The large sign that read "Clover's Cafe" came into sight as Rainbow Dash flew through the clear sky. She had been glad to finish her weather duties early, now she could go meet her friends for lunch.
"Hey party ponies!" Rainbow pushed open the doors of Clover's Cafe and trotted over to greet her friends. "Did ya miss me?"
"Huh?" Soarin glanced up and saw her approaching them. The others noticed her as well, Fleetfoot breaking out into giggles once again.
"H-hey Dash!" She sputtered, turning bright red from the laughing. Spitfire elbowed her in the side as Fluttershy watched her nervously.
"Oh, um, hi Rainbow." The pale yellow pegasus scooted her chair over to make room for the newcomer. The others called out various greetings as Dash plopped into the chair Twilight conjured for her.
"Howdy RD, we didn't know you were comin'!" Applejack attempted to hide a smile at the sight of Soarin's shocked face.
"Well, because of ME," Dash puffed out her chest, flipping her mane over her shoulder. "The weather team finished the storm in record timing! I got us all the rest of the day off."
"An' I'm sure the others didn't help at all." Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Maybe a little. But I did most of it!" Rainbow completely missed her friend's sarcasm. "So, what did I miss?"
"Well, OW!" Applejack was cut off right before she could describe their prior conversation by Soarin kicking her from underneath the table. She looked over at him and saw his wide eyes. "I mean nothing!"
"Nothing at all darling!" Rarity joined in, laughing awkwardly.
"Okaaay, you guys are being weirder than usual..." Rainbow raised her eyebrow at her friends. Applejack was wincing, rubbing her leg, Rarity was forcing a smile, with her eye slightly twitching, and the others were just glancing between them. "What's goin' on?"
"Oh, um... Spitfire just told everypony that she cried herself to sleep last night!" Fleetfoot burst out. All eyes turned towards the captain.
"What? Fleet-" Spitfire's confused protest was cut off.
"Yeah! She forgot her blankey at the Wonderbolt Headquarters, and she had a rough night without it... Poor girl..." Soarin added on, ignoring the glare coming from the fiery maned mare.
"Yup! That's what happened!" Pinkie joined in, beginning to laugh.
"She almost started crying while she was telling us!" Fleetfoot began to giggle again, dodging the elbow shoved at her by Spitfire. The others nodded in agreement, collectively deciding not to tell Rainbow what they had really been talking about.
"It was heartbreaking..." Rarity brought her hoof to her heart dramatically. "Spitfire, I would be glad to make you a new blanket if that would make you feel better."
"What the hell? I don't need a blank-" Spitfire began protesting, but was unable to continue with when Fleetfoot's wing smacked her in the back of the head, causing it to make a painful impact with the table.
"That would be very kind Rarity, thank you." The light blue Wonderbolt smiled at Rarity, before bringing her head down to Spitfire's, which was still stuck to the table. "Spitty, wouldn't that be kind?" Spitfire picked her head up from the table, rubbing the sore spot.
"Dammit Fleet, why'd you do that?" She swatted her wing out, hitting Fleetfoot in the face with it.
"Ow, my eye! Soarin, she hit me right in the eye! On purpose!" The mare whined. "And she knew that smashing her head on table was an accident!"
"Shut up, both of you." Soarin rolled his eyes. He and his teammates were like family, and he loved them, but even family acted stupid sometimes. Fleetfoot pouted and crossed her arms, sticking her tongue out at Spitfire. Dash raised her eyebrows at them.
"Ok then. I'm... sorry to hear about your blanket?" She glanced over at the captain, who was busy rubbing her forehead again.
"It's fine." She replied flatly, glaring at Fleetfoot. "I don't really need it."
"Spits, Dash is our friend. You can be honest with her." Soarin tried to hide his smirk as he patted Spitfire on the shoulder. She kicked him, not answering.
