A lone drop fell from the drenched lock of hair. Rainbow Dash wiped away the mop of hair from her face, shivering. She pulled off the slick suit, now covered in water, and threw it into her locker. Rain pelted the windows of the locker room, filling the room with audible clacks. She glanced up at the fall sky and sighed. Months had passed since she had joined the Wonderbolts, and also had many practices passed. Day after day, Spitfire made them work harder and harder, from the freezing mornings to the blazing afternoons. She was exhausted; the Wonderbolts rarely got breaks. Soon the hot summer days disappeared, to be replaced to the rainy days of fall.
"Now, listen here." Spitfire had left her office. She gave her teammates a stern look before continuing, "If you even do something that even puts us in a bad light, I swear to Celestia I will kick your flank so hard you'll land in Las Pegasus. Please do not even talk to the press. In fact, if you see them, quickly get out of there. I don't want Lightning Streak's flank on the front cover of Equestria Daily again. The Gala's coming up, too, so be on your absolute best behavior."
Lightning Streak frowned, offended, but did not say anything.
Spitfire smiled at his reaction. "Alright, you guys. You're free to go."
The locker room erupted in cheers, and Rainbow Dash smiled. She loved being a Wonderbolt more than anything, but it was nice to have some free time. She closed her locker and found Soarin' struggling to get out his suit.
Rainbow Dash laughed at him. "Ya know, after seven years of being a Wonderbolt, you'd think you could get out of a flight suit."
Soarin' looked at her indignantly over the mess of his own clothing. "I really need to get this thing fixed." he remarked as the suit finally slipped off of him. Rainbow Dash looked at the gaps in the fabric and frowned. She ignored the feeling of uneasiness that spread through her, and forced a smile.
"You should have gotten that fixed a long time ago, dunce." She joked. "Don't worry about it, I have a friend who can fix it up right away. She knows what she's doing."
He furrowed his eyebrows in worry. "Friend?" Ever since Rainbow Dash said she was going to introduce him to her friends, he was scared. Every time he asked about her friends, she just laughed. And not in the good way.
Rainbow Dash laughed again and flicked her tail. "Come on."
Soarin' stared after her and sighed, following closely behind. He slung the suit over his shoulders and left the locker room, entering Clutch's office. The gray griffon himself was sitting in his chair, reading the Equestrian Arms. "See ya, Clutch." Soarin' waved to him, only to receive a noncommittal grunt. Typical.
He followed Rainbow Dash out into the quiet Canterlot street and they took off, Rainbow Dash's spectral tail slapping him the face. She pulled ahead, doing flips in the air as she headed towards the small town on the horizon. She dived and drew herself up with a quick corkscrew spin. "Ah!" she sighed in satisfaction. She twisted around, flying on her back as if she were in a swimming pool. "Free at last."
She emerged herself in the soft clouds, her wings gliding over the silky cloud vapors, a smile bubbling on her sky blue face. Then, a sudden shock of lighting came out of nowhere and struck her on the nose. She cried out, rubbing her now charred nose. On a thick gray cloud, a light blue stallion was sitting there, cracking up. She glared at him, nostrils flaring. "What do you think you're doing? You could've killed me!"
Soarin' stopped laughing and gave her a look of innocence. She laughed and grabbed a dark gray cloud nearby and bucked it, causing rain to shower down on the unsuspecting stallion. They threw their clouds at each other and sped off, leaving a fluffy trail behind them. They raced across the dank forest, eyes set in determination as they tried to pull past the other. Finally, they landed right next to a lilac building, dust and dirt flying everywhere. "I believe I won that time." Rainbow Dash proclaimed as the dust settled.
Soarin' chuckled, slapping the dirt off his suit. "Yeah, I-"
"Rainbow Dash!" A fierce scream erupted, and soon the door flew open. Soarin' looked past Rainbow Dash to see a beautiful white unicorn stomp out of the building, sapphire eyes burning with wild anger. "Why in Equestria didn't you WRITE?"
Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly. "That's what I was forgetting..."
The unicorn grabbed her hoof and shoved her into the ornate building, eyes still livid. Soarin' looked on, aghast. He took a step towards the building, wary of the disaster he might be setting foot in. Instead, he found Rainbow Dash in an extremely tight dress and a purple face. The ivory mare pulled the strings of the corset, teeth grinding against the tough fabric.
"Now," she released the strings, allowing Rainbow Dash to breathe. "Tell me."
"What?" Rainbow Dash choked out.
"About the arena, darling." Her eyes shone with concern. "You haven't written us at all. We were worried sick."
Rainbow Dash glared at the ground. She shuffled her hooves and avoided her gaze. "It's not important."
The unicorn gasped. "But of course it's important! Why, you could've been-"
"I don't want to talk about it, Rarity. Okay?" Rainbow Dash snapped.
Rarity looked taken aback for a brief second, but then put on a strong composure. "Whatever you say, darling."
Soarin' looked on, Rainbow Dash so stubborn that she refused to talk about anything, Rarity doing her business as if nothing happened. The room rang from silence, Rainbow Dash and Rarity refused to speak, and Soarin' just stared at the sheer awkwardness of it all. This is weird.
Then Rarity's eyes fell upon the fidgety stallion in the entrance. She let out a squeak of delight and immediately forgot about Rainbow Dash. She trotted over to him and giggled. "Rainbow Dash, you didn't tell me you brought along a handsome stallion!" Rainbow Dash gave her a suspicious look.
"Tell me, how did you two meet?" She smiled, batting her eyelids.
Soarin' gave her a blank look, while Rainbow Dash glared at her unicorn friend. "Rarity, this is my teammate and friend, Soarin'. We met along time ago, remember?" The last sentence came through gritted teeth.
Rarity gave her a knowing look. "If you say so." She shook Soarin's hand politely, who still had a confused stare.
Rainbow Dash took the torn suit from Soarin's shoulder. "I need you to repair this, is that okay? Soarin' put it off 'til the last second."
Rarity took the suit gently, screwing up her face in disgust. "What are these stains all over it?" she cried out.
"Pie." Soarin' answered.
Rarity gave him an incredulous look. "Oh no, no, no! This needs much more than a few stitches! It needs to be washed, dryed, ironed, boiled in detergent." Rarity screeched. Soarin' frowned, a little offended. They watched as she rushed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
"Well that's Rarity." She remarked, trying to remove the rib-crushing dress.
"That was dramatic." He whimpered.
She chuckled and pushed the dress off her body. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of my friends."
He smiled at her, but on the inside he was panicking. I'm scared...
***
The dirt road dusted his hooves in a thick coat of grime. He followed the blue mare down this road, the stormy skies threatening to fall down on them at any moment. He walked past various stands that sold flowers and apples, but Rainbow seemed intent on introducing him to her next friend. "This one is less crazy than the last one, I think. Trust me."
He sniveled.
Finally they reached a giant oak tree in the middle of the town. Rainbow Dash knocked on the carved door, a smile gracing her face. Crashing sounds rang, an owl hooted loudly, and a roaring "SPIKE!" was heard. Muffled scattering noises occured, and then the oak door swung open. Rainbow Dash frowned as a little purple dragon with scorch marks answered the door. Cake batter littered his body, but a nonchalant look adorned his face. "Oh hey, Rainbow Dash. Nice of you to drop by." He smiled a toothy grin, a small fang poking out from his top lip.
Rainbow Dash gave him a sympathetic smile. "What's Twilight freaking out about now?"
"Nothing, as usual. Wanna come in?"
"Sure." She trotted in. Soarin' followed closely, eyes darting over the books that lined the room. A purple alicorn traced back and forth in the room adjacent, batter matting her messy purple hair. Rainbow Dash stook a hoof in front of Soarin', gave him a warning glance, and slowly walked into what appeared to be a kitchen.
