//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Carnival // Story: Happiness and Tears // by flaminkomage //------------------------------// Happiness and Tears RDcrystalheart Chapter 9: Carnival Soarin landed with a soft boom on the ground outside the lively carnival. He instantly began looking around for the cyan mare whom he was expecting. "Where could that mare be...?" he asked himself, before somepony suddenly jumped on his back. He let out a quiet yelp, before turning around and resting his eyes on Rainbow Dash. She giggled at his reaction. "Hey, I've been looking everywhere for you," she said. Soarin chuckled inwardly, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh hehe... I just arrived and was looking for you, actually," he explained. Dash smiled, before grabbing his hoof and leading him to the middle of the event. "Scootaloo's here too, somewhere," she said. Soarin nodded. "Yeah, so is Speedy," he said, before the two locked eyes in utter realization. "Uh-oh," they said together with wide eyes. Dash shook her head. "Eheh... I'm sure it'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?" "It's you," Scootaloo said with a glare, looking upon a cream-coated colt standing in front of her. Speedy smirked. "What's a lowly damsel in distress doing out here at such a festivity?" he asked her in a cunning voice, their hatred oozing out as they continued to throw insults. "Hm. Well, if you forgot, you're in Ponyville. Not Cloudsdale," she said. Speedy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and?" he said, waiting for a response. "In Ponyville, I'm the captain," Scootaloo said in a dangerously low voice. Speedy glared hard at her. "So. What." he said, breaking each word. Scootaloo breathed in his face, edging closer to him. "I suppose we'll just have to find out," she said simply, before flicking her tail in his face and slauntering away. "Wanna go on any rides?" Soarin asked the mare who was busy fangirling besides him. Dash blushed, before shrugging. "Sure," she said, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. Soarin grinned. "Okay! Which one?" he asked her, looking around. "There's the Jungle Explorer, Mega Launcher... oh look there's a Ferris Wheel and-" "How about the Teacups?" Dash cut in. Soarin stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening. Dash raised her eyebrows. "What? Did I say something wrong?" "The... T-T-Teacups?" Soarin stammered out, memories from when he was just a small colt pounding at his head. Dash nodded slowly. "Uh... yeah?" she said nervously, unsure of why the Wonderbolt was acting this way. Soarin gulped. "But... there are so many other wonderful rides to go on! Why the... Teacups?" he asked her. Dash shrugged again. "They seem so fun! I've looked at them in books, and I've already been on some of these other rides-" "I thought you said this was your first carnival," Soarin said, finishing her sentence before it was even half-way completed. Dash nodded. "It is! Fluttershy hates riding these kinds of things, they're too scary for her. So sometimes, Twilight makes some sort of simulator for her. I've been in there a few times... it's kinda boring. But she never made one for a Teacup ride," she explained. Soarin gave her an amused look, before sighing. "The Teacups are so... spinny, though," he said. Dash rolled her eyes. "Are you telling me the great Wonderbolt Soarin Skies is afraid of some little carnival ride?" she asked him, crossing her hooves with a smug smirk planted on her face. Soarin scoffed. "Yeah right. As if!" he said, giving her a look. Dash shot him a coy smile. "Alright then, prove it," she said. Soarin was left dumbfounded. "Prove it... how?" he asked. Dash rolled her eyes. "Dumbo..." she muttered underneath her breath, before looking back up at the baby-blue stallion. "Come on the Teacup ride with me. It'll be fun! Promise." She smiled. "Grrrr... okay okay. Fine. But just to prove you're wrong!" Soarin said, stomping his hoof and beginning to make his way to the tent where the ride was being operated. Dash just stared after him, and laughed, shaking her head. "Ooh!" Speedy said, trotting over to the giant rollercoaster in the middle