
The mare winced, Soarin’s words stinging like a flyder swarm. “You’re right. I should have explained things to you. I’ve been so focused on keeping things as close to how they’ve always been as I can that I’ve been denying the obvious!” She took a step closer to him. “I shouldn’t have flown away. I should have let you know how I was feeling!” Another step closer, crossing the threshold of the house. “I’m really sorry for how I’ve been acting… But…” She closed the distance between herself and her Wonderbolt colleague, planting a kiss on his lips. Soarin’s eyes went wide, all uncertainty fading out of them as he leaned into it. A moment later, Rainbow pulled back, her face a bright shade of red. “I’ll never apologize for that.”