//------------------------------//
// A Serious Conversation  
// Story: It's (Not) a Date 
// by Killbles 
//------------------------------//

It's (Not) a Date
Chapter 2: A Serious Conversation

Rainbow Dash prowled around the edge of her cloud-home restlessly, occasionally turning her head skywards and searching the heavens. 
Soarin was late. Again.
She cursed to herself quietly, wondering if punctuality was something the Wonderbolt even understood the concept of. They’d been on a few dates now, and each one Soarin had invariably been late to collect her. Not only late, but consistently late almost to the minute. She’d decided by now that he was either precisely uncoordinated or just taking the mickey out of her. When she had brought it up last time she’d seen him, Soarin had only laughed, so she suspected it was more the later. 
Rainbow grumbled irritably to herself, burying her face deeper into the scarf Soarin had gotten her for Hearth’s Warming. What in Equestria could make Soarin so consistently late?
“Hey Dashie.” 
Rainbow Dash squealed and jumped at the unexpected voice, spinning around to find Soarin hanging upside down from one of the eaves of her house. He was stuck fast to the cloud like he had been glued there, lying upside down without a worry in the world. She swiftly regained her composure, huffing and puffing indignantly at him.
“How long have you been there?!” She hissed. 
“Long enough.” Soarin replied, yawning lazily and giving her a rather unfazed smile. He looked very tired, the bags under his eyes were certainly heavier than normal and Soarin’s mane was filled with many unkempt locks.
Rainbow Dash hopped from hoof to hoof irritably, blushing and puffing her chest out defensively. “You are the worst.” She growled.
Soarin smiled, sweeping his wings open and leisurely hovering in front of her. He bumped the tip of his snout against hers. “You’re the best.” Soarin giggled.
Rainbow let him have his fun, she’d get him back later. Somehow.
“So, where are we going this time?” She asked boredly. “Your idea of a romantic movie? Dinner at some idiotic fancy restaurant you know? An outrageously expensive ‘trendy’ bar owned by some friend?”
“Nope.” Soarin respondedly with a toothy grin. “We’re doing paintball. Might want this.” He added, throwing a bundled up white jacket at her. 
Rainbow looked at the jacket suspiciously, it smelt a little used. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Wear it, look pretty and not ask questions.” Soarin replied snarkily.
Rainbow gave him an equally dry look in return, pulling one of the sleeves down her leg. “So where is this place?” She asked, blatantly defying his request for no questions. 
“Little place about half an hour north of here.” Soarin explained. “There’s a big wooded area which we regularly use to play paintball.” 
“We? Ha, what’s the losing streak like?” Rainbow asked. 
“Funny.” Soarin jeered, taking flight and heading north, leaving Rainbow to follow him. He set a brisk but lazy pace, not wanting to turn the thing into a race. 
“You look tired.” Rainbow commented idly as they cruised north.
“I am.” Soarin remarked in a remarkably unconversational manner. She decided to not press the issue and quickly changed the topic.
Rainbow smiled. “You know, I didn’t think you’d do all these sorts of things.”
Soarin’s appetite for conversation seemed to return. “What sort of things?” 
“These things. Fun things.” Rainbow explained, her voice cracking slightly as she gestured enthusiastically. “I thought you’d be real busy with all your practice and stuff.” 
“You’re right, I usually don’t. We’re in our off-season actually, we’re back on in a couple weeks or so.” Soarin said with an evident note of cheerfulness. “We only have one show for some festival in Canterlot next week and that’s it.”
“Suppose you won’t have much time next month then?” She asked. 
“Not nearly as much as I’d like.” Soarin agreed, a grin forcing its way onto his face. “Next season ought to be good though.” He added in a tone which suggested he knew something she didn’t. 
“What, what is it?” Rainbow demanded, taking the bait he’d so casually left for her, “Why are you grinning like that?”
Soarin didn’t bother trying to hide his smirk. “Well, I can’t really say…” He drawled. “Might have to kill you if I told you.” 
“Tell me!” Rainbow snapped curiously, doing a flip and slapping the side of his face with her wing. “Come one Soarin, you can’t just leave me hanging after you say something like that!” She pouted. 
Soarin made a show of giving in. “Fine, fine. But you didn’t hear it from me.” He winked. “So, you heard about what happened with High Winds right?”
Rainbow nodded, it had been all over the papers for the last few days. “Retiring, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, the old girl had a pretty bad crash the other day during rehearsal for our gig. She won’t be able to fly in the show and has decided to call it quits. Pity, she’s a damn good flier, I’ll miss her. We all will.” Soarin sighed sadly. “She’s been part of the Wonderbolts for nearly twenty years, that’s incredible to think about.”
“I’m sure there’s a point to this.” Rainbow said suspiciously, her heart already beating fast with excitement. Why else would Soarin bring up a vacancy in the Wonderbolts with her? 
Soarin grinned stupidly. “Yeah, we’ll need somepony to replace her for the show.” He said. “You, if Spitfire’s talk and that letter that was sent out on Friday is anything to go by. ”
Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat. “And her spot on the team..?” 
Soarin floated under her upside down, giving her a roundabout look. “Well...” He rolled the word around, savouring the exasperated look Rainbow adopted. 
Rainbow knocked him out of the sky, sending them tumbling into a thick cloud bank. She pinned him down under her with an indignant scowl, her nose nearly brushing up against his. She glared at him silently, demanding an answer to her unspoken question. 
“You are so cute when you’re angry.” Soarin said cheerfully, tapping her on the snout with a hoof. “Boop.”
Rainbow blushed furiously. “Shut up! Tell me! Or I will end you.” She spluttered. 
Soarin smiled goofily, giving her muzzle another delicate tap. “Sure you will.” He said cheekily.
Rainbow collapsed on him, eliciting a gasp of surprise as her full weight slammed down on Soarin’s belly. “I hate you so much.” She growled into his chest, unable to think about anything else but the vacant position. Why would Soarin tell her something like that only to leave the answer up in the air?
Soarin laughed, slowly wrapping his hooves around her and pulling her into a tight hug. She enjoyed the warmth of his body, his soft fuzzy fur and calm, steady breathing for a few moments before remembering she was supposed to be cross with him and squirmed free with a huff. 