of the carnival. "This one looked epic." "Nuh-uh-uh little Mister," a new voice interrupted him. Scootaloo emerged from behind the cream colt holding a stick of cotton candy. Speedy's eyebrows flattened. "What are you doing here?" he asked her with an unamused glare. Scootaloo scoffed. "Well then, if you're going to be so impolite about it," she started. "You can't go on this ride." Speedy gasped. "What?! Why?!" he asked her, yelling. Scootaloo smirked. "Mister Speeder Spectrum-Cloud Skies," she boomed. Speedy raised an eyebrow at the usage of his full name. "You are not to go on this ride until you follow through with a little assignment I have for you." "Oh yeah? What's that?" Speedy asked her. Scootaloo's smirk deepened. "Just repeat what I say," she said. Speedy quirked his eyebrows. "That's it? Okay. Bring it on, sucker!" he said, becoming confident in his actions. Scootaloo chuckled evilly. "Alright. Now say, If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully." Scootaloo narrowed her eyes at the colt's sudden confusion. She laughed to herself as she watched him thus struggle. "Uh... If you must course a cow... and... cross a crowded carefully... and... oh what was it... crowded cow?" Speedy guessed, laughing nervously at the end. Scootaloo's wings flared out in victory. "Beeerrrppp! Incorrect! I win! You lose! HA!" she said, beginning to dance around like a chicken. Speedy crossed his hooves angrily across his chest. "Oh for ponies sake..." he said with an annoyed glare. "You watch your back, Scootaloo Dash! Next time we meet, it won't be so simple." And with that, he stomped off in the other direction, away from her. "Rainbow Dash... are you sure about this?" Soarin asked as he and Dash boarded a blue teacup with red roses on it. Dash happily nodded. "Oh yeah. This Rainbow is as sure as Dash," she said. Soarin raised an eyebrow, but decided to leave it be. "Ooookay..." he said cautiously, taking a seat in the car slowly. Dash grinned, and sat opposite him, closing the door to the cart with a swift motion of her hoof. The operator yelled out a few words, before turning a crank and starting up the ride. Dash and Soarin instantly were spun around the small tent, Soarin's eyes following the ceiling. He felt like he was going to be utterly sick. Soarin held in his discomfort, and put on a fake smile for the mare sitting with him. Dash put her hooves to the side of the seat in awe, feeling the motion of the swing absolutely astound her. "Woo-oah!" Soarin suddenly, said, turning around and sticking his hooves out of the teacup. His face was slowly bearing a bright murky green color. Dash saw this, and giggled. "Oh come on, Dashie," Soarin started. "Dashie?" Rainbow asked between her laughs. Soarin backed his head away. "Oh, sorry," he said sheepishly. Dash waved a hoof in front of her face with a smile. "Nah, Dashie's cool. It's... unique," she said. Soarin raised an eyebrow at her, and shrugged, nodding his head. "Oh... okay! Well, Dashie, how much more of this do I have to take?" he asked her. Dash grinned playfully. "Shouldn't be much longer until the ride's over, I suppose." "Will I see you again?" Soarin asked a few hours later, as the duo exited the carnival. Dash put on a thoughtful look. "Hm... I dunno," she said. Soarin scoffed. "And why's that?" he asked her with a growing smirk. Dash teasingly tapped his muzzle. "How can I be seen with such a coward?!" she said, before bursting into a fit of laughter. Soarin rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny," he mocked. Dash smiled. "Okay okay, back to reality," she said. "Sure, I'll see you again, but you're gonna have to work for it," she said with a devilish grin. Soarin raised his eyebrows. "Oh?" he asked. Dash nodded. "See ya', Soar," she said, opening her wings wide, about to take off into the air. "WAIT!" Soarin suddenly yelled, stopping her mid-flight. He beckoned her down and took her hoof in his. Bending down, he lightly kissed it, patted it, and gave it back to her. "For m'lady," he said with a smirk. Dash giggled uncharacteristically, and shook her head, taking flight and soaring into the air. Soarin looking after her with a small smile.