//------------------------------// // 30. It's All French to Me // Story: Raising Rainbow // by Pizzema Forte //------------------------------// My Dearest Rainbolt, So, the school year's started once more. As you can imagine, that has an affect on my children's schedule. You know... pill schedule. It's nothing too major, I guess. Luminescence gets out at 2:00, Sparky gets out at 4:15, and Gemini gets out at 3:00. This isn't a problem, though. Lumi is walked home by one of her friends and a parent. I have to pick up Gemini and Sparky, though. It's not that difficult, I suppose, considering all of their schools are within walking distance. The hardest part is having to leave my kids alone at home to pick up another. Sometimes when I come home, I catch them fighting, trying to get into my room, or trying to cook by themselves. I know I may act a bit overprotective when I tell my thirteen year-old I don't want her cooking alone, but that's just me, I guess. I mean, I'm sure the thought of your daughter cooking with no supervision doesn't make you all that happy. Another thing that's been troubling me as a parent lately is Sparky. Nothing about her personally, but she's been acting really colt-crazy these days. They've only been in school a month and she's already liked almost three different colts! Fillies are crazy. I suppose it's just a phase they all go through... Speaking of that, has Dash had any crushes this year? I know she's the same age as Sparks, so I'm just wondering. It may just be her, though. So... Anyway... I'm not sure what more to say. There's really not much going on in my life. How about you, though? Anything interesting happening? I know you mentioned something about your boss acting whackier lately. How's that been working out for you? So... that's really it. Thanks for all the advice and everything. I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely yours, Blueshift. Rainbolt smiled as his eyes scanned over the sheet of paper over and over again. He was in the front of the schoolhouse waiting for his daughter to be released as he read the letter. He giggled, frowned, and smiled over the course of the short reading. At first, he was unsure if staying in touch with Blueshift would be that good of an idea of not. After some convincing, however, Rainbolt agreed. He decided it would be nice to keep in touch with him and see how his kids were doing. Maybe, he could even make him agree to cut down the doses until his cookies were made with nothing but love, sugar, flour, milk, butter, and eggs. "I'll have to write him back eventually..." Rainbolt muttered to himself with a small grin. "Maybe later today.... Hmm... Maybe when I'm done at work.... Or maybe-" Suddenly, Rainbolt was cut off by three loud, high-pitched dings. They were dismissed. The stallion's ears perked up as his eyes met the schoolhouse. Within a short moment, the front doors swung opened. A little group of fillies and colts swarmed out of their classrooms with wide smiles on their faces. They galloped happily into the hooves of their guardians who were waiting right outside the schoolhouse. The stallion felt himself smile at the sight of the young foals with so much excitement to see their parents. It made him think of when Dashie was that young and was that excited to see him at the end of every day. His grin grew at the thought of her innocent smile, little hooves eagerly galloping towards him, and the forceful embrace she'd take him in the moment he entered the school building. Heck, when she first started school, he would even receive the occasional, "I love you", "I missed you," or "Hi, Daddy". Well, she still says hi to me... She just hardly ever calls me "Daddy".... Unless, of course, she wants something... The stallion sighed and remained standing where he was. More and more foals rushed from the schoolhouse. Rainbolt yawned as the moments quickly passed. Slowly, his mind started to slip into thoughts, bored with the scenery around him. I wonder how long it'll take Dash to get out. I mean, she's usually not too late... Eh, she's probably just using the bathroom or something... She'll make her way out eventually. Just don't try to make a big fuss over it. It's no big deal... What else is there to think about? Blueshift... I really don't know what to tell that guy. I mean, I'll keep trying to convince him the best I can. Maybe I should ask Surprise what to do... She usually knows how to talk to ponies. Well, not usually about serious things, but she does have a way of convincing ponies to do stuff.... Maybe that's just you giving in