"To answer your question Rainbow," Twilight rolled her eyes. "No, you haven't missed anything." The rainbow maned mare decided to just accept this answer.
"Er, are you ready to order...? Or do you want me to come back..." A voice came from in front of the table. An Earth Pony was standing there with a notepad and pen, apparently having heard the entire conversation.
"Huh? Oh, howdy Clover!" Applejack waved at the stallion who smiled back.
"Sounded like quite the conversation you ponies were having. I've been standing here for five minutes but nopony noticed me!" Clover chuckled.
"Well, you're grey, and so is the wallpaper." Fleetfoot looked Clover up and down. "It wouldn't be hard to not notice you."
"Yeah, if you're an idiot!" Soarin poked Fleet's cheek.
"Hey! Who're you calling an idiot, dumbass!" She swatted his hoof away.
"Clover, darling, I think we will just have our usual orders." Rarity spoke over the noise the bickering Wonderbolts were making. Spitfire smiled apologetically at the waiter.
"And we'll just have... Um, I haven't even looked at a menu yet..." She laughed awkwardly while kicking her teammates under the table.
"Just give them what I'm having." Dash smirked at Spitfire's attempts to make Soarin and Fleetfoot behave. Clover nodded and trotted away, muttering about how there was always something interesting going on in this town.
"Ok you two, I know we're on vacation and all, but once the food gets here, you have to act like adults and not be stupid." She narrowed her eyes at Fleet, who was crossing her arms.
"Says the one who poked me right in the eye!"
"I didn't mean to!"
"You did to!"
"Hey Flutters, why don't you go switch spots with Spitfire? I have a feeling we should separate the three of them if we don't want food flying everywhere..." Rainbow muttered to her friend.
"Oh... Um, g-good idea." Fluttershy stood up and began shuffling around the table.
"Spits, come sit over here!" Dash patted the now empty seat. Spitfire removed her hoof from Fleet's face and marched over to the chair. She plopped down and glanced at Fleetfoot, who had her eyes crossed. Fluttershy nervously sat down on the edge of her new seat, shying away from the silly pony next to her.
"Hiya Fluttershy!" Fleet grinned at the timid mare, still with her eyes crossed. Fluttershy murmured something and shrank away. Rainbow tried to hide her smile as she watched her shy friend. She seemed to be afraid of Fleetfoot for some reason.
"Hey Soarin," Dash turned to the lone stallion. "I was thinking, if you and I were to both help Scootaloo with her flying, we could probably really help her! You could show me how you got her to improve before, so I can continue when your vacations done." She had been pondering this idea ever since Soarin had informed her of the impromptu flying lesson he had conducted with the filly. "You know, combine my awesomeness with your Wonderboltness!"
"Yeah, that sounds cool!" Soarin nodded, agreeing with the idea. "Just let me know when you see her again."
"Will do!" Dash beamed, not noticing the smirks coming from her friends.
"I can see why you thought they may have been an item." Twilight muttered to Rarity. "The way they interact with each other... Not what I was expecting after the Gala..."
"I know!" Rarity hissed back. "I mean, I've hardly ever seen Rainbow look at a stallion before, but with him she's just so comfortable!"
"Well, know we know it was just a rumour." Twilight glanced back at her rainbow maned friend. Rarity pouted beside her.
"Unfortunately. They would have been absolutely adorable together! It's going to break little Sweetie Belle's heart when I tell her it wasn't true."
"Sweetie Belle?"
"Here."
"Applebloom?
"Here."
"Scootaloo? Here." Scootaloo finished taking role call and the Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting began.
"So girls," Applebloom sat heavily on the floor. "What are we gonna crusade for today?"
"Well, Rainbow Dash and Soarin got me thinking..." Sweetie began. Scootaloo groaned. "Hey, you haven't even heard my idea yet!"
"Yeah, but your ideas are usually dumb." Scootaloo blew her mane out of her eyes and slumped down next to Applebloom.
