Lunafly
“Rarity, is this really necessary?” Dash glared at her reflection in the huge wall mirror. She frowned at herself while her eyes wandered over her figure. Her mane was braided down on her side with the red ribbon from Soarin’ knotted at the end; it swung slowly from side to side as Rarity tightened the blouse she had designed for Dash. She gasped for air as she felt her dress clench around her stomach, her face changing color as she croaked, “Rarity! Too tight!”
Rarity turned her light blue eyes at Dash and smiled, her muzzle holding a quantity of small needles. “Of course it is necessary! You’re going on a date, darling, and with a celebrity of all ponies! You must look fabulous.” A light blue hue emitted from her horn and embraced one of the needles, floating it next to the fabric. “Now… stand still.” The needle gently threaded itself through the material and weaved a curled pattern in the streaks of the dress.
Letting go of a sigh, she watched as Rarity flew over every detail of the gown. Making sure the embroidery was just perfect, lightly overlaying the blue of the dress with all the colours in Dash’s mane. Dash flinched as a strain of Rarity’s mane tickled her nose while she adjusted the white cloud details on the chest.
She turned and stared at her reflection once more, looking at her muzzle; it should have been drawing a smile, but no matter how much she wanted it, she couldn’t. Something was missing; her friend was missing. She had imagined that it would be Twilight standing next to her on such a day, not Rarity. Not that Dash had anything against her, but on subjects like this the fashionista had a tendency to go a little overboard. But Twilight hadn’t talked to her in weeks, not since the Gala, not since she stormed out and left her alone. And because of that Dash was left in the mercy of Rarity and her fashion.
Rarity raised her head, frowning as she looked at Dash. “Rainbow Dash, darling... what’s wrong? You’re going on a date; you should be happy!”
Dash turned her eyes towards Rarity and sighed. “I know… it’s just…” She swallowed, there was no nice way to tell anypony that she’d rather be together with somepony else at that moment. She took a deep breath before she said, “Rarity?”
A smile drew itself over Rarity’s muzzle. “Yes?”
She held her breath as Rarity’s blue gems twinkled towards her, looking at her with anticipation and joy: joy for being able to help her get ready for her date. She felt a lump grow in her chest. There was no way she could ask without hurting Rarity’s feelings. Dash shook her head. “No, it’s nothing.”
Rarity mimicked the action, letting out a sharp, “Tsk!” before heading over to a table that stood in the middle of the room. She moved through a few rolls of fabric scattered on the ground. Light shone through the chandelier that hung in the roof over them, casting the room in a bright hue which adorned itself with small colorful crystals.
Dash watched as Rarity shifted her way through the endless sea of tailoring supplies. Her eyes moved over the room, the walls were coated in a light white color, with huge windows letting the sun in every few meters apart. Dash had wondered how her friend had managed to afford such a place in Canterlot. The oval room they stood in was littered with fabric, needles, ponnequins and furniture with elegant details in dark wood. This place must be really expensive, would Rarity…? She shook her head. No way would Rarity do that! But how did she afford this place anyway? Dash turned her head as she felt Rarity grabbing hold of her gown, adding in the last cloud details, her cutie mark adorning the centre of each.
Rarity took a step back, and stared at Dash with her brows furrowed and a lower lip pursed out, before she clapped her hooves together and proclaimed. “You look stunning! And this dress! If I dare say so, it might be my best work!”
A tint of red emerged in Dash’ cheeks and her lips tugged back to a short, shallow smile. “Thank you.” She met her magenta eyes in the mirror and felt her smile fade. She had to ask Rarity; there was no way around it. “Eem…” She cringed as she heard the break in the voice leaving her lips.
Adjusting her glasses, Rarity looked towards Dash as her lips drew down. “What’s wrong Rainbow? Don’t you like it?”
Dash snapped her head towards Rarity with her eyes shot up, realizing how bad that came out. “No! I love it!” Placing her hoof over her eyes, she shook her head. “It’s just…”
Rarity moved over to one of the ponnequins, gently slipping the band off her neck and transferring it to the doll’s. She turned with a smile to Dash and said, “I’m glad you like the dress. But Rainbow, you do know you can tell me anything, right?”
Dash swallowed, her eyes boring a hole in the ground before her. Hesitantly, she felt the words slip out from her lips. “Rarity… did I do something wrong?”
“Whatever do you mean?” Rarity said, as her brows furrowed towards Dash.
Flopping her ears back, Dash said, “It’s just that… Twilight hasn’t talked to me in weeks…” She halted her sentence as she felt a lump growing in her throat. She continued, struggling to keep the break in her voice in check, “And I don’t know why.” Feeling her body tense up, she rested her eyes at Rarity’s figure.
“Ooh…” Rarity muttered before turning away from Dash. She embraced a roll of fabric with her aura and gently placed it in a shelf before she said. “Twilight is a smart pony, Rainbow. I’m sure whatever reason she had for storming out like that is a good one.”