easily. Then again, she did convince Mrs. Skies to not fire an innocent employee when she was in a pissed off mood. I'm really tired of her mood swings... I mean, she's been yelling about just about everything, having an abnormal appetite, whining, and just too hard to bare....I really don't think her going through menopause is a good excuse... Personally, I'd like to really like to- "Hey!" A high-pitched, feminine voice squeaked in a semi-angry tone. Rainbolt snapped back into reality and quickly looked down to meet eyes with a filly. Her medium blue mane cascaded down her shoulders and had curly ends. Her eyes were a very dark shade of blue, and her coat was such a light shade of blue it was almost white. "Can you like, not block the way of everypony?" For the longest moment , Rainbolt simply stared at the little filly with wide eyes and a frown. Was she serious? He was simply leaning against a gate, out of the way of all ponies. Her rude accusation was completely unjustified and unreasonable. The stallion blinked, slowly trying to figure out how to respond. "Umm, hello? I asked you a question!" Rainbolt took a moment before closing his mouth, smiling a bit, and making an attempt to speak. "Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn't realize standing off to the side next to a gate completely out of the paths of everypony would be considered blocking." The filly scruffed up her muzzle and her face grew red. "You know, it's really immature of you to sink down to a foal's level of maturity!" The stallion blinked, trying hard to even understand where her logic was even coming from. "Yes, because pointing out the flaws in your argument makes me less mature." He frowned and looked at the filly. "Listen, I'd move if you asked politely, but just barging into me and demanding I move isn't cool." To that, Windy responded physically. She pressed her head into Rainbolt's chest and forcefully tried to push him as hard as she could. He at first took a step back, but put his weight down, knowing the little filly was no match to him. Okay, this is really ridiculous... Rainbolt sighed and quickly stepped backwards. Unfortunately for Windy, she wasn't expecting it and ended up falling face-first into the large pile of fluff. The stallion chuckled and the little filly got up, only to growl at him for causing her misfortune. "You! I'll get my daddy to beat you up for this!" Rainbolt shrugged and chuckled. "Okay, Sweetheart. I'll be sure to tell him the little part about how you constantly bully my daughter." Windy gasped to that remark. Her eyes were no longer narrowed and her mouth was at an agape position. The stallion smirked a bit and continued on. "Yeah, Rainbow Dash has pointed you out several times to me and told me about all the rotten things you say to her. It would be a real shame if your dad found out about how poorly you treat your peers." To that, the little filly scrunched up her nose and and turned away with all her pride. "Whatever! Just go and let me be with my leaning post!" The stallion blinked and looked at the filly with a bit of confusion. She forced me to move out of the way... Just so she could lean on the post? What a brat! Angry, but not wanting to make a scene, the stallion swallowed his anger and walked in the direction of the school house. It wasn't long before his eager daughter flew in front of him with an a half-angry look on her face. "Whoa!" Rainbolt took a step back and smiled. "You just kinda came out of nowhere..." "Why are you socializing with the enemy!" The filly shrieked at her dad. "Rainbow..." The stallion blinked and looked at his filly. "I wasn't just chit-chatting with her. She came up to me and forced me to leave where I was..." "What'd you say to her?" she demanded to know. "I..." The stallion chuckled. "Well, I threatened to tell her dad about her bullying you, and I kind of made her fall down." Rainbow Dash felt a bit of pink rise to her cheeks. She was slightly upset, but did like the idea of her most hated classmate being tripped and threatened. "Yeah... Whatever. I just hope she doesn't say anything about it in class tomorrow..." "I hope not either." The stallion looked at his daughter and forced a smile. "Listen, if she says anything, tell her I'll get the news to her parents. When I made the threat to, she seemed a bit intimidated." "Yeah..." Rainbow still didn't seem a lick enthused about the idea. She did, however, quickly look back up at her dad and put a genuine, cute smile on her face. "So... Dad..." The filly reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a piece of white