“I’m sorry, did I..?” Soarin asked with a hint of concern.
“It’s fine, Soarin.” Rainbow interrupted. “Just won’t be able to stop thinking about it now, that’s all. It’s sort of a big deal for me.” She chuckled nervously, that was an understatement if ever she’d said one.
“I get it.” Soarin replied. “I’m sorry, I should’ve just let you find out yourself in the next few days.”
“And have me tear you apart for not telling me earlier?” Rainbow laughed.
Soarin grimaced. “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. You’re a special one, Rainbow Dash.” He said with a faint smirk. “Now unless you want to be late, I suggest you refrain from tackling me into any more clouds. It’s best not to keep our team waiting.” 


***


It took another twenty minutes to reach their destination, a heavily wooded area near a village near the foothills of Canterlot. The town was covered in a fresh layer of snow and a nearby river was still iced over. 
“Down there.” Soarin indicated, suddenly diving towards a small collection of huts near the edge of the woods. 
“Your idea of a weekend retreat?” Rainbow asked. 
“Not quite.” Soarin laughed, smartly flaring his wings and touching down next to a group of ponies which seemed to simply jump out of the heavy snow cover. Rainbow landed beside him, a jolt of surprise shooting up her spine as she recognised the other six ponies 
‘He didn’t say the other Wonderbolts would be here!’ She thought, sweeping her eyes across the group and suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She knew them all of course; the young and loud-mouthed Wave Chill, calm and quiet Blaze, Fleetfoot and her distinctive rasping voice, Misty Fly and her cold, vacant eyes, the flamboyant Lighting Streak and of course, Spitfire and her blazing mane.
“Ah, so this is your guest.” Spitfire remarked to Soarin. She didn’t seem all that surprised to see Rainbow Dash. She turned her cool gaze to Rainbow. “Hello.”
Rainbow waved back timidly. She hadn’t expected Soarin to drop this on her. 
Spitfire smiled. “I’m sure we’re all familiar so we’ll skip the introductions.” She nodded at Blaze. “Kit for these two.” 
“On it ma’am.” He replied, bouncing away to a nearby shed and returning with two harnesses. 
“Ever played paintball, Rainbow?” Spitfire asked, eyes blazing hotly under a pair of snow goggles.  
“Can’t say I have.” Rainbow replied uncertainly as Blaze dumped a harness, a short stubby paintball gun and an ammunition hopper at her hooves. 
Spitfire shot Soarin a flat look. “Well, since you’ve been kind enough to dump a rookie on us Soarin, you can show her the ropes.” She looked back at Rainbow. “No offense. We’re used to playing against experienced teams. Come meet us at the staging area when you’re ready.”
“I won’t let you down then.” Rainbow replied, her pride stinging slightly as Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts trotted off towards the woods. 
Soarin stepped over to her, flashing her an apologetic smile. “I’m sure you know Spitfire can be a bit competitive.” He whispered, picking up the harness in his mouth and slipping it over her head. He tightened the straps around her shoulders with a little too much enthusiasm before attaching the gun to the side and dropping a white helmet over her head. Fully rigged, the gun rested by her side, a small handle hanging in front of her mouth. 
“Alright, easy enough really.” Soarin explained, tapping the handle. “Just give this thingymajig a tug with your mouth when you want to shoot. You can aim by moving your head, this thingy will automatically follow..”
“Thingy.” Rainbow echoed dubiously. 
Soarin gave her a slap on the back of her helmet. “Just don’t shoot me in the back of the head and you’ll do fine. We have blue pellets, the other team has green ones so I’ll know if you tag me.” 
“Who is the other team?” Rainbow asked,shifting her head and watching the aiming ‘thingy’ respond a moment later. Seemed easy enough, no doubt there was some magical trickery involved in its design. 
“This week? A bunch of Royal Guards I think.” Soarin answered, dropping a pair of safety goggles over her eyes before assembling his own rig. His was much more complex, feature several additional straps and lots of webbing which hung to the front like lichen. Soarin probably could’ve carried a small banquet in his jacket if he had wanted. As if hearing her thoughts he pulled out a bag of roasted nuts. 
‘If he offers me a damn peanut again I’ll shoot his stupid smug face.’ She thought.
He looked at her, as if he’d somehow heard her thoughts again. His bottle-green eyes shimmered mischievously. Soarin fiddled with the packet slightly..
“Don’t you even dare think about it.” She growled, softly putting a hoof over his mouth before he could speak.
“Oh, I was going to talk to you about that free spot on the team, but if you insist.” Soarin said without hesitation, putting the packet away and shrugging indifferently. He pulled a pair of glasses out of another pocket and swaggered off after the other Wonderbolts, humming cheerfully.
Rainbow stared after him in incredulously, wondering how somepony hadn’t beaten Soarin up yet. She gawped after him for another minute before hurrying to catch up. 


***


After a short briefing from Spitfire at the edge of the woods, the eight pegasi moved past the treeline and split up into two teams, Spitfire leading Lightning Streak, Blaze and Fleetfoot while Soarin took Misty, Wave Chill and Rainbow. They spread out, about two hundred metres or so between the two groups and started to sweep through the woods. Wave Chill took the lead, constantly talking about how he was the best shot in the group to them all at large. He seemed to be trying to impress Rainbow with his stories, but she found his barrage of nasal boasting quite uninspiring.
‘Mediocre,’ Rainbow thought boredly, wondering how somepony like Wave Chill had become a Wonderbolt. Anything he was boasting about she could almost certainly do better, not to mention half of the things he was bragging about seemed like obvious, made up stories to impress some cheap half-witted hanger-oner. 
Rainbow drifted away from him.and tried making idle talk with Misty Fly but the Wonderbolt was hardly a talker, only replying curtly to a few of Rainbow’s prompts before dropping the conversation. Even if she had been, Rainbow was starting to find the pegasus incredibly unsettling. Though the rest of her face was normal, her eyes were flat and dead, almost like those on a shark or a doll. Rainbow eventually dropped back towards Soarin, the complete lack of activity starting to drive her mad. 
“Well this is… fun.” Rainbow muttered to him, jumping up onto a large log that had fallen across their path.