“I know that!” A sigh escaped Dash’s lips. She turned her eyes out one of the windows. Ponies walked by the store, smiling and laughing without a worry in mind. Many of them wore fine garments, and others overalls for work. A pony stood at the top of a ladder, smiling as he cleaned windows over the buzz of the city. Her eyes followed him as he climbed down and moved the ladder to the next window. She turned to the floor again and swallowed. “It’s just how it happened. Everything seemed fine until I told her I was going on this date.”
“Then there must be something you’re missing, sweetie,” Rarity offered after a short time.
“I guess… but what? It’s not like I have clues to go after!” Dash snapped. A jab pulsed through her stomach, as she saw her friend’s lower lip quiver. Taking a deep breath, Dash said softly, “Look, Rarity, I’m just a little on edge because of everything. I know you’re just trying to help... it’s just...”
Rarity’s lips tugged back into a smile. “It’s quite alright; I know how it is.” She lifted her hoof and softly tapped her lower jaw. “You got to remember that Twilight didn’t have many friends before she moved to Ponyville, and we are all getting into relationships, giving us less time together. I’m sure she’s just afraid of losing you and us. You and Twilight were the last of us that didn’t have a special somepony. Now that you are going on this date, I’m sure she was struck by fear of that she might lose the thing that made you so close lately.” Rarity nodded slowly with a satisfied smile.
“Twilight’s way smarter than that,” Dash answered with a chuckle.
Rarity grabbed a piece of fabric and started to sew in golden linings in the clouds. “You do have to remember that you have always been good with other ponies, while Twilight has... not. It has nothing to do with being smart; it is about experience.”
That can’t be the only reason, Dash thought as her eyes wandered towards one of the windows.
She slowly made her way over, ignoring Rarity’s protests when a pin dropped with a tiny clink to the floor. Pegasi flew over the town’s gentle buzz, clearing clouds that would threaten to spoil the day. Dash sighed, staring at the pegasi with jealousy. What wouldn’t she give to be one of them now? Free of all difficult thoughts, free of all this uncertainty. She ran a hoof through her mane, imagining the wind blowing through it. Taking loops around the clouds, spinning them around until she eventually found the perfect one to lie down on, and closing her eyes while feeling the sun gently kiss her cheeks. Slowly drifting away in a lazy pace on the currents, just sleeping, nothing more than her and the dreams.
Feeling a light tap on her shoulder, she turned to see Rarity indicating for her to follow. Dash threw a quick glance back at the sky before walking after Rarity. A muffled sound bounced off the walls from the carpet in the reception as they walked. Dash looked around. The reception desk was adorned with delicate details in its light wooden texture. A soft grey color with white stripes covered the walls, joining up with the black and white tiles on the floor. Close to the windows, ponnequins stood side by side, holding up dresses Rarity had designed.
A rack with rolls of fabric leaned against one of the walls; the wall looked like a trapped rainbow with all the different colors stacked against it. Dash made her way over and looked closely at one of them. The golden color caught her attention. She ran her hoof over it, the fabric rippling as if it were a puddle she had dipped the hoof into; she had seen this before in Rarity’s shop in Ponyville. Dash smiled for herself, thinking back to the chaos that occurred when Sweetie Belle had cut the golden cloth into pieces to make the Cutie Mark Crusader cloaks. Rarity had been furious since it had been so difficult and expensive to get a hold of. She looked next to the rack; the golden tubes stood there in abundance as if it were a simple cloth.
Dash made her way over to the door, where Rarity waited with a big smile drawn upon her face. “Rarity... how can you afford all this?” she asked, as her eyes wandered over the store.
One side of her muzzle tugged back while she looked at Dash. “A lady never reveals her secrets.”
“Aaaw, come on Rarity, you can at least tell me something, did you find a pot of gold? Did you get it from Hoity Toity as a gift for something?” Dash said, a grin manifesting upon her face.
Rarity glared at Dash while one of her eyes twitched, her jaw opened slowly. “How dare you suggest that I would do such a thing? To even think that I would do something so uncouth!”
The Pegasus took a few steps back while raising her hooves up in front as a defensive wall. “Whoa, Rarity! I didn’t mean it like that. I was joking. I’m just curious, and you know… rumors start to fly when you’re being all secretive.”
A vein pulsated in Rarity’s forehead, her eyes pierced through Dash before she took a heavy breath and said, “Very well… if you must know, Hoity Toity and I have been dating for a while, and he allows me to use this studio as much as I want.”
“That’s great!” Dash replied. “But why keep it a secret, Rarity?” As the words slipped from her lips, she felt a light tug in her stomach, as if she knew the answer before it came.
“He wished for our relationship to seem professional to outsiders. He was afraid it would slander his reputation if we dated and happened to break up shortly after.” Rarity spun around before turning to face Dash with glimmer in her eyes. “And now, he says he will make it official; we have been dating for eight months now.” She leaped up, wrapping her hooves around Dash’ neck and squealing. “I have found my knight! I just know it!” She blushed while taking a few steps back, slowly bringing her hoof up to her mouth. “I beg your pardon, Rainbow Dash. That was very unladylike of me.”