paper. Rainbolt took it as the filly handed it over to him. "Today, we were given these fliers to see the Wonderbolts next Monday! They're performing at the school and I need five bits to see them!" "No problem, Sweetie." "Buuut..." the filly started with a little smile on her face. "If you give me fifteen bits, I'll get to show them my stuff and get constructive criticism!" "I..." The stallion thought for a moment. If he gave her the fifteen bits, he may not have enough to buy the things he needed to bake muffins for the picnic him and Dash planned to go on with Surprise that Sunday. He could however, buy some from the store and still have enough for Dash. Surprise would never know the difference. Maybe he could just splurge and spend an extra thirty bits that month. They could just buy less expensive food the last couple weeks. "I suppose I could give you the money if it really means that much to you..." "Yes!" The filly tackled her dad into a hug, but quickly broke away, not wanting others to see her being affectionate. "You're the best dad ever!" she chimed with a smile. "Yeah, yeah..." The stallion smiled and spread his wings, gesturing for his filly to do the same. Naturally, she did, and was the first to take off. Rainbolt followed behind quickly, soaring upwards and right next to her. "Oh man! This is going to be so awesome!" Rainbow hoof-pumped in the air and smiled at her dad. "Once the Wonderbolts see what I can do, they'll probably just go right ahead and let me join the group!" To that, Rainbolt rolled his eyes and smiled. "That may be a bit of a stretch, but I'm sure if you worked hard enough you could get a bit of admiration." "You bet!" The filly grinned cockily in her dad's direction. "Besides..." Rainbow proceeded to twist around a nearby cloud in a swift, fluid motion. The white puff went from wide and fluffy to narrow and thin in mere seconds. Rainbow flew back to her original position next to her father. "It's not like I'm not one of the best flyers in my age range." "Yeah... I mean, you're much better than me when I was your age." "I know!" "I was also a lot more modest than you..." he commented with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a bragger, but, I mean, at least I have something worth bragging about!" "I guess..." Rainbolt smiled at his daughter. "So,what kind of stuff are you gonna do for the Wonderbolts?" "Hmm..." The filly thought for a moment. She knew basic cloud shaping and spiral stunts. She even had a few original tricks, but she didn't know how she'd combine a routine for them. "Do you know anypony that could help me get something together?" Her eyes then lit up. "Or even help me so I can fly really, really good? Like, give me critique and advice and stuff so I can be perfect!" Rainbolt thought for a moment. The only pony that could probably give her some really good pointers would be his sister, Prism Bolt. She, however, would probably be too wrapped up with her marefriend to even make time for Dash. Besides, just asking her to sacrifice her time within days notice didn't usually roll well with her. "Not off the top of my head..." "How about you?" To that, the stallion almost laughed out loud as if it were a joke. "Me? Rainbow, I couldn't teach you anything in a million years! I wasn't too athletic when I was young... I mean, I was. I loved playing sports and stuff, but I wasn't good at it..." Rainbolt sighed. "I seriously think you wouldn't want to take advice from somepony who wasn't accepted onto a single sports team in flight school." "Awe..." Rainbow frowned and looked away, trying to think for a moment. "What about Surprise? She's related to a Wonderbolt." "I know, but... you know, she might not be available or something. It's kind of rude to just barge into someone's house and ask for a favor." "But it's worth a try! By now she's probably off for the day!" "I thought her shift was four to nine with a couple hours in the morning?" "Didn't she tell you? Her shift changed from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon." "Oh..." Rainbolt blushed a bit. "I guess I just wasn't paying attention or something..." "Yeah... Anyway, can we go? Please?" "I..." He paused. "I suppose we could, as long as-" "Awesome!" The filly did a backflip in the air and pumped her hoof. "Love you, Dad." Rainbolt exhaled. "I love you, too..." Thud! Thud! Thud! Rainbow knocked three times at Surprise's front door, then stepped back to wait for the answer. Rainbolt wasn't nervous about the visit, but did feel a bit guilty about allowing his filly to ask for assistance flying from her on such