//------------------------------// // She's Just Confused // Story: Flying Blind Into Love // by TheTalentlessPony //------------------------------// Rainbow mane... Light blue body... Lounging back on a cloud in the middle of the day... ...Well, that certainly sounded like Rainbow Dash, but... Said-pony didn't seem quite like herself today. Her confident smile was missing from her snout, and her posture lacked in its usual pride. Though still looking rather comfortable, she wasn't very relaxed, despite there being nothing overly upsetting going on in her life. Why wasn't she happy then? Even she wasn't so sure of the answer. Though originally focused on nothingness, Rainbow Dash directed her gaze to her forehead, where she could see something wrapped around it. After a moment of simply staring at it, she pulled off the object, in spite of it ruffling up her mane in the process. Goggles. They were a simple tan pair of goggles. Simple as they were however, they did indeed hold some importance. They were goggles worn only by the Wonderbolts. With that knowledge, it would be easy for just about anypony to deduce the fact that Rainbow Dash had indeed become a Wonderbolt. It hadn't been easy. She had endured long hours of training, and her limits had been tried and tested repeatedly. But through it all, she had stayed strong and persevered. Because of that fact, she had finally received it. A spot in the Wonderbolts. And it had all been worth it. ...right? Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open a bit as the sudden question entered her head. Of course it was worth it! She was in the Wonderbolts... the Wonderbolts! Her dream had been to be a part of their group! To be adored and looked at by everypony she passed by! So just what was up with her? Rainbow Dash glared down at the pair of goggles, her eyes staring back at her from the reflective material. Why did holding such a thing not bring her the joy it had when she had first got it? Was she upset? Was she just in a weird mood? Was she... Ugh... Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to her head and laid back down. All these questions were getting her nowhere, and only succeeded in giving her a headache; she was never one to enjoy unanswered questions. Unsatisfied by the mere sight of her 'prized possession', she reeled her arm forward and threw the object behind her, allowing it to land wherever gravity pleased. thunk The sound was barely audible, giving Rainbow Dash an odd sense of accomplishment from knowing it had been easily thrown so far away. Though the noise was followed by silence for a few seconds, it didn't last for long. "...Rainbow Dash..." "Hm?" she grunted, hearing her name being called. "Rainbow Dash." That voice... so familiar... Upon recognizing it, she smiled and peered over the cloud, looking downwards to meet with the face of a small orange filly. The filly's purple mane was unkempt and messy, but she didn't seem to care much. "Rainbow Dash!" she cheered, smiling up at her idol. "Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash called back, hopping down from her cloud and floating to the ground. "Are these your goggles?" Scootaloo suddenly questioned, turning her body to reveal the goggles that had landed on her back. "O-oh, uh..." Nervously shifting her gaze around, Rainbow Dash wondered about whether or not she should say what was on her mind. "Be careful with those," Scootaloo said, taking the goggles and handing them back to her idol. "That's Wonderbolt-stuff after all!" she added. "Eheh... yeah..." Upon taking the goggles back, she quickly changed the conversation. "S-so, how's crusading going?" "A-ah..." Scootaloo paused, looking as though she had become a bit discouraged. Rainbow Dash frowned in response. "H-hey now-" "N-no. It's not about that," Scootaloo assured, turning her attention to her flank. "I mean, something's still missing, but..." Something's still missing... "Besides that... I've just been thinkin' lately." "...'Bout what?" "...About what's gonna happen to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Y'know... after we get our marks!" The mention of gaining her cutie mark seemed to spark some life into Scootaloo's face, but she still seemed a little sad. "We wouldn't be the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore!" "Pft. Is that all?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's nothing. You three are still gonna be friends of course, even after you've got your cutie mark. I don't see why you'd break up just cause of that," she said. "Yeah, I know," Scootaloo agreed with a smile. "But... still... it's just that I wondered about what's next." "...What's next?" Rainbow Dash questioned, raising a brow. "Mmhm!" Scootaloo replied, nodding quickly. "Yeah. After our crusading's all over. Where do we go from there? What do we do next?" What's next... where to go... "Something wrong, Rainbow Dash?" "H-huh?" "You were spacing out..." Scootaloo told her, frowning with concern. "Heh. Don't worry about me. I was just thinking too," Rainbow Dash assured with a smile. "Oh yeah? That's new," Scootaloo suddenly teased, smirking as she flapped her wings tauntingly. "Oh... oh?" Rainbow Dash asked, grinning as she mischievously dug her hoof into Scootaloo's mane, earning a giggle from her. "Those are racing words, squirt! You wanna go or somethin'?" she questioned, knowing full-well that Scootaloo had been practicing. Maybe she had time to teach her a thing or two today. However... suddenly... "Well, I don't know about her, but I'd like to go." Rainbow Dash jumped slightly, not expecting the voice. Turning, she quickly stood up straight and saluted. "C-captain Soarin! Is something wrong?" The pale blue stallion simply chuckled in response. "Cool it, Rainbow Dash. You don't have to call me that when I'm not wearing my uniform." "Uh... but you are," Scootaloo told him, directing a hoof at his Wonderbolt suit. "I-I am?" Soarin looked down, noticing that he did still have his uniform on. "S-shoot! I must've slept in this thing!" Taking off like a rocket, the embarrassed stallion flew off to go remove his suit. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo merely stared at each other for a moment, then smirked as they joined together for a good laugh about it. "Heheh! Is he always like that!?" Scootaloo asked, nearly rolling on the ground from laughing so much. "Hah...ha..." Rainbow Dash calmed down first, then just nodded, a small tear in her eye from such joyous laughter. "Yeah, he's a bit of a featherhead sometimes," she replied, grinning. "How did that become captain of the Wonderbolts then?" Scootaloo joked. "You should just be captain, Rainbow Dash! You're a bigger featherhead than he is!" "Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked, grabbing hold of her and pulling her close, tickling her as much as she could. "Maybe you should be captain then, featherhead!" "Oh yeah?" "Yeah!" "Well I-" Suddenly pausing, Scootaloo quickly began looking up at the sky. Rainbow Dash guessed that she was figuring out what time it was. "...Crusader business?" she asked. Scurrying out of her forelegs as fast as she could, Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash apologetically. "Y-yeah! S-Sorry, but I think I'm gonna be super-late!" "Don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash assured. "We'll just talk about your featherheadness later," she teased. Scootaloo shot her a fake glare, then smiled and ran off. ...Hm... Rainbow Dash blinked for a moment, then smiled, looking rather satisfied. While she was sad that she didn't get to teach Scootaloo anything, she had gotten the revelation that she needed from listening to the filly's troubles. Where was she meant to go from here? Yeah, she was a member of the Wonderbolts and all, but what was she meant to do next? Her goal in life had been complete, so what was there left to strive for? The experience had left her feeling... empty? It felt like there was something missing... something else that needed to be done. But what? Just what could it be?