Gently massaging her neck, Dash smiled. “It’s okay, Rarity. We all can get carried away sometimes. I’m just glad you’re happy.”
Rarity smiled. “I have a little surprise for you as well. Seeing as this is your first proper date, I decided to give you something extra today.” She opened the door and pushed Dash outside. “Here, take a look!”
A carriage stood outside waiting for her; the driver gently took his hat off and bowed towards Dash. Her eyes grew big as she looked at the freight. The black surface gleamed in the midday sun. Small golden lanterns hung from the curved corners of the roof, which was encircled by a metal fence at the top. The wheels stood in contrast with the black wagon; the light wooden material was encircled by a thin metal plate nailed tightly in place. The front of it had a cherry red cushion with a black fence around, and a small steel pedal for controlling the brakes.
The driver jumped down and maneuvered himself in front of the door. He had a short black tie that hung over over the white triangle of his shirt, the rest was a black suit with golden buttons on the chest and hooves. His eyes were green like emeralds, with a scar running down the right eye to his lip. He placed the hat back over his icy blue mane and stepped on a pedal with his hoof, causing a metal plate to shoot out from under the carriage. He grinned towards Dash and said as he opened the door with a light yellow hoof, “I’m yers fur the day, lass.”
Dash turned towards Rarity with a perplexed expression. “The day? Rarity… it’s really too much.”
The unicorn shook her head before pushing Dash onto the carriage. “Sweetie! It’s your day! Now go and have fun; do not think any of this!”
“Bu-“
“I won’t hear anything of it!” Rarity proclaimed while pushing Dash forward.
Stumbling into the carriage, Dash sighed before she heard the door shut behind her. She looked out the window and waved hesitantly to Rarity who beamed towards her. A sharp pull signaled that the carriage was starting to move. Quickly, she sat herself down in the corner. The inside was designed with a crimson red tapestry, and bright gold stripes in between. In the middle stood a table in faded black color, with small hinges to put glasses on. The cushions had a pearl white color with a velvet fabric. Dash leaned back resting her head on the wall behind her. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander. I feel like I have seen the driver before, but where? she thought, before opening her eyes and watching as the town drifted past her.
A careful smile came to Dash’s lips as she spotted a couple of ponies sitting on a bench, carefully nuzzling each other. Just like Fluttershy and Caramel did when she caught them in the woods. Caramel just shrugged it off with a smile, but Fluttershy almost died of embarrassment. He was her first proper coltfriend; when the topic came up at one of their get-togethers, Fluttershy had spun stories about old coltfriends. They first started innocent, sounding like nothing more than a schoolyard crush, but as time went by, her stories had become a little more extravagant, sounding like something that could be found in a romance novel. And right before she met Caramel, she was so lost in her made up stories that she almost ignored the colt completely. Dash laughed; Fluttershy had almost broken into tears as she told Dash she had never been with anypony before, and how sorry she was for lying about it. All she had wanted was to fit in...
It wasn’t like that with Pinkie, though; she strutted around like a proud peacock once she got her pink hooves on Mac, almost as if she was rubbing it in Applejack’s face. By the looks of it, though, the farmpony was more than okay with her brother finally finding somepony. But it raised the question to why they got together: Mac was the complete opposite of Pinkie, calm and subtle. Pinkie had explained in her own way that he made her relax; they rarely spoke much, and it was nice for a change for her to just be calm. Applejack was swelling with pride once she told Pinkie that she was the one who pushed Mac to ask her out. The poor stallion had been so nervous that he had lost his ability to speak, more so than usual when he told Applejack that he had a crush on her friend. The day after, Sweet Apple Acres had been in chaos after Pinkie Pie had woken them all up with a party especially for Applejack; Pinkie wanted to properly thank her for what she had done. Dash chuckled. Applejack had been pretty mad, as Pinkie almost gave Granny a heart attack from the sudden wakening. But, as always, Pinkie was hard to stay mad at for long.
Applejack was a chapter of her own; she proclaimed that she had not time for such things. But apparently she had something with a stallion named Lucky Clover. He was a somewhat careful stallion, always mindful of others. Dash put a hoof to her muzzle. What is it AJ had said? ‘Ah might not ‘ave time for a relationship, but, gosh darnit, Ah’m a mare an’ a need some rough-housing now an’ then.’ Dash had seen them on some of the get-togethers, and, no matter how much Applejack insisted it wasn’t something serious, the giggles and small nibbles on his ears, the long stares when he rose to get something for them, and the fact that Applejack took some days off to be with him said otherwise.
Rarity had found Hoity Toity. She seemed happy enough. Dash found it a bit strange that he wanted to keep it a secret for so long. She sighed; for some reason, Hoity made her ill at ease, and an uncomfortable feeling rose every time his name was mentioned, like there was something she was supposed to know. Dash sighed again. Rarity seemed so happy about it all, getting together with somepony, sharing everything with him. Just like a friend, but more.
