//------------------------------//
// The Love Triangle Tango 
// Story: Let it Rain 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//

	"Okay, Flitter.  This is it.  I'm gonna win Thunderlane back no matter what it takes."

Flitter sighed as she helped Pinkie Pie put up decorations for the Wonderbolt Cadet party. "Cloudy, you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.  Just admit that you're jealous of Raindrops for no good reason and move on."

Cloudchaser let out a frustrated groan. "For the last time, I am not jealous of Raindrops!"

"Okay, then why are you obsessing over her and Thunderlane?" asked Flitter.

"Because Thunderlane's my special somepony, and I don't want Raindrops to take him away from me," said Cloudchaser. "What about that is so hard to understand?"

"The part where that's somehow not jealousy," said Flitter.

Cloudchaser rolled her eyes and shook her head. "See, this is why you're still a love newbie, Flit.  To you it may look like I'm jealous of Raindrops, but I already know that she has no chance against me.  Therefore, I don't need to be jealous of her."

Flitter gave her sister a blank stare. "Tell me, Cloudy.  Are you oblivious to the fact that you're acting like a total hypocrite, or do you just not care?"

Cloudchaser deadpanned. "Okay.  One, I am not acting like a hypocrite.  You just think I am.  Two, even if I was, so what?  Love makes us all do crazy things."

"I'm well aware of that," said Flitter, casting her gaze upward. "Look, just promise me you won't make a scene."

Cloudchaser sighed. "C'mon, Flit.  Have a little faith in me, will ya?  I'm a grown mare.  The last thing I want to do is throw a temper tantrum.  I'll handle this is a mature, adult fashion."

Flitter gave Cloudchaser a half-smirk. "Glad to see you still have some rationality left.  Okay, I'll trust you."

"Right," said Cloudchaser. "So if anything bad happens tonight, you'll know that it's Raindrops's fault."

Flitter smacked her forehead. "Oh, brother."

"Hey, guys!  Hurry it up!" Pinkie Pie called out. "It's four on the dot, and the guests are starting to arrive!"

Cloudchaser smirked. "Here we go, Flit.  Wish me luck."

"Yeah, sure," said Flitter, too tired to argue.  She then took a look around and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Pinkie!  You said you were making something special for the party, right?"

"Yep!"

"Well, where is it?"

"Ooh, you're right!  Hang on!"

A blur of pink flew by Flitter and into the kitchen.  After a few seconds later, Pinkie reemerged, dragging what appeared to be an inflatable wading pool filled with chocolate pudding.  Flitter and Cloudchaser's jaws dropped.

"Pinkie, what is that?" Cloudchaser asked.

"It's an inflatable wading pool filled with chocolate pudding, silly.  What does it look like?" said Pinkie. "I know it's not exactly the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, but this pudding is still very special."

"How so?"

"Well, remember when I came to the Wonderbolt Academy to deliver a care package to Rainbow Dash?"

"Um, yeah?"

"Well, part of that package was some fresh-made pudding!  But, Rainbow Dash didn't eat it all, so I'm serving it again for everypony.  Waste not, want not!"

Cloudchaser blinked. "So, all of that came from the care package?"

Pinkie giggled. "No, silly!  I wouldn't be able to fill up this wading pool with such a small amount of pudding!  I just made some more!"

"Oh," said Cloudchaser. "Well, I'm sure it'll be fine, right Flit?"

"Um, sure," said Flitter, unsure of what else to say.

"Alright!" said Pinkie cheerfully. "Now, let's get this party started!  I'll go open the door."

With that, she zipped over to the front door and opened it wide.  The first guests to arrive were none other than Rainbow Dash, Thuderlane, and Rumble.

"Hiya!" chirped Pinkie. "You all ready to party?!"

"You know it," said Rainbow Dash with a laugh. "Lead the way."

Happy to oblige, Pinkie ushered the first guests inside.  As soon as Thunderlane was in the main party room, Cloudchaser wasted no time approaching him.

