//------------------------------// // Hang Out? // Story: Fraternal // by Melody Song //------------------------------// "So...how does this work?" Daring asked as she sat down on Rainbow's bed. Rainbow sat down next to her. "It's called twenty questions, I think of something and you have twenty questions to figure out what it is." Rainbow explained. "Sounds like it's gonna get boring fast." "Yeah, well, Twilight said when she played it with AJ and Rarity it was fun, but I agree." Rainbow shrugged. "How about a twist. Instead of thinking of something, how about we ask each other questions?" Daring suggested, and Rainbow agreed. "Me first. What's your favorite food?" "Apple tarts." Daring replied "They're really good for long trips, they keep for weeks." "Cool." "Okay, my turn. What's your favorite drink?" "Easy, Sweet Apple Acres Cider, non-alcoholic." Rainbow replied "Why? You're 21, like me." "Yeah, but I prefer non-alcoholic, just because. Me next, what's your favorite drink?" "Cider too, and to be honest I like non-alcoholic myself, it keeps better than the usual kind of cider." Daring said. "What's your favorite thing to do, besides read my books?" "Fly with my friends on the Wonderbolts. Now, who's your favorite villain to beat up?" "Caballeron. Who's your worst enemy?" "Lightning Dust." Rainbow spat, then shook herself. "Forget about her. Anyway, let's do something else." Daring was about ready to agree, but she put her hoof to her mouth and yawned hugely. "Alright. How about sleep?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. The rough night she'd had the day before and all the flying she'd done to find Rainbow was wearing her out. "You can't be tired yet!" Rainbow cried. "Well, I was traveling a long way Rainbow." Daring replied, stretching and yawning. "Yeah, I guess so. Good night Daring." Rainbow said as she left Rainbow's room. Daring went into the guest room and collapsed on the bed, falling asleep within a few seconds -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next morning, Daring woke feeling more rested than she had in a long time. Rainbow was walking by the still open door, and glanced in. "Hey Daring, you sleep alright?" "Yeah. I didn't think cloud beds would be so soft." Daring said, poking the puffy mattress with a hoof. "You've never slept on a cloud before?" "No. My mom's a Unicorn and my dad's an Earth Pony, I hadn't touched a cloud until I landed on one while flying. The whole adventure in Cirrostrata was pretty new for me, walking on the clouds like it was nothing." "How can a Unicorn and an Earth Pony have a Pegasus daughter?" "I always figured one of them is related to a Pegasus, so I never really questioned it." Daring shrugged, jumping off the bed and stretching her legs. "What are we doing today?" "I dunno. Usually I'd go down to Ponyville on breaks, or go flying with Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soarin from the Wonderbolts. But since you can't be seen out of your disguise, we can't go into town." Rainbow responded, and Daring felt a little guilty for depriving Rainbow of her favorite activities. "I don't have to go with you, you can hang out with your friends." "No, I want to hang with you Daring. You came here to relax and take a break, so I'm here to help." Rainbow replied. Daring nodded in silent understanding. She opened her wings, stretching them until the tips ached. "Then let's go flying, together. I need to stretch my wings. Usually I'm only flying to get out of danger, this will be a nice change." Daring suggested. "Alright, let's go as soon as we eat." Rainbow said, her stomach growling in agreement. They both laughed and headed towards the kitchen. After eating, the two mares went outside, and Rainbow lowered herself into a professional takeoff position. Daring tried to mimic her stance, but was less successful. "Maybe you should start from standing up? It might be easier." Rainbow said gently, and Daring nodded, straightening. "First one to that cloud wins?" she asked, and Rainbow smirked. "You're on." Rainbow seemed to like a good competition. "Okay, in three...two..." they both tensed their muscles and prepared for takeoff. "One!" they shouted together. They took off, flying straight at the cloud. Rainbow won easily, landing perfectly on the fluffy surface. Daring stumbled a little on her landing, falling onto it and landing at her friend's hooves. "And Rainbow Dash wins again." Rainbow said, grinning. Daring laughed loudly, Rainbow joining in. Their laughs were strangely similar, short bursts that seemed loud and soft at the same time. "I haven't had this much fun since...ever." Daring said breathlessly, wings fluttering. "Get ready for a lot more then, let's do freestyle flying." Rainbow answered "What's that?" Daring wondered if maybe Rainbow was making it up as she went. "Spitfire does it sometimes during practice. We're flying in formation when she suddenly blows her whistle and yells 'freestyle!' Then we all can fly however we want. I think she does it because it's fun to see how differently we fly from each other when given the chance." Rainbow explained "I'll try that, I guess." Daring agreed, and they took off again. Daring felt the wind whipping her mane and whistling in her ears. She let out a whoop of joy and turned a flip in midair. She could see Rainbow nearby, doing lots of tricks and flips. She seemed to like going fast, and going high. Daring tried to copy some of the moves, just to see if she could. Daring did manage a few, but Rainbow was better. She looked up, gasped, and suddenly swerved, pushing Daring into a nearby cloud. "What-?" "Just stay down, and keep your head low." Rainbow replied, voice low. She then straightened up as a figure flew up to her. "Hey Spit." "Hey Rainbow. I was wondering if you wanted to come flying with me and the others. We can go get Fleet and Soar." "That would be great, but I've got some...weather duties to do. I need to take care of them." Rainbow replied "Oh, alright. I guess just the three of us can hang out." "Make it two, then you can finally tell Fleet how you feel." Daring could practically see the smirk on Rainbow's face. "Sh-shut up, we're just friends. See you later Crash." the mare must have flown off, because Rainbow turned back to where Daring was hiding. "She's gone." "Who was that?" Daring asked as Rainbow helped her stand, she still wasn't used to moving around on clouds. "Spitfire, my Captain, and friend. Don't ask why she called me Crash, it's a long story." "We've got time." "Okay fine, I just don't want to tell you." Rainbow admitted "Come on, tell me." Daring urged, but Rainbow shook her head. "No way. Anyway, we'd better head back to my house, unless you want your cover blown..." "You're right, we should go." Once they had made it back to Rainbow's house, Daring went into her room while Rainbow went to shower. Daring picked up her pith helmet from where she had put it the day before. Daring put it on, then grabbed her saddlebags, digging through them for the map Ravenhoof had given her when he told her about the rumor. "Maybe now that I've got a clear head I can figure out where I went wrong."