Dash snorted. Who would bother with that? she thought while resting her head on the table. She bit her lip, But who am I to talk? I’m going down the same road. She banged her head down at the wooden surface, before looking out the window and up to the sky. Why must everything be so damn complicated? I’d much rather be up there flying right now, instead of going to this stupid date. She never would have believed that she would get into the romantic scene before Twilight. If anything, she was sure to be the last by a wide margin. Leaning back against the wall, Dash stared at the waved pattern of the roof. I wonder what she’s doing now? She smiled, thinking back to their nights of reading together, how at ease everything felt when they were together. The two of them just sitting back on their pillows, giggling at jokes made at the author’s expense. And that one night when they sat together under the blanket, sharing the same book, reading the same lines over and over again because they kept interrupting each other. Dash sighed. That night was special. She never felt at ease around anypony that close, but with Twilight it was something else. Maybe it was her smell, or even just her calm nature, that made it so easy to accept the closeness of it all...
Dash sighed. Again. I really need to talk to her, maybe tomorrow? Dash felt her eyelids getting heavy as she finished her thought, before she felt the world slip away from her, followed by darkness.
~~~~
She was gently awoken by the motion of the carriage slowing down to a halt. Rubbing her hooves in her eyes, Dash struggled to adjust to the sudden bright wave that beamed in as the door was opened. We’re here already?! The thought screamed at her; she jolted up and fumbled with her mane, making sure nothing flared out from it. Halting her motions, she thought, What are you doing Dash? Since when do you care how you look? Taking a deep breath, she stood up and stepped towards the opening.
Dash cocked her brow up as she saw the drivers head poke in through the opening, with a devious grin on his face. He chuckled towards her and said. “Yer a li’ll nervous, aren’t yeh, lass?”
She scoffed towards him, and pushed herself forward while she growled at him, “No, and not like it is any of your business if I were!” Dash glared at the unicorn in front of her. “Who are you anyway? I know I’ve seen you somewhere,” she said while poking a hoof at his chest.
“Rainbow?”
The Pegasus turned, and her cheeks quickly bloomed bright red. Soarin’ was standing only a few feet away. His hair was combed slightly to the side, glistening softly in the midday sun from the gel he had used to fix it. He had a dark blue jacket adorned with buttons, each shaped like the Wonderbolts logo. From his neck hung a black tie, loosely knotted, held in place by a golden clip to the white shirt. Behind him stood a throng of paparazzi, all scribbling notes and taking pictures of Rainbow.
He smiled curiously while looking at the driver. “What did he do?” he said and pointed.
“I don’t know; he’s just familiar and way too curious.” She turned to finish her questions, but stopped at what she saw. In front of her stood a brown earth pony with a handlebar mustache, his yellow eyes shifting from her to Soarin’. Dash stared perplexed for a while before slowly saying, “I-I… sorry, I was sure you were a unicorn.”
The earth pony nodded, before he said in a deep voice, “Whatever gets you going, Miss. I will be here waiting for you once you are done with your dinner.” He bowed slightly and jumped up on the driver cushion of the carriage, leaned back and pulled out a paper.
“I hate to rush you, but I’m famished and the food here is great!”
Dash lingered a little before she turned and made her way over to Soarin’, “Y-yeah.”
The road in front of the restaurant was made of gray cobblestones, she stepped up on the heightened path and looked around. A red arch was stretched out from the entrance, on the front of it was the title ‘Equestria Exquisite Dining’, embroidered in delicate golden writing. Under it a crimson carpet was laid out, the velvet fabric tickling softly under her hooves. A strip of wood beneath the walls was painted in a black color, contrasting a little from the gray stones of the pavement. The white themselves walls bathed in the midday sun, gleaming brightly, enclosing the huge windows in a wall of moving light.
He flared his wings as she passed him and turned to the horde of paparazzi; he scowled at them and said. “Please, take a few pictures now, and leave us at peace for the rest of the night.” He folded his wings and walked up to the door of the restaurant, he smiled at Dash while opening it. “After you,”
The smell of burnt wick and scented candles tingled in her nose as she entered. It was slowly followed by the delicious smell of the various meals being prepared in the kitchen. The interior of the restaurant had a delicate mix of black and white on the walls; intricate lamps were fastened to the walls together with paintings. From the roof white lamps formed as a circle hung with a good space between them. In the very middle of the room a brazier stood lit, burning strongly, draping the surrounding area in an orange glow that flickered as the fire danced. Throughout the restaurant were little tables of dark wood, each surrounded by white-cushioned chairs.