short notice. Maybe they could simply plan a day for Surprise to help her. Then again, that Monday was only four short days away. After a brief moment of waiting, Surprise at long last answered the door. When she opened it, there were little bits of batter scattered around her face and crusted into her mane. She was wearing a little, pink apron and mini chef's hat. "Ah, Rainbolt! Rainbow Dash!" Both ponies instantly tilted their heads at the odd way Surprise pronounced their names. "Bienvenue!" The mare smiled and stepped aside, waiting for her guests to come in. "Uhh... Thank you..." Rainbolt replied hesitantly. "De rien!" the mare chimed brightly. "What's up with the fancy talk?" Rainbow asked in a semi-rude manner. Her father quickly nudged her with his wing as a reminder to watch her manners. "Oh!" Surprise giggled. "Just catchin' up on my French!" "Oh. Why?" "Parce que mes cousins et mes oncles seront présents à la réunion de ma famille, et ils parlent un français impeccable! Alors, si je ne connais pas mon français à la réunion, je ne pourrais pas leur parler! De plus, mes parents pensent que mon français est parfait. Je n'aimerais pas les décevoir!" "Huh?" the two ponies asked in unison. Surprise sighed. "My parents think my French is perfect, but I've been so out of whack with it lately, I might not be able to talk to half my family! Half my cousins don't speak a lick of English, so when I go to the family reunion this Saturday, they might not be able to talk to me that well because I'm really rusty..." She sighed. "My parents and aunts speak English, but some of my cousins and uncles don't." "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that." "Merci beaucoup, Rainbolt." "Wait!" Rainbow interrupted. "How do your aunts speak English, but your uncles don't?" "Because, all of my uncles are related by marriage. My dad's an only child, and my mom has two sisters. Both of them went on to marry stallions that spoke fluent French. That is our native language." "Well, I mean, if you'd like us to go, we can." Rainbolt suggested. "Oh, no. C'est bien! Err..." The mare stuck her tongue out and thought for a moment. "Est-ce que tu veux manges des petites gâteaus?" To that, the two ponies glanced at each other, unsure of what the mare was trying to say. They looked back up to her, silently asking for a translation. The mare giggled a bit. "Want to sample some cookies?" "Oh, sure!" Rainbolt said with a smile. Surprise gestured for the two to follow her, but the stallion was quickly stopped by his frantic daughter. "But aren't you going to ask her?" "What? Me?" Rainbolt raised an eyebrow. "It's what you want, you ask her." "Um, Surprise?" Rainbow spoke up. "Oui?" The mare stopped in her tracks as she was about to enter the kitchen. "Do you maybe... You know, have any way of helping me with flying? Next Monday I'll get to perform in front of the Wonderbolts, and I really, really want to be absolutely perfect for them!" Surprise smiled at the filly, to Rainbolt, then back at his filly. Almost instantly, her muzzle scrunched up with a snort. Tears began to glass over her purple eyes. Not a moment later, she burst out into loud crackles. She fell to the ground as her loud laughter echoed throughout the room. Rainbolt and Rainbow stared emotionlessly as she continued to have a laugh-attack. Eventually, she found her strength to stop and rose from the tile floor. She brought a hoof up to her eyes to shoo off some dripping tears. "Tu es trop drôle, Rainbow Dash!" She giggled again with a snort. "I don't know anything about professional flying!" "But your cousin's a Wonderbolt!" "Yeah, we're cousins! But we barely ever talk to each other! I mean, we do once in a while, but not too much." She smiled. "Actually, she's the cousin of mine who speaks the most English. She prefers French, but had to learn the basics of English to be in the Wonderbolts. Now she can almost speak it perfectly!" Rainbow sighed and frowned. "Thanks, anyway, Surprise." "De rien!" She cleared her throat and looked at Dash. "Sorry I'm not much help, but I know what'll cheer you up!" "What?" Rainbow asked with a pitiful tone in her voice. "Some slightly overcooked lemon squares with a side of chocolate chip dough-crisps!" "What?" the filly asked, cocking her head. Surprise blushed and chuckled while rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "I may have read the instructions en Français..." "Can I?" "No." "Please?" "No." "But, Dad, I-" "Rainbow Dash!" Rainbolt turned around and met eyes with his pitiful filly. She was sitting on her sleeping bag in the