The hotel rooms the Ponyville Equestria Games team rented were stuffy and cramped. Granted, Twilight hadn’t been there to make sure the team reserved rooms early, so they had taken what few rooms were left. That meant Rainbow Dash was stuck in a room with her five best friends.
She wasn’t in the hotel any more than necessary. Her team had qualified the day before, but there were still three more teams to qualify before they could all go home. We wouldn’t have qualified if Twilight and Soarin hadn’t reminded me how lucky I am to have Ponyville backing me. Most ponies were out in the huge field Rainbow Falls provided, watching the teams qualify.
Ponyville was easy to spot. Rarity had finally convinced everyone to put on the costumes she had made. I need to have a talk with her and explain aerodynamics. Still, a smile graced her face. She couldn’t believe she had almost left the town she loved, the people she loved, for the Wonderbolts.
Her eyes drifted to the Cloudsdale base camp. They almost always won the gold in the flying events. When I’m a Wonderbolt, I’ll be over there. She knew she made the right choice in staying with Ponyville, even if her friends, Fluttershy, anyway, would have understood. She wanted to feel anger at the Wonderbolts, Spitfire and Fleetfoot especially, for how they had thrown Soarin out like he was yesterday’s trick, but she couldn’t. Not after she had nearly thrown her entire town away.
Her eyes widened as she saw Soarin walking toward her. Out of all the Wonderbolts she had talked to, she liked him best. He had just lost his Rookie status, flying for only two years, but he was a strong teammate.
And he was walking right for where she was sitting.
He stopped a few feet away, pawing at the ground. Licking his lips, he said, “Hey Rainbow Dash.”
“Oh, hey Soarin.” Her ear flapped nervously.
He stepped closer, so that they were in normal talking range. “I wanted to thank you again. For saving me. That’s four times now.”
Knotting her eyebrows together, Dash shook her head. I remember two. “Four?”
He nodded. “Yeah. You saved me at the Best Young Flyers competition, you saved my pie at the Gala, you saved my hooves at the wedding, and you saved me yesterday. That’s four, unless I’ve forgotten how to count.” He smiled, stepping closer again.
Dash blushed. “Yeah, I guess.” Shifting on her hooves, she looked around. “So, yesterday. Is that normal for the Wonderbolts. To just blow off one of their best teammates?”
Soarin’s ears drooped. “It’s what can make the team better, you know? If feelings get hurt, it’s just collateral damage. Spitfire is good at that. I don’t think I could ever be captian.” He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes glancing up at her and back to the ground every few seconds. “Listen, like I said, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. And well…I…here.”
He held out his hoof. A badly carved piece of wood, shaped like a lightning bolt with wings, laid there with a piece of ribbon through the top to make a necklace. Soarin was looking directly at Rainbow now, a small, hopeful smile on his face.
Rainbow’s mouth dropped open. This isn’t happening. Ohmigosh is he… “I…that’s your cutie mark though.” Rainbow looked from the necklace to Soarin, unsure of what to do. “I can’t take that. That means…”
“It means I want to get to know you, Rainbow. You are an amazing filly, and I’d be stupid not to see it. You don’t have to take it, but I mean it. You surprise me every time we meet, and I want to get to know the mare behind those surprises, if you’ll give me a chance.”
Rainbow felt a smile Pinkie Pie would be jealous of spread across her face. “Yeah, I like that.” She lowered her head so Soarin could slip the necklace on her.
“So, umm, I’ll write you, okay? I gotta go practice some more now. Bye.” He flew off, looking back every few seconds.
Once he left her sight, Rainbow shot into the air herself. She found her friends, landing in the middle of the group.
Rarity noticed the necklace at once. “Oh my, Rainbow Dash.”
Her cheeks flushed red even as she smiled. “Ohmigosh, I’m dating Soarin!”