Dash stood in awe. She had never been in any sort of fancy restaurant, just sometimes flown past them. Thinking back, the fanciest place she had been to was Sugarcube Corner. The food there was great, but it could not compare on visual basis. Her imagination had sometimes given her the thought of being in such a place once she became a famous Wonderbolt, but this place was amazing beyond her wildest dreams. At the end of the rug stood a brown pony dressed in fine black linen cloth, his chest adorned with a white silk scarf tied in an elegant knot. In front of him stood a wooden pillar in light wood, flower petals engraved on the surface in a circling pattern. Dash shifted quickly in place as she felt his eyes rest on her figure, waiting for her to say something.
Soarin’ walked up beside her and addressed the pony behind the pillar. “Soarin’, table for two, and put all expenses on my tab here.” He turned to her a gave a sheepish grin. “I’m very sorry about that outside there. The paparazzi can become a little intense sometimes. But for some reason the paparazzi in Phillydelphia are much more intense; they don’t leave you no matter what. Here they at least respect my… our privacy to some degree.”
She smiled at him; she was used to attention, and quite frankly relished in it. But this attention made her a little ill at ease. It was not for something awesome she had done, but for just agreeing to go on a date with a Wonderbolt. It would be different when she was the reason for the ruckus, when something was done to deserve it. “It’s okay, I’m used to a little attention, and I have my own fanclub y’know.” Dash felt her cheeks start to burn as the word slipped from her lips; a little fanclub probably didn’t mean anything for a Wonderbolt.
The head-butler scribbled something quickly in the book that nestled on top of the pillar, before nodding and indicating them to follow him.
“Really?!” Soarin’ looked at her with amazement while they were guided through the restaurant to a table in the far corner by a waiter. Soarin’ leaped forward and intercepted the other stallion, pulled out one of the chairs and waiting for Dash to sit down before he pushed her forward. He quickly sat himself at the other side and looked at her. “That’s amazing, tell me more!”
Dash cocked a brow up and stared at Soarin’. “You care about that?” she exclaimed.
He nodded rapidly, like a foal would when faced with something it really wanted as he answered. “Mhm! That’s incredibly awesome, nopony knew who I was before I joined the bolts.”
She almost let go of a giggle at the sight of this full grown stallion that looked at her like she was the newest wonder in Equestria. Dash was about to reply when a waiter came for their order. She quickly skimmed through the menu and ordered a plate of creamed hay along with a glass of cider. The waiter took the menus and folded them under his jacket, poured some water in two glasses that stood on the table, bowed slightly and left.
Dash grinned sheepishly at Soarin. “I had a period when I went out of my way to get attention for my actions; like saving ponies from danger and such. As I said, I relished in the attention, but my friends thought it went a bit overboard.”
Soarin’ looked at her with a quizzical stare. “Oh? How come?”
Her cheeks heated up, “I... kinda made sure there were ponies around to see me before I saved somepony... once...” the words passed her lips like poison to her very core.
Soarin’ leaned on the table and looked at her. “So what did your friends do?”
Dash took a sip of water before she continued. “Well... you ever heard of Mare-do-Well?”
“Yeah, I remember reading something about her in a paper a while back,” he said while nodding slightly.
“That was them.” She smiled and stared without aim through the glass she held in her hooves. “They went out of their way and created a mare that could do anything; they made sure to switch around so they do magic, fly and even use the Pinkie-sense.”
Soarin’ stared at her as if somepony had slapped him with a questionmark. “Pinkie-sense?”
She smiled as her eyes saw the look of complete confusion on Soarin’. “Eh... it can’t be explained, it just is. But the important part is that I got a lesson in humility.”
A smile drew itself over his lips. “It sounds like your friends care a lot about you”
Dash nodded. “Yeah...” but it wasn’t over her friends she felt bad, her guilt was lingering at a little filly. She may have come to her senses thanks to them, but the more she thought about it, the more it dawned upon her that she never had apologized to Scootaloo. After all, Scoots believed in her; she always did. The pegasus felt a void grow in her stomach every time she thought of it. Giving Scootaloo flying lessons was a good start, but she always felt she could do more. The thought of adopting her had crossed her mind, but always shaken off as uncertainty crawled over her questioning her maternal instincts, or just family instincts in general. “But...”
She snapped out of her thoughts, noticing the food being placed in front of them. She smiled quickly at the waiter and took a mouthful of cider. Her lips tugged into a grin as she felt the fruity brew tingle down her throat. She looked at the now half-empty glass and exclaimed, “Almost as good as Applejack’s!”
Soarin’ gobbled in a big piece of pie while he smiled towards her. “You were saying?”
She blinked at him, not saying a word for a few seconds before her train of thought caught up with what he was hinting at. “Oh! I was just thinking about Scootaloo, the founder of my fan-club. I never got around to apologizing to her...” Dash took a bite of food, and quickly said, “What’s up with Spitfire? I never imagined her to be like that,” before Soarin’ could respond.
