//------------------------------// // Hooked on a Feeling // Story: Washout For Your Feelings // by Beakwood //------------------------------// "So.....I was kinda wondering....would you like to go out to the form with me?" A voice filled with hope, fear and anxiety resonated across the small room, currently occupied by its owner, who was entertaining himself by the locker's mirror. An image of a pony, dark gray coat, silver and white mohawk, golden irises locked in an intense staring contest with himself, an expression of utter disappointment reflecting on both him and the mirror. "Ha, a loser like you? Don't make me laugh. Don't ya need to work your fatass back on shape?" The pony replied to himself, as if already expecting that kind of answer. The sound of ruffling feathers was the only thing that shook the stallion out of of his trance. His eyes quickly taking note of his wings falling at his sides, the same way a sad puppy would with his tail. He sighed in contempt, angry at himself for allowing such feelings to take place. 'Why, of all ponies, it had to be her? Cloud Chaser is an amazing mare, Blossomforth is beyond incredibly kind, Cloud Kicker is just so lively and athletic, Rainbow Dash is....something else I guess....but why? Of so many ponies? Why I feel like this about her?!' Thunderlane huffed in irritation, not understand the logic behind his feelings towards a certain mare in spite of so many others. He liked to think that there were things that they should have in common for that particular infamous spark to exist. 'Okay, maybe we have few things in common' He begrudgingly admitted to himself. 'She likes storms, she likes sports, she likes pretzels, she likes....other stuff.' Thunderlane frowned. He didn't really known her that well, he only found out about her liking pretzels out of pure luck, though that ocassion was a very particular one, for she was actually nice towards him for once. They were similar in appearance, even in Cutie Marks. Thunderlane wasn't really sure that was a good thing, it worried him to think that her appearance could be a giveaway to the kind of ponies she would like to go out with. You couldn't get more tomboy than the way she looked. 'I wouldn't be surprised if she was into mares. Perhaps into both?...' He knew it was a hopeful thought, and it frustrated him to no end to think like that. This kind of sentiment was gonna end with him being heartbroken for sure, and he couldn't think on anything to make that feeling go away, no matter how logical it sounded. Yet, he needed to know for sure, this anxiety has been eating at his soul for weeks, ever since they met after so many months apart. 'Haven't seen her since our Flight Camp weeks. Years went by and I finally saw her at the Academy. I could tell she really didn't change much....aside of how much more lean and muscular she got, and her huge wings, her bright eyes, her big assseeeh???' Thunderlane blinked, did he actually thought of her like that? Not only emotionally but sexually as well? She wasn't that better good looking than a mare like Cloud Kicker or Strawberry Sunrise, but on athletic patterns.... 'Rainbow Dash and her are very alike but, for some reason, that kind of thought makes me sick to my stomach.' One would think that Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust could get along due how talented and determinate both are. But no. They hated eachother. That much Thunderlane could notice when he met with Lightning at the Cloudsdale Gym, a place he visited more frequently ever since he got nominated as a Wonderbolt. He couldn't exactly afford personal training equipment, he had to save the money to pay the bills and Rumble's school and materials after all. Yet, he managed to save enough to use the Gym for a few days per week . It was pure coincidence that Lightning happened to frequent that same Gym, and it was pure luck that she favored him for a training partner. Though Thunderlane has yet to decide if it was good luck or not. It was kinda embarrassing and comical to think how they both met after so many months apart. Thunderlane quickly took notice of how many mares would frequent that same gym and, being the hotshot he believed himself to be, couldn't help but try to impress any mare that would trot by him, suddenly working with double effort on the equipment he was using at the ocassion. He didn't exactly expected to become some muscular freak like Bulk Biceps, but he was confident that his chances of getting a mare's attention would increase drastically if he gave away the impression of being incredibly strong. Too bad he tried to impress the wrong mare. He didn't recognize her at first, only having time to realize that it was, indeed, a mare that had entered the gym before he quickly set up the speed limit of the trotting machine. He did found her mane and coat colours to be very appealing and somewhat familiar. Thunderlane couldn't help the smirk that grew on his muzzle as he remembered how naive he was to assume her strenght. That mare, without even bothering to look his way, went straight for the wing lifting bench. He, arrogantly one could say, watched her with low expectancy, unaccustomed of seeing a mare opting for