corner of his office. She should have fallen asleep an hour ago, but instead, she spent the whole time begging. It definitely wasn't something easy to work to. "What?" she asked innocently. "You are not going to ask Mrs. Skies for flying advice." "Why not?" "Because she's going through a very stressful time in her life. She doesn't need to be bothered anymore." Rainbow huffed angrily. "She's been going through mentlapause for like, four months now. She needs to get over it." "Menopause, Rainbow. Also, when you go through when you're fifty-something, I'm sure you won't be any more pleasant." "But still. She's been all grumpy and stuff and it's not fun..." Rainbow looked up at her dad. "Come on, Dad. Just let me ask her. The worst she can do is say 'No'." "No, the worst she can do is fire me. Just leave it alone, Dash." "But she won't!" Dash reassured with a smile. He frowned and turned back around in his chair. "Just let me do it." "No." "Please?" "No." "Please?" "No!" "Pretty please?" Rainbolt folded his hooves and growled. "I said no, Rainbow...." "Please...?" The stallion turned around and met eyes with his daughter, who at that point had the most pitiful expression on her face. Her eyes were watering and her lower lip was trembling. The stallion sighed. "Fine..." "Yes!" Rainbow Dash smiled brightly and pumped her hoof. "Thanks Dad! Love you!" "I love you-" Before Rainbolt could even finish his sentence, Dash zipped out of the room with all the energy in the world. "Too..." The stallion shook his head and turned back around to resume his work. Meanwhile, Rainbow eagerly flew out of his office, across the other side of the factory, and quickly landed at the front of her artificial aunt's office. She smiled widely and gave the door three firm knocks. "Come in..." a weak, but familiar voice called from the inside of the office. Rainbow didn't hesitate to lift her hoof up to the doorknob and push it opened. The first thing she saw when she entered the room was an exhausted, wheezing Mrs. Skies lying on the ground. Dash's eyes went wide. "What's wrong?" "My tummy hurts..." the mare admitted. "Why?" "I don't know..." The mare rested her hooves on her aching belly. "I think I ate too much chocolate..." Rainbow looked at the mare inquisitively. Her mouth had little bits of chocolate around the edges. Ever since the mare started the inevitable phase, she'd been a bit more emotional, was constantly bingeing on chocolate, and had gained quite a bit of weight. She wasn't really fat, but she had grown quite the belly. "I'm sorry." Rainbow said in an almost sympathetic tone. "Not your fault..." "So, umm... I was just wondering if you could somehow help me train a bit. I get to perform in front of the Wonderbolts, and I really, really want to impress them!" The pegasus simply looked up at the filly and shook her head. "Sorry, Dash. That's not really up my alley..." The mare groaned and wrapped her hooves around her belly. "Ugh... It feels like my stomach's trying to fight me..." "Oh, Sorry. Should I leave or...?" "Just leave..." she huffed out. "I need some time alone." "Alright..." Awkwardly, Rainbow Dash walked out of the office and shut the door behind her. She sighed and felt more and more hope slipping away from her. Well... that was a complete fail. Slowly, the filly flew all the way across the factory and back to her father's office, where he was working diligently on that night's assignment. She could only hear the scribbles of his pencil and his breath whistling between his teeth and the eraser. She slowly crawled over to her sleeping bag and lazily plopped onto it. That sound was enough to get Rainbolt to spit out his pencil. "How'd it go?" Rainbow shrugged. "She was too busy being in agonizing stomach pain to help." "Ah. She okay?" Again, the filly merely shrugged. "She said she wanted to be alone, but you can check on her if you'd like." "Eh, I'd rather not be bitched at." "But, Dad!" Rainbow put on a sly smile. "Butting into other ponies' business is like your specialty!" To that, Rainbolt smiled a bit and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just go to bed and get some shut-eye. You have school tomorrow." The little filly responded with a yawn and nod. "Goodnight, Dad..." "Night." With that, Rainbow drifted off to sleep within the hour, and Rainbolt did his best to get his job done. "How is it?" Surprise asked with a smile. Rainbolt took a bite of her delicious homemade brownies. They were perfectly gooey and tasted like a slice of heaven on the stallion's tongue. "Awesome." he said with a smile. The two pegasi had