"Scootaloo!" The littlest apple scolded her. "Her ideas may be pretty stupid, but you're not suppose' ta tell her that!" She turned to look at Sweetie Belle. "No offence." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about. My ideas are delightful." The other crusaders glanced at each other.
"Uh, do we have to remind you about your idea to breed fish in the towns water supply? We nearly got Twilight put in jail again!" Applebloom raised her eyebrow.
"Well, sorry for trying to be creative!" Sweetie pouted. "And this idea is actually good!" Scootaloo sighed.
"Lets hear it then..."
"We." The unicorn paused for dramatic effect. Applebloom muttered something about "acting more like Rarity every day", which Sweetie ignored. "Are going to get coltfriends!"
"Ok, I take it back Scoots." Applebloom crossed her hooves. "Go ahead an' tell her that it's a dumb idea."
"That is a very dumb idea!" Scootaloo rolled her eyes further back than Applebloom thought was even possible.
"Wow," She commented. "Maybe you could get an eye rolling cutie mark!"
"You think? I've been practicing!" Scootaloo demonstrated again.
"You two are mean." Sweetie glared at her friends. "You're the dumb ones, not me! What would an eye rolling cutie mark even look like?"
"Duh! Like this!" The pegasus pointed at her face as she continued to show off her skill.
"Why would you want a picture of a chicken rolling their eyes on your flank?" Sweetie flipped her mane over her shoulder.
"That joke is so old! Just let it go!" Scootaloo stomped her hoof on the ground. "Yeah, I can do a killer chicken call, but that doesn't make me a chicken!"
"What are you bawking about over there?" Applebloom smirked.
"Oh, not you to!" She shot a glare at the earth pony. "What about Sweetie Belle being a dictionary?! Huh? That's way more funny!"!
"Eh, I'm over that." Sweetie commented passively. "Being called a dictionary just means that I have an expansive vocabulary, which means I'm smart." Scootaloo glanced at Applebloom.
"A what vocabulary?" She muttered. Applebloom shrugged.
"Big!" Sweetie called over to them. "A big vocabulary! And Scootaloo, you might want to learn how to whisper, I could still hear you."
"Whatever." Scootaloo rolled her eyes again. "Wait. How did this conversation even start?"
"Cause of Sweetie's dumb idea!" Applebloom pitched in.
"Oh, right. Sweetie, your idea was stupid!"
"Well, your eye rolling is stupid!" Sweetie Belle fired back. Scootaloo gasped.
"Excuse me?!" She held a hoof dramatically to her heart.
"Girls, lets just all agree that you two are equally as dumb." Applebloom attempted to mediate between them.
"...Fine. Sweetie, I'm just as dumb as you are. Sorry." Scootaloo hung her head.
"It's okay Scootaloo. I'm dumb to." The unicorn leaned over and hugged her friend. A thought that went along the lines of this has gotta be one of the weirdest meetings we've ever had ran through Applebloom's mind as she watched her friends. "And so is Applebloom." Scootaloo's muffled voice came from Sweetie's mane. The earth pony just shrugged and joined the hug.
"Ugh! I'm stuffed!" Fleetfoot leaned back in her chair and groaned. Clover had returned cheerfully, laden with heaping plates. The group of ponies had enjoyed their meals, especially Fleet. She had finished her food first, and ate Fluttershys when the timid mare was done with it.
"Well girls. And Soarin." Rarity glanced around the table. "The boutique is quite bogged down with orders at the moment, I really must go." She stood up and turned to the Wonderbolts. "It was absolutely lovely meeting you three, I'm sure we will see eachother again before you leave." The rest bid her goodbye, and with that she was gone.
"I'm 'fraid I've gotta run to. It's almost the cider time again, an' Mac needs help taking inventory." Applejack adjusted her stetson and stood.
"Yes! Cider time!" Dash cheered. Applejack rolled her eyes at her friends enthusiasm.