“Oh yeah, so fun.” Soarin smiled, deliberately ignoring her sarcastic tone. “Nothing like a midnight stroll in the woods. The paintball shootouts are just a bonus.” 
Rainbow wrinkled up her muzzle. “As far as dates go, I guess it isn’t too bad. Better than your idea to go to an art gallery, even if I was featured in it.” She agreed hesitantly. “Could’ve told me you’d have half of the Wonderbolts joining in though.” She added, jumping down from the log as Misty and Wave Chill moved up. She still felt strange saying ‘date’. It hardly felt like anything like what she’d been made to expect by some of her friends, it was way too casual, too carefree. Soarin still treated her much the same as he had before they had started dating, though he was certainly teasing her more. 
Soarin chuckled softly, “I wouldn’t say that too loud.”
Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “Eh?”  
He smiled dangerously “Spitfire would probably geld me if she found out we were dating. I haven’t told any of them actually and I intend to keep it that way.”
“Really?” Rainbow scoffed, surprised that Soarin was hesitant about that of all things. She scanned the surrounding trees warily before moving up to where Wave Chill was covering for them.
“Oh yeah, you’re her ‘Wonderchild’. She loves you, but only because of what your talent can bring to the team, not cause she likes you in particular or anything ” Soarin explained diplomatically, whistling at Wave Chill and waving him forward again.
“Hmm. Didn’t you nearly have me kicked out once?” Rainbow ribbed lightheartedly. 
“That was one time, jeez.” Soarin sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. “I never really thought you would’ve sent Spitfire away on a goose chase. I don’t think any of us did.”
Rainbow wasn’t quite ready to let him live it down. “Sure didn’t seem that way at the time.” 
“Well excuse me if somepony around here has something called appearances to keep.” Soarin said with the appropriate amount of sass. “Sorry, by the way.” He added in his normal tone.
“Hey, are you two just going to play hoofsies all night or are you actually going to pay attention?” Wave Chill whined from the front of the group, chewing furiously on a stick of gum.
“Jealous?” Soarin asked, giving Rainbow an overt wink.
“Yeah, sure. whatever.” Wave Chill grumbled back, clearly irritated that Soarin had seemingly hit it off with Rainbow while he hadn’t, “Could use your eyes for something else other than ogling Rainbow Dash’s arse though.”
“Would you rather me ogle yours?” Soarin asked back, always one to have the last word in. 
Wave Chill clacked his teeth together irritably, shooting a look at Misty as if pleading the mare to back him up.
“How about you all just shut up and stop giving our position away.” Misty said boredly. “In any case, she’s certainly more attractive than you, Wave Chill.”
“Wow, Misty, could you be any funnier?” Wave Chill groaned sarcastically.
“I was being serious, there was no humour intended” Misty replied with a frown.
Soarin and Rainbow chuckled softly. “Thanks, Misty.” Rainbow said, giving the Wonderbolt small smile.
Misty returned it, her eyes staring back at her with that same lifeless look .
‘And now she’s creepy.’ Rainbow thought, quickly breaking eye contact with Misty. There was something very wrong about the way her eyes pierced her, it was far too vacant, like she was somewhere else completely. 
“Oh, I see how it is…” Wave Chill muttered before letting out a squeal of surprise as a soft puff sounded and a green splat exploded against the tree next to him.
“Cover!” Soarin yelled as the forest seemed to come alive all at once. Small puffs and cracks of air sounded everywhere and paintballs started flying in every direction. Wave Chill was too slow or too unlucky to heed the warning, half a dozen green splotches breaking out over his chest. 
“Good job being the fire magnet!” Soarin laughed, returning fire on a dark shape which rose up beside a tree. A flurry of curses answered his shots, Rainbow could only presume he’d hit home.
Wave Chill gave him a silent, indignant glare, still standing in the middle of the mini-warzone. He gave Soarin a crude gesture with one of his wings before stomping off the way they’d come, ignoring the splattering and whizzing of paint balls around him.
“Hoho, he’s not happy.” Soarin smirked, enjoying his teammate’s misfortune far more than Rainbow would’ve expected.
Rainbow didn’t know what to do, she could see shapes moving in the trees but she didn’t think she could hit any of them at this range. She decided to just keep her head down and avoid the ‘deadly’ puffs whizzing every which way overhead. She heard a stick break behind her and spun around, immediately spotting a unfamiliar brown unicorn emerging from behind a bush. He swore and fired a burst which flew over her head.
Rainbow didn’t hesitate, firing a stream of pellets back and stitching a line of coloured paint across his helmet and torso. She laughed as the unicorn looked down at the mess defeatedly, now this was fun! 
She ducked behind a broad tree, peeked her head out to see if the area was clear and moved again. She didn’t notice the ash-grey unicorn hiding behind the tree, waiting for her, until she’d was well past him. 
“Oh…” Rainbow squeaked, suddenly finding a slick black barrel half an inch from her muzzle. There was no time to do anything before the grinning unicorn hefting the weapon squeezed off a burst, a hard smack impacting her cheek a split second later. A second, third and fourth burst coated her goggles, the point-blank shots cracking the hard plastic and blinding her with dark green paint. She fell back with a squeal of pain, another two shots catching the other side of her face. Even though she was down the barrage continued, the unicorn evidently avenging his friend by taking his frustration out on her. 
“Stop it!” Rainbow yelled, covering her face with her hooves, but the royal guard didn’t listen.
He only stopped when Soarin emerged like a ghost behind him and bashed his head against the side of the tree with a growl. Before the guard could react, Soarin ripped the guard’s gun free of its telekinetic field. In a single motion, the Wonderbolt twisted the gas cylinder off with an irritated huff, placing it in the droves of webbing which covered his torso.
“Hey! No contact!” The guard snapped, rubbing the side of his helmeted head.
“You’ve hurt her, you idiot.” Soarin growled, his glare obvious even through his goggles. “She was already down.”
The guard bristled. “And?” 
Soarin shot the guard’s chestplate without breaking eye contact. “And you’re going to go back to the staging area, wait for your CO and tell him how much of a bad boy you’ve been.” He explained levelly, taking another step closer. 
The guard glared back silently, staring down Soarin as if he was wondering if he could take him one on one. 
“Sorry.” He eventually muttered, barely giving Rainbow so much as a glance before storming off. 
