Today was a perfect time to go for a fly. Spring certainly is one of the most beautiful times, aside from Hearts and Hooves day. Flowers had begun blooming weeks ago, yet there were a few still yet to do so, outside of the small town known as Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash was flying over the hills of flowers, moving so fast she nearly uprooted them! She smiled as she soared across the sky, wanting to go for a fly after finishing up her routine.
The feeling of the breeze flowing through her colorful mane and tail, was a feeling she always loved when soaring through the sky. Finding a small, comfortable cloud, she decided to take a small rest before she went back to her usual routine. The cloud felt nice against her wings, as she relaxed her muscles. Feeling sleepy, she takes a short nap...
"Rainbow!" a soft voice said from below. Her eyes opened, feeling a little annoyed by this. However, she recognized the voice. She sat up, and looked down from the cloud. Surprisingly, no one was below her, but someone was standing nearby, looking up at a nearby cloud. She saw him, and her eyes lit up.
"Oh hey, Neocros!" She smiled. Below the cloud, a tall blue dragon stood, staring up at her with a curious gaze. The dragon had orange colored horns, a row of clear gray dorsal fins going down from his forehead to his lower back, sporting long brown hair on his head and a large tuft of hair at the tip of his lengthy tail. "What are you doing over there?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, as he thought she was on the cloud above him, but she was actually sleeping on the one next to it. He didn’t talk much, save for a few phrases and replies. He was capable of speech, but was selectively mute.
"I thought you were on this one." He said. Rainbow Dash flew off the cloud, and hovered in front of him. Neocros looked up at her, as she stared at him curiously. She noticed that his gaze wasn't on her eyes, but was a bit off to the side. "So uh... how is today?"
Rainbow initially found the way he talked a bit weird, but she got used to it after getting to know him.
"It was awesome as usual. I pulled off a really cool stunt with my squad, and got the crowd roaring!" She gushed. Neocros was a little uneasy, but he didn't know why. "How about you, Neocros?"
"Uhm..." He paused, a little hesitant to speak. "... I.. thought I'd meet you..."
She chuckled. "Say, you wanna check out the next show in a little while?"
"The Wonderbolts?"
"Yeah!"
"Uhm..." Neocros was nervous about the roaring crowds. Last time he went, he was put off by everyone's cheers, he had to cover his ears just so he could see Dash perform. "I like your performances, but I'm.. not a fan of the crowd..."
"Huh? Why?" She asked, blinking at his words. He cringed, fearing that he hurt her feelings, so he tried to fix the wound.
"I-I'll go but.. I just am not a huge fan of the noise..." He had visible panic on his face, which confused Rainbow.
"What? But the roaring audience is one of the things that make it cool!" She said, however, it was evident on his face that something was wrong. She saw his worry and anxiousness. "Uhm...Neocros? Are you okay?"
He sighed. "... I know you like crowds.. it's just... the loud sounds hurt..."
There was something in his voice that made her concerned. Even though she didn't entirely understand why he's like this, she could tell he was... different than any of her friends, aside from the obvious.
"Hmm...alright, we'll find you something to block out the noise, so that you can enjoy my awesomeness!" She tried to cheer him up a little. She only got a brief smirk before he seemingly forced his mouth to frown. He nodded, before they went off to continue with their day. The show wasn't until noon. Deep inside, Neocros felt something when seeing Rainbow Dash, but didn't know how to say it...
...
Unsure what to do until noon, Neocros just stood around, next to a tree he would frequently see. He had met Dash a while ago, and he started to feel strange. There was something about her that felt... oddly familiar. He shrugged it off though, as Dash was famous around. However, he still had a slight fixation on her. Every time he saw her, he felt a small drive to follow her, but he'd try and not let himself follow her to the point of creepiness. In that time, he was able to somewhat keep his feelings stable by engaging in a small activity in the form of reading a comic series.
He was mute when he first met her, so he couldn't communicate his admiration of her, but he was slowly able to speak.
As he was thinking, he remembered something that he overheard from Twilight and Starlight. Ponies have been going missing recently, five to be exact. What made this worrying was it happened over the weekend, with little to no traces of the victims. So much so that the mayor decided to enforce a law that ponies must have somepony next to them when returning home for the night.
