Happiness and Tears
RDcrystalheart
Chapter 5: Birthday Bash
"You ready?" Rainbow Dash said, trotting over to Applejack casually. The orange mare nodded.
"I sure hope so..." she replied with an uncertain look. Dash rolled her eyes.
"Oh relax, AJ. It's gonna be fine," she said, hitting her friend's back slightly. Applejack just shrugged, and sighed. She looked up to the excited fanfilly, and shook her head.
"Are you sure this is even a good idea?" she asked. "Can't we just have fun here, at your dad's birthday party?"
"AJ, look around you. Do you think we'll have a good time here?" Dash asked, gesturing into the party.
Rainbow's mother, Firefly, had set-up the town center into a wonderfully lit hall, shimmering lights, and ponies dancing, and having a blast everywhere.
Applejack nodded.
"Yes! We will! That's my point," she said. Dash rolled her eyes again.
"But now, think about the Wonderbolt's party," she said, as she forced her friend to look off into space. "You picturing it clear enough?"
"Uh... yeah, think so," Applejack said, leaning her head towards the cyan mare. "Why am I doing this again?"
Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Whatever. Anyway, we're gonna be late!" she exclaimed, spreading her wings out. Applejack quirked her eyebrows.
"What now?" she asked with a pained expression.
"Cloudy Quartz's party, duh," Dash replied, before fluttering up above the ground. She looked behind her, and nodded towards her friend, gesturing for her to come.
Applejack sighed, and floated into the air herself with the giant wings she had gotten earlier that day.
"How long does this spell last for again?" she asked.
"Three days," Dash said. Applejack nodded, before the two looked around them. Once they knew the coast was clear, they stealthily flew up and away from Ponyville.
"This party's great!" Spitfire exclaimed to Soarin, as the two poured punch into their glasses. Soarin made a disgusted face.
"But it's like, so... formal," he said, looking around him.
The mansion was pure white, decorated with light shimmers of ribbons and few balloons here and there, but nothing big. It seemed pretty... bland.
"Well, you are in the house of the Captain Wonderbolt family... what do you expect?" Spitfire said in a joking manner. Soarin smiled towards the mare, before they both took off into the air.
A little distance away, Spectrum was standing with his wife, looking upon the scene.
"Ah... don't you think they'll make an excellent couple?" he asked. Cloudy raised her eyebrow.
"What? What do you mean?" she asked. Spectrum turned to her in excitement.
"Okay, I think it's finally time I reveal to you my big plan for Soarin's future," he said. Cloudy sighed, and turned as well, facing her husband with a knowing look.
"This should be good," she mumbled underneath her breath.
"I want Soarin to marry Spitfire!" Spectrum exclaimed. Cloudy took a few steps back.
"What do you mean... you want?" she asked.
"I mean, I'm going to make Soarin propose to Spitfire, they seem to get along so well. And I know she'll be the perfect mare for our family," Spectrum said. Cloudy shook her head.
"But, Spectrum. Nowadays, parents let their children decide on who they're going to marry," she said. Spectrum shrugged.
"So? Things might have changed for other ponies, but I know Soarin will follow through his family's legacy," he said.
"Legacy? How does the Skies' Legacy match into this?" Cloudy asked.
"Look, my father chose my marriage, his father chose his marriage, his father chose his marriage, and so on. Now it's Soarin's turn. And as his father, I chose Spitfire as a bride," Spectrum explained.
"That's... so cruel," Cloudy said. "Do you mean to say your father chose our marriage? That our relationship was forced?"
"Well... no. I fell in love with you, and since my father hadn't already picked my bride, he approved. Our love was never forced, honest," Spectrum said. Cloudy sighed.
"But I still don't think you should do this to Soarin. What if he doesn't want Spitfire as his bride?" she asked. Spectrum nodded.
"Don't worry. He does. He's already fallen for her, I can see the way they talk to each other," he said. Cloudy rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. This... this isn't a great idea, Spec," she said.
"Don't worry, honey. Everything will turn out fine," Spectrum said, putting a hoof around his wife. "I just know it."
"He's my son. He would never betray me."
"Woah... look at this place!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she floated through the mansion.
She and Applejack had been able to sneak past the guards with the help of a little potion they had 'borrowed' from Zecora. It took a lot of convincing, but they were able to get enough for the guards to fall asleep as they entered the house.