“You’ve got damn feathers in your brainpan, ya Richard cranium.” Rainbow heard Soarin snarl after him before he plodded over. The firefight seemed to have ended as quickly as it started. Misty was off to their right, unmarked by paint and Wave Chill had reemerged from the darkness, already whining loudly about how it was somepony else’s fault, 
Soarin dropped to his haunches by her side, giving her a concerned look. “You alright?” He asked, fishing around in his webbing for something. 
“If you ask me that again, I’ll geld you myself.” Rainbow groaned, lifting her broken goggles off her face and blinking to clear a few splotches from her vision. Soarin laughed, pulling a cloth free and wiping away the worst of the smear. Her face hurt like it had been stung by a nest of bees but it was bearable. 
“This idiot must have overpressurised his gas tank.” He frowned with concern, the cloth coming away with a few smears of blood and green paint where the pellets had broken skin. He poked her a little too hard, sending a sharp lance of pain through Rainbow’s skull. She kicked out reflexively, catching Soarin’s muzzle with the tip of her hoof. 
He rubbed his jaw. “Ow.” 
“Sorry…” Rainbow apologised meekly. 
“Wow, she hits you more than Hurricane does.” Wave Chill jeered off to their right. He was rewarded with a kick to the gut from Misty, the mare giving him a decidedly furious gesture to stop talking. She slowly turned her cold gaze on Rainbow.her dead eyes never changing, even when her face bore a look of obvious concern.
“You’re injured.” She stated bluntly. 
“Yeah, thanks for noticing.” Rainbow grumbled back as Soarin swabbed one of the cuts on her face with a disinfectant. She winced but refrained from kicking out again. 
Misty nodded, dropping to her haunches and helping Soarin while Wave Chill cursed and spluttered, evidently Misty had kicked him quite hard in a somewhat sensitive spot. 
A few moments later the rest of the Wonderbolts materialised out of the trees with Spitfire at the head of the loose formation. The mare’s fiery mane was partially hidden beneath a mottled white hoodie and a thick scarf which had been pulled down around her neck.
“We got them all. What happened here?” She demanded, her glare immediately snapping to the two pegasi tending to Rainbow. 
“Dash got injured.” Soarin explained. “An idiot with a high-pressure gun at point-blank range.”
Spitfire muttered a curse much fouler than anything Rainbow had heard before, she ground her teeth together, her face forming a harsh scowl. 
“I’m okay though.” Rainbow offered meekly, since nopony had bothered to ask. 
This didn’t seem to cheer Spitfire up any. “Get her out of here, we’re done for tonight. I don’t want anypony else hurt by these featherheads.” She snapped. “I’m going to go find this moron and rip his ears off.” The Wonderbolt’s captain growled before vanishing back into the trees. The other Wonderbolts watched her go, concern etched on their faces. She was helped up by Lightning Streak and Soarin and the group made their way back towards the staging area. 
“Poor foal.” Soarin whispered, shaking his head. “That guard won’t know what hit him.” 
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Rainbow asked, pushing the two burly stallions away. She could walk without their help, it would only be embarrassing having them carry her. 
“Well, depends if Spitfire is speaking literal or just figuratively…” Soarin pondered. “She’s certainly not known for idle talk.”
Rainbow paled and laughed nervously, unsure if Soarin was being serious or not. None of the other Wonderbolts were any more helpful, either smiling or looking away nervously at Soarin’s joke. They quickly arrived back at the assembly area, the other Wonderbolts shedding their gear and chatting indistinctly amongst themselves. Occasionally one would look at Rainbow curiously, making her feel incredibly self-conscious. 
“So now what?” Rainbow asked Soarin, all of the Wonderbolts collecting their gear together and storing it back in the shed. She wanted nothing more than to get away from the looks she was attracting from the group. 
“Well unless you had something else in mind...” Soarin yawned. 
Before Soarin could finish, Wave Chill barged up to them, Fleetfoot and Lightning Streak close behind  “We’re going to hit a few bars, wanna come with?” He asked, the question seemed posed more to Rainbow than Soarin.
“I’m.. good thanks.” Soarin replied, momentarily glancing at Rainbow to gauge her reaction. “I’m tired, I should go home and get some shut-eye.”
Rainbow shook her head politely, happy enough to not be around Wave Chill while he was drinking. She didn’t think he would do anything unbecoming, but she’d already started to form a rather low opinion of the braggart. 
Wave Chill shrugged, “Suit yourself. Guess I’ll see you two around then.” He said, giving Rainbow a not so subtle wink before trotting off with some of the other Wonderbolts, talking and laughing loudly as they took flight.
In a surprisingly diplomatic move, Rainbow waited until they were well out of earshot before growling out a response. “Oh my gosh, could he be any more up his own arse?”
“Who, Wave Chill?” Soarin snorted. “I find that funny, coming from you.”
“Hey!” Rainbow squeaked indignantly.
Soarin bobbed his head to the side. “Weellll, You are a bit of a show off. Can’t say you don’t brag…” He said roll the words around like they were in a tumble dryer. . 
“Yeah, well when I am bragging, I can actually do the things I’m talking about!” Rainbow asserted proudly, giving Soarin’s chest a sharp prod. “I bet you could lead him to water and he still wouldn’t be able to drink.” 
Soarin shrugged, conceding she actually had a point. “The more you know.” He stated sarcastically
Rainbow gave him an admonishing look.
Soarin gave her a disarmingly friendly smile. “Well, what I learnt tonight is that you’re absolute shit at paintball, Miss Bragsalot. Can’t go more than a few minutes without somepony to hold you hoof for you.”
Rainbow held a hoof over her forehead dramatically “Who can blame me? I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
Soarin snorted with amusement, raising an eyebrow slyly as he moved in to remove her harness. “Oh really?” 
Rainbow’s look hardened slightly. “But really, I’m a fighter too, so don’t get any funny ideas, flyboy.”
Soarin gave her an innocent look, pulling her harness off with a few tugs and muffled curses. “You? Funny ideas? Ew. Wouldn’t even think of it, definitely not my type.” He muttered, removing his own harness once Rainbow’s was off her. He dropped the harness, giving it a hard look before whistling at Rainbow. “Hey, want to grab some dinner? Maybe we can make up for this otherwise lousy night?”
