Out of the Blue

by LightSpectrum


Chapter 4

Out of the Blue
Chapter 4

Rainbow Dash awoke to a bright light, a sore body, and a wet pillow.

The sun's buttery golden beams coursed through her open window, casting orangey yellow light onto her sleepy face. She stretched luxuriously, remembering the events of last night. Her wings were sore because she had hung out with Soarin and they'd flown to her house together. At the thought of his name, her heart momentarily swelled with joy, only to be quickly replaced with a sense of disappointment. She smacked her lips as she stretched again. She tasted salt on her cheeks and lips.

Rainbow looked down at the soaked pillow on her bed. Then she remembered inviting Soarin inside, after their sort of date. He had rejected her offer. Rainbow sighed, looking around her. Her eyes fell on the shredded remains or Rarity's dress. Rainbow cringed.

"Damnit, Rarity is going to be so pissed off at me."

Rainbow bundled the dress up in some old newspapers. Slightly scared about what the unicorn's reaction would inevitably be, she trudged out the door and flew to the boutique.

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Rainbow Dash was about to dive through the window. She decided against it, however, and knocked on Rarity's door.

"Hello and welcome to- oh, Rainbow! You're back! How did your little date go?"

Rainbow chuckled, trying to act positive.

"Well, it was good, I guess."

Rarity's eyes drifted to the newspaper bundle.

"And whatever would be in that bundle, darling?"

Rainbow chuckled again, this time nervously. She slowly unwrapped I to reveal the ruined dress. She slumped, crouching down a bit to protect herself from the verbal and physical onslaught that was sure to come.

Rarity laughed lightly, clearly amused by her ensemble's sorry state.

"Oh, I see. So, Rainbow. Tell me all about your first."

The unicorn continued to giggle as Rainbow's face portrayed a wide range of emotions. First she was confused, then she was bewildered, and then she was surprised, and then she realized what the fashionista meant.

"What? WHAT?! No, I didn't..." She paused awkwardly. Her face blushed a bright pinkish red as her wings stiffened and puffed outwards. "I didn't- um, sleep with Soarin! No!!!"

Rarity collapsed on the floor, laughing her head off at her miserably embarrassed friend. After about ten minutes, she finally composed herself.

"I do apologize, Rainbow, darling. It's unladylike to laugh at the misfortune of others. But it was rather amusing, if I do say so myself."

Rainbow did not find it as funny, considering her face was still cherry red and her wings were still as stiff as hell. Rarity levitated a handkerchief to her face and 'coughed', concealing a few more chuckles. She used it to wipe the tears from her eyes, from laughing so hard. When she had considerably settled down, and Rainbow's wings had mostly returned to normal (she was still blushing), she asked a different question.

"How was your date?"

Rainbow perched on the back of a chair.

"It... It- it was- it was fine," she stammered out nervously. "Just fine."

Rarity raised an eyebrow at the blue pegasus.

"Haha, how was it really?"

Rainbow Dash slumped into the chair.

"It sucked," she said, her voice quivering. "It was awful."

Rarity looked concerned for her sad friend.

"Oh my, what happened?"

Rainbow's eyes filled with tears as she told the alabaster unicorn the story, and they eventually spilled over. The fashionista was shocked. She had never witnessed the brave weatherpony cry before, but now she sobbed freely as she spit out the rest of her story.

"-and then he totally rejected my offer and acted like there were many other places he wanted to be at the time!" Rainbow finished miserably.

"Oh, oh dear," was all Rarity could say. "Oh."

She offered the handkerchief to the teary-eyed pegasus, who blew her nose loudly. Rarity tried to be comforting, but Rainbow wasn't exactly being responsive.

Rarity comforted her friend for as long as she would listen, but Rainbow Dash got tired of the unicorn's neverending supply of optimistic phrases. She tried to be kind; Rarity had done so much for her already.

"Thanks, Rares, but I really think I need to be alone now."

She slowly flew out the door, hovering sadly to her cloud house. Once home, she locked the door and blew out all the candles. She didn't feel like talking to anypony right now.

<~><~><~><~><~>Some time later that week<~><~<~><~><~><~><~><~><~

Fluttershy stopped by Rainbow's intricate cloud home for about the fifteenth time in three days. The lights were still out and the door locked, and still, nopony would answer the door. Heaving a deep and delicate sigh, the butter yellow pegasus flew away from her sad friend's home and to Carousel Boutique.

"Rarity, I went to check on Rainbow again," she reported to the unicorn. "She still won't talk to me."

Rarity shook her head, tossing her violet curls as she did so.

"I do feel terrible for the poor mare, but honestly, this has gone on long enough. One of us ought to go check and see if she hasn't committed suicide or anything ridiculous like that."

Fluttershy nodded her head solemnly in agreement.

"Oooh! Oooooooh! OOOOOOOH! OOH! Pick me! Pick me! PICK ME!!!"

Rarity squealed indignantly at the bouncing and vibrant ball of pink energy.

"Why, hello, Pinkie Pie, it was rather unexpected of you to, er, drop in."

The gazes of the unicorn and the earth pony drifted upwards. The party pony had literally crashed through the boutique's ceiling.

"Hehehe, whoops! Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah! PICK ME!!!"

The vibrant pink mane of the earth pony bounced up and down as she sprung into the air gleefully.

"Pleaaaaseeee?" She begged.

Rarity heaved a dramatic sigh.

"I suppose."

"WOOOOOHOOOOOOO! Oh wait, now I gotta go get the balloon from Twilight! Hopefully I don't get caught in a strong gust of wind and drift away to Oz and the Emerald City! That would be so fun and green is such a pretty color although pink is prettier and I really like blue, and oh purple is nice too, and then I could only throw GREEN color themed parties, and that would be SOOOO boring! Because then we could only eat green foods like green grapes and green apples and Brussels Sprouts and broccoli and spinach, which is gross and NO GOOD WITH ICING AND SPRINKLES ON CUPCAKES!!!" Pinkie Pie finished her rant triumphantly and with a dramatic hoof pointing to the air. She relaxed and looked at her friends.

Rarity blinked. Fluttershy squeaked softly from her hiding place under Rarity's sewing table. Rarity didn't seem to be able to do much other than blink.

Pinkie didn't wait for a response; only bounced out of the boutique.

Rarity blinked once more.

"I suppose that takes care of that problem... Now, Fluttershy, we must figure out what's next; I believe Rainbow's morale is going to be quite the issue."

Fluttershy meekly agreed, still hiding under the unicorn's table.

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Pinkie Pie floated up to the colorful cloud mass stealthily to a awesome backtrack of old-fashioned spy music.

"Time to check on Dashie," she said, sporting a mischievous grin.

She floated up to the door, knocking cheerfully upon it.

"DASHIE!!! DASHIE, COMEOUTCOMEOUT!!! COMEOUTCOMEOUTCOMEOUTCOMEOUTCOMEOUT!!!" She yelled.

No answer.

She blew up another balloon and attached it to herself, floating her way up to the window of Rainbow's bedroom. She found it open, and she ducked into the room. She expected to find a sleepy sad pegasus curled all up in her blankets and crying.

"Dashiiieeeee?" She asked, hesitantly.

No answer.

She popped a balloon, drifting downward and further into the room. She looked down at the bed. She looked around, just to be sure.

Pinkie Pie blew up her last balloon, drifting upward again and dramatically gasping.

Rainbow Dash wasn't there.