using such equipment. Pegasus would work their wings for that sweet extra wing power, the weight measurement used for workout is called POW, which stands for Pony's Own Weight. It wasn't a precise way to reach a specific measurement in wing power, especially since wing power was determined mostly by a speed test, but lifting POWs was the best way to reach that desired level of wing power. Thunderlane was pretty confident he could lift ten POWs at his best, which was a fairly decent amount for a stallion. Of course it wouldn't be the same for a mare, it was a fact that mares usually would weight less than a stallion, but POWs were about lifting your own weight, not other ponies. Thunderlane would be surprised if that mare, who he took way too long to recognize, was capable of lifting seven times her own weight. Hay, he would definitely be impressed if she could reach the same amount as him. So just imagine his utter shock as she lifted not seven, not ten, but SEVENTEEN POWs! He stood speechless at the unbelievable display of strenght, which costed him greatly since a trotting machine, working at full speed, is not the best place to stand still all of sudden. It took a second for him to realize he was being launched backwards straight into the nearest wall. The loud impact, that rendered him extreme amounts of pain and embarrassment, caught the attention of the mare at the lifting bench. Thunderlane couldn't remember much at the time, his hindquarters were still protesting against the sudden contact, but the sound of hoofsteps was a welcome distraction from the world of pain he was going through at that moment. "Ya okay there pal?" The sound of her voice, so different yet so familiar, and the closer look on her features, especially her Cutie Mark, was enough to clear his suspicion. "Lightning Dust? Is that you?" The concerned look on her face was quickly replaced by confusion, he wasn't really surprised she didn't recognize him either. "How do you know who I am? He remembered her asking, seemingly suspicious all of sudden. "We met before a few times, long ago back at Flight Camp, you used to call me spearhead. And....we met again months ago. At....the Academy." Thunderlane remembered his brief hesitation at the mention of the Wonderbolt Academy. That wasn't exactly a good memory for Lightning Dust, bringing it up wasn't really going to add him any favors. Yet, her face suddenly morphed into recognition at the mention of his old nickname. "Wait! Spearh....Thunderlane?! Is that really ya?" It still baffled him how cheerful she got by seeing him again, though the smirk on her face left no doubts that she still saw him as a spearhead. "Huh, yeah. I'm....urgh....chilling here. On the floor." Thunderlane wished he didn't try to play it off his incident, it wasn't really something Lightning would ignore. Thankfully she preserved some of his dignity by keeping up the conversation. "Should've figured that it was ya, especially with that good taste ya have on manecut." The stallion was used by mares being in awe by his mohawk, but it was strange to hear it from a mare that sported a mohawk herself. The conversation followed through few more minutes, from their time at Flight Camp until the Wonderbolt Academy. Lightning wasn't too thrilled to talk about that incident, but she didn't seem that much upset about it. "It wasn't something I expected, but I got something good out of it. Now I got my own stunt troop, and we've been doing pretty well so far." Thunderlane was intrigued by this revelation. As far as he knew there were no other stunt groups out there aside the Wonderbolts. Though his curiosity was replaced by bafflement at the name they used to depict themselves. The Washouts. The reasoning behind this name being that The Washouts were composed of ex-Wonderbolts, members that were kicked due some kind of misbehavior or kink on their part. Thunderlane wasn't really sure what to think of this group. Lightning presented him with a poster of one of their previous shows, the outfit design was eye-catching and impressive, and also the several track layouts she presented him, most of them were new projects she had been working on. "So you design those courses? And test them?" "Yep, sure do! Except we only run them throught once, we already know how the equipment works and we are not exactly concerned by doing things on a time limit. Do the sprint only when you have to, otherwise you will tire out too quickly and things will go really bad." Thunderlane was impressed and extremely worried at the same time. Lightning Dust, for all the problems her reckless attitude caused at the Academy, found a way to make something good out of her misfortune. She was the leader and track designer of a very successful stunt troop, one that was getting pretty popular around Equestria these last few weeks, but her choice of career was so incredibly dangerous and she didn't seem to bat an eye at the possibility of an accident that could prove to be lethal. She could die doing this and she didn't seem to care at all. It terrified him to no end. And yet, despite all the warnings going off in his head, his stupid heart decided to open up and allow her in for whatever reason it had. "So