The mare herself was lilac in color, and her mane was a deep violet with bright purple and magenta streaks. The mane was a mess, with batter matting its normally smooth texture. The mare whipped around to face Rainbow Dash, her tail lashing. The deep grimace that carved her lips turned upwards into a gleeful smile, and then quickly returned to its former state. Her pupils became pinpricks as they zeroed in on the sheepish pegasus. "What... were... you... THINKING?!"
Rainbow Dash backed up against the wall. This mare wasn't scared of many things. She could attempt to kick out a dragon out of its own nest, or maybe fight a whole heard of buffalo, but when Twilight was angry and stressed, she was nestled in the farthest cloud possible. "Um..."
"She was with the Wonderbolts." Soarin's feeble voice arose. Twilight spun to face him. He cleared his throat and began again, praying to Celestia he wouldn't tinkle in horror. "The Wonderbolts gathered a lot more publicity than normal after the arena attack. Rainbow Dash was the newest member and was there when the... attacks occured. She was probably getting the most press. The Wonderbolts needed her."
Twilight's look of fury grew, making Soarin' prepare himself for an attack, but then fury died in her eyes and she sat down on the floor. She gave Rainbow Dash a stern but sad look. "You could've written."
Rainbow Dash smirked. "I'm sorry."
Twilight smiled warmly and gave her friend a hug, threatening to pop out the pegasi's eyes. "I didn't want this!" she groaned, but soon relented and returned the hug.
Twilight broke apart, eyeing her kitchen apprehensively. The maroon walls were covered in what appeared to be cake batter, burn marks, and mustard. Soarin' wondered briefly how those three were even remotely related, when Twilight remarked, "I was trying to make cake. I acquired some new cookbooks for the library, and well... too say the least, I got intrigued. I read all of the cookbooks, there being ten, and decided I did not need a recipe for baking." She sighed, and levitated a rag to clean up the mess. "I was dangerously wrong."
Rainbow Dash laughed at her friend. "Typical Egghead." She looked over at Soarin' and winked. Thanks, she mouthed.
"Anyways," Twilight continued. "The girls and I are having a dinner at the Hayseed Café. Maybe you'd like to join us. After all, it has been three months since we were all together. I have been busy with my princess duties and cookbooks, and you were busy with the Wonderbolts and... well, you know." She wiped down a glob of horseradish as Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe you can invite your friend-" she looked over her shoulder at the awkward stallion. "What is your name again? I know Rainbow Dash spoke about you a lot."
Rainbow Dash tinted red. "I didn't talk about him that much..."
Soarin' chuckled good-heartedly, thinking about the stubborn, outspoken blue mare fangirling over him. "My name's Soarin'."
"Nice to meet you, Soapin'..." Twilight murmured absent-mindedly, never mind the fact that she had met him years before. She was now furiously scrubbing baby powder.
"We'd better go, when she has her mind set on something, the rest of the world does not exist." Rainbow Dash turned towards the door on the other side of the large tree, walking past Spike as he read by the fire in a smoking jacket. "See ya, Spike."
The purple and green dragon grunted as he intently read the Superstallion comic. Soarin' watched incredulously until Rainbow Dash pulled him out of the library. He walked beside Rainbow Dash, eyes widened. They walked in silence for several minutes before Soarin' finally spoke up. "Was that Princess Twilight?"
"...You're an idiot."
***
That night, six mares and a stallion gathered around a long table outside the quaint Hayseed Café. Waiters milled around them, hasty to serve both the princess and two Wonderbolts members. Customers looked on in indigence, desiring to be waiting on, until the lilac princess dismissed the waiters, tired of being of smothered.