"Hey, TL," she said sweetly.

"Oh.  Hey, CC," said Thunderlane. "Wow, and I thought I was early."

"Oh, I was just helping Flitter and Pinkie set things up," said Cloudchaser with a shrug.

"Ah.  Cool," said Thunderlane. "Well, I sure am excited.  Rumble and I have been looking forward to this all day."

"So have I," said Cloudchaser coyly, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Yeah!" said Rumble joyfully. "I mean, Pinkie Pie always throws the best parties, doesn't she?"

"You got that right, little guy," said Thunderlane with a laugh. "C'mon, let's go see the spread."

"Oh, I can show it to you!" said Cloudchaser hastily. "After all, I helped set everything up."

Thunderlane paused for a moment, and then smiled. "That's very nice of you, CC.  We'll follow you."

"Great!" said Cloudchaser.  She then gave Flitter a wink as she led Thunderlane and Rumble over to the buffet.  Flitter rolled her eyes.

I hope Cloudy knows what she's doing, she thought. Or at least, I hope she has enough sense not to royally humiliate herself...


***


"Well, this is it, 'Drops!  This is your big chance to win Thunderlane's heart!" said Derpy Hooves. "How do you feel?"

"Apprehensive," said Raindrops. "B-but I'm not gonna give up."

"Good," said Derpy as they landed in front of Sugarcube Corner. "Now, just keep doing what you've been doing.  I'll be right there to help you if you get stuck."

"R-right," said Raindrops with a shy grin. "Thanks."

Derpy grinned back at Raindrops before knocking on the door.  Pinkie answered it immediately.

"Oh!  Hi, Derpy!  Hi, Raindrops!" she said. "Come in, come in!  There's still a lot of party left to go around!"

"Thank," said Raindrops as she and Derpy entered Sugarcube Corner.  Inside, the party was in full swing.  A lot of ponies (mainly pegasi) were dancing, playing games, enjoying the food, or simply shooting the breeze.  Raindrops couldn't help but notice the pool of chocolate pudding in the center of the room.

"Um, Pinkie?" she asked. "Is that a pool of chocolate pudding?"

"Sure is!" said Pinkie. "See, in the care package I delivered to Rainbow Dash, there was some pudding, but she didn't finish it all, so now I'm giving everypony a chance to finish it!"

"Makes sense to me!" said Derpy with a dopey smile.

"No comment," said Raindrops. "Say, have you seen Thunderlane anywhere?"

"Oh, he's right over there with Cloudchaser," said Pinkie, pointing over to the mohawk-maned stallion.

"Right, thank you," said Raindrops.  She started over towards Thunderlane, but stopped midway.  Derpy tilted her head.

"What's wrong, 'Drops?" she asked.

"Well, he's in the middle of talking to somepony," said Raindrops. "I don't wanna just barge into his conversation.  It's rude."

Derpy sighed. "'Drops, if you're just gonna let every little thing stop you like this, you're never gonna be able to tell him how you feel.  Now get over there."

Before Raindrops could protest, Derpy pushed her over to Thunderlane and Cloudchaser.  Thunderlane looked up and smiled.

"Hey there, Raindrops!" he said. "I was wondering where you were."

Cloudchaser shot Raindrops a cold glare, causing Raindrops to giggle nervously.

"Um, sorry if I'm interrupting anything," Raindrops said sheepishly. "I didn't mean..."

"Nonsense," said Thunderlane, cutting across her. "CC and I were just chatting."

"Yep.  That's, what we were doing.  Chatting.  About stuff.  Private stuff," said Cloudchaser, still giving Raindrops the evil eye.

"Private stuff?  We were just talking about yesterday's Wonderbolts show," said Thunderlane, tilting his head in confusion. "That's not private.  Heck, Raindrops was there."

"Yeah," Rumble pipped up. "My big bro invited her because she was getting all nervous about becoming a Wonderbolt.  Then she invited us to join her for breakfast today to thank us."

"Um, yeah!  Yes, I did do that," said Raindrops, brushing the back of her mane.