gotten their picnic as planned. The stallion ended up buying the muffins at a store. He did, however, make the sandwiches himself. He only hoped Surprise didn't realize. She was kind enough to make cookies, brownies, and potato salad homemade. Her cooking was very good, and definitely something the stallion came to appreciate. As the two dined on the delectable deserts and delicious food, Rainbow found herself practicing for the Wonderbolts the next day. They did, after all, choose her favorite park to have the picnic at. Why shouldn't she kick back and practice her stunts? It's not like she had many other options. "So, how did the family reunion go?" Rainbolt asked, keeping an eye on his daughter at all times. "Très bien!" she chimed. "After getting in there and socializing a bit, a lot of the French started to come back to me." "Good to hear." "Yeppers. So, did Dash ever find somepony to help her with the Wonderbolts thing?" Rainbolt sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I wish I could help her. I mean, I only know the very basics, and I'm sure it's stuff she already knows. She tried to ask Mrs. Skies, but she was having belly troubles." "Yeah, I heard she's taking menopause pretty hard. You know, last weak she threw a candy bar at me?" "Really?" the stallion asked with a chuckle. "Yep! I caught, said, 'thanks' and left! Totally worth being yelled at!" Both ponies giggled at the story. "Man, that's pretty...." Rainbolt paused with his golden eyes staring at the puffy horizon. "Where's Dash?" he asked in a semi-panicked tone. "Relax." Surprise encouraged. "She probably just did some trick that required she go below the cloud layer." "Oh.. okay..." Nervously, the stallion glanced back and forth between the mare and the cloud layer. It didn't take long for Surprise to notice. "Hey, ummm... What kind of muffins did you make?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "Strawberry." "That sounds really good..." the mare cooed with a smile. With that, the mare took one of the muffins from the little basket and slowly peeled away the muffin liner. "You know, my mom can make the best strawberry cheesecake muffins." "Sounds good..." the stallion commented, still glancing nervously at the sky. The mare frowned and took a bite of the muffin. Almost the instant the treat touched her taste buds, she made a face and spit the half-chewed muffin out into the liner. Rainbolt frowned at her and cocked his head. "Something wrong...?" "I thought you said you homemade these!" She frowned and made a face. "These are obviously store-bought!" The stallion's face lit up and he nervously bit his lip. "Sorry..." he apologized. "It's just... y-you know.. Rainbow with the school thing. I had to make compromises and I-" Before Rainbolt could even finish his explanation, the sound of a familiar filly screaming rang in his ears. His ears flickered and his eyes met the sky's. The first thing he saw was his daughter hurdling towards the ground. "Dashie!" he cried. The stallion spread his wings and leapt into the air. His wings fluttered fast as he flew towards his falling filly. Almost instantly, he felt the impact of his daughter against his chest. Him and Rainbow fell down to the cloud at a very high speed. In a few seconds, they both felt the impact of the cloud against them. Rainbow fell deeper into her dad's gut while she remained unharmed. Surprise gasped and ran to the two pegasi. The stallion was aching in the area he fell in, while his daughter almost instantly got up and went to her dad's side. "Dad!" she cried. "Are you alright?" Rainbolt coughed and held his ribcage where he felt the most impact. He winced as his hoof brushed passed at good-sized bruise on his chest. "I... I'm hurting..." Surprise gasped again in a dramatic fashion. "Do you need a hospital?" "No..." Rainbolt took in a breath and winced as he sat up. "I'm okay... Just hurt..." "I'm sorry, Dad..." Rainbow apologized with a blush. "I didn't mean to. I was just trying to sonic rainboom... The air kind of built up and turned against me." Rainbolt sighed and got up onto all fours. His chest stung from the harsh impact his daughter put on him. He hoped he hadn't broken a rib or anything, but the pain didn't seem severe enough for that. "It's okay..." The stallion took in several deep breaths. "I just need to lay down..." Surprise felt her heart shatter a bit. The physical pain her crush was experiencing sent an arrow through her heart. She loved to see him happy with a bright smile on his face. Seeing him with anything less than a joyful expression was heart-breaking