“What happened to getting some sleep?” Rainbow scoffed.
“Oh wow, I can tell a straight-faced lie. How terrible of me.” Soarin said flatly, looking up at nothing in particular. “So what do you say? I’m starving.”  
“Yeah, sure.” Rainbow smiled “And Soarin? I enjoyed it. Even if it only lasted about twenty seconds.” She laughed.
Soarin cracked a grin, looking down coyly and kicking the ground. “I hope that doesn't end up being a performance review in the future.”
Rainbow let out a harsh cackle. “You’re unbelievable.” She laughed, giving his mane soft ruffle.
“I try.” Soarin grinned foolishly, flipping up into the air upside down and hovering in place a few metres in the air. “So your place or mine?” 
Rainbow leapt up next to him, playfully knocking the edge of her hooves against his. “I’m sure you can think of something suitable.”  She grinned. 


***


‘Something suitable’ ended up being a small take-away diner in Canterlot. Tucked away in the side-streets off the main drag, the place was a little more like a hole in the wall than a real shop, a small break in the terraced housing and a small crowd of ponies chatting and eating outside were the only signs that the place existed.
“Seems a bit out of the way, doesn’t it?” Rainbow remarked.
“Perfect, right?” Soarin agreed as they touched down out front of the small diner. A few of the patrons looked at him curiously but quickly returned to their meals without making a fuss. “The fact that the food is good is just a bonus. Okay, a great bonus.” He admitted with a laugh. 
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Of course it is. What were you again, Element of Good Food?”
“Something like that.” Soarin smiled, making his way inside the small shop. The interior was just as cramped as the outside, a small dining space off to the right and a small wooden counter from which a bubbly cashier served customers. She could smell cooking vegetables, sweet and savoury pies, burgers and coffee all mixing together into a beautiful aroma that made her mouth water.
“Hey Soarin!” The mare behind the counter said in a bubbly voice which reminded Rainbow disconcertingly of Pinkie. “Just the usual tonight?” 
“You know me.” Soarin replied with a toothy gin.
“The usual? No, wait let me guess. It’s pie, isn’t it?” Rainbow groaned without a hint of surprise as Soarin have her an affirmative nod.
Soarin shrugged at the long look she gave him. “My doctor says pie is a ‘sometimes’ food. I disagree on the basis that he’s wrong.” 
“He might actually be onto something.” Rainbow said flatly, poking his broad chest.
“I don’t understand the question.” Soarin said back, looking away with an air of blissful unawareness.
Rainbow gave Soarin a pointed look, unable to completely conceal a smile. She turned her attention back to the cashier, looking at the menu scrawled messily across the boards behind her. The mare’s face seemed to be locked into a wide grin, almost like the Equalist ponies that had followed Starlight Glimmer. Unlike those creepy, slasher smiles though, this one seemed quite genuine, the sparkly eyes and energetic attitude enough to tell Rainbow that the mare, whoever she was, was almost bombastically cheerful.
“I think I’ll just have a hayburger.” Rainbow said, trying to avoid keeping eye contact with the pony for too long.
“Sure thing!” She chimed cheerfully, leaning over the register towards Rainbow. “And I just have to say, I’m a huge fan. The way you just make those huge rainbooms...” She made a explosion sound , throwing her hooves out wide. “So awesome!” 
“Uh, thanks.” Rainbow stammered, ignoring Soarin’s quiet snicker as he passed her, bit bag already out to pay for their meal.
“It’s alright, I got this.” Rainbow said, waving Soarin’s away with a wing. 
“Wow, a mare buying me food? That’s a first.” Soarin whistled in amazement. “Is this what love feels like?” 
“Well, they say the fastest way to a stallion’s heart is through his stomach.” Rainbow smiled, carefully counting out the bits for the meal and sliding them over the counter for the mare. She swept them away into the register, a satisfying ding ringing out as the tray slid shut. She vanished for a moment, returning with a large bag presumably stuffed with their food. 
‘Now that’s what I call service.’ Rainbow thought happily as the cashier pushed the bag across the counter. 
Soarin frowned. “Oh, I thought it was through his sternum.” 
“Interesting theory. You wanna try it out?” Rainbow asked dryly.
“I’m good.” Soarin replied cheerfully, collecting the bag of food in his mouth and bouncing off aimlessly.
‘Thought so.’ Rainbow smiled, giving the mare behind the counter a friendly smile before following after Soarin. He was already outside, hovering upside down in place while spinning around in a slow circle. 
“Hey, Dash! Look at me!” Soarin laughed, grinning widely as he rotated in place. 
Rainbow was silently impressed. She’d have to ask Soarin how he’d figured that out and teach her. He completed the revolution, gave her a toothy grin then shot off the mark, winging away high into the sky like a bolt of lightning. Rainbow took off after him, wondering how far he’d go before settling down to eat. Canterlot shrank away beneath her, the streetlight shrinking to specks of light as she flew higher and higher. She was starting to notice the change in temperature when Soarin levelled out and touched down with a dramatic flair on a wide ledge carved into the mountainside. A few tough pines grew from the mountain and somewhere nearby Rainbow could hear the gurgling of a small stream. 
“I love this place. Almost nopony ever comes up here.” Soarin said through the paper bag he was carrying.
“Can’t imagine why.” Rainbow grumbled, shivering slightly from the cold. Every time she breathed in she felt tiny daggers of ice in her lungs. She looked out over the edge, Canterlot was a kilometre or two below them, dazzling like a gem in the clear night air.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ve ever found anything quite as nice.” Soarin asked, setting the bag down and gesturing to wide sweeping plains and hills which filled their view. Specks of lights marked small towns or villages and a long glistening band of water snaked its way from the base of the mountain towards the west. Rainbow imagined she could see all of Equestria from the perch, though in reality it was only a small part.
“It’s nice.” She agreed, dropping down next to him and fishing around for her burger. Soarin scooched closer until their flanks were almost touching. He gave her a stupid look and pulled his pie out of the bag with a hungry growl.
“You’re not going to eat all of that are you?” Rainbow asked. 
“Why, you want some pie?” Soarin asked.