Cloudchaser's eyes narrowed. You can't fool me, Raindrops.  I'm wise to your little scheme, and I'm gonna put a stop to it if it's the last thing I do, she thought.  She then cleared her throat.

"Well, that's nice," she said.

"Yeah.  Nice," said Raindrops, twiddling her hooves. "Um, Thunderlane?  Can I have a word with you?  It's, personal."

Cloudchaser's eyes widened. Oh no you don't, you minx!

"Hey, hey!  What's the rush?" she said, pressing her hoof against Raindrops's shoulder. "This is a party, Rainy!  You should mingle a bit."

Raindrops swallowed, feeling rather uncomfortable. "Um, yeah.  I was, planning on doing that.  But, I wanted to tell Thunderlane something."

"I'm sure you did," said Cloudchaser in a syrupy sweet voice. "But, can it wait?  I was here first."

"Th-this is, kinda important, though," said Raindrops meekly.

"Well, if it's so important, then I'm sure you can say it to me and Rumble, too," said Cloudchaser.

Raindrops began taking shallow breaths. "Um, well, I mean..."

"Are you okay, Ms. Raindrops?" asked Rumble.

"Me?  Oh, I'm fine!  Don't worry about me," said Raindrops with an awkward chuckle. "It's just that, um, uh..."

Just then, a catchy song played on the phonograph, and Thunderlane perked up.

"Oh!  Hey, I love this song!" he said.

Raindrops suddenly got an idea and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um, yeah!  I do, too!" she said. "Hey, you wanna dance?"

"Sure!" said Thunderlane. "Excuse me a moment."

With that, he and Raindrops walked on out to the dance floor.  Cloudchaser's cheeks became bright red as she pouted her lips and forced down a scream.

"Alright, no more messing around," she growled.  She immediately looked around for Bulk Biceps.  When she found him, she zipped over to him and almost knocked him off-balance.

"Yeow!" he exclaimed. "Wh-what is it, Cloudchaser?"

"You.  Me.  Dance floor.  Now," she said sternly.

Bulk deadpanned. "We've already been over this, Cloudchaser.  I'm not getting involved."

Cloudchaser snarled angrily, and then let out a sigh. "Okay, Plan B," she muttered.  She then walked over to Raindrops and tapped her shoulder.  Raindrops jumped in surprise.

"Wh-what?" she squeaked.

"Mind if I cut in?" Cloudchaser asked.

Incredibly confused, Raindrops simply shrugged. "Um, not at all," she said, allowing Cloudchaser to take her spot.  She then watched nervously as Cloudchaser danced with Thunderlane.  Derpy noticed this and walked over to her.

"What happened?  Why'd you stop dancing?" she asked.

"I-I dunno," said Raindrops. "Cloudchaser just, said she wanted to dance with him, so I..."

Derpy looked over at Cloudchaser, and then back at Raindrops. "First of all, that's Stormwalker, you silly-filly.  Second, this is a perfect opportunity to finally tell him how you feel, and you shouldn't let it slip by.  Now get back in there."

With that, Derpy shoved Raindrops back onto the dance floor.  Inadvertently, Raindrops knocked Cloudchaser out of the way.

"Sorry!" Raindrops called out. "I-I thought you were done!"

Cloudchaser looked up and growled.  Flitter noticed this and quickly flew to her sister's side.

"Cloudy, remember.  You promised not to make a scene," she said.

"It's her fault!" Cloudchaser hissed. "She pushed me!"

"It was probably a mistake," said Flitter.

Cloudchaser simply snorted in response and went back over to Raindrops.  She tapped her on the shoulder again.

"Uh, y-yes?" Raindrops stammered.

"I, wasn't done," said Cloudchaser.

"Oh, sorry," said Raindrops, once again letting Cloudchaser take her place.  But once she moved back into the crowed, Derpy gave her a look of disapproval.

"She said she wasn't done!" said Raindrops with a shrug.