to her. "How about we go back to my place?" the mare suggested. "It's closer, and I think you could lay down at my house for a little while." Rainbolt was still panting with a hoof on the most hurt part of his chest. His eyes were glossed with tears and his heart was still thumping a million miles an hour from hurling himself into the air to save his daughter. Finally, he spoke. "That'd be nice..." Surprise frowned as she looked into her bedroom. Her queen sized bed was occupied by the stallion of her dreams. The bruised, battered, and aching stallion slept peacefully under the thin covers and on the thick, soft mattress of the mare's bed. A melted ice pack stained the sheets with water on his bruised chest. His breathing was heavy, yet delicate. A pump of the chest would expand slowly, then fall within a second. His eyes were fluttering under the influence of a dream. He's so cute when he sleeps... The mare thought. Oh, listen to yourself, Surprise. You sound just as creepy as he probably thinks you are. I mean... He's just so amazing. I wish he'd even consider me as a marefriend. Just... Just to have one little ounce of him find me remotely attractive. It's so unlikely, yet so wonderful to think about... The mare felt herself tearing up as she approached her bed to get a closer look. Her crush looked so dazzling under the moonlight. The silver rays casted down onto his face and mane. He looked oh so wonderful. In his sleep, he wore a little frown with beads of sweat rolling down his body. Surprise sighed and went over to the fan in the corner of the room. She clicked it on and pointed it towards Rainbolt, hoping it would cool him down a little. His mane blew around gently in the artificial breeze. The mare felt herself smile a bit. You're so beautiful, Bolty... Please don't change. The mare looked over to the digital clock on the wall. It was nearly one in the morning. Dash had passed out on her couch hours ago, while she was still awake. Surprise yawned, tired from the long day. Well, Rainbolt's in my bed. I want to sleep next to him so badly... but at the same time, I can't. It would just make him feel really awkward. I'd rather see him non-creeped out than me happy... I just can't scare him away. Surprise felt her heart ache as she looked at his sleeping. In her heart, she knew they'd never be together. That's what he wanted. If he was happy being her friend, than she could be happy, too. She wasn't his marefriend. She couldn't invite herself into bed with him, even if it was her bed. You may not be able to sleep with him, but you can at least bid him goodnight, I guess. With tears swelling in her purple eyes, Surprise went over to the side of the bed where Rainbolt lay. She felt her heart beat soundly in her chest as she bent down and whispered to his sleeping body. "Goodnight, Bolty... Please feel better in the morning..." With that, the mare leaned in and gently placed a peck on the stallion's cheek. She felt her face light up as she pulled away. She looked at him. He was sleeping like a foal, unaware that she'd just kissed him. She felt her insides swirl as a new idea came to her. Her cheeks lit up crimson as she leaned in once more and planted a soft kiss on Rainbolt's lips. She closed her eyes and felt a million kisses at once. She felt the first kiss on a romantic date, the soothing kisses he'd place on her lips in her worst days, the hot, passionate kisses for when the time was right, the sweet little pecks he'd land on her lips leisurely after a long day at work, and the sweet, sweet kiss she'd receive to tie their knot. She kept every one of those kisses in her heart as she broke away from her unconscious sweetheart. Her purple eyes opened as she looked onto his sleeping body. A little smile formed on the stallion's face as the sensation lingered on his lips. Two tears ran down her face and splashed onto the stallion below. Her heart sank and her breathing became heavier. "Je t'aime, Rainbolt..." Rainbolt awoke with a jolt. His heart was pounding against his chest as he looked around the room. He was in pink sheets with a fan blowing towards him. His mane was a wreck and his eyes were boarded with crusties. Almost instantly, his hoof went up to his chest when the pain sunk into him. It was still sore, but not nearly as bad as it'd been the day before. Oh, man, that hurts... The stallion gently circled his hoof around his chest. Man.. What a night... What time is it? The stallion's eyes made there way to the clock and instantly widened. It was nearly three in the afternoon. His heart pounded in realization. His hoof