"I'll see you gals- and guy- later." She waved before following Rarity outside.
"So, you three got anything else you wanna do today?" Rainbow addressed the Wonderbolts.
"Not really. Got anything in mind?" Spitfire answered for all of them.
"Eh," Dash thought for a moment before her face lit up. "I know! We can go down to Ghastly Gorge!"
"Ghastly Gorge? What the hell is that?" Fleetfoot cocked her head. Twilight cleared her throat.
"It's one of the most dangerous valleys in Equestria. There's quarry eels, treacherous wind, rockslides..." The alicorn trailed off.
"Basically, it's my favorite spot to fly!" Dash grinned.
"Sounds awesome!" Fleetfoot bounced in her seat. Pinkie blinked at her and began bouncing as well. The Wonderbolt scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, bouncing higher. Pinkie raised her eyebrows in reply.
"Is this what I think it is?" The party pony looked around. "A BOUNCE OFF?"
"Oh, you definitely don't want to start one of those with her." Rainbow advised, grabbing one of Fleetfoot's hooves. "C'mon guys!" She took to the air, dragging Fleet with her, and waved goodbye to her friends, the Wonderbolts following suit. Pinkie's loud "Aw man!" could be heard clearly as they flew through the door.
"I like your friends." Spitfire commented as they burst into the bright sun.
"Yeah! They're fun!" Fleetfoot added, Soarin nodding in agreement.
"Hey Dash!" A voice called from behind them. The four ponies turned around to see who it was, spotting a dark pegasus stallion.
"Oh, hey Thunderlane! What's up?" The prismatic mare waved to him. Soarin recognised the name from the previous night, this being the stallion that had told Dash about the storm.
"Eh, not much." He glided over towards them. "Thanks again for getting the rest of the day off!" Dash smirked upon hearing this.
"That storm was nothing." She flipped her mane proudly over her shoulder. "Oh, by the way," She beckoned the others over, the two mares drifting closer. "Thunderlane, meet Spitfire and Fleetfoot."
"Nice to meet you." Spitfire greeted.
"Hey hot stuff." Fleetfoot winked, causing Thunderlane to turn bright red. Dash looked behind her, seeing Soarin floating by himself.
"Get over here!" She waved him over. "And this is Soarin."
"Hey man." The Wonderbolt nodded at the other stallion, his stomach twisting into a knot. Huh? That's weird... he thought to himself. This dude really bothers me for some reason... "Well Dash, I'm eager to see this gorge you were talking about." Soarin brought Rainbow's attention back onto him.
"Oh, right! Well, I'll see you around Thunderlane!" She turned to leave, Spitfire following. Fleetfoot winked again, smirking, before her captain grabbed her tail and began pulling her after them.
"Ow! Hey, watch it Spitty!" Fleet complained loudly. "You're handling precious cargo!" Soarin rolled his eyes at his wingmates before pulling up beside Dash.
"So..." He began. "That Thunderlane seems... Cool."
"Yeah, I guess so." Rainbow squinted in the bright sun. "I just know him from the weather team."
"You two... Never hang out together?" Soarin didn't look at Dash as he asked.
"No, not really. Why?" She glided on her side so she could see him.
"No reason." The knot in Soarin's stomach untwisted. He felt relieved, but had no idea why.
"Oh! Look straight ahead!" Dash pointed with one hoof in the direction they were headed. "See that valley?" Soarin looked where she was pointing, seeing a dark crevice.
"Yeah. I'm guessing that's Ghastly Gorge?" He widened his eyes. It looked pretty creepy, even from this distance. Spitfire and Fleetfoot pulled up on either side of him.
"Damn!" Fleet commented, spotting the gorge. "Looks like we've got a daredevil on our hooves!" She glanced at Dash, who was grinning widely.
"Race you there!" Rainbow, Soarin, and Fleet shouted in unison before shooting off. Spitfire squinted at them before following.
"Wait for me!"