Sure, it didn't seem completely... legal. But they weren't going in to steal anything... or murder anyone. They just came to see what a Cloudsdale party was like.
And worst come to worst, Dash would just have to say that she knew Soarin personally. Which wasn't a lie.
"Uh... y-yeah... so... h-high..." Applejack said, fluffing up her wings a little more. Dash snorted.
"Yeah, you better get used to it," she said, laughing to herself. "You're gonna have those on your back for a few days now."
Applejack gulped. "Uh... yeah," she said uncertainly, flying closer to her friend.
The two ventured into the main reception hallway where the party was being held. Light music was played, and many ponies were slow dancing on the middle floor.
Dash looked around her in awe. It was so... beautiful, the entire arrangement. She glanced around to see if she could spot anyone familiar, but it didn't seem so. Though she did notice Spectrum Skies and Cloudy Quartz at the side of the room, which didn't help her excitement to simmer down.
"AJ! AJ!" she suddenly said, pointing over to the Wonderbolt couple. "Look!"
Applejack shrugged. "So what?" she said, mentally knowing what Dash was about to do.
Rainbow Dash gasped.
"APPLEJACK!" she yelled. "HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING?"
"Uh..."
"Spitfire, where are you taking me?" Soarin asked his firey orange friend. Spitfire shrugged.
"I don't know really. I'm just bored of this party," she said. Soarin raised his eyebrow.
"But I thought you loved this party?" he said with a smirk. Spitfire rolled her eyes.
"Oh shut up, Soarin," she said, waving her hoof in his face as she flapped her wings harder. Soarin chuckled.
"Fine, fine. I'll shut up."
"Good."
"Good."
"Well... fine."
"Fine."
The two laughed to themselves, before venturing back into the main hallway.
"Woah, look at all these trophies," Rainbow Dash said with wide eyes, looking over the large rows of flying rewards and other various activities.
"There sure are a lot of them..." Applejack said in equal astonishment. "Best Equestrian Flying Team, Best Team Captain, Best Wonderbolt Generation... they've earned just about everything!"
"Wouldn't you love to be a part of their team?" Dash asked with a dreamy gaze. Applejack backed away.
"Maybe for you, but I'll probably stay down by the farm," she said. Dash laughed, as she and Applejack began to search the trophies for more interesting facts.
"I can't believe I'm actually in the house of the Team Captain and his family..." Dash said, in a starstruck form. Applejack nodded.
"Must be a dream come true for you, eh?" she asked. Dash nodded.
"Oh yeah," she said, watching her friend flap her wings to gain altitude. "Be careful, AJ. You don't wanna accidentally knock something down..."
"Nah. It's okay, Dash. I've got it under control," Applejack replied confidently, rising higher, and beating her large wings faster. "Wo-oah!"
"APPLEJACK!" Rainbow Dash cried, as Applejack's wings hit the largest trophy on the top shelf. She gasped, as her friend fell, and the trophy began to wobble. "HOLD ON!"
Rainbow Dash jumped up, and quickly pushed the orange mare out of the way, spreading her wings wide. Unfortunately for her, the feathery extension on her back provided anything but comfort internally. For it had just brushed the moving trophy, causing it to collapse to the floor.
Applejack fell to the ground, along with Rainbow Dash, who instantly sat up, just in time to see the trophy crash to the floor, and crack in various places.
All the commotion had attracted a few... onlookers, upon the scene. Spectrum and Cloudy were both gaping at the cyan mare, and their beloved trophy. Spitfire and Soarin, who had been flying by at the time, stopped and looked curiously. Soarin, who instantly recognized the two mares, made a face and tried to stop himself from cracking up into fits of laughter.
"Oh... oh goodness..." Cloudy said, putting her hoof to her mouth and looking at the cracked figurine. Spectrum gasped.
"My biggest achievement!" he exclaimed. Soarin, who observed Rainbow Dash's scared face, simply chuckled.
He flew down to the scene, and held a hoof out for her. "Here," he said, as Dash shook her body and cautiously accepted the hoof.
"Uh... hehe..." she laughed nervously. Soarin shook his head, and shot her a quick wink, before flapping his wings and returning by Spitfire's side.
He shot her one last smile, before disappearing into a cloud.