“Nah.” Rainbow answered. “I’ve got my burger. It was more out of concern for your stomach. I don’t think it can fit that much in it”  
Soarin examined the pie carefully. “I’ve had bigger. How can you eat a burger anyway? Disgusting.” He tutted..
“How can you eat a whole pie?” Rainbow bantered. 
“I eat it out. Messily.” Soarin replied, enthusiastically demonstrating his technique by shoving his muzzle into the pie with a distinctly happy sound.
“I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere.” Rainbow replied dryly, licking away a few splotches of dismembered pie that landed on her.
Soarin made a noise through his pie that could’ve been speech but it sounded much too like a dog throwing up to make much sense to Rainbow. She nodded as if she’d understood perfectly. 
Soarin closed his eyes and grinned back, chewing away noisily.
They ate the rest of their meal in relative silence, Soarin’s often indescribable eating sounds providing enough entertainment for Rainbow Dash while she tried to eat her burger. Despite its size, Soarin powered through his pie much faster than Rainbow would’ve thought possible and was quickly finished, watching her eat thoughtfully. He seemed deep in thought, almost worryingly so, when Soarin was idle he was fairly prone to banter to some other sort of mindless activity. His silence was somehow unnerving. 
“How long have you wanted to join the Wonderbolts?” Soarin suddenly asked, messily licking a few smears of pie off of his face. 
Rainbow cocked her head to the side, curious as to why Soarin was asking. “As long as I can remember, why?” 
Soarin noisily licked the last remnants of filling off his muzzle. “Have you ever considered that it might not be all it’s cracked up to be?”
Rainbow was momentarily taken aback by Soarin’s question. What was he trying to get at? Being a Wonderbolt was everything she had ever wanted. The fame, the prestige, the stage to show off her skills… what wasn’t to like?
“I…” She started. “I don’t know. Maybe?” She said uncertainly, her half-eaten burger suddenly quite forgotten. 
Soarin gave her a small smile. “There’s a lot more to it than what you probably think. .The good and the bad.”
“What are you getting at?” Rainbow asked cautiously. 
“There’s a lot of times I’ve just stopped and realised how much of a shit-show it all is. Enjoyable shit-show, sure, but there’s so much going behind the flying.” Soarin explained, evidently happy to have somepony to vent to. “See, we barely get enough funding to cover our main display team. every year the budget is stretched just a tighter and tighter and tighter, so we’ve had to look to private funders and other sources of income to keep many of our facilities, backup squads and community programs running. You’ll find rubbing hooves with the rich is almost as much a part of our routine as the stuff we have in our aerial shows.
Rainbow looked out over the panoramic view in silent disbelief. Why wouldn’t the government fund the Wonderbolts? They were awesome! She’d never imagined the team having financial trouble, it just seemed an impossibility. She couldn’t help but wonder if Soarin was just leading her on but the look on his face was remarkably serious.
“That’s not the worst part.” Soarin continued, noticing her dumbfounded look. “The worst part is the ‘favours’ that money seems to buy. These days, It's not so much what you know and what you can do as it is how influential or rich  your parents are. A lot of our more stuck-up donors don’t like it when some nobody from wherewhatsit gets a place on the main squad in place of their finely combed masterpiece of a child who’s trained since they could fly. There’s a lot of pressure on our selectors to tighten our selection pool to the upper-class.” Soarin fumed quietly, “Look at somepony like Wave Chill, he’s competent enough I suppose if you squint hard enough, but the only reason he makes the cut is because he has wealthy parents who give us money. We either give them what they want or oh look, now we suddenly don’t have a reserve.”
“That’s stupid!” Rainbow protested. “Why would anypony want that? Surely you guys could get funding from somewhere else?” 
Soarin shrugged. “Maybe. Probably. That’s what I’m told at least and I can’t really question it too far. Who knows, maybe somepony here and there are pocketing a bit of money of the side. It’s not an appealing thought cos’ that means it's happening fairly high up in the hierarchy.” He pondered before shaking his head. “Not my place to presume.”
Rainbow didn’t think he sounded quite so sure of himself though, almost like he was forcing himself to swallow a lie. She almost found it hard to believe that something like that would be rampant in the ranks of Equestria’s elite flying squadron. She scoffed at the thought, maybe some aristocratic idiot was seriously misinterpreting the meaning when somepony said the  Wonderbolts were ‘elite’.
She frowned thoughtfully. If Soarin was right, it certainly put a slight dampener on things. “I can’t say I’ve ever noticed any of this before..I didn’t realise there was so much… shit,” Rainbow spat irritably, “Going on”
Soarin cracked a thin smirk. “Few do. Most ponies don’t bother looking too far into the politics behind the show-ponies.”
 “Crazy. To think there’s still so many of those snob-snobbyheads. Ruining everything, as usual. Where I’m from, everyone just seems to get along.” 
“Ah, well, the snobbyhead disease is probably a bit more common in Cloudsdale and Canterlot than somewhere like Ponyville.” Soarin chuckled. “There’s just more snobs with spoiled kids around I guess. I’d wager you’d be one of the few ponies that isn’t the son or daughter of some aristocrat or financial backer to actually get into the team in the last few years.” Soarin said, brightening slightly at the prospect. . 
Rainbow cocked her head to the side curiously. “Even you? I didn't take you for an upper-crust pony.”
He laughed out loud at that. “Me? Ha, I’m as blueblooded as it gets. My family has a very high-class pedigree, you can probably trace a fairly straight line back to some descendant of royalty if you go back a few generations. I’m sure my parents would be less than pleased to find out I was dating some sort of smelly unfortunate.” Soarin snickered, carefully avoiding mentioning whether he’d gotten into the squadron on his own merits or not. She decided she didn’t really care, Soarin was a fantastic flier and the most down-to-earth celebrity she’d met. He well and truly passed muster in her eyes. 
“Smell better than you bucko. Besides, I’m an Element of Harmony. That should be prestigious enough for ‘em” She boasted haughtily. “Not that I care of course.” She added quickly. 
“Well you’re certainly not the Element of Modesty.” Soarin grinned.
“Pffft.” Rainbow snorted. “That’d be a stupid element. Where’s the fun if you can’t show off a bit?”
Soarin shrugged his wings slightly, having nothing to say on the matter. He was certainly a bit more reserved than she was when it came to show-boating, but he had to enjoy it a little. Why would he be a Wonderbolt otherwise?
