//------------------------------// // Confessions // Story: Brighter Skies // by xXtacosaregoodXx //------------------------------// ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` The blue pegagsus pony sat down in front of her friend Applejack to confess all the news. "AJ, I," Rainbow Dash started, but got cut off. "Whoa whoa whoa, Sugarcube. Hows about we go inside first? This heat is killin' meh." Applejack stated, still fanning herself with her hat. "I guess that would be a smart idea, wouldn't it?" Rainbow chuckled. The two walked to a nearby apple cellar way far out in the part of the orchard Applejack was harvesting in. It was a cool little place, and not a lot of ponies knew about it. AJ could tell that Dash had something important to tell her, so she figured this would be the best place to listen: where nopony could be spying on them. Applejack led her friend into the cellar and grabbed her a chunk of ice from the icebox in the corner. "Thanks AJ, that sun was unbearable." Dash said, feeling relieved. She was pressing the ice up against her face with her forehoof. "Don't I know it," the orange Earth pony replied, also cooling herself off with some of the ice. "Now, you wanted to tell meh somethin' Dash? Whatever it is, yah know you can trust me." Rainbow Dash wasn't prepared to tell her right away, so she took her time talking about random things. "I see the apple harvest is looking good this year, huh?" Dash said, awkwardly smiling. Applejack gave her a concerned frown. "Rainbow, I know you want to get something off 'yer chest. Just come out of that shell!" AJ said again sounding concerned, tapping on Dash's head lightly with her hoof." "Okay, okay you got me. But Applejack, after I tell you this, I don't want you to think of me any differently than the Rainbow Dash I am now, okay?" Rainbow said, now looking confident. "I know. I'm just here to help y'all." "Well, here goes nothing..." ............................................................................................... The young, confident filly Rainbow Dash trotted down the Main Street of Cloudsdale, beaming and excited. She was off to practice her flying at the edge of the city. She had been working on a bunch of small tricks: flips, backflips, barrel rolls, and tons of other stuff. Her best friend, Gilda, was confidently striding beside her. They were the ultimate flying pair. Although Gilda was a Griffon, she was just as capable of everything a pegasus could do. They were off to find Rainbow Dash's special move. They didn't quite know what it was exactly yet, but they had a feeling they were going to find it this time. "Gilda, some day we're gonna be famous!" Filly Rainbow Dash said to her aspiring double. "Yeah, Dash! Won't it be awesome?" Gilda replied, sounding just as sure as her friend. The duo reached the edge of the cloud city, and practiced a few tricks. After, the sun was high in the sky. "Maybe your move has to do with the sun," Gilda remarked, pointing a blunt talon up at the shining sun. "You think so?" "Maybe... Try somethin'!" Rainbow Dash shrugged and flew high up into the clouds, her tufted rainbow mane flipping backwards. She wasn't quite sure to do next, but she figured to try something new. She had ridden roller coasters before, and the drop was the most exciting part for her. Maybe I'll be like a roller coaster.. she thought. As she reached peak in front of the sun, she let her wings close as she dropped down near the ground. The speed was so overwhelming, she got a few bugs in her eyes. And, finally as she was reaching the tree tops, she heard a loud crash behind her. She took a crash landing in Ponyville on her feet. Quickly, she looked behind her. Up in the sky, she saw a huge explosion of all of the colors of the spectrum, glittery and bright, almost like a firework. "What the.." Gilda stood motionless as she watched the beautiful scene that unfolded before her eyes. Immediately, her brain spiked to jealousy. "Ow.. my flank is tingling.." Rainbow complained, not aware of the mark that had just been imprinted onto both of her sides. "Wha- my Cuite Mark!!" she screamed. "Yes yes yes! First in my class!" she yelled. A bunch of ponies came to congratulate her on the ground. "Good job, Rainbow Dash!" "That was awesome, Rainbow." "How did you do that?" Gilda frowned. She didn't have any special moves. No special talents.. nothing. She was just basically Rainbow's sidekick now. They had been friends for a long time, ever since Gilda moved to Cloudsdale. They always got equal praise for their shenannigans. But now, she was left out. "Stupid Rainbow Pegasus..." Gilda marched back to her house in the cloud city. She didn't have anything to do with Rainbow Dash. "Hey Gilda, why are you so sad?" Dash asked worried at school the next day. "Oh I'm not sad, Dash. I'm just... nevermind. But I'm not sad." Dash noticed that her voice got deeper and more throaty than when she had last seen her: yesterday. Gilda gave a fake, but realistic looking smile. "Nothing's wrong Dash." "Well, ok," Filly Rainbow replied, still sounding unsatisfied with Gilda's answer. "But if anything is, you can tell me!." Rainbow Dash ran off to her other friends to show off her cutie mark. Gilda crushed a pencil in her talons as she watched her new nemisis escape. ......................................................................... "So 'm gettin the drift that Gilda was super jealous?" AJ said, tilting her head. "Yep."