The mane six however, were not bothered. Rarity kept smiling at Rainbow Dash and Soarin' suggestively, making Rainbow Dash feel so angry that every time she addressed Rarity it sounded remarkably like a demon had possessed the colorful pegasus. Pinkie Pie was so excited that Rainbow Dash had brought along a new friend, that she brought her party cannon, which had been confiscated by the workers of the restaurant, so she threw napkin shreds instead of confetti. Fluttershy joined in the lively conversation that had happened at the table, but whenever she tried speaking to Soarin', she'd shrink in her chair. Applejack was busy with harvesting season, but still managed to find time for her friends, but sometimes the silly pony would slip apples into the conversation. Twilight Sparkle on the other hoof, was completely and utterly delightful. Except for the three martinis that floated about in her magical aura. All in all, a regular dinner.
Soarin' was petrified.
Twilight glugged down the martini while Rarity gave them an interested look. "So how long have you two been da- I mean, been friends?" She batted her eyelashes innocently.
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth at Rarity. "Rarity, I swear I will-"
"Three months. Ever since she joined the Wonderbolts." Soarin' hastily answered, before Rainbow Dash could break down.
Rarity giggled slightly, saw Rainbow Dash's face, and fell silent.
Pinkie Pie threw another barrage of napkin confetti at Soarin's face, singing gleefully.
"Happy new friends we'll be!
Happy new friends, you and me!
We'll try new things together,
Spend our lives together-"
"Did y'all know that Big Macintosh has been working all day? Shucks, maybe I should-" Applejack stood up from her seat, but she was pulled down by a magenta aura. Twilight attempted a stern look, but ended up looking like an angry donkey.
"Applesack, you work too hard. Lay ooooffff." Twilight groaned, her face falling heavily on the table.
Applejack gave her friend a dissappointed look. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was trying to summon all of her courage to speak to a stranger. She puffed out her chest, narrowed her eyes in determination, and took a deep breath. Finally she let out a sound. It wasn't distinguishable in any way, and it made Fluttershy turn beat red. A low growling and high-pitched squeaking escaped, "REAEEEEERRRRRRRRRFFFFFFFFFGHHHHHHH!"
The whole table stared at her, a silence stretched afterwards, that lasted quite few minutes. Applejack broke the silence with a rather interesting apple fact. "Did you know that we produce about one hundred thousand apples each year-"
Her sentence was interrupted as Pinkie Pie flung another pile of napkins in the air.
"Never been more happy,
Cause I'm no longer blue!
You are my friend now,
This day you will rue!"
"Okay, stop!" Rainbow Dash cried out. Her friends stopped and looked at blue mare. She sighed and sat down again. "I'm sorry, guys, but we need to go. Soarin' and I have practice tomorrow and we can't stay here. We're going to leave now, and please, for the love of Celestia, take it easy. Especially Twilight."
The purple princess hiccuped indignantly.
Pinkie Pie immediately stopped throwing napkins at Soarin' and faced her friend, lower lip quivering. "We'll see you again soon, right?"
Rainbow Dash saw the saddened faces of her friends and smiled reassuringly. "Well, yeah. Of course I will."
The five mares got up from their seat and gathered around Rainbow Dash. They all interlocked into a tight group hug, beaming. Friendly murmurs were heard from the small group, and Rainbow Dash's face was wet with tears as she embraced her friends.
Soarin' watched. Rainbow Dash was smiling gracefully, despite the tears sliding down her pale blue cheeks. The faint sliver of sunshine from the sunset illuminated her brightly colored mane, and when she opened her eyes, the deep fuschia pupils were lit by the glow of the sunset. Soarin' smiled.
***
The door to her room creaked open. She groaned and fell on the comforting bed, expecting to fall asleep right away. Instead, she felt a paper underneath her legs. She brought it to her face. "AMBER FLASH ARENA DESTROYED, WITNESSES SUSPECT THOUSANDS DEAD."
Rainbow Dash glared at the paper and threw it against the wall. She lay with her face down against the pillow, desiring sleep. Wait a moment... she raised her face and looked at the paper that law askew on the ground. How'd that get in my room?
Something stepped from the shadows, and immediately Rainbow Dash lept up. When the figure revealed herself, Rainbow Dash stumbled.
"Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna's hard gaze regarded her seriously. "I need your help."