"'Drops, you can't keep doing this," said Derpy with a sigh. "I know you're nervous, but you have to let him know how you feel.  So do that."

Once again, Derpy shoved Raindrops back onto the dance floor.  And once again, Raindrops accidentally knocked Cloudchaser away.  Cloudchaser snorted angrily.

"Alright, that's it," she said.  She then marched over to Raindrops and cut in front of her.  Thunderlane raised an eyebrow.

"CC, you're being kinda rude to Raindrops," he said. "Why not just let us dance?"

"Is it wrong for me to want to dance with you, TL?" said Cloudchaser innocently.

"Well, no.  But..."

"Then let's dance."

Raindrops sighed, feeling both confused and irritated.

"I know the feeling," said Derpy. "You should go tell her to back off for a little bit.  At least until you tell Thunderlane how you feel."

"I dunno, Derpy," said Raindrops. "She might not listen to me."

"Well, you gotta be more assertive, 'Drops," said Derpy. "Now get going."

"Alright, I'll— Yipe!"

Before Raindrops could finish her thought, Derpy pushed her once again.  This time, she knocked Cloudchaser into the pool of chocolate pudding.  The music stopped as everypony looked to see what was going on.  Raindrops gasped and rushed over to Cloudchaser.

"Omigosh, are you alright?" she asked, holding out her hoof. "I am so sorry, Cloudchaser.  I didn't mean to..."

Cloudchaser looked up at Raindrops, an angry inferno blazing in her eyes.

"Sorry?  Sorry?!" she yelled. "I'll give you sorry!"

Then, without warning, she pulled Raindrops into the pool with her.  Before Raindrops could recover, Cloudchaser was on top of her, pulling her foreleg behind her back.

"Ow!" Raindrops yelped. "Wh-what's your problem?!"

"Don't play dumb!" Cloudchaser screamed.

"I-I'm not!" Raindrops sputtered, forcing Cloudchaser off of her back.

"Oh yes, you are!" Cloudchaser barked back, flying in for another tackle.  This time, Raindrops was ready.  She quickly sidestepped around the attack and tried to make her way out.  This was easier said than done, for the thick pudding made it difficult for her to move.  Before she could reach the edge of the pool, Cloudchaser grabbed her tail and pulled her back in.

"Cloudchaser, stop!" Raindrops cried. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Horse apples!  This is all your fault!" Cloudchaser roared, pinning Raindrops's shoulders to the floor.

"Hey, hey!  Cool it, CC!" said Thunderlane. "It was probably just an accident."

"Oh, this was no accident, Thunderlane," Cloudchaser snarled.

"Y-yes it was!" Raindrops shouted, squirming and writing under Cloudchaser's weight. "I-I didn't mean to push you in!"

"I'm not talking about that, you snake!" Cloudchaser spat. "You're trying to flirt with Thunderlane!  Don't deny it!"

Raindrops stopped struggling and gasped.  She felt as though her entire world had just shattered.

"Wh-what?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I-I..."

"There's no way out of this one, Raindrops," said Cloudchaser, her voice dripping with venom. "You tried to be all sneaky about it, but I saw right through you."

Raindrops's lip quivered, and tears marred her vision. "N-no..." she whimpered.

"Still playing dumb, huh?" said Cloudchaser with a sneer. "Well then, I'll just..."

"Stop hurting my friend, Stormwalker!"

Before Cloudchaser could react, Derpy flew in and pushed her off of Raindrops's body.  She looked down and held out her hoof.

"Hey.  Are you okay, 'Drops?" she asked. "I'm sorry I pushed you like that."

Raindrops cast her eyes downward and accepted Derpy's hoof.  Once Derpy helped her out of the pool, she ran outside, sobbing all the while.  Everypony turned to Cloudchaser, giving her dirty looks.

"Well, I hope you're happy," said Flitter, folding her forelegs. "Y'know, this all could've been avoided if you just talked to Raindrops and figured out what was going on.  But no.  You just jumped to conclusions and assumed the worst.  And look where that got you."