That's when he began to worry for Rainbow. What if something happens to her? He knew she was stronger than him, but this felt like it was beyond her, which scared him a little more...
...
Noon had arrived, and Neocros was sitting slightly in the back, so he could get a better look from afar. He was wearing a pair of ear muffs that Twilight gave him, as he didn't like the ear plugs Dash gave him, but he felt bad for not using them. The sound did deafen most of the noise, but he was able to vaguely hear the crowd.
The crowd roared as Rainbow Dash and her squad began their show. He nervously watched Rainbow, still feeling a bit uneasy being around a huge audience. As time passed though, he started to feel better while watching her flip in the air, coordinated by her fellow Wonderbolts.
She then flew high in the clouds, readying something, before she swooped down toward the ground, preparing a Sonic Rainboom. Neocros watched with anticipation, but while feeling so, he felt something else. There was an odd feeling of anxiousness, as if something bad was about to happen, somewhere, but he didn't know where exactly. Neocros watched, as Rainbow finally performed a Sonic Rainboom!
The shockwave spread as a rainbow trail followed her, before the wave hit Neocros' ears, causing him to immediately press on the earmuffs, quietly hissing from the loud thunderclap. Despite his wincing, he still loved seeing the bright colors as Dash made the crowd cheer loudly.
...
After the show, Neocros was walking when Rainbow flew up to him.
"So, what'cha think?" She asked. Neocros nodded.
"Nice." He said. Dash cocked her head to the side, wondering why he'd reply like that. He then said he liked the colors for the Sonic Rainboom, which pleased Dash more. He glanced down again, a somewhat saddened look in his eyes. Rainbow Dash noticed his change in mood, and asked what was up. He kept his eyes focused on the ground, before speaking. "I'm sorry..."
"Huh? Why're you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong." She pointed out. He sighed.
"I... embarrass you.. with earplugs..." Neocros was having trouble speaking again, like he always does when under pressure. At first Rainbow didn't understand what he was trying to say, but was able to piece together his words.
"Uhm...you didn't embarrass me. You said you didn't like the feeling in your ears." Rainbow said. "You don't have to be sorry, Neo."
Neocros glanced to look at her wings, as he didn't make eye contact often. That depressive look was still on his face, but his gaze softened a little. He muttered softly. "okay."
They were about to part ways when Neocros felt something. Part of him had the odd motivation to ask Rainbow if he could stay over at her place, but he wasn't sure how to word it.
“R-rainbow…” He started. Rainbow glanced at him, asking him what he needed. He bit his lip. “Can… can I… sigh, can I visit you… sometime?”
He immediately glanced away, hoping to not sound awkward, but he felt it anyway. Her expression changed, seemingly surprised he’d ask her that, though it wasn’t surprising. Rather than hearing something that would make him regret his life choices, Rainbow thought for a second, before smiling.
“Sure! It’s my day off tomorrow, so you can come over. You may need something to help you fly though…” Rainbow said. Neocros nodded. “Twilight has some spells you can use.”
“She has some? Okay.. so tomorrow then?” He asked. Rainbow smirked.
“You bet!” She then glanced at the sky, before she looked back at him. “Alright, I gotta go now. See ya later, Neo!”
Neocros liked the nickname she’s given him. With the two agreeing, Rainbow sped off to her home, leaving Neocros there to feel a bit happy about his choice, but he also felt intimidated by the task he’s given himself. He’s never visited his friend’s place before. Twilight didn’t count as visiting, as he simply needed a place to live.
As Neocros started heading back to the castle, he had that sudden anxious feeling again. It was stronger this time, forcing him to turn around. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just some empty stadium seats, and closed bathroom stalls. Oh wait, he thought he saw something quickly move behind the bathroom stall. He stared at it for a long time, before he decided to cautiously head back, making sure to look over his shoulder every second or so.
He didn't want to think of the missing ponies, but his brain began thinking of them anyway. Thankfully, it looked as though whatever was behind the stall wasn't following him, so he could safely resume his walk...