Rainbow fell silent, the novelty of their banter slowly wearing off. She thought over all he had said, he certainly wasn’t selling the team very well. She gave him a serious look. “Soarin, are trying to tell me I shouldn’t join the Wonderbolts if I get the offer?” She asked, wondering what reason he would have for her to not join the team.
Soarin gave her a carely measured look. “I’m saying I would properly consider it before deciding, that’s all. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty good to be had, else I wouldn’t be there. Just think about it.” He said cautiously. 
Rainbow wasn’t sure how to respond. Why wouldn’t Soarin want her to join the Wonderbolts? He wasn’t jealous of her, was he? She scowled deeply, unsure of what to make of his comments. 
Soarin seemed to catch her look of confusion. “You being on the team has other more… personal issues.”  He said slowly. 
“Like?” She asked, anxious at the suddenly downcast look Soarin adopted.
He lay his forehoof over hers comfortingly and looked away for a few minutes. She gave him a prod,with her wingtip wondering if he’d forgotten what he was about to talk about.   
Soarin looked back at her. “Let me preface this by saying I really like you. I do, I really do. Understand that. I don’t think I’ve met anypony I just ‘get’ as much as you.” 
‘There’s a but coming somewhere.’ Rainbow thought,wondering what unpleasant thing Soarin was about to drop on her. She tensed, her mouth suddenly going dry. 
“But…” Soarin added. 
‘There it is.’ Rainbow thought sourly. 
Soarin went quiet again, as if he knew what she was thinking. “You’re going to tick that box when you get the offer. I know it, you know it. If you do well as our backup next week, and you will, the selectors would be mad to choose anypony else, politics be damned.”
Rainbow ruffled her feathers irritably. “Yeah, and?” 
Soarin looked away again. “Rainbow, this… what we have might not work anymore. There are rules, regulations… I’d be your immediate superior, that’s a dynamic I’m not supposed to entertain, let alone enjoy.”
Rainbow looked at him silently, her chest feeling like a piece of paper slowly being torn in half.  
Soarin flinched slightly, as if her lack of reaction was scaring him. “I mean, with that in mind it might be better if we just.... stop, before we go too far.” 
Rainbow shivered, but not from the cold. Her first instinct was to yell at him, but she resisted, she would show Soarin she was better than that. She refused to meet his gaze, wishing her eyes would stop stinging.  “So you want to break it off?” She asked coldly, feeling like she’d had a pallet of bricks dropped on her.
Soarin took an uneasy breath. “No. Not really. I just want you to consider it before sticking your head in the lion’s mouth.” He said, looking away awkwardly. 
Rainbow stewed silently. If Soarin had known she would join the Wonderbolts, why had he even considered a relationship with her in the first place? Obviously nopony could’ve seen High Winds dropping out so soon but it wouldn’t have been long coming before she had a suit of her own anyway. At least he hadn't suggested she just not join the squadron at all, else she probably would’ve already lost her cool.
Soarin took her hoof again, giving her a comforting squeeze. “Just understand, it would be difficult. Exposure is one thing of course, with the attention we get, the media would have an absolute  field day. What little privacy and alone time you’d have would vanish. Most of what you do and say is already on display for the world to see, but this would be deeper, more intimate. They’d find a way.” He explained carefully. 
“Of course it wouldn’t just be them, Spitfire and other officers would also watch us like a hawk if she even had the slightest suspicion. If she felt it was impacting our performance in the air or around the base she’d have one of us transferred in a heartbeat. Even a bit of media frenzy might prompt her to do it if she felt it would hurt the Wonderbolts too much. For her, if it’s a choice between somepony or the team, she’ll choose the team ten times out of ten. Keeping a relationship low key would be paramount.” 
“I understand.” Rainbow said, avoiding Soarin’s eye.
“Do you really?” Soarin asked critically. “Being a Wonderbolt is already plenty stressful. Look at me, why do you think I look like a trainwreck most of the time? I barely get sleep, time off is a treasured rarity, you certainly don’t have time for a whole lot else. Having an intra-team relat-.”
“It’s extra baggage.” Rainbow interrupted glumly. “Undeeded emotional stress. I get it.”
Soarin winced slightly at how bluntly she’d put it. “Yeah.”
Rainbow considered his words carefully, mulling over them silently. “Are you talking from experience, Soarin?” She asked pointedly.
“No, thank Celestia.” Soarin sighed, “But a few of the Bolts have been, not naming any names, but most of them end up going particularly… south.”
“Hmm.” Rainbow grumped. She looked back at Soarin, he looked genuinely upset at the conversation. He’d been incredibly brave to bring it up, she realised.  
She licked her lips nervously, pondering the situation. If they broke it off and she joined the team, no doubt she’d always look at Soarin fondly. ‘Wondering at what could've been’ She thought. But the opposite was also true. She wouldn’t just give up her dream for a stallion would she?
 Rainbow frowned. She liked Soarin, more than she would publicly  admit. They’d only gone on a few dates yet she felt incredibly comfortable with him, there was very little awkwardness like she’d imagined, very little of the usual reservation she had around others. Soarin had a downright infectious attitude which seemed to open her up a bit. She couldn’t speak for Soarin, but she genuinely found herself enjoying his company.
Would she rather that, or a career with the Wonderbolts? 
It wasn’t all that hard, she’d wanted to be a Wonderbolt for her entire life. Soarin was a secondary, more recent concern. She couldn’t say that though, that was harsh, even by her standards. Of course, she’d rather have both, Option C had always been very appealing to her.
Soarin coughed quietly. “I really hate to drop all this on you now, but I didn’t feel right just waltzing in blindly and dragging you along behind. You need to know what you’d- we’d be getting into.”
She eventually looked back at him. “Soarin I understand what you’re saying, but I think it’s stupid.” Rainbow said softly, tapping him gently on the nose. “I think you’re being stupid.” 
A slightly disbelieving smile broke over Soarin’s face. “Stupid. You think it’s stupid.” He stated with a bark-like laugh. 
“Yes, I think it’s a stupid overreaction.” Rainbow repeated, wrapping her hoof around Soarin’s tightly as way of response to what Soarin had been saying. “There’s a reason I’m the smart one in this relationship.”