you're a full fledged Wonderbolt now? Huh, congratulations I suppose. At least somepony else made it in my place." Thunderlane couldn't help but wince at that remark. Lightning sounded extremely bitter, even if being satisfied with her career as a Washout. It was clear that she still resented being kicked out. "Say, I gotta run up my exercises, what days you're usually around? I wouldn't mind have somepony else to talk while being here, it gets boring pretty quick." And that's what got him and Lightning to spend few weeks in touch with eachother, not only talking but sharing equipments and working ways to improve their(his) training routine, and it was a huge eye opener to the kind of pony she had become. And his stupid feelings to take place. She didn't talk much about herself, only mentioning her Washout colleagues a few times, often remarks about fitness exercises required to fit her flying style, constantly admonishing the Wonderbolts, and very once in a while saying how much she hated Spitfire. Thunderlane wasn't really sure why he agreed in keeping her company, part of him believed it was because of some sort of unspoken friendship they barely had in the past, or that she was actually helping him to improve his fitness, or that he hoped she would notice him as a stallion instead of just a pony to talk with. Or maybe it was something along the lines of 'If you die tomorrow at least there will be somepony that will care'. He wouldn't say that being a Wonderbolt wasn't without its risks, but the degree of safety and the protocols always assured each of their members for the unlikely possibility of severe accidents. As long each pony did as they were taught and ordered. And speaking of orders... Thunderlane slowly moved towards the mess that was his bed, not really bothered by the disorganization that took place in his room. His excuse being his late arrival yesterday, and due how exhausted he was he didn't even bother to take a bath, which resulted in a heavy odor permeating his coat and sheets. Laying at the floor was one of his Wonderbolt suits, heavily drenched in sweat and a couple of gashes, courtesy of Spitfire's unforgiving attitude towards him, especially after he foolishly talked back at her. The Wonderbolt Captain has been in an increasing foul mood, which happened to originate at the same time The Washouts started making big hits around important towns of Equestria. The popularity of the stunt troop resulted in a heavy decline of the Wonderbolt's usual large audiences at each of their shows. Something that was directly impacting not only their reputation, but their financial support as well. Due a strange set of coincidences, that Thunderlane was pretty sure they weren't, The Washouts were always performing a few days before at the exact same places the Wonderbolts had established shows to take place. The end result was a huge amount of ponies way less impressionable after seeing The Washouts perform, and very uninterested potential customers on paying for tickets with salty prices in comparison to the newer stunt group. Spitfire, who tried her best to ignore the new competition, was fuming all over the place, her temper increased to dangerous levels, and she was at the verge of snapping at any mention of The Washouts. Her closest friends, most notably Soarin and Fleetfoot, were attempting some damage control by replacing Spitfire at other important tasks such as Academy Intructor and Fan Services. It would make no good to have her freaking out cadets or their loyal fanbase. Unfortunately other Wonderbolt members were not exempt from the current maelstrom of fury that was living up to her name more than ever. Thunderlane was increasingly suspicious that somepony told Spitfire that he was seeing Lightning Dust with some frequency, it could be the only reason for the Captain to be venting out her frustrations on him, more than it could be considered normal if in comparison with the other members. Even Soarin, on multiple ocassions, came to his aid when things started to get out of hoof. Thunderlane always received a ton of criticism from Rainbow Dash during their prime days as weather ponies, but Spitfire made Rainbow's rants seem like a foal having a tantrum for a piece of candy. Spitfire's attitude was so unbelievably wild and he wasn't really made of stone to take it for too long. Of course that telling your superior officer to fuck off was hardly a good way to deal with pressure. He was lucky she didn't rip his head off right at that moment, thankfully Soarin and Fleetfoot were there to save his sorry ass. Yet he endured three hundred laps as a punishment for his undisciplined behavior. 