Soarin’ swallowed a piece of pie with a mouthful of cider and answered hesitantly, “Yeah... Seeing as you will be meeting her again in a few days, it’s only fair that you know a little I guess.” He turned his eyes and stared at Dash with a face that could only be compared to stone. “I have known Spitfire since we were just small foals, and I can say that a lot of what you witnessed at the gala comes from her childhood.” He swallowed and shifted his plate before he continued. “I have lost count on how many nights I have been sitting with her because she was afraid of being alone, or how many times she has awoken me because of her nightmares just to have a safe shoulder to cry on...” He shuddered. “She handles confrontation badly; it gives her a need to prove herself. All of this comes from...” He shook his head. “It’s not for me to say... But promise to not think too badly of her, okay?”
Rainbow Dash nodded and they fell into a short silence. After a while, Soarin’ shifted the conversation to familiar ground, seemingly wanting to forget the part with Spitfire. All the time while they ate, he sat and listened to her intently when she spoke; even if Dash was unladylike—as Rarity would call it—she didn’t mind talking about herself, much like all other mares. The evening dragged on while they enjoyed each other’s company; they talked mostly about flying techniques and how Dash always wanted to be a Wonderbolt.
The only interruption was when somepony occasionally came over to the table for an autograph. Rainbow was surprised of how kindly Soarin’ took to all the commotion and interruptions. He never once turned away a fan, foal or grown-up. He allowed parents to take pictures of him and their foals without even thinking of it; he beamed up as they asked, almost as eager as them. She sat still and watched. The smile he gave of was something unique; it was genuine, she concluded to herself.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have somepony to be more than a friend with? She thought, before quickly shaking it away. That is something Rarity would say, not me! Her eyes wandered over the room and back to Soarin’. But still…
Soarin’ looked at his watch and said, “I’m terribly sorry little ones, but my friend and I must get going.” He stood up, placed a hoof of bits on the table as tip to their waiter and made his way over to her and pulled out her chair.
It took Dash a few moments to grasp what occurred, and stood up with a slightly annoyed smile. She didn’t know if he just wanted to be nice, or if it was a show he put up for those around, but it was not normal for her to have her chair pulled out for her.
As they made their way out of the restaurant more ponies crowded around, eager to get an autograph or a hoofshake from Soarin’. He gave a few of them autographs and a pat on their shoulder, but started to decline them as they neared the exit. He skipped forward a few paces and held the door open for her with a smile.
Outside the carriage waited for them, with the driver patiently holding the door open. Dash entered and sat herself close to the window at the opposite side. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt her body sink down in the fabric. The amount of attention was constricting at times, especially when it wasn’t for her; she was just there on the side.
Soarin’ leaped in and sat down next to Dash. The interior faded along with the light as the driver closed the door after them. He turned to Dash with a childish grin over his lips. “Ho-boy! Many ponies out here today. I’m really sorry, it’s normally not this bad. But I want you to know, I’m having a great time with you,” he said, while knocking the roof of the carriage, signaling for them to leave.
She smiled at him and said, “Yeah, so am I. Thank you.” Dash closed her mouth and moved her eyes to the other side of the carriage. She did actually mean that. She always thought of dates as boring events, but today was a lot of fun. Her eyes moved to him and rested on his figure. He sat still looking out the other window, smiling at the last of the daylight. Maybe it’s time to grow up? she thought to herself, before looking out the window at her side. It was nearing twilight hour, the light started to fade slightly.
The ride was short and uneventful. They sat still, not saying much. Dash looked out the window at the gleaming orange sunset, the very last beams of light before the night would close in. The silence between them didn’t feel uncomfortable, but rather odd and yet appreciated. After a while the wagon slowed to a halt and Soarin’ sprung up to open the door. He almost leaped out and landed with a thud outside; Dash withheld a giggle and followed him to the door. Looking out, she saw the day slowly turning into night.
Soarin’ smiled towards her as he stretched out a hoof to help her out the carriage. As Dash accepted the offered hoof, he said, “Did I mention that you look stunning tonight, Rainbow?”
As she stepped down a tint of red emerged in her cheeks, while murmuring a thank you. The carriage had stopped in front of the Canterlot Gardens; the early night moon bathed the streets before it in a white, almost magical glow. She could see cats crossing the streets while avoiding the light that cast itself from the lanterns down on the road and left huge circles of almost complete whiteness. The creatures of the night slinked themselves through the fences between some of the houses close to the edge, finding their way through various places that would be inaccessible for any creature of lesser grace.
She closed her eyes as she felt the warm night air play with her mane, imagining her previous flight. Dash often flew at this hour. It started out as something she did to burn energy once when she couldn’t sleep, trying to find a nice cloud to sleep on instead of her bed. All it took was a turn of the head for her to see Ponyville embraced by darkness; the small sources of light enraptured her. She stayed awake until sunrise, just looking. Now she took a night flight—as she called them—every time she had trouble sleeping, or just needed to think.
“It’s a beautiful evening, isn’t it?”
She turned and faced him with a smile. “Yeah… I guess.”
He walked towards the entrance of the gardens, returning her smile with a big grin. “Come, I got something to show you.”