Soarin seemed to relax a little. “Oh, are you using the word ‘smart’ in some way I haven’t heard of before?” Soarin jeered. “I’m unfamiliar with this rather liberal version.”
Rainbow gave him a solid thump. “I hate you.” She said lovingly.
“I hate you too.” Soarin replied, blowing a raspberry at her. 
“I’m the smart one.” Rainbow growled, resting her head on his shoulder.”You’re the goof. Appearances to keep yadda bullshit yadda yadda.” 
“Yeah, whatever.” Soarin agreed grudgingly, tucking her head under his chin.
Rainbow laughed. “Whatever? That’s all the great and mighty Soarin has to say? Whatever?” 
Soarin poked his tongue out and blew another raspberry at her, prompting her to give one in return. 
“We seem to be a a bit of an impasse.” Soarin remarked casually. “I really wouldn’t want to have to step it up a level. Shutting you up is hard.”
“Oh yeah?” Rainbow grinned slyly. “And how would you plan on doing that?” 
Soarin leaned in and kissed her, or more accurately, tried to kiss her. Instead, the end of muzzle bumped up awkwardly against Rainbow’s and sort of bounced off as he tried to readjust his head. 
Rainbow tipped over onto her side, shaking with laughter. “Wow!” She managed. “You are such an idiot!” 
“Soarin covered his face with his wings, flushing red with embarrassment. He muttered something about the wind under his breath.
“Oh look at me I’m Soarin, I’m so talented.!” Rainbow hooted in a bad impersonation of him, enjoying Soarin’s disgusted look. 
“I’m just… just… so done.” Soarin uttered, flopping his head against the ground defeatedly.
Rainbow regained a measure of composure, ruffled his mane affectionately and gave him a delicate peck on the cheek. “What happened to being infinitely superior?” She teased.
“Your overbearing demeanour obviously scared my superiority away.” Soarin grumbled into the cold earth with an impassive roll of his eyes.
Rainbow looked away with an amused expression, they seemed to have gotten past the uncomfortable topic Soarin had brought up rather well. She shivered, wondering how much longer Soarin wanted to stay near the mountaintop.  “I’m cold.” She said, almost subconsciously looking around to make sure nopony else could see her before snuggling up next to Soarin more tightly. “We should get off this stupid mountain and go back to my place, I’ve got a bit of AJ’s cider stashed away somewhere if you’re in the mood.”
Soarin rolled his eyes with an amused whinny. “Ok, I know what game you’re playing at here, Dash. You invite me to your place under the guise of a drink or something, you make some idle comments which could be or could not be taken in a slightly risque manner, we both have a laugh, then we jump to some hilariously innocent or mundane activity.” Soarin rambled, waggling a hoof at her scoldingly.. “Don’t think for a second I wouldn’t see right through it.” 
Rainbow blinked, unable to help but smile at Soarin. He had a way of making up the most ridiculous things. “Well, actually, I was looking at taking you back to my place, ravaging you in ways you could only dream, chopping you up and then serving you in a soup.”She purred back dangerously. 
Soarin looked at her uncertainly. “How about you keep the goofiness in my court, you just make it weird.” He said seriously.
“Well part of it may have been truthful.” Rainbow admitted, bumping her hoof against Soarin’s timidly. 
Soarin looked at her for a long time, blinking silently as he processed her words. Rainbow wondered if he was trying to figure out which part she was talking about or he was simply too stunned at her forwardness to say anything.
“See? This is exactly what I’m talking about.” Soarin eventually said, prompting a laugh from Rainbow. He shook his head slightly. “No, I need to go home, I’m tired, I have things I need to do, I actually have responsibilities, something you might not be too familiar with.” Soarin ribbed her. 
“Hey, watch it buddy.” Rainbow warned, giving him a friendly shove.
“Oh, excuse me sunshine.” Soarin apologised dryly. “Anyway, I need to get going if I want to get home at a reasonable hour. Thank you for dinner.” He said, lifting his head off the packed snow and resting it against the side of hers  “And thanks for a nice night out.”
“Even if I did get shot.” Rainbow groaned. 
“Especially cos you got shot.” Soarin chuckled. 
Rainbow slapped his rump with the flat of her wing, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the stallion. He gave her a stern look. “The next time you do that, I will tickle you and no amount of pleading or begging will make me stop.”
“Ohhh wow, I’m so scared.” Rainbow said with a dismissive roll of her eyes.
Soarin stood up, puffing his chest out haughtily. “I’m sure one day you’ll come to appreciate the danger in that statement.”
Rainbow gave him a daring look and raised her wing again She met Soarin’s gaze, not detecting a trace of jest in his deep green eye. A slight smirk crossed his face, the small sign of ill intention enough to give her pause for thought. The standoff continued for another moment before Rainbow folded her wing back away, deciding it was wise to not test how good a tickler Soarin was.
He gave her a smug, victorious smile. “See you around, Dash.” Soarin said, shooting a gesture with his wing  His gaze lingered on her caringly for a moment before he took off, vanishing into the darkness  in a flurry of snowflakes and wing beats.
Rainbow let out a long sigh, contemplating everything Soarin had said. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he did have a point… somewhere at least. She was surprised at how willing she was to risk her greatest dream over some mushy feelings she had for a lovable idiot. 
“Ugh.” She growled with disgust, hitting herself on the side of the head. Just her luck the first time she tried something resembling a serious attempt at a relationship everything ended up tricky. 
She pushed the thought aside with some difficulty, she’d take things as they came. If that meant breaking things off with Soarin of push came to shove, fine, surely she could live with herself for that. She’d always got what she wanted, mainly because she worked her butt off to be the best and she had the drive to figure out how to get there. For the first time though, she felt she was at something of a Morton’s fork, the two things she wanted seemed to cast a measure of doubt on the other. 
“Bah.” She muttered, rising to her hooves and taking off back towards Ponyville. She’d talk with her friends, maybe she could figure some compromise out that wasn’t completely stupid. Besides, she had more important things to worry about, if Soarin wasn’t yanking her chain and was being serious about her being called up to perform in the Wonderbolts show, she had hours of gruelling practice and training to look forward to. 
If she got through all that in one piece, then maybe, just maybe she could worry about Soarin.