'Apparently if Spitfire has a stick up her ass I'm the one who has to be taught a lesson on discipline.' Thunderlane's bitter train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a hoof banging on a door, he could immediately identify the sound as somepony being at the front door of the house. Puzzlement was etched across his face at this event, it was way too early in the morning for him to be having any kind of visits. The only reason for himself to be up this early was due his necessity of preparing Rumble's breakfast, a quick bath, and clean the house before leaving for work. Nonetheless he decided to check on his visitor, curious at who could be brave enough to make the effort of visiting him at such uneventful time of the day. Suddenly Thunderlane regretted not taking a bath last night, he wasn't feeling very presentable at the moment, at least his mohawk was still looking sharp. If the mohawk was fine, so was he. The stallion moved to the hallway at a slow pace, it wasn't in his best interest to gallop through the house and wake up Rumble prematurely. Thunderlane saddened at the thought of his young brother, no longer a foal but a young colt. Rumble was going through a complicated stage of life, one he wanted to have more control over his own decisions, hardly listening to anything Thunderlane said lately. Long gone was the sweet, kind and obedient foal he worked so hard to raise, replaced by this slightly less caring and irritable version of the very same. 'I wonder if mom and dad had it this rough with me, before...everything changed.' Thunderlane pushed that thought to the back of his head, it wasn't going to do him any good to wonder the 'what ifs' of previous events. He learned to accept things as they went and moved on with his life ever since. His young brother was growing up quick and Thunderlane would have to understand that. On few months, Rumble would finally move on with his life, no longer in the need of his brother's watchful aid. Rumble would find a job, find some special somepony, and leave for his own adventures. Thunderlane was finally going to be alone. And that was a scary prospect. 'Maybe that's why I got a sudden interest on Lightning? I'm really that worried of not being by myself?' Thunderlane wasn't really sure that was the main reason for his feelings for Lightning Dust to come out of nowhere, but it surely was one of the few reasons he could think of that made any kind of sense. The banging on his door got louder as he approached, Thunderlane's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at his visitors's impatient behavior. "Alright, alright, just wait a second woul- Thunderlane cut himself short as soon he opened the door and saw who was standing at the other side. "Huh, figures ya would be such a slowpoke during the morning. How ya doing spearhead?" Playful yet serious at the same time, dressed in a very fashionable outfit that would stand out on a Nightmare Night event, one wing currently adjusting her googles, mane and tail standing out in contrast with the uniform with fierce intensity, despite the darkness that was still predominant over the town. Thunderlane wasn't even sure how Lightning Dust knew where his house was located at. "Huh...what you're doing here?" Thunderlane asked, formality forgotten due the shock of her visit. Lightning rolled her eyes, an amused smile adorning her features. "Yeah, that's quite a surprise I guess. I knew ya lived in Ponyville but not where. Had to ask those mail ponies to give me the hint." She replied, sounding oddly chipper for some reason that the stallion was yet to figure it out. "They were out there?! This early?" Thunderlane asked, disbelief evident in his voice. Lightning shrugged. "Sure, that's normal. I've worked as one myself for few weeks, but I dropped cause I was tired of waiting for them to give me stuff to deliver." Thunderlane chuckled at that piece of info. He shouldn't be surprised that the mail service couldn't keep up with Lightning Dust. "So...why you wanted to visit me? Especially this early?" Thunderlane inquired, genuinely curious about her reasons to have come after him with such interest. "Oh, right. We're doing a show this weekend at Ponyville, I was kinda wondering if ya could show up to see us perform. Unless being a Wonderbolt doesn't allow ya to do that." She added with a knowing smirk. Thunderlane huffed at her attempt of poking fun with his Wonderbolt status, ever since she found out about his inclusion as a Wonderbolt there has been this incessant wave of jokes throw at him because of it. Yet, he couldn't really be mad at her. Lightning actually wanted him to be successful at his career, her constant drilling of his muscles throught unforgiving exercises (in his personal opinion at least, Lightning called it for him being a lazy whiny), and strangely enough, her undying belief that he could be top Wonderbolt if he tried hard enough was something that earned her a huge amount of respect from him, even if he thought she was getting way over her head. At least Lightning calling him names didn't sound nowhere near as demeaning when it Rainbow Dash who was the one calling him names. "I'm pretty sure I can watch a show without permission." Thunderlane retorted, attempting to sound annoyed but failing miserably. "Spitfire may be my superior officer but she's not my...." The stallion paused, a thoughtful expression on his face as he reconsidered his words carefully. Lightning Dust, noticing his sudden hesitation, furrowed her eyebrows in concern. While both mare and stallion shared the gym, with Lightning constantly poking fun at his terrible shape while torturing him, in a productive way obviously, with tons of muscle burning tasks, Thunderlane rarely talked about himself. The