went up to his face. "Work! Work! I-I missed work! Mrs. Skies'll kill me!" "No she won't..." A high-pitched, girly voice said from the hallway. Rainbolt turned his head to meet eyes with Surprise. "Last night after Dash went to sleep, I flew up to the factory and explained everything to Mrs. Skies. She said she'll deal with, and she's not taking away your pay for that day because of it." Rainbolt took in a breath. "Thanks, Surprise." He smiled. "You're a great friend." "De rien..." she said with a chuckle. "So, uh... Are you feeling better? If you need me to, I can get a nurse to check on you." "No, it's fine..." Rainbolt blushed and grinned. "I'm feeling better." "You sure?" Surprise asked genuinely. The stallion nodded. "Good. I, uh... took Rainbow to school and brought her back. Took the day off work to make sure you didn't need anything. Didn't want you to wake up all confused in the middle of the day." Rainbolt smiled and gestured the mare over with his hoof. She came hesitantly, and when she did, her crush sat up and took her into a hug. She felt her pulse rise as her hooves wrapped around him. "Thanks for caring about me." "It's okay..." The two broke away and Surprise smiled. She turned around and poked her head into the hall. "Hey, Rainbow Dash! Your dad's up!" The mare put her head back in the room and looked at Rainbolt with a sincere smile. Within a moment, the stallion heard his daughter zooming up the stairs. She landed with a thump at the top of the staircase. She had her saddle bag on along with a frown. "Hey, Dad." she greeted in a surprisingly quite tone. "You feeling okay?" "Yeah..." He tossed her a smile. "How'd the Wonderbolts thing go?" "It didn't..." The filly looked away shamefully and sighed. "Oh. Why?" Surprise smiled as the filly walked up to her dad with a sparkle of regret in her eyes. "Dad, I'm really sorry. I got my mind so wrapped up in the whole Wonderbolts thing. I didn't listen to you when you told me it'd be rude to just ask Surprise for help. You told me it was a bad idea to ask Mrs. Skies for help, but I ignored you. I just kept begging you until you gave in to me. Heck, I even disobeyed you when you told me not to go beneath the cloud layer. I was so absorbed with my own greedy intentions, I ended up hurting you a lot..." The filly looked up at her dad with gloss over her eyes. "Today, when the teacher collected bits, I was thinking really hard. I decided that for once, I wasn't going to be greedy, even when I was so close to achieving my goal." The filly then opened up her saddle bag and took out a little, plastic bag wrapped around an item. It was square and pretty big. She gently placed the covered block on her dad's lap and looked up at him. "I hope you like it... And that you'll forgive me for everything. I'm sorry." Rainbolt looked at his daughter, and then down at the present. He took his hooves around it and slowly removed the item from the bag. Inside was a large brick of rose-scented soap from Canterlot. It was light pink with a tight wrapper and label on the front. "Surprise took me to a soap shop in Canterlot..." Rainbow explained. "It costed me thirteen bits, and then I spent the rest on a snow cone." "Awe, Rainbow..." Rainbolt smiled as he examined the large chunk of soap. "Thank you so, so much... That was very thoughtful." "De rien." Rainbow said with a smile. Rainbolt and Surprise chuckled at the comment. "So!" Surprise said at random. "I have dinner cooking! I hope you all like asparagus and left over potato salad!" "I do!" Rainbow chimed, then blushed at her childish comment. "Good. Will you go set the table?" Rainbow quickly saluted Surprise and buzzed downstairs to take care of the request. The moment she left, the mare turned to Rainbolt. "So... Are you going to go home tonight, or do you need to stay here another day?" "I... I don't know. I'm still pretty sore, but I think I can fly on my own." He grinned. "I think I'll even be able to make it to work tomorrow." "Oh, good. I mean, it's really no problem if you need to stay another night." "No, that's fine." "Alright. You rest here. I'll go make you a dish." Rainbolt nodded and smiled. Surprise made her way to the doorframe. Before leaving, she turned to Rainbolt and winked. "Tu es très mignon, Rainbolt." With that, Surprise turned the corner and started giggling to herself. Complimenting her crush in French certainly gave her the satisfying feeling of flirting without all the harsh embarrassment. It wasn't until she heard a reply that her face went red, ears stood up, and she took in a gasp. "You're cute, too, Surprise."