"CC, this is very unlike you," said Thunderlane. "What's going on?"

Cloudchaser gulped. "I-I can explain.  Raindrops, she..."

"Raindrops didn't do anything," said Thunderlane sternly. "Besides, what do you have against her, anyway?"

"Cloudy wanted to be your wingpony back at the Academy, Thunderlane," said Flitter.

Beneath the pudding covering her face, Cloudchaser's cheeks were turning bright red. "F-Flitter~.  Wh-why'd you have to tell him that?"

"Because you sure as heck weren't gonna say it," said Flitter in a very matter-of-fact tone. "That, and he has a right to know."

Thunderlane sighed. "CC, just because Raindrops is my wingpony doesn't mean I think any less of you.  And it certainly doesn't give you the right to accuse her of flirting with me and embarrass her in front of everypony."

"B-but..."

"Flitter's right, CC.  This all could've been avoided if you just talked to me or Raindrops," Thunderlane continued. "I told you that you can tell me if something's wrong.  Don't you trust me?"

"W-well, of course I do, TL.  B-but..."

"Then why didn't you tell me how you felt?"

Cloudchaser racked her brain for an answer, but found that there was none.  She looked up at Thunderlane with misty eyes.

"You hate me now, don't you?" she sniveled.

Thunderlane was thoroughly befuddled. "What?"

"You think I'm the bad guy, and now you hate me," Cloudchaser said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I-it's not what it looks like, Thunderlane.  I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen.  I-I'll go apologize to Raindrops right now.  P-please, don't leave me."

"Leave you?" said Thunderlane, still out of the loop. "What are you talking...?"

Before he could finish his question, Cloudchaser ran out the door, sobbing just as Raindrops did moments before.  There was a pregnant pause.

"Could somepony please tell me what the hay is going on?" Thunderlane asked nopony in particular. "What's gotten into her?"

"I wanna know that, too," said Derpy. "What about that dance was so important to Stormwalker?"

"Cloudchaser," Flitter corrected.

"Whatever," said Derpy.

Flitter sighed. "You really don't know, do you, Thunderlane?"

"Don't know what?"

"Cloudy loves you."

Thunderlane blinked. "So?  I love her, too," he said with a shrug. "That doesn't explain why she's acting like this."

"No no no, you don't understand," said Flitter. "She's, in love with you."

Thunderlane's eyes widened. "Are you serious?!"

"Why do you think she insists on going to the park with you every Sunday?" said Flitter. "Pretty much everypony in town knows she considers you to be her special somepony."

"O-oh," said Derpy, suddenly looking a little guilty. "I-I didn't know that.  'Drops is gonna be so upset."

Flitter turned to Derpy. "What do you mean?"

"She's in love with Thunderlane, too."

Flitter's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "What?!  You mean, what Cloudchaser just said was true?!"

"Yeah," said Derpy. "She wanted to tell him herself, but she had difficulty finding the right words.  I was helping her out, but I made a mistake and, well, you know the rest."

Thunderlane had difficulty processing all this. "I-I honestly never knew that either of them saw me that way," he said.

"I guess that's why Cloudchaser talked about you all the time ever since you came back from the Academy," said Rumble.

"I-I guess so," said Thunderlane. "Y'know, I can't help but think that this is partially my fault."

"Don't say that," said Flitter. "Cloudchaser's the one who jumped to conclusions."

"Yeah, but maybe I should've picked up on things better," said Thunderlane. "I dunno, I guess I kinda feel bad for them."

Rumble rubbed up against his brother's chest. "Well, you're gonna fix it, right Big Bro?"

Thunderlane looked down at Rumble and gave him a gentle smile. "Yeah, you're right," he said, patting him on the head. "Even if it isn't my fault, I should probably say something to them.  And, I think I know just what to say.  Later, guys."

With that, he flew off.

"Do you think he really knows what to say?" asked Derpy.

"I hope so, Derpy," said Flitter with a sigh. "I really hope so..."