very few times he did there was hardly any mention of his years as a young colt, or his parents for that matter. The stallion always avoided the subject whenever himself almost brought it into highlight. Dust wasn't in the need of a degree in psychology to notice somepony who lost other ponies in their life, and in Thunderlane's case it was a huge loss. It amazed her to think he came all the way throught for this long, even more while carrying a brother with him. Lightning Dust could only wonder what it felt like to lose somepony like that. "So...you came all the way here just to wonder about me going to your show? That's kind of weird if you ask me." Thunderlane retorted, clearly recovered from his slip. Lightning snorted. "Well, I didn't, so shut up." Her smooth reply sounded somewhat serious. "I mean...dunno. I was flying near the Weather Station yesterday. There were some weird rumors about ya getting in a fight with another Wonderbolt. My bet is on Rainbow Dash. Did ya broke her wing or something?" Lightning asked, she sounded a bit too hopeful for Thunderlane 's likening. "First of all, do you really think I would break anypony's wing?" Thunderlane asked, incredulous at her questioning. "Well, a leg maybe, doesn't have to be a wing." "No! Dust, for real? How long will you keep this ridiculous grudge against Rainbow? I'm not a fan of her either, but I don't have wishful thoughts of seeing her broken!" Lightning didn't seem to have an answer for that one. She rarely did when he got upset with her anyway. While Lightning may have helped Thunderlane where he lacked physical strength and motivation, the stallion often found himself to be a voice of reason and common sense towards Lightning's complete lack of social behavior. More often than usual he had to argue with her about the way she acted around other ponies, especially when regarding anything about flying. Lightning, surprisingly enough, is a pretty normal pony when she has her hooves and head on the ground, but once those hooves leave the ground and her head reaches above the clouds, she becomes a very different pony. Yet, no matter where, no matter what, Lightning Dust was incapable of letting past grudges go away so easily. Thunderlane never liked to raise his voice, especially at somepony else, but it seems that Lightning would only listen to him once he showed how upset he was with her attitude. Even so he had to remind himself that, even if she was being nasty about Rainbow Dash, Lightning still bothered to pay him a visit at such terrible time of the day. Shouting at her was hardly a nice way to welcome a visit, especially since they were still standing at the doorstep. He let out a heavy sigh, feeling dissapointed with himself for venting out a bit of his frustrations at her. "Tough days, huh?" She said, seemingly aware of his distress. "Yeah, things are not going too well back at HQ." Thunderlane replied, his own voice sounding strange to his ears. "Wanna come in? I gotta make breakfast, you're welcome to join if you want." Her ears perked at the mention of breakfast, or maybe the invitation was a relieving sign that the stallion wasn't really mad at her, it was hard to tell. Thunderlane closed the door after the mare passed by, albeit slowly to avoid making loud noises. He advised Lightning to keep her voice down as he guided her towards the kitchen. It was a strange feeling to have a mare inside his house at this time, and also worrisome if Rumble happened to stumble upon them at a bad time. Which is this particular case it could be at any moment. Though that was just one of the reasons to be concerned. Thunderlane couldn't help but feel anxious all of sudden by her presence, and he was pretty sure his own house wasn't this heated up before he attended the door. Lightning glanced around as they entered the kitchen, an unimpressed look on her face as she realized how simplistic it was. Wooden table, wooden chairs, wooden balcony, and several old pots, pans and fridges laying in a pile of total disaster inside the nearest closet. She wasn't sure what she was expecting from a pegasus that lived on the ground, but she surely never bothered to think about how wealthy Thunderlane could actually be. It kinda blew her away to see from up close how precarious his lifestyle was. Everything inside his house was so simple and uninteresting. "Say...how did ya afford to pay the gym? Ya don't seem to have that much." Dust boldly asked, not really concerned about the rudeness of her words. Thunderlane didn't seem at all bothered by such question, instead he just smiled proudly, an answer already present at the back of his mind. "Well, true that. I've been saving up a lot to pay for Rumble's education and few other stuff. I barely managed to get enough for the gym. We don't have much but we have all we need to keep going." Thunderlane paused as he used his mouth to pick one of the fridges from the closet. How he managed to do that without scattering all the other pots and pans Lightning had no idea. She quietly observed as the stallion made his way towards the stove. "So, anything in mind for breakfast?" Thunderlane asked while opening the small fridge. "Nothing fancy I hope." He added with a chuckle. Lightning Dust couldn't help the weird feeling she felt in her gut all of sudden. A feeling she only felt few times before, when she knew she was doing something wrong. She just couldn't understand what felt wrong about this situation. "Huh, no big deal. Just some fried eggs will do. It's not like I expect ya to be a chef outta nowhere." She replied, a mix of sarcasm and nervousness that made her voice raspier than usual. If Thunderlane noticed her uneasiness he made no comment about it. "Eh, I don't consider myself a chef, but I cook pretty good." The stallion answered while cracking a couple of eggs with the tip of his hoof. Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Ya telling me ya know how to cook? Are ya trying to impress me or something?" She asked with a devious smirk on her face, despite the odd feelings she couldn't help herself on a little tease. But Lightning's attempt at making the stallion uneasy went wide off the mark, Thunderlane was too entertained with his current task to be able to notice her tease. "Yep, never thought I would like it this much! I always bought prepared food for me and Rumble, it wasn't really expensive at the start, but I was always thankful when Chaser or Kicker invited us for launch or dinner, it was quite a relief to save some extra bits." The stallion sounded quite enthusiastic about his tale despite all the difficulties he endured. Lightning wasn't sure on what was so amazing about being poor. She has been poor for most of her life and she hated it so much. Having to share a small room with her cousins at an old ground farm for most of her youth, all because her useless mother couldn't care enough to raise her daughter by herself, it was one of Lightning's greatest motivators to pursue her dream career. A dream that was long gone, replaced by something much better. She couldn't complain about her financial income. Yet, that failed accomplishment was still eating away on her. The hissing sound of frying eggs broke the mare from her thoughts, she watched as Thunderlane, who seemed very at ease, hummed contently while picking a clean plate from the sink. Lightning could tell his body had develop decently after few weeks of gym exercises, his chest had a clear outline of musculature, though barely noticeable due his dark coat. The stallion, thanks to her advises, was lifting around fifteen POW's. A surprising amount in Lightning s personal opinion. She tried to put him up to the test with a few races in between them, but Thunderlane, despite being a lot faster than before, was still unable to keep with her on a straight path. His strengths were highlighted once they performed more demanding maneuvers, such as extreme pulls from nose dives or long courses that gave him the stamina advantage. Lightning Dust knew herself too well to know her own weaknesses, and flying for hours was something she didn't fancy in the slightest. Unfortunately Thunderlane's qualities wouldn't apply to what the Wonderbolts wanted, which was speed and agility. Their stunts weren't meant to last hours or be so demanding. Unlike The Washouts. Lightning knew Thunderlane well enough to know the stallion wouldn't agree to change sides, not at this point at least. The stallion wouldn't be able to fly their current courses anyways, Dust designed them to fit her flying style after all. "Anything to drink? I got j- "Milk is fine. I don't really care much." Dust replied quickly, much to the stallion's astonishment. "Hum, alright." He replied warily, not sure why Lightning seemed to be on edge. "I kinda wanted to ask you something." The turquoise mare shrugged, but had to remind herself that Thunderlane wasn't looking at her. "Shoot. It's not like I got anything better to do. " Thunderlane paused on his ministrations of the fridge, throwing a sidelong glance at Lightning before resuming his task. "Are you telling me why you came this early to my house? Or you gonna keep avoiding that for the rest of the day?" "Urgh, can't believe you're still into that." Lightning replied, sounding extremely frustrated. "Fine! What other reason if not to avoid that blue backstabber piece of shit ya call friend?! Of course she had to live here, if only I knew before making a scheduled show in Ponyville..." Thunderlane frowned at her language, but it was a fairly decent reason to be visiting his house at this unholy hour of the day. "I suppose there's nothing good to be expected in between you and Rainbow." Thunderlane stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Ya got that right. I couldn't care less about that stupid mare. At least I can live with the premise that she won't be there to ruin my show." Lightning replied, a derisively snarl on her face at the thought of seeing Rainbow among the spectators. "But don't get me wrong. I rather avoid her stupid face than risk myself losing everything for pissing miss loyalty." Thunderlane grimaced at her hostility, he knew he had to talk her out of it, otherwise a possible encounter with Rainbow Dash could only end up in tons of trouble. The stallion felt this was another of those situations in which he would need to be the voice of reason. Again. "Dust. We gotta talk. For real this time."