She chuckled at the sight of Soarin’ almost tripping in place as he waited for her to get next to him. He joined her as she passed him, walking beside her with a big smile drawn on his lips. Dash took a deep breath as she felt a wing carefully nestling itself on her back, the sudden touch catching her by surprise. She closed her eyes, feeling his wing tapping on her back with every step taken. She forced away the wish to shrug it off; the closeness felt strange, yet comforting.
The Canterlot gardens basked in the white, dim light from the moon, giving it all a magical essence. The only hint of noise in the garden that night was the light clacks of their hooves hitting the stones of the walkways, and some chirps from crickets. Huge green walls made from entwined vines towered next to them. A short breath of wind cast itself between the walls, the leaves shifting as it passed, making the walls seemingly move as the light flickered across them. Small white arches hung over the stone path, with vines hanging down from them, which gently brushed their manes as they walked under them. On the ground next to the tiles, long grass stretched itself up towards the sky, with tiny pods of Nightflowers in between.
After a short walk they rounded a corner. In front of them stood a fountain, and a round white table with two chairs of the same color. In the middle of the table stood a set of candles, with tiny flames flickering in the small gusts of the night. Soarin’ withdrew his wing from Dash’s back and rushed over to pull out one of the chairs for her. She sat down and looked at the dessert placed on the table as she felt her chair getting pushed in place. Two bits of rainbow colored spheres of ice-cream nestled on the plate, and a tall bottle of champagne with two glasses stood next to it. She picked up the spoon and took a small bite. The taste of it was inconsistent, not staying the same for more than a few seconds of the time, going through all sorts of berries and fruit.
Dash swallowed and felt her eyes glimmer as she looked at Soarin’. “Is this real Zapp-apple ice-cream?” she squeaked, while the tastes tingled down her throat.
Soarin’ poured some champagne in their glasses, sat down on the other side of the table and smiled at her while he took a bite himself, before he nodded and said, “Yupp! I got your friend Applejack to make it for tonight. She said you loved Zapp-apple, so I thought that ice-cream made from it couldn’t be that bad.”
Her eyes glimmered while she stared at the plate. “I-it’s awesome! Thanks!” she almost growled the words before she threw herself over the plate and began to devour the ice-cream, scooping it into her mouth with greedy motions. Her head jolted back as a freezing sting shot through her forehead. She held both her hooves on her head and winced. “That stings!” Dash slowly opened her eyes as she heard a bellowing laugh coming from the other side of the table; her cheeks flushed into a red color as she licked around her mouth and turned a sheepish grin towards him.
“Here, you have a little…” He took a napkin over his hoof and leaned over, gently wiping her mouth. Soarin’ held his hoof still in front of her, he stared at her while a shade of red sprung to his cheeks. Without moving his eyes, he slowly said, “There… much better.”
Dash cocked a brow and looked at the napkin in front of her, smeared with Zapp-apple ice-cream. “Gee… thanks, I’m clean now.”
Soarin’ sat back down with a faint blush in his cheeks. He took a sip of his champagne and smacked his lips before he asked, “Say... if you don’t mind me asking, who is this Scootaloo?”
“Why do you ask?”
He smiled at her. “It’s the way you said her name. You care a lot for her, don’t you?”
She stared at him, taken a bit aback from the question—or more, the truth to it. The flight lessons with Scootaloo and reading nights with Twilight were the things she looked most forward to. She enjoyed seeing the smile on the small filly’s face every time they got together, or even just the beaming grin she had whenever she rode on Dash’ back.
“Yeah, I do.” Dash felt a warm sensation grow in her stomach. When did I become this sappy? she thought before she continued, “She’s an orphan down in Ponyville I spend some days with, teaching her how to fly and whatnot, or just... being there for her. I have been wondering about making the whole ‘under my wing’ official, like... adopting her as my sister.”
“What’s stopping you?” Soarin’ asked with a quizzical expression.
“I don’t really know... What do I have to offer her? I have never been good with any of that girly stuff. I have a steady job, but that’s it. I have never had any experience with taking care of anypony before,” Dash answered, feeling the regret of the words build up in her.
“I think you’re wrong,” he retorted.
Dash stared at him. “What do you mean?”
Soarin’ smiled and pointed a hoof at her. “Do you know what I see? I see a mare that has more to offer a small filly than she might realize. I think you already see her as a sister; you’re just a little afraid of taking the last step. But who else is better to teach a small filly about values than the Element of Loyalty herself? I’m certain you would make a very good role-model for her.”
Dash snorted a little. “Yeah, if you take away all the times I buck up.”
“From what I’ve heard from you today, you learn from your mistakes. And if you, for some reason, do make a mistake or two, I’m sure she would understand,” he quickly offered.
“You think so?” Dash asked.
Getting a quick nod in answer, she leaned back and took a few sips of her champagne. Maybe he was right? Scootaloo would be overjoyed. I might have more to offer, she quickly thought as a smile formed on her lips. Tomorrow, she would be together with Scootaloo again; Dash looked forward to those days more and more. She took a small bite of cream and relished in the calm silence that fell over the garden as they continued their dessert.
The silence was broken by Soarin’ clearing his throat and rising up. He moved a little towards the fountain and said to her, “Come, I have something else to show you.”
Soarin’ led her to the other side of the fountain and picked up a small cage. His lips tugged back into a smile, as he stuck a hoof into the cage. “I did ask a favor from your friend Fluttershy as well.” He slowly pulled out the hoof and gently lowered the cage. He sat on the edge of the fountain and stared at a small creature that now nestled on the tip of his hoof. Without moving his eyes from it, he whispered just loud enough for Dash to hear. “Come closer, but be careful; Lunaflies are timid creatures.”
Dash slowly closed the gap between her and Soarin’, her magenta eyes fixated on the small being that rested on his hoof. Enraptured, she did not notice how close she came to it. Her breath caused its wings to flicker. The Lunafly turned to face her and played gently on her snout with its feelers; she resisted the urge to sneeze as the Lunafly tingled on the hairs on her muzzle. The small creature climbed on to her and flapped out its transparent purple wings in the process, giving Dash a violet tinge to her vision as they covered her eyes. Seeing it so close, she noticed the dark purple pelt on its body with a back that looked like a glass cocoon.
Soarin’ moved closer to them and whispered. “They only come out at night, and if you manage to see them just after the twilight hour they will give you a magnificent view.” He moved his muzzle close to hers and blew carefully on the creature, causing it to fly off. “Just see now,” he said and turned a smile to Dash.
Her eyes followed the Lunafly while it flew away only a few feet, landing on a Nightflower that had sprung to life as the night drew closer. Its dark blue petals spread out in a lotus, and on the tip the color was broken by a black half-moon. The center of it resembled a full-moon, a bright white circle that stood in contrast with the rest. The Lunafly dipped its snout down in the circle and drank the nectar, causing the cocoon on its back to light up with a light violet hue.
Soarin’ stood next to Dash and smiled while he looked at it. He chuckled and said, “You know, I never wanted to be a Wonderbolt.”
“You… didn’t?” Dash’s mind never strayed far from the color that danced in front of her, reminding her of something she held close to her heart.
“No. I was never one for fame or glory; I never appreciated the fact that everypony wants to know what you are doing once you are famous. I just wanted to enjoy life.”
“Then why did you?” she asked while slowly moving her eyes to him.
“It’s my talent; what you’re good at isn’t always something you desire most,” he said, as he smiled, made his way over to the Lunafly and picked it up. He stared at it for a little before gently tossing it up in the air. “I just wanted to float through life, like a butterfly... I guess that’s why they fascinate me so much.” He moved back next to her and whispered close to her ear, “Watch.”
The Lunafly flew up with erratic motions, while sending out a calming tune for the night. The light that embraced it pulsated with the song, going back and forth in intensity. While Dash watched, a shiver went down her spine, causing her to shudder. She quickly felt a wing laying itself on her back, folding around her body. She turned and looked at Soarin’, who smiled towards her; he must have thought that she was freezing. A shade of red sprung to her cheeks; the shudder was not from cold, but from the sheer beauty of the tune played by the Lunafly. It reminded her of when Twilight had to put the Ursa Minor to sleep when it had been dragged into town by Snips and Snails. She swallowed as she felt Soarin’ move closer, wrapping his wing around her even tighter. It didn’t feel great to have him this close, but it felt good. But Rainbow didn’t have the heart to tell him that she wasn’t freezing. Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, tonight had been fun. Not normal fun, but—she giggled inside her mind—as Rarity would have said it, ‘Delightful’.
Soarin’ made her feel different, appreciated in a new way. All other stallions treated her like she was just another of the guys, but Soarin' made her feel... special. Her heart skipped a beat as she caught herself leaning over on his neck; it was almost constricting, followed by a warm tingle in her stomach.
He whispered softly to her, “Listen… the Lunafly sings to the others, calling them here for the blossoming of the Nightflowers.”
She raised her head a little, looking out over the field in front of them. “I don-” Dash halted her sentence as small orbs of violet light started to emerge over the grass. First a few, then they appeared everywhere, pulsating in rhythm with the tune that grew in intensity, as some of them flew in erratic movements over them. The motions made it seem like they danced together in the night. As more Lunaflies arrived, the grass in front seemed to be put under a blanket of tranquility with small orbs of purple flickering light placed on top.
“I-it’s awesome… no, it’s beautiful,” she said, without her eyes leaving the sight in front of her.
Feeling a hoof touching her chin, she turned her head and looked into his light blue eyes; they sparkled with a brilliant luster in the dim light from the Lunaflies and the moon. He slowly lifted her head up and pressed his lips to hers. Dash felt a warm sensation ripple through her body. Her eyes almost glared at his, only to be met with two eyelids. As the surprise of his action faded, she slowly closed her eyes and returned his approach. For a short while, she felt as time stood still while standing in the warm embrace. His wings enveloped them